Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 7 minutesA comfortable home provides more than food, water, and a warm place to sleep. Cats also need opportunities to climb, hide, scratch, explore, play, hunt, rest, and make choices about how they interact with their environment. These opportunities are collectively known as environmental enrichment. Enrichment supports a cat’s physical and emotional wellbeing by allowing them […]
Reading Time: 3 minutesWe may be blessed with thumbs to open jars, but when it comes to the sense of smell, our dogs have us beat, paws down. Discover ways your dog uses his superior sense of smell. Dogs use their noses in many predictable as well as some surprising ways. They can easily sniff out a bag […]
Reading Time: 3 minutesNemo is one of those gorgeous longhaired cats you just want to pick up and cuddle. Sadly, this has never happened. After 12 years, this fearful cat is still a work in progress. I rescued Nemo as a feral kitten being hunted by hawks and brought him inside to live with me. There were two […]
Reading Time: 3 minutesWhile Halloween may be an exciting time for you and your family — costumes, candy, carving — it can be frightening for your dog or cat. From ringing doorbells to monstrous masks, these new sights and sounds can create high anxiety for pets. However, when you follow these simple suggestions, you can give your pet […]
Reading Time: 5 minutesYou are not alone if your dog is itchy with skin or ear problems! It is the number one reason pet owners like you seek help from a veterinarian.1 In fact, 7.5 million dogs were treated by veterinarians last year for skin and ear problems.2 Did you know that August was Itchy Pet Awareness Month? […]
Reading Time: 3 minutesA service dog named Elmer has made a wonderful difference for a 7-year-old boy named Gavin Swearingen. As a toddler, Gavin fell off a swing and suffered a traumatic brain injury that led to complex medical issues, from strokes and epilepsy to cerebral palsy marked by weakness on his right side. Elmer, a Labrador-Golden Retriever […]
Reading Time: 2 minutesWhat scares pets at Halloween? It’s not the specter of too much chocolate but it can be ghosts, jack-o-lanterns and giant inflatable spiders (those scare us, too). People—or other animals—in costume, flickering carved pumpkins, and spooky décor can frighten pets who aren’t prepared for them. Help protect them from or prepare them for the following […]
Reading Time: 5 minutesCats can’t be trained. How many times have you heard that statement? I’m here to tell you that it’s not true. Most cats can–and should–learn how to do a few simple tricks. Some, such as coming when called, are useful, and others, such as giving a high five, are a fun form of enrichment for […]
Reading Time: 6 minutesIn the previous post in this series we talked about two big tips for helping reduce the anxiety and stress that patients with skin disease may experience. The first was stopping the itch by visiting your veterinarian and committing to therapies that are effective, work fast and get the pet back to normal again. The […]
Reading Time: 3 minutesThe Beagle came bounding into class, dragging a 7-year-old girl desperately trying to maintain a grip on the leash. “Ms. Teoti,” the little girl whined, “Bonnie doesn’t want to go for walks. She wants to go for sniffs!” Bonnie’s not alone. Dogs have more than 100 million sensory receptor sites in their nasal cavities. In […]