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Food as medicine for pets with diabetes
Dan Teich of District Vet hits the nail on the head when it comes to the pet-parent relationship. “As pet parents/guardians/servants…our main duty is the comfort and happiness of those in our charge. Feeding a nutritious diet, along with providing shelter, exercise and environmental enrichment, are essential, as is a physical examination by a veterinarian.” That’s exactly right. Because plenty of behaviors are also symptoms of underlying issues, and if they go undetected for long enough then they become problems. He goes on to state “A two-pound weight loss, if achieved over a period of a few months, most likely will be missed by the pet parent but will be…
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November is Pet Cancer Awareness Month
First let’s start with a quick lesson: November is recognized as Pet Cancer Awareness Month, with November 7th being specifically Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day. Lymphoma, also known as lymphosarcoma (LSA), is a type of cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes. These cells are important for the immune system, but when they become cancerous, they grow uncontrollably. Canine lymphoma can show up in different ways, but it often causes the enlargement of one or more lymph nodes. It can also affect other organs such as the liver, spleen, bone marrow, skin, or digestive system. Common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, lethargy, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Some cases…
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Local Organizations Are Aiding Hurricane Rescue Efforts – You Can Help, Too
California suffers through fire season, or El Nino. The Pacific Northwest has volcanos and earthquakes. Nor’easters in New England. Every year, wherever you are in the United States, there is a “disaster season.” Right now it’s hurricane season and the devastation wrought by Helene, followed closely by Milton, has cost many lives. Larger organizations such as the Humane Society and the ASPCA are critical to the disaster response, providing emergency veterinary care and distributing pet supplies and food. Red Rover is one of the amazing volunteer organizations with boots on the ground in these situations. However, there is another critical part played by local groups. In order to allow shelters and rescues in Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and…
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Melatonin or CBD?
The Big Bad Woof has an extensive apothecary section with products that address a variety of symptoms and issues that pets experience. A common question we hear is what’s the difference between melatonin and CBD? They’re both good for calming pets down, right? So which should you use? Though they overlap in important ways, CBD and melatonin are very different from one another and ultimately serve different purposes in the animal kingdom. For our pets purposes the most important difference is the intended duration of use; CBD is better used long term for more chronic conditions like anxiety, pain or cancer, and melatonin is for shorter term, acute conditions like…
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Celebrating Mutts
Created in 2005, National Mutt Day is all about embracing, saving and celebrating mixed breed dogs. And mutts are so great that they actually get two days a year: 7/31 and 12/2. Did you know that celebrities like Benji and Old Yeller were mutts? Even the dog recently featured on Max’s (formerly HBO) “House of the Dragon” is a mixed-breed buddy. Lassie is classic and I’d never detract from her accomplishments (she was always saving Timmy from that well), but mutts have a very special place in my heart. They’re always full of quirks and personality, and they make the funniest faces sometimes. Our adopted Lhasa-Maltese-Shi tzu mix, Max (formerly known as…
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Moxie’s Big Adventure
July is national Lost Pet Prevention month, which makes sense since July 4 is arguably the loudest day of the year, and July 5 is definitely the busiest day of the year for rescues and shelters. My two best friends have three cats: a derpy baby named Shuri, and a bonded set of sisters, Josie and Moxie. They could not be more different. Moxie, ironically, is the timid one, so sightings are rare. She’s the epitome of a scaredy cat and hightails it into the bedroom at the slightest disturbance, so when she went missing, we were as surprised as we were worried. It was nearly 24 hours before her…
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What’s the best nation in the world? Donation
Several years ago I was a teenager hanging out in Georgetown when some guy on the street asked me “What’s the best nation in the world?” and followed it up with “Donation!” I gave him a couple bucks and a smile. It was the best thing I’d heard all day, and it’s stayed with me ever since. In fact, I cracked that joke the other day when discussing how to distribute the generous donations we’d received from Optimeal Pet Food. The Big Bad Woof regularly receives and distributes donations to various pet pantries and other entities, but Optimeal generously sent us an entire pallet of dry food for dogs and…
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Rich with Enrichment
I watch animal videos online more than I care to admit. I spend pretty much every morning watching and sharing goofy, heartwarming clips of cats and dogs and their humans. (I especially enjoy dogs in drag and cats in breweries or bodegas.) We can’t imagine life without them, but dogs and cats weren’t always indoor pets. They lived in the wild and had to work hard to get their nourishment; they were hunters and scavengers. Nowadays things are quite different for them; over time we have domesticated these beasts and, though we love and celebrate our pet companions, in some ways we’ve made their world quite small. They can suffer from malaise…
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The Do’s and Do-Not-Do’s of the Dog Park
A fruitful visit to the dog park requires preparation and vigilance. Ensure your dog is well-exercised, trained, and sociable. Observe park rules, assess the environment without your pet first, and understand your dog's body language to prevent conflicts. Always be attentive, pick up after your dog, and use positive reinforcement. Avoid bringing treats, retractable leashes, and ensure your dog isn't overwhelmed by long stays.
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The skinny on green tripe
I first learned the word “tripe” from that episode of The Simpsons where Lisa becomes vegetarian. People usually quote “you don’t win friends with salad,” but what stuck with me is “you can’t seriously expect us to swallow that tripe?!” and then the kids are served tripe. That joke went over my head back then as I hadn’t yet experienced Vietnamese Pho, and so didn’t recognize tripe as a legitimate ingredient, nor understand what exactly it is. Now I know better. Tripe is considered “offal,” which is the viscera or trimmings of a butchered animal. Specifically, tripe is the stomach lining from cows and other ruminant or grazing animals. This trait…
