Keep Your Pet Healthy With Routine Blood Test

When was the last time your pet had a blood test?  A blood test can help your pet in so many ways.   A CBC test, also known as a complete blood count, is the most common blood test done by veterinarians. It is usually suggested prior to surgeries, as part of a yearly wellness exam, and every 6 months as part of senior wellness checkups. Bloodwork can help detect and identify health issues like cancer, kidney and liver disease, and pancreatitis. It provides a snapshot picture of how your pet's organs are functioning.  Even if you have a young pet, a blood test is important to establish a baseline. Bloodwork can be expensive but early detection can help you address health issues early on and give you more time with your pet. For more information on keeping your pet healthy click here. 

Help For Cats With Chronic Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

Does your kitty have a chronic sinus or upper respiratory tract infection? Symptoms can include nasal discharge, sneezing, congestion, conjunctivitis, fever and lack of appetite. Often, an underlying virus, such as herpes or calicivirus is weakening the cat’s immune system, making them more susceptible to getting infections. Feeding a low-carbohydrate, novel protein like a raw frozen or freeze-dried rabbit diet can help. Use Ask Ariel's Immune Support Kit for extra support and to help knock out URIs for good!

Dogs Help Us Bond With Others

Stuart (Legend’s Daddy) takes Legend on exciting walking adventures every day. Legend’s all-time favorite place is the Dana Point Harbor. It’s cool with the breezes coming off the water, very scenic and it has a myriad of wildlife and of course, Legend’s furry squirrel friends.

But there are also a lot of lonely people there too. Sometimes when we walk, especially at night, there might be someone who will strike up a conversation about Legend as we pass by. Sometimes they have a pet or remember one they did have. Regardless, the people are drawn to Legend, find him to be just the icebreaker they need to connect to another human being.

Legend is no exception. There are thousands of us walking our dogs (or other pets) and your pet may be the lifeline that a terribly lonely person needs (often elderly) to connect with someone. In today's world, we never know what another person may be going through. A dog has a way of making people smile and helping them to open up.

We are all busy, in a hurry and it’s hard to stop. But sometimes when we meet these people, we wonder that maybe by spending 5 or 10 minutes talking, that we might have made a difference for them in a much bigger way. Just those few short moments can make someone's day.

It’s been a tough couple of years and there are a million reasons NOT to stop and talk to someone who is clearly lonely and desperate for another human to connect with. But just remember that the next time you are out with your dog, your pet may be the one bright spot in another person’s day.

Can An X-Ray Save Your Pet?

Chest X-rays are a common procedure veterinarians do and are often included in senior wellness packages. You may be wondering why? Chest x-rays are very helpful in diagnosing a myriad of health issues. Radiographs of the chest can help your vet diagnose breathing problems in your cat or dog. Chest x-rays can show collapsed trachea, asthma, and pneumonia. They can even be used to screen for cancer as it often metastasizes to the lungs.

Veterinarians can send your pet's x-rays to specialist radiologists who have extensive experience and can discover issues your vet might miss. From the time we adopted him, our rescue dog Legend has always had especially heavy panting due most likely to an untreated respiratory infection as a young pup. Over the years we have tracked the progression of scarring in his lungs and the comments from the radiologist specialist have been so helpful.

Having a series of x-rays over time, as in Legend’s case, can be helpful when tracking the progression of chronic conditions like collapsed trachea, lung scarring or asthma. X-rays may seem like a big investment, but in many cases, they can be life-saving as they can help your vet determine the right diagnosis and treatment for your cat or dog. In our case, they provided great relief that Legend’s liver cancer hadn’t metastasized and his worsening panting was due to aging and the normal progression of his lung scarring.

All-Purpose Dog Cancer Vitamin

Having your dog diagnosed with cancer is devastating but we at AskAriel.com are here to support you. While the “c” word is terrifying, not every form of cancer is fatal and many types can be cured or managed. Last September, Legend had a 3 pound tumor removed from his liver and he survived. We looked for a quality, all-purpose cancer vitamin for him and chose this product.

What Is OncoPet?
OncoPet is beneficial for pets with cancer and immune support issues. With a specially formulated blend of herbs and medicinal mushrooms, OncoPet is an excellent cancer vitamin for dogs.    For more information click here. 

Pay Attention To How Your Dog Breathes

 

I have experienced scary incidences with two different dogs and wanted to share their stories. Tessie was an older rescue dog who had an occasional slight cough when we got her. She was lively and happy but after a few years the cough became more frequent. It took THREE ultrasounds to finally find the tumor (hemangiosarcoma) on her heart. 

In the second case, it’s our big boy Legend. He always breathed really hard after exercise, even as a young dog. We found out that he had lung scarring from a possible untreated case of pneumonia.  Later as he got older he would pant excessively every night. This was due to pain from reflux and when we give him a little food with tummy supplements, it goes away. 

Seeing your dog breathing heavy, coughing and gagging, panting at night or wheezing is alarming, and often, quick action on the part of the pet owner is needed. Did you know? Panting excessively can be a sign of pain? It is also a classic sign of Canine Cushing’s. Dogs can have a variety of breathing problems with causes ranging from allergies to cancer What’s important is to get your dog’s lungs and heart checked out. If you notice your dog having any difficulty breathing, especially if your dog is a senior, please contact your veterinarian as some dog breathing problems can be life-threatening. 

Vets can often diagnose breathing problems with a simple XRAY. The X-RAYs can be carefully screened by specialist radiologists (often without extra charge) to make sure your vet didn’t miss anything. These specialists see all kinds of nuances in chest X-RAYs and provide very meaningful analysis. Chest X-Rays are also a great quick screening for cancer as it often metastasizes to the lungs from other organs. Once you have a diagnosis, conventional veterinary treatments can be combined with home remedies to help your pet feel better. Please click here to learn more about dog breathing problems.

Natural Supplements Keeps 18 Year Old Beagle Healthy and Happy

I'm a doctor (for humans) and because I'm well aware of all of the side effects that accompany medications, I always choose to go the all-natural route first for all of my fur-babies. I've been using Ask Ariel products for several years now and have been more than pleased with the results. The picture I posted is of my 18 year young beagle, Bella. Bella has K9 Cushing's and she's been on Ask Ariel's formula (by the same name) for a few years now. We've been able to keep her healthy, happy and still active. She walks/runs 1/2 mile every day and looks forward to her car rides. I have 2 dogs and 5 cats and I rely on Ask ariel products to keep them healthy. Great Job Ask Ariel. BTW...I continue to learn so much from your newsletters. ~Dr. Valerie Monteiro