Your Trusted Pet Hospital for All Your Furry Friend's Health Needs

You may purchase a product called “Forbid” (or try meat tenderizer) to sprinkle on your dog’s food. It changes the stool, making it taste even worse. You may try “booby-trapping” any stool in the yard with hot sauce. However, you must be consistent. If your dog encounters any stool that has not been booby-trapped then it will take longer for your dog to stop this habit. Also try leash walking your dog and keeping the yard picked up.

Average temperature for dogs and cats is 101.5. A range of 100.5 to 102 is probably okay. Always use a well-lubricated rectal thermometer to take your pet’s temperature.

Fleas are small, dark brown-black insects. You can usually see them, often near the base of the tail or on the belly. They flee from light. You can also see “flea dirt”. This dark, grainy material in the hair coat or on the skin turns red when moistened, as opposed to dirt, that continues to be black even when wet.

If your pet is lethargic, not as active or perky as usual, disinterested in eating, not drinking normally, vomiting blood, got into the trash or may have eaten a foreign object or unusual food, you should withhold its food and call for an appointment. We will get your pet in for an exam and possible x-rays or blood work. If your pet does not show any of the above symptoms after vomiting, still keep it under observation to see if it vomits again. Remove it’s food for 12 hours and make sure that water is always available. If no more vomiting occurs after 12 hours has gone by, feed it two parts cooked whole rice and 1 part boiled chicken or lean hamburger for a day or two. If vomiting continues for more than 24 hours or occurs more than once in 24 hours, withhold food and make an appointment for an exam, x-rays and/or blood work.

Rawhide chews usually do not cause a problem. Choking or blockage may happen if your dog swallows the whole chew or an un-softened chunk of it. Rawhide chews can upset some dogs intestinal system causing vomiting or diarrhea. It’s best to supervise your pet when it’s chewing on any toy.

A cold, wet nose may be a sign of good health in dogs and cats, but even a healthy pet can have a warm, dry nose on occasion. On the other hand, really sick pets can also have cold, wet noses. What does all this mean? Your pet’s nose is not a reliable indicator of your pet’s health.