Jingle Bell Blues: Don't Let Your Pet Get'em

We're all concerned about the coming holiday festivities and how they'll affect our pets. PurinaCare® isn't the only pet company reminding pet owners that certain things are off limits. But, I like the way Dr. Bill discusses this issue, and I also think repeated reminders are necessary for all of us. Because we want to avoid those potential disastors - and each report has a little different spin, I think.

Here's what Dr. Bill says, "A routine and familiar environment is important to most dogs and cats. During the holidays pets may suffer from the constant changes taking place in their territory. There are new objects to explore - like holiday decorations, new plants and tempting foods. Being mindful of how your pet may react can make the season pleasant for everyone."

Back in the day, we didn't much consider the tinsle on the tree, or poinsettia plants, or the noise and the hustle and bustle of our gatherings, and how the cat or dog felt about those. We just...had our holiday and if the pet got into something, sad to say, we scolded him or her. Today, of course, if kitty eats tinsle - shame on you! But, more than that, I hope you have pet health insurance for the vet visit!

Dog Flu Update

The H1N1 "swine" flu is a topic that makes the news daily, with new reports of outbreaks across the country. But, what about the H3N8 flu - the dog flu? We don't hear about that so much.

Recently, our own Dr. Bill reported on the dog flu or canine influenza, as vet's will say. His report shows that "Canine influenza is extremely contagious and while humans are not affected by this flu strain, they can unknowingly pass it from an infected dog to an unaffected dog." This flu can be spread via contaminated objects, and the dogs at risk may be those in kennels, boarding facilities, or animal shelters. In fact, the report notes that show dogs are also at risk - by being in close proximity to other dogs.

Mast Cell Cancer Claim: A PurinaCare® Podcast

In this podcast, Dr. Bill and Dr. Larry discuss how PurinaCare® pet health insurance helped a pet owner with the serious issue of Mast Cell Cancer.

This is for anyone who has had to deal with cancer in their lives. Having insight into how it works in pets, and how pet health insurance coverage can be extremely helpful in defraying costs, is something worth knowing.

Oftentimes pet people wonder what the pet health insurance industry allows, and Dr. Larry talks openly about that on this blog, regularly. Read his posts and visit our podcast page to hear stories about claims and more on the issue of pet health insurance.

Hip Dysplasia - From the Claims Files with Dr. Bill and Dr. Larry

In this discussion, we listen to Dr. Bill describe a claim made by the owner of a dog, named Piper, with hip dysplasia. This is a common concern of pet people who have larger dogs, and Dr. Larry has discussed this issue over at Scratchings & Sniffings, if you would like even more information.

Dr. Bill's claim story is from a family in CO, which is where we'll be moving next week. Isn't life interesting, that way? You'll learn what hip dysplasia is, that it's a chronic condition, but also what the claim on the PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance policy covered for this dog (hint: it's a lot!). Listen up...

Dr. Bill Discusses Separation Anxiety

Petopia.tv has a video of our own Dr. Bill Craig discussing the issue of separation anxiety with a pet owner whose dog just does not like it when she leaves the room. I suspect many of us know this feeling... and have struggled to deal with a pet that doesn't want us to go anywhere without her (or him). (note: Yvonne had to correct the Petopia.tv link...it was incorrect in the original post. Nov 9th, 09)

Luckily, we had a houseful of people when Carmie was growing up, and then, when the kids went to college and I had to go to work, she seemed to adjust rather well. Our cat, Wabby, is happy as long as someone is around to feed her on time!

But, my daughter does have issues with her Greyhound, Twiggy. So, I'll be sending her the link to this video so she can partake of Dr. Bill's advice.

Dr. Bill's Boo Advice: Or How to protect your pets on Halloween

It's that scary, spooky time of the year again. We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't include a post about Halloween hazards. Dr. Bill recently put together the Top Halloween Pet Hazards - including the admonition about chocolate.

Really, don't we all know this by now: chocolate is toxic to dogs. A bag of great tasting goodies from the chocolate family might be mouth-watering for us (including our dogs), but it's best to keep that bag of goodies far, far from Fido's reach. If this is news to you, I'm glad I could share it. Don't even be tempted to share that chocolate with your dog. Give him or her a nice doggie treat, instead.

Here are three other Halloween hazards, compliments of Dr. Bill, which you may not have thought of: