Posts in Category: Exercise Nutrition & Obesity
Help! My Cat Won’t Eat!
Cat owners typically know when their cat is hungry. Constant meows, chirps, and the circling around your legs are often first clues. Yet, after all that fussing and the meal now in the bowl, it can be surprising and even frustrating when your cat decides not to eat it.
What’s going on when your cat won’t eat? There are several possibilities and they deserve an owner’s attention and action.
Continue…How to Keep Your Pet Fit During the Holidays
It probably comes as no surprise that “get healthier” is the most popular New Year’s resolution among Americans. Holiday meals and parties, cookies at the office and at Grandma’s house, and extra treats from friends and neighbors can add up over time, causing a run on gym memberships and diet cookbooks come January 2nd.
Pets, too, can suffer the ill effects of overindulgence, including the health and mobility consequences that go along with extra weight. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be difficult to keep your furry friend fit and trim during the holidays.
A little bit of planning, a commitment to your pet’s well being, and the support of your Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center team will go a long way toward making sure your best pal feels and looks its best all year long.
Continue…Dog Parks: Are They Right For Your Dog?
It sounds like a great idea – take your dog to a large, fenced-in area where it can run free with other canine friends. You get to skip the daily walk, check your email, maybe chat with other dog owners, then leave with an exhausted-but-happy dog. What could be better?
Dog parks can be big on the convenience factor for us humans, but being in close proximity to lots of other dogs can also present some problems for your dog. Before taking your pup to the park, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons, so we at Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center have some important points for you to consider.
Continue…10 New Year’s Resolutions for Pets and Their Owners
Ringing in the New Year with a list of ways we’d like to improve our lives is a time-honored tradition. Whether it’s eating healthier, exercising more, or quitting a bad habit, there are endless ways to start 2019 off on the right foot. Pets can also benefit from lifestyle tweaks aimed at enhancing health and happiness. That’s why we’ve identified some New Year’s resolutions for pets that can help you both live your best and happiest lives together.
Continue…Cozy Toes: The Principles of Winter Paw Protection
Our pets rely on their paws to transport them everywhere they need to go and in all types of weather, and it is easy to assume that their paws can withstand whatever Mother Nature throws at them. Unfortunately, cracked pads, frostbite, chemical burns, and more present numerous hazards to the well-being of our pet’s paws, especially, this time of year. With this in mind, the team at Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center would like to walk you through the basics of winter paw protection for your furry loved one!
Adorable Anatomy
Paw pads are some of the cutest parts of any pet, but they also serve many important functions. Pads provide cushioning and shock absorption by protecting the ligaments, tendons, and bones from the impact of walking and running. They also provide insulation from hot and cold surfaces, as well as traction when a pet traverses across varying types of terrain. As if that’s not enough, paw pads also protect our pets against bacteria, parasites, and other nasty contaminants present on any surface or terrain they come in contact with.
Over time or as a pet matures, the surface of the pads will become more tolerant to heat, cold, and rough surfaces. That doesn’t mean, however, that they don’t need some additional protection and care during the winter months, especially, when exposed to extreme cold, ice, and chemical de-icers.
Continue…When Good Table Scraps Go Bad: Holiday Pet Safety 101
Turkey dripping with gravy, a mound of snow-white mashed potatoes, a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a thick slice of homemade pumpkin pie…is your mouth watering yet? If it is, you certainly aren’t alone – just imagine how tempting these scrumptious holiday foods must be to your pet!
While it can be hard to resist those puppy dog (or kitty cat) eyes, giving in to temptation can result in some pretty nasty consequences. This holiday season, set your pet up for gastrointestinal health and success with these holiday pet safety tips.
Continue…Tips for Safely Running With Your Dog
For dog owners with energetic canines, bringing Fido along on your daily run can make good sense and be quite enjoyable. Regular exercise helps dogs stay fit, and can reduce anxiety and undesirable behaviors. Below are tips for safely running with your dog. Continue…
Deciphering Pet Food Labels: What You Need To Know
At first glance, feeding your dog or cat appears to be the easiest aspect of pet ownership. You simply grab a bag of pet food off the shelf at your local grocery store, pour some in a bowl, and place it on the floor. Right?
Well, not exactly. Today’s discerning pet owner is quite aware of the overwhelming array of pet food choices available, and sifting through the options can be downright overwhelming. Grain-free, gluten-free, corn-free, organic, raw – the list of potential “best” diets for a given pet seems to be never-ending.
Fit Felines and Muscular Mutts: Making Pet Exercise Fun
Most of us already know how important physical exercise can be for our pets. Daily exercise not only burns calories and keeps our furry friends lean, it also helps to boost the immune system, which protects against diseases like diabetes and cancer. Daily play adds elements of fun and excitement to each day, a necessary component for the well-rounded life of our pets.
Even the most committed pet owners and active pets can easily find themselves bored with the daily walk or game of laser chase. Our creative pet exercise ideas are designed to provide you with a template for incorporating fun, simple, and regular exercise into your pet’s life.
Keep Them Close: The Perils of Off-Leash Walking
Most of us humans have an innate desire to experience the outdoors and explore it whenever we have the chance, and our dogs are no different. As a result, many owners often give in to the temptation of allowing their dogs to roam freely off-leash on walks and hikes in order to give them that same freewheeling experience.
Leash-walking dogs, in general, is a popular activity in our area because of the many accessible trails and open spaces that surround us, just waiting to be explored. Along with this, however, is the growing problem of dogs being allowed off-leash when accompanying their owners in these very same places. Unfortunately, tragic incidents involving off-leash walking of dogs are becoming more and more of a problem, so it’s worth taking a look at whether or not the risks outweigh the benefits.
