As your pet ages and his or her condition changes, different diets, medications or additional fluids may be needed. Because of this, your veterinarian will work with you to monitor your pet's condition by rechecking your pet's kidney function with blood and urine tests. With early chronic kidney disease, your pet may need a recheck only two or three times a year; more visits are often helpful as the disease progresses.   ... continue reading...

Feeding a high-quality, kidney-supportive diet, often as wet food to help with hydration. Keeping plenty of fresh water available - this is essential - and enticing your pet to drink.  Treating significant urinary protein loss, if noted. Using medications to lower blood phosphorus levels, if increased. Monitoring closely and adjusting for changes or worsening. ... continue reading...

There are usually no symptoms of early-stage CKD. Symptoms of later stages of CKD include but are not limited to: Increased water intake Increased urine production Decreased appetite Weight loss Lethargy Regular checkups and screenings are a n important part of catching kidney disease as early as possible. Your veterinarian will work with you to determine your pet's kidney function on a regular basis depending on their symptoms, age and other factors. ... continue reading...

Your pet's kidneys plan an important part in filtering and removing waste from the body. Kidney disease occurs when something causes these functions to be compromised and it typically falls into two categories: Acute kidney injury - an abrupt decline in kidney function. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) - a slow decline in kidney function over time. CKD can happen for a variety of reasons: kidney stones, infections (including Lyme disease in dogs), toxins, injuries, genetic abnormalities, ... continue reading...

Just call to schedule an appointment with a technician between March 19th and April 14th for a blood draw for the SDMA test and it will be totally FREE! If your pet is due for his or her annual checkup, you will need to make your appointment with one of our veterinarians who will examine your pet and review what tests or vaccinations are recommended. ... continue reading...

There is a new kidney screening test, the IDEXX SDMA™ Test, that enables the identification of chronic kidney disease in cats and dogs months or even years earlier than traditional blood tests. It is estimated that over 1 in 3 cats and 1 in 10 dogs will develop kidney disease in their lifetime. ... continue reading...

If you live in Steamboat and own a dog you’ve probably heard about “Kennel Cough” or Bordatella infection.  We see outbreaks of this pretty much every year in Steamboat but this year seems to be particularly bad.  We are still seeing cases trickle in and this year’s outbreak started in November. Kennel cough is not caused solely by Bordatella and we see it in other places besides kennels.   This disease spreads much like colds do in people so we see it in areas where dogs go to be social and ... continue reading...

 SEE ALSO: Loss of a Pet, Pet Euthanasia Below are a number of resources to help you cope if you are grieving the loss of a pet, provided by the website BestFriends.org HOTLINES AND SUPPORT GROUPS FOR COPING WITH GRIEF OVER THE DEATH OF A DOG, CAT OR OTHER PET Grief Healing: This website lists a number of helplines. The Pet Loss Support Page: Lists hotlines and contains many other resources. Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, Massachusetts, 508-839-7966. The ... continue reading...