Veterinary Blog in Gilbert

Pet Wellness: Why it matters

Why should you care about pet wellness? Last week we talked about what pet wellness–or, more appropriately, preventive care–is: using your veterinarian to screen for serious illness and provide education on how to help your pet live a healthier lifestyle. But why should you care? We all know vets can’t prevent every problem. But even…

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What is Pet Wellness?

October is National Pet Wellness Month. Pet Wellness. It’s a great buzz phrase, isn’t it? But what does it really mean? Your pet is WELL, right? She’s not sick, and isn’t that the opposite of well? So why should you care about pet wellness? There’s nothing to do if your pet isn’t sick. Or is…

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Dos and Don'ts of Choosing the Right Dog Trainer

Choosing the right dog trainer is tough. Sure, you already know the hand-lettered sign on the freeway off-ramp isn’t a good place to start. Beyond that, though, what’s a dog lover to do? A good trainer helps you learn to teach your dog in a way that doesn’t promote fear, require you to dominate your…

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Traveling? Update Pets' Microchip Information First!

Vacation season is fast approaching, and–take it from a Griswold–sometimes it’s best to leave your pets home. But before you leave town, make sure your pets’ microchip information is up-to-date. You can log in to most chip databases and update your contact info these days. Our favorite microchip provider makes it super-easy; you can sign…

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Swimming Pool Safety for Pets

Pool weather is here! Many Arizona families let their dogs enjoy a dip in the pool, especially when temperatures soar over 100 degrees. Everyone knows that pools can be deadly for kids, but swimming pool safety for pets gets little mention. Remember, owning a dog is a lot like having a toddler for 15 years.…

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5 Great Positive Gun Dog Training Resources

We meet dogs that serve many roles in their families: service dogs, lap dogs, running partners, you name it. We also meet hunting dogs. And before you start imagining dusty hounds living in a little dirt-floored kennel in the back yard, let me re-state that: we also meet hunting buddies. Loveable, happy, spoiled-rotten retrievers, flushing,…

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How do I stop my dog from eating poop?

Q: My dog has the grossest habit: he eats poop. How can I make him stop? A: According to a veterinary study, picking up dog droppings immediately was the only effective way to control this habit. A couple weeks ago I wrote about the traits common to dogs that engage in coprophagia (the medical term…

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Portrait of a Poop Eater: notes from the 2012 AVSAB Behavior Symposium

I spent the better part of today at the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior’s annual symposium listening to the best and brightest in our profession talk about–you guessed it–animal behavior. One lecture–about dogs that eat poop–really stood out as something I should share with all of you. We get lots of questions about this…

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HEARTWORM ALERT: 85298

Dr. Burns diagnosed a new case of canine heartworm disease in ZIP code 85298—right in our own backyard—this week. If your dog isn’t tested annually and getting monthly preventive medication, call today for an appointment. If your dog is on a preventive, but has gone six weeks or more between any two doses, testing should…

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In Veterinary Medicine, the Standard of Care is rarely standard

Medical professionals often talk about the “Standard of Care,” a set of guidelines that define the appropriate treatment for a particular health problem. The standard of care is what helps ensure that patients receive a similar basic level of care no matter where they’re treated. Standards of care are nice, because they help set our…

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