What is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is a disease in which your pet’s pancreas can no longer produce enough of the hormoneinsulin and/or for some reason their body has become resistant to the effects of insulin. What does insulin do? Every time your pet eats a meal, glucose is absorbed from the intestines and enters the […]
With major advances in treating serious infectious and other pet diseases, oral disease – most importantly periodontal or gum disease caused by the buildup of plaque and tartar – has become a major health problem for both dogs and cats. Without proper dental care, a significant number of dogs and cats may show signs of oral disease by age three. With your help, your pets can have healthy teeth and gums throughout their lives.
Like people, dogs and cats can suffer from allergies As in the human population, the incidence of allergies in pets seems to be increasing. While allergic humans may often sneeze, wheeze or even have serious respiratory difficulties, allergic reactions in pets are characterized by skin problems, exacerbated by their primary symptom – itching and scratching...
Protecting your best friend One of the most important things you can do to give your dog a long and healthy life is to ensure that he or she is vaccinated against common canine diseases. Your dog’s mother gave her puppy immunity from disease for the first few weeks of existence by providing disease fighting […]
Starting off your dog’s life with good nutrition, regular exercise, scheduled veterinary appointments and a happy home life sets the blueprint for a high quality of life in their older years. However, as your dog ages, much like in humans, changes to the metabolism will occur. Whether you have a new puppy or an older friend, learn how to best look after them.
Just as they are between people, good relationships between dogs and their owners are based on good communication. Dogs communicate with each other by means of body signals. It’s only natural then that they’ll use the same method to communicate with people. Your responsibility as a pet owner is to learn to interpret such signals. Doing so will enable you to teach your puppy or dog the appropriate way of telling you what he or she needs or would like, whether it’s food, to be let out, to play or to receive some loving attention from you!
A teeny weeny ‘chip’ that makes an enormous difference to your pet life. At Summer Hill Village Vet, we go mutts for microchips. Have you ever worried about what might happen if your pet went missing? ? Isn’t it a scary thought? That’s why at Summer Hill Village Vet, we’re all about microchipping! This tiny device can […]
Visiting the vet can be a very stressful and scary experience for puppies. Luckily, there are things that you can do to create a more positive experience from your front door to ours. Many of these can be put into place from the day your puppy comes home.
Ticks are small spider-like acarids and fleas are insects, but these two tiny creatures have at least one thing in common – they are both parasites that feed on your dog’s or cat’s blood and can cause a lot of discomfort and more serious health problems. Learn more about them and how to deal with them here.
