From the day we bring our pets home, we want to do everything we can to ensure they stay healthy and happy. While basic needs like food, water, and shelter are enough to get by, pets thrive—and live longer—when they have excellent physical, mental, and social care. While not an exhaustive list, here are some [...]
While all puppies are cute, well-behaved, polite puppies are the cutest, but your puppy needs training to understand appropriate behavior, and how to mind their manners. Our team at Town and Country Animal Hospital wants to help. We provide pointers to teach your puppy how to be polite, so they will become a well-behaved, confident [...]
Your pet explores their environment with their nose and mouth, and they occasionally inhale an irritant, resulting in coughing to clear the material. Other, more serious conditions, can also cause pets to cough. Our team at Town and Country Animal Hospital provides information on why pets cough, and when you should be concerned. Coughing types [...]
Alabama’s hot, humid summers put pets at increased risk for heatstroke, which can result in life-threatening consequences for pets. Our team at Town and Country Animal Hospital, PC wants to provide information about this veterinary emergency to help you protect your four-legged friend. Heatstroke in pets Pets don’t sweat like humans do, and must rely [...]
Dogs need to do dog things, such as sniffing, chewing, foraging, barking, digging, and playing, to be emotionally fulfilled. Enrichment activities provide your dog the opportunity to perform these natural behaviors, to ensure their physical and psychological needs are satisfied. Six enrichment categories are important for a dog’s wellbeing. Social enrichment — This type provides [...]
Nobody wants to be left behind, including your pet. But, dogs and cats can’t explain their feelings in a greeting card or a tearful speech—instead their reactions are often mistaken for bad behavior, failed house training, or vengeance. This misunderstanding often leads well-intentioned owners to seek corrective training rather than veterinary care, thus failing to [...]
Some age-related changes in pets are easy to identify because they are similar to ours, including vision loss, “selective hearing,” frequent naps, and a shuffling gait. Other signs may be less noticeable, or hard to distinguish from normal dog or cat behavior, but may signal a significant change in your pet’s health. Knowing what to [...]
Is your pooch looking pudgy, or your cat a bit curvaceous? They’re not alone—nearly 60 percent of U.S. pets are considered overweight. That amounts to 56 million cats and 50 million dogs. Unfortunately, there’s no safety in numbers—extra pounds increase your pet’s risk for cancer, arthritis, kidney disease, and other devastating conditions. The team at [...]
Does your dog pump the brakes when you arrive at Town and Country Animal Hospital? Is your cat covered in stress-induced bodily fluids when you extract them from their carrier? Do you put off your pet’s preventive care when they seem healthy, simply to avoid the stress and anxiety caused by a trip to the [...]
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), about 25 percent of U.S. households have at least one cat. Considering the multitude of benefits they provide, it’s no wonder so many favor felines. From kittenhood to their grey whisker years, cats entertain you with their feisty antics, calm you with their gentle purring, and teach [...]
