Is your cat or dog constantly scratching at its ears or shaking its head? Do the ears contain a dark brown to black crusty discharge that resembles coffee grounds, yet has a waxy consistency? Does your pet have a hot spot below one of its ears? Then your cat or dog could be suffering from an infestation secondary to an infectious mite called Otodectes cynotis, more commonly referred to as ear mites.

It is just a few short weeks before the Christmas holidays. Your best friend sends you a beautiful Christmas cactus to accent the season. Unfortunately your pets decide that the colorful flowers of your holiday plant are truly irresistible. Your dog, with the help of the family cat, uses the plant as a newly acquired play toy and disassembles the Christmas cactus while you are at work. Should you be concerned that some of the flat segments which comprise the Christmas cactus found their way into your pet’s stomach? Probably not!

Frontline® “Top Spot®”
 

According to the CATalyst Council, which is a coalition of veterinary, academic, nonprofit, pet industry, and animal welfare organizations, the top 10 cat-friendly cities in the United States for 2009 are:  Phoenix, AZ; San Francisco, CA; Portland, OR; Denver, CO; Boston, MA; Seattle, WA; San Diego, CA; Atlanta, GA; and Minneapolis, MN; with the friendliest city being Tampa, FL.

 
References:
 
“Top Cat Cities.”  Pet Age. June 2009. P. 10

The age old question for pet owners has been, “Why do dogs, who are largely carnivores, and cats, who are obligate carnivores, eat grass?”  Dogs and cats receive no nutritive value from grass.  So why do they consume greens, typically grasses?  Traditionally veterinarians and behaviorists have theorized that these pets are sick and need to vomit or have some perceived dietary deficiency that perhaps the owner is unaware of.  The answer may be more fundamental:  eating grass may be a necessary inherited predisposition of dogs and cats from their wild ancestors.  

Do you have a beautiful, full, dark green exotic palm tree as a houseplant? Do you have exotic palms as part of your landscaping? If you have pets or livestock that can access these plants you may want to rethink the use of them in your garden.

Is your cat feeling a little under the weather? Think you might help him out by giving him half of an aspirin. Don’t! Aspirin may be toxic to your pet, especially your feline friends.

This year Saint Patrick’s Day was stormy - in fact the annual Irish parade was being postponed until Saturday. The employees at the clinic were catching up on some much needed spring cleaning and stocking. Rainy days often give you a chance to catch up on all the non-essential busy work you let slide when patients need your attention. Rainy weather outside usually means one of two things happen at the clinic: clients will bring their pets in for a bath or bring them in extremely sick.

Think toads are harmless? Do you think it’s alright if your dog or cat decides on a frog-leg snack? If you live in a warmer part of the world you might just want to rethink your position. Especially large or colorful frogs may be hazardous to the health of your pets. In fact, toads were responsible for the 8^th most common way pets were poisoned during 2007 in the United States.