Did you know? According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, more than half of the pets in the United States are overweight or obese.

Overweight pets are at risk for a variety of health problems, including skin infections, high blood pressure, heart disease, immune suppression, diabetes, orthopedic and arthritic disorders, and even some forms of cancer, as well as increased surgical and anesthetic risk.

We all love to indulge around the holidays, especially when it comes to food. Unfortunately, tossing your pet table scraps as a “treat” can cause unnecessary upset to their digestive system. Read our recommendations before including fido or fluffy at the dinner table this year. Your pet’s tummy will thank you!

Taking your dog or cat to their vet appointment can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what to expect. Here are some helpful questions we suggest you ask at your next appointment:

While there is far more research performed for the benefit of humans than for pets, we know that much of the initial research into human disease and pharmaceuticals is performed using animals; therefore, we learn about them as a side effect.

In the veterinary field, many of the therapeutics we use to treat disease come from human medicine, at least initially. The treatment of cancer is no exception, and in fact, some cancer treatments derived from human medicine have worked well for animals. Others, however, have not.

Hippocrates said, “Let medicine be your food and food be your medicine.”

Food therapy is the practice of using different foods and herbs to treat pets based on genetic tendencies, age, species, environment, personality, stress level and disease patterns.

We know it can be an icky subject to talk about- but there is a lot about your pet’s stool that can be an indicator of their health. Not only is it important to monitor what goes into their body, but it is also necessary to keep an eye on what’s coming out.

Not everyone has time to cook meals for their dog, but with a little effort, you could try adding some healthy toppers to their dry food that you already give them! Here are the top 5 foods we suggest to give a try: