Our Blog
Behavioral
Stress Reduction for Cat Veterinary Visits
Cats are an even more common of a furry companion than dogs. It is easy to understand why. They are graceful, clean and independent. They are also able to hide illness very well and hardly show signs until they are very sick. Because it is so hard to know when they...
Lick Granuloma
Lick Granuloma is an extremely stubborn and frustrating problem that is the result of a dog repeatedly licking the same spot. This problem usually occurs on a front leg but can occur in other locations. Repeated, compulsive licking leads to hair loss, trauma to the...
Thunderstorm and Firework Phobias
During the hot summer months many of us love enjoying an intense thunderstorm after days of hazy humidity. And who doesn’t love a grand fireworks display for July 4th? Some of our canine friends may actually find these summer pleasures terrifying. To some extent the...
Clinic News
A Letter from Dr. Sandy Higgins
To My Dear Clients, I'm so grateful for the opportunity to write you all a letter like this. The last two veterinary practice changes that I have made were not easy decisions, mainly because it left my clients behind without notice. I am grateful that the internet...
Common Problems
What’s That Smell?
Dogs and cats are wonderful snuggle-buddies on a cold evening but when they suddenly have a bad odor this snuggling can be a lot less pleasant. Some pet odors are normal but many are not and can actually indicate a medical problem. If your pet’s odor is different or...
Dental Care and Disease
Why does my pet need a dental cleaning? Your veterinarian will have inspected your pet’s teeth at the time of examination. They may have found plaque, tartar, gingivitis or even periodontitis. A professional dental cleaning is the only way to properly treat tartar...
Why is My Dog Itchy This Fall?
New England has been on it’s typical roller-coaster of weather. We have had days colder or warmer than typical every season and it can be hard to guess what season to dress for. All of these factors add up to changes in the usual mix of pests, parasites, pollens and...
Community
Thank You for Helping Us Help Them!
Before the busy holiday season this year, Dedham Veterinary Associates asked our clients to clean out their linen closets and find blankets that could be donated to a needy animal at the Animal Rescue League of Dedham. Wow! Our clients delivered. Not only did we...
Dr. Sandy Higgins Wears Two Hats
Dr. Sandy Higgins is one of the associate veterinarians at Dedham Veterinary Associates, staying busy taking great care of the medical and surgical needs of our patients. In addition she also finds time to serve as shelter veterinarian for Shultz’s Guest House,...
Trunk or Treat
The team at Dedham Veterinary Associates had so much fun participating in the annual Trunk or Treat at Dedham Town Hall on Saturday, October 26th, 2019. It was a beautiful afternoon and this event had a huge community attendance. Tiffany and Lauren decided to dress as...
Lifestyle
Can Dogs Smell COVID-19?
It is no wonder that our amazing canine companions may end up having a huge role to play in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Dogs have about 50 times as many scent receptors as humans and a highly developed olfactory system. From the beginning of dog domestication,...
What is Your Pet’s New Year’s Resolution?
New Year’s Resolutions don’t just have to be for the people in the family. Pets can have New Years Resolutions, too. Here are some suggestions from the veterinarian and how you can help your pet resolve to be healthier and happier. Help me quit that tablet scrap...
The World Through the Eyes of Your Pet
Although we can never truly know what a dog or cat is seeing, science gives us a lot of information on how their vision differs from ours. Pet owners often ask questions about the vision of their animals. Well here are the answers - or as much as science can tell us....
Nutrition
What to Feed Now?
Issues with pet foods have made the news quite a bit in the past few years. You may have heard about risks of feeding raw diets or seen our blog. Grain-free diets started to become popular with some pet-owners until these diets were found to be linked to cases of...
5 Myths About Feeding Cats
Our team often receives questions about cat food and the ideal diet for cats. Plus, certain supermarket brands perpetuate misconceptions about cat's dietary needs. So before you clip your next cat food coupon, be sure you're up to speed on these common myths and...
The Raw Diet Trend: What You Need to Know
I am moved to write a blog to advise caution in feeding with raw diets after a very sweet, young kitty in our practice became very ill from raw food. Zac was suffering from recurrent bouts of diarrhea with blood and mucus. Tests were run and it was discovered that he...
Parasites
Cat Scratch Fever
Cat Scratch Fever is not just an old Ted Nugent song, it is also a disease that people can catch from cats. The bacteria, Bartonella henselae, is transmitted by the scratch (or possibly bite) of a cat. Since it is transmitted from animals to people it is categorized...
The Importance of Parasite Testing
Why is fecal parasite testing important? Yes, we live in the north and have very cold and snowy winters. Intuitively one would think that this would help kill many parasites. Believe it or not we do actually see lots of pets with intestinal parasites in Massachusetts....
The Secret Lives of Fleas
Now that the weather is getting cooler, fleas are on the hunt for warm bodies and a way to get inside to survive the winter. Late fall and early winter is commonly the peak of new flea infestations. These tiny, blood-sucking insects can be a real nuisance. They can...
Pet Pediatrics
Choosing the Best Age to Spay or Neuter Your Dog
Correctly picking the perfect age to spay or neuter your dog has been discussed in the veterinary literature for decades. In more recent years shelter and animal rescue groups have advocated for early-age, 6 months of age and even younger, spay and neuter with the...
Making the Best Decisions for Your New Puppy
What is more important: getting my puppy fully vaccinated or getting my new puppy socialized? New puppies are generally allowed to go home to their new family at about 8 weeks of age. They have had some socialization from their mother and littermates but probably not...
Prevention
Coronavirus: What Pet-Owners Should Know
Updated 4-22-20 The Coronavirus that has dominated the news lately, also known as COVID-19, causes flu-like disease in humans, and until recently was not thought to affect our pets until two dogs and a cat in Hong Kong did test positive for the disease as did their...
Xylitol: The Poorly Known Toxin
Most pet owners are aware that chocolate and grapes are not good for doggies. We frequently get calls from aware pet owners “My lab ate one Hershey’s Kiss” which luckily is well below the toxic dose. You can learn more about the dangers of chocolate for pets here....
Be Aware of these Potential Holiday Pet Hazards
RIBBONS & TINSEL: These are of special interest to playful cats and kittens who see these materials as toys (or prey) to be chased, pounced upon, chewed or swallowed. While chasing and pouncing pose no health threats, chewing and swallowing do, as these strings or...