Pet Health Articles
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Adding a kitten to your family is exciting and also a big responsibility. It is important to work with your veterinarian to keep your kitten safe and healthy. This handout includes information about basic kitten care, including vaccinations, internal and external parasites, microchipping, and the importance of early spaying or neutering.
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Too much vitamin A can lead to poisoning. Vitamin A poisoning most commonly occurs when pets are fed raw liver, cod liver oil, or other supplements rich in vitamin A over several weeks to months. It takes a long time for signs of vitamin A poisoning to develop. If a cat ingests a large dose, they may quickly develop vomiting, drowsiness, irritability, and peeling skin.
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Vitamin D poisoning occurs when a cat ingests a toxic dose of vitamin D. Common sources of vitamin D poisoning include rodenticides that contain vitamin D3 and certain human medications. The effects of vitamin D poisoning can last many weeks to months.
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Weight-loss programs are not easy, especially when an overweight animal cannot exercise. Veterinary therapeutic diets, automatic feeders, food puzzles, and animal rehabilitation therapy are tools that should be considered for every pet's weight loss program. Pet parents who are motivated to help their overweight dog or cat lose weight should work closely with their veterinary healthcare team to address concerns and discuss ideas for the pet's home environment. The most successful pet owners recruit family and/or friends to support their plans. Patience and persistence are often needed because weight loss doesn't happen quickly.
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Palatability describes how appealing a food is to a dog or cat and how readily they eat it. Understanding which ingredients improve palatability is important to pet food manufacturers. This article addresses several commonly asked questions about how to make pet foods as tasty as possible.