It’s always important to be on the lookout for
ticks on your dog or cat, especially in the summer months when you and your
pets are more active outside. Learn more about these parasites and why it’s
important to keep your furry friends tick-free.
If you have ever been to an animal shelter, you have probably seen a sad sight: dozens of adult cats desperate for homes, most of which have little chance of getting out.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states that every year, about 5 to 7 million pets enter the animal shelter system, of which more than half are cats. Unfortunately, approximately 70% of those cats are euthanized simply because no one wants them, and most shelters don’t have the funds to board them for more than a few weeks.
Palliative care focuses on managing the pain, lack of appetite, fatigue, nausea or other symptoms your pet may be experiencing from a chronic disease or its treatment. Hospice care, too, looks first to the comfort of the pet—those with a terminal diagnosis and for whom a cure is no longer possible.
Pain management, in particular, is a science that is rapidly evolving. Sometimes just a few small changes in medication can return a pet to being more like its old self. It is still an animal with a fatal disease—but that extra time can be very meaningful.
Von Willebrand disease is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in dogs. The disease rarely occurs in cats.
Dogs with this disease cannot clot blood normally, which results in bleeding, especially after surgery or trauma. While this disease has occurred in more than 50 different dog breeds, the breeds most commonly affected include Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, golden retrievers, poodles, Shetland sheepdogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis and the German Shorthaired Pointer.
Planning a trip to the mountains or considering relocating to the high country?
If you are a dog owner, don’t forget to keep your pet’s health concerns in mind, just as you would the other members of your family.