As the weather turns colder and the holidays approach, many pet owners
start thinking of the adorable Halloween costumes and cozy sweaters they
can put on their pets. While these outfits can be fun and festive, the
wrong outfit can cause harm to your animal.

Dr. Mark Stickney, Director of General Surgery Services at the Texas
A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Medical
Teaching Hospital, shares some tips and insight on how to protect your
pet while celebrating the season.

While Dr. Stickney agrees that costumes and clothes are a fun way to
interact with your animals, he emphasizes that the most important thing
to remember when dressing your pet is to monitor them.

“Cute little costumes are fun to put on your animals while
trick-or-treating, but when you are not watching your animals, make sure
to take them off,” said Dr. Stickney.

He also stresses that this also goes for sweaters, jackets or any other
clothing you may put on your pet. While you may think your pets need
clothes to stay warm, they can...

Taking care of our pets is a year round commitment. However, caring for our animals is more than simply making sure they have food, water, and shelter each day. Making sure they visit their veterinarian for regular check-ups is vital to their well being as well.
October is National Pet Wellness Month. Sponsored by The American Veterinary Medical Association and Fort Dodge Animal Health, National Pet Wellness month is intended to promote awareness about the pet aging process, disease prevention, and the importance of pet wellness exams.
Many people adopt the misguided belief that unless you pet is clearly ill or injured there is no reason to take them to the veterinarian. Just because your pet is not displaying discomfort, does not mean it is healthy. Visiting your veterinarian for wellness exams can potentially prevent health problems, lead to early detection of health issues that could become problematic, and find existing problems that may be
corrected.
“Make sure your pets see their veterinarian at least once...

Gingivitis is an inflammation of the gums, with or without infection. Stomatitis means that the inflammation involves the entire mouth. Cats have a disease that causes severe gum irritation that may involve almost all of the mouth. The tissues are infiltrated with plasmacytes and lymphocytes, cells of the immune system. Therefore, this disease is called lymphocytic-plasmacytic gingivitis, lymphoplasmacytic gingivitis, lymphocytic-plasmacytic stomatitis, or lymphoplasmacytic stomatitis.
Contributing factors are tartar formation on the teeth and accompanying bacteria around the teeth and gums are usually present. Although these factors do not cause this disease, they contribute to its severity and must be controlled as part of the overall treatment protocol. Many of these cats develop tartar at a very rapid rate and need dental cleaning every 4-6 months.
This is one of the more common diseases of the mouth of cats.
The cause of this disease is not known. Various theories exist, most of which revolve around the...

In the past few years veterinary medicine has made leaps and bounds in the types of procedures that are available for animals. Pet medical histories are beginning to resemble that of their owners. Cancer treatments, pacemakers and other surgical procedures are becoming more accessible and common for our furry friends.

With the rising costs and variety of pet procedures being offered, pet insurance policies are becoming more logical than ever, and opting for these policies can be beneficial.

“Pet insurance policies, like all insurance, allow you to plan for the event of a major medical condition,” states Dr. Dan Posey, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. “There is no doubt that veterinarians and pet owners have had to make tough health care decisions sometime in their pet’s life and with pet insurance it makes these decisions easier.”

Before opting for health insurance for your pet it is critical that you research what each company’s plans cover and...

Hurricane season isn’t over yet. In the wake of Hurricane Ike’s wrath, we are again reminded of the stress and chaos that can come from evacuations. Though a difficult time for everyone, pet owners have the added responsibility of making sure their furry (or scaly) friends are safe.

First and foremost, do not leave your pets behind. If the situation is not safe for you, it is not safe for them. There is no way of knowing how long the evacuation will last, or what damage your home might experience.

“Saving the Whole Family,” a brochure in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s disaster preparedness series, recommends planning ahead. Create a disaster kit that you can grab on your way out. Of course making sure your pet has food and water is the most important necessity for their survival, but there are a few very important, less obvious things you need as well.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends having these essentials in your disaster kit:

Identification- Make sure your pet has on ID....

Cervical neck lesions, also one of the common problems of dental disease in cats, result from a progressive destruction of the enamel resulting in slowly deepening “holes” in affected teeth. Once the sensitive parts of the tooth are exposed, these lesions are intensely painful, and the only available treatment is to extract the tooth. The cause of this disease is unknown; however, poor oral hygiene is suspected to play a role in the disease-process.
If you see that your cat has evidence of tartar accumulation, gingivitis or is exhibiting any signs of mouth pain or discomfort, you should take it to your veterinarian for an examination. You will be advised of the most appropriate course of treatment, which may involve having the cat’s teeth examined and cleaned under short-acting general anesthesia.
The rate of tartar accumulation is very variable between individual cats, and in some cases, this may necessitate professional cleaning on a regular basis (every 6-12 months).
Do not try to remove tartar from the teeth...

COLLEGE STATION — Sunday (Sept. 28) was World Rabies Day, a global effort to raise awareness in support of animal and human rabies prevention.  This day was set aside to educate people around the globe about the impact of rabies, how it can be prevented and how to eliminate the sources that contribute to the death of 55,000 humans from rabies worldwide.
In support of this effort, Dr. Leon Russell, a professor at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, shares some background on rabies and ways to prevent your pets and yourself from infection.
Rabies in the USA is most common in the wildlife population and some of the more common hosts include skunks, raccoons, foxes and bats, says Russell.  In other parts of the world however, especially in developing countries, dogs are the major host for rabies because of inadequate vaccination programs to protect them.
There are different variants of rabies virus that are maintained by different wildlife hosts, and they tend to be located...

Now available in elementary schools everywhere
New two-week curriculum puts the compassion of kids to work,
by helping them help the handicapped pets of America

LOS ANGELES, CA — Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” While far from Gandhi’s India, Kathy Barton, a 4th grade school teacher in Velma, Oklahoma has being doing her part to spread these kind teachings. What started in 2004 as a way of teaching her young students compassion is now available as a two-week curriculum for elementary schools across the country to share, How Do You Teach Compassion? You Show It; Working With Handicapped Pets: A Manual for Teachers and Youth Leaders.
Designed from the successful program Barton has used in her own classroom for the last five years and developed in conjunction with handicappedpets.com, this curriculum is about compassion; it’s about learning to care in a world that doesn’t always stress the importance of reaching out to those less...

COLLEGE STATION, Sept. 11, 2008 – If Rover seems anxious and wakes up panting at night, it may be more than just a bad dream.
He may be suffering with Cushing’s disease, and although it can cause significant health problems, it can be managed with proper veterinary care.
“Cushing’s disease (also known as hyperadrenocorticism) primarily occurs in small breed dogs that are middle aged and older,” says Dr. Deb Zoran, a veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences at Texas A&M University.
“In 90 to 95 percent of cases, it is caused by a tiny tumor, called a microadenoma, that forms in the pituitary gland in the brain. The tumor secretes increased hormones that signal the adrenal glands to produce excessive amounts of a hormone called cortisol.”
In addition to panting and anxiety, symptoms may include pacing, increased thirst and urination, increased appetite, a pot-bellied appearance due to an enlarged liver, muscle weakness, hair loss, pigmentation of the skin and the appearance of thinning...

My landlord recently stopped by to kill weeds using round-up all over the house? I know that stuff can be poisen to animals. I've kept my cat in for 3 days and I think he's going krazy......When he goes outside he eats grass so Ive been kinda worried. Do you know how long I should keep him in the house? Any ideas???

I have a dog about a year old and she loves to swallow things whole yep she does not even chew them... :)
My vet told me to start giving her frozen veggies to chew on to distract her but she eats those in 5 seconds we call her the vacuum at home she can eat anything in less than a min.
Any ideas?

This is just a guideline(given to me by my vet):

6-8 Weeks:
Physical
Distemper / Hepatitus / Parainfluenza
ParvoVirus / Corona Virus I
Fecal (worm check)
Deworm
Heartworm Prevention / Flea control

9-11 Weeks
Wellness Exam
Distemper / Hepatitus / Parainfluenza
Parvo Virus II / Corona Virus Booster
Fecal (worm check)
Second Deworm

12-14 Weeks:
Wellness Exam
Distemper / Hepatitus / Parainfluenza
Parvo / Corona
Lyme I
Fecal (worm check)

16 Weeks:
Rabies
Rabies Tag
Distemper / Hepatitus / Parainfluenza
Bodetella (Kennel Cough)
Worm Check
Lyme Booster
Heartworm prevention / Adult flea control

4-6 Months:
Spay females

4-8 Months:
Neuter males

A yearly booster of Rabies, Parvo, and Distemper / Hepatitus / Parainfluenza / Leptospirosis / Corona, and Bordetella should be given. Worm check should be performed at least once yearly. A blood examination for heartworms should be done annually. Lyme vaccine is recommended for sporting dog

And please remember to spay and neuter you pets!!!

Before mom passed away, we discussed how her death would affect her little girl(her maltese poodle). She would never leave mom's side and was either on her lap, cuddled in bed with her, or at her feet as she moved about the house. As feared, she is not the same. I've taken her to my home to spend the night with my dog (her best bud), but she constantly roams the house whimpering and finally gives up and sits by our front door. It absolutely breaks my heart to see how sad she is. Does anyone have suggestions as to what I can do to help with mom's grieving dog.

I have a 120lb. dog that has some hip problems. Sometimes he gets so bad that he can't walk very well for a few days. We were told by the vet that we could give him Baby Bayer but that upsets his stomach and then he won't eat.
Does anyone know of any other remedies that may help ease his pain? Any help would be greatly appreciated!