Blog

by Companion Animal Hospital on September 11, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Why Do Cats Need Dental Exams?FORL of the canine tooth in the cat.             Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions (FORL’s) account for 20-75% of all dental disease in cats over 4 years old.  Odontoclasts, which originate in the bone marrow, […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on August 28, 2018 at 12:00 pm

FIVE TIPS IN FEEDING YOUR PUPPYFeeding a puppy can be challenging with all the different foods available.  Here are five tips that are important when feeding a puppy:Tip one:  Feed puppy food.  I realize this sounds obvious, but puppy food is designed and formulated for the specific […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on August 14, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Toddlers and Dogs: Tips for HarmonyDogs and toddlers can be overly excited when interacting with each other.  This can result in pulled hair or tumbling children.  They can also be shy or afraid in uncertain interactions.  A misunderstanding can be dangerous. Both children and dogs […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on August 8, 2018 at 7:15 pm

Tick-Bourne Disease in Dogs and Cats      With summer upon us and lot's of ticks around this year, discussing tick-bourne diseases seemed appropriate. We typically think of dogs getting ticks but cats can as well.  I am going to seperate dogs and cats in my discussion […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on July 31, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Rabies Vaccine - Why does my pet need that?These days, we rarely hear about a domestic animal with rabies virus, and when a human gets rabies, it makes the evening news!  However unseen, rabies virus is endemic to the continental United States, which results in many of our wildlife animal […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on July 17, 2018 at 12:30 pm

Why are we so preoccupied with checking your pet’s poop?Consider the following facts:Most pets are born with roundworms.Roundworms and hookworms carried by pets can infect people.  These infections have been known to cause eye disease leading to blindness in an eye in some people that […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on July 10, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Wellness testing: What it is and why we do itAs veterinarians, we are at a disadvantage relative to our human medical counterparts, in that our patients cannot always tell us how they feel or what is wrong with them.  Still, our goals are always to 1) relieve pain and suffering, 2) treat ill […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on June 26, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Fireworks Fun (and Safety)!In the midwest, summer is full of celebrations involving fireworks. We LOVE our fireworks! Unfortunately, most of our pets do not.  Some aren’t upset by the explosions, while others are so scared they may injure themselves.  We have seen pets that have […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on June 19, 2018 at 12:00 pm

How to Prevent and Detect Heat Stroke in Pets Summer is a time to have a great time with your pets outdoors.  There are countless activities we do with our four legged friends.  However, when the temperature rises, the risk for heat related illness increases as well.  Heat […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on June 12, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Skunked: How to get rid of that awful smell!It is the absolute dread of every dog owner - you let Fido out for his evening nature break and then you smell it!  SKUNKED!  Some dogs can get sprayed so badly it might not even be recognizable as skunk at first.  You may even think they […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on June 5, 2018 at 11:59 pm

What is "Red Eye" and how serious is it? I often see the words “check eye- red and swollen” on my schedule. I never know what I am going to find when I walk into the exam room and see the pet that has that gleaming look in its eye, and a red and swollen appearance to boot! My first […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on May 22, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Cats are interesting and social creatures but they love to have their own space.  You can bring out your cats personality and help them have happier lives by making a few simple changes in your home.1.  Provide lots of resting spacesWe all know cats love to nap, but what they love […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on May 8, 2018 at 11:41 pm

The weather is finally warming up and we hope you are getting outside with your pets.  Becareful when choosing your dog leash as there are many dangers in using a retractable leash.1.  They are too long! Some of these leashes can extend over 25 feet.  This allows dogs to get far […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on April 24, 2018 at 11:39 pm

In most cases a healthy appetite indicates your pet is not suffering from illness, however, there are some diseases that are often associated with increased appetite in dogs and cats.  A healthy appetite can fool pet owners into thinking that their pet is generally healthy, when disease is […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on April 10, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Do you sometimes wake in the morning to find a spot of yellow vomit on your floors or carpet left by your dog, yet find your dog does not appear ill and will readily eat his morning meal with no further vomiting problems?  The yellow vomit is actually bile, produced in the liver, which […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on March 27, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Lumps and Bumps on DogsFew things in life are as scary as finding a lump on your dog.  Immediately your mind will jump to worst case scenario and the “C” word will inevitably creep into your thoughts.  So if you do find a lump, try to stay calm, and call your veterinarian to […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on March 13, 2018 at 11:32 pm

Before joining Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital, I was presented with an unexpected case of a female Bichon that had started seizing several minutes prior to arriving at the hospital.  The limited information we were able to obtain was that the female had recently given birth to puppies and was in […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on March 6, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Surprising Things That Your Pet Can't Eat We all know that dogs can't eat chocolate, but did you know that there's actually a longgggg list of human food that pets can't eat? Check out the table below to read more foods that pets can't eat! Human Food That Can Be Harmful for Pets Acai […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on February 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Dental Care: The Root of Your Pet's Health            Who doesn’t love getting kisses from their better half?  No I don’t mean your partner, your dog of course!  It is all fun games until your dog has a mouth that could […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on February 6, 2018 at 4:30 pm

February is National Pet Dental Health Month – I Say No Way!  Let’s make it a year-round goal.According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the month of February is National Pet Dental Health Month.  This was started to raise awareness to our […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on January 16, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Companion Animal Hospital takes on rare case with successful outcomeAs a Veterinarian you will always have those cases that stick with you and remind you even on the toughest day that I love what I do and grateful to have the opportunity to work with caring people and great owners."Queen" White is […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on January 2, 2018 at 11:56 pm

Veterinary staff talk about heartworm prevention frequently when you bring your pet to us for care, but do you know exactly what heartworm disease is? Heartworms are parasites.  They are approximately 1 foot long, slender, white worms that live in the heart, lungs, and nearby blood […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on December 28, 2017 at 3:00 pm

Leptospirosis is a bacteria which can be found in the environment.  It is most common in stagnant or slow moving water, but can also be found in soil.  Leptospirosis is spread via the urine of infected animals.  This includes many species of wildlife that may move in and out of our […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on December 13, 2017 at 2:00 pm

With the holidays fast approaching, we know what a busy time of year this can be.  By taking a few precautions, you can make sure that everyone in your family (including your furry friends) enjoys the holidays! Below are some ideas to help avoid timely and expensive emergency visits to the […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on December 12, 2017 at 1:00 pm

What is a Zoonotic Disease??—Part 2In this second article discussing zoonotic disease, I will focus on other infections, besides parasites, that pets can share with people.  A zoonotic disease can be transmitted from animals to people. Ringworm—Ringworm is actually a […]