Search Results for ‘obesity’

You’ve swept it up, you’ve vacuumed for the hundredth time, you own more lint brushes than the local pharmacy – and your home still looks like a Wild West scene with those furball tumbleweeds rolling across the living room.

Dog hair can be an aggravation, particularly during high shedding seasons when some dogs will lose a bit of that thick winter coat. Realistically, though, dogs shed any time of year, which can make for a lot of work when it comes to grooming and keeping your home and clothing fur free.

To help your fuzzy friend out, OVRS has put together some tips for managing your dog’s mane!

Continue…

Picture this: You’re sitting at your desk at work when you hear the familiar ping of a notification on your smartphone. The message has been sent by your dog’s collar, letting you know that she has gotten out again. Time to track her down using the collar’s built-in GPS, which is accessible on your phone.

By the time you reach the area where she is located, evening is setting in, so you remotely switch on the collar’s LED light to help you in your search. There she is, investigating the contents of a gopher hole in some bushes five blocks from home!

Before returning home, you have the collar take and post pictures of your dog’s escapades to your social media accounts, just for fun.

Continue…

A pet’s love affair with treats is as old and deep as the sea itself. Well, maybe we’re being a bit dramatic, but all pet owners know how much their pets enjoy treats. From the humble Milk-Bone to the gourmet, handmade pet treats that are so prevalent these days, it can be tough to figure out what’s safe and healthy for our pets.

We are big fans of treats here at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, and we want to help you make informed choices when it comes to selecting the treat that’s right for your pet.

The Big “No-Nos”

There are a surprising number of dangers among certain treats. Balancing the risks and benefits is key when selecting a treat for your pet. Especially hearing about so many recalls in the news. Some of the problems that may result from treats include:
Continue…

Human and animal athletes have more in common than you might think, including a wide variety of orthopedic injuries and problems. In both human and veterinary medicine, we are learning more and more about preventing this kind of trouble. We also have several new and effective options for treating orthopedic injuries in pets.

The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is your expert resource for keeping your active pets in tip top shape.

Pounds of Prevention

Bones and joints are the framework that carry the body. It only makes sense that adding additional weight, and therefore burden, to that framework might predispose the body to orthopedic problems.

In fact, helping your pet to maintain an ideal weight is one of the most powerful things you can do to prevent an orthopedic injury. Weight management is crucial to your pet’s overall health, whether he or she is a couch potato or agility champion.

Continue…

Selecting the right pet food can be mind boggling, and trying to understand the nutrition label can be even trickier. It can be a tempting topic to avoid but our pet’s diet is an important cornerstone to proper care. Every pet owner should learn the basics about pet nutrition, what it all means, and what to look for.

Avoid the frustration of trying to sort through all of the information yourself and let Oakland Veterinary Referral Services help you focus on the most important things to know.

The Importance of Pet Nutrition

Feeding your pet a healthy, well-rounded diet is essential to good health. Pet nutrition is an extremely important part of animal husbandry. While there are many acceptable ways to feed a pet, every balanced diet includes several components: Continue…

With more pets leading a sedentary life and the increase in pet obesity, more dogs and cats are developing diabetes at some point in their lifetimes. This disease is an important one for pet owners to be familiar with. Do you understand what pet diabetes is, what the symptoms look like, and why it is so serious? If not, be sure to keep reading so that you can be in the know about diabetes in pets.

The Pathogenesis of Diabetes in Pets

When a pet eats a meal, the nutrients are broken down into parts that are usable to the body as energy. Fiber and starches (carbohydrates) are broken down into glucose, which is absorbed into the bloodstream then transferred into cells. In order for this transfer of glucose into the body’s cells, a hormone called insulin is required. Continue…

Dog eyeing turkey leg

We all look forward to the holiday season as a time of family, friends, food, and fun. Unfortunately, though, Thanksgiving is also a time where we see a dramatic increase in the number of pet emergencies.

Be sure to be aware of potential Thanksgiving food risks and keep your pet safe this holiday season.

Pancreatitis in Pets

Just as for people, overindulgence in rich, fatty foods can upset the digestive system, resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, or both. Sometimes, though, when pets indulge too much the result is something more serious than just a tummy ache. Continue…

Unfortunately the diagnosis of a collapsing trachea is one all too many pet owners are familiar with. Small breed dogs, especially Toy Poodles, Pomeranians, Yorkshire Terriers, Chihuahuas, Maltese, and Pugs are predisposed to this condition. Many times pet owners learn to live with this problem and manage it medically, however some pets may need more aggressive treatment. We are happy to be able to offer tracheal stenting to these patients.

What Is Tracheal Collapse?

For some pets, breathing isn’t easy. The trachea, also known as the windpipe, connects the airway to the lungs. Normally it is a rigid tube made up of rings of cartilage that extend from the back of the throat, through the neck, and into the thorax. Continue…

No pet owner ever wants to hear that their beloved companion animal has cancer. Unfortunately, with pets living longer than ever before, cancer is becoming a more common diagnosis than it ever before. While there is still no way to totally protect pets (or people) from developing cancer, there are steps that you can take when it comes to pet cancer prevention.

Schedule Frequent Wellness Exams

One of the most effective ways to keep your pet healthy is to detect problems early in their course. Paying close attention to changes in your pet’s habits and body can provide you with clues that something may be wrong. If you own a specific breed, familiarize yourself with any genetic predispositions to certain types of cancer so that you can be aware of subtle changes. Continue…

As a country, many of us have learned to turn a blind eye to pets who are overweight. We coo and giggle over fat cats and pudgy pooches, when really there’s nothing funny about it. With over 50% of American pets tipping the scales, obesity in our nation’s pets has truly become an epidemic.

Even just a few extra pounds on your dog or cat can increase his or her risk for some very serious medical problems. Common problems that are directly influenced by weight include: Continue…