Posts in Category: You & Your Pet

If it’s been a little while since your dog’s first puppy classes, now might be a great time to learn some new tricks or skills. After all, dogs are lifeline learners who relish the chance to please their owners. Learning enhances how they interact with you, members of the family, or the general public, but more importantly, the process of picking up new skills can actively promote bonding with your dog. In other words, they learn what you expect from them, and when they’re successful they become the best doggos they can be. 

Caring for a pet is one of life’s greatest joys, but routine veterinary services plus those little surprises that pets are famous for can eat away at family budgets. At Sky Canyon Animal Hospital, our commitment to providing quality, low-cost pet care helps make vital foundational services like spay and neuter surgery accessible for more pet owners.

The ASPCA estimates that the first year of pet ownership can cost anywhere between $1,904 and $3,221, and each year after that can run about $1,149 for cat owners and $1,391 for dog owners. We’re happy to do what we can to lower these costs for pet families in our community, and in this blog, we share our low-cost pet care options.

A great deal is known about the positive impact pets have on our emotional, mental, and physical health. They make us feel happy and loved simply by being near, and we try to reciprocate in equal measure. Unfortunately, depression is a common issue for companion animals. If you’ve ever wondered what to do for a depressed pet, we have some strategies to help.

If only there was a way that you could defend against permanent loss of separation of your pet. Wait: there is! Microchipping offers an extra layer of protection if your pet ever goes missing. Microchipping can facilitate a safe return home if your pet is ever picked up by animal control, shelter personnel, or a well-meaning individual. It is not, however, a replacement or substitute for a proper collar and ID tag. If you’ve been wondering what all the fuss is about, we offer a few great reasons to microchip your pet.

There are many factors that determine a pet’s prevention plan. Taking into account a pet’s age, lifestyle, and current health condition, we can customize the best possible approach to their wellness. Among other things, such as dental care, proper diet, and parasite prevention, vaccinations add a crucial element to preventive care. Because of the importance of vaccines for dogs, we offer a low-cost vaccine clinic every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No appointment is necessary, but which vaccines for dogs are considered the most essential?

Did you know smart pet collars serve as a kind of Fitbit for our animals? For pet owners who also enjoy technology, it’s reassuring that activity trackers are available. Not only can you monitor what your pet is up to and where, but investing in a smart pet collar can even impact overall health and safety. 

Even if you’ve never trimmed a cat’s nails before, it’s not difficult to do. With some practice and patience, you can learn to trim your cat’s nails yourself at home.

Regularly trimming your cat’s nails keeps them healthy and can help prevent injury to you and your other pets. It also helps keep your furniture from being scratched up by kitty’s sharp claws.

A feral cat is a stray cat that has not been domesticated by people and shies away from human attention and touch. Either born wild or seperated from/abandoned by their owners, feral cats scavenge for food, suffer temperature extremes, and are at high risk of disease and injury. Their fearful, reclusive behavior typically precludes successful placement inside human homes, but adopting a feral cat is not impossible. Patience, perseverance, and preparation can yield incredible results and make a significant impact on your community.

If you had to run out of the house in an emergency, do you know what you would save first? Your pets are, of course, likely to be priority number one. In addition to your furry friends, however, there are some basic items you need to take to ensure they are safe and comfortable. Pre-preparing a pet emergency kit means you and your pets can be ready to go. 

If you prefer to build your own pet emergency kit, the staff at Sky Canyon Animal Hospital compiled a list of necessary items to have.

Our pets say so much with their behavior, but we’re not always aware of what they’re saying or when. They’re subtle sometimes, but other times their body language speaks volumes. By paying close attention to what their body says, we can interpret a great deal about their thoughts and feelings. Pet behavior is always interesting and benefits from our time and energy.