Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
How do you spoil your dog? Do you think that regular wellness exams qualify? Most people love to spoil their dogs. If you want to spoil your dog in a meaningful way, don’t forget the things they can appreciate, and don’t forget wellness exams. There are few things you can do for your dog to increase their chances of a…
The American Heartworm Society recommends annual heartworm testing for all dogs. The recommendation makes perfect sense to me, and I would do it even without being told. When I called to make the appointment, I was surprised to be told that Cookie had the test last year, and I didn’t have to do it this year if I didn’t want…
With all our dogs, we keep a schedule of two wellness exams every year. One in the spring, one in the fall. Last year, with JD’s passing and our struggle to make the tiny home inhabitable, we didn’t get around to the exam until before Christmas. It’s not the best timing for a bunch of reasons, including the fact that…
Many health issues can be brewing under surface long before they show up outwardly. Wellness exams are a way to peek inside for what problems might be hiding from plain sight. We take our guys at least for one wellness exam a year; usually two. There is no particular rule when during the year this should be done but we typically choose…
Does an abnormal result on your dog’s lab work automatically mean there is a problem? Not necessarily. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek an explanation and retest. Cookie’s elevated ALT ALT is short for alanine aminotransferase, which is an enzyme found primarily in the liver but also in other tissues (kidneys, heart, muscles, and pancreas). When a cell is damaged,…