FCVC Blog - We Talk Pets

Keeping pet owners in the know

Full Circle Vet Care V.E.T. News March 2019

Full Circle Vet Care raises awareness for National Poison Prevention Week is March 17-23, 2019. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), here are the top 10 toxic substances to your pets:

Raising Awareness During the 57th National Poison Prevention Week

The 57th anniversary of National Poison Prevention Week is March 17-23, 2019, marking five+ decades of safer homes and saved lives. While much of the nationally-recognized effort has been directed at raising awareness with parents of small children, the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline remind us that pets are also vulnerable and susceptible to accidental ingestion of potentially life-threatening common items in the home.

Feeding a Raw Dog Food Diet Carries Risks

High levels of harmful bacteria found in many raw meat dog foods may be dangerous for more than just Fido, a new study suggests.Not only can these foods put a dog at risk, but people who live with that dog, particularly the elderly, young and immunocompromised, are vulnerable, scientists say.

Honoring the Professional Pet Sitters March 3rd – 9th

When we have to go away on a trip and cannot take our pets with us, often we will turn to putting them in a kennel, for lack of a better option.But who to call? Did you know that there is a National Professional Pet Sitters Organization?

National If Pets Had Thumbs Day March 3rd

March 3rd has been named “If Pets Had Thumbs Day.” In honor of this wonderfully wacky holiday, we’ve compiled a list of the top ten things your pet would probably do if he did indeed have opposable thumbs. Which of these sounds most like your pet?

Smile Fido! February is National Pet Dental Health Month

It’s National Pet Dental Health Month
(But its not just for dogs!)
Has your pet had a dental checkup lately?

Don’t turn your nose to Fido’s or Fluffy’s bad breath! That odor might signify a serious health risk, with the potential to damage not only your pet’s teeth and gums but its internal organs as well.

7 Cold Weather Pet Safety Tips for the New Year

When the temps drop below freezing, you get cold and so do your pets. They may like to play in the snow, but prolonged exposure is another issue. We have seven cold weather pet safety tips to help your pets survive the winter elements from our friends at PetMd.com:

Flying With Dogs? National Pet Travel Safety Day 2019

Because today is National Pet Travel Safety Day 2019, we bring you ten tips for airline travel with your dog from our friends at BringFido.com:

Celebrating a Happy New Year 2019

The staff at Full Circle Veterinary Care are celebrating a Happy New Year 2019 and wish the same for you and all our pet friends!

Visit the Zoo Day with Zoo Lights Denver

Full Circle understands the need for conservation efforts that can save many species that are endangered and close to extinction. In order to house those animals, zoo keepers have created habitats that can protect the animals and hopefully ensure their continued existence and possible regrowth. Today is Visit the Zoo Day and you have an added incentive to see the Zoo Lights Denver exhibit during this holiday season which runs until January 6th in Denver.

Holiday Travel? Boarding Your Cat For the First Time Tips

Americans tend to be a mobile lot, traveling quite a bit – especially during the holidays. 68% of Americans own a pet – approximately 85 million households, according to the 2017-2018 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Association (APPA). For those of us who are pet owners, traveling means thinking about how to care for your pets. We generally involve family, friends and neighbors in helping out. During the holidays that can be difficult, because they may all be traveling, too. So you may resort to boarding your pets. Dogs may find this easier than their feline counterparts. We have some boarding your cat for the first time tips and even if you’re an old hand at this, you may find it helpful.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from our donkeys and all of us at Full Circle Veterinary Care!

Full Circle Veterinary V.E.T. News December 2018

December is a season of conflicts – we love the hustle and bustle and the gift-giving, but the hurrying and scurrying and meeting those last minute deadlines can be more than a little stressful. And that transmits to our pets, too. So we have included some do’s and dont’s to help with your holiday plans and to include your pets. Pets can get anxious and stressed, with people coming and going, but there are ways to help with that. Plus we have some wonderful gifts for Pet Lovers, too!

Holiday Shop Online and Donate to Charity at the Same Time

These days there are many ways to holiday shop online and donate to charity. We recommend that you double-up and make your dollars count twice by shopping at those outlets that will benefit your pet friends in need. Our friends at Animal Wellness Magazine came up with this list of 12 businesses that give back – supporting animals in need:

What to Know About Bringing Home a New Puppy

Puppies at Christmas can often be just too cute to avoid bringing home a new puppy. If you do this, we hope it will be from the over-abundance found in shelters and rescues. Yes, they do often have puppies. However, please consider older animals, too, and not just the puppies. But when you do get a new ball of fur, there are a few things you may want to do to help during the adjustment phase as your new puppy settles in. From our friends at Pet.WebMD:

4 Tips for Giving Pets as Christmas Gifts

With Christmas just around the corner, FCVC feels like you do – pets are wonderful and everyone should have one, or two or more. (Hopefully that elicited a smile). But then again maybe, or maybe not. Having pets is a personal decision that each of us has to decide if that works for our circumstances. So then, giving pets as Christmas gifts may require thinking through what the personal biases are of the new owners and how that pet fits for their needs. We found these tips that may help you in deciding whether or not to give a pet as a gift. From our friends at Pets.WebMD:

Celebrate National Day of the Horse with Friends

FCVC celebrates the National Day of the Horse for our equine friends (also known as equids). While our veterinary practice is mainly dogs and cats, we have a passion for horses!

As in the resolution that created the republics Day of the Horse, we also encourage people to be mindful of how the horse has helped shape our history and the joy of having horses.

Dog Treats – a Gingerbread House Recipe for the Dogs

Because today is Gingerbread House Day, we thought we would be a little different and bring you a gingerbread dog house recipe.
We know the holidays are chock full of baked goods and treats for the humans. The good news is, with a few choice ingredients for a gingerbread house recipe for the dogs, you can make a pet safe Christmas treat your canine friends will give you the five star paws of excellence for.

10 Best Dog and Cat Toys for Christmas Gifts

Here at FCVC we understand that keeping your felines and canines happy and entertained can be quite a feat. So we have undertaken to find some of the best dog and cat toys that are highly rated by actual users. And we have included the current sale price for these items on that big retailer that you all know and love (Amazon). If you order now, you can have them under the tree for Christmas. Your pets are bound to love you and be endlessly entertained.

Dealing with Christmas Holiday Stress for Pets

FCVC understands being prepared to deal with Christmas holiday stress for pets is one of the last things to check off your list. But you can have happier holidays with reduced excitement from your favorite pet friends through a little preparation. Everyone will enjoy the holidays!

Celebrating Those Brave Souls on International Volunteer Day 2018

What would the world be without volunteers? Not nearly as great a place as it is. We celebrate International Volunteer Day 2018 to give due respect to those wonderful souls who volunteer.

Raising Awareness for World Wildlife Conservation Day

FCVC celebrates World Wildlife Conservation Day this Dec 4th. We bring you this information on how wildlife in the world is being affected by those who would choose to profit from killing animals. How can you help? Spreading awareness of the problem and choosing to act to save animals are two ways.

Why Do Cats Act Like Dogs Sometimes?

As humans, we tend to give our animal human-like characteristics to explain their behavior. However, sometimes cats act like dogs, and some canines can have feline tendency. This article from Cuteness.com discusses why those differences may exist:

Meow! All December for Cat Lovers Month

FCVC loves cats (and dogs), and since the month of December was declared Cat Lovers Month, we thought to bring you some kitty tidbits from our friends at Figo:

5 Tips to Giving First Aid for Pets

At FCVC we understand that most people do not want to think about the words pet and emergency in the same sentence. Unfortunately, emergencies do happen when we least expect them and often when the veterinary clinic is not open. There are a number of good resources to help you prepare in advance to giving first aid for pets. This one is from our friends at the AVMA:

Pet Food Recalls October & November

Part of the FCVC mission is to help you maintain a happy, healthy lifestyle for your pets. This includes the diet they eat. Unfortunately, from time to time, the source of your pet’s food can become contaminated, before it leaves the factory. The companies involved usually issue voluntary pet food recalls of their products – but these recalls do not always make the news headlines. With the help of our friends at Petful, we bring you these lists.

Guide to the Best Dog and Cat Foods

FCVC continues from our previous article yesterday looking at what the best dog and cat foods are so that you can make a good an informed choice about what is available on the market and whether it is a good choice for your pet or not. We bring you these researched findings from Reviews.com:

Pet Food Facts – What’s Really In It?

In light of this recent finding (see video) – and warning – from the FDA about grain-free dog foods and heart disease, FCVC looked into what pet food facts you should know when looking for the healthiest pet food to feed your canine and feline friends.

Support Your Hometown Small Business Saturday November 24

As a locally owned small business, FCVC supports Small Business Saturday November 24th.

This unofficial shopping holiday now has 70% awareness amongst U.S. consumers, with 64% of survey respondents indicating that their primary motivation for shopping on the day after Black Friday was to support their local community.

Feeding Yummy Thanksgiving Leftovers to the Pets

FCVC understands that it can be tough to be a pet parent during the holidays. We prepare lots of food and eat lots of food. And then there are the Thanksgiving leftovers to be reckoned with. This article gives you ten clues as to what leftovers are safe for your pets and those that are not.

A Pet Friendly Thanksgiving Feast for Fido

FCVC understands that pets ARE family and as much a part of the Thanksgiving holiday as all our human bonds.

While pets love to eat what you do – not every thing you eat is good for them. We want to help you make it a pet friendly thanksgiving feast for your Fido (or Freda).

Invite Shelter Pets for a Thanksgiving Feast

When you run across something that you think – “Wow! What a great idea!” – you just have to share it. That’s exactly what we thought when we came across this article from The Dodo about a shelter who encourages people to invite shelter dogs over for Thanksgiving dinner. It all started when a shelter director said…

Pets and Thanksgiving – Holiday Safety Tips

As we near one of the major holiday celebrations of the year we want to be aware that pets and Thanksgiving can coexist with all the preparations going on in the kitchen. These goings on will be of major interest to your pets as it smells great and, of course, that is where you are! But we need to be aware that the human food we prepare may not be good for our canine and feline friends. We bring you some holiday safety tips from our friends at the American Veterinary Medical Association:

National Take a Hike Day is Today

Anytime you can get out and have a fun time with your pet friend is bound to be a good time! Take advantage of National Take a Hike Day this Saturday, Nov 17th. We bring you thoughts on hiking from Cheryl Strayed, a fun pet video, and info about the day from our friends at DaysoftheYear.com:

6 Easy Healthy Pet Care Tips

At FCVC our goal is that our pet parents have happy, healthy pet friends. In order to create happy pets, they need a combination of diet, exercise and maintenance care – just like their pet parents! We have gathered together some excellent tips for healthy pet care from our friends at Healthline:

World Diabetes Day Pets and You Together

FCVC covers World Diabetes Day Pets Awareness in November during National Diabetes Month. Just like people, our animals can also suffer from diabetes. One of the keys to controlling this disease is proper diet, which deters obesity. We bring you this information on the risk of cats and dogs to become diabetic from our friends at the ALVMA and PetDiabetesMonth. This video is a good way to learn about feline and canine diabetes:

World Kindness Day – A Chance To Be Positively Encouraging

The world can sometimes feel like a lonely place, with the grind of work and home. Take a moment on Nov. 13 – World Kindness Day to look up from your phone or computer to do something positive for someone else. Smile at that stranger on the bus, compliment your coworker, pay for the next person’s coffee…the day is yours to make delightful!

Pet Resistance to Antibiotics & Why You Should Care

This is National US Antibiotics Awareness Week (Nov 12-18) and unless you are a practicing medical professional it will probably go unnoticed by the vast amount of the population. That’s something they should worry about, right? Except antibiotic use should concern you because pet resistance to antibiotics affects humans and pets:

On Veterans Day – Pets for Vets with PTSD

In honoring those who serve, both past and present, we thought you would be encouraged to hear of a program that brings returning veterans and animals in shelters together. From our recent articles on Adoption of Senior Pets and Shelters and Rescue facilities, you already know that many pets (especially Senior, black and needful pets) languish for months and years before being adopted – if ever. Were you aware of the percentage of veterans that return home with PTSD? The statistics can be alarming –

Canine Cancer Awareness

In our previous article on National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day we touched on the symptoms for canine cancer awareness. We wanted to bring to your attention this excellent repository of canine cancer information that we found at WeAreTheCure.org. It is one of the most extensive libraries that we have seen collected on one page.

Nov 7 is National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day

Full Circle is brings this article to you on National Canine Lymphoma Awareness Day in the hopes that increased knowledge about the facts, symptoms and likelihood of cancer in dogs will help you understand what your pet faces in its lifetime.

DIY Homemade Cat Food Recipes

If your cat is a finicky eater, you may have looked for alternatives in the pet store. But did you know you can easily make kitty dinners with diy homemade cat food recipes? Do It Yourself may seem a little strange, but your furry feline will be purring all night with contentment after you put one of these tasty recipes in their bowl. You may also find that you get more mileage from your efforts, than from those cans you buy. Our friends at CatsLoveToKnow bring you these irresistible homemade cat food recipes:

V.E.T. News November 2018

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month, and you might consider adopting an older pet. Animal shelters have lots of animals and the senior ones are usually harder to place. When you adopt an older pet, you know that they are fully grown and many have already been trained.

National Animal Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week

This week is National Animal Shelter & Rescue Appreciation Week. FCVC wants to celebrate by thanking all the amazing shelters and rescues who help save the lives of animals every day. During this week, people are encouraged to become acquainted with their local shelters and rescues to learn how they can give back. We have included here information about pet ownership in America.

Pet Cancer Awareness Month – Giving Your Pet a Fighting Chance

FCVC has seen many animals affected by cancer. It is heart-breaking to see pets with cancer. During Pet Cancer Awareness Month we are passing on the steps you can take to minimize the risk of cancer. Keep your dog at a health weight. Spay or Neuter. Avoid toxins. Know the symptoms. Visit your vet twice a year for checkups.

Can You Give $5 to Research to Cure Pet Cancer?

At FCVC, sometimes we just stumble across things. In our research for National Pet Cancer Awareness Month, we bumped into this event on the American Cancer Foundation (ACF) blog:

Adopt a Senior Pet Month – Give a Forever Home

At FCVC we love senior pets—that’s why we are thrilled that November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month! If you’ve been thinking about adding a four-legged-friend to your family, consider opening your home and your heart to an older dog or cat in need.

Yes, it’s National Cook For Your Pets Day

Whew! We made it through Halloween! We hope you and your pets made it through safely, too. Now we slide into the month of November and today is National Cook for Your Pets Day. If you are so inclined to cook as a treat for your pets, we bring you some healthful recipes from our friends at HeroPetBrands and SavvyHomemade:

November Pet Holidays

We have rolled off the October Halloween holiday into November pet holidays and in this brand new month with more human and pet celebration / awareness days. This is the list for November