First you may want to see if you can find a reason why he is barking (i.e. what is his trigger). Because he is a puppy, he is most likely barking because he wants to play or wants attention. When he is punished for the behavior, he still considers this attention (albeit negative attention) and he gets what he wants. Instead of punishing the behavior, try ignoring him by turning your back and walking away. The moment he is quiet, turn around and give him lots of positive attention and praise as well as a small treat. When he barks again, repeat the process of turning your back. If he runs in front of you, fold your arms and turn away until he is silent. If you ignore the bad behavior and reward the desired behavior (i.e. silence), he should start to get the idea. If you are still having problems, you may want to consult with a canine behavior counselor to help you work through this.    « less

The biggest difference between laser and traditional surgery is the recovery time involved. With laser surgery, the skin and blood vessels and nerve endings are cauterized simultaneously with cutting resulting in less blood loss, swelling, bruising and operative    « less

Integrative medicine can involve the use of any of the following healing modalities, many of these are synergistic, or work together. 1) TCVM(Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine), which involves herbal medicine, acupressure and acupuncture. 2) VOM(Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation), a non-surgical approach to diagnosis and treatment of spinal disease and other maladies. 3) Contact Reflex Analysis and Kinesthology. 4) Cold Laser Therapy. 5) NET(Neuro Emotional Technique) which helps a patient let go of “stuck” emotional patterns. 6) NAET(Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique) to aid in the relief of allergy based illness. 7) Homeopathy, to activate the bodies natural healing abilities. 8) Extensive nutritional analysis All of these combined with modern Western laboratory testing, pharmaceuticals, surgical procedures, X rays, emergency treatment, anesthetics and the like, make up a balanced integrative medical approach. Both Western and alternative medicine have their strengths and weaknesses. When used together properly they compliment each other and become a “whole” in your pets’ course of treatment. For example, if your dog was hit by a car after running into the street, an integrative veterinarian would not only surgically repair the bone with modern Western technique, they would use non-toxic and non-invasive methods to speed healing and reduce pain, such as physical therapy, AlphaSonic and acupuncture. Further, through NET, perhaps determine the emotional trigger that caused the behavior leading up to the accident and help to ease the emotional trauma from the event itself.pain. It also reduces the risk of infection post operatively, and decreases the amount of time required to heal after any given surgical procedure.    « less

There are so many things to take into consideration when choosing a flea control product that it is best to sit with your veterinarian and get advice. Details as small as when and where you camp on vacation can change your pets’ requirements and your Veterinarians recommendations.   « less

For any urination problem, it is first important to make sure that there is not a medical reason for the inappropriate urination (such as a urinary tract infection). If a medical problem is not found, then you likely have a behavioral problem. First, start by cleaning the house of all urine stains with an enzymatic cleaner. You can find cat urine stains by using a black light (cat urine will fluoresce). If the cats smell any scent of urine they will be tempted to continue to spray that area. Next, provide extra litterboxes - the rule of thumb is one litterbox per 2 cats plus one extra. Try to get different litters and different box types and place them in different rooms throughout the house. Try a calming pheromone product such as feliway which can help reduce stress or anxiety in some cats. This product comes in both a spray or a plug-in diffuser. Finally, if all else fails, there are some medications which can help some cats stop spraying but they are used only as a last resort when behavioral modification fails.   « less

If your dog is still intact, you may want to consider having him neutered. If he is already neutered or you wish to keep him intact, you can try to give him a substitute for your leg that is more appropriate. Some dogs will take a blanket or stuffed toy as a substitute. Most of the time, neutering will cause the activity to stop. However, dogs that are neutered later (i.e. after 1 year old), may continue to do this because it is a learned behavior.   « less

There are many different causes for bad breath in dogs. Some are more simple (such as plaque accumulation, infected teeth, something foreign stuck in the mouth or between teeth or eating something with a foul odor) and some are very serious (such as oral cancer and renal failure).   « less

Some intestinal parasites can be transmitted from pet to person. We recommend having a stool sample checked by your veterinarian to see if your pet has any, and if so what kind.   « less

Dogs lose their "baby" teeth between 4 to 6 months of age, and get in an adult set of teeth. If the deciduous teeth remain in the mouth, and the dog has "double" teeth they should be examined. Double teeth can cause dental problems and should be removed before this happens.   « less

Some intestinal parasites can be transmitted from pet to person. We recommend having a stool sample checked by your veterinarian to see if your pet has any, and if so what kind.   « less