Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog

You know the routine…As soon as you get the carrier out of the closet, your cat goes AWOL. The situation only becomes more dramatic once you get them in the car and simply escalates in the clinic lobby. Or, as soon as your dog realizes that you’re on the way to the vet, they give you the stink eye or try to hide. 

Fear of the vet is common among many pets. If you have a cat or dog scared of the vet, how can you ensure good veterinary care without the fear and drama? The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is trained to help reduce fear and stress once your pet is here. Our suggestions for reducing your pet’s anxiety and creating a less fearful visit can help you reduce the drama before your visit and while you’re waiting. 

Red eyes, excessive tearing, green or yellow discharge, squinting one or both eyes, and trouble seeing are dog eye problems that indicate you should have your pet’s eyes checked by a veterinarian.

What causes these eye problems in dogs? We’re here to answer these questions and emphasize the importance of vision health for your pets. 

The history of veterinary medicine has seen tremendous change over the past 100 years. It’s hard for us to remember that there was a time, not that long ago, when cats, dogs, rabbits, and other domestic animals weren’t cared for by a veterinarian. 

In fact, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that pets began to more commonly receive medical care. Horses that were the primary focus of veterinary medical care, though, as they also served a function as transportation.

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services explores ways the field has changed and how far the history of veterinary medicine has come!

Cataracts in dogs are usually easy to spot. The clouded look of the pupil gives them away. Unfortunately, many dog owners assume that cataracts just come with age and don’t think to intervene to address them. This is troubling because eye health is so important to a dog’s general health and quality of life.

The good news is that there is treatment available for cataracts so that your canine can have good vision and eye health throughout their golden years.

Pet care expenses can add up — even just the basics! Buy a bag of kibble here, a few new toys there, and then add in the annual wellness visit to your vet. You may be surprised when you look closely at the total cost of responsible pet care that we take for granted. 

Creating a budget for your pet is helpful in projecting how much you will spend monthly and over the course of the year. It can give you insight into how much to expect to spend in the future and how you may be able to control unnecessary expenditures. A budget can even help you better plan for those anticipated expenses, like vaccines, wellness visits and parasite control. 

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services has useful ways you can put together a budget to keep your pet’s wellbeing a priority year-round.

An allergic pet may suffer from excessive itching, watering of the eyes, diarrhea, or many other symptoms. An allergic dog or cat may be in chronic discomfort, so a worried pet owner will try any number of things to alleviate their pet’s distressing symptoms. These may include trying different medications and diets or switching shampoos.

Nutrition is a big factor in helping many allergic pets. The important thing is to understand your pet’s allergies, including food allergies, and the impact of diet and lifestyle. 

Do we hear chirping sounds? It may be coming from your pet’s food bowl! Pet food from crickets is one of the beyond meat alternative pet diets currently being tested. Manufacturers have turned to exotic ingredients as sources of pet food, responding to allergies to normal meat proteins like chicken and beef. These include ingredients like elk, venison, quail, alligator, bison, and now, you got it, bugs. 

Your friends at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services closely follow this trend and are bugsolutely convinced that these unique protein sources are coming to a store near you.

Does your cat go crazy over catnip? Does he roll on the floor and zip across the living room in utter frenzy? This plant is like kitty crack to most felines! It can make them behave in ways that are both euphoric to them and hysterical to us.

You can buy catnip in a variety of forms, from stuffed toys to baked goods; from catnip-infused treats to bulk containers. No matter what form it takes, your cat likely goes gaga over it. If you are like most cat owners and go through catnip in no time flat, a cheaper approach is growing your own catnip. Your team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is here to tell you how!

The term ‘holistic’ gets a lot of press. It’s associated with lifestyle products, nutrition, exercise, and a slew of other things, but what does it mean exactly? 

When asked, most pet owners would opt for a pet diet or product if it is holistic because it sounds healthier and more “natural”. The trend in holistic products attests to that. But, there is something more essential in the concept of holistic pet care that greatly benefits your pet. 

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services (OVRS) is here to help you decipher this approach to feeding and care and why it matters.

We’re concerned about preventing sunburn and skin cancer when we slather on sunscreen or grab a hat. Most of us know at least one person who has a form of skin cancer. But did you know that cats and dogs are at risk of sunburn and skin cancer, too?

Learn more about pet skin cancer and sunburn and what you can do to protect your pet.