Search Results for: blog body condition checklist for dogs and cats

When Your Cat Is a Glutton

I’ve got another cat myth to debunk for you: we can trust cats to eat just as much food as they need. The stereotypical image of dogs vs. cats is that dogs guzzle down their food as soon as it’s placed into the bowl, whereas the finicky cat picks at its bowl throughout the day. Once again, that’s simply not the case. Maybe overall cats can be more trusted to graze at their food and only eat what they need, as opposed to often-greedy dogs, but that’s not true across the board. Some of my closest friends own a dog … Continue reading →

Get to the Vet (With a Little Help from Bayer)

Somebody in one of my online pet communities alerted me to GetToTheVet.com. The basic idea is this: Bayer Animal Health (makers of Advantage flea and tick prevention) is going to give away a quarter of a million dollars in veterinary vouchers to help folks get their pets in for vet visits during these tough economic times. As the site says: “…many pet owners are facing difficult choices about how to pay for and prioritize their pets’ care and wellness. And unfortunately, veterinary visits and preventive veterinary care are often cut due to financial struggles and concerns.” Between February 16 and … Continue reading →

Weekly Pet Health Checklist

We spend a lot of time with our pets — after all, we share the same living space! But frequent contact can make it easy to miss subtle changes in health or behavior. This weekly health checklist can help you keep on top of your pet’s well being. A weekly health check is also a good way to get your pet used to being handled regularly! Is your pet acting “normal” — are they active and in general good spirits? Is your pet sleeping as much as he usually does? Does your pet move without stiffness, pain, or limping? Is … Continue reading →

Fat Cats: A Growing Problem

Girth View: Tab’s ever increasing belly A while back I wrote about Tabby’s eating disorder and how she’s packing on the pounds lately. That’s why when I finally booted up my computer today and saw the title “Morbidly Obese Cats On The Rise” for a Comcast Fan story I clicked on it. Apparently a university in Edinburgh (might have even been the University of Edinburgh) did a study and determined one third of cats are now overweight. They also calculated that diabetes in cats has risen 500%. They attribute it to the same thing that befalls many humans these days: … Continue reading →

Body Condition Checklist for Dogs and Cats

Back in January, I shared a not-so-deep, not-very-dark secret: Moose is a fat dog. I’m going to go so far as to say that he is obese. I stopped by the vet’s this week to pick up some refills on Frontline and Heartguard for my pups. And they gave me a couple of handouts to subtly remind me about Moose’s ever-growing girth. The folks at Iams estimate that as many as forty percent of all dogs and cats are overweight. And that’s not good. Sure, you might think your chubby pup is perfectly happy, but he’s also at risk for … Continue reading →