The recent news of the Lyme Disease being found in the Rouge River Valley has a lot of people worried. We’ve heard how awful this disease can be for people – what does it mean for our pets? What is Lyme Disease? Lyme is caused by a bacteria called Borrelia, and it is spread by … Read more
The word “Bloat” strikes horror in the hearts of many dog lovers – particularly those who have had to deal with it, and maybe even lost a good friend to it. However, “Bloat” is a bit of a misnomer – the problem is not so much that the stomach filled up with gas, as that … Read more
So far we have looked at what allergies in dogs look like, and how to get some relief. For a long-term solution, we need to address what is causing the allergic symptoms. If you can, avoid what triggers the allergy. This is do-able in the case of food allergies – don’t eat that food. The … Read more
OK, you’ve figured out your dog has allergies. The itching, the hair loss, the rashes and infections… so what now? Whatever the cause of the allergic symptoms, we want to give our poor itchy and rashy friends some relief from their symptoms. Here are some tips: Cleanliness is our friend Bathing can remove allergens such … Read more
Yay, Summer is in full swing at last! I know of a lot of dogs that spend most of it in the lake – here are some tips to avoid problems in our dock-diving friends: Rinse Off Lake water can have high levels of tannins from rotting vegetation (tannins are what give that weak-tea colour … Read more
Ah-CHOO! Is that what you think of when I mention allergies? How about scratch-scratch?… In humans, the organ of allergic expression is the respiratory tract. We get hay fever, asthma, all sorts of respiratory symptoms from our body’s over-reaction to allergens. Well, in dogs, the organ of allergic expression is skin. The parts of the … Read more
I seem to have had a toenail-themed week this week. Not only have I been helping a lot of my pet parents with their pet’s nails, I had an issue with my own dog’s nails. My little dog, Isora, got an overly-long toenail stuck in the heating vent – she ended up pulling up a … Read more
Tis the Season to get Busy – very busy! And for many of us, that means travelling to reconnect with friends and family. So, what does that mean for the four-legged members of our family? Here are some tips and suggestions to ensure out fur-friends have Happy Holidays too. The Jet-Setter Pet Planes, Trains and … Read more
Yesterday, I was running around delivering medications to three patients, and it occurred to me that all three were heart patients. So, I thought I would discuss heart disease in pets with this blog. Now, we all know how important heart disease is in humans. Well, for people, it is all about the cholesterol plaques. … Read more
Halloween is here, and a good time will be had by all! Well, hopefully by all – here are some steps to make sure your four-legged friends make the best of the occasion too. Watch What They Eat Most people know in a sort of general way not to feed candy to the dog… but … Read more