If you take your dog or cat to the veterinarian for regular checkups, you’ve probably been asked at one time or another to bring in some of your pet’s poop for a fecal exam. But what exactly is a fecal exam? Why are fecal exams essential to your pet’s health?

When your pet suddenly loses his appetite, it can be concerning—particularly if you’ve got a regular chowhound on your hands.

As many of you may have heard or seen on social media recently, the FDA put out a warning advising dog owners that there appears to be a link between grain-free, exotic ingredient or boutique diets and a dangerous heart condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM). Given how many people feed their dogs these foods, this has the potential to be a VERY big issue!

As veterinarians, we often wish we could just ask our patients to tell us where it hurts. Unfortunately, evaluating sick pets is much more complicated, which is why blood work is such a valuable diagnostic tool.

Routine blood testing can help determine causes of illness, verify organ health prior to anesthetized medical treatments, and aid in the general maintenance of healthy pets.