Posts in Category: Pet Safety

When you are used to wearing shoes all the time, it can be easy to forget that your pet’s paws can take a beating. Especially in the summer months, hot surfaces can be an issue for tender toes. Not to worry, though, the Whole Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center is here to help up your summer paw protection game.

Diabetes is a pretty common health issue in human medicine and many of us are familiar with what it is. Oftentimes, though, pet owners don’t realize that this potentially serious health condition can affect dogs and cats as well. The Whole Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center knows how important it is to you to keep your furry friends healthy, and understanding a little bit about pet diabetes can help you to accomplish that.

With all the excitement and possibilities of the start of a new year, it can be easy to forget that holidays like New Year’s Eve are not exciting for everyone. Between big gatherings of people, fireworks, and other loud noises, the final night of the year can induce some serious anxiety in your pets. The Whole Pet Vet Hospital & Wellness Center wants to help you keep your beloved pets free from anxiety this New Year’s Eve.

When things go wrong, er, down there, it can be embarrassing. When you need to ask for help for your dog, though, there is no shame in asking your friends at The Whole Pet Vet Hospital & Wellness Center. When a dog’s penis becomes stuck out for a length of time (called paraphimosis), it can be an emergency. It’s important to know when to seek veterinary care. 

Whether you are taking your pet on a trip or just want to have a plan in place for unexpected situations, disaster preparedness is an important element of pet ownership. The Whole Pet Vet Hospital & Wellness Center wants to help you be prepared for anything with your pets:

At Home or Away, Plan for Trouble before It Happens

It is imperative to include your pets in all of your disaster preparedness plans so you know how to get them to safety in the event of an emergency. Be sure to:

• Designate one family member to secure each pet 
• Get your pets microchipped in case you get separated
• Make sure your microchip information is up to date
• Make a list of nearby accommodations that allow pets in case you have to evacuate

Our animal friends are naturally curious and many are motivated by anything that resembles food. Pair that with the fact that they are limited to exploring their world mostly with the mouth, and some human items can become quite dangerous.

One of the most dangerous areas for pets in our homes is the medicine cabinet. Many items in there are toxic or otherwise hazardous and big animal no-nos. Knowing what items are dangerous, which ones to never give a sick pet, and how to secure your medicine cabinet is an important part of pet safety and things The Whole Pet Vet Hospital & Wellness Center wants you to know. 

When people hear the word “bloat,” they may think of minor indigestion caused by wheat, dairy products, or spicy food. Indeed, who among us hasn’t felt bloated before? However, bloat in dogs is anything but insignificant. Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a serious medical condition that causes the stomach to expand with fluid, air, or food, and then twist and flip on itself. If it’s left untreated, bloat in dogs can be fatal.

With all of the attention on how harmful most pesticides are, many of us have switched to organic and eco-friendly products for the lawn and garden. But when those biting, itchy pests arrive, it’s all too easy to grab some pesticides to keep them from invading our homes and bodies. Unfortunately, many pest control products are also harmful to other animals, including pets.

Several pet owners have asked the team at the Whole Pet Vet and Wellness Center about some pet-friendly insect control options and we are happy to help! Here are some of our favorite solutions to pet friendly insect control.

Chocolate is something many of us enjoy, and chocolate is usually the staple sugar around Valentine’s Day and other holidays. Chocolate is also an ingredient in many desserts, drinks, and food items. But chocolate in all forms is poisonous to pets. 

The Whole Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center is here to explain why chocolate toxicity can occur, the symptoms to watch for, and how to better protect your fur friend.

Chocolate Toxicity

Chocolate contains two chemicals which are toxic to pets. These are caffeine and theobromine.

CBD oil is one of the most talked-about alternative therapies in recent years, and its rising popularity has reached the pet-care market. Pet owners are turning to CBD oil to help their companion animals with everything from arthritis to anxiety to seizures, and many other conditions. 

With so much information floating around online regarding CBD oil for pets, it can be difficult to know whether or not the supplement is safe and effective.