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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 →

Things You Should Know About Pet Insurance

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People who have a dog, or a cat, or perhaps, several of each, know firsthand how expensive it can be just to feed and properly care for pets. While you hope that none of your pets will ever become injured or ill, there is always the possibility that something like that could happen. If you have ever received a big bill from the veterinarian’s office, you might start wondering if pet insurance would be useful. There are some basic things that you should know about pet insurance. Pet owners who do not have pet insurance are lacking it for one … Continue reading →

Buying Pet Medication Online

I don’t usually have a lot of deals to post here. That’s because the majority of discounted pet items I see are too localized: coupons in the local Penny Saver, sales specifically at my branch of Petco, that sort of thing. This weekend I made my annual bulk purchase of our various pet medications and treatments. Then it occurred to me that I’ve been using discount websites for pet purchases for years now and I’ve never remembered to share the scoop. If you’re a pet owner I’m sure you’ve heard it before; when buying your flea treatments, heartworm medications, and … Continue reading →

Pet Insurance

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about pet insurance. Maybe because of all the money we’ve had to fork out for Murphy’s paw surgery. Except, I’m not sure if pet insurance would have covered it. I’m not that well versed in the various pet insurance policies out there. But I keep seeing them advertised, so I thought I’d check into it a bit more. Besides, it makes a great article for the Pets Blog! Types of Pet Insurance Policies Who has them and where can you get them? Below is a list of some of the pet insurance providers I … Continue reading →

Multi-Pet Households: Separate Vet Trips or All Together?

What to do when both pets are due for their vaccinations? The Vaccination Report Murph’s rabies wasn’t technically due until the beginning of September, but his DHP and Parvo were expired. Since we’re kenneling him when we go to Alaska, I had to get those last two in particular updated. He also needed a heartworm test since I can’t remember the last time I gave him a heartworm preventative chewie. Mr. Meow has been overdue for his rabies, but I also wanted to get him checked out because (a) he’s getting up there in years, (b) he’s been limping here … Continue reading →

Increasing Demands on Pet Food Banks and Low-Cost Clinics

Financial crises are making the news a lot these days. Homes are in foreclosure, jobs are lost, and debt and cost of living are soaring. Some people are forced to consider giving up family pets in order to keep going. In order to save some money, some pet owners are skipping preventative care like annual exams, vaccinations, and monthly treatments like heartworm and flea/tick prevention. Some people are declining expensive diagnostic tests when a pet is sick. Others are turning to food pantries in the hope of finding kibbles for furry family members. If you’ve never had a pet, it’s … Continue reading →

Pet Reactions to Medication

Around the first of the month, it is time for Moose and Lally to get their heartworm and flea and tick preventatives. The routine is much the same every time: they both love chowing down on the chewy heartworm preventative. Moose tolerates getting the liquid flea and tick medication on his back; Lally hates it. She tries to run away, she grumbles and meeps at me, but in the end, she suffers through it. This month, we tried switching from Frontline to a different flea and tick preventative. As far as I can tell, it works as well. (The vet … Continue reading →

It’s Itching Season Again!

Ah spring. I go through this every year with Moose (my German shepherd mix) and Lally (my boxer/shar-pei mix). Moose starts to gnaw on his forearms. He ends up chewing calluses and bald spots into his legs if I don’t catch it quickly enough. Lally just itches all over. She crams her feet into her mouth to chew. She scratches her stomach until it’s red and irritated. And with the extremely mild weather we’ve been having in the Portland, Oregon area lately — we’ve been in the fifties all week — it seems that the itchies are arriving earlier than … Continue reading →

Prevening Worms in Pets

Worms can be dangerous to pets and to people. Here are some things you can do to protect your pets and your family. Remove feces from the litter box and/or the yard regularly. Dog poop should be cleaned out of the yard at least once every week. Follow instructions on your cat litter for litter box cleaning, but it’s best not to let feces sit for too long. (At the cats only boarding facility, we change the litter box twice every day for each cat, but we’re pretty fanatical about cleaning!) Keep a close eye on your child’s sandbox — … Continue reading →

Intestinal Parasites: Worms

I’ve got the creeps just thinking about it — all the different types of worms that can infest a dog or cat’s intestines. Yuck! But keeping your pet safe from worms is a real part of pet ownership. When you bring your pet in for an annual exam, you usually have to bring a stool sample. Two types of worms — roundworms and tapeworms — can be seen in feces with the naked eye. Other worms are too small to be seen without a microscope. So don’t forget to bring that sample along! If your pet has worms, the eggs … Continue reading →