by Companion Animal Hospital on January 29, 2019 at 6:56 pm

Cold Weather Tips for You & Your Pet Helpful tips for keeping your pet safe during the cold weatherCold weather may worsen some medical conditions such as arthritis. Your pet should be examined by a veterinarian at least once a year, and it's as good a time as any to get him/her checked […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on January 24, 2019 at 1:00 pm

Fleas and Ticks in the Winter: Frozen or Flourishing?After the first frost of the season, it may be tempting to skip Fluffy’s dose of flea and tick prevention, but contrary to popular belief, fleas and ticks can still be a threat in the winter.Although near-freezing temperatures will kill […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on December 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Happy Holidays from Companion Animal Hospital! With the holidays fast approaching, we know what a busy time of year this can be.  By taking a few precautions, you can make sure that everyone in your family (including your furry friends) enjoys the holidays! Below are some ideas to help […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on December 11, 2018 at 2:00 pm

The dog ate WHAT??I arrived at work one morning and was told by our receptionist that there was a client on the way with his 5 month old Shepherd. She said they thought had eaten nails that had been laying around in the garage. When they arrived, I told them the best way to visualize what is […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on November 20, 2018 at 1:00 pm

End of Life Care: Making Every Day CountBeing a veterinarian is often a rewarding job; we get to watch our patients grow and mature, perform preventative care to keep them healthy, and help heal them when they’re sick. However, being a vet also means that I sometimes have the unfortunate task […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on November 8, 2018 at 5:47 pm

Why is it so important to keep your pets on heartworm preventative year round? Check out this video to learn just what heartworm is and the importance of year round prevention! […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on October 23, 2018 at 12:00 pm

A Zoonotic disease, is one that, by definition, “is transmissible from animals to humans under natural conditions and can also be an infection or disease that is transmissible between animals and humans”. This is particularly important as the strength of the human-animal bond continues […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on September 25, 2018 at 1:00 pm

What's the deal with worms?Picking up your animals' feces is often not a pleasant task, but did you know that there could be friends hiding out within?Roundworms This parasite is very common in puppies and kittens, they are infected while in the uterus as well as when they ingest milk. Adult […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on September 11, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Why Do Cats Need Dental Exams?FORL of the canine tooth in the cat.             Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesions (FORL’s) account for 20-75% of all dental disease in cats over 4 years old.  Odontoclasts, which originate in the bone marrow, […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on August 28, 2018 at 12:00 pm

FIVE TIPS IN FEEDING YOUR PUPPYFeeding a puppy can be challenging with all the different foods available.  Here are five tips that are important when feeding a puppy:Tip one:  Feed puppy food.  I realize this sounds obvious, but puppy food is designed and formulated for the specific […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on August 14, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Toddlers and Dogs: Tips for HarmonyDogs and toddlers can be overly excited when interacting with each other.  This can result in pulled hair or tumbling children.  They can also be shy or afraid in uncertain interactions.  A misunderstanding can be dangerous. Both children and dogs […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on August 8, 2018 at 7:15 pm

Tick-Bourne Disease in Dogs and Cats      With summer upon us and lot's of ticks around this year, discussing tick-bourne diseases seemed appropriate. We typically think of dogs getting ticks but cats can as well.  I am going to seperate dogs and cats in my discussion […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on July 31, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Rabies Vaccine - Why does my pet need that?These days, we rarely hear about a domestic animal with rabies virus, and when a human gets rabies, it makes the evening news!  However unseen, rabies virus is endemic to the continental United States, which results in many of our wildlife animal […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on July 17, 2018 at 12:30 pm

Why are we so preoccupied with checking your pet’s poop?Consider the following facts:Most pets are born with roundworms.Roundworms and hookworms carried by pets can infect people.  These infections have been known to cause eye disease leading to blindness in an eye in some people that […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on July 10, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Wellness testing: What it is and why we do itAs veterinarians, we are at a disadvantage relative to our human medical counterparts, in that our patients cannot always tell us how they feel or what is wrong with them.  Still, our goals are always to 1) relieve pain and suffering, 2) treat ill […]

by Companion Animal Hospital on June 26, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Fireworks Fun (and Safety)!In the midwest, summer is full of celebrations involving fireworks. We LOVE our fireworks! Unfortunately, most of our pets do not.  Some aren’t upset by the explosions, while others are so scared they may injure themselves.  We have seen pets that have […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on June 19, 2018 at 12:00 pm

How to Prevent and Detect Heat Stroke in Pets Summer is a time to have a great time with your pets outdoors.  There are countless activities we do with our four legged friends.  However, when the temperature rises, the risk for heat related illness increases as well.  Heat […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on June 12, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Skunked: How to get rid of that awful smell!It is the absolute dread of every dog owner - you let Fido out for his evening nature break and then you smell it!  SKUNKED!  Some dogs can get sprayed so badly it might not even be recognizable as skunk at first.  You may even think they […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on June 5, 2018 at 11:59 pm

What is "Red Eye" and how serious is it? I often see the words “check eye- red and swollen” on my schedule. I never know what I am going to find when I walk into the exam room and see the pet that has that gleaming look in its eye, and a red and swollen appearance to boot! My first […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on May 22, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Cats are interesting and social creatures but they love to have their own space.  You can bring out your cats personality and help them have happier lives by making a few simple changes in your home.1.  Provide lots of resting spacesWe all know cats love to nap, but what they love […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on May 8, 2018 at 11:41 pm

The weather is finally warming up and we hope you are getting outside with your pets.  Becareful when choosing your dog leash as there are many dangers in using a retractable leash.1.  They are too long! Some of these leashes can extend over 25 feet.  This allows dogs to get far […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on April 24, 2018 at 11:39 pm

In most cases a healthy appetite indicates your pet is not suffering from illness, however, there are some diseases that are often associated with increased appetite in dogs and cats.  A healthy appetite can fool pet owners into thinking that their pet is generally healthy, when disease is […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on April 10, 2018 at 12:00 pm

Do you sometimes wake in the morning to find a spot of yellow vomit on your floors or carpet left by your dog, yet find your dog does not appear ill and will readily eat his morning meal with no further vomiting problems?  The yellow vomit is actually bile, produced in the liver, which […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on March 27, 2018 at 1:00 pm

Lumps and Bumps on DogsFew things in life are as scary as finding a lump on your dog.  Immediately your mind will jump to worst case scenario and the “C” word will inevitably creep into your thoughts.  So if you do find a lump, try to stay calm, and call your veterinarian to […]

by Companion Animal Hospital Vets on March 13, 2018 at 11:32 pm

Before joining Wolf Merrick Animal Hospital, I was presented with an unexpected case of a female Bichon that had started seizing several minutes prior to arriving at the hospital.  The limited information we were able to obtain was that the female had recently given birth to puppies and was in […]