New testimonial for home urine test for dogs and cats

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Wonderful to hear from a long-time customer today who re-ordered ThePetCheckup refills:

“Very valuable kits..just luv them”,

constant user, Indianapolis, IN

Urinary Incontinence in dogs

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This is a troubling situation for pet owners and takes some investigation to determine the cause. 

There are some medications that will cause a dog to leak urine ~ especially during sleep.  When the course of the medication is over, the condition often goes away.

Sometimes, urinary incontinence is simply due to the aging process. Older female dogs weighing more than 40 pounds are the most common group to experience this condition.

There are treatments available now which have  proven to be quite effective  and  many pet owners find that they do not have to give the medication continually. For some, the condition does not come back.  And for others, several months can go by without needing to give the dog any medication.

It is also important to rule out possible illnesses such as diabetes, or urinary tract infections. This is generally done with urine and blood testing.

Early detection is the best medicine for happy and healthy dogs and cats

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With ThePetCheckup, when we talk about “early detection” we are really talking about catching potential problems before there are any outward signs of illness.

Even the most attentive and caring pet owner usually will not know anything is wrong with their dog or cat until they are showing visible changes in behavior or appearance.

That is the beauty of this home urine test for pets – providing an easy to use tool that gives owners a way to be more pro-active in caring for their animal’s health.  When something shows up on ThePetCheckup health screen as abnormal, it means they will receive veterinary care at an earlier point in the illness.

Detecting canine liver diseases

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Liver diseases are one of the 5 leading causes of death in dogs.

Early symptoms tend to be very vague and often by the time the disease is diagnosed, the condition is quite advanced.

We have received some nice feedback recently from people who’s dogs were early diagnosed thanks to ThePetCheckup and the further testing that their veterinarians were able to do.

It’s always wonder to hear this kind of feedback.

new book on preventing and treating Breast cancer

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Dr. Shawn Messonnier, a longtime, well-respected veterinarian has published a new book called Breast Choices for the Best Chances: Your Breasts, Your Life, and How YOU Can Win The Battle!

The inspiration for this book came from his wife’s story of dealing with her breast cancer.  The book is now available on Amazon in paperback and also on Kindle.

In Dr. Shawn’s words:

“I wrote the book for two reasons. The first reason is to let women know all of the choices they face during their diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, many of which may not be shared with them by their conventional doctors. There is a lot of well researched data I’ve included in the book that shows the benefits of exercise, mind-body medicine, proper diet, proper nutritional supplementation, etc., that can literally make the difference between life and death for someone with breast cancer. There is also a good amount of information in the book about things women can do to reduce their chances are developing breast cancer. With all this information, women can be put back in charge of their own health care and make decisions they think are best for themselves and their families.

The second reason I wrote Breast Choices for the Best Chances:Your Breasts, Your Life, and How You Can Win the Battle!, is to raise money for two charities near and dear to my heart. This past summer my daughter Erica, who was preparing to go to college, lost two of her friends to cancer. Half of the proceeds from my book will go to help these two families and their foundations.”

Check it out!

Happy endings on Petfinder

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I have always been a big fan of Petfinder and all of the great work that they do across the country. Now I am even a bigger fan as my sister found her dog Georgia on that site last Fall.

I recently noticed that they have a great section of Happy Endings..which is probably my all-time favorite thing to read.  There are so many heart-warming stories there.  It’s inspiring to hear about all the wonderful adoptions and all the great people helping to save lives.

Check it out!  www.petfinder.com

Home urine test for dogs and cats provides a whole new level of care

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As people are taking more and more responsibility for their health, they are naturally doing the same with their animals.

The basics are a loving home, the best diet possible, exercise and practicing preventative care.  ThePetCheckup provides an easy way for people to test their pets urine at home in between regular veterinary visits.

There are many conditions that can be detected before symptoms appear. When the test shows something abnormal, your veterinarian will follow up to diagnose the condition.   Catching a potential illness in an early stage is most beneficial for your dog or cat as well as your pocketbook!

Timing on home pet urine reagent tests

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When you do ThePetCheckup home urine test on your dog or cat, you will be putting one drop of urine (we suppy the droppers) on each reagent pad and wait either 30 or 60 seconds to read the test results.

The reagent pad checks for certain chemicals in your pet’s urine.  Abnormal levels of certain chemicals can be a sign of illness or a sign of a potential illness over time.

You want to read the results close to the time specified for each reagent pad, but there is time to comfortably do this.  We tell our customers that after the first test, you will feel like  a pro. We are still including 8 tests in each kit, so the price per test including shipping is just over $4.00.

It’s really a very simple way to provide a new level of care for your furry friend in the comfort of your own home.

Collecting urine sample for home test dog and cat

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It is generally easier to collect a urine sample from a dog than a cat.

But once cat owners get past their initial resistance in their mind, they usually can find a method that works pretty easily for them.  Cats that use the outdoors to do their business will be the most difficult of course.

ThePetCheckup manual describes several methods (for both dogs and cats).

The one I like the best and have found to be very easy is to put a plastic garbage bag on top of the litter pan.  Just lay it on top. Since cats like fresh litter, do it just after you have changed the pan or added some fresh litter. They may step on the plastic and be surprised, but they will go ahead and pee.

Just take your sample with the dropper, remove and throw away the plastic bag and you are done!  Because you are only testing every 3-4 weeks, your cats will soon forget that anything abnormal happened.  And you only need less than a teaspoon of urine (10 drops actually).

Cats are more flexible than we often give them credit for: if I am in the room when one of my cats is heading to the litter pan, I sometimes get a look from them that seems to be saying “are you going to test me now or should I just head over?”