By Special Guest Expert, Jennifer Fry, DVM A recent nationwide survey showed that while owners are overwhelmingly compliant with rabies vaccinations for their pets, some may not fully understand the disease. The survey — conducted by WMS Marketing Services for Merial — found that 94% of dog owners and 75% of cat owners kept...
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Rabies – What You Don’t Know CAN Hurt You
Seizures and Epilepsy
By Jean Hofve, DVM There are few things more frightening than witnessing your cat or dog having a full-blown seizure—falling down, paddling with its paws, maybe even barking or yowling. Seizures are the result of an abnormal burst of electrical signals from the brain. Possible causes include toxic substances, electrolyte imbalances or abnormalities, head...
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Slippery Elm
By Jean Hofve, DVM As you may know, it is potentially dangerous to give herbs to pets, especially cats. Many people commonly extrapolate a dose of hebs by using the pet’s weight compared to the “standard” 150-pound human. A large dog, however, has a comparatively slow metabolism, while a small dog’s rapid heart rate...
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Spaying and Neutering
By Jean Hofve, DVM About 4 million “excess” dogs and cats will be killed in shelters this year. By being a responsible caregiver and sterilizing your companion animals, you avoid contributing to this terrible problem of pet overpopulation. Unsterilized (intact) cats usually find a way to get out and breed. Then, even if you...
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The “Dangers” of a Raw Diet
By Jean Hofve, DVM Many proponents tout the benefits of feeding meat raw to our our carnivorous feline and canine companions. But most veterinarians and self-styled “experts” claim that raw diets are highly dangerous to everyone in the household. So who’s right? The bacteria Salmonella is frequently implicated as a major danger from feeding...
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The Importance of the Annual Veterinary Examination
By Jean Hofve, DVM With the current controversy surrounding annual vaccinations, many people are electing to have their pets get fewer vaccines. This has led to the assumption that they do not need to bring them in for an annual examination. However, even if your pet is not getting any vaccines, it is still...
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The Right Weight Loss Program for Cats!
By Jean Hofve, DVM A reader recently emailed us to ask how she could help her cat lose weight. Indeed, obesity is a serious problem for our feline friends. Many serious health problems can result from obesity, such as arthritis, diabetes, liver disease, heart failure, and kidney disease. In most feline cases, obesity occurs...
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Traveling with Cats
By Jean Hofve, DVM I’ve had lots of experience traveling and moving cats by car; we’ve gone back and forth from California to Colorado (about a 22 hour car trip) 7 times over the years. I’ve learned a lot about traveling with cats (and more than I ever wanted to know about moving!) that...
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Urinary Tract Disorders in Cats
By Jean Hofve, DVM Few conditions strike greater fear into the heart of a cat guardian than “urinary tract problems.” Myths and misinformation abound, and many people know at least one other person who has a cat with this problem–or who has lost a cat because of it. “Feline lower urinary tract disorders” (commonly...
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Vaccination
By Jean Hofve, DVM Vaccination is an ongoing controversy in veterinary medicine today. Veterinary schools and specialty organizations are promoting fewer vaccines at longer intervals, while many practitioners stubbornly cling to their annual booster schedules. Who’s right, and what’s the truth? The Science Behind Vaccines As a responsible pet caretaker, you probably take your...
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Water Water Everywhere, but What’s a Cat to Drink?
By Jean Hofve, DVM Everyone is familiar with the 3 basic nutrient categories: protein, fat and carbohydrate. But there is a 4th nutrient that’s just as important (or more!), yet it is usually overlooked by most guardians and even veterinarians—water! Our bodies (our cats’ too!) are 2/3 water, but You may know that two-thirds...
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West Nile Virus and Cats
By Jean Hofve, DVM Spring is just around the corner, and with it comes a new crop of mosquitoes and, potentially, a new round of West Nile Virus. This virus, previously been found in Africa, Eastern Europe, West Asia, and the Middle East, arrived in the U.S. in 1999. Similar viruses are found in...
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Why Cats Need Canned Food
By Jean Hofve, DVM Cats are true carnivores, requiring a meat-based diet for optimal health. Their natural diet is prey such as rodents, lizards, insects, and birds. These prey consist primarily of water, protein and fat, with less than 10% carbohydrate (starch, sugar and fiber) content. Cats are exquisitely adapted to utilize fat and...
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Why Did My Cat Pee Outside the Litterbox?
By Jean Hofve, DVM Spirit at age 20…her creaky old joints made it hard for her to access the litter box. Spirit Essences were named for her! House-soiling, or inappropriate elimination, is a common and frustrating cat behavior problem. It’s the most frequent behavioral reason for cats losing their homes by relinquishment...
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Why Fix What Isn’t Broken?
By Special Guest Columnist, Russell Louie – Optimum Choices, LLC We are happy to welcome our guest author, Russell Louie, and his thought-provoking article on preventative holistic medicine. Do you wait for symptoms to blow up or show up before taking action? A customer was using the maintenance formula of our BioPreparation product for...
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Does Dry Food Clean the Teeth?
By Jean Hofve, DVM Let’s get this one straight once and for all: dry food does not clean your cat’s teeth! In fact, dry food really has no benefits for the cat. It is merely a convenience for the guardian. If you haven’t already read Why Cats Need Canned Food and 10 Reasons Why Dry...
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Dental Care for Cats
By Jean Hofve, DVM February is National Pet Dental Health Month! How much do you know about your cat’s dental health? Well, here’s a little refresher for you! The normal adult cat has 30 very sharp, highly specialized teeth. In the wild, these teeth would perform a variety of tasks such as grooming (the...
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Decorating the Air?
By Jean Hofve, DVM Note: This article first appeared in our newsletter several years ago, but the topic has become even more important, with another article in the New York Times and a report from the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) about hidden toxins in air fresheners. In addition, according to How Stuff Works,...
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Cats and Immune-compromised People
By Jean Hofve, DVM It’s not so unusual any more for people to have serious immune system problems. People who are taking steroids or other immunosuppressive drugs such as gold salts, cyclosporine, or azothiaprine; are pregnant; who have had an organ transplant; are undergoing radiation or chemotherapy; have an immune-related disease such as HIV/AIDS;...
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Catnip
By Jackson Galaxy Catnip has a powerful attraction for many cats. They will pounce on it, roll around in it, chew and eat it. Some cats will sit in a big pile of the dried herb and simply drool, eyes glazed over, while others get completely hyper for a while, running laps throughout the...
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BioSuperfood for Super Health
By Dr. Jean Hofve There are a zillion products out there that make marvelous claims about how they will improve your animal companion’s health. Many of these claims are exaggerated, and sometimes so fantastic that they seem too good to be true–and usually, they are! However, several years ago we discovered a product that...
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Before You Get a Kitten…
By Dr. Jean Hofve Kittens have a way of turning up when you least expect them! If a kitten has appeared in your life, or if you’re getting the urge to add a new feline family member, it’s smart to consider these important issues! (And don’t forget that there are millions of wonderful, healthy...
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Arthritis in Cats
By Dr. Jean Hofve Studies have shown that 30% of cats over 8 years of age, and a stunning 90% of cats over 12 years of age, have arthritis. These figures should give the veterinary community, which doesn’t give nearly as much thought to arthritis in cats as it does to dogs, something to...
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Animals with Special Needs
By Special Guest Columnist: Claudia Hehr* Animals are the most wonderful and precious friends we can ever have or wish for. But sometimes those wonderful friends have or can develop a special need. A cat, dog, or any animal can develop special needs at any time. Those special needs can be visible or invisible,...
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Allergic to Cats?
By Jackson Galaxy and Jean Hofve, DVM Millions of people are allergic to cats. Symptoms range from eye irritation to potentially life-threatening asthma attacks. One can develop an allergy at any age. Allergies most commonly develop to proteins. Cat allergens are proteins that are shed in saliva, skin secretions, and to some extent in...
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Aromatherapy and Essential Oils for Pets
By Russell Louie – Optimum Choices, LLC There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the use of aromatherapy with animals, especially smaller pets like cats, birds, and “pocket pets” like gerbils and hamsters. Our friend Russell Louie of Optimum Choices has written a comprehensive paper on the subject, and we are very pleased...
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Skin & Coat Problems in Cats
Is your cat “going bald?” There are many reasons why a cat might lose fur, but in a lot of cases, it’s because the cat is overgrooming: chewing the hair and breaking it off, or pulling it out completely. Those 12 tiny incisor teeth between your cat’s canines are designed for grooming, and under...
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Kibble-Cancer Link Explained
Experts implicate dry food in the development of cancer in pets.
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Spring Bulbs = Dangerous Toxins
Many plants are toxic when eaten, but particularly bulbs. In the best case, only the bulb is a problem, and mainly causes irritation in the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Typical signs are drooling, vomiting, abdominal pain, or in severe cases, respiratory or cardiac abnormalities. In the worst case--lilies--every part of the plant is toxic,...
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