Tag Archives: pet health

Lyme Disease Vaccine

One of my friends is the wife of a veterinarian. That makes her a useful resource whenever I have questions about my pets’ health. Today we got on the topic of immunizations, and she mentioned one of which I’d never heard: Lyme disease. My friend said that at her husband’s veterinary practice it was standard to immunize against Lyme disease once a year. I was surprised, mostly because I’d never even heard of a vaccine for the disease before, and now I learn that some places administer it yearly. I wanted to know more, so I began researching as soon … Continue reading →

Pet Diabetes on the Rise

Diabetes runs in my family. Even though I’m only in my mid-20s, I’ve tried to start being conscious about what I eat so I can hopefully prevent the onset of the disease, or at least have an easier transition into a diabetes-friendly diet should I need to do so. While I’m prepared for the fact that one day I might learn I have diabetes, it never occurred to me that one of our pets might come down with it as well. That’s right: dogs and cats can get diabetes, and it’s on the rise in canines. MSNBC Health has a … Continue reading →

Buying Pet Medication Online

I don’t usually have a lot of deals to post here. That’s because the majority of discounted pet items I see are too localized: coupons in the local Penny Saver, sales specifically at my branch of Petco, that sort of thing. This weekend I made my annual bulk purchase of our various pet medications and treatments. Then it occurred to me that I’ve been using discount websites for pet purchases for years now and I’ve never remembered to share the scoop. If you’re a pet owner I’m sure you’ve heard it before; when buying your flea treatments, heartworm medications, and … Continue reading →

How Often to Immunize Dogs and Cats

Now that both of my pets are two years old they don’t need annual immunizations anymore. However, because some veterinarians still push for yearly shots, it’s tricky to determine which your pets need and when. Although some states still require yearly rabies vaccinations (and you should check to see if that’s the case in your state), the truth is that as long as adult cats and dogs receive their rabies shots on a regular schedule, after their shot when they turn one year of age they only need the immunization, at most, once every three years. Cats and dogs need … Continue reading →

Chihiro’s Infection

A popular topic at the pets blog is pet health; examples of various maladies your pets might contract, and what to do if that happens. Unfortunately for me, last week I made my second trip to the vet in a month. But that’s fortunate for you, because it gives me more pet health insights to share. This time, we’re not sure what Chihiro’s original problem was. Maybe she had a bug bite. Maybe she had a scratch on her nose as a result from her playtimes with the cat. We noticed a bump on her nose in the middle of … Continue reading →

Flea Bombing

Flea bombing: every pet owner probably has to do it at least once. No matter how many flea collars we put on our animals, medication we apply to the backs of their necks, or generally how cautious we are, those little bugs just seem to find ways past our defenses on occasion. Flea bombing, or flea fogging as it’s often called now, can be complicated and stressful. We recently had to go through it in our house, so I thought I’d detail the process to provide help or reference for others. Everyone, human and animal, needs to vacate the premises … Continue reading →

Heatstroke in Pets

With the approach of summer, we pet owners need to start thinking about how our animal family members might be affected by the heat. Pets that go outside, particularly dogs and cats, face danger from heatstroke. In fact, even when an animal isn’t technically outdoors it can still get heatstroke if left in the car. I admit I’ve been guilty once or twice of leaving my dog in the car for “just a few minutes” in fair weather. Here’s the thing: according to a Stanford University study, a parked car on a sunny 70-degree day can reach dangerous internal temperatures. … Continue reading →

How to Decide What to Feed Your Pet

Sometimes standing in the pet food aisle feels like shopping for things like body wash or shaving cream; with so many options how does one ever decide what brand to buy? When it comes to pet food, the decision carries more weight. I might randomly pluck a bottle of soap off the shelf, but I want to put greater thought into what I’m feeding my pet. But all those options can be overwhelming, and I sometimes wonder if they aren’t all the same. The truth is they probably are. My dog had some digestive problems in the winter so I … Continue reading →

What to Do If Your Dog Eats Chocolate

Last week I took my cat to the vet for his routine yearly checkup. I thought I might find some inspiration for an article from the trip. I did, but it turns out it’s not about my cat at all. While I was gone with my cat, I forgot to close the door to the pantry. To make a long story short, although we put several safeguards in place to prevent something like this from happening, the dog still got into some chocolate. She’s doing fine, but I thought I would share what we did, and the information we learned … Continue reading →

Foods That Are Fatal For Fido

We all love our furry kids and always want to take good care of them. Heck, sometimes these four-legged creatures have better lives than even our kids do. That’s totally understandable though since dogs don’t talk back, love you even if you aren’t perfect, and are always overjoyed to see you walk into a room—even if you’ve only been out of sight for two minutes. Over the years I’ve had many animals; everything from guinea pigs and iguanas to birds and fish, but dogs are always my favorite. Many people give their dogs a few leftovers from dinner, or treats … Continue reading →