The Top 10 Canine Nutrition Myths
Nutrition is one of the most common topics I discuss with dog owners every single day. And like most things that circulate on the internet, there is a lot of opinion mixed in with very little science. Good nutrition is not about trends. It’s about evidence, physiology, and long-term health. Below are the top 10 […]
Puppy Behavior and Training: Dealing with Undesirable Behavior
How do I prevent my puppy from doing damage or getting into mischief? Prevention is the key to a happy life with puppies. Set your puppy up for success by preventing her from getting into trouble in the first place. Supervise. To be successful, your puppy must be directly supervised by a responsible person. When […]
Principles of Teaching and Training Dogs
How can I teach my dog new tasks? Punishment is not a recommended training strategy. It can have unwanted consequences including fear and aggression. Punishment can permanently damage the trust your dog has in you. Punishment is designed to stop behaviors, but punishment does not inform your dog which behavior to do instead. This can […]
Vaccines for Cats
Vaccines are necessary to reduce illnesses in cats caused by infectious diseases. Improvements are continuously being made in vaccine safety and effectiveness. Veterinarians routinely recommend certain vaccines for all cats (called core vaccines), while others (called non-core vaccines) are used more selectively, according to the cat’s environment and lifestyle. In all cases, decisions about vaccine […]
Deciphering Cat Food Labels
Evaluating cat food labels can be challenging and confusing for pet owners. These labels provide an important way for pet food manufacturers to communicate nutritional information to consumers. However, food labeling requirements for cat foods vary significantly from those for human food. It is important to understand some of the rules regulating cat food labels […]
Flea Control in Cats
How can my cat get fleas? Fleas can spread directly from a flea-infested animal to your cat, but usually cats get fleas from their environment. Fleas live, feed, and mate on many animals, including cats, dogs, rabbits, ferrets, opossums, rodents, and raccoons. Flea eggs fall off these animals, into the environment, where they hatch into […]
Ticks in Cats
Although ticks are commonly thought of as insects, they are actually arachnids similar to scorpions, spiders, and mites. All adult ticks have eight legs and have no antennae. Adult insects, by comparison, have six legs and one pair of antennae. Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of their host, which can include pets […]
Zoonotic Diseases in Cats
What is a zoonotic disease? Zoonotic disease or zoonoses are terms used to describe an infection or disease that can be transmitted from an animal to a human. Are there many zoonoses? Altogether, well over 100 diseases can be transmitted from animals to humans, although most are rare in North America. All domestic animals, including […]
Microchipping Your Cat
What is a microchip? Today, microchip technology is found everywhere, from computers and cell phones, to implants in wild animals for tracking their movements, to pet microchips that provide identification information. Different types of microchips work in different ways, depending on their purpose. The purpose of microchips used for pets is to provide a form […]
Microchipping Your Dog
What is a microchip? Today, microchip technology is found everywhere, from computers and cell phones, to implants in wild animals for tracking their movements, to pet microchips that provide identification information. Different types of microchips work in different ways, depending on their purpose. The purpose of microchips used for pets is to provide a form […]