Liane Ehrich

At what age should you spay or neuter?

All responsible pet owners know that one of the rituals of puppy and kitten ownership is the trip to the vet to get 'fixed'. Yet, the question of when is more complicated than it may seem on the...

Pima Animal Control says less than 50% of pets licensed

Pima Animal Control (PAC) announced today that they will now make it easier for dog owners to license their dogs. According to PAC records half of Pima County dogs are unlicensed. In an effort to change that statistic, PAC will...

Emerging diseases and tick protection

Pet owners in Tucson and Southern Arizona are lucky that flea issues are comparitively rare, due to this, many Tucson area residents may be haphazard in the application of flea and tick products.Fleas may be largely absent in...

New AZ law could exempt ranch dogs from cruelty laws

In Pima County it is illegal to tie out dogs for prolonged periods of time. The reason stated by Animal Control personnel for this law is that due to Tucson's extreme heat, tie-outs can quickly prove lethal...

New Mexico rabies scare

Since January first, New Mexico officials have euthanized thirty-two dogs, one cat, and numerous livestock for possible exposure to rabies. Carlsbad, New Mexico (South Central New Mexico) is experiencing it's worst rabies outbreak in years, according to...

Why you need to fight the urge to give your pet OTC pain relief

OTC (over the counter) pain killers are everywhere in human medicine, asprin, Ibruprofen, Tylenol, etc... People are used to reaching for a bottle of pills in their own house to combat everything from sore muscles to headaches, so what harm...

What yesterday's pit bull attack means for pit bull owners

This morning's Arizona Daily Star headline says it all: "Two pit bulls maul woman, 89". According the article, Miriam Seymore was standing out by her mailbox yesterday near the corners of River and Oracle, when two...

Researchers find stomach virus may be spread between people and dogs

Recent research printed in the Journal of Clinical Virology shows that dogs may transmit human strains of a common stomach virus called norovirus. The disease, which causes vomiting and diarrhea in humans was shown to be present in the feces...

My pet is panting more than normal, what could it be?

Dogs pant to cool themselves, as do cats, in Southern Arizona's heat, a cat or dog outside in the heat will pant, and that is normal. Dogs will also pant after exercise (just as humans sweat) to bring...

Ethics of owning exotics

Ownership of exotic animals has had a rocky history. Exotics are animals not defined as pets or livestock, and can include anything from deer to parakeets. Due to the wide range of exotic animals available for ownership in the US...

Currently in San Francisco