As a pet owner, it is important to be prepared. When it comes to your pet’s well-being, it’s always better to have a pet first-aid kit (and not need it), than the other way around. Emergencies typically happen when we least expect them, and being able to act quickly can make all the difference. The Parkside Animal Hospital team wants to empower all pet owners to acquire all the necessary supplies and know the basics of pet first-aid. 

While dogs are very intelligent, they don’t go from zero to trained in a day. Some breeds are more eager to learn and listen than others, but all have the capability of learning various commands. Working diligently with your dog on some basic commands will help establish your relationship as one of trust, obedience, and boundaries. 

As we head into the summer, certain pests like ticks become more prevalent in our wooded areas. The beautiful weather makes it hard to avoid the outdoors with our pets, but the increased risk for ticks makes it more important to be vigilant. Lyme disease in dogs is a serious infection that could cause significant health issues. Keep reading to learn more about this disease and how to spot it:

We all want our furry family members to be healthy and live long, happy lives. Thankfully, with proactive pet wellness care and modern veterinary medicine, Parkside Animal Hospital is more equipped than ever to deliver on this. Keep reading to learn about pet vaccines and what role they play in keeping your beloved four-legged family safe and healthy. 

Cats are known for being cuddly, curious, and downright cute, and at Parkside Animal Hospital, we love helping you keep your felines healthy and happy throughout their lives. We are a certified Cat Friendly Practice®, which means we strive to always give your cats the least stressful experience possible, whether you’re here for a routine preventive care visit, or something more complex like a surgical procedure. Your cat’s comfort is always our number one priority! 

Cold and flu season is here, and while you can’t pass your “people cold” onto your dog, he can still catch a case of the canine sniffles. 

Dog health is important to us at Parkside Animal Hospital, and we’re here to help diagnose your dog’s symptoms so that you know if it’s just a common cold virus or something more serious. 

The holiday season tends to be a time of overindulgence, and Parkside Animal Hospital knows that pets are not exempt from the festivities. For our animal friends, overeating can definitely cause a few problems other than an expanding waistline, though. Learn all about pancreatitis in pets and how you can avoid it this year.

Are your dog’s days punctuated by bouts of intense scratching or sneezing? If so, he might have allergies. Experts estimate that nearly 20 percent of dogs will develop an allergy to something over the course of their lifetimes, and at Parkside Animal Hospital,  we take dermatology and pet allergies very seriously. Dr. Bertrand, Dr. Holden, or Dr. Hansford will inspect your pet’s skin at every preventive care visit, but please contact us between appointments if you suspect that your pet has an allergy. 

Parasites are common concerns for pet owners, and sometimes, in spite of our best efforts, these nasty little pests take up residence on our pets. When they do, they cause extreme discomfort, spread diseases, and inflict damage to the skin. 

Part of our pet preventive care at Parkside Animal Hospital is recommending safe, effective parasite protection for our patients at every wellness visit. 

Use this guide between appointments to help you spot and remove external parasites.

Here at Parkside Animal Hospital, we are a certified Cat Friendly Practice®, and we are very proud of that certification. So what exactly does that mean for the care of your cats? 

The American Association of Feline Practitioners awards a certification of Cat Friendly Practice® to veterinary practices who meet a list of specific criteria. Overall, it means that we take the comfort and care of your feline family members very seriously, and strive to give them the most low-stress experience possible at our practice.