Posts in Category: Pet Health & Wellness

Whenever a pet has lesions on the skin, pet owners tend to jump to the conclusion that it must be ringworm. While our vets at Leon Valley Veterinary Clinic diagnose ringworm in pets fairly frequently, we have found that most people don’t really know what they are looking for when it comes to this skin infection. 

Ringworm in pets is not an uncommon dermatological diagnosis, but do you know what you are looking for?

There are probably few things that terrify cat owners more than the thought of bathing their cat, let alone brushing their teeth. You may be surprised, though, that this necessary task will become surprisingly easy with the right techniques, patience, and positive reward. 

The biggest reward, however, is that you are being instrumental in keeping your cat’s teeth healthy, which in turn contributes to overall health. Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital is here with some tips on brushing your cat’s teeth for optimal at home dental care.

Of all their beautiful features, your cat’s long whiskers are probably among your favorites.

While they may not get as much credit as the highly capable eyes or ears, whiskers bring a lot to the table. They make your cat look really cool and help them navigate the ever-changing world around them. But since they poke outward from the sides of their face, can these touch receptors suffer from whisker fatigue?

If your pet has suddenly developed a limp, it can be a worrisome situation. Did they sustain an injury? Is it arthritis? What happened? 

There are many reasons why orthopedic injuries and conditions develop. Your team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital is here to give you the run-down on what causes limping in dogs and what you can do to protect your pet from these problems.

What Causes Limping in Dogs

Most dogs are full of energy and enthusiasm, bounding over rocks and logs, darting here and there in the park, and roughhousing with their canine peers. No wonder they are prone to occasional injury with all of the wear and tear they put on their physiology. Lameness and limping are sure signs that something is amiss and your dog is in pain. 

A swelling on your pet may sound some alarms. Is it cancer? An infection? Should you be worried?

While there can be a variety of reasons for swellings, abscesses in pets are a common diagnosis here at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital. We want you to learn what an abscess is and what to do if you think your pet has one. 

All About Abscesses in Pets

Abscesses in pets, in a nutshell, are swellings filled with pus. They can pop up just about anywhere on or in the body and are typically caused by the introduction of bacteria into an area where there usually aren’t any. 

Some of the most common reasons that abscesses develop include:

We spend much of our time connected. Whether that connection is through an iPad, cell, or our busy life in front of computers, there’s no denying, we spend lots of time “plugged in”. But what happens to the rest of our lives, including our time with pets, when we are disengaged from them? 

The emotional lives of animals isn’t a new field of study. Our animals experience a wide range of emotions from joy to fear, grief to even depression.

Since we know from human studies that excessive smartphone use can cause depression, the question is can your cell depress your pet? The team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital is here to take a closer look.

It’s no secret that dogs, and to some degree cats, love to lick. Pets explore the world with their noses and mouths, and spend plenty of time each day grooming their fur and paws with their tongues. 

Licking is a natural behavior, but it can cause problems for a pet after surgery. While a wound is healing, skin can feel itchy or uncomfortable, prompting an irresistible urge to lick. Surgery site licking can severely impair healing, however, and may even lead to infection. Not only is this hard on the pet, it’s hard on the owner too. 

Your team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital has a variety of ways to prevent this type of licking, all of which are relatively inexpensive and simple to use.

Dogs have evolved alongside humans for thousands of years, but even the most well-mannered canines still have to answer nature’s call. For many dogs, eating something really disgusting they found on the ground or trash bin is an irresistible urge. This can yield exasperating responses from their people that have to clean up the unfortunate results of eating something weird. 

Diarrhea in dogs isn’t a rare occurrence but it can definitely signal something serious. Hang in there, we’ve got the top 5 things that can cause the runs.

Each spring, most pet owners turn their attention to the warmer weather, opportunity for outdoor reaction, and, of course, those nasty parasites that truly bug us. These fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes are the bane of most of our outdoor fun. These parasites also bother our pets, so it’s no doubt that the responsible pet owner will maintain parasite preventives to reduce their risk of vector-borne disease.

But what about those other parasitic pests that can harm pets? There are actually a few lesser known parasites that cause health problems for our four-leggeds, and sometimes for us, too.

Read on as the team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital explains other parasites that can harm your pet.

Parasites are an unfortunate topic, but a necessary one if we are to keep our pets parasite free. Tapeworms in cats and dogs are common, but luckily easy to prevent. Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital has the skinny on these nasty parasites, including how to get rid of them once and for all. 

What Are Tapeworms in Cats and Dogs?

Tapeworms in cats and dogs are parasites that set up shop in the intestinal tract. The worms are flat and segmented with a head that attaches to the intestinal wall. Several species of tapeworms can affect pets but by far the most common is Dipylidium caninum. 

An adult tapeworm can reach 6 inches in length and has the appearance of a white piece of tape or ribbon. Tapeworm segments detach from the worm and are shed in your pet’s feces. Once in the environment, the tapeworm segments break apart, releasing the eggs, which eventually become tapeworm larvae.