Posts in Category: You & Your Pet

Life is always better with a four-legged friend, but when you’re following strict stay-at-home orders, achieving mental health may utterly depend on their reassuring presence. 

Fortunately, our pets have a lot of practice under their collars. They have their own rhythms and routines when it comes to your daily grind. And when it comes down to it, there’s so much you can learn from your pet in a time like this.

Although many of us are not thrilled with the recent changes to our routines, workplaces, and lifestyles thanks to the statewide Stay-at-Home order. Pets, on the other hand, are probably thrilled with the sudden increase in family time. But what happens when parents return to work and kids go back to school?

Separation anxiety in pets is a common, and serious, problem that can lead to extremely disruptive behavior issues. The issue becomes even more glaring for those pets who were adopted during this period and have never known their new life without all of their family members around all day. 

The transition from a day full of activity to being left alone can range from mildly challenging to full-on heartbreaking, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Our suggestions aim to help your whole family, both two-legged and four, cope gracefully and successfully with the changes that will inevitably come.

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.

In a perfect world, we’d be home earlier in the evening and have every chore done before sunset, so we can enjoy a late afternoon stroll with our pet. Or, to be a morning person so that we can  go on a walk with our favorite doggo before work. Unfortunately, most of us work long hours and can’t get outdoors with Fido until after dark.. 

Your dog needs, though, daily exercise and a chance to bond with their person while doing an activity together. Nighttime walks present some safety risks to be aware of. Your team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital is here to keep your furry one safe on their walks.

(and Why Your Pet Should Still be Microchipped)

In the age of the Internet, many of our old standbys are starting to take a backseat to smart technology. With humans now able to enjoy everything from smart watches, thermostats, doorbells, and lightbulbs, it only makes sense that the technology has seeped into the pet care industry. 

GPS collars, which enable pet owners to track a wandering dog’s (or cat’s) whereabouts, have been growing in popularity recently – are they the right choice for your pet?

Does your pet start to heave about 15 minutes into every car trip? Are you cleaning the car upholstery each time? Dogs, like humans, can suffer from motion sickness, and puppies are more prone to this condition. Dealing with a sick puppy can be a drag when you are en route, but there are some things you can do to alleviate the nausea and make the ride more enjoyable for all.

The team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital is here with some tips on reducing your pet’s car sickness through understanding the cause and treating it. “How can I help my pet’s car sickness?” Read on!

If you’re an animal lover, it may be that you have introduced a new pet into your family a time or two. And sometimes those introductions can go amazingly smoothly! In those cases, the adjustment period goes by quickly and everyone gets along, making your menagerie the happy group you hoped for. 

Sometimes though, there is more involved with helping your current pet adjust to a new pet. If things aren’t going well, keep reading for some ideas from your friends at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital. 

Anyone that has ever owned a dog, or even watched classic cartoons featuring dogs, knows that dogs dig. Some like to do it more than others, and while your pup may not make it all the way to China like his animated associates, it can be a pretty destructive behavior. 

Digging dogs can be quite the challenge for pet owners, especially those who want to keep a nice yard. While we don’t have all the answers, Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital does have some good ideas to keep digging dogs redirected.

The way a cat looks is part of what makes them so appealing. A thick, shiny feline coat is downright splendid, and we love to run a hand from their perky ears all the way to the tail. But another feature that draws us in lines the sides of the nose, dots the spots above the eyes, emphasizes the bottom of the chin and scores the backs of their front legs. 

Indeed, cat whiskers are inexorably part of a feline’s handsome aesthetic, but they offer more than looks alone.

In the grand scheme of things, five years is a very small period of time. But a lot can change in 1,825 days. Think about how much incredible growth a baby experiences in the first five years! 

Not unlike a happy, easy-going tot, our veterinary hospital has had the good fortune to encounter lots of new furry faces and wet noses over the years. We’ve scratched a lot of ears, and shook more than a few paws. In other words, we love our jobs and appreciate the community of responsible pet owners that surround us. 

To thank you, we reached back all the way to our very first published blog. Since May of 2014, we’ve tried to top ourselves every week with more interesting, relevant, and timely content aimed at making your ownership experience even more meaningful.