Newsletter

Adult Cats in Shelters—Give Them Hope

If you have ever been to an animal shelter, you have probably seen a sad sight: dozens of adult cats desperate for homes, most of which have little chance of getting out.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states that every year, about 5 to 7 million pets enter the animal shelter system, of which more than half are cats. Unfortunately, approximately 70% of those cats are euthanized simply because no one wants them, and most shelters don’t have the funds to board them for more than a few weeks.

Palliative and Hospice Care Can Mean a Better Ending

Palliative care focuses on managing the pain, lack of appetite, fatigue, nausea or other symptoms your pet may be experiencing from a chronic disease or its treatment. Hospice care, too, looks first to the comfort of the pet —those with a terminal diagnosis and for whom a cure is no longer possible.

Pain management, in particular, is a science that is rapidly evolving. Sometimes just a few small changes in medication can return a pet to being more like its old self. It is still an animal with a fatal disease—but that extra time can be very meaningful.

Pre-anesthetic Blood Work Saves Lives!

AAHA-accredited hospitals follow standards covering everything from laboratory work and anesthetic monitoring to how things are maintained in the surgical suite. The AAHA standards do not tell your veterinarian how to practice medicine; they focus on having all the right processes and procedures in place to make things run smoothly so your pet will receive the best, most thorough care possible.

Your veterinarian will determine which pre-anesthetic tests should be performed based on your pet’s breed, age and health status, and the requirements for the anesthesia and surgical procedure your pet is having.

Von Willebrand Disease

Von Willebrand disease is the most common inherited bleeding disorder in dogs. The disease rarely occurs in cats.

Dogs with this disease cannot clot blood normally, which results in bleeding, especially after surgery or trauma. While this disease has occurred in more than 50 different dog breeds, the breeds most commonly affected include Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, golden retrievers, poodles, Shetland sheepdogs, Pembroke Welsh Corgis and the German Shorthaired Pointer.

Can Living or Vacationing at High Altitude Affect Your Dog’s Health?

Planning a trip to the mountains or considering relocating to the high country?

If you are a dog owner, don’t forget to keep your pet’s health concerns in mind, just as you would the other members of your family.