In veterinary practices, we often use mild sedation/anxiety medications (oral or injectable) in painful or stressed dogs and cats to assist with full exams, x-rays, ultrasounds, or mildly painful procedures. In birds, we generally need to manually restrain them for full exams, blood work, nail, beak, and wing trims. Manual restraint is stressful for all [...]
As a pet owner, you know your furry pal should be spayed or neutered, if only to avoid contributing to the country’s pet overpopulation problem. You likely also know that sterilizing your pet can reduce many unpleasant behaviors, such as mounting, roaming, aggression, and territorial marking. But, did you know that spaying or neutering your [...]
Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is a term that refers to a collection of medical disorders that affect the form, integrity, and function of bones. This disease is the most common cause of skeletal abnormalities and changes in gait in reptiles. Secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism is the most common form of MBD. This is caused by inappropriate [...]
As winter tightens its icy grasp on Aurora, stirring yourself to head outdoors to exercise with your furry pal may be the last thing that appeals to you. We understand—the Loving Family Animal Hospital team often feels the same way—but we know how incredibly beneficial physical activity is for your pet’s mental and physical health. [...]
Your furry pal is often left home alone for hours at a time while you are at work, running errands, or enjoying time with friends and family. Left to their own devices, your pooch may get into mischief, finding inappropriate things to chew on, such as shoes and furniture. So, you turn to commercial options, [...]
Are you planning on adopting a puppy or kitten this holiday season? Congratulations on your new furry bundle of joy! However, bringing a new pet into your home during the chaotic holiday season can be filled with pitfalls, so our Loving Family Animal Hospital team has compiled tips to help you welcome your new pal [...]
Scene 1: A festive dining room table. A blooming Christmas lily centerpiece flanked by delicious holiday food—platters laden with ham and turkey, a steaming gravy boat. Tempting chocolate bonbons and home-made pies tempt on the buffet. A young couple walks into the room and smooches under a mistletoe sprig, their dog and cat following closely. [...]
As ferrets age, we see symptoms of more chronic illnesses such as periodic lethargy or weakness, hair loss, difficulty urinating, swollen or enlarged vulva, decreased appetite and weight loss. Since most of our ferrets are bred from one location, we see some genetic illnesses with consistency. About 80% of our adult ferrets have a long-standing [...]
Hi, Felix Floofy McFloofster here. Well, that’s what my owner calls me. Personally, I prefer to be called simply Felix, because being a macho Maine Coon is hard enough, without having a nickname like Floofy McFloofster. Where was I? Oh that's right—I was about to tell you my Halloween horror story. Don’t worry though—it has [...]
When ferrets are young, we see more behavioral issues (such as biting) and gastrointestinal problems such as vomiting and diarrhea. Since ferrets are very inquisitive, they tend to get into things and chew/eat things they shouldn’t. This means foreign body gastrointestinal obstruction is relatively common. This could, unfortunately, require surgery. Gastritis, bloat, gastric ulcers and [...]