Did you find a new lump on your dog?

Did you find a new lump on your dog? What should you do? What types of lumps are dangerous? How are they diagnosed? What are treatment options? To identify what may be the cause for a lump, make an appointment with your veterinarian.  First, some background information is needed: What is your pet’s age and breed? How long has lump … Read More

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm disease is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by parasitic worms that can live in the heart and lungs of dogs, cats and other mammals. The good news is that this disease is very preventable by giving your pet medication. Owners must be vigilant with prevention throughout their pet’s life to keep them protected. The mosquito is the only vector … Read More

Canine Ear Infections

Ear infections are one of the most common conditions in dogs. An estimated 20 percent of dogs have some form of ear disease. The canine ear canal is vertical, forming an L-shape that tends to easily hold fluid. This makes dogs more prone to ear infections. In addition to conformation, things such as moisture, allergies, wax build up, foxtails, excessive … Read More

Pet Dental Health Month

Dental Disease in Pets The doctor has found dental disease in your pet, what does that mean?Just as in people, plaque accumulates around the teeth, hardening into calculus (or tartar) in about 24 hours . Bacteria can grow and cause an infection of the gums, tooth pulp and jawbone. Infected gums and teeth are constantly painful and affect your pet’s … Read More

Pet Emergency Preparedness

Pet Emergency Preparedness Do you have an emergency plan for your family? Does it include your pets? Many have not thought about what they would do with their pets in an emergency. You can never completely control what will happen during an emergency, you can take steps to be as prepared as possible for advance-notice disasters, like wildfires and rolling … Read More

Safe Holidays with your Pets

Holidays can be such a wonderful time with family and friends coming home. It can also be a time when holiday treats can easily end up unexpectedly ingested by the family pets. Please be especially careful with the following common holiday treats during the next couple months and seek medical attention if accidentally ingested: Chocolate can cause seizure and death … Read More

BirchBark Foundation

The holidays are a time of giving for people in our community. There are programs in place in our community for families and children, but there is also an incredible local organization helping provide medical care for family pets in need in our community as well. BirchBark Foundation is an organization helping to fill this need for over six years … Read More

Do You Brush your Dog’s Teeth?

It’s that time of year again at your veterinarian’s office where the smell of your pet’s breath is the number one topic. February is National Dental Health Month for Pets. Does your pet have stinky breath? Are his teeth more yellow-brown than pearly white? If so, he may be a part of the 80% of pets that show signs of … Read More

Is My Pet too Old for Anesthesia?

It’s a reasonable question, but one that’s increasingly less applicable to modern veterinary medicine. With advances in veterinary care, our pre-procedure screening, anesthetic drugs, techniques and monitoring tools are safer and more effective than ever before. Age itself is not a disease, however as our pets age the likelihood of developing a disease does increase. It is these diseases (known … Read More

Multi Modal Therapies for Animals

We are so fortunate to live in an age of advanced medicine and surgery in both human and veterinary medicine. We are all too young to remember the days before penicillin was discovered, or before life saving surgeries had been invented. We often take for granted the availability of things like antibiotics for an infection, or pain control to relieve … Read More