When your dog or cat visits the veterinarian, the doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to the heart.

Bloat in dogs is an extremely serious and dangerous medical condition that should be treated as a medical emergency. Even mild cases of bloat can turn fatal. Although the causes of bloat are still not clear, the symptoms that occur are fairly consistent and are a sign that you should seek immediate medical attention.

In Eastern medicine, the heart is the organ that controls mental vitality; it is the seat of consciousness. It also governs the blood. Increasing anxiety is often observed with heart disease. In fact, the changes in consciousness can actually be severe enough to cause seizures.

In the Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) model, the kidneys are the spark that fuels metabolism. In a cooking pot analogy, the kidneys represent the fire under the pot. They warm the rest of the body. When kidney function declines, the fire dies down, and as a result, the body becomes slower, weaker, and colder.

If your dog becomes sick, the source of their ailment isn’t always obvious. Maybe your veterinarian suspects there is an internal problem, but the exact source can be tough to pinpoint. Surgery could be an option, but that can require a lengthy recovery period.

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.