Fleas and ticks are much more than a gross nuisance. These crawling, leaping pests can spread harmful diseases, trigger allergic reactions, and make your pet miserable. Fortunately, outsmarting these tiny interlopers is easy if you follow a consistent and multi-faceted year-round prevention plan. Show parasites the door with these simple but powerful flea and tick [...]

Heartworm disease is a potentially life-threatening mosquito-borne parasitic infection that affects dogs, cats, and ferrets. Fortunately, diligent preventive care can protect your pet from this dangerous disease. Learn the truth—and consequences—about heartworm disease in this guide from Safe Harbor Animal Hospital. Truth: Heartworm disease is preventable in pets Heartworm disease in dogs can be prevented [...]

What if we told you the key to adding three to five years to your pet’s life is right under their nose? Routine professional dental care at Safe Harbor Animal Hospital is about more than keeping your pet’s pearly whites sparkling—maintaining proper oral hygiene can transform your pet’s health and help them live a longer, [...]

Is your pet living with hazardous materials? Are toxins lurking on your lawn? Is your home sweet home a danger zone for your four-legged friend? We know that sounds a bit alarmist, but many everyday items are extremely toxic to dogs and cats. And, because these products are so commonplace, they’re easy to overlook—leaving curious, [...]

Heave, retch, throw up, puke—whatever you call it, vomiting is an inevitable, unfortunate reality of living with pets. In dogs, vomiting can signal widely varied disease processes, from mild, self-limiting issues, to acute emergencies, to chronic primary or secondary conditions. Our Safe Harbor Veterinary Hospital team can help you determine the cause of your pet’s [...]

Social dogs are commonly affected by coughing, sneezing, and other respiratory issues that often are the result of canine respiratory disease complex (CIRD or “kennel cough”)—a collection of highly contagious viruses and bacteria that generally produce a mild, self-limiting illness. Since 2004, a new respiratory pathogen—canine influenza (i.e., dog flu)—that causes more severe illness and [...]

Considering that the average human lives 70 to 80 years, our pets’ average 12- to 15-year life span can feel devastatingly short. We all want to help our pets live the longest, healthiest lives possible, and the best way to do that is by proactively approaching pet health, rather than reacting to disease. Your pet’s [...]

The thought of parasites crawling on or living inside your pet is most unpleasant, because they can cause life-threatening illnesses—a good reason to keep these pests at bay. Many parasites affect pets and humans worldwide, but those of most concern for U.S. dogs and cats include fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites, and heartworms. These pesky critters [...]