CJ and Rex Talk about Spring Pet Allergies

Happy Spring, y’all! I am so excited for the warm weather and the upcoming summer! It’s me, your old pal CJ, and I have my bud, Rex, here with me today, per usual!

I just love spring – flowers, warm weather, longer days. It’s great isn’t it, Rex? “Achooo! Noooo, I don’t like spring. My allergies are something awful. Woof woof!” Oh Rex, I’m sorry to hear that – I guess you do look a mess. I mean you’re sneezing and your eyes are watering.” Gee, thanks CJ – woof woof.” Sorry Rex, I’m just stating the obvious. What’s going? What are you allergic to? “The list could go on and on… woof woof. The worst is the grass and plants… achooo!”

Well, that doesn’t sound like fun. “Nope, it’s not!” My brother, a golden retriever, has it worse though, he’s allergic to plants, grass AND fleas… woof woof. I’m hungry.” Rex, let’s stay on track, we will get a snack later. What are you two doing to get better? “Our mom took us to Bulverde Animal Hospital this morning. Dr. Kothmann gave her some great tips on how to make us better, fast!” What did he suggest? “Oh, a laundry list of things…

1. Run air filters in the house.
2. Don’t leave us in damp basements or garages – mold and dust can affect us!
3. Keep us inside while mowing the lawn.
4. Use a HEPA-filtered vacuum.
5. Wash our bedding with hot water and perfume free detergent.
6. The doctor also prescribed Bravecto to get rid of my brother’s fleas – it always does the trick!

My mom is at home washing our bedding now and vacuuming up a storm! I think it’s going to help a lot.” Great, I’m glad to hear it! You’re in good hands with Dr. Kothmann at Bulverde Animal Hospital.

Resource: 1800petmeds.com

Why is it Warm Out?

Hi y’all! CJ here, and as always, I have my buddy Rex with me. “Woof woof – hi! I’m hungry. Do you have any treats?” Oh Rex, no I don’t – if you want we will swing by Bulverde Animal Hospital later to see if they have any dog treats for you. “Woof, woof sounds good!”

Alright, now that we have treat talk out of the way, let’s get into why we’re really here today – it’s warm out! Usually at this time of year I’d be sitting inside by the fireplace, maybe catching a mouse or two in the basement, but not this year! The other day it was 70 degrees outside! It was so warm I was chasing mice in the fields next to my house. Rex, have you noticed a difference? “Yup, it’s warm – I like it. Woof woof! The warmness is making me itchy, I don’t like that.” Itchy? Rex, do you think you might have fleas? It’s definitely warm enough outside for them to be making an appearance! “Uh oh, yikes! I think I do, woof woof!” Oh Rex, it’s okay, just have your mom bring you over to Bulverde Animal Hospital. They will have you feeling like new again in a few days! “Woof woof, okay. Do you think it will be cold this summer?” Well, Rex at the pace things are going right now I don’t know what to expect!

Halloween Safety

Hi y’all! CJ here and, as always, I have my good pal Rex with me. Rex, it’s getting chilly at night! “Woof, yes it is! But I like it – it means Halloween is coming, woof woof! I like treats.” Yes it does, but remember Rex, Halloween isn’t always about fun and treats, it’s also the time of year porcupines and skunks come out to play, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t like playing with them. “Me either, stinky and poky!” The other day I was at Bulverde Animal Hospital and our friend Rufus, the little guy with the go lucky smile, well he was covered in porcupine quills, and it wasn’t a costume… “woof, woof ouch!” Yeah, Rufus is going to be uncomfortable for a few days, but Dr. Kothmann took good care of him. My story doesn’t end there, Rex… when I was leaving I got a strong whiff out of one of the examining rooms – turns out a local kitty cat got skunked. It smelled something terrible. “Yuck, P.U. that happened to me once. I smelled so bad no one wanted to spend time with me. “What did that teach you, Rex? “When I see a skunk I run the other way, and go home for a treat, woof woof.” Good plan, I hope Rufus does the same when he sees a porcupine. I’ve heard some buzz around the hospital that dogs and cats just aren’t staying away from these silly creatures, but pet owners are asked to keep an eye out and, if possible, keep them off their property. “Good luck with that one, woof! I’ll remind all of my buddies to steer clear of the poky and stinky animals!”

How to Prevent Fleas & Ticks this Summer

Woohoo summer is FINALLY here! Hi y’all, CJ here and I’ve got my good pal Rex with me. We hope your summer is starting off on the right foot – ours sure is! We love the warm weather and being able to spend more time outdoors. Actually, the only thing we can’t stand about summer are these itchy itsy bitsy little creatures that live on us (can’t they find a motel??) – you know them, fleas and ticks! Humans hate them, but imagine being a dog and being covered in them all of the time, plain awful!

Hey Rex, remember earlier this month you had fleas and ticks something awful? “Woof, yeah, I was so itchy I couldn’t even play - woof woof.” Oh man, Rex, I’m sorry to hear that. How are you feeling now? “I feel super – woof woof! My mom took me to see Dr. Kothmann, and he put me on a new medicine called Bravecto.” Oh wow, that’s great Rex! I’m afraid to ask though, how often does your mom give it to you. “Once every 12 weeks – woof woof – and it’s yummy! I just chew a tasty treat and the tiny little bugs check out of my fur– woof woof!” That’s great to hear, Rex! I’ve heard it kills fleas within a few hours and ticks within a day – sounds like a miracle worker to me! “Yup, it’s the bees’ knees – woof woof!”

Well, Rex usually I do most of the talking, but today YOU taught me something! I’m going to make sure all of my friends visit Dr. Kothmann for Bravecto, then we can all enjoy our summers!

Protect Your Pets from Toxic Plants

Happy Spring, Y’all! It’s your pal, CJ and as always I have my friend Rex here with me! Rex, you know what was a bummer last week? “Your mom didn’t give you an treats?” Rex, no, not everything revolves around food! One of my furry friends got sick from eating a lily. She was rushed to the vet. She is doing better now, but it was a close call. It makes me worried about our other furry friends. Ya know what I mean, Rex? “Yeah, I stay away from plants, I only eat meaty foods – mmm meat!” Alright, well I guess that’s good, but anyway, I want to make sure our friends stay safe, so I put together a list of poisonous plants I heard Bulverde’s doctors discussing recently.

• Daffodils
• Lilies
• Azaleas
• Begonias
• Tulips
• Chrysanthemum
• Rhododendron

A good rule of thumb? If you don’t know what it is don’t eat it – better safe than sorry! If your mom or dad isn’t sure about the safety of a plant just have them call Bulverde Animal Hospital, they’ll be able to give you the information you need! Right Rex? “Woof, yup, want to go eat lunch?” Oh Rex… sure, why not, just nothing plant based! ;)

The Importance of Spaying and Neutering

Hi Y’all, it’s your good pal CJ and I’ve got my friend Rex here with me! The cold season is here and we’re loving it, especially the cool nights – makes for easy sleeping, right Rex? “Sleeping, I like sleeping, and treats and chasing cats.” Rex, all you think about is food, sleeping and playing. “Woof, yup!”

Speaking of cats, over the past few weeks I’ve noticed a strange thing going on at Bulverde Animal Hospital – on a bunch of mornings the vet has come in to find kittens on the doorstep – it’s confusing. I don’t know why there are so many of them and they’re just babies with no mom, it makes me sad. Rex, what do you think about it? “Woof, kittens, woof woof? Kittens are fun to chase.” Fine Rex, never mind. Anyway, as I was saying, I didn’t know why these babies were left behind, so I did some sneaking around and eavesdropping (shh, I can be sneaky sometimes!). It turns out some humans aren’t neutering their fur babies, and their fur babies are having their own babies that they can’t take care of, so they’re left at the vet. It makes me real sad – I couldn’t imagine not having a home. They said the only way to stop it is to spay or neuter your pets. I know it might seem scary, but a few of my furry friends have been spayed and neutered lately, and although they were scared beforehand, afterward they said it was a piece of cake! Rex, we need to help these babies out. Let’s spread the word that our fellow furry friends need to be spayed and neutered – the more people know about it the more they can help out. “Woof, I’m going to take a nap.” Oh Rex, you don’t listen to anything I say do you? “Huh, did you say something CJ?”

Bulverde Animal Hospital's Updated Hours

Hi All! CJ and Rex here! We’re so excited that it’s summer time! Hey Rex, do you have any big plans for the rest of the summer? “Yup, playing, eating and sleeping - woof woof!” Rex, that’s all you ever do! “Yup, it’s my favorite thing, so why would I change it?” Alright, I suppose you have a point…sigh! So Rex, my mom is so excited - since Bulverde Animal Hospital has extended hours she can really bring me in whenever is convenient for her. Summer is a busy time – work, the kids’ sports games and practice, vacations, play dates – my mom can’t keep up! BUT the one thing she doesn’t have to worry about is finding a time to bring me to the vet, which is a big relief for her. They extended their hours to 9:00 pm Monday – Friday! That means my mom has time to get home from work, have a quick dinner, drop the kids off at practice, and bring me for my check-up at 8:00 pm. It’s great – my mom is happy, which means she plays with me more – we both win! Rex, what are you doing? “Woof, woof – sniffing the grass, I smell food!” Oh Rex, please just TRY to remember to spread the word about the new hours. It will make all of our lives MUCH easier!