Nutrition and food is one of the most important things we can do to impact our pet’s health and well-being. The food we feed is what goes into their body every day and that’s the tools the body has to work with to try to get and stay as healthy as possible. So it’s really important that the food we’re using is healthy and safe. But lots of things can make our pet’s food less healthy and even unsafe.  I want to share with you a great resource for pet food safety: Pet Food Safety Veterinary Lab. This lab is run by a veterinarian who has tons of expertise and degrees in Food Safety and she ..read more

As our pets get older they often need some extra TLC and some help to continue to be able to do the things they enjoy and have good Quality of Life.  There are a lot of little things we can do that can really help our older pets. However, age isn’t a disease and many things we associate with “just getting old” like slowing down, difficulty jumping up, and hind end weakness are due to underlying disease which can often be very effectively managed with appropriate veterinary care in addition to using these kinds of products.  Here are some of my favorite products to help senior pets en ..read more

Congratulations on your new family member! Kittens can bring us so much joy and love, but bringing a new kitten home can also be a little nerve wracking. Is the house “kitten proof”, do you have all the supplies you need? What to feed? What if they get an upset tummy from all the changes? What about the litter box? Here’s a helpful list of things I recommend for my clients with new kittens (or even new adult cats!) to make sure your new kitten is on the right track for holistic care to maximize their health and well-being. For more information on my general recommendations for medical stuff li ..read more

Congratulations on your new family member! Puppies can bring us so much joy and love, but bringing a new puppy home can also be a little nerve wracking. Is the house “puppy proof”, do you have all the supplies you need? What treats to use? What if they get an upset tummy from all the changes? What about training? Here’s a helpful list of supplies to think about getting with new puppies to make sure your new puppy is on the right track for holistic care to maximize their health and well-being. For more detailed information on my general recommendations including medical stuff like what to do ab ..read more

Moving can be hard on our pets. It’s stressful and can impact their health. We may not be able to avoid stress completely but there are things we can do to try to manage it and steps we can take before, during, and after a move to make sure we protect our pet’s health and well-being. Moving is very stressful for everyone, especially our pets. Stress affects the body and it’s common for health issues to flare up around this time. Things like “colds” with weepy eyes, congestion and sneezing, GI upset, allergies and other skin issues, urinary issues, and behavioral issues like separation anxiety ..read more

 Glucosamine and chondroitin can help protect cartilage from further damage and inflammation which reduces pain and improves mobility and Quality of Life. How does it work? Both glucosamine and chondroitin are part of normal cartilage in the joints. When there are abnormalities and damage to the joint (arthritis, torn ACL, hip or elbow dysplasia, knee cap issues or other abnormalities) the cartilage is damaged.  The body should repair the damage but often if there’s ongoing damage like with arthritis or hip/elbow dysplasia it just can’t keep up with repairs and more and more cartilag ..read more

You want to start your pet on a glucosamine and chondroitin supplement to help your pet’s joints, you can just pick up one at the pet store right? Not so fast. You need to be sure the glucosamine and chondroitin product you’re giving is going to be safe and effective. That means looking for seals indicating quality, checking ingredient lists, the scientific literature and doing calculations. If all that seems like a lot of work don’t worry, I have a list of products I’ve vetted here. If you want to learn what to look for and how to evaluate products yourself keep reading! Pharmaceutical produc ..read more

If your pet has mobility issues, arthritis, or other joint problems you’ve probably heard of glucosamine and chondroitin and maybe you’re already using it! That’s great, but are you sure the product you’re using is safe and effective?  Glucosamine and chondroitin can help protect cartilage from further damage and inflammation which reduces pain and improves function but not all glucosamine chondroitin supplements are created equal. The first question with any supplement is safety. Are you sure there’s no contaminants like lead in the product? Next is efficacy. Do they contain a dose of gl ..read more

I get lots of questions about this: How does it work? How can you do it on animals? Do they have to hold still? Does it hurt? Will it help with my pet’s issues?   Wait you can do acupuncture on animals?! Yes! Acupuncture is safe and effective for all kinds of pets: dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, donkeys, mules, llamas, sheep, goats, alpacas, cattle, birds, reptiles, amphibians, even fish! It’s used in zoo and wildlife rehab medicine as well.   So how does it work? Acupuncture works in animals the same way it does in people. A veterinarian with advanced training in acupuncture* places s ..read more

Short answer: If they’re aging, have had any sort of injury to muscles, tendons, ligaments or bones, have any back problems or neurologic issues, or are doing any sort of sport like agility, conformation, field trials, dock diving, etc, then yes! Rehab would be helpful. Most people don’t realize that there’s even such a thing as veterinary rehabilitation. It’s now standard in people to start physical therapy after any sort of injury or surgery and physical therapy is now recognized as crucial for athletes. But unfortunately we’re a bit behind the times in veterinary medicine so we’re just star ..read more