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Your Guide to Keeping Your Pet Safe From Ticks

When the weather warms up, it’s time to take your favorite furry friend out and about. Unfortunately, you’re not the only one who wants to get up close and personal with your dog or cat. Many insects and pests, especially ticks, love to hitch a ride on Fido’s fur. When that happens, your pet may get a tickborne disease, putting it in the hospital or potentially leading to life-threatening situations.

Your Guide to Keeping Your Pet Safe From Ticks

When the weather warms up, it’s time to take your favorite furry friend out and about. Unfortunately, you’re not the only one who wants to get up close and personal with your dog or cat. Many insects and pests, especially ticks, love to hitch a ride on Fido’s fur. When that happens, your pet may get a tickborne disease, putting it in the hospital or potentially leading to life-threatening situations.
But how can you keep your pet safe? Let’s break down the top tips for tick prevention and mitigation for pets.
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The Dangers of Ticks

Ticks can carry and transmit various harmful diseases to both humans and animals. The most well-known is Lyme disease, but depending on where you live, you likely have to worry about several more, like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.
The primary issue with tickborne diseases is that vaccines or treatments don’t exist for pets. So, your furry friend will have to suffer through the worst symptoms while you watch, helpless to do anything.
Another issue is that it can be hard to spot ticks and tick bites on your pet because of all its fur. You also can’t rely on your dog or cat to notify you when they’re not okay since they may not feel the tick either. So, you could wind up with a sick pet with no prior warning.

How to Protect Your Pet

There are several protective options to keep your pet safe, such as:
  • Use Medications - You can talk with your vet about different topical ointments or oral medications that may kill ticks on contact or prevent their diseases. Although many tickborne illnesses don't have vaccines or treatments, you can protect against those that do. When using a topical treatment, check the instructions, so you never miss a dose. Otherwise, ticks can hitch a ride easily.
  • Tick-Proof Your Yard - The best tick prevention is to eliminate them from your property. You can use tick-based pest control solutions around your house so that there are fewer insects to latch onto your pet. Start these treatments before tick season and continue them during the off-season as well.
  • Inspect Your Pet - Another excellent way to prevent ticks is to check your pet regularly. Ideally, you can inspect their body every time they come in from outside, but you should do this at least twice or three times a week if your pet is outdoors often. Ticks prefer non-furry body parts, like the ears, anus, between the toes, and the underbelly.
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Contact Animal Wellness Center Today

Don’t wait until your pet gets sick to take action. At Animal Wellness Center, we can help you prevent tickborne diseases and keep your pet safe. Contact us today to find out more.

Top Tips for Keeping Your Dog Fit

Most dogs are naturally active and curious animals, meaning they need lots of love, affection, and exercise. However, since modern life can often get in the way, many dog owners don’t keep their pets as physically active as they should. If you start to notice your dog packing on the pounds, now’s the time to do something about it.

Top Tips for Keeping Your Dog Fit

Most dogs are naturally active and curious animals, meaning they need lots of love, affection, and exercise. However, since modern life can often get in the way, many dog owners don’t keep their pets as physically active as they should. If you start to notice your dog packing on the pounds, now’s the time to do something about it.
Here are four tips for keeping your dog fit.
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Pay Close Attention to Its Diet

Weight control starts with what you eat. It’s the same for humans and dogs. Fortunately, since dogs have a higher metabolism, it’s easier to shed pounds. So, a few tweaks to your dog’s diet should help it look trim and fit in no time. If necessary, talk with your vet about specific dietary needs or restrictions.
As a rule, your dog should never eat human food. So, if you’re feeding your pet table scraps regularly, changing the habit can yield some incredible benefits.

Exercise and Walk It Daily

Some breeds are more active than others. Generally, small dogs have more energy, but what really matters is the dog’s genetics. Do some research to figure out how often you should be walking your pet every day. Most dogs should be okay with one 30-minute walk daily. Some breeds may need two or more.
You can also exercise your dog by playing with it. For example, if your breed likes fetch, that’s an easy way to tire it out and give it some much-needed exercise. Physical activity is not just helpful for losing weight – it ensures the dog’s body is in peak condition.

Have Your Dog Interact With Other Dogs

Fitness is both mental and physical, so you have to stimulate your dog’s brain and body. Dogs are naturally social animals, which is a big reason why they’re so good with humans. Take your pet to the dog park regularly and let it interact with the other doggies there.

Get Regular Vet Checkups

Finally, the best way to ensure your dog stays healthy is to focus on preventative and comprehensive care. Rather than taking your pet to the vet whenever it’s sick, it’s better to bring it for an annual checkup. These visits allow you to spot potential health problems and eliminate them before they worsen.
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Protect Your Dog With Animal Wellness Center

Animal Wellness Center is committed to bringing high-quality veterinary care to your pets. Whether you have a puppy or an elderly dog, we can provide the best care and treatment. Contact us today to set up an appointment.

5 Ways to Keep Your Pet Active Indoors

Despite the unpleasant parts of the outdoors in winter, it’s still important for your pets’ mental and physical health to stay active and entertained each and every day – no matter how chilly or wet the weather might be.

The temperatures have plummeted. The sidewalks are covered in treacherous ice. The hard snowpack is rough on your dog’s paws, and there’s dangerously toxic salt and isomalt everywhere you look.
Despite the unpleasant parts of the outdoors in winter, it’s still important for your pets’ mental and physical health to stay active and entertained each and every day – no matter how chilly or wet the weather might be.
Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to get active and have a little fun with your pets while staying inside the comfort, warmth, and safety of your home. Next time you’re stuck indoors with your pets on a wintery day, give the following indoor activities a try!
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5 Indoor Activities to Do With Your Pets

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1. Build an Obstacle Course
Use cushions, chairs, blankets, and a hula hoop to build an agility course for your dog. Just be sure to reward them with a nice treat at the end of the run.
2. Play Hide and Seek
You can hide from your pet, hide a favorite toy, or hide a toy stuffed with treats somewhere in your house and encourage your dog to find it.
3. Try a Puzzle Toy
Puzzle toys have treats hidden within them but your dog has to solve the toy first. These provide hours of mental stimulation, entertainment, and activity.
4. Get a Snuffle Mat
Snuffle mats turn dinner into an activity. (They’re also a good solution for slowing down dogs that eat too fast!) These mats mimic the way a dog might eat in the natural world, helping them hone their foraging abilities while keeping them mentally engaged.
5. Play Tug-o-War
Get a strong rope toy, hold onto one end, and let your dog bite the other. Then let the tug-o-war begin. This is a great game for dogs who have already learned their obedience and manners. However, it’s not always recommended for puppies since it can teach them some bad habits by associated play with tugging things away from their owners.
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Schedule a Winter Checkup With a Veterinarian at Animal Wellness Center

If you’re concerned about your pet’s winter health or weight, we welcome you to schedule a wellness appointment at Animal Wellness Center. We can talk with you about your pet’s winter lifestyle, diet, activities, and more to ensure your pet’s ready to hit the ground running once the ice thaws.

How to Introduce a New Pet Into Your Home

Adopting a new pet is exciting, fun, and nerve-racking – especially when it comes to helping them get used to their new home.

How to Introduce a New Pet Into Your Home

Adopting a new pet is exciting, fun, and nerve-racking – especially when it comes to helping them get used to their new home.
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5 Tips for Introducing a New Pet Into Your Home

1. Have Everything You Need
Get all of your new pet supplies before you bring a new pet home so that you’ll be well prepared and not have to immediately leave and go to the store. Make sure your new pet has its own bed, food and water bowls, and toys.
2. Take Time
Be prepared to spend a good chunk of time at home with your new pet, even it means taking a couple of days off of work. Make sure your schedule will allow you to spend a few days at home while your pet gets acclimated to the new surroundings.
3. Give Them Space
It’s best not to toss your pet into the mix, giving them the full run of the house immediately – especially if you have other pets or small children. Instead, keep your new pet confined to a room or a small portion of your home. This can become a safe space for your pet where they can relax and eat their meals without feeling pressure or worry. As they get acclimated, you can slowly introduce them to the children and other animals in the house.
4. Go Slowly
Introduce new pets to your other pets slowly. First, allow them to get used to the scent of the other pet by sniffing each other under a door. Next, introduce a screen door or tall pet gate where the pets can smell and see each other but not physically interact. When you fully introduce your pets, don’t expect them to get along immediately, and don’t scold them for growling or setting boundaries with each other.
5. Use Positive Reinforcement Disease
Reward new introductions with plenty of treats.
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Establish Care With Animal Wellness Center

When you adopt a new pet, one of the first things you should do is to schedule a new pet appointment at one of Animal Wellness Center’s Wisconsin locations. We’ll thoroughly examine your new pet, help them become familiar with our office, and ensure they (and the rest of your family) are well protected with the proper vaccinations and parasite preventatives.
To learn more about Animal Wellness Center or for more advice about bringing a new pet home, we welcome you to contact any of our offices today.

Did You Know Your Pet Can Transfer These Skin Problems to You?

We love our pets, and one of the coziest ways to express the affection we feel is by snuggling up together. As much as we love them, our pets can, unfortunately, pick up contagious diseases, parasites, and infections that they can then spread to us, humans.

Did You Know Your Pet Can Transfer These Skin Problems to You?

We love our pets, and one of the coziest ways to express the affection we feel is by snuggling up together. As much as we love them, our pets can, unfortunately, pick up contagious diseases, parasites, and infections that they can then spread to us, humans.
While there are countless zoonotic diseases in the world, the following four can affect your skin.
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4 Skin Problems You Can Get From Your Pet

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1. Ringworm
Despite the name, ringworm is not actually a parasitic worm. It’s actually a type of fungus that can infect the skin of both pets and people. It causes hair loss, itchiness, dry/patchy feeling skin, lesions, and a scaly scalp. It’s typically treated with antifungal medications.
2. Scabies (Sarcoptic Mange)  
Microscopic parasitic mites called Sarcoptes cause sarcoptic mange. These mites bite into a pet’s skin and can be transferred to you through any kind of contact between your pet’s skin and yours. In humans, these mites cause a condition called scabies. In both people and pets, scabies and sarcoptic mange can be treated with medication.
3. Bacterial Skin Infections
Pets pick up a whole host of ickiness in their fur as they move about in the world and roll about in the smelly things they find outdoors. Several of these unpleasantries can cause bacterial infections in humans. One of the most common bacteria that can infect human skin is Staphylococcus.
Antibiotics can be used to treat these types of infections, and having your pet groomed professionally on a regular basis can help prevent them from occurring in the first place.
4. Creeping Eruption
Hookworm, a parasite that commonly afflicts dogs and cats, can also harm humans as it’s passed from pets to their owners’ skin, causing an infection called cutaneous larval migrans or “creeping eruption.” The infection causes blisters, a creeping rash, and itching.
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Comprehensive Veterinary Care and Pet Dermatology for a Healthier Household

If you’re concerned about contracting skin problems and other diseases from your pets, then we strongly encourage you to prioritize your pet’s wellness and preventative veterinary care. The best way to keep your entire family healthy is by preventing your pets from contracting diseases and exposing your household to them in the first place.
To learn more about the wellness and preventative care and veterinary dermatology services available at Animal Wellness Center, we welcome you to schedule an appointment at any of our Wisconsin locations today.

What Causes Pet Joint Pain?

If your dog has trouble standing up or laying down, jumping into your car, or running happily with abandon like they once did, it’s likely they’re suffering from joint pain

What Causes Pet Joint Pain?

If your dog has trouble standing up or laying down, jumping into your car, or running happily with abandon like they once did, it’s likely they’re suffering from joint pain. Joint pain, unfortunately, is fairly common in pets, and it can limit mobility, making it difficult for pets to enjoy the activities they love.
Joint pain in pets is a symptom of a variety of different ailments. While we can help relieve joint pain with a variety of treatments, it’s essential to diagnose the underlying cause of the pain to provide the safest, most effective relief while addressing the underlying cause.
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Common Causes of Pet Joint Pain

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Degenerative Diseases
Degenerative joint pain can occur as a result of age-related osteoarthritis which results in the wearing down of the cartilage that cushions your pet’s joints.
This type of joint pain and wearing down of cartilage also occurs as a result of repetitive use injuries. Joint degeneration that develops as a result of repetitive use can cause pets problems with age, as a result of being overweight, or as a result of suffering an injury.
In these cases, treatment depends on the underlying cause of the pet’s degenerative joint pain. Often a multifaceted approach to pain relief provides the most relief.
Developmental Disorders
Developmental problems are genetic in origin and occur naturally in dogs. They’re more common in some breeds than others and have a more detrimental effect on larger breeds.
Developmental disorders responsible for joint pain include issues like hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia. These disorders put extra stress and pressure on your pet’s joints, causing pain and often leading to other problems.
These types of joint problems can usually be most effectively resolved with orthopedic surgery.
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Pet Pain Management at Animal Wellness Center

At Animal Wellness Center in Wisconsin, we have a variety of treatments that can help address the underlying cause of your pet’s joint pain while relieving their painful symptoms. Pet pain can be treated in a variety of ways including pain medications, surgery, weight management, nutritional supplements and prescription diets, cold laser therapy, ultrasound, and spinal manipulation.
Depending on your pet’s needs, our veterinarians can recommend a multifaceted approach including holistic therapies and traditional veterinary treatments to safely address your pet’s pain.
To learn more or schedule a pet pain management consultation, we welcome you to contact any of our locations today.

Bloodwork: Why Even Young and Healthy Pets Benefit

Did you know, though, that healthy pets sometimes need diagnostic testing, like bloodwork, too? That’s right! Sometimes, we recommend running a blood test on healthy pets for the following reasons.

Bloodwork: Why Even Young and Healthy Pets Benefit

When you bring a sick pet to the veterinarian, you expect us to do some diagnostic testing to determine the underlying cause of their illness. Did you know, though, that healthy pets sometimes need diagnostic testing, like bloodwork, too?
That’s right! Sometimes, we recommend running a blood test on healthy pets for the following reasons.
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6 Reasons Why We Might Recommend a Blood Test for Your Healthy Pet

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1. Establish a Baseline of Health
Testing a sample of your pet’s blood when they’re healthy and normal helps us establish a baseline of what your pet’s blood counts and organ function look like when they’re healthy. As a result, we’re better able to identify slight changes that could indicate developing problems.
2. Check for Parasites
We use a blood test to screen your pets for signs of parasites like heartworms. It’s essential to test dogs for heartworm infection before administering a heartworm parasite preventative because giving a heartworm preventative to a dog that has already been infected could be fatal.
3. Check Organ Function Before Surgery
A blood test helps us determine whether a pet is healthy enough to undergo general anesthesia before surgery or a pet dental cleaning.
4. Check Organ Function Before Prescribing Medication
Certain medications can be hard on a pet’s organs, so it’s essential to ensure that they’re healthy before we write a prescription.
5. Early Detection, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Disease
Routine bloodwork for healthy pets helps us detect the earliest signs of disease. Early diagnosis leads to more effective treatment and helps us prevent your pets from getting seriously ill.
6. Ongoing Disease and Medication Management
Otherwise healthy pets that are living with chronic diseases require regular bloodwork to ensure that their medication is effective and their disease is safely managed.

Complete Wellness and Preventative Care for Pets in Wisconsin

We recommend that healthy adult pets visit the veterinarian at least once a year for a physical examination, vaccine boosters, and all the wellness and preventative care they need to stay healthy and happy. Senior pets, pets living with chronic diseases, puppies, and kittens typically need to visit the veterinary clinic a little more frequently. Our veterinarians can help you determine the schedule that’s right for your pet.
To learn more about bloodwork or to schedule your pet’s next wellness appointment, we welcome you to contact Animal Wellness Center today.

Protect Your Pets for National Pet Immunization Awareness Month

Our veterinary experts want to use the opportunity to help raise awareness about the importance of pet vaccinations while helping pet owners understand all the reasons why we immunize our pets.

Protect Your Pets for National Pet Immunization Awareness Month

August is National Pet Immunization Awareness Month, and at Animal Wellness Center, our veterinary experts want to use the opportunity to help raise awareness about the importance of pet vaccinations while helping pet owners understand all the reasons why we immunize our pets.
There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding vaccinations lately. Pet vaccinations, however, are among the safest and most effective ways to protect your pets from the most dangerous and highly contagious diseases around.
We encourage you to keep reading to find out why it’s so important to vaccinate your pets!
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Top 6 Reasons Why We Immunize Our Pets

1. It’s Safe and Effective
Immunization is the most effective way to prevent several diseases in dogs and cats. Plus, vaccinations are safe. While there’s always a risk of a pet having an adverse reaction to a vaccine, these reactions are usually minor and quite rare.
2. It’s Often Required by Law
Many vaccinations are required for pets by local laws. Failing to provide your pets with these vaccinations could result in fines and even being forced to surrender your pet.
3. It Prevents Pets From Getting Sick
Vaccination prevents your pets from suffering the ill effects of several dangerous diseases – many of which have no curative treatment. Not vaccinating your pets could result in your pet suffering painful symptoms and even facing death.
4. It Protects Humans From Zoonotic Disease
Several vaccinations prevent zoonotic diseases, infectious diseases that can be transmitted between animals and humans.
5. It’s Cost-Effective
Vaccinating pets is always less expensive than the cost treating a sick pet.
6. It Creates a Safer Community
Vaccinating pets reduces the amount of disease in the pets, wildlife, and people in your community.
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Schedule a Wellness and Preventative Care Appointment

If you’ve adopted a new pet or it’s been more than a year since your pet’s last preventative care appointment, we encourage you to schedule an appointment at one of Animal Wellness Center’s five Wisconsin locations.
Our veterinarians can talk with you about your pet’s vaccine history, infectious disease exposure risk, and recommend an appropriate vaccination schedule. We’ll also talk with you about everything else you can do to keep your pet happy and healthy like providing proper nutrition, exercise, and protecting your pet from parasites.
To learn more or schedule your pet’s next appointment, contact us today.

Safety Tips for Traveling with Pets

It’s hard to believe that we’re already well into the heart of the summer travel season. If you still have an upcoming trip scheduled and plan to take your pets, then continue reading to make sure your whole family – furry members included – can enjoy your time away.

Safety Tips for Traveling with Pets

It’s hard to believe that we’re already well into the heart of the summer travel season. If you still have an upcoming trip scheduled and plan to take your pets, then continue reading to make sure your whole family – furry members included – can enjoy your time away.

6 Travel Safety Tips for Pets

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1. Have the Right Documents
If you’ll be crossing state lines, visiting another country, or traveling on public transportation, your pet will require documents certifying his or her health. This might include vaccination records and/or a certified pet health certificate.
Take a look at local laws and airport regulations well before your departure date to be sure your pet has what they need to travel freely.
2. Make Sure Your Pet’s Protected
Depending on where you’re traveling, your pet could potentially be exposed to different contagious diseases and/or parasites than they are exposed to at home. Before leaving, talk with one of our veterinarians about whether your pet should have any additional vaccinations or parasite preventatives before traveling to a new region.
3. Schedule Travel Breaks
If you’ll be hitting the road with your dog or cat as your co-pilot, be sure to leave yourself plenty of travel time that allows you to take frequent breaks to let your pet stretch out and mark some new territory…if you know what we mean.
4. Map Out Emergency Veterinary Care
Health emergencies can happen when you least expect them. Before you leave, research the locations of emergency veterinary clinics along your travel route and at your destination so you’ll be ready in case your pet requires immediate veterinary care.
5. Pack for Your Pet
Make a checklist to ensure you pack everything your pet needs. Bring plenty of water and food (more than you think you need) for the road, medications, extra leashes, and your pet’s favorite blanket, toy, or bed to reduce anxiety.
6. Update ID Tags and Get a Microchip
In unfamiliar places, pets can easily get scared and run away, quickly becoming disoriented and lost. Make sure your pet’s collar and ID tags have current, readable information. Additionally, you should get a microchip for your pet (and register your contact information with it before you leave).

Schedule a Pre-Trip Appointment at Animal Wellness Center

To make sure your pet has all the necessary identification, vaccinations, parasite preventatives, and health certificates to stay safe and travel to your destination, we encourage you to schedule a veterinary appointment well before the date of your departure.
Our veterinarians at Animal Wellness Center will make sure your pets have everything they need before you’re ready to leave.

How to Address Seasonal Allergy Flare-Ups

Just like some people get allergies during certain times of the year, our pets can suffer from seasonal allergies, too. These environmental sensitivities can make them itchy and miserable. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to help manage your pet’s seasonal allergy flare-ups.

How to Address Seasonal Allergy Flare-Ups

Just like some people get allergies during certain times of the year, our pets can suffer from seasonal allergies, too. These environmental sensitivities can make them itchy and miserable. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to help manage your pet’s seasonal allergy flare-ups.
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6 Tips to Help Your Pet With Seasonal Allergies

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1. Change Your Walking Routine
Try not to walk your dog in the early morning or late afternoon when the pollen counts are highest. This will limit your pet’s exposure to common seasonal allergies.
2. Purify Indoor Air
Keep the air inside your house as clean and free from allergens as possible. This means keeping the windows closed, using an air purifier, and making sure the filters on your HVAC system are clean.
3. Clean Surfaces
Whether they come in through an open window or get tracked inside on your feet or your pet’s paws, allergens inside your home can irritate your pet. Keep your floors clean and wash your pet’s bedding regularly to further limit indoor exposure.
4. Add Supplements
Allergies are caused by a wonky immune response to allergens that causes excessive inflammation. Adding nutritional supplements with anti-inflammatory effects like the omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids in fish oil can help limit your pet’s immune response to allergens.
5. Brush and Bathe
With all that fur, it’s easy for allergens like pollen and dust to get caught in your pet’s coat and continue irritating them long after you come indoors. During your pet’s allergy season, be sure to keep their skin and coat clean with regular brushing and bathing. Clearing allergens and other debris from their coats will reduce itching, help them feel more comfortable, and limit their exposure.
6. Know the Signs of Pet Allergies
You can’t help your pet with their seasonal allergies if you don’t even realize they have them. It’s important to know that allergies can cause different symptoms in pets than in humans.
The most common symptom is itching, but allergies can also lead to:
  • Head shaking
  • Frequent ear and skin infections
  • Rash
  • Hair loss and other coat problems
  • Scabbing
  • Foul-smelling skin or ears
  • Red, swollen paws and/or face
  • Gastrointestinal upset
  • Respiratory issues
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Schedule a Pet Allergy Consultation at Animal Wellness Center

If do-it-yourself allergy control is not providing your pet with enough relief, we encourage you to schedule a pet allergy appointment with one of our veterinarians at Animal Wellness Center. We’ll evaluate your pet and provide you with a variety of more powerful allergy treatment options including antihistamine medications and even immunotherapy for pets.
To learn more or schedule an appointment for your dog or cat, contact us today!