Jeffrey Weber

Imagine being at your veterinarian's office because your furry friend is feeling a little under the weather. You're expecting a fairly benign diagnosis, perhaps a viral infection requiring a few days of antibiotics and your pet will feel in the pink again. Then the veterinarian comes into the examination room and tells you the tests came back positive for cancer.

Many people consider their pet to be a close friend or a member of the family. For many pet owners their pet may be the only family they have. These pet owners know the incredible pain and sense of loss when their beloved pet passes. In this article we will discuss ways to cope with those feelings.

Our pets are important to us. For many people pets are friends, companions and family members. A pet may be the only family some people have. We care for them, feed them, take care of their health and daily needs and in return we are rewarded with loyalty and unconditional love. Sadly, there are times when pets become seriously ill and tough decisions must be made on their behalf by the pet parent.

By now many of you reading this have heard of the benefits, both emotional and physical of having a pet in your life. Perhaps you have even personally experienced some of these effects yourself, how when you are petting a soft purring kitten or throwing a ball for a dog whose tail wags in pure joy things just seem a little better, you relax and smile and all of the days troubles seem to melt away.

Recently, a series of reports were released by the medical community regarding zoonotic diseases and the risks involved for pet owners. Some of these reports bordered on near hysteria. How much of the hype was the medical community and how much was the media feeding on public reaction is difficult to assess. While zoonotic disease is a concern and should be addressed, the reality of the situation is that you are more likely to contract an illness from another person than you are from your pet.

With the recent earthquake in Japan, the fires in Australia last summer followed by the horrific floods, of we are made aware of how devastating natural disasters can be for people, but it has the same effect for our beloved pets. In the event of an emergency, whether something as large as a natural disaster or as focused as a house fire are you prepared to take care of not only yourself and your family, but your pets as well?

Even though Microchip pet identification has been safely used for several years now there are still misconceptions regarding its use. Because of this many veterinarians and humane societies have ongoing programs in an effort to educate pet owners about the value of having their pets microchipped. Here, we will address some of the misconceptions and misinformation concerning microchip identification.

Hyperadrenocorticism, more commonly known as Cushing's disease is relatively common in our pets. Although it generally affects dogs more often it is an issue for cats as well. Unfortunately, many pet owners are not aware of this disease until their pet has been diagnosed with it.