Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog

Just about every animal lover has a story about how a pet has touched or changed their life. Have you ever stopped to think about how we can return the favor?

January 24th is Change a Pet’s Life Day, and what better time to consider the options. Keep reading to find out how each of us can go about changing the life of a pet for the better.

Changing the Life of a Pet in Need

Taking some of your time or resources to help animals in need can go a long way towards changing the life of a pet. Even just a little effort can make a positive difference and there are so many ways to improve a pet’s life. Consider:

• Adopting a pet in need of a loving home (one of the biggest ways to help!)
• Spreading the word about the benefits of pet adoption
• Fostering a pet who is looking for a forever home
• Volunteering your time at a local animal shelter or rescue organization
• Signing up your pet to be a blood donor
• Donating to a worthy pet charity such as the TEAR Foundation
• Collecting money or needed items such as blankets, food, and toys for donation to a local shelter
• Helping to build shelters for feral cats
• Spreading the word about animals in need by talking to your friends and family
• Spending time with a neighbor’s or family member’s pet that could use a little extra love

What other ways have you found for improving a pet in need’s life?

Changing Your Pet’s Life

Let’s not forget our furry family, either. Changing the life of a pet can start in your home. You hold a lot of power over being sure that your pet’s life is a positive, happy one.  Take steps to help your household residents by:

• Providing responsible and timely wellness care
• Spending quality time each day with your four-legged friend
• Taking steps to prevent pet emergencies
• Making sure your pet has good manners
• Socializing your pet with other animals or people
• Engaging your pet in regular walks or exercise
• Trying a new activity like an agility class, a hike, or playing a new game with your pet
• Providing good nutrition and care every day at home
• Investing in pet insurance to help make unplanned care expenses possible

Animals do so much to enrich our lives and uplift our souls, so the OVRS staff thinks it is only fitting that we dedicate at least one day a year to changing the life of a pet. It doesn’t take much, they are not demanding or greedy and give so much back. A little bit of your time and love is all it takes to make a huge difference in the life of an animal.

It may be an El Nino year, but that doesn’t mean it will be warm in Michigan this winter. Cold weather can pose serious risks to your pet’s health and safety. We offer you a list of practical ways you can keep your pets safe and comfortable all winter long.   

Cold Weather Safety Tips

• Stay home – Pets are not much safer in a cold car than they are in a warm one. Hypothermia is deadly and pets are just as susceptible to it as humans.
• Stay in – Dogs and cats should not be outside for prolonged periods in the cold. It’s a myth that animals are more resistant to cold than humans; the reality is that our pets can suffer the harmful effects of cold weather just as easily as we can.
• If you must leave pets outside – Provide a warm, dry shelter with plenty of cozy bedding. Puppies and older dogs are more sensitive to the cold so it would be better to take them outside only to relieve themselves. Shovel out a spot if there’s deep snow.
• Paw protection – Be aware of your dog’s paw pads while walking as snow and ice can damage the pads or make walking difficult. Clip the fur between toe pads to reduce the amount of snow collecting between the toes. Or spray the pads with cooking spray just before your walk in very cold weather.

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It’s easier than ever to take great pictures these days. Not only can we take professional quality photos on our smartphones, but top-of-the-line cameras once limited to professionals are now affordable and remarkably easy for a novice to use.

Whether you’re an iPhone-wielding amateur or a seasoned picture-taking veteran, you have most likely snapped a few shots of your beloved dog, cat, chinchilla, or lutino cockatiel. Maybe you share your photos on social media, or would like to. Maybe you’d like a nice print or two to frame and hang in your home, or maybe you just want a few pet photos on your phone to glance at when you need a pick-me-up at work.

OVRS has put together a list of tips, straight from the pros, for making the most out of your pet photography sessions, regardless of what you end up doing with the final results. Continue…

It’s hard to believe 2016 is upon us already! We’ve had an amazing year here at OVRS, and for that we extend our heartfelt thanks to you!  

We’re excited that so many of you are reading our blog, and thought you might be interested to know which blogs your peers found most useful this past year. Please enjoy our most popular pet care blogs of 2015: Continue…

Deciding to adopt a pet can be a big decision. If you have thought long and hard about taking the plunge, you know that making that commitment can be difficult. Once you have decided to adopt, however, the hard part is just beginning.

If you have ever visited an animal shelter, you know how hard it can be to pick just one. There are tons of great pets just waiting to be adopted; how will you know which one is the right fit for your family? If you are taking a trip to the shelter in the near future, be sure to read our guide on choosing a dog to adopt. Continue…

If you are like many pet parents, your holiday gift list will naturally include your pet. And, there are so many wonderful options when it comes to toys, gadgets, and other pet products for our pampered fur friends.

At Oakland Veterinary Referral Services, we have taken time to spotlight a few of our favorites this season. After all, we are certain your pet has been nice, never naughty, and is definitely deserving of some great seasonal surprises. 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…

In the not too distant past, dogs and cats spent the majority of their time outside and on their own. Many were working animals, earning their keep by herding sheep or cattle, defending the farm, keeping vermin out of the grains stores, etc. For many families, the idea of a pet sleeping indoors was distasteful, and the thought of pampering a pet unimaginable.

Cue 2015: It’s not uncommon nowadays to see dogs trotting down the street on the ends of jewel-encrusted leashes and dressed in expensive, name brand clothing, or to hear about a neighbor who spent thousands to pay for their beloved cat’s kidney transplant. There’s no doubt that a major shift in the American psyche has occurred regarding pet ownership. But just how did this shift occur and what has it meant for the veterinary and pet care industries?

Humanizing our Pets

Thanks to the humanization of our pets, which began more than 20 years ago according to Bob Veter, president and CEO of the American Pet Products Association, pet-related spending is ever on the rise as pets become more and more a part of the family. 2015 is set to be a record-breaking year with a projected $60.5 billion dollars spent on our dogs and cats.

As more and more young people delay starting a family, all that extra love, attention, and income gets showered on their pets. Empty nesters want a pet to pamper now that the kids are grown. Prospective grandparents, while waiting patiently for a human grandchild to appear, are opting to spoil their “granddog”. Couple all of this with an improving economy and you have the perfect recipe for a generation of pampered pets. Continue…

Modern veterinary care looks astoundingly different than it did in previous generations. Pet parents today have nearly every option available to them to extend the life of their pets, from cancer treatments and long-term hospitalizations to MRIs and organ transplants. While some people are fortunate enough to easily afford this level of advanced medical care for their pets, for many pet owners, these expensive treatments can break the bank.

This is where pet insurance comes in. Much like medical insurance for humans, pet insurance can provide the financial peace of mind that otherwise would not be available to us in the event of an emergency. Continue…

Keywords: pet memorializing

Celebrating Life: Memorializing Your Pet

There is no denying the profoundly intense bond many of us feel with our pets. Our four-legged friends take care of us just as much as we take care of them. Looking into their eyes is like peering into a well of compassion and unconditional love.

As pet guardians, we are all too aware of the fact that our pet’s lifespans are significantly shorter than our own. Even though we have to say goodbye, at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services we believe in celebrating the time that each of our pets spends with us and the impact they have had on our lives. Most are with us for many years and it’s like losing a very close friend or family member. Continue…