Cleaning and disinfecting have been on everyone’s mind during the pandemic. Tonya Wilhelm provides tips to clean up pet spaces and accessories. Pet owners will appreciate the guidance. Source: Animal Wellness, March 29, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: Consider this for social media posts and newsletters. … [Read more...]
CAPC’s Christopher Carpenter, DVM, talks mapping on The Bridge Club
Chris Carpenter, DVM, shared how the Companion Animal Parasite Council is using big data to help track and map parasite incidence. He emphasized the need for practices to report their findings and urged them to accept parasite migration is now multifactorial, specifically citing pet travel. Additionally, he urged practice teams to become more vocal in helping pet owners and … [Read more...]
Rescue dog and trainer amaze football crowd
You will enjoy this video from a 2014 halftime performance. Source: Samantha Valle and her amazing dogs, I love dogs. Link. INSIGHTS: How many of you could toss a Frisbee that consistently? … [Read more...]
Canine glaucoma is painful
Glaucoma is a painful disease. The pain can be expressed as blepharospasm (abnormal contraction of the eyelid muscles) or as general depression. Many owners report a dramatic improvement in the dog’s behavior after removal of a glaucomatous eye. Glaucoma may be classified in one of two ways, writes Ron Ofri, DVM, PhD, DECVO. The classifications have significant clinical … [Read more...]
Too much drool could signal a problem
Excessive salivation can be caused by happiness, hyperthermia or household cleaning products. Check these additional differentials for ptyalism and pseudoptyalism from Julie Allen, BVMS, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM (SAIM), DACVP. Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 2020. Link. … [Read more...]
Discerning normal or not with canine stomach noises
Eric Barchas, DVM, weighs in on borborygmi <link>, the sounds that come from dogs’ gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Often simply called stomach growling or stomach rumbling, these sounds can come from either the stomach or the small or large intestine. These gurgling sounds are produced when gas moves from one portion of the intestines to another. Source: Dogster, February … [Read more...]
Coach pet owners about natural diets
Linsey Getz says pet owners require more guidance with natural diets than regular diets. Terminology and ingredients are important factors that increase understanding. Source: Pet Product News, May 2020. Link INSIGHTS: We’ve included this information to add perspective to the ongoing dialogue about pet food diets. Pet food diet choices continue to reflect owners’ focus on … [Read more...]
Dog beds are improving
An aging dog population and the increased focus on pet comfort by younger dog owners has dog bed manufacturers combining science and style to meet owner and pet needs. Source: Pet Product News, May 2020. Link. Manufacturers and retailers named a number of functional qualities that owners want from their dog beds, such as comfort, durability, safety, and ease of cleaning. … [Read more...]
The big business of pets is getting bigger
More than three quarters of Americans spend $75 billion annually on their pets. Pet food sales along are up six percent compared to last year. Pet ownership is most common among millennials and Gen X, with 59 percent of households owning at least one dog. However, millennials are more likely to own multiple dogs and Gen X is most likely to own multiple cats, at 42 percent of … [Read more...]
Pandemic realities forcing some pets back to shelters
Pet shelters and rescue organizations experienced rapid increases in adoptions and fosters since the Covid-19 pandemic began. Now, some shelters are preparing for a large influx of pets as the realities of owners’ jobs and home losses hit hard. It hasn’t happened yet, but Brenda Barnette, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services, expects more pets will … [Read more...]
Pet insurance acceptance growing
Pet insurance fits younger pet owners’ lifestyles as they learn about the modern costs of pet ownership, writes Rachael Zimlich, BSN, RN. It is evolving toward wellness from its beginnings as accident and emergency protection. The trends favoring subscription services also favors the pet insurance benefits of complete care, one month at a time. Source: DVM 360, March 16, … [Read more...]
Sunscreen protection for dogs
Dogs are just as prone as humans are to sunburn and related health conditions, such as skin cancers. Dogs should NOT wear human sunscreen, writes Sally Jones. They need to use a sunscreen specially formulated for dogs, especially considering how much they like to lick themselves. Common ingredients found in human sunscreens, such as zinc oxide or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), … [Read more...]
Morris Animal Foundation launches Stop Cancer Furever campaign
The Morris Animal Foundation launched its seventh annual pet cancer campaign, Stop Cancer Furever, on May 1 < link >. The two-month campaign raises awareness of, and funds for, research leading to new understandings about how to prevent, diagnose and treat animal cancers. The campaign will provide pet owners and animal lovers free downloadable cancer prevention … [Read more...]
Virtual dog training is an option
With pet adoptions at an all-time high during this Covid-19 pandemic, concerns of pet rescue groups are being realized. Some families adopting pets are not qualified owners. New dog owners will need help teaching their new friends to learn the rules of the house and the neighborhood. Virtual training, phone calls and text lessons from professional trainers may save the day for … [Read more...]
Reasons pets may act weirdly during quarantine
Pet owners worldwide are reporting some of their pets are acting weird while under quarantine. They’re getting clingy, running on countertops and shooting evil stares at humans. It’s not known if the quarantine is causing pet anxieties, but displacement behaviors, the tics pets develop to cope with new stressors, may be the result. Source: Vox, April 24, 2020. Link. In dogs … [Read more...]
10 things to never do to a dog
Pet adoptions are at an all-time high. Some new owners need training on pet care. Dog owners sometimes put their pet in harm's way without realizing it. Sophia Mitrokostas shares a few things veterinarians say to never do to a dog, including: No running with sticks Don’t use retractable leashes Check with vet before using a human product on a dog Avoid ice … [Read more...]
Recognize and treat early dog arthritis symptoms early
Regardless of pet life stage, familiarity with common signs of arthritis in dogs can result in faster intervention. This, in turn, can lead to improved quality of life for everyone involved, writes Marybeth Bittel. Bittel collaborates with a veterinarian to share common signs of arthritis and what to do if a pet shows changes in behavior. Source: Dogster, April 8, 2020. … [Read more...]
Watery eyes may signal medical conditions in dogs
An overflow of tears, called Epiphora may indicate minor to major medical conditions. Christina Korb, DVM, and DJ Haeussler Jr, DVM, MS, DACVO, provide a diagnostic chart to help explain what all those tears might represent. Source: Clinician’s Brief, April 2020. Link. … [Read more...]
Dog personality strongly linked to human personality
The human-animal bond works both ways. People and dogs have shared a relationship for at least 15,000 years, so it is no surprise that dog personality has been affected, say researchers. Conversely, the benefits of the human-animal bond are frequently expressed as dogs helping people. Paula Fitzsimmons shares how dogs and humans benefit. Source: PetMD, Link. Dogs and people … [Read more...]
Blastomycosis. There are fungi among us.
Scott Weese, DVM, reviews study results on the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis, its prevalence and how dogs may speed up the process of diagnosis in humans. Source: WormsandGerms Blog. April 20, 2020. Link. Blasto lives in two forms, therefore dimorphic, says Weese. In the environment it lives in the form of a mold, and its exposure to this form that can result in … [Read more...]
Early or delayed dog neutering? What to tell clients.
Neutering is an elective procedure for which there is still no definitive, universally accepted yes or no answer. While frustrating, it is more productive to use this subject as an opportunity to shape our expectations, and those of our clients, regarding medical decision-making writes Brennen McKenzie, MA, MSc, VMD, cVMA. Source: Veterinary Practice News, March 27, 2020. … [Read more...]
Pet insurance, wellness plans are win, win, win
Research findings led to AVMA changing its policy on pet insurance from neutral to advocacy. Metrics from studies support a more assertive position in practices, economic benefits for clients and of course improved health care for pets: Insured dog owners spent $216 per year more than uninsured owners (MSU findings) Insured dog owners spent 29 percent more, insured cat … [Read more...]
Deciding who should stay and who should go
Michell Evans shares ideas with groomers for culling a client list. She addresses groomer safety, pet owner dependability and using waiting lists. Source: Groomer to Groomer, April 2020, page 48. Link. Consider implementing a weight limit. Large dogs take a toll on equipment, utilities and supplies. A waiting list is a useful method of telling people no without really … [Read more...]
Yes, dogs really watch TV
Newer TV technologies are more likely to make couch potatoes out of dogs. They react to light and sound with older technologies but truly watch given the speed of the newer digital screens. Dog owners will appreciate this information. Share it on social media and in newsletters. Source: Animal Wellness, April 13, 2020. Link. Three things that effect television watching for … [Read more...]
AI shares pets’ secrets for their benefit
Most dog owners understand what pets tell them and know the differences between a “hungry” bark and a “hurt” bark. Home devices will soon understand them, too. Furbo, a streaming camera that sends owners notifications if their dogs bark, will introduce a feature that allows it to alert owners if a dog’s behavior seems abnormal. Petcube, another interactive pet camera, is … [Read more...]
Ticks bite, suck, drink and spit
Ticks are waking up across most of the U.S. They require blood meals to survive, to develop to the next stage in their life cycle and to reproduce, shares Edward M. Wakem, DVM. It is primarily, though not exclusively, through blood feeding that a tick can harm its host by acquiring disease-causing organisms from one infected host and transmitting them to another host. Ticks … [Read more...]
Coaching pet owners through unrelenting flea infestations
Joan Capuzzi, VMD, discusses how a comprehensive approach to stubborn flea infestations is needed to help clients gain control over their pet and the pet’s environment. The pet is the easy part. She shares ways to coach pet owners to treat the pet, treat the other pets and treat the environment. Source: DVM 360, April 7, 2020. Link. INSIGHTS: Attention sales … [Read more...]
Look out for misuse of ivermectin
What happens in a petri dish does not indicate efficacy or safety when used off label in humans warns, the FDA in reference to an Antiviral Research article. Animal health professionals should be on the lookout for the potential misuse of a human- and animal-prescribed antiparasitic drug thought to be a possible treatment for COVID-19. Source: Veterinary Practice News, April … [Read more...]
American Heartworm Society issues guidance for pandemic
Conditions under which a veterinarian can delay annual heartworm tests during the Covid-19 crisis is just one of the topics covered in new recommendations released by the American Heartworm Society. Source: Veterinary Practice News, April 7, 2020. Link. The recommendations explore: scenarios when a veterinarian can delay annual heartworm tests, but can still prescribe … [Read more...]
We don’t know what normalcy will be
No one can say what a return to normalcy will look like, how long it will take to get there or if normal like 2019 is even achievable. New York Times Emily Bazelon moderated a panel discussion to seek answers and weigh morality. Five experts talked about the principles and values that will determine the choices. SOURCE: New York Times, April 10, 2020. Link. In the longer … [Read more...]