Posts in Category: Pet Health & Wellness

Congratulations on your new puppy or kitten! At Bowman Veterinary Hospital, we believe that proper wellness care begins at a young age, and in your pet’s first year of life, he or she will need multiple vet visits to become properly immunized against serious, but preventable diseases.

If you have questions about dog vaccines or cat vaccines, read on! Our team has put together some general guidelines to help you prepare for your newest addition’s upcoming vaccinations.

Depending on where you sit, the great debate concerning “Frito feet” could be either completely acceptable or annoyingly off-putting.  If you have no idea what we’re talking about, you probably don’t own a dog! 

Even the most well-groomed dogs are covered in fungi and bacteria, some of which can result in a conspicuous paw odor that slightly resembles corn chips. Frito feet can be a real drag, but usually isn’t a cause for concern.

If you’ve been a cat owner for any length of time, you’ve likely cleaned up your fair share of hairballs. For the most part, hairballs are harmless—if a bit uncomfortable for the cat and inconvenient for the owner. But before you brush aside any cat cough as “just another hairball,” it’s important to be aware that a coughing kitty may have a more serious medical condition that warrants attention. 

There’s a lot to love about summer, but a pet’s noise anxiety isn’t usually on the list of favorite things. Long stretches of beautiful, sunny days, time spent on the water, or going camping can quickly spiral into a frightening experience for a pet unaccustomed to thunderstorms or fireworks (both of which occur with some frequency between May and September). Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with some effective strategies to keep your pet’s noise anxiety at bay. 

When a pet is not well, it can be a stressful time. While our staff at Bowman Veterinary Hospital likes to think we are pretty good at helping animals, the truth is that a lot of caring for a sick pet falls on your shoulders as their guardian. 

If only our pets could talk! Knowing when a dog or cat is sick isn’t always easy. Pets are notoriously good at masking symptoms of medical conditions. By the time a sick dog or sick cat displays obvious signs of feeling under the weather, it’s likely he’s been ailing for quite some time. 

If you’ve noticed some grey on the muzzle of your best furry friend, you may be coming to the realization that they are getting older. Aging in pets sometimes happens before we know it! And although some conditions tend to present themselves with age, it’s important to remember that age itself is not a disease. 

If we meet their health needs, pets can still enjoy an active lifestyle, good health, and quality of life well into their golden years. Your veterinarian can help make this a reality.

Nobody wants to see their pet in pain. Veterinary medicine has come a long way in understanding pain in animals, and the past few years have seen a concerted spotlight on the areas of pain management and alternative treatments.

Because our fellow species cannot verbalize their feelings, gaining a good understanding of the mechanisms of pain helps alleviate unnecessary suffering and discomfort. Let’s take a closer look at why pain management in animals differs from pain management in humans, and how we can better support our furry friends in gaining a better quality of life. 

Decision fatigue is a real threat to our well-being. Anywhere we go these days, we’re faced with a sea of choices, and the pet store is no different. Whether you enter a boutique or a big box store, there are usually aisles of possible options for your pet. How do you even begin to know which products are the tastiest, and which ones offer the highest nutrition? We are here to help you navigate the aisles and your decision to get your pet the optimal nutrition.

Pets find themselves in shelters for many reasons, none of which they fully understand. Some become permanently separated from their homes because of a missing or incomplete microchip. Others are abandoned or surrendered by their owners for reasons that go beyond comprehension. Whatever the causes of homelessness, millions of deserving pets wait for adoption every year. We’ve got some terrific reasons why people should adopt a shelter pet, and are happy to help with the process!