Dog and cat urine test helps protect your pet’s health

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Veterinarians rely on the information you provide them to help protect your pet’s good health. Using ThePetCheckup monthly between routine exams may help you and your veterinarian catch small problems before they become big problems.

Also, just like us, our pet’s bodies vary regarding what is “normal” for each individual animal. Results from ThePetCheckup along with your observations of your animal’s behavior will help your veterinarian establish a baseline picture of what represents “normal” good health for your own animal companion.  And by continuing with the simple test each month, you will be able to see if the test results vary from the baseline information.

Blood in dog or cat’s urine could mean many things

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One of the most common problems that people find in their dog or cat’s urine test  is a positive result on the blood indicator.

Most often, this is an indication of  an infection.  Once the owner takes their animal to the veterinarian, the diagnosis is made.  The reason we recommend using ThePetCheckup every month is to catch an imbalance, such as an infection, at a very early stage.

There are other situations that can contribute to a dog or cat having blood in their urine, such as kidney stones, internal infections, or tumors. It may even be from eating a sharp piece of grass or stick outside. 

In any case, blood in the urine is not normal and should be checked out right away.

Kindness leads No More Homeless Pets Campaign

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Very inspiring message from Julie Castle at the recent No More Homeless Pets conference sponsored by Best Friends Animal Society.

Julie gave the closing talk at the conference from the perspective of a long time animal welfare advocate and also as someone diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer.

Definitely worth reading.  All the best to you Julie!

Puppy mill vote November 2, 2010

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In just a few weeks, the people of Missouri will be voting on Proposition B–the Puppy Mill Cruelty Prevention Act.

The outcome of this bill will have far-reaching influence on puppy mill dogs throughout the county.  You can click on this link to learn more about the bill…even if you don’t live in MO, there are actions you can take to support the passage of this bill.

http://www.aspca.org/news/national/10-08-10.html#1

Dog search and rescue hero

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There was a wonderful article in the New York Times this morning about a dog hero and his person.  Cassius was one of five dogs this year to be awarded the Humane Fund Award for Canine Excellence.

It is interesting to read how Cassius and his person came together. They’ve worked in many catastrophes including Sri Lanka, Haiti and Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/fashion/07Gimlet.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Emergency planning for your dogs and cats

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Having been on Cape Cod last month when hurricane Earl was approaching, I saw first – hand how important it is to have a rescue plan in advance for your animals.  The shelter that we would have had to go to accepts animals, so we knew Lily would be OK if we had to leave our house.

Happily Earl did not pose a problem for the northeast coast, and now that I am back in Iowa, I am thinking of all the possible situations that might occur here and how I would deal with the cats if we had to leave the house suddenly.  The most difficult part would be catching Chloe and Kate to put them in their carriers.

They are rarely interested in doing anything I say unfortunately.