Are Dog Vitamins and Supplements Really Necessary?

When it comes to dog vitamins and supplements there are basically two schools of thought: 1. If you feed your dog a commercial pet food that is labeled “100% complete and balanced” there is no need to give vitamins or supplements to your dog. In fact, doing so can be dangerous. 2. It is impossible to provide our pets with a diet that is 100% complete and balanced for their...

The Best Cat Scratching Post Ever

I have five cats and they all have their claws. I know many people, veterinary personnel included, who think declawing cats really isn’t a big deal. In fact, most of the cats and kittens I’ve seen come through our clinic seem to recover quite well after the surgery. But, I think if we asked cats their opinion they would vote “NO” to declawing! Based on the...

Sentinel For Dogs–Know Before You Buy

I decided to write a blog post answering some of the common questions I hear about Sentinel flea control medication for dogs. Sentinel is different from most other types of flea control products because it comes in the form of a pill rather than a liquid topical that is applied to your dog’s skin. The active ingredients in Sentinel, milbemycin oxime and lufenuron, are absorbed by...

How to Get Rid of Fleas

Fleas are more than just a nuisance. They’re gross—and they can make life miserable for you and your pets. Fleas are also carriers for numerous diseases such as typhus and tapeworm infection. During the Black Death plague of 1348 to 1350, fleas carried by rats bit their human hosts and literally injected them with disease. Typhus, another disease transmitted from rats to humans, has...

My Weekend at the Michigan Veterinary Conference

This weekend I attended the 2009 Michigan Veterinary Conference held at the Lansing Center (located just down the street from the state capital building). I don’t remember the last time I visited our state’s capital and I enjoyed getting to know the lay of the land a little better. The Michigan Vet Conference is basically an annual gathering of veterinary professionals and...