Oakland Veterinary Referral Services Blog

Adopting a new pet is an exciting time, especially when you’re also doing good by choosing a shelter dog or cat. Adoption helps free up rescues and shelters, provides love, housing, and care to homeless pets, and creates an awareness of the importance of adopting versus buying pets. Some of our most loving and loved pets have come from shelters or rescues, but these pets can also come with challenges.

The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services wants to cover a few common challenges with shelter pets or rescues, in order to better prepare you for a successful and informed adoption process.

Sports involving pets–that usually brings to mind hunting dogs and agility. But we are combining our love of both recreational exercise and pets in new and interesting ways. Doga, or yoga with dogs, is one form of exercise that combines them. It doesn’t stop there. When you, Fido or Frisky is ready to skip the normal exercise routine or wants something more challenging than a game of Fetch, it may be time to try one of these five unusual sports involving pets. 

How did we end up with so many dog breeds? Man domesticated dogs roughly 15,000 years ago and they have been man (and woman’s) best friend since. Dogs roamed with us as protectors and to ward off other wildlife and would-be intruders. They also kept rodents and other pests away. Of course, they quickly became our companions, tried and true.

What about the many dog breeds we see today; why do we have so many and why were some of them bred to do certain “jobs”? The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is glad you asked. 

Giving pills to dogs or cats is a big challenge for most pet owners and ranks up there with giving them a bath. They can hear you open the cabinet to get the bottle, then they are nowhere to be found. When you finally find them and get them in front of you, they refuse to open their mouths. When they do…they can smell or detect the most cleverly-disguised pill and it ends up on the floor.  

If you have tried everything to give your dog or cat a pill, we can help! We have suggestions ranging from simple to no fail. We administer pills to dogs and cats every day. The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services can teach you the tricks for successfully giving pills to a dog or cat. 

You know the routine…As soon as you get the carrier out of the closet, your cat goes AWOL. The situation only becomes more dramatic once you get them in the car and simply escalates in the clinic lobby. Or, as soon as your dog realizes that you’re on the way to the vet, they give you the stink eye or try to hide. 

Fear of the vet is common among many pets. If you have a cat or dog scared of the vet, how can you ensure good veterinary care without the fear and drama? The team at Oakland Veterinary Referral Services is trained to help reduce fear and stress once your pet is here. Our suggestions for reducing your pet’s anxiety and creating a less fearful visit can help you reduce the drama before your visit and while you’re waiting. 

Red eyes, excessive tearing, green or yellow discharge, squinting one or both eyes, and trouble seeing are dog eye problems that indicate you should have your pet’s eyes checked by a veterinarian.

What causes these eye problems in dogs? We’re here to answer these questions and emphasize the importance of vision health for your pets. 

The history of veterinary medicine has seen tremendous change over the past 100 years. It’s hard for us to remember that there was a time, not that long ago, when cats, dogs, rabbits, and other domestic animals weren’t cared for by a veterinarian. 

In fact, it wasn’t until the early 1900s that pets began to more commonly receive medical care. Horses that were the primary focus of veterinary medical care, though, as they also served a function as transportation.

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services explores ways the field has changed and how far the history of veterinary medicine has come!

Cataracts in dogs are usually easy to spot. The clouded look of the pupil gives them away. Unfortunately, many dog owners assume that cataracts just come with age and don’t think to intervene to address them. This is troubling because eye health is so important to a dog’s general health and quality of life.

The good news is that there is treatment available for cataracts so that your canine can have good vision and eye health throughout their golden years.

Pet care expenses can add up — even just the basics! Buy a bag of kibble here, a few new toys there, and then add in the annual wellness visit to your vet. You may be surprised when you look closely at the total cost of responsible pet care that we take for granted. 

Creating a budget for your pet is helpful in projecting how much you will spend monthly and over the course of the year. It can give you insight into how much to expect to spend in the future and how you may be able to control unnecessary expenditures. A budget can even help you better plan for those anticipated expenses, like vaccines, wellness visits and parasite control. 

Oakland Veterinary Referral Services has useful ways you can put together a budget to keep your pet’s wellbeing a priority year-round.

An allergic pet may suffer from excessive itching, watering of the eyes, diarrhea, or many other symptoms. An allergic dog or cat may be in chronic discomfort, so a worried pet owner will try any number of things to alleviate their pet’s distressing symptoms. These may include trying different medications and diets or switching shampoos.

Nutrition is a big factor in helping many allergic pets. The important thing is to understand your pet’s allergies, including food allergies, and the impact of diet and lifestyle.