Without a doubt, there’s a unique bond between kids and pets. From teaching empathy and social skills to encouraging physical activity, there are a number of ways pets can be good for children. In fact, most kids and their pets are best friends for life.

However, while kids and pets may be a natural match, that doesn’t mean you should leave them to their own devices. Accidents happen, even among the most well-behaved children and animals, so it’s important to take steps to ensure that all interactions are happy and safe.

It’s hard to resist the pleading eyes or imploring whines from your furry best friend – especially when you’re eating or preparing something utterly scrumptious. While it may be your natural inclination to share the best things in life with your pet, giving them certain people foods can have terrible consequences. The good news is that you can avoid a pet poisoning and still shower them with love with healthy alternatives.

You’ve talked to your family and you’re ready to adopt a new pet! Of course, your first thought is to check out your local shelter, and we couldn’t agree more. Shelters and rescue organizations have many loving and wonderful pets of every size, shape, and personality just waiting for their forever home.

But adopting a shelter pet is most successful if a little planning and preparation takes place before you set foot in the actual building. So let Parkside Animal Hospital be your guide as you begin to navigate adopting a shelter pet.

Some cat owners grapple with the decision to restrict their cat’s exposure to the outside world. Many cats face early mortality or life-threatening injuries each year, so keeping them on the right side of the threshold is the safest choice. However, despite the fact that an indoor-only lifestyle is for their own good, it can feel like you’re limiting their opportunities for happiness. Luckily, with a little creativity and commitment, you can still keep them safe and cater to their needs.

Dogs are such amazing pets. They’re cute, fun to be with, and absolutely lovable. But even the most well-behaved dogs can have some pretty unsavory habits. Drinking out of the toilet, humping, and butt scooting top the list of potentially confusing behaviors, but poop eating (also known as coprophagia) takes the cake. If your dog eats poop, there could be specific reasons why they do it. The good news? There are ways to get past this habit.

The holidays may be winding down, but we still have plenty of time to feel grateful and reflect on the wonderful, exciting and fulfilling year it has been here at Parkside Animal Hospital. We’re truly lucky to be a part of the North Bay pet care community.

Our weekly educational blog is fun to write, and we’re even happier that it seems to be fun for you to read. Each year we take a look at the most popular blog posts, and share them with you, here. So without further ado, here are Parkside Animal Hospital’s top 5 most read pet care blogs of 2018.

Similar to humans, pets suffer from various age-related illnesses. When we make it our goal to promote senior pet health, we can prevent diseases that threaten longevity and quality of life in our furry aging friends. In other words, early detection makes a huge difference when it comes to effective treatment. For the owners of senior pets, this means more time together – what could be better than that?

We all love our pets, and keeping them healthy and pain-free is a top priority. However, it’s not always easy to tell if our pet is not feeling well, due to a basic survival instinct – and of course, the fact that they don’t have language to tell us how they feel.

Luckily, there are subtle signs that can alert you to when your pet is in pain. This is a lesson we all want to learn, so we can help our beloved furry family members feel better quickly.

Canada made history this year when the Senate approved Bill C-45, also known as the Cannabis Act. This sweeping legislation paves the way for the legal possession, production, and sale of recreational marijuana for people over the age of eighteen. It also makes Canada the first wealthy nation in the world to fully legalize marijuana (medicinal marijuana has been legal since 2001).

While marijuana enthusiasts are understandably pleased with this new law, pet owners must take care to prioritize their pets’ safety when it comes to marijuana. At Parkside Animal Hospital, we want to make sure our valued readers understand the risks involved when it comes to pot and pets.

Although we don’t like to think about it, emergencies can and do come up, especially when you own a pet. In those situations, it’s a great comfort to have a basic understanding of pet first aid as well as a well-stocked pet first aid kit.

If you’re prepared to respond to an accident, you can administer first aid to stabilize your pet until you can get to our office or the nearest emergency clinic. Remember that Parkside Animal Hospital is always here to help you navigate a pet emergency. You can call us with specific questions any time, but always come in right away if you’re worried about your pet.

Here, we’ll show you what you need in your pet first aid kit.