I adore the golden oldie pets. My Seren-Kitty lived to nearly 22 years old, my first shepherd made it to just over 13 years old, and Magical-Dawg lived large and loud until 11 years old. Seren just wouldn’t give up, despite her arthritic clawed paws click-click-clicking as she tottered along. When Karma arrived, he acted like the fountain of youth and gave her a boost.

Eight-month-old Karma-Kat showed up (Magic rescued him!), making his birthday in June 2013. Oh, how can my kitty-boy have become 10 years old? He no longer leaps from a standing start onto the countertops. He sleeps more, and plays less. But Karma still gives his dog brother Shadow fun games of chase and tag and usually wins. He has a wellness check scheduled this week and, I hope, will again get a great report.

Anyway, I don’t want to wait to start a bucket list for Karma-Kat. We’re having fun now…and what about you and your furry wonders? Here are some fun ideas!

Today I received the AVMA Steve Dale Excellence in Veterinary Media Award. My friend and colleague of (mumble-mumble) years received the inaugural award last year, and it’s extra special to be honored as the second recipient and recognized with an award named for Steve Dale.

Throughout the years, veterinarians generously shared their knowledge, from my hometown vets loaning me copies of JAVMA and answering countless questions, to researchers picking up the phone and sharing their passion–so that I could share with readers. I am honored and humbled to receive this award because it validates my body of work and shines a light on what I do to help cats and dogs. But I’m also thrilled because it celebrates my HEROES–veterinarians who shared their passion with me over the years.

I call myself the accidental writer–yet here I am, 35+ books and thousands of articles later because I followed my passion and received help along the way–from my furry muses, as well as the two-legged muses from the AVMA. For those reading this post, please never ever hesitate to ask for help–or to pay that help forward to lift others up.

In my world, ultimately, it’s not me as much as the pets who benefit. And after all, that’s why I — and what veterinarians — do what we do.

Read more here…

Do you know how to trim a pet’s nails? Pet nail trims can cause angst for pets and people alike. Magic and Bravo both had jumbo-size nail claws and paws. Shadow’s nails are much smaller but used just as effectively to hold down toys, scratch himself, pounce on grasshoppers, and paw-pat (or paw-pound!) everything of interest. Karma-Kat’s claws and paws, even smaller, work just as well for his size. Whether big and blunt, or small and sharp, pet claws need nail trimming to stay healthy…

Cat and dog dehydration refers to the excessive loss of body water. Pets are prone to dehydration when the weather gets very hot, and they don’t have access to enough water. As a result, they can develop heatstroke. More often, though, dog and cat dehydration happens from vomiting and diarrhea.

Here in Texas, we’ve had weeks of triple-digit temperatures. I worry about the outside pets, but even indoor cats and dogs can suffer from dehydration. Normal water loss occurs in the pet’s bathroom deposits, through moisture exhaled with the breath, and through sweat. These fluids get replaced when the cat and dog eat and drink.

Any illness may prompt pets to stop eating and drinking, and prolonged fever increases the loss of body fluid. Specific disease conditions or injuries like diabetes or kidney disease may cause excessive urination that also causes of dehydration.

Cats evolved as desert creatures and have an amazing ability to conserve water, but cat dehydration can still kill. Even though cats seem to prefer to drink water in the weirdest places (the sink? your glass? the TOILET?!) they most often just don’t drink enough water. Here’s what you need to know.