The heat brings serious health risks for pets, but Best Friends Veterinary Care wants your pets to be cool cats—and dogs—rather than hot dogs—and cats—this summer. Read on to learn how to keep your pets safe in the summer heat and sun. Heat stress risk factors for pets When the summer heat strikes, prevent pet [...]

So, you finally decided to book that long overdue vacation and thought, “What better companion for a getaway than my best furry friend?” Traveling with your pet can be a great idea, so long as you consider all the pros and cons. At Best Friends Veterinary Care, we know a thing or two about traveling [...]

As warmer weather encourages plants to begin their mad growth spurt, pollen fills the air, and makes many allergy sufferers miserable. Sneezing and rubbing at itchy, red, watery eyes is the norm for people who have a seasonal allergy to the many pollen types that appear during the spring growing season. And, your furry pal [...]

According to the American Heartworm Society, more than one million pets in the United States are diagnosed with heartworm disease each year. This deadly but preventable disease has been confirmed in all 50 states, spreading beyond its once southern borders and expanding north and westward. This growing threat is most likely caused by the transportation [...]

March is National Pet Poison Prevention Month, which is a reminder that your pet’s inquisitive nature can be a recipe for disaster as they explore all the surprisingly dangerous substances in your home, garage, and yard. Our team at Best Friends Veterinary Care is on a mission to help prevent common pet poisonings, by urging [...]

Few people enjoy going to the dentist—between 50% and 80% experience some form of anxiety or phobia. Combine that natural dread with your love for your pet and a fear of anesthesia, and you can easily see why many pet owners avoid scheduling their pet’s veterinary dental cleaning. Unfortunately, neglecting your pet’s oral health can [...]

Short-headed. Flat-nosed. Smush-faced. Many terms are used to describe popular dog and cat breeds with short muzzles and rounded heads. The correct term for these pets is “brachycephalic,” which essentially translates to short (brachy-) head (cephalic). While many dogs and cats have a traditional, elongated muzzle, brachycephalic pets have a flatter face and nose, giving [...]

When you think of food poisoning, you might have flashbacks to when you had horrible gastrointestinal upset because you ate some spoiled food. Did you know, though, that food poisoning in pets looks much different? Sure, pets can get sick from eating contaminated food, but what happens when they eat something that their bodies cannot [...]

The cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) is an important stabilizer in the knee, and ligament tears are common orthopedic injuries seen in pets. If left untreated, significant consequences can occur, but techniques are available to repair damaged CCLs. Our team at Best Friends Veterinary Care provides information about this concerning injury, and options to repair the [...]

What defines a pet emergency? When your pet is sick or painful, you naturally feel that they deserve immediate treatment. However, if they are stable, many conditions can wait to be addressed at a scheduled appointment during normal business hours. Best Friends Veterinary Care triages incoming appointments by severity, to care for life-threatening emergencies as [...]