By Nicole Abrego

“The most wonderful time of the year” is upon us. During the hustle and bustle of preparing holiday feasts, booking your flight to visit relatives and scouring online for the best deals on gifts, you realized you forgot one thing...where is Fido going to stay during the holidays?!

New pet adopters and experienced dog owners alike may wonder, "What is the parvovirus (parvo)? How does my dog get parvo? Can parvo spread to humans and other animals?"

By Dr. Heather Kovac

The Patient 

Molly is a 4 year old female yellow Labrador retriever mix who presented for a skin lesion on the side of her neck.

The Case

If you take your dog or cat to the veterinarian for regular checkups, you’ve probably been asked at one time or another to bring in some of your pet’s poop for a fecal exam. But what exactly is a fecal exam? Why are fecal exams essential to your pet’s health?

Ticks are the vampire of the pet world. They latch onto your dog or cat, attach themselves and suck their blood until they’re engorged with your pet’s blood. Then they fall off and rest until they’ve digested their meal.

What happens next is they may quietly die, or they may feel ready for another feeding. It depends on the life cycle of the tick, the type of tick, and other such factors.

Your four-legged friend’s feet play an important role in his daily life. They provide insulation to keep him warm in cold temperatures, contain sweat glands to cool him off in the heat, absorb shock, provide traction and balance, bear the majority of his weight, and allow him to run to greet you at the end of a long day.

Unfortunately, this means they also endure a lot of wear and tear. Watch out for these paw problems—and catch any issues early by regularly checking your dog’s digits.

We are so proud of pet owners who take such loving care of their family members. They buy good quality food, keep their dogs and cats clean and sheltered, and protect them from infectious diseases.

There has been quite a buzz in the media about the Federal Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) investigation into grain-free diets and a possible link to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs.