Our Veterinary Blog

You might like the look and temperament of a certain pet breed, only to find out that there are serious pet health problems associated with it. Of course, not every pet will suffer from issues that affect the breed in general, but it is important to acknowledge the health prospects of a prospective pet, both…

Wow! It’s getting hot out there! Temperatures are already hitting the 80’s on some days and the humidity has increased as well. At our house, we cope by switching to shorts and light t-shirts, drinking lots of water and taking breaks indoors or in the shade. We produce quite a bit of sweat and take…

There has been a large outbreak of Canine Influenza in the Chicago area. However, there are no reported cases in the Quad Cities at this time. That said we do need to educate ourselves about the virus and understand that it could possibly spread to our area. Canine Influenza H3N8 is a virus that was…

We are well into the season of thunder storms and fireworks. If you have a dog that is afraid of loud noises their fear can take much of the fun out of summer. An anxious dog may cower, salivate, pace, hide, howl or even destroy furniture during storms. Finding ways to calm them can be…

We try to keep our pets as safe as possible. We keep them leashed away from home. We feed them the best food we can provide. We keep their shots and worming current, we train them, and we love them. When we’re home they play safely in our fenced backyards. How about that yard? Is…

Hypothyroidism is caused by a decrease in the hormones produced by the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism is seen in middle aged dogs, generally 7 years of age or older. It is very rare in cats. It is occurs most often in larger breeds but we see hypothyroid problems in all sizes and breeds of dogs. Thyroid…

The easiest and most time honored way to give a pill remains hiding it in something else . If you can get your pet to take a pill this way and he/she is not on any food restriction this is still the best method. One of our favorites at Animal Family is Pill Pockets made…