The Veterinary Technology Blog

Pet dental care is as important (and should be as routine) as dental care in people. Both cats and dogs face many of the same dental issues that people face, including periodontal disease, broken teeth, and gingivitis. To help keep pets healthy experts are working hard to change the way pet owners think about dental health.

Clinical obesity in pets can lead to a series of secondary health concerns, and contribute to a reduced quality of life and a shorter life expectancy. For humans and dogs alike, regular exercise, along with a healthy diet, is the answer. But the responsibility rests primarily on dogs’ human companions to set up healthy habits that both can enjoy and benefit from. And veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, and other veterinary professionals can play a vital role in helping those pet lovers keep their pets happy and healthy.

Often, it can feel possible to carry on a conversation with the furry members of the household. But is that what is really happening? Dr. Leslie Sinn, a veterinarian and animal behavior expert, says it’s a little more complicated than one might think.

About three million cats and three million dogs go into U.S. shelters each year; however, 71 percent of these cats are euthanized as opposed to 56 percent of dogs. This amounts to the euthanization of about 850,000 cats annually.

Explore similarities and differences between veterinary assistants and veterinary technicians to determine if either of these careers is right for you. View our side-by-side comparison chart before making a final decision.

Although the number of euthanized dogs has declined since 2011, due in part to an increase in pet adoption as well as an increase in the number of stray animals successfully returned to their owners, close to 400,00 dogs are still euthanized each year in US shelters.

Overpopulation is the main driver behind early spay-neuter programs which, over the past 30 years, have become routine throughout the United States. In fact, since the 1970s, the “ultra-early” neutering of puppies and kittens has been the custom in many veterinarian offices due to the abundance of feral and abandoned animals being euthanized in shelters.

In the following interview, integrative veterinarian Dr. Richard Palmquist generously spoke to us about his journey to holistic practice and what his work entails, as well as what pet owners should know about holistic vet care and advice for aspiring veterinary professionals.

As in human health, medical expenses for pets can be costly and come at the most inopportune times. The is when pet health insurance may help ease the burden of caring for a pet and make prioritizing a pet’s health and wellbeing more financially feasible.

August is Pet Immunizations awareness month and what better time to benefit from the knowledge of a veterinary medical professional with over 50 years of experience. World-renowned veterinarian Dr. Jean Dodds graciously lent her expertise in the following interview on pet immunizations.

Think you know about the many different types of animal care technicians? Yes, they can work in kennels and animal shelters, but they can also work in research labs, helping to provide care and assistance in a variety of a ways. For folks who like the idea of bringing care and compassion to the laboratory animals who help humans to advance biomedical and pharmaceutical understanding, a career as an animal laboratory technician may be a meaningful and satisfying path.

How much do vet techs have the potential to earn? The answer to this question varies depending on factors like geography, experience, industry, role, and more. Keep reading for a comprehensive breakdown of vet tech annual salaries and hourly wages in the United States.

Care of domestic animals varies from general day-to-day maintenance to acute care in times of illness and injury. Common sense in attending to pets’ needs goes a long way. We feed, walk, pet, and groom our animal charges with love and devotion. However, important aspects of our animals’ wellbeing can go unnoticed, and therefore unattended to, simply for lack of knowledge.

In addition to the burgeoning of spring and new life, April honors our animal friends with Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. The annual 30-day campaign is hosted by the American Society of the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (ASPCA) and offers opportunities for the public to become involved in safeguarding the wellbeing of animals. Two experts generously offered their knowledge on the topic of preventing animal cruelty: the executive director of the HSVMA, Pam Runquist, and Laura Link, public information manager of the Oregon Humane Society.

A study from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that meat consumed by cats and dogs is equivalent to 64 million tons of carbon dioxide—the same amount of carbon dioxide produced by almost 14 million cars in one year. For a Toyota Prius owner who eats mostly a plant-based diet and has cats and dogs, this may seem like a huge setback in the intention to reduce one’s carbon footprint. The results from this study have eco-conscious pet owners wondering: is it possible to provide for my pet’s...