Healthy living–for pets and pet owners alike–isn’t just about diet and exercise. Creating the healthiest lifestyle includes meeting the physical and emotional needs of all parties. From preventative health to playtime, our Bayside staff has compiled some of their top recommendations to help you create a healthier life for your pet!

Spring has arrived, and your dog is likely just as excited to get outdoors as you are. While the local weather is delightful year-round, spring in the Galveston area means the last of the cold has subsided, and everyone’s got spring fever. Here are a few ideas to get you started this spring with your dog, get outdoors, and have some fun in the sun.

Imagine…

Coming home from a long day of work and there’s no wagging tail to greet you. A morning without a cold snout in your hand to wake you. The sudden lack of soothing purrs and gentle head butts of acknowledgment. Ask any pet parent and you’re likely to find that no matter how and when they lose their furry family members, pet loss is just as hard, for them, as losing a human family member. As fellow pet parents and animal lovers, the staff at Bayside has compiled a list of helpful tips you can use when you meet a fellow pet parent who’s grieving the loss of a pet.

At Bayside, we love your pets as much as you do, and we’ve been doing some digging to help explain how those deep, loving bonds are formed. Do our pets feel the human animal connection as deeply as we do?! We’ve learned a lot on our journey and, to no surprise, discovered that 68% of US households are home to a pet (including four-, two, or no-legged varieties).

While cats and dogs are by far the most common choices for household companions—in studies and here in the clinic—it got us thinking: What is it about our furry friends that keep us coming back for more? And how important is the connection with pets to our health?

We’ve all heard the old wive’s tale that dogs have the “cleanest mouths.” But if you’ve ever met a dog, we’re sure you’ve questioned that more times than you can count. Every dog owner knows that their beloved pup will put almost anything in their mouth—from scavenged “food” finds and dirty toys to someone else’s waste. If you get our drift.

So, it would seem perfectly normal—natural even—that your dog would have a bad case of doggie breath, right? Wrong: Dog breath, while extremely common, can be a sign of larger oral health issues and may lead to more serious health complications as your pet ages.

Outside of regular, professional dog dental care, dog owners can turn to these vet-recommended preventative measures to keep their pup’s pearly whites clean and dog breath smelling oh-so fresh.

Holidays are a time of joy, festive gatherings, and gift-giving! And if you’re a pet owner, you know that your furry friends love to participate in all of the festivities, from snacking to unwrapping new toys. Here at Bayside Animal Hospital, we dive into our holiday decorating by keeping these simple dos and don’ts in mind. These will ensure that all of our clients have the best season yet— and holiday decorating with pets is filled with the ultimate care, love, and joy the season brings, as well as pet holiday safety.

Whether you’re a long-time cat owner or just bringing a kitten home for the first time, keeping your fur babies active and entertained is a top priority for ensuring their health and happiness—and, at times, your sanity. At Bayside Animal Hospital we encourage all our feline-loving clients to think outside the box when it comes to selecting kitten games, toys, and indoor cat activities to keep your cat playfully engaged.

Pet parasite prevention should be of the utmost importance to a pet parent. Taking precautions throughout the year to prevent pet parasites will extend your pet’s health & longevity. Every pet deserves the best health care possible, including year-round pet parasite prevention. It’s much less expensive and risky to prevent a parasite problem than treating a pet infected by a parasite. The staff at Bayside Animal Hospital is here to provide the best information so you can protect your pet’s health. After all, pets are family, and we want them to live long, healthy lives by your side. 

Hurricane season here in the Galveston Bay Area is June through November, with early fall being a highly active time. When Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, in 2005, experts believe that over 100,000 pets were stranded and approximately 110,000 died. Thankfully, we have learned a few valuable lessons since then about helping dogs, cats, and other pets survive hurricanes. There’s exponentially more support in place for pets in case of an emergency, as experts have created pet emergency plans. Our staff at Bayside Animal Hospital would like to pass on some helpful advice for being proactive about pet safety during a hurricane evacuation.

The busy days of back-to-school are upon us, and they can be stressful for everyone, including your pet. While dogs often feel the stress more than cats, the stress of spending more hours alone can affect everyone. You can take some proactive steps to reduce pet separation anxiety for your furry friend–here are some of our team’s top suggestions.

Heartworms and worms are a risk to all beloved pets. It’s important to have dogs and cats visit a veterinarian annually for a wellness visit, especially right after adopting a new dog or cat. Newly adopted pets have an increased risk for both heartworms and worms. Be sure to get a pet wellness check by an AAHA accredited veterinarian, like our expert team here at Bayside Animal Hospital.

If you recently adopted a new kitten or new cat, you’re probably wondering the best way to approach litterbox training. Being a new pet parent takes a lot of patience and know-how, and we’re happy to share these litterbox tips to help you on your journey as a new cat parent. We’re often asked for our advice about training your cat to use the litterbox here at Bayside Animal Hospital.

A kitten is a new member of your family and will require plenty of love, attention, and care to grow into a healthy, adult cat and fun best friend. When you bring home a new kitten, life quickly becomes filled with joyful moments of pet parenthood–but also requires many responsibilities to help them grow and learn how to be a happy fur baby.

Here are some of our best tips for new kitten care from your expert veterinary team at Bayside Animal Hospital in Kemah, Texas.

Dog exercise is just as important as human exercise. At Bayside Animal Hospital, we are always happy to help owners discover fun ways to connect with their pets through play. Puppy games can set your pup up for a lifetime of wellness, and they’re a blast to share together, too.

Here are a few of our top suggestions for games for puppies, as well as puppy exercise tips. It’s spring, the perfect time of year to get your puppy outdoors to enjoy some fresh air and learn some new ways to get puppy energy out.

Adopting a new pet into the family is always an exciting time. Your newly adopted puppy will quickly become your best friend, and at Bayside Animal Hospital, we want to ensure that you and your puppy start your life together on the right paw.

Today we are exploring the basics of new puppy adoption and new puppy care that every puppy parent should know.

Your pet cat will go through many stages in life. Each stage of a cat’s life looks different and has different health and care requirements as your cat ages. A kitten, for example, has very different needs than a senior cat. Our professional veterinary tips will help you prepare for each stage of your cat’s life before it arrives. The stages of a cat’s life are all opportunities for bonding and ensuring a long, healthy life for your beloved kitty.

It’s a new year and an opportunity to pursue healthy changes in your life. Whether you have other New Year’s resolutions or not, now is an ideal time to step into the year with your pet by creating healthy goals you can both share. Pursuing these New Year goals with your pet can bring additional health and happiness into both of your lives. 

The holiday season is one of joy, sharing, and cheer–and what better friend to experience that with than your pet? It’s common this time of year to travel to visit those you love in other places. Many of us consider bringing our pets with us. If you’re considering doing so, it’s important to create a list and prepare ahead of time if you plan to travel with your pet. Holiday travel with pets will be a breeze if you know what to expect and have plans in place before you go. It will also help reduce fear and anxiety in your pet while you travel for the holidays.

With pet obesity on the rise and the modern pet diet lacking sufficient nutrients, the number of pets with diabetes is steadily increasing. Diabetic pets are much more common than they once were. The AVMA  says diabetes is most common in dogs aged 4-14 years and cats aged 7-10 years. Since it’s Pet Diabetes Month, we want to provide you with the knowledge and know-how to care for a diabetic pet. We’re here for all of your local pet wellness needs here in Kemah, Texas. Whether your pet is diabetic or you’re investigating issues that could be ailing your beloved pet.

As always, if your pet is experiencing any unusual symptoms, please schedule a veterinary appointment right away.

As we approach the first holiday season in this post-pandemic world, it’s important to consider the impact our holiday festivities can have on our pets. From Christmas ornaments to tinsel and mistletoe, it’s important to keep pet holiday safety in mind. There are more than a handful of holiday traditions that can accidentally harm pets during the holidays. Cats and dogs can be delightfully included in celebrations, and with these important pet holiday safety tips in mind, you’ll be prepared for a wonderful holiday season with your pets.

We hope you find these holiday pet safety tips from our team at Bayside Animal Hospital helpful as you prepare for upcoming festivities. If you ever have questions or need a trusted Galveston area veterinarian, we’re here when you need us.

Taking the best care of your dog during the course of his or her life takes planning and work, and includes preventing illness. This is a top goal of ours at Bayside Animal Hospital. We’re here to help you every step of the way and to help provide your pet with the best life possible. While some breeds live longer than others on average, the stages of every dog’s life will unfold in the same way. This guide is designed to provide your dog with preventative dog care for the absolute best in lifelong dog care.

At Bayside Animal Hospital, we have been working extra hard to make pet care easier during the pandemic, for our clients and staff. We have accomplished this while striving to book as many appointments as we can safely. We’ve also taken extra measures to ensure pets and owners are greeted with a smile, even if it’s from behind a mask.

Discover some of the additional challenges of being a local veterinary clinic or animal hospital during COVID, as well as how COVID-19 has affected veterinary medicine. We hope this will provide a better understanding of how things have changed for us during the pandemic. Our goal is to do our best to work together to protect the health of your pets, you, and our local community.

Positive reinforcement is one of the most effective ways to train your pets, and what better reward for your furry friends than tasty treats? Dog and pet training requires consistency, structure, and providing your pets with the incentive to work hard and perform well. We’re always here to offer the best pet training tips and advice to pet owners at Bayside Animal Hospital. We love helping them achieve the best results with their pets.

Our mindset is always pet wellness first. We’ve adopted a positive approach to pet training, which aligns with our goals and optimal pet mental health. A well-trained pet makes for a happy pet owner and a happy pet, too. We believe that pet training can be both fun and rewarding for owners and their pets. By choosing the best and healthiest pet training treats, you can ensure that every reward does good for your pet’s mind and body.

Summer is the perfect time to get together with friends and family, soak up the sun, and enjoy the warm weather outdoors with your pets. The kids are out of school, everyone’s making memories, and truly enjoying the joys of the summer months. Pets can take part in all the fun too, but there are some extra precautions for pet owners–to make sure pets stay safe, healthy, and happy during summer festivities such as barbecues and other gatherings. Follow these pet BBQ safety tips from our team at  Bayside Animal Hospital to ensure that summer barbecues are safe and fun for every member of your household, including your beloved pets.

Training your pets is an attribute of pet health and happiness. Positive pet discipline also provides structure and safety for your furry friend, and is a wonderful way to bond with your dog or cat. You can begin training your puppy as early as 8 weeks of age, but any pet can learn something new and benefit from training through positive reinforcement–whether they’re old or young.

At Bayside Animal Hospital, we advocate positive pet training as the healthiest, best way to shape a pet’s behavior. We hope these positive pet training tips will help you in your journey, whether you’re a new puppy parent or looking to teach your long-time companion better behavior.

Spring is here, and with warmer weather comes increased outdoor time with pets and spring pet safety risks. Here at Bayside Animal Hospital, we love helping Texas pets and their owners enjoy all of the fun this time of year has to offer, but it’s important to be aware of spring safety for your four-legged friend.

Cats and dogs can both enjoy the turn of the season, as the weather warms up. If you’re thinking of adding a new puppy or kitten to your family, now is the perfect time as spring weather offers plenty of chances to bond and play outdoors. Here are a few of our top springtime safety tips for pets in Texas from your favorite local Kemah veterinarian. 

Poisoning and pet toxins are some of the leading causes of accidental pet injury and death. March is National Pet Poison Prevention Month, and our goal is to help educate pet owners and save animals’ lives. The thought of pet poisoning can be terrifying. We believe that preventative pet wellness education can provide you with the greatest ability to care for your pet and keep them safe from substances that have the potential to be harmful.

These four pet poison prevention tips will help you keep your furry friend safe all year long. In case a pet accident does occur, know that you can always contact us at Bayside Animal Hospital for emergency vet services in Kemah, Texas.