Behavioral

Cat Scratching….Help!!

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          Concerns about inappropriate scratching among cat owners are a common occurrence. In some cases, the destruction is bad enough that pet parents consider re-homing their kitty. The good news is that for those facing this stressful situation there are some solutions that can help. It is vital to understand that scratching is a normal behavior of cats. Cats use scratching to mark their territory and frequently traveled routes. Scratching can occur more at times of change or stress – such as the addition of new furniture, a change in the family, a new pet or … Read more »

Puppy Socialization during COVID-19…What to do?!!

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          Socialization is the exciting stage of life when a puppy is open to new experiences. This crucial time period from roughly 3 – 14 weeks will set the stage for how your puppy reacts to the people, places, and things in the world around her for the rest of her life. Raising a young puppy during a socially distant pandemic creates some challenges, though there are many creative ways to provide valuable experiences. Set up a “novel room” – this is a room that a puppy can go into each day and discover new sights, … Read more »

New Puppy or Kitten? Time to Get Social!

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Socialization is a critical time period in the development of  young animals,  allowing them to lead well-adjusted lives and to encourage a future of positive interactions with people, places, animals, and things. Technically this socialization period begins around 3 – 4 weeks of age, though most pet parents don’t usually pick-up their new puppy or kitten until 8-10 weeks. The period ends around 13 – 14 weeks (10 – 11 weeks in kittens); however, even after this time, there is still an opportunity to make a positive impact and reduce future fear, anxiety and stress. This critical socialization period is … Read more »

Veterinary Visits- Managing for a Fear Free Return Home

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Have you ever experienced this scenario? You’ve just picked up your beloved pet from the hospital and returned home only to have your other pets act aggressively or ignore their housemate altogether! What has happened? Why are the other pets acting this way towards their housemate that they usually get along with? This is a scenario that is more common than you may think and there are a few reasons why this may occur. First, the pet may smell different to the housemates so they act as if this is a new animal being brought into the household. Think back … Read more »

Your pooch dread vet visits?

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Post contributed by FVH Veterinary Assistants: Help my dog hates the Veterinary Visit! As staff of a veterinary hospital, we strive to create and maintain an environment with few stressors: We minimize contact between our patients, we use as little restraint as necessary for procedures, we remain calm and gentle in our tone and movements, and we avoid situations that may cause emotional trauma to our patients. Usually our patients have had enough good experiences with us (or maybe just enough treats) that they no longer become fearful when we handle them for less-than-comfortable procedures. Sometimes though, we meet a … Read more »

Puppy’s first vet visit…make it a good one!

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Post contributed by FVH Vet Assistants: Preparing your puppy for their veterinary visits: So you brought home your new bundle of joy, all playful barks and fluffy cuteness. You know they need to see a “dog doctor”, but how do you prepare them? We are so glad you asked! Believe it or not, every veterinary staff member has a wish-list of training we hope you do at home to help your pup (and us) have the very calmest clinic visits possible. During essentially all appointments, doctors, technicians or assistants must touch areas of the young pup they would find strange … Read more »

Holiday Hazards…So Many More Than You Think!

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Thanks to Dr. Wendy Zawoysky for this latest blog addition! We at Fairhaven Veterinary Hospital want to be sure that you and all of your pets have a wonderful holiday season. Here is great advice, courtesy of Pet Poison Helpline. The holidays bring a large amount of hazards for pets, in addition to those that are always present in their environment. So here are some things to be sure to keep away from your pets while you are enjoying yourselves at this time of year! PLANTS HOLLY: English Holly or Christmas Holly can result in severe GI upset thanks to … Read more »

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