Is your pet feeling chilly this winter? As a responsible pet owner, it’s up to you to ensure that your pets are kept healthy and safe throughout the winter months. This doesn’t mean your pet can’t venture out into the cold for some exercise and fresh air, but it does mean that you will need to take some precautionary measures to keep Fluffy happy, healthy and warm. Follow these 5 tips to help winterize your beloved pet during the coldest months of the year.   OUTDOOR PLAYTIME Playing outside is a favorite pastime for many pets and the exercise they get...

Do you suffer from cynophobia, the pathological fear of dogs? Has anyone ever tried to tell you that if you just remained calm and not let him see you're afraid everything would be ok? Of course, that's easier said than done, especially when your heart is pounding and sweat is trickling down the back of your neck because you are standing within lunging range of either a Rottweiler or a tiny terrier.   When dogs look at a trembling, panicky human, what do you think they see, if anything? Do they sense your terror, and if so, does it influence...

Veterinarians do not really know if dogs suffer from depression the same way people do because, of course, they cannot ask them. However, in clinical practices there have been a few situations where depression can be the only explanation for certain behaviors. While it is not uncommon for pets to get down, especially during periods of change, it’s rare for dogs to suffer from long-term depression. Dog symptoms of depression are very similar to those in people. They become withdrawn and inactive. Their eating and sleeping habits often change and they often do not participate in the things they once enjoyed. The...

by Scott Pollak The hot days of summer can be a strain for pets, as well as for us! Taking cues from our own ways of keeping cool and applying them to our pets will help them have a happier summer. And, always remember, use common sense: If you take your dog for a long walk every afternoon and the dog has been sitting in an air-conditioned house all day, carry some water with you. Here are some other hot-weather tips: Pets eat less in the summer, especially during days of high heat. This is normal. Having cool, NOT cold, fresh...

by Lady Barbara Over the years, I have seen many systems for ascertaining what a 'patient' should or shouldn't take by way of herbs and supplements. Certainly, the least effective has been some health professional 'guessing' at you based on some study done on someone other than yourself. We are such very complex creatures, surely those rats that were studied just aren't chemically, hormonally, age-wise, diet-wise or astrologically where I am right at this moment. I'm being facetious to make a point. And health-professionals aside, more folks are probably self-'medicating' (or self-herballing, or self-vitaminizing) badly by taking just EVERYTHING that...

Brought to you by William Pollak D.V.M. and the Fairfield Animal Hospital. Evidence is mounting that having a pet is not only pleasurable, but good for your health. According to an article by Larry Dossey, MD, in the July 1997 issue of Alternative Therapies, there are more than 2,000 medical therapy programs throughout the U.S. that involve pets. Studies also show that pet ownership lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, decreases the risk of heart disease, and even increases the survival prospects for patients recovering from heart attacks. When researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine studied pet...