Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog

A general veterinarian performs many routine surgeries; however, you may find that they refer you to a board certified veterinary surgeon when the surgery is beyond their realm of expertise or perhaps needs 24 hour care and monitoring post-operatively. 

Both human and veterinary medicine have doctors who specialize. These specialists spend extra years accumulating even more advanced expertise and education. Just as with human medicine, a hip surgery or heart surgery isn’t going to be performed in your regular physician’s office. 

Is your dog itching? While the occasional scratch or nibble at the skin is normal for most dogs, a dog chronically scratching indicates something more serious. Intense itching is an indicator that your pet may have skin allergies or other medical conditions that affect the skin. Skin conditions can also become inflamed or infected. 

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services sees many chronic and complex cases of skin disorders. We can explain reasons behind them and help you get to the bottom of this uncomfortable problem.

If your pet is incontinent, you may wonder if your pet needs diapers. If your pet is geriatric or has certain health issues, you may have noticed that they are having increased accidents around the home. When your pet is unable to control these functions, it is a challenge to keep up with the cleaning. It is equally hard on your pet who is dealing with the condition.

Pet incontinence can be due to a number of factors, but it is especially challenging when the pooping and peeing are uncontrolled. Your friends at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services are here to discuss how best to help your best friend at this difficult time.

Witnessing a seizure in your dog can be a scary event. No dog owner wants to see their beloved fur friend experiencing a seizure. Knowing more about their cause can help ease fears we face as pet owners. Seizures in dogs are a type of brain disorder, and there are multiple reasons why a pet may be having them. 

The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is here to clarify this condition and provide insight into the causes of and treatments for seizure.

If you are a teacher or, like most dog owners with kids, your canine has received a lot more attention during the summer break. Or if you’re now being asked to come back into the office after working at home. Dogs are ruled by routine, so we must help ease them through major changes to their typical day.

This is why we at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services expect to see a spike in dog separation anxiety as we begin spending less time at home. As we return to school or work life, your pet may exhibit unusual symptoms or behavior. Let’s take a closer look.

We have come a long way in understanding mental and behavioral problems in humans and how to more effectively treat them. This is true for our pets as well. Mental illness in pets, including both cats and dogs, can impact their quality of life, health, and longevity. It can also create problems for their human families. It becomes a serious problem if undiagnosed and untreated. 

The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services wants to shed light on this condition to give hope and help to pets who are afflicted with mental illness. 

Isn’t a begging dog almost synonymous with every dog? Dogs just beg for food, right? Actually, there are things we do to encourage this bad behavior in our canine companions and there are things we can do to get your dog to stop begging for food. 

A begging dog can spell trouble in the weight department if you give in to them. Giving your pet table scraps also increases the risks of toxicity and behavior problems. Plus, it is just plain bad manners for your dog to beg. This is why the team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services wants to give you pointers on how to teach a dog not to beg. Read on to learn more!

Kidney disease in cats is a common diagnosis. We estimate that some form of kidney disease affects 20-25% of our feline companions and an even higher percentage of seniors and geriatric cats. 

Kidney function is vital in filtering toxins from the body and keeping electrolytes and water in balance. If the kidneys are compromised, this can result in acute kidney disease or chronic kidney failure (the kidneys getting worse over time). 

The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services wants cat owners to be aware of this disease and what we can to treat and manage it for a better quality of life.

Awaiting the birth of new pups is an exciting time. When your dog is pregnant or nursing, their diet is key to the puppies’ gestation and development. You may be asking, “What should I feed my pregnant dog”? Good, balanced nutrition is the foundation for health. Building on that, there are specific needs at each stage of your dog’s pregnancy. What you feed your pet can go a long way in delivering healthy puppies. 

Your friends at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services congratulate you on your upcoming bundles of joy. We are here to provide insight and recommendations on what you should feed your pregnant dog. 

Despite ties between grain-free dog food and heart disease, grain-free diets are still popular. Is this risky? What’s the latest update? 

Manufacturers of grain-free dog foods promote the benefits of pure animal-based protein and alternative meats, such as wild game. But in 2019, a study by the University of California, Davis concluded that grain-free, as well as certain boutique foods, are linked to a heart condition affecting dogs. 

At Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, we continue to track the research about these diets. We want to keep our pet families well informed, so they can give their pets the best care.