Would you take your pet to one of those in-front-of-the-supermarket vaccine clinics charging less than your vet does for basic vaccines? You might not. You’re not likely to fall into the target market for these. Not if you’re taking the time to read through blog posts on the subject of veterinary care.

Nonetheless, you should know that plenty of people find these vaccine shops to be...

No, we can’t save them all. But we’ve all been guilty of letting the occasional long-shot kitten case worm its way into our psyches, sucking up all our energy reserves like a feline singularity as we battle to save it against all odds––not to mention our better judgment. 

The kitten in question is a stray twelve-weeker currently living in the company of a new-client couple. They’d come in...

Given this title, you might assume I’d oppose the slaughter of horses. And yes it’s true, I don’t believe that equines raised as family pets, racehorses and once-beloved recreational companions deserve the dinner plate as their final resting place. 

Yet ever since the last three equine slaughterhouses in the US ceased operations in 2007, it’s become clear to me and others in my profession...

Testimonials and positive reviews abound on the web when it comes to the product reserved for the eyes of our “little angels.” Owners of white pets everywhere swear by Angel Eyes. Those whose pets suffer marked tear stains caused by ruddy pigments called porphyrins are “amazed” by its results. All in all, it’s the end of the unsightly ocular dreeblies in a bottle. And it REALLY works. 

A...

You might find it distasteful for your neighbors to keep a backyard flock of chickens. What’s next, you muse, goats and pigs? A line for air drying laundry? Vegetable gardens in place of front-yard annuals? Work trucks in the driveway? What’s your neighborhood coming to? 

Environmentalism, health and gastronomical concerns should only go so far, you say. Animals have their place and it’s as...

I just finished up a round of research on the “mother of all emergencies”: bloat (AKA, gastric dilatation volvulus or “GDV” for short). I spent hours collecting all the papers and tallying up the stats as I prepared for an article that’ll appear in the next issue or two of The Bark (which is, incidentally, the best newsstand glossy to be had on the subject of all things dog). 

In my...

If Gatorade is for adults and Pedialyte is for kids, what works for pets in the dog days of summer?...during illness?...or all year round?

For most pets, the answer is “just plain H2O.” But did you know that enhanced waters are available for pets, too? 

Some people use them to tempt pets to drink more. Think: heavily exercised pets, dogs with certain kinds of bladder stones, cats with upper...

Mercedes the dog killed Slugger the cat. The fact is not disputed by Mercedes’ owner. But the law that sentences Mercedes to death based on one incident alone is currently under review.

Because the attack happened in Broward County, Florida, the “dangerous dog” laws that apply (among the strictest in the US) offer zero tolerance for pets that commit a fatal act against a “domestic animal” or...

Remember that old fast-food commercial bemoaning the lack of meat in its competitors’ burgers? “Where’s the beef?” it asked, thereby implying the obvious: “You’ve been cheated.”

Same goes for how it is that many humans treat their own healthcare. If they’re sick enough to go see the doc, they somehow take offense when the professional does not acknowledge their suffering with some sort of...

Dr. Nancy Kay is a busy veterinary specialist, an internist who practices in Northern California. She writes books, lectures, sends out a regular email newsletter and keeps me updated on great topics I sometimes miss. That’s why I’m taking today’s post to play off her most recent thoughts on sourcing safe and effective supplements for your pets. 

This has been a big topic for us veterinary...

Apart from putting up a privacy fence, rerouting hoses to new plantings, clearing brush, designing a new coop and preparing to move the sizable goat pen (all under the hot Miami sun), I spent the weekend catching up on some of the last seven days’ veterinary news. 

For starters, here’s some catch-up news on my chickens and goats: I took your advice and spent some hard-earned cash on some...

I’m getting the cold shoulder at work these days. Lots of could shoulders, actually. Verbal complaints, too. The moral outrage is so thick you could slice it mid-air. And it’s all to do with my take on TNR, which I’ve been working hard at lately.

Almost every day this week I’ve brought in a trapped feral. My neighbors and I have decided that the colony of [mostly sick] feral cats has got to...

Here’s a hypothetical for you: You bring your new kitten to your vet for her final well-kitten visit. She’s due for her rabies vaccine, too. The visit proceeds smoothly while the veterinarian performs her physical and answers all your questions. Then you’re done. But where’s the rabies? 

Your vet explains that she gave it while you were discussing things and assumed you saw her give it. You...

I’ve been having lots of fun this summer with my two dogs, my 11 year-old son and a Wednesday night “basic behavior and manners” training class at a local vet hospital (not mine). 

The trainer, one Dee Hoult, is smart, appropriate and positively inclined. I’ve learned new ways to teach the basics––without pulling or much correction at all. I don’t even think I’ve used the word “no” the entire...

Your veterinarian hands you a bottle of antibiotics after treating your cat’s abscess. "You’re to finish them all,” he urges. If you don’t, as the implication goes, you may be contributing to antibiotic resistance. And it won’t be your cat's health alone that suffers, but potentially YOURS, too. 

Antibiotic resistance is an emerging threat that has accelerated in recent decades. The rise of...

Ever thought about why it is we feel the urge to offer treats and tidbits to our beloved creatures? I have. I’ve thought about it a lot. After all, if I can plumb the depths of the American psyche on that one I think I’ll have earned myself a Nobel Prize––or at least a MacArthur Grant. 

Here’s a short, would-be pet story to illustrate:

Last Saturday I spent the afternoon kayaking with my...

It’s 6 PM and your favorite veterinary hospital is windng down for the day. You can see the lights go off inside just as you pull up with “the mother of all emergencies.” Your dog has just bloated and you didn’t think to call ahead. You were so wound up and near-hysterical when you found him at home, mid-bloat and retching, you didn’t even have time to register the time of day. 

As you see...

This has been a tough week for young felines in my parts. Litters of unwanteds stray into oncoming traffic and fare poorly against backyard dogs. Their eyes drip mucoid tears as they hunch wih backs against one another awaiting their next handout. 

At work we received ten this week: One sweet-as-sugar seven month-old with a litter in her belly. A three week-old litter of three healthy fat...

If you own a sort-of-purebred––whether he’s recognized by a breed registry or not––you can breed him to a bitch of similar heritage––or not––and create a “designer dog.” 

After all, a so-called “designer” doesn’t have to be Gucci or Pucci or Prada to claim he created a “designer” paper airplane that cannot fly...or a “designer” dress that fits like a garbage bag. 

When, I’d like to know, did...

Women are bad with directions and men hate cats. Or so they say. Though, culturally speaking, we readily buy into these not-so-truisms, we also understand them to be misogynstic generalizations. 

After all, I can find my way out of a mangrove maze without a compass or a GPS and navigate any city with near-perfect aplomb. My boyfriend shows a similar ability to buck these sex-linked traits by...

It’s summertime and that means flying bugs. Unless you live in the most arid climate imaginable...you’ve got ‘em too. 

The bites and their bumps are disturbing enough, but we all know that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The real predators to fear are usually not the insects themselves...but the even smaller bugs they carry with them. The West Niles and the heartworms of this world are far...

Got a ferret? Guinea pigs? Fish? Snakes? Goats? Chickens?

Consider that plans are in the works to limit their inclusion into the arsenal of accepted “pet” species. Wild, non-native species are especially targeted. This we know. Some of these rules seem fair. Some do not. And we live with the unfair manifestations of these emerging laws, fighting the regs tooth and nail, if we must. 

Consider...

“Irregularity” is a politely inadequate euphemism for what you know as diarrhea, constipation and flatulence. In all cases, these symptoms are accompanied by changes in the animal’s gastrointestinal bacteria. That’s why “probiotics” are often recommended for these pets by way of boosting “good” gut bacteria and counteracting the bad. 

But what are these probiotics anyway? And how do they...

We’ve all heard the stats: One in three pets will get lost in his or her lifetime. Only 17% of dogs and 2% of cats make it back home. By some estimates, almost four million pets are euthanized every year because pets aren’t properly identified and their owners can’t be found.

If you’ve hung out on Dolittler over the years, you might already know that strong opinions prevail on the subject of...

I have a job so I shouldn’t be complaining. But here comes another one of Dr. K’s “It’s the economy, Stupid!” rants, anyway...

This past week I performed one extensive feline dental (with extractions), undertook a canine spay (with multiple, retained puppy teeth extractions) and treated a dog with severe skin disease...among a multitude of other basic veterinary service offerings.

These...

Cats who live where mosquitoes do, whether they live indoors or out, should [ideally] receive heartworm preventatives. That’s the premise of this post and I hope you’ll all take it to heart. 

While it’s true that cats are not the ideal host for heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis), they can become infected by heartworm carrying mosquitoes, nonetheless (as can humans, though usually only...

Here we go again. The veterinary establishment continues to find ways to tackle the increasing prevalence of raw food diets for pets. Yet another study is out on the adverse effects of raw feeding on animals. This time, however, it’s not the Salmonella that can make your pet sick. It’s about the Salmonella that can make YOU sick when you feed your pets a raw meat diet. 

Actually, this study...