Should you take your dog to a professional dog groomer, or should you groom your dog yourself?

Depending on your dog’s needs, the answer might be to do both. If you take your dog to a professional dog groomer, you can groom him yourself between appointments. And if your dog’s coat doesn’t require the care of a professional dog groomer, you may be able to be his sole groomer.

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Their gait slows down. Their weight goes down, or up. They can’t take care of themselves as well, and chances are that they’ll develop at least one health condition that senior cats are prone to. Senior cats require more care from us than they did when they were younger. We can do a lot to make these years more comfortable for our cats, starting even before the signs of aging appear.

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You vaccinate your dog or cat for rabies. Distemper. Feline leukemia. Or do you? If you do, how often? If you don’t, why not? The answers to these questions are less clear-cut than they were a decade ago.

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Fluffy or Fido has developed a lump. You observe your cat or dog having difficulty when chewing. Your pet doesn’t want to play any more. The diagnosis: cancer.Dog, cats, and other mammals are susceptible to many of the diseases that humans get, cancer included. With advances in veterinary medicine, our pets are living longer, which increases their chances of getting cancer and other diseases. The good news is that cancer treatment for pets has advanced at the same pace as cancer treatment for people.

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Fido or Fluffy may be lethargic. Or hyperactive. Eating less and gaining weight, or eating more and losing weight. Feeling cold. Feeling hot.The thyroid gland, which sits against the windpipe, could be responsible. Dogs aged two and up are at risk for developing hypothyroidism, a condition resulting from not enough thyroid hormone. Middle-aged and older cats may develop hyperthyroidism, which happens when too much thyroid hormone is produced. An overactive thyroid (hyper-) speeds up the metabolism and body processes, while an under active thyroid (hypo-) forces everything to slow down.

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Fluffy and Fido are scratching, shaking, and rubbing their heads and ears. It looks like ear mites…or ear infections. Both are common with cats and dogs, but how can you tell the difference, and what can you do about the problem?

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