Pet Wellness Advocate
10 Steps for Starting a Relationship with a Cat [Guest blog: From the creator of Meowspace, one of our special sponsors on CAT CHAT®, comes a few words of wisdom on bonding with your kitty. —Tracie Hotchner] Most of my life has been spent with dogs. I never needed nor wanted a cat until the... Read more »
Nobody Likes to Hear Their Dog is Fat! Canine etiquette question: what do you say when you encounter someone whose dog is seriously overweight? I have been in this predicament more than several times and am torn between not wanting to offend or alienate the person, and advocating for a diet and change in feeding... Read more »
The New Dog Flu --- Coming to a Town Near You? I don't like to be a fear monger, but the new strain of dog flu that killed and sickened many dogs in Chicago, has now spread to 12 states beyond Illinois. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog about an episode of THE... Read more »
Shampooing Your Dog --- Making it Fun and Frequent On my NPR radio show DOG TALK® this past week I interviewed humorist Merrill Markoe, several of whose amazing videos will be featured in the Dog Film Festival October 3rd. I invited her to read one of the fall-down-funny essays from her book What the Dogs... Read more »
Gardening Poses Serious Risks to Your Pet This is a fabulous time of the year to be outside with your pets while you do a late Spring clean up of your flower beds and shrubbery and put in new plantings. However, managing your garden can also present dangers to your pets which you probably don't... Read more »
Celebrate Your Vet Tech! Whenever I go for an appointment at the vet, the first person my dogs and I are greeted by is the veterinary technician. She is like a warm friendly maitre d' at a nice restaurant --- making sure we feel welcome and getting everything set up for us. I think it's... Read more »
The holiday weekend is upon us, but what if you decided at the last minute not to bring Fido? While there are lots of great boarding options available, finding the right kennel for your dog requires knowing what questions to ask.
Everyone Can Be a Winner: Just Switch to Healthy Weight Management Food I wanted to dance a little jig today when I learned that an old friend of mine (he's literally old, too --- a very vibrant 80 years old!), was inspired by listening to THE EXPERT VET to put his own 12-year-old Lab Maverick... Read more »
Welcoming Levi the Pug to the Halo Healthy Weight Challenge Dr. Donna and I are especially happy to welcome Levi the Pug in South Dakota to our Halo Healthy Weight Challenge, because Levi needs a corrective eye surgery to retain his sight, but for safety's sake, his veterinarian will not perform the surgery until Levi... Read more »
I Had a Dream - The Dog Film Festival – And It’s Coming True! How often do you have a dream --- and then it comes true because other people have been dreaming it, too?! The Dog Film Festival is my first experience of what it feels like to “imagine it and they will come” --- and... Read more »