Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog
Growing Old Gracefully: Helping Senior Dogs Enjoy Their Golden Years
Whether you’ve been with your senior dog since puppyhood, or adopted a wonderful pet during their adult years, you know by now that older pets have a lot to offer.
Making your senior dog’s golden years as wonderful as possible is your top priority as you and your best pal face this special time hand in paw, and it all starts with understanding the unique needs of an older pet.
Sittin’ Pretty: How To Prepare For A Pet Photo Session
Although it’s only October, thoughts are inevitably turning to the winter holiday season ahead. For many families, annual photo cards are a great way to share pictures with family and friends, and it’s only natural to want to include our pets in this fun tradition.
Pets are notoriously unpredictable, which can make holiday card planning a bit touch and go. Our tips and tricks can help you make the most of your pet photo session, and give your cards the sweet touch that only a beloved family pet can bring.
Have A Happy Howl-O-Ween With These Easy Pet Costume Ideas!
Modern pet owners know that costumes aren’t just for people, and if you can’t imagine your pet celebrating Halloween without an adorable ensemble, you’ve come to the right place. Our easy pet costume ideas will have your little buddy looking festive, feeling good, and won’t tax your budget!
Simplify Your Routine With Our Life Hacks For Dog Owners!
Who knew that tea bags absorbed odor from stinky shoes, or that toilet paper tubes work perfectly for organizing electronics cords? “Life hacks” such as these give us cheap, effective ways to stay organized, manage our time, and overall maintain our productivity in a fast paced world.
Dog owners can benefit from useful tips and tricks as much as anybody, which is why we’ve compiled our top 10 favorite life hacks for dog owners. Enjoy!
Our Favorite (Virtually) Indestructible Dog Toys
Does your dog shred any toy you give them within days, hours, or even minutes? Are you getting tired of spending money on dog toys that you know are going to end up in the trash soon? Do you worry about your furniture, shoes, and other household items being destroyed by your overzealous best pal? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you are the proud pet parent of an ‘extreme chewer’.
Many dogs fall into the category of aggressive/extreme chewers, and the pet products industry has responded in kind by creating a wide variety of virtually indestructible dog toys.
Changing Tides: Michigan’s Animal Abuse Laws
Companion animals enjoy an elevated status in our modern society as compared to previous generations of their peers; for the most part. Many American pets are pampered with the best in medical and dental care, top of the line food and treats, specialty pet clothing, and most importantly the love and devotion of their human family members.
Unfortunately, not all animals are fortunate enough to receive the best that humans have to offer; indeed many of them experience the worst. In honor of World Animal Day, OVRS would like to shine a spotlight on Michigan’s animal abuse laws, and how they are working to help pets such as Amira, a puppy that was found abandoned with a severe neck injury and brought to us by a Good Samaritan in August 2017. Amira’s attacker is being prosecuted, and new legislation may prevent pets like her from ever entering the hands of would-be abusers in the first place.
What’s In Your Mutt? Find Out With Dog DNA Testing!
If you are the proud owner of a rescue mutt, you have almost certainly wondered at their lineage. Does that dark tongue make her part Chow Chow? Is his curly fur a result of some poodle in the mix? He looks like a cross between a boxer and a Chihuahua, but is that even possible?
Finally, there’s a way to settle the intense debate once and for all with at-home dog DNA testing. These easy to use kits enable dog owners to assuage their curiosity about their dog’s lineage, to tailor breed-specific training, and to be on the lookout for certain inherited conditions.
Black and White: The Role of the Veterinary Radiologist
Any Veterinarian in general veterinary medicine has to try to be a pediatrician, a surgeon, an internist, a dermatologist, and ophthalmologist, a dentist, a nutritionist, an oncologist, an anesthesiologist, and more on a daily basis, and often for multiple species. The old saying “jack of all trades, master of none” is becoming more and more applicable in general practice, with general veterinarians knowing about a lot of things, but unable to specialize in any of these areas. Sometimes, though, more in depth knowledge is necessary.
Oakland Veterinary Referral Services staffs a myriad of veterinary specialists in various fields to bring a level of expertise and concentration to your pet’s health. That is why we are adding Dr. Rachel Policelli-Smith, our first veterinary radiologist, to our staff. It’s our goal to bring the best in veterinary medicine to you as our client, and this is just one more way we are working to achieve that goal.
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An Age-Old Mystery: Why do Cats Sleep so Much?
Where is your cat right now? If you’re reading this on your tablet or laptop, there’s a good chance he or she is attempting to schedule an unplanned snuggle – right on top of the screen. If Fluffy is absent, he or she is likely either dreaming or waking up from the 9th cat nap of the day. Cats are definitely lounge lovers, but there’s more to this indulgence than meets the eye. Cats sleep an average of 16-20 hours every day, but why?
Cat Sleep Patterns
While many cats are active at night (especially kittens), their species is actually classified as crepuscular, meaning they “come alive” at dawn and dusk. This is explained by the fact that other natural predators are usually hunting in the deep night or daytime hours.
Hair, There, and Everywhere: How to Deal with Dog Hair
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!
