Posts by Dr. Todd Smith

Did you know that keeping your pet active, motivated and mentally stimulated can be easily accomplished when feeding becomes an activity and not just a routine? Environmental Enrichment isn’t just for zoo animals anymore.  The benefits of using food as behavioral enrichment have long been recognized by Veterinarians and Animal Husbandry experts.  For example, many zoos…

Allergy Season is right around the corner (again) and with it will come the licking, chewing, biting and scratching that is the hallmark of allergies in our pets.  We have already discussed some of the medications, allergy testing, allergy injections and other therapies available to treat your pet with allergies in a previous posting.  For this post, we thought…

February has been designated as Veterinary Dental Health Awareness Month.  We hear a lot of discussion about the importance of Home Dental Care (brushing, gels, tartar control treats, etc.) for our dogs and cats.  Did you also know the important role that a Professional Dental COHAT plays in your pet’s oral health? What the heck is a…

As the air gets crisper and the hours of daylight get shorter our thoughts naturally turn toward our (two-legged) children returning to school and our favorite college football teams hitting the grid-iron. With all of these scholastic themes in the forefront of our minds, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss and review why Temperance Animal Hospital believes…

With the recent 4th of July celebrations and the rash of storms we have been having, one of the more common questions we have been receiving at Temperance Animal Hospital is, “What can I do for my dog so that he/she is not so scared?”  Many dogs (and most cats) will go about their normal day-to-day business…

There is a large volume of information and misinformation circulating out there about our pets.  Unfortunately some things that have long been held as “facts” just aren’t true.  Let’s talk about ten fairly common Veterinary Myths and the truth that lies behind them. 1)  “A wet nose is a sign of a healthy dog”     While it is normal for a…

Leaving behind one of the mildest winters in recent memory and moving into some early spring-like conditions means that we are seeing an earlier and more intense allergy season for us and our pets.  Allergies to fleas (which never really went into dormancy this past winter), pollens, grasses and trees are already starting to rev up this Spring.…

You can walk into any pet store, grocery store or big box store and be faced with an overwhelming array of food choices to feed your dog or cat.  So, how does one make an educated choice when purchasing a diet for your pet? The first question to answer is whether your pet needs to be fed a…

We as humans have elevated eating to a social function. We bond as families around the dinner table, we catch up with old friends over pizza and beer and we wine and dine those we wish to impress.  This tradition can become dangerous, though, if we extend the same mentality to our four-legged companions.  When it comes…

It can be difficult to keep your pet safe all of the time, but there are some common household hazards you should be aware of to prevent an unwanted emergency trip to your Veterinarian’s office. Rodenticides can be helpful at keeping unwanted mice and rats out of our dwellings, but if our pets find a hidden stash…