Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital’s Blog

Heartworm is one of those diseases you don’t ever want your dog or cat to get. When a pet has heartworms, long, noodle-like worms quite literally live in their heart. Treating the disease can be a grueling process for your dog—and you. The best way to treat heartworms is to prevent your dog or cat from getting them in the first place. April is Heartworm Awareness Month, which gives us the perfect opportunity to share some of the things we want you to know about this disease. 

You take super good care of your pets, anticipate their every need, and yet, you have a nagging sensation that you could be doing something better. Perhaps it’s because they give so much to you and your family, it seems like you’ll always come up short in repayment. Don’t worry. There are always little things that pet owners can do that have a big impact on their pet’s well-being. If you want to improve your pet’s health in the new year, we’ve got you covered. 

If constant head twitching and ear scratching has the fur flying in your house, ear mites could be to blame. These teeny weeny creepy crawlies feast on ear wax (ew!) and are highly contagious between dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets. Your pet can pick up this pest outdoors, at the kennel or groomer, or from another pet in the house. Read on for the nitty gritty on ear mites, plus treatment tips from our team at Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital. 

Summer is the time for relaxing in your yard, hosting BBQs, and marveling over fireworks. Unfortunately, it’s also a time of year when pets tend to go missing after they escape from their homes or yards. It only takes a split second for your pet to scoot out a gate left open by the gardener, or to dig under (or jump!) a fence when scared by fireworks.

For these reasons and more, we’re going to explore the world of pet microchips, and give you some tips to make them even more effective if your pet already has one.

Lost Pets

Surveys show that one in three pets will go missing in their lifetimes, and The Humane Society of the United States estimates that only 2-5% of lost cats and 30% of missing dogs are ever reunited with their owners. But these numbers increase if the pet has a microchip because microchipping works.

Kittens love to play, but the predatory instincts that guide them can cause accidental harm to their partner. Additionally, owners can inadvertently reinforce bad behaviors by using their hands and fingers to entice their kitten to play. Training a kitten your rules for play isn’t hard, but it requires consistency and patience. With our tips, you’ll be playing without blood in no time!

Adopting a kitten is definitely the easy part. It’s bringing them home to their new environment that can have challenges. There are many variables at play, and once you resolve one issue another can pop up in its place. In other words, you have to constantly stay in front of potential problems. Luckily, it’s super fun to spend time with a kitten and their cuteness makes any extra effort 100% worth it. To help you prepare for the amazing experience of living with a feline, the team at Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital has some tips and tricks to help your new kitten feel right at home.

Every pet needs plenty of TLC, quality veterinary care, and a healthy diet. But finding a food that checks all the boxes—nutritious, delicious, and within budget—can be overwhelming. There are more options now than ever before, with new brands, specialty diets, and textures, and even refrigerated foods for both cats and dogs.  

We all know that doggos are the best, 12/10 paw-some. The dogtors at Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital sez that cattos are pretty cool, too, though, and we are inclined to believe them. Did you know that even though dem purr-buckets say dem is okay, sometimes they need hoomans help, too? Lucky for you, we are gonna do you an educate and tell you all there is to know about cat wellness care. 

You can hear the cat retching and you race to grab the paper towels. You know what’s coming, the dreaded hairball extrusion. There it is, on your freshly washed comforter, a log of compacted hair wet with bile and kitty’s digestive juices. Disgusting? Yes. A health problem? Maybe. What you don’t know about hairballs could be dangerous for your cat.

Why Do Cats Get Hairballs?

Your cat will inevitably develop hairballs because their grooming practices cause them to swallow strands of fur. Usually, the hairs will pass through their digestive system and be eliminated in the litter box. But sometimes, the hairs don’t make it out of the cat’s stomach. When that happens, the hair strands collect in clumps and need to be ejected in some other way. Hack. Hack. Hack.

People who love to care for pets often love to care for plants. Although these caregiver instincts are pure, not all plants and pets can coexist peacefully and safely. Unfortunately, there are certain plants that are poisonous to our four-legged friends. There are indoor and outdoor toxic plants for pets, which means it is important to do some research before adding some flora and fauna to your home decor.

Knowing what plants you have in your home and yard is a crucial step to avoid an accidental pet poisoning. Rocklin Ranch Veterinary Hospital wants to help you eliminate the risk to your pet while still satisfying your green thumb. Keep reading to check out our tips on avoiding these dangerous plants.