CNN recently reported on cases of Brucella canis (a bacterial disease) picked up in Marion County, Iowa by the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

Have you thought about the health of your pet’s eyes? Chances are, as long as your dog or cat seems to see okay, you may not have thought much about it.

However, they can be susceptible to eye problems, and one of those eye problems is known as cherry eye.

This unsightly condition gets its name from a reddish mass in the eye. It can protrude from the eye and sits like a red bump in the corner.

Outdoor temperature plays a role in health from both an Eastern and Western perspective. A healthy body—whether human or animal—should be able to adapt easily to changes in weather, until it starts getting into extremes. However, if the body is already out of balance, your dog or cat may experience more inflammation as the temperature rises.

Taking care of a dog is typically pretty straight forward. You have to make sure that they eat every day, that they have a safe place to sleep at night, and that they get the love and attention they deserve as a furry member of your family. But dealing with a sick dog may become tricky -- not to mention stressful.

A kidney breakdown is a frightening thing. As you may remember from biology class, kidneys filter out substances the body can’t use and release it as urine. They also help control blood pressure and maintain healthy levels of hydration, salts, and acids in the body.

Basically, having at least one healthy kidney is essential to having a healthy and well-functioning body.

You may have not known that your dog or cat could even get diabetes. But they can, and veterinarians are seeing more and more of it due to diet and sedentary lifestyles in our dogs and cats.

The good news is, early detection means diabetes is treatable. However, like many diseases, it can require some serious lifestyle changes.

It’s possible you’re not familiar with this nasty parasite or think it’s limited to foreign countries. However, giardia is a common intestinal parasite throughout the U.S. as well as abroad. Mud puddles, unclean rivers, even contaminated grass can all spread this infection.

That sound can even wake you in the middle of the night -- there is just something about a dog licking his paw or leg that immediately grabs your attention. You know something is wrong, but what is it? You don’t necessarily see any obvious signs of a problem...until you find a raw, pink area of skin. It can seem like this “boo-boo” crops up all of the sudden, and while the actual sore or wound could be caused by any number of issues, one common issue is a lick granuloma.