Every pet parent knows that when a storm is coming, it could spell disaster—not just for your lawn furniture, but your pets, too! Many pets are more sensitive to the changes in the weather than we are, and they don’t always understand that those loud booms and flashes of light can’t hurt them when they’re safely inside. While we can try to keep them calm, often our soothing words fall on deaf ears. Luckily, we have some advice on ways you can prepare for the storm and suffer minimal pet breakdowns! Keeping Calm When Seeking Shelter As with so many
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Why Won’t My Cat Use the Litter Box?
There are few behaviors more frustrating to cat owners than the cat who suddenly begins to soil outside the litter box. In fact, it is one of the main reasons owners abandon their cats or drop them off in shelters, where they’re often euthanized. Cats who exhibit this behavior are mistakenly labeled spiteful or angry when in reality, neither is true. This behavior is a call for help. Something in their life has gone seriously wrong! Most often the underlying cause relates to the home environment, a natural instinct to mark, or underlying illness. Let’s take a look at what
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FLEAS…SIMPLY AN ANNOYANCE?
To shed some light on the significance of fleas, it might help to define them. Fleas are parasites that live exclusively by consuming blood from a host…for our purposes, that host is your cat or dog! The CDC has recently issued a warning that vector borne illnesses are dramatically on the rise. Vectors of most concern are ticks, mosquitos, and fleas. Since fleas seem to “fly under the radar” when it comes to disease transmission concerns, we thought it wise to take a look at the health threats they represent. Diseases Carried By Fleas: Plague – yes, as in Bubonic
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Cushing’s Disease in Dogs in Holmdel, NJ
Cushing’s disease occurs most frequently in middle aged to older dogs, and is the result of an overproduction of the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is a highly beneficial hormone, produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress. For a dog, that stress can be something as simple as a trip to the vet’s office. Under normal circumstances, a low level of cortisol is released triggering bodily changes that support the dog’s metabolism and immune system through the period of perceived crisis. Once balance is restored, cortisol levels drop naturally. Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can be caused by a malfunctioning
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