The Hidden Risks of Foxtails for Dogs
A run through tall grass can leave your dog with more than dusty paws. Foxtails and other grass awns can catch in the coat, slip between the toes, enter an ear or nostril, or puncture the skin, and once embedded, their shape may allow them to move farther into the body rather than working their way back out.
New Year, Healthy Pets: Start 2026 with Strong Preventive Care
The New Year is a time for fresh starts—and that includes your pet's health. Just like people, pets benefit from routine checkups, early detection of health issues, and personalized wellness plans. At Alpine Animal Hospital, we believe preventive care is the foundation of a long, happy life for your furry family members. Why Preventive Care Matters Preventive care helps us catch problems early, often before your pet shows visible symptoms. This can mean:
Recognizing and Managing Chronic Pain in Dogs and Cats: A Guide for Pet Owners
As veterinary medicine continues to advance, our understanding of chronic pain in pets has grown significantly. Just like humans, dogs and cats can suffer from long-term pain due to arthritis, cancer, dental disease, past injuries, or other chronic health conditions.
Start Early When Socializing Your Puppy
By Reese Odenwelder, DVM Getting a new puppy is a very exciting time! There is so much fresh love and happiness with adding a new furry friend to the family. Certainly we want what is best for our new pet and during this novel period we often focus on the “now”. This typically includes potty training, nutrition, vaccines, or even grooming and obedience. As we try to master these goals as quick as possible we can often overlook important life steps for these furry kids.
Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease
By Meggie Garvey, DVM Coughing dogs seem to be all around us this season! Dogs can acquire infectious respiratory disease when they are in close quarters with other dogs, such as when they go to the dog park or groomer, or are boarded at a kennel. Respiratory disease in dogs has many causes. It can consist of a mild tracheobronchitis — inflammation of the trachea and airways — or a more serious pneumonia.
January is National Train Your Dog Month
Keep reading to learn how you can help your dog become a cool, calm and confident canine in any situation.
Train Your Dog Month
January is National Train your dog month. This was developed to bring awareness to the importance of proper training and socialization for dogs in order to enrich their life and well-being. A well-trained dog is a happier healthier dog. The month of January was chosen for this because the holiday season has the highest rates of purchasing and or adopting a new family pet. Sadly, a large number of these dogs will subsequently be relinquished to local shelters, or abandoned, simply for behavior problems.
Coughing Dog – Not Just Kennel Cough
Our valley is blessed with a large and well-cared-for dog population. Dogs join us in everyday activities, from hiking and going out for dinner to accompanying us at work. As you can imagine, there are many scenarios for dog-to-dog interactions, as well as the spreading of infection through contaminated objects. Most pet owners are very diligent about vaccinating their pets, and this includes the Bordetella vaccine, also known as the "kennel cough" vaccine. So why does your vaccinated pet show signs of kennel cough?
“Kennel Cough”
“Kennel Cough”, what comes to mind when we see this word? Generally, we think of the “common cold” of the dog world that our little fur friends get when going to kennel or grooming facilities. In recent years, there has been a change in the name to illustrate the big picture of the disease more accurately: Canine Infectious Respiratory Disease Complex or CIRDC.