Category Archives: Pet care

What Is Geriatric?

Many pet parents nowadays have heard people refer to “senior” pets, that term given to animals that have reached an advanced age as it relates to their average lifespan.

Dr. April Ward Bio

A high school teacher dampened Dr. Ward's dream of being a veterinarian... Finally, she decided to follow her dream, and after several years of hard work, she graduated from NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine.

I “Heart” Worms?

April also is Heartworm Awareness Month, and every pet parent needs to hear about heartworms and be familiar with the reasons to prevent their invasion into their baby's bodies. 

Love The Animals

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month, and in this time of added stress and anxiety over our own lives and the economy during the coronavirus pandemic, this topic offers us an opportunity to look beyond ourselves to those creatures who are at our mercy all the time. 

Don’t, Spot, Don’t (Eat That)!

Taste definitely relies on the tongue and taste buds, so it surprises us when our pets eat things like fertilizer or pennies or potpourri. Luckily that stuff isn't toxic (except to our imaginations), but there are so many things that are poisonous to our furry babies that we need to educate ourselves about...

The Prescription for Sweet Kisses

February is not just for Valentine's Day. It's also a month set aside by the veterinary profession to exalt the benefits of dental health for our pets. 

Dog Breeding Checklist

You’re quite certain that your dog is the most perfect creature to ever walk the earth, and you’d love to have another one just like them. You decide that the logical next step is to find them a partner and plan for puppies. But before you jump in with all paws, consider the magnitude of your decision.

Dog mobility

Many options exist for dogs with mobility issues.

How to visitor-proof your home to prevent escapes

How do you keep your dog, who is intent on visiting the neighbors, in the house when people are coming and going?

What I’ve learned about puppy training so far

Training our crazy ball of fur.

The more the merrier? Adding a pet to your pet family

heal betsy and JakeI always wanted my pets to play together, but until recently my pets' personalities just didn't jive. My dogs were always rude to my cats, and my cats were usually unappreciative of my dogs.

Getting in touch with your pets

Pets don't always like to be examined, so it's a good idea to get them used to having their ears and paws touched and their mouths checked out. It will give you a baseline to refer to when something is amiss.

A dog’s nose doesn’t know

Does a warm nose mean your dog is running a fever?