Archives: Pet Care

So, what’s the big deal? The American Veterinary Medical Association sponsors National Pet Dental Health Month every February in order to help spread awareness and prevent avoidable health issues. Dental health doesn’t just affect your pet’s mouth. Dental problems can be a result of underlying health problems and even cause new ones. Periodontal disease is the most common disease and dental condition seen in dogs and cats. In fact, by age 3, 70% of cats … Read More »

February is national pet dental month. By the age of 3 yrs. Most dogs and cats have some periodontal disease.  Obvious signs include bad breath, reddened gums, tartar build up, and tooth loss.  Like us some pets have more dental problems, and some have less.  There are breed differences too.  Small breed dogs seem to have bad teeth, maybe because they don’t chew on things as much as larger breeds, or maybe because they generally … Read More »

Winter weight gain I often see dogs in the spring that have gained weight over the winter.  Being overweight is bad for dogs just like it is for us.  When the weather is cold or the sidewalks are icy, and you can’t take your dog out for his normal exercise he isn’t burning off as many calories.  If he continues to eat the same amount of calories as usual he will probably gain weight.  Switching … Read More »

I’ve read several articles lately about a study done at Emory University looking at what motivates dogs more, food or praise.  Of the 15 dogs studied, 13 showed equal or greater preference for praise compared to food and two preferred food to praise.  The researchers figured this out by looking at the dogs’ brains with an MRI scan while they were shown an object that they had been taught to associate with food or praise.  … Read More »