Like most vets, I recommend supplements; everything from multivitamins to therapeutic probiotics for optimal GI tract health. But not all vets expect your compliance on peripheral optimization of your pet’s health. In fact, many vets (albeit a dwindling number) still don’t actively recommend nutritional supplements, in spite of their well-accepted utility in vet medicine and their $1.3 Billion...

There are a lot more cool tools out there for pets and their miscellaneous healthcare needs, but these are the ones I tend to recommend most frequently.(With a new one thrown in at the end because I could not resist!)

1-E-collars, T-shirts, onesies and other avoidance devices: Cats and dogs need these to protect the head, face and ears, after surgery, and when licking/biting damage otherwise...

Well, why the heck not? Though vasectomies have long been out of favor in the veterinary community (not that they were ever popular), there’s no reason why I wouldn’t consent to snip a bit of tiny tubing through a small incision over taking out the testicles—as long as the owner understands that testosterone and all its effects will still be on hand to work their mysterious charms.

Sure,...

Most of you Class A vet clients already know about all these common OTC pet meds. Nonetheless, I offer ‘em up here because maybe (just maybe) there’s something I can add to your basic understanding of these medications, their indications and contraindications.

So without any further ado, here are my top five, peppered with disclaimers about always asking your vet first before using ANY drug....

I hope none of you ever have to face this question: My cat is dying of kidney disease. I’ve done everything the vets have told me to do but she’s miserable. What else can I do to make her well?

The all-too common answer is the obvious: euthanasia. And while I'll never advocate this option without exploring every possible treatment option, make no mistake, kidney (renal) disease is a killer....

Like most vets, I have more than my share of home remedies at the ready for clients looking to apply readily accessible ingredients to their pets’ minor ailments. Most of these DIY solutions include standard kitchen cabinet and fridge fare, with just a dash of the medicine drawer thrown in for good measure. Below are my top six, listed here for your reading pleasure:

1-Epsom salts: When pet...

A couple of months ago, one of our technicians brought her “terrier mix” into work with her. He’d been experiencing a particularly nasty kind of diarrhea for the last 24 hours—and  on this morning she’d awoken to a home full of black, tarry stools.

A fecal exam, as expected,  revealed the presence of a large amount of digested blood. Typically, that means something somewhere high up in the...

One of my client’s dogs, a shepherd mix named Madison, recently came back from the kennel making horrible gagging sounds. “Oh my God, she’s trying to vomit but can’t! I think she’s bloating!” While well-informed of her large breed dog’s pathological proclivities, this owner had never experienced the dreaded kennel cough (the most likely source of Madison’s current distress).

“But the people at...

Most of you already know about my Sophie Sue and the severe neck pain (due to intervertebral disc disease) that landed her at the specialist’s place last week. So many of you wished her well and sent hugs and smooches in her direction (for which I’m eternally grateful), but since then I’ve been remiss in reporting on her condition.

So here’s an update—with some basic facts on her disease...

Oh, Cesar, it’s due to your aggressive techniques and dominance-based methods that we’ve come to require such explicit recommendations on punishment in pets. But “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Milian is not the only target of this edict issued by The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB).

Titled, Position Statement and Guidelines on the Use of Punishment for Dealing with Behavior...