Search Results for: blog lyme disease vaccine

Lyme Disease Vaccine

One of my friends is the wife of a veterinarian. That makes her a useful resource whenever I have questions about my pets’ health. Today we got on the topic of immunizations, and she mentioned one of which I’d never heard: Lyme disease. My friend said that at her husband’s veterinary practice it was standard to immunize against Lyme disease once a year. I was surprised, mostly because I’d never even heard of a vaccine for the disease before, and now I learn that some places administer it yearly. I wanted to know more, so I began researching as soon … Continue reading →

Would You Lease A Pet?

If you’re thinking about getting a pet but aren’t sure you can handle the responsibility, you still have a few options.  Consider volunteering for a shelter, pet-sitting for a friend, or fostering a pet; there are even some short-term fostering situations.  If none of these appeal to you, or if you have a little extra money to spend on your pet, you now have another option: lease a pet.  MSN has the details. A company called Hannah’s Pet Society has started a new business: leasing pets.  Here’s how it works: interested parties go to one of the company’s two stores … Continue reading →

Should You Get Your Dog A Flu Shot?

Today in “vaccines I didn’t know existed for dogs” (last time it was for Lyme disease): canine influenza. That’s right, you can get a flu shot for your dog. Pet website ZooToo takes a look at it. Apparently, dog flu is a thing. I have to say I’ve never heard of it, not the way I’ve heard about bird or even pig flus. The difference is that while those strains can pass to humans, canine influenza doesn’t. It’s basically just dogs getting the flu, in a particular strain that won’t infect us. So while we might have to worry about … Continue reading →

Things Veterinarians Hate

Going to the veterinarian can be a harrowing experience, even if it’s just for a routine checkup. But few cats like the vet, and even the dogs that do usually have a hard time behaving when there are just so many interesting smells around. Knowing precisely what vets need from us as pet owners can help make the experience that much smoother. Veterinarian Patty Khuly posted a list on website VetStreet of the seven things pet owners do that drive vets crazy. Knowing to avoid these bad habits could help make your next vet visit easier. The list is as … Continue reading →

Alternatives to Traditional Veterinary Surgery

Real old school veterinary medicine Deciding what to do for pets that have serious medical problems is often difficult. Surgeries we wouldn’t think for a moment about getting for human family members often give us pause when they’re for our furry companions. If we don’t have pet insurance, sometimes these procedures can be too costly. They also come with a health cost to our pets. Maybe we don’t mind spending the money, but the surgery is riskier on our animals’ fragile bodies than it would be on ours. I know I dread the day I might have to make such … Continue reading →

How to Feed Pills to Pets

Let’s continue with the recent theme I’ve had of posting, in between stories about my new cat Chrestomanci, articles about pet health and how to manage it. I’ll start today’s topic with a story. One summer when I was a teenager my cat Boots contracted food poisoning. We took him to the vet, who gave us some pills for him. We had problems feeding him the pills. None of us had any experience doing so, and though we got those capsules into his mouth all right, he was a master at making us think he’d ingested them and then spitting … Continue reading →

Pet First Aid: Safe Household Treatments

At various vet trips we’ve received advice to treat our pets with doses of Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Neosporin. That’s right: medicines we think are for people can also be for pets. There are actually a number of household items or medications we can employ if our animals are having problems. The trick is knowing exactly what medicines, and how much of them, are safe for our pets. For example: most dogs should only have one Benadryl a day. If giving the pet Zyrtec, it should only receive the normal kind – make sure it doesn’t have any decongestants or other … Continue reading →

Dog vs. Yard

My dear Algernon beneath his rhubarb My dog loves her big new yard. One of the main reasons why is how many more encounters with the local wildlife she’s been able to obtain. Some of them aren’t so great. Others prove amusing. She’s had run-ins with a yellow box turtle wherein she’s been so perplexed by this strange new creature that even the slow reptile was able to escape during her investigations. That’s right: Chihiro spent the whole time of her turtle examination doing what I like to call her investigative dance: legs and shoulders hunched, head darting in and … Continue reading →

Vaccinations For Dogs

Vaccinations protect your pets against diseases that we were once helpless against. Diseases like rabies and distemper are easily prevented, helping ensure your pet has a long and healthy life. Vaccinating your pets also helps protect you and your family — some diseases can be passed from animal to human. The American Animal Hospital Association released canine vaccine guidelines in 2003 and updated them in 2006 to help veterinarians administer appropriate vaccines to dogs. The guidelines were developed by veterinarians, researchers, immunologists, and infectious disease experts. There are two different kinds of vaccine: core vaccines and noncore vaccines. Core vaccines … Continue reading →