Does your dog scavenge people food or get table scraps? Do they, like my Madison, seek out foods in your pantry, purse, backpack, and/or off your coffee table?
Monthly doses of heartworm prevention, of whatever type you choose, is extra important right now and for the foreseeable future. Why? If your dog gets heartworms, we cannot treat this nasty disease right now. There is only one medication used to treat heartworms in dogs and it is currently unavailable. Be extra careful to give your dog it's regular doses of heartworm preventative on schedule, please!
Please help us welcome Michelle, our newest staff member. She comes to us with several years of experience in veterinary jobs. She will be working for us as a receptionist, on the afternoon shift (3-7 on most weekdays). We were lucky to find her!
It was beautiful today, and the plants are continuing to grow very early. Spicebush was flowering, bluebells are up (very few actually flowering yet), and there were lots of sproing beautys, too. Mom stopped to take lots of photos but Dad and I kept hiking along. We met lots and lots of dogs and other people, too. It was fun! And Mom says the bluebells will be spectacular in a week or two...
This was a fun hike - mom and dad were checking out bike paths and we went to the Mount Vernon Bike Trail but mostly walked in this refuge - it was beautiful! If you have not been here, check out the parking area by Belle Haven Marina. the refuge trail starts just south of the marina driveway.
Due to the unusually warm winter and spring so far, pollen counts are increasing and plants and trees are beginning to grow. Watch out for allergies starting up in your pets. Symptoms can include itching at skin and/or ears, hairloss, red, crusty, or scabby skin, runny eyes, sneezing, and more.
In the spring, tadpoles zip around in the puddles like this one in West Virginia. We were hiking on the Camp 70 trail near Davis when I spotted them. I never even caught a single one...
We are seeing an increasing number of pets with food allergies (cats and dogs). Could your pet have this problem? Common symptoms include recurring (goes away with treatment but comes back in a few weeks or months) or chronic (treatment helps but it never goes away) ear and/or skin problems. What kind of problems? Itching, redness, hair loss, infections, odor, and more. Cats can get open sores that won't heal.
If your dog (or puppy over 12 weeks of age) is not sleeping soundly for at least 6-8 hours every night, he/she is not getting enough exercise during the day OR there is a medical problem going on. If your dog is restless at night, or gets you up often, let us know! Senior dogs (over 10-12 years of age) need to go more often so they may wake you up to let them out, or leave you with a "present" to clean up later on. These issues can usually be helped, too.
