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Our pets are a part of our family and play a big role in our lives. There is an undeniable special bond between pet owners and their animals, which makes grieving their loss just as challenging and painful as grieving the loss of a friend or family member. 

It’s tick season in California. Ticks and mosquitoes and other hungry insects that feed on blood are looking for your pets. 

Once they’ve found a host, they can transmit bacterial diseases through their bites. The western black-legged tick transmits Lyme disease. There are many other types of ticks that can cause serious health conditions from infection.

While you’re out for walks on trails and in fields or even on the beach, ticks will crawl or jump onto your pet. Tall grasses and low bushes may be teeming with ticks, just waiting for your dog to walk by. 

Fleas are a nuisance that no pet owner wants to experience. Not only is a flea bite painful to our furry friends, but flea saliva will also irritate skin. If you see your pet scratching more than usual, fleas are the usual suspects. Bowman Veterinary Hospital is here to help you spot fleas and get rid of them quickly.

How Did My Pet Get Fleas?

If you only have one pet in the house and it has fleas, where did the fleas come from? If your animal is outside, you can be sure that another fur-bearing animal left fleas in its path. Fleas can be living in shadier areas of your lawn. A flea can also jump up to 12 inches, so if they’re in the yard, they’ll leap on your pets to grab a meal.  

Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes. While this fact doesn’t endear anyone to them, mosquitoes are just doing what’s in their nature—sucking blood. They don’t discriminate and, in fact, perceive every mammal as a potential meal. The problem is, mosquitoes pick up microscopic heartworm larvae from various fur-covered prey, and subsequently deposit the worms into the bloodstream of their next victim. Staying on top of prevention is an absolute must, but heartworm testing is equally important. Why?

If you are the owner of a curious canine who will eat just about anything, then you are not alone. Dogs scarf up whatever is in their midst, and in some cases the cuisine can be both gross and questionable. Such is the case with flies and other insects. At Bowman Veterinary Hospital, we get asked about whether flies are safe for pets to eat, especially if they have been sprayed with Raid or another bug spray.

Since spring is the high season for flying things, our team is here to discuss what to do if your dog ate a fly (or another insect).

Those who have lived in the Sacramento metropolitan area for any length of time know that unexpected encounters with sneks, called nope ropes when especially unwelcome, are a part of California living. 

Some sneks are a little more scary than others, though, and in our neck of the woods, shake snakes with their little rattles are the big nope rope to watch out for. Bowman Veterinary Hospital wants all of our cattos and doggos to stay safe and healthy, and so we thought we would share our favorite snek safety tips so you and your fluffers can avoid a heckin big scare:

The weather is getting warmer and the last traces of winter are quickly fading away. What better way to welcome the new season than by cleaning and organizing your house? As you start to create to-do lists to help you clean out your home this spring, keep in mind that many of the most common household cleaning products can be extremely poisonous for pets. The team at Bowman Veterinary Hospital is here to help you understand spring cleaning and pet safety so you can get your house in top shape without threatening your pet’s health:

Having a green thumb and owning a pet are not mutually exclusive but growing certain plants, trees, flowers and shrubs does require careful consideration in (and around) a pet’s environment. This can mean that certain plants are off-limits, but the sacrifice is usually well worth it. 

Since a pet poisoning is one of the scariest experiences for pets and their people alike, it makes sense to eliminate all the possible risks inside the home and around the property.

Cats have a pretty strong repertoire of absolutely adorable  – and distinctly feline – behaviors that have endeared humans for centuries. What else could explain their sheer dominance on social media and video platform sites? They are, in short, purrrr-fectly entertaining. 

In addition to the variety of funny feline behaviors, there are actually reasons why they do what they do. Take, making biscuits, for example. Cats need to knead, and we’ve got a few explanations pertaining to this cute kitty behavior.

Pet dental chews are touted as being essential to your pet’s oral health, but do they really work? What are the best brands? Are there better ways to care for your pet’s teeth and gums? Do you really need to worry about your pet’s dental health?

Oral hygiene is critical to your pet’s overall health and longevity, and the right dental chew has its place in their dental care plan. The team at Bowman Veterinary Hospital have gathered the facts, and we’re here to walk you through this sometimes confusing, but always important topic!