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Thankful Paws with Dr. Paz: Ultrasound Screening Special
Even healthy-looking pets can have hidden health changes. This November, take a proactive approach with our Thankful Paws with Dr. Paz Ultrasound Screening Special and give your pet the benefit of an extra look at their internal health. On select dates this November,...
Halloween Pet Safety: The Hazards That Actually Send Pets to Urgent Care
Halloween can be a dangerous holiday for pets because it stacks multiple hazards on top of each other at the same time: the candy bowl, the open front door, the noise, the costumes, the candles, the guests. Any one of those is manageable. All of them at once, on a...
Sudden Behavior Changes: When It’s a Medical Emergency
Most pet owners have an intuitive sense of who their animal is. The dog who greets you at the door without fail. The cat who claims the same spot on the couch every evening. The pet whose routine is so consistent you could set a clock by it. When that changes...
Urinary Blockages: A Silent but Serious Emergency in Pets
If you've noticed your cat making repeated trips to the litter box, or your dog squatting and straining without producing much, it's easy to assume they're constipated, having a rough day, or dealing with a minor stomach issue. Sometimes that's exactly what it is....
Snake Bites, Stings, and Wildlife Encounters in Southern California
San Diego's climate and landscape are genuinely beautiful. They are also genuinely wild. The hills, canyons, and open spaces that make this region such a great place to hike and live with a dog are the same spaces that support rattlesnakes, coyotes, scorpions, and a...
Collapse, Weakness, or Trouble Standing: Red Flags You Shouldn’t Ignore
There are pet symptoms that are easy to second-guess: a mild limp, a single episode of vomiting, a subtle change in appetite. Those are the situations where waiting 24 hours to see how things develop is often reasonable. Then there are symptoms that are not that. A...
Dog Beach Safety: What Pet Owners Need to Know
San Diego is one of the best cities in the country to own a dog who loves the beach. There are a lot of options: Ocean Beach Dog Beach, Fiesta Island, Del Mar's dog-friendly stretch, Coronado, Encinitas. But the beach is also one of the places we see the most...
Cuts, Scrapes, and Punctures: First Aid vs. Urgent Care
Your dog comes in from the yard with a bloody paw. Your cat has a cut above the eye you didn't notice until dinnertime. Your dog got into it with a rosebush and has what looks like a few small punctures on the leg. In moments like these, most pet owners ask themselves...
Vacation Gone Wrong: Travel-Related Pet Emergencies and How to Handle Them
Spring and summer mean one thing in a lot of pet households: travel. Dogs hanging their heads out windows. Cats in carriers on the back seat. Stops at new parks, trails, and campgrounds. Travel changes everything about your pet's environment in a short period of time....
Heat Starts Early: Early-Season Heat Emergencies in San Diego Pets
Most people think of heatstroke as a summer problem but for pets in San Diego, this is not the case. This is one of the things that makes caring for pets in San Diego genuinely different from most of the country. While pet owners elsewhere are still watching snow melt...