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September is National Preparedness Month and a great time to focus on disaster preparedness for pets. You may have taken time to think about how to best keep your family safe during an emergency but did you make preparations for your pets? Fires, floods, tornadoes, and other natural disasters are a part of life. They can be life-threatening without proper awareness and preparation on what to do should a disaster occur. 

Our pets need advance preparation and precautions in case of a big or small emergency as well as a natural disaster. There are things to be aware of, as well as the need for a solid emergency plan, for your pet. The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is here to get you started to better protect your furry loved one. 

After many weeks of the global pandemic, most of us are opting for road trips, camping, and other forms of getting out and about to shake off the boredom. This also includes using good social distancing precautions. 

As pet owners, we probably want to take our best furry ones along with us. After all, most pets, especially dogs, love to travel and sight see with us. 

There are a few considerations before venturing out with your paw pal. The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services wants to get you out and on the road. Just use our tips for traveling with your pet during the pandemic. Let’s go!

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!

Everyone needs a friend. After all, it’s good to have a companion who understands you and respects your needs. But does my dog need a friend? The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services with our friends at Gigglepets.net is here to help you answer that question. 

Dogs belong to the Canidae family, i.e. the family of wolves and foxes. Fortunately, dogs are domesticated and social animals. They enjoy friendly interactions with familiar humans or other animals and tend to avoid isolation. 

That being said, every dog is different has its own temperament and preferences. Some dogs prefer to live alone with their owners, while others prefer having another dog friend in the house. How can you decide if your particular dog would enjoy having another dog in the house? It starts with a little observation and research. 

Kittens and cats are prone to a variety of parasites, both internal and external. Cat parasites are not pleasant dinner conversation, but they are something you should be aware of and discuss with your veterinarian. These invasive foes can lurk in your pet’s body without you even knowing it until your cat’s symptoms worsen.

To help protect your precious feline from exposure, the OVRS team is here to provide more information about cat parasites.

Preparing your pet for surgery can be stressful. There are many things to consider and you may be dealing with a companion that is injured or feeling under the weather. Being prepared prior to surgery will give your pet the best odds of a swift, safe, and successful recovery. 

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services has a team of board-certified surgeons and surgical staff. They perform many advanced surgeries to help, treat, and cure our beloved fur friends. Here are a few tips to help you in preparing for the big day.

What steps should you take to address behavior problems in your dog? In a perfect world, our beloved pooches would be wonderful in every way. They would always respond to our commands and never cause trouble. The reality, though, is that most dogs do have a few behavior issues. You can easily address some behaviors with basic training and socialization, but sometimes that isn’t enough. What steps do we take in addressing more serious behavior problems in dogs?  

The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is here to address behavior problems in dogs and offer some helpful solutions.

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. 

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!