Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Choosing a puppy is a momentous decision. Here’s what to consider. My friend Andrew wants a huge dog, a Newfoundland or perhaps a Mastiff. His wife, Jane, wants a dog she can pick up and cuddle, one who will be easy to walk and undemanding. For some people, there are German Shepherds or Border Collies, […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Nothing is sweeter than an 8-week-old kitten. Those tiny paw pads, curious eyes, and that wiggly body practicing “big cat” pounces. Adorbs, right? Adding a kitten to your family is easy in this charming, playful, and easy-care stage. Alas, within a few months, cute kittens become adolescents, with the potential for behavioral issues caused by […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes You have an adorable new puppy or just adopted a sweetheart of a dog from a shelter or rescue group. You can’t wait to spoil him or her rotten, right? Loving on a new pup is mandatory, sure, but it’s also important to provide him with a structured environment from day one. Setting clear expectations […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lots of people are crazy about ferrets. “I think most veterinarians that work on ferrets will tell you they’re pretty darned adorable,” says Valarie V. Tynes, DVM, DACVB. But people who love them want you to know about the challenges of living with them. “The first thing I always ask people is, ‘Why do you […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes From waiving adoption fees to offering discounts for veterinary wellness visits to staging fun events, shelters are stepping it up for senior pets inside their facilities. There are many advantages to adopting an older pet over a young kitten or puppy. Topping the list: most older pets are housetrained, mellow, and less apt to chew […]
Reading Time: 6 minutes A diagnosis of FIP used to be a death sentence, but that’s changing. Like the disease itself, the story is complicated. Here’s what we know now. First, and most exciting, attending researchers agreed that FIP should now be called “treatable,” at least potentially, and perhaps “curable.” A conference about FIP took place last November, drawing […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Peter Cohen of Santa Barbara, California, has made feline infectious peritonitis his personal cause, having lost two kittens to the dread disease. He now has a third, Smokey, who is a survivor. Cohen’s first experience with FIP, a fatal viral disease in young cats, was in 2012 when he adopted a pair of litter mates, […]
Reading Time: 5 minutes The 2019 FIP Symposium: PURRsuing FIP and WINNing might be the most significant event in feline health ever! That’s a mighty powerful statement to make, but it’s likely true. Here’s why that’s so, for me and for many other cat lovers. A Devastating Day I recall the exact moment when Dr. Sheldon Rubin called to tell […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Senior dogs are often overlooked in shelters and can remain there for months. To give them the attention they deserve, November is labeled National Adopt A Senior Pet Month to highlight that the inimitable human-animal bond is not governed by age. Welcoming an older dog into the household and giving them love and care for […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes When you adopt a cat from a shelter, you not only save that cat’s life, you also free up space for another cat to have a chance for adoption. Adopting and rescuing cats is a trend, and in the process lives are being saved. According to the ASPCA, over 1.6 million cats and kittens are […]