Library

Home » Pet Health » Pet Health Library » Library

• Home Breathing Rate Evaluation

  An increase in your pet’s breathing rate while resting quietly or sleeping is an early clinical sign that your pet may be developing heart failure and needs to see your veterinarian. In general, all normal dogs and cats have a breathing rate of between 15-30 breaths per minute when they are resting. Resting breathing rates that are consistently greater than 30 breaths per minute are increased and considered abnormal. One breath is counted when the chest has moved in and out once. Typically, your veterinarian will have you count the breathing rate once per day for a week while you are learning and then will set up a schedule depending on your pet’s heart health status.

• Homecare for Paralyzed Pets

  Taking care of a paralyzed pet comes with many challenges. This handout reviews the needs of a paralyzed pet and how an owner can help them at home.

• Hoof Wall Cracks in Horses

  Cracks may form in the horse's hoof wall, usually in a vertical direction, and either originate from the ground surface (sometimes called grass cracks) or, less commonly, from the coronary band (sometimes called sand cracks).

• Hospice Care for Pets – Overview – Part 1

  Hospice is supportive care provided to individuals in the final phases of terminal disease so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible. Hospice care recognizes that death is a part of life and focuses on maximizing the quality of life for the patient during whatever time remains. The veterinarian coordinates and oversees medical procedures, medication prescription and delivery, and comfort care, but the day-to-day hospice care happens in the home. With planning, forethought, and honest communication, it is possible to provide a dying pet with a reasonable and acceptable quality of life as the end of life approaches.

• Hospice Care for Pets – Overview – Part 2

  Open, honest, and direct communication with your pet's veterinarian and veterinary healthcare team, throughout your pet's life, lays the necessary foundation for effective communication as the end of life approaches. As soon as a life-limiting disease is diagnosed, it is time to begin a dialogue about treatment options and how the approaching end of life will be handled. Delivery of hospice care is as individual as the pet and the family. Applying hospice and palliative care principles to our pets as they approach the end of their lives can be an emotionally rich and satisfying experience.

• Hot Spots in Dogs

  Canine hot spots are red, inflamed skin lesions that appear quickly, ooze, and may contain pus. They are the result of a dog excessively scratching, licking, or chewing at an itch. There are several possible underlying causes of the itch and it is crucial to determine what it is to successfully treat the problem. This handout explains these possible causes and the treatment(s) required to resolve them.

• House Training for Puppies and Dogs

  House training is best accomplished with a consistent program that relies on supervision to prevent mistakes and positive reinforcement for elimination in designated locations. Though house training can be time-consuming, when done properly, the foundational training will last a lifetime.

• Household Hazards and Dangers to Birds

  Birds are naturally mischievous and if not properly supervised, will get into many predicaments. It is crucial that you bird proof your home. The bird's cage is its house and the confines of your home represent the bird's environment.

• Housing and Environment for Your Mini-Pig

  Mini-pigs may be housed successfully inside if they are given enough space, an area in which to root, and proper environmental enrichment. Ideally pet pigs should have access to a safe area of untreated lawn outside in which to root and chew on grass. Pet pigs generally like to urinate and defecate in a single area that is far from where they eat and sleep and can be trained to eliminate either inside and outside. Pigs in urban environments may be taught to walk on a leash/harness and go outside like dogs. If this is not feasible, they can be trained to use a litter pan indoors.

• Housing Aquatic Turtles

  Aquatic turtles should be kept in an aquarium that is as large as possible, with enough water for the turtle to swim, a heated and dry area where the turtle can bask, a heat source, and a source of ultraviolet (UV) light. This article discusses how to keep the aquarium clean, proper temperature gradient, how to set up a basking area, using plants or rocks in the aquarium, UV light requirements, and other health and safety considerations.