George Animal Hospital

Please be careful where ever you are this summer.

Here's a fun activity to start the week and bond with your pup. Set your phone camera to slow motion and call your dog's name to film their reaction. Of course, you must send us the video!

Large-breed dogs often suffer from joint disease, especially later in life. Can their bed make a difference? The answer is a resounding 'yes.' A mattress that protects joints from pressure can help manage joint disease better and, more importantly, reduce pain significantly. What kind of bed will do these wonderful things for your dog? Essentially you are looking for a bed that prevents added pressure on your dog's joints - a bed where your dog's hips, knees and elbows do not push through and come in contact with the cold hard floor. The very best test is to try out the bed yourself. Lie on it, kneel, and roll around on it - if you feel that a joint touches the floor through the bed, this is not a good bed for your large dog. You can rule out specific bedding material before you even start. Beds with polyfill stuffing are widespread, but they simply do not provide the support a significant, heavy dog needs. Those joints will contact the floor, increasing the load on the pressure points. A single-layer foam mattress is also not sufficient. Depending on the quality of the foam, the foam may quickly disintegrate and compress with the rigors of supporting a large, often moving animal. Memory foam beds sound appealing, but the quality of memory foam seals the deal - once the memory foam compresses, there is little support for those sore joints. From the perspective of a large breed dog, a bed made of more than one layer of foam works better. A high-quality base layer of firm foam keeps joints from pushing through, and a top layer of softer but still good quality, foam or memory foam provides comfort. You can do a lot to increase the happy, active years of your large dog's life. Do a little research and invest in something that will last. Your dog will thank you. As always, if you are concerned about your dog's joints, let us assess your four-legged pal and get them onto a prevention or intervention plan for joint health.

Vets sometimes have to do some pretty daunting tasks! Trimming a cat's nails when the owner can't get it done, for example, can be quite the challenge - if there were Olympic events for Vets, this would certainly be one of them.

How much exercise does your cat need? Cats need exercise for many reasons. Outdoor cats often have enough opportunity and stimulation to be active, but cats that spend the day inside may need a bit of help and should get exercise through about 30 minutes active playtime a day. Here is an article with lots of helpful tips for getting your indoor cat active and guidance on how much exercise is necessary. https://ow.ly/tM0C50RUm0K