“That’s a face only a mother could love.” Perhaps this has been said about your dog, and it’s true—even if your dog’s got an underbite and googly eyes, they are likely perfect to you. You love them unconditionally and think they’re perfect...that is, perhaps, until you take them for a walk. This trouble with dog-walking is an all-too-common scenario that we veterinarians hear about, and in honor of this being National Train Your Dog Month, we’d love to help you nip this bad behavior in the bud.

As we reflect on 2020 and what has happened during this tumultuous year, it's time to take stock of what we learned regarding pet care. Many of us had to change our routines that we’ve happily been doing (or not!) for years—wake up, make coffee, take the dog for a walk, shower, and commute to work. On the way home, we stop at the store for a quick few ingredients for dinner, grab the kids from school, ask about homework, and settle in for the night. Our pets love routine and having us home, so this was a banner year for our fur babies.

Don’t you think Andy Williams should have sung, “Whoop de do, and dickory dock, has anyone caught a glimpse of my sock?” It’s the holiday season! And if you own a dog, you know that anything around your house could potentially become their favorite toy—even those high-end slippers you splurged on. Why not get your doggo something special this year, just for them? Perhaps this will leave your belongings intact. Hey, it’s worth a shot! Plus, pampering your pooch is something most of us love to do, and, thankfully, there are plenty of items to choose from.

There’s nothing that warms the heart more than seeing the videos that pop up after the holidays of a pajama-clad kiddo popping the top off a box to reveal a puppy or a kitty. Chances are, that child has been bugging his or her parents to get a pet for eons so the payoff is usually a lot of happy tears. And while this can tale can have a happy ending, as veterinarians, we see the alternatives far too often.

We’ve all experienced cabin fever and the stir-craziness that comes with the winter months, and, unfortunately, this happens to our pets too. And while it can be tempting for the whole family to melt into the couch for months of Netflix-watching, this inactivity can lead to obesity in your dogs. In turn, obesity can lead to other harmful conditions such as diabetes and/or arthritis.

Have you ever wondered what goes on when your pet comes for a “dental cleaning”—or, to be more precise, a Comprehensive Oral Health Assessment and Treatment (COHAT)? Here, we will give you more insight into what a COHAT (dental cleaning) involves at a veterinary hospital.

Despite its name, many pet parents are surprised to find that ringworm isn’t a worm—instead, it is a skin disease caused by a fungus. Because the lesions of this skin disease are often circular, it was once thought to be caused by a worm curling up in the tissue, but this disease actually has nothing to do with worms at all!