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Educational Articles

  • Urine scalding of grass is due to the nitrogen in your dog's urine. Nitrogen is a by-product of protein breakdown and is a normal component of your dog's urine. A bit of nitrogen acts as a food source for plants, such as in fertilizer, but too much will burn the grass. It is not related to the pH of the urine. You can reduce burning by encouraging your dog to drink water to dilute the urine, thereby diluting the nitrogen. It is not recommended to restrict protein from your dog. Watering the grass after your dog urinates or training your dog to urinate in specific locations away from your lawn are the only ways to prevent the problem.

  • UroMAXX is a supplement used to support bladder and kidney function in cats and dogs. It has been used to support the treatment of urinary tract infections in cats and dogs. UroMAXX comes in oral chewable and liquid drop forms. It is used “off label” or “extra label”.

  • Treats are a wonderful way to provide positive reinforcement to your dog during a training session. Choose low-calorie foods such as green beans, carrots, and watermelon. Avoid foods that are potentially harmful such as chocolate, garlic, onions, raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, and products that may have xylitol. Limit high-calorie treats and keep treats within 10% of your dog's total daily calorie intake. Keeping training sessions short and engaging while providing appropriate foods as treats can be a wonderful way to strengthen the human-animal bond.

  • Dogs have dietary requirements for water, energy, and many essential nutrients, but they do not have a requirement for any specific ingredient. Animal-derived ingredients are typically highly digestible and usually have essential nutrients important to dogs in higher amounts than plant-derived ingredients. However, if properly formulated and tested, plant-based diets such as vegetarian diets can provide all the essential nutrients dogs require. It is recommended that you choose a complete and balanced diet that was formulated by a pet nutrition expert and underwent feeding trials.

  • Veggiedent® is a brand of oral hygiene chews for dogs. Oral hygiene chews are often recommended by veterinarians to help prevent or delay the formation of dental plaque and calculus build-up on your pet’s teeth. Veggiedent® can be given by mouth once daily or as directed by your veterinarian.

  • Combining alternative medical therapies, either with other alternative therapies or with more conventional treatments, may improve a patient's health or speed the healing of disease. However, combined incorrectly, these same therapies have the potential to interfere with healing or cause serious health consequences. Veterinary practitioners trained in acupuncture, herbal therapy, and homeopathy are the best sources of information on what conventional and alternative treatments will combine well and which ones should not be used together.

  • Too much vitamin A can lead to poisoning. While somewhat uncommon in North America, vitamin A toxicity is sometimes diagnosed in dogs that are fed primarily table scraps. It takes a long time for the clinical signs associated with vitamin A toxicity to develop; symptoms do not usually appear until the dog is at least middle-aged.

  • Vitamin B complex injectable is a solution containing multiple forms of Vitamin B, which are used together to prevent or treat Vitamin B deficiencies. These vitamins promote good overall health for your pet and regulate certain processes in the body. Vitamin B complex injectable comes as a solution for injection either under the skin or into the muscle.

  • Vitamin C injectable is a vitamin supplement used as an antioxidant to help treat certain toxicity syndromes or to create a more acidic urine in dogs and cats. It is also used in guinea pigs to treat scurvy. Vitamin C injectable comes as a solution for injection either under the skin or into the muscle. Injections may be given by veterinary personnel or at home by pet owners.

  • Vitamin D poisoning occurs when a dog ingests a toxic dose of vitamin D. A common source of vitamin D poisoning is when a dog accidentally ingests rodenticides containing vitamin D. Another source of vitamin D poisoning is the accidental ingestion of certain human medications.