Posts in Category: Pet Health & Wellness
Pet Insurance: Is It Right for You?
As the field of veterinary medicine continues to advance, the costs associated with pet medical care are also on the rise. While it’s truly wonderful to be able to offer our beloved companion animals the best in medical treatment and life-extending procedures, the costs associated with modern technology can sometimes strain our financial resources.
Health insurance helps us to offset our medical bills, and in many cases pet insurance can provide similar peace of mind. Although pet insurance is not the right choice for everyone, it’s worth looking into and deciding for oneself if the benefits outweigh the risks.
Pet DNA Testing: The Inside Scoop
DNA testing for humans is nothing new. We regularly rely on the results of these types of tests to determine paternity, figure out our ancestry, and even check for the probability of developing certain inherited diseases. It only makes sense that, given the ease and relative low cost of genetic testing technology, that pet DNA testing would become a booming industry.
To Declaw or Not to Declaw: Addressing the Scratching Problem
Whether cats should be declawed or not has become a hot-button issue in recent years. As a result, the declawing of cats has been banned in more than a dozen countries and in several California cities, and a bill is currently being considered that would make New York the first state to outlaw the procedure. The surgery is currently legal in Colorado, although attempts have been made to introduce legislation that would ban the procedure to declaw a cat.
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has taken the stance that declawing is not a medically necessary procedure, but that it can be beneficial in instances where the cat would otherwise be given up for adoption, or when the owners are immunocompromised and cannot risk being scratched.
The AVMA and the staff here at Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center agree that, before making a decision, cat owners should be fully educated on normal cat scratching behavior and alternatives to the declaw procedure, as well as the risks involved. Our medical team works diligently to help cat owners with these alternatives. In the rare situation where all alternatives have been tried over time and have failed, in order to keep a cat in its forever home or avoid euthanasia, our veterinarians will provide the procedure.
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.
Beyond Bon Appetit: Why Your Puppy Eats Poop
Dealing with your pet’s poop is one of the less glamorous aspects of pet ownership, but it’s just as necessary to their health and well-being as proper diet, exercise, and quality medical care. Having a puppy who eats poop, however, is something that many new pet owners weren’t expecting and aren’t sure how to deal with.
Poop-eating, also called coprophagia, is actually a normal – albeit gross–dog behavior. At Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center we believe in tackling life’s stinky questions head on, and we are happy help you figure out why your puppy eats poop and what you can do about it.
Strategies for Successful Litter Box Training
Anyone who has ever observed a cat fastidiously grooming herself, or carefully covering waste in the litter box, knows that cats are, by nature, very clean animals. Most kittens learn how to use a litter box from their mother before they come to live with you, but if you adopt an orphaned kitten or older cat, you may have to show her the ropes. Our litter box training tips will get you started off on the right paw!
Pet DNA Testing: The Inside Scoop
DNA testing for humans is nothing new. We regularly rely on the results of these types of tests to determine paternity, figure out our ancestry, and even check for the probability of developing certain inherited diseases. It only makes sense that, given the ease and relative low cost of genetic testing technology, that pet DNA testing would become a booming industry.
How Pet DNA Testing Works
Pet DNA testing made its debut in 2007, and it’s become increasingly popular in recent years due to its wide availability and ease of use. The basic do-it-yourself DNA test kit comes with the items needed to ready a sample for testing. Here’s how this test works:
- Swab the inside of your pet’s cheek with the brush provided
- Prepare the sample following the manufacturer’s instructions
- Mail the sample back to the company using the provided packaging
When Peeing Poses a Problem: Urinary Tract Infection in Pets
Anyone who has suffered a urinary tract infection (UTI) knows it’s no picnic. The pain and frequent, urgent need to urinate can be downright miserable, and may lead to more serious problems if not addressed quickly. UTIs in pets are just as troublesome for our furry friends and are more common than pet owners may realize.
What Is a Urinary Tract Infection?
A urinary tract infection is an infection of one or more parts of the urinary tract, which consists of the kidneys, ureters (tubes that carry urine to the bladder), bladder, and urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body). The bladder is the most common part of the urinary tract to become infected.
Happy Paws: Your Guide to Pet Safe Lawn Edging
Your friends at Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center would like remind you of the often ignored, yet, extremely important topic of metal lawn edging and the risks it poses to pets. Let’s discuss pet safe lawn edging that will help keep your pet safe.
Dog Breath! Dental Health for Pets
The health of our pets’ teeth and gums is a component of their care that is too commonly ignored. While most people would never entertain the thought of not brushing their own teeth, they usually don’t think of their pets’ teeth in the same way. Yet, according to the American Veterinary Dental Association, up to 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have some form of dental disease by the age of three. This serves as a reminder that it doesn’t take long for problems to develop when we fail to care for our pet’s teeth, even when they are young.
Without daily cleaning, bacteria in the mouth combine with saliva and food on the teeth and gums, causing a sticky plaque to form. This plaque eventually turns into tartar, a hard, mineralized build up.
Over time, plaque and tartar continue to accumulate, causing inflammation of the tissues around the teeth. This painful process is called periodontal disease and, when left unchecked, it results in both oral and systemic infection, tooth decay and loss of the teeth.
Preventive dental care in pets is very important, and Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center wants you to understand how routine oral examinations, home dental care, and professional dental cleanings play into your pet’s overall well-being. Continue…
