Can My Dog or Cat Get Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

The quick answer…nobody knows! Coronaviruses have been around for many years and extensively studied. They are a group of viruses that typically cause disease in animals.  A brand new strain known as COVID-19 was discovered in China.  COVID-19, the new strain of coronavirus,  started in an animal (bats) and infected people. This is not the first virus that jumped species. The 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic showed up in humans, pigs, turkeys, cats, ferrets and dogs. Most of the data collected on the new strain of coronavirus is from the outbreak in China. As more people become affected here in the
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Our Pets Save Us

On any given day, one of our family pets will be found in bed with one of my daughters. Our pets give us emotional support, reduce anxiety, and decrease our stress. They are more intuitive than people, more present, and even more compassionate.  What happened Friday My daughter came home from school on Friday and was in tears. Lola, our little chihuahua,  ran to her barking and jumping on her legs. “We had to discuss our research papers today,” she started. “When I told the class if we reduced our meat consumption, we could help our environment…everyone laughed at me.”
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Diarrhea in Dogs–Simple Fixes

Dogs typically have diarrhea at the most inopportune times! It is usually on the weekend or in the middle of the night. If your dog is acting normal, not vomiting, eating and drinking and there is no blood in the stool, you can try some simple fixes. Fix 1 Change the diet to cooked white rice (3 parts) and boiled chicken (1 part.) Make sure the chicken has skin and bones removed. If you do not have rice and chicken, you can use white peeled boiled potatoes and boiled turkey. This is highly digestible and the rice and potatoes are
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Heartworm disease is REAL!

Your veterinarian or veterinary nurse or technician is NOT trying to SELL you heartworm prevention. They are genuinely concerned and want to prevent a potentially FATAL disease because they love your pet and want it to live a long healthy life.  How heartworm is spread  Mosquitos spread heartworm disease. A mosquito bites a heartworm positive dog/fox/coyote and sucks the blood. The mosquito now bites and  infects your dog/cat/ferret. The baby heartworm burrows into the skin and starts its lifecycle in your pet.  Worms mature over 2-4 months and eventually end up in the heart and lungs. Mature worms are 10-15cm
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Is Your Veterinary Hospital AAHA Accredited?

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) is the only accrediting organization in the United State and Canada for veterinary hospitals. Only 15% of the 26,000 hospitals in the US are accredited and meet the stringent standards and guidelines set forth by AAHA. By choosing an AAHA accredited hospital, you are assured your pet is receiving the best possible care because these hospitals pay attention to the details. Its the details that are important and create the trust you look for in a veterinary hospital. AAHA routinely inspects accredited hospitals. Hospitals are expected to meet up to 900 standards in all
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FDA, DCM and Grain-free Diets

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) launched a study one year ago investigating dogs diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) that were considered atypical breeds (different than the breeds listed.) Certain breeds of dogs, such as Great Danes, Dobermans, Portuguese Water Dogs, Irish Wolfhounds, Standard/Giant Schnauzers and Newfoundlands have been found to have a genetic predisposition to the disease. Recently the FDA reported its findings of what they know to date. What we know There are an estimated 77 million dogs in the United States. DCM has been reported in dogs and cats years prior to this report. Common causes are genetic,
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