Archive for year: 2012

It’s always fun talking with our customers…they are so knowledgeable about their animals’ healthcare.

I just looked up some synonyms for the word  “proactive” and found:

farseeing, farsighted, forward-looking, visionary, and forethoughtful (I didn’t know that was a word, but I think I would like to start using it in sentences).

Nice way to describe our customers!  It’s great to be associated with people who take such good care of their dogs and cats.

We always mention in our literature that ThePetCheckup does not test for every illness that can affect our pets.  One of these illnesses is arthritis.

There are several different types of arthritis..osteoarthritis (or degenerative joint disease) is the most common by far.  By the time you notice your pet is showing outward symptoms, it is often the case that the disease has progressed quite far.  So it is important to be aware of early symptoms as there are many things that can be done to slow the progression of the disease.

Most common symptoms to be aware of are:

Hesitation or reluctance to jump, walk up stairs, or walk.

Lameness.

Stiffness when first waking up.

Licking of specific areas of joints.

Obvious pain when you touch or rub certain joints.

We can notice many changes in behavior with careful observation.  I am giving more attention to massaging Chloe and Kate’s joints now and watching for signs of stiffness or pain.

A recent survey by Petplan Pet Insurance reports that over half of the 3300 people surveyed travel with their dogs.

68.8 percent travel over 200 miles with their dogs for vacations.

97 percent travel by car.

56 percent have traveled by mobile home.

28 percent have traveled by train.  I found this interesting as Amtrak doesn’t accept pets on trains.  Does anyone have any ideas how these dogs traveled by train?  I would be very interested to hear.

Francis Battista from Best Friends Animal Society is such a great writer.

I read his blog regularly and am always impressed by the way he can express emotional topics/feelings in such a clear and straight-forward manner.

He doesn’t shy away from addressing very controversial topics either.  This latest post about Michael Vick announcing he will be getting a dog for his kids now that his 3 years of being barred from dog ownership are expiring:

“Best Friends is often asked if we think Vick should be allowed to own another dog. While his eligibility for dog ownership is a matter of law, imagine, if you would, what it would be like reading through a potential dog adoption application from Michael Vick:

• Have you had a dog before? Yes
• If yes, how many? Lots
• Do you still have a dog(s)? No
• If you have had dogs in the past, please let us know their current disposition. Dead or confiscated by federal authorities.
• If you no longer have other dogs, please let us know what happened to them. Some I sold to dog fighters, some I had my cousin electrocute or shoot, some I personally strangled, drowned or body-slammed to death.
• Why do you want to get a dog at this time? Because I served my time and kids want a dog.

OK, thank you, Michael. We’ll get back to you on your application.”

you can read the rest of the article here:

A elevated reading on the protein parameter should always be followed up.  Abnormal levels of protein spilling into a dog (or cat’s) urine can indicate kidney problems and/or infection.

But there are some other possible causes that should be considered first.  A high-protein diet can cause a higher reading. Also, strenuous activity can cause a positive protein reading.

These are some of the reasons why we recommend that people test their pets about the same time of day each month.  Morning is best before other factors can influence test results.

My cat Belle always tested a bit high (trace results) for protein because of her diet.  Our vet told me to note each month and let him know if it ever went above the trace reading….which it never did.  It was great to be able to keep such a close eye on her test results each month.