Author Archives: azdvm

Is This Toxic? A Guide On What Not To Feed Your Dog

To protect your dog from toxic scraps, here are some human foods that are safe and some that are not-so-safe for your dog to eat.

Dogs are a big part of the American family. Unfortunately, this often means that dogs are being fed as if they were human. Dogs and humans don’t metabolize their food in the same way. In fact, food that may be safe for you to eat can be toxic to your pet.

To protect your dog from toxic scraps, here are some human foods that are safe and some that are not-so-safe for your dog to eat.

Feed Fido This, Not That: What’s Safe For Your Dog
Certain foods are perfectly safe for your dog to eat. In fact, many human foods like peanut butter can be used as a treat for your dog when given in moderation.

Here are some of the foods that are safe for your dog to consume:
Carrots (in bite-size pieces)
Peanut butter (in moderation)
Cooked eggs
Cooked, boneless salmon
Cheese (in moderation)
Blueberries
Seedless watermelon (without the rind)
Blackberries
Fresh or frozen peas (not canned)

 

Toxic Treats To Avoid: What Not To Feed Your Dog
Although some human foods are safe to give your dog when they’re unsalted, unseeded, and unseasoned, some foods are toxic. Foods like grapes can cause kidney failure and other unfortunate health problems that can be avoided.

To help keep your dog safe, here are some foods to avoid giving to your dog and to keep your dog away from:

Chocolate (all kinds)
Grapes/Raisins
Macadamia nuts
Onions
Avocado
Coffee
Tea (all kinds)
Garlic
Alcohol
Nutmeg
Lemons/Limes

Before you feed your dog anything, it’s important to first make sure that it’s safe for them to consume and in what way. Even if a dog is able to eat a certain food, they may not be able to eat it if it’s raw or seasoned.

Don’t Forget Dental Care For Your Dog
Many pet owners enjoy sharing their food with their dogs. But it’s important that your pet is receiving dog dental care no matter what kind of food they’re eating.

Up to 80% of dogs have periodontal disease by the age of three. Left untreated, periodontal disease can lead to major health problems for your dog.

Dental care for your dog is an important part of pet healthcare. To learn more about dental care for your dog or to schedule an appointment for your dog, contact the office of AZ Paws today.

Spaying Your Cat: What To Expect Before, During, And After The Procedure

Read about what to expect before and after you spay your cat on the AZPAWS blog.

Spaying Your Cat: What To Expect Before, During, And After The Procedure

It’s important to spay your pet before their first heat for a number of reasons. The first is that is can help prevent uterine infections. The second is that is can help prevent cancerous tumors, which affect up to 90% of cats. It’s essential that a cat is spayed before their first heat because they can become pregnant as soon as they’re five months old.

Therefore, to ensure you’re properly prepared for your feline’s spaying, here’s what you need to know about the process of spaying a cat.

Preparing your Cat
Similar to human surgery, it’s often recommended that a cat doesn’t consume food or water for up to 12 hours prior to their surgery. This is to help prevent vomiting during surgery, which could complicate the procedure.

It’s also a good idea to prepare for the morning of the surgery based on your cat’s known behavior. For instance, if your cat is likely to hide at the sight of their carrier, keep them in the guest bedroom over night so they’ll be easier to catch the next day. Additionally, keep your cat indoors the night before the surgery to ensure they’re not drinking or eating for 12 hours prior to the surgery.

During the Surgery
During the surgery, a veterinarian will be assisted by either one or two technicians. The veterinarian may choose to use an intravenous catheter on your pet to provide them with drugs or fluids. However, this isn’t always the case.

Should the catheter be used, one of the technicians will shave applied area either on the back foot of your cat or the front leg. Your cat will be anesthetized and sedated during the procedure. The procedure will take up to 30 minutes at most.

A small incision is made in the stomach area of your cat during the surgery. Be sure to pay close attention to this area after the procedure for signs of infection, swelling, or bleeding.

After the surgery
After the surgery, you’ll want to keep your cat indoors for at least a week. Keep him or her safe and comfortable.

Many cats are often back to their normal behavior within 24 hours. If your feline is still behaving oddly or groggy after more than two days be sure to check in with your veterinarian.

As a pet owner, it’s essential that you understand the importance of spaying or neutering your pet when it comes to pet healthcare. Spaying your pet means caring for your pet. For more information on the benefits of spaying your pet and caring for your cat after spaying or neutering, contact AZPaws today.

What You Might See After Your Dog Has Been Spayed

After your do has been spayed, read more about the signs you need to watch for to ensure your pet is healing properly.

What You Might See After Your Dog Has Been Spayed

Putting your dog through surgery, no matter how minor the procedure may be, can be a lot to handle. It can be overwhelming as you may be worried about what’s going to happen. However, if your dog is about to get spayed, there isn’t much to worry about!

Taking your dog to get spayed is one of the most common procedures you can put them through. However, there are some potential symptoms you should be aware of. Some of these symptoms must be addressed by a vet immediately. Let’s take a look at a few things you might notice.

Their Incision
Since the procedure does involve the vet cutting into your pet, they will have an incision that needs to heal over time. The incision will be sewed up by the vet and will need to stay intact. In order to do this, the dog needs to avoid chewing on the stitches or disturbing the wound. If they do, you’ll notice an infection starting to form. Keeping them away from that area will prevent any serious problem they might develop in the future.

Bleeding
Heavy bleeding is not normal for a dog following the procedure. There is a chance that the dog might experience a bit of bleeding where their incision is sewed up, which is expected. However, if you notice severe bleeding or bleeding from other areas of the body, you need to contact your vet office immediately.

Long-Term Symptoms
There are a few symptoms that a dog might experience well after the procedure was completed. You might notice that your dog has some weight gain or has trouble holding their urine at times. All of these things can be normal, but a visit to AZ PAWS for a follow up may be important.

Spaying and neutering is the only thing that is 100% effective as a form of birth control for cats and dogs. Keep the things listed above in mind for after the procedure, and reach out if you have any questions.

Exploring the Benefits of Getting Your Dog Spayed

Getting your dog spayed is essential for the health and well being of your dog. Read more about why on the AZ PAWS blog.

Exploring the Benefits of Getting Your Dog Spayed

If you’re a dog owner, you’re probably familiar with spay and neuter procedures. It’s an extremely common procedure, and getting your female dog spayed is crucial for both their health and your peace of mind. Along with preventing pregnancy, there are many other benefits of having your dog spayed. You might not have even thought about these potential benefits before.

Spaying is actually a really easy way to prevent potential illnesses.
Much like humans are, dogs are subject to potentially life-threatening diseases like cancer. This terrible disease can have the same impact on a dog that it does on humans. Fortunately, mammary gland cancer is one of the illnesses that can be prevented by getting your dog spayed.

Female dogs do not menstruate like humans do, but they have an estrous cycle.
It’s more commonly known as a “heat cycle,” and it lasts throughout a dog’s life. Unfortunately, it can result in some messes as well. To prevent messes from being made all over the home, owners typically will put down sanitary pads or put the dog in a diaper. If you don’t want to have to deal with your dog being uncomfortable or with the fear of an accidental pregnancy, getting your dog spayed is the perfect thing to do. Since the procedure itself will prevent your dog from becoming pregnant, it will also keep your dog from entering their heat cycle.

Overpopulation is an unfortunate truth when it comes to dogs in the United States.
Considering the average number of puppies in a litter ranges between six and ten, it’s not surprising that non-spayed dogs are becoming a problem. By spaying your dog, you’re helping to keep the population down. They will not be able to reproduce, which means there will be fewer dogs added to the world. You won’t have to worry about what happens to your dog’s puppies, as there won’t be any.

Getting your dog spayed is actually more beneficial than just preventing pregnancy. The procedure can help control the dog population in the United States, prevent lifelong heat cycles, and prevent any potential life-threatening illnesses. If these are things that you’re passionate about, get your dog spayed today at AZPAWS!

Ways To Keep Your Cat Cozy This Winter

Cats love to be cozy! Read these tips on how to keep your kitty safe and warm this season.

Ways To Keep Your Cat Cozy and Safe This Winter
Arizona is known for its mild winter days. However, nights out in the desert can sometimes drop to below freezing. For household cats who love to seek warmth, staying comfortable during the winter season can be a challenge.

Fortunately for the humans who take care of these heat-seekers, making sure your feline friends stay cozy and comfortable during the winter is no difficult feat. Examine the following tips to keep your cat happy this winter season.

Consider neutering.
Neutering a cat is the only 100% effective form of birth control for felines and therefore helps prevent unwanted pregnancies. What’s more, understanding the importance of spaying or neutering your pet will help prevent certain diseases in your cat, which may affect your furry friend during the winter months.

Keep them indoors.
Not every cat is an indoor cat, but keeping your cat indoors is the only way to ensure they stay safe. This is especially true during the winter months when food is scarce and nights are frigid. With proper stimulation, you can keep your cat entertained all winter long.

Create cozy spaces
Create draft-free nooks around the house to help keep them warm. Pile a blanket in their favorite area and snuggle it with their favorite toy.

Be wary of plants
The winter season is one of the most popular times for flowers and plants. However, certain plants can be dangerous for cats if they ingest any part of the flower or even inhale pollen. These dangerous plants include tulips, peace lilies, and the amaryllis. To keep your kitty safe, be sure to research cat-safe plants before introducing to your home this winter.

As a responsible pet owner, it’s up to you to ensure your furry friend is comfortable throughout the winter months. By following the tips above, you can help keep your cat cozy and safe this winter season.

 

3 Benefits of Getting Your Pet Spayed or Neutered

There are many benefits of spaying or neutering your pet, read more about how this procedure can help your pets in the long run on the AZ PAWS blog

3 Benefits of Getting Your Pet Spayed or Neutered

As a pet owner, you may be familiar with the terms “neuter” and “spay.” However, you may be unfamiliar with the reasons as to why those things are important. Deciding whether or not to have your animal undergo the procedure is probably the biggest decision you will make as a pet owner.

There are a few things you need to consider when you are deciding what to do in terms of neutering and spaying. It’s important to know the benefits of the procedure before you decide to go through with it or not. Here’s what you need to know.

Your Pets May Live Longer
Deciding to spay or neuter your pet allows them to live longer than they would if you didn’t have the procedure done. This may be because deciding to neuter them or spay them may curb hormones that prompt aggression and impulsive sprints out into the street. Going through with the procedure also helps prevent cancer.

 

Spaying and Neutering Can Help Curb Bad Behavior
In young dogs and cats, bad behavior can be unacceptable. Dogs tend to be more aggressive before going to the vet clinic and having the procedure done. Cats tend to mark their territory, so getting them to the clinic at a young age will prevent that from happening. The longer you wait to have this done for any pet, the less chance there is that the procedure will work. If you wait too long, their bad instincts will be ingrained and it’ll be very hard to try and fix the problem. Puppies and kittens can have the procedure done when they are as little as two months old.

 

You’ll Save Money in the Long Run
Going along with spaying and neutering being used as a way to keep your pets healthy, having the procedure done may help save you money as a pet owner. As said in the section about keeping your pet healthy, they have a high risk of being diagnosed with cancer if they aren’t spayed or neutered. If your pet does end up diagnosed with cancer, there will be extreme costs that will come with caring for your animal during that time. You will also have a higher license fee if you don’t choose to spay or neuter your animal. Owners who have unaltered pets have to ultimately pay more than owners with pets who have been through the procedure.

Making the decision to have your pet take the plunge or not can be very difficult. However, choosing to have your pet spayed or neutered can do a lot of positive things for both you and your pet.

 

How to Keep Your Dog Calm When Visiting the Spay and Neuter Clinic

Read about some tips that can help get your dog to the clinic or vet remain calm and peaceful for their visit.

How to Keep Your Dog Calm When Visiting the Spay and Neuter Clinic

As a dog owner, it is up to you to advocate for their health and happiness. Since they can’t speak, you need to stay vigilant in order to ensure their physical and emotional needs are always being met. And while this typically includes a visit or two to the veterinarian office, your pup may not be a fan of this type of field trip. That’s especially true when visiting a spay and neuter clinic, as dogs can easily pick up on their owner’s anxiety and discomfort.

That’s why it is all too common for pets to feel anxious when the time comes to visit the clinic. They may not know what’s in store, but they know that something is happening. For the sake of your pet’s health and happiness, here are some tried and true strategies for keeping dogs calm while visiting a veterinarian office.

 

• Get them used to the car

Some pets only go in the car when they go to the vet, so they begin to associate car rides with stress and fear. Get rid of the anxiety by taking them on regular car rides around the block or to the dog park, and always end these trips with a treat. Soon, they won’t be so nervous to jump in the car and go exploring with you.

• Practice on your pet

Just like human beings, many animals are afraid of the unknown. Unfamiliar people, places, and especially smells can instantly raise a dog’s anxiety levels. This can easily be bypassed by practicing some treatments on your pet so they aren’t completely uncomfortable at the vet. Here’s one idea for making your pooch more comfortable with vet care: regularly brush their teeth at home. Dental care for pets is especially important, but 65% of pet owners don’t brush their pet’s teeth at all. Simply touching their mouth and getting them used to the sensation of a brush can calm them down before their next medical appointment.

• Stay calm

Dogs have an incredible ability to read emotions in body language and faces, and they will easily pick up on what you’re feeling if you’re nervous. While visiting dog spay and neuter clinics may be stressful for you as a pet owner, it’s important not to show it. The second you show tension in your voice or body language, your furry friend will immediately feel distressed. However, that doesn’t mean you should overcompensate with baby talk and big smiles. To make your dog feel calm, try and act as normal as possible.

Going to AZPAWS doesn’t have to be traumatic for you or your pet. Simply follow these tips and both of you will be all smiles throughout the entire appointment.

 

Summer Loving: The Case for Spaying or Neutering Your Animal Today

There are good reasons for spaying and neutering your pet. Read more about why summer is an important season for pets on our blog.

Summer Loving: The Case for Spaying or Neutering Your Animal Today
Summer is one of the busiest times for animal shelters. That is because the number of both kittens and puppy births peaks sharply during the summer.

Many pet owners are diligent about having their animal companion spayed or neutered, with 86% of pet dogs and 90% of pet cats having been spayed or neutered between 2015 and 2016, according to an American Pet Products Association survey. Still, some animal professionals working in animal shelters and spay clinics say there is a problem.

The problem is that both cats and dogs are prodigious reproducers. Without a trip to the spay clinic, a dog can have two litters per year, with each litter being between six and ten puppies.

Cats that have not been to the spay clinic are even more prone to reproduction in the summer, as the longer days trigger their heat cycle. Cat’s can also give birth far more often than dogs, even being able to become pregnant while nursing their previous litter.

Unfortunately, overcrowding is not the only challenge that Arizona animal shelters face during the summer. The high heats are expensive to keep at bay, especially as the number of animals in the clinic surge higher.

As a result of this, many of the animals are shipped off to other clinics in northern states simply to escape the heat and overcrowding. Clinics might also opt for a special, no-fee adoption day. But even those measures aren’t perfect fixes.

Older animals in shelters are particularly likely to suffer from the overcrowding of animal shelters. Many times, older animals will be neglected and fail to find homes, as people looking to adopt are typically attracted towards younger animals. That means many of these older animals never have the second chance at happiness that they so richly deserve.

The biggest problem is that many times, it isn’t an act of malice that puts animals in this situation, but an act of ignorance. Not understanding the importance of spaying and neutering early can result in hundreds more animals ending up in shelters or living on the street.

That is why it is so crucial for pet owners to do everything in their power to see that their animals are properly sterilized.

AZPAWS is the spay and neuter clinic Phoenix AZ Trusts. If you have questions about the importance of spaying or neutering your pet, or pet safety, contact us today.

The Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering

The benefits of spaying and neutering are even more important for your pet’s health. Read more about why on our blog.

The Health Benefits of Spaying and Neutering

While it is widely known that spaying and neutering your pets is important, there are many people who still do not understand this procedure and its benefits. The confusion is understandable, but unfortunately, it can lead to serious issues down the line.

In order to help you understand all of the positive benefits that happen when you spay and neuter your pets, we have written this little post. We will be highlighting direct benefits that you can expect for your pet after a trip to the spay and neuter clinic.

• Less apt to roam

Every pet owner knows the fear when your cat or dog gets out of the house unrestricted. After all, 2 million dogs and 5.4 million cats are thought to be killed on the road each year in the United States.

But few people know that properly spaying or neutering their pet can help to reduce their urge to roam, meaning that if your pet does try an escape act, they will likely stay within a short distance. As a result, it’s much more likely that you will discover them before anything bad can happen.

• Lower Cancer Risk

Few people realize that sterilizing their pet can greatly reduce the risk of certain types of cancer. In female pets, there is a smaller risk of mammary gland tumors and ovarian and uterine cancers, especially if you have her spayed before her first heat cycle as SoayUSA.org recommends. For male pets, you no longer have to worry about testicular cancer, and additionally, prostate cancer becomes less likely.

• Longer Life

The end result of having your animals sterilized is that they will live longer, healthier lives. In fact, it can add one to three years to the life expectancy of your dog and between three and five for your cat.

 

That means you and your loved ones have more time to bond and enjoy the company of your animal companion. And what could be more important?

There are many good reasons to spay and neuter your pets. Not only does it help maintain and improve your animal’s health, but it also helps to combat the overpopulation of cats and dogs in the United States.

Caring For Your Pet After Their Spaying Or Neutering Procedure

Caring For Your Pet After Their Spaying Or Neutering Procedure

The importance of spaying or neutering your pet cannot be understated, as it benefits both your animal and the other animals in your community. Puppies and kittens can be spayed or neutered when they are two-months-old, and once they undergo this procedure, it is important that you care for them properly. Once you bring your animal home from their procedure, be sure to follow these important post-care tips.

• Keep your pet inside. While your pet is recovering from surgery, try to keep them in the house as often as possible. This makes it easier for you to keep an eye on them and prevents them from running around too much. Excessive activity could harm the incision site.

• Make sure your pet is wearing their e-collar if they are licking the incision. device will keep them from licking their incision, so be sure that they are wearing it. If your pet is appears to not be getting used to their e-collar, consider an inflatable version.

• Watch them closely for the first few days. Right after surgery, your pet may be dizzy or off-balance while the anesthesia wears off. Walk behind them when they go up the stairs and try to keep them off the furniture. Practicing basic pet safety will keep them from stumbling and falling while they regain their normal function.

• Check your pet’s incision. Be sure to check your pet’s incision site twice per day to ensure that it is healing well. Spay and neuter incisions, much like any surgical site, can be at risk for infection. If you notice any redness, swelling, or puss, call your vet right away.

• Call the vet if you suspect a problem. Once you leave the spay and neuter clinic, be sure to keep your vet in the loop. If you have any concerns about your pet’s healing or behavior, do not hesitate to call. We are here to answer any of your questions or recommend a follow-up appointment.

You understand importance of spaying or neutering your pet, but it is important to also know they importance of their healing. By following pet healthcare best practices, you can help your pet heal as quickly as possible. They will be running around the backyard again in no time at all.

 

Caring for your pet after they have been spayed or neutered is important. Read about our health care tips on our blog.