Our Blog

May 2-8 is Dog Anxiety Awareness Week, and the team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital wants to help you recognize signs of anxiety in canines so you can help to ease it when it occurs. Keep reading to find out if your dog is suffering from anxiety and how you can help them feel calmer and happier on a daily basis.

It makes sense that if you leave out a bowl of water for your cat or dog, they’ll drink whenever they feel thirsty. In actuality, however, animals can be as picky about their hydration needs as humans. Some pets need their bowls filled with fresh water a few times every day, whereas other pets aren’t as thirst-driven. The amount of water they drink is largely determined by their species, breed, lifestyle and general pet health, and is critical to support important body functions. Owners of both cats and dogs can maintain proper levels of pet hydration, but what exactly does that mean?

While in general we at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital regard doggy kisses as the utmost compliment, there are those that do not appreciate them as much. In the words of the great Lucy, “Ugh! I’ve been kissed by a dog! I have dog germs! Get hot water! Get some disinfectant! Get some iodine!”

That seems a pretty extreme reaction, but some dog kisses are a little sloppier than others, and excessive drool in general can be a bit of a turn off. So what’s with the dog slobber and why are some pups wetter than others?

At Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital we hear it all the time: “I can tell he doesn’t feel well; his nose is dry.” There was no dedicated Dog Nose 101 class in veterinary school so it is easy to wonder if the status of your dog’s nose has anything to do with how your pet is really doing from a health perspective. 

So what can you tell from a dog’s nose? Read on and we will share our knowledge.

Living with a bossy dog means that you are not in the driver’s seat when it comes to your daily routines. When your dog thinks he is the boss, he might bark a lot to get his way, mark his territory by urinating inside your house, or even bite when he feels like he is not being heard. 

While this can cause some tension at home, there are ways to exert your own dominance over your dog and show him who is the true boss of your household:

If your pet has been scratching more or biting at their paws, they may be experiencing what most of us experience in spring… seasonal allergies. 

Pollen allergies in pets may not always look like what we would expect, with lots of sneezing and coughing we experience with allergies. Chronic itching can make life miserable for our furry friends, which is why it is important to learn the symptoms, so we can get your pet the right treatment.

Ah, that pitiable look of contrition, the telltale sign that a dog has had surgery. Yes, the dreaded Cone of Shame. These neck cones, formally called Elizabethan collars, are used after a pet has a procedure to prevent them from licking the wound site. While this is an important addition to prevent the removal of sutures or disruption of healing, dogs will all agree that they are uncomfortable.

Just because your dog needs a barrier to prevent them from getting at the surgical site, it doesn’t need to be the Cone of Shame. Here are some great alternatives to the Elizabethan collar presented to you from your friends at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital.

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?

Dog bites account for more than 4.5 million injuries each year. While it may be easy to assign blame to canine behaviour or assume the dogs who do this are just “bad dogs,” any dog can bite. If your dog bit someone, it can be scary and confusing as to what to do about it. 

The team at Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital will explain the steps you should take should the unexpected bite happen. 

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.