The skin of dogs is different than ours. It is thinner and has a different pH, so only shampoos created specifically for dogs should be used for bathing. You can bathe your dog at home but this should not be done more frequently than every 4-6 weeks or so. More frequent baths can cause [...]
Toxic Foods These foods should never be fed to your pets: 1. Chocolate 2. Caffeine 3. Alcohol 4. Grapes/Raisins 5. Onions 6. Garlic 7. Macadamia nuts 8. Coconut Water 9. Milk and Dairy 10. Nuts 11. Raw and Undercooked meats, eggs, and bones 12. Salt and salty snacks 13. Xylitol (found in sugar-free gum, [...]
Feeding your pets the proper food is essential for their growth and development. Purchasing foods can be confusing. There is a lot of advice on the internet on picking the perfect food and although most of it is offered with the best of intents, it is not always based on solid scientific evidence. Reading food [...]
As well as training, another thing that you can do to make my job easier is to handle your pet and get it comfortable with this. A veterinary visit can be stressful, so the better prepared your pet is, the better the visit will go, especially if they are ever ill. Play with your pet's [...]
As a veterinarian, I appreciate a well-trained dog who has manners and is well controlled by their owner. It makes my job easier. Although it is possible to train a dog yourself at home or to have a professional trainer come to the home I always recommend puppy classes. These classes can train you [...]
Please be patient with your puppy. Some puppies are very quick about house training and you may have very few accidents in your house at all. I have even had clients claim that their puppies have not had any accidents in the house. Please be aware that this is not the norm. House Training will [...]
Establishing a Routine Set specific times of the day for each activity to take place. 1. Feeding 2. Allow your pet to go potty immediately after eating and on a routine basis (If you keep track of accidents in a log you will be better able to judge when you should try to take [...]
Chewing and Toys Normal dog behaviour includes chewing. This behaviour is magnified in puppies but will continue through the life of your dog. It is important to supply your dog with the appropriate toys for chewing. There are so many of these toys on the market that it can be difficult to know which ones [...]
It is important to remember that Puppies are new to this world. Almost everything that they are experiencing, they are experiencing for the first time. For this reason, it is important to expose them to new things with a positive attitude. When you bring your new puppy home, make sure that it is not too [...]
How Do I Stop My Puppy From Nipping? Nipping or biting is normal behaviour for puppies. They are exploring their worlds with their mouths and in a litter of puppies it is normal for them to nip at each other. However, in a human family this is not acceptable and so it is your job [...]