While cupid armed with love, targets human hearts, mosquitoes armed with heartworm larvae aim at dog hearts.  With the number of mosquitoes in this area, dogs face a severe risk of being infected with deadly heartworms.  An infected mosquito bites the dog, injecting heartworm larvae under the skin.  The larvae mature under the skin and then travel to the heart and the arteries in the lungs.  Approximately 6-9 months after being deposited under the skin, the fertilized female worms begin to pr...

“Does my dog really need his teeth cleaned?”
 

That depends!  Some pets never need a dental cleaning, while others need frequent dental care.  As a general rule, dogs that are smaller, older, on moist diets or that have crowded teeth need the most dental care.  In regards to dental health, there is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.  Providing you have a well mannered dog, lift the upper lips and examine the mouth.  The Good: A healthy mouth has white, clean, firm teeth and healthy pink (or ...

It’s time we became aware of a preventable, life threatening disease of our dogs.  Lyme disease is transmitted by the Ixodes tick (black leg tick) which is very common in our area.  The immature tick acquires the bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) from a carrier such as a mouse or bird, and becomes infected for life.   Then when that same tick attaches to a dog (or rarely a cat, horse or human) and remains attached for a minimum of 18 hours, it can transmit the infection.  Symptoms of Lyme dis...