Fear Free Happy Homes
Reading Time: 3 minutes Elated and relieved people all over proclaim “Good potty!” and “Good pee!” when their dogs perform these necessities during leashed walks. But when is the last time you really looked at your dog’s poop? And how much attention do you really pay to the clumps you scoop each day from your cat’s litter box? One […]
Reading Time: 2 minutes Does Fear Free matter? Are you kidding? Here’s an example. My own 15-year old cat, Roxy, went to the veterinarian recently for some medical issues. She’s actually fine with going into her carrier and the car ride, and in the past she has never minded the veterinary visit. This time, however, both Dr. Natalie Marks […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes When my late Greyhound, Savanna, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, her oncologist advised amputation of her rear leg and chemotherapy. My husband and I were anxious about how our 10-and-a-half-year-old dog would respond to losing a leg, but we decided to give surgery a chance to save her life. It was the right choice. Savanna had […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Tank, my Lab, and I returned from our weekly agility class and plopped down in the living room to relax. Two hours later, I noticed that Tank was still panting as if he had just exercised. That didn’t seem right. I watched him carefully the next day and saw he was panting heavily even after […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Feeling a little more tired as you age? A little out of breath? The same is likely true for your aging dog or cat. The fact is that organs change with age, and those changes can affect not only day-to-day activities, but also the way our pets respond to anesthesia. Changes related to aging can […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes “Daeli receives regular acupuncture sessions. She was once very afraid of the needles and she still gets a little worried right before, but she relaxes as you can see here,” says KristyAnn Brock, DVM, CCRP, CVA, Fear Free associate veterinarian at Viking Veterinary Care in Portland, Oregon. The idea of sticking needles in your dog […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Do you ever wonder what your cat is thinking when she just stares at you unblinkingly while the dog is maniacally bouncing up and down over a ridiculously small treat? In the ‘Ad-dressing of cats’, T.S. Eliot famously stated, ‘So first, your memory I’ll jog, And say: A CAT IS NOT A DOG’. The intriguing […]
Reading Time: 4 minutes Why all the lab work before your pet’s spay/neuter surgery or other procedure? He looks healthy, and as far as you know, there’s nothing wrong with him. The key words are “as far as you know.” Pre-operative testing is an important part of pre-surgical prep that can alert your veterinarian to underlying problems that could […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes One of the biggest upsets for many pet-loving families is getting a diagnosis of cancer in their beloved dog or cat. Luckily, many advances in veterinary medicine allow pets to live longer, high-quality lives despite this diagnosis. The prognosis will vary dramatically with the type of cancer, but many pets can gain years of good […]
Reading Time: 3 minutes Congratulations! Your hard work has paid off, and Kitty no longer fears the carrier and handles the car ride with almost no signs of fear, anxiety or stress. Kitty purrs and cheek-bonks the veterinary technicians and barely notices the doctor’s exam through all the petting and tasty treats. But as soon as you get home, […]