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Most pet owners are familiar enough with doggy or kitty breath that they start to inch toward acceptance. But what if we told you that the first sign of periodontal (gum) disease was stinky breath? Aside from simple aging and normal wear and tear, the majority of pets over age three show many signs of dental disease. The good news is that with regular pet dental care, your best friend can enjoy a longer, healthier life (and better smelling breath!).

Dental care in pets is a very important, yet often overlooked, aspect of animal health and husbandry. All Creatures Veterinary Hospital of Brooklyn knows that pet owners want to do the best for their furry friends, though. We are happy to share why and when you might want to think about dental disease in dogs.

Sharing life with your pet is the greatest gift. After a lifetime of snuggles and companionship, it is hard to imagine that they are getting older. It is a cruel twist from the knife of life that we human-kind typically outlive our pets. 

If slobbering all over the place is a skill, dogs would be the ultimate masters. Sure, there are some breeds that don’t have slippery lips, but generally speaking, it is a common canine trait (we’re looking at you, Newfoundlands, mastiffs, and St. Bernards). Dog drool is simply part of the territory, but understanding the physiology of this action sure is helpful. Why does your dog drool, and are there ways to minimize the thick globs from wetting your floors and furniture?

From across the room, you hear gagging and retching sounds. Unfortunately, what comes next is your cat hacking up a hairball and you scurrying to clean up the mess. As a cat owner, this is a regular albeit unpleasant scenario. While hairballs can be gross, they are a common result of your cat’s grooming routine. Hairballs are harmless most of the time, although occasionally they can signal a bigger cat health problem.

Puppies and kittens are escape artists. They are young explorers who haven’t yet learned any rules about safety. Like all youngsters, they believe themselves to be invincible! But we know dangers lurk everywhere, so we do our best to keep them safe. What happens if they do escape and are lost?

Our pets are exceptionally loveable and have a way of entertaining us with their antics. Most of the time, these antics are nothing more than the usual instinctual behaviors, but other times they can cause problems in the household. 

The good news is that many common cat and dog behavioral problems can be corrected through positive rewards training and socialization.

While 2020 had its ups and downs for New Yorkers, the pets of Brooklyn and beyond had a banner year! With so many home during the pandemic’s lockdown and stay-at-home orders, pets of all shapes and sizes reveled in having their peoples home and hanging out.

Pet owners seem to have enjoyed this trend, too. Not only have there been plenty of laughs and snuggles with our fur-friends, but an increased opportunity to get to know our pets, their behaviors, and their health better, too.

We are grateful that so many of you turned to All Creatures Veterinary Hospital’s pet blog for some insight into your pet’s needs and quirks, and hope you enjoy a glimpse of our top 5 most-read pet blogs this year!

For animal lovers, thinking about the millions of pets languishing in shelters across the country is heartbreaking, especially around the holidays. Ideally we would save them all, but for many of us adopting even one pet is out of the question right now. 

Fortunately there are plenty of ways to help shelter animals without making the commitment to adopt. Everyone has a skill or a few hours to offer, and every little bit makes a difference in the lives of animals in need!

For those who don’t know better, cats are commonly perceived to be aloof creatures who prefer to be left to their own devices and knock a tumbler of whisky off a table rather than interact with their human slaves. But for those of us in the know, cats are often anything but solitary, unfeeling creatures who would rather curl up on your lap and make biscuits while you sip on that much-needed whisky. 

Indeed, cats are, more often than not, intuitive and loving pets, who thrive on love, attention, and interactive play. They sense and respond to our moods, make us laugh, and generally love to nose their way into our affection on a regular basis.

With that in mind, it’s only natural that we would want to give our cats a little extra love from time to time. There are many ways to pamper your cat and, as their human companions, it’s likely that you know what they would best purr-fer, but in case you need a little inspiration, the team at All Creatures Veterinary Hospital has a few ideas to get you started.