When you adopt a puppy, it's a good practice to make an appointment with a veterinarian shortly after to have your puppy examined and get advice on vaccinations, flea care, and sterilization. If your puppy is a male, ask your vet about the right age to have them neutered. Unless you plan to breed your dog, neutering is a good idea. This is surgery that removes your dog's testicles. This prevents unwanted breeding and has some health benefits such as lowering the risk of hormone-related diseases, reducing aggression, eliminating the chances of cancer of the testicles, and improving certain behaviors.

Stomach problems in your dog or cat could be because of irritable bowel syndrome or irritable bowel disease. These two disorders cause various digestion problems that affect your pet's quality of life. They both have similar symptoms. However, you need a veterinarian's diagnosis to determine which one your pet has. Keep reading to learn more about these two problems and how your veterinarian can help. What Are IBS and IBD?

Grooming your pet can help prevent health issues and skin concerns in your pet, as well as other issues your pet may endure, especially depending on the type of pet you have and the breed of pet you have. If you have a dog, it's important to bathe, brush and trim the nails of your pet, and you should also be taking care of your dog's teeth. Read on for some reasons why it's important to groom your pet.

If you are about to get your first pet, you have to start preparing for pet emergencies. Accidents and illnesses can strike pets at any time, and no matter how careful you swear you'll be, there's always the chance that your cat could steal pizza that has garlic on it (garlic is bad for cats), or your dog could ingest who-knows-what on a walk. While one hopes that any alarming pet behavior turns out to be nothing, you really do need to be prepared.

When an animal joins your family, you want to do everything in your power to keep him or her safe. Unfortunately, accidents and illnesses still happen even in the safest environments. Seizures, fractures, and burns are not uncommon in pets. First-aid skills can help prevent an emergency from becoming much worse. If your pet would benefit from first-aid, these are some steps you should take in three important situations. What to Do During a Seizure

High blood pressure is a health problem for many people, but most pet parents likely haven't considered the possibility of their pets developing it. However, this is entirely possible for cats to develop within their lifetimes. If you've learned recently that your cat has high blood pressure, there are some steps that your vet is going to want you to go through to ensure that they're as healthy and safe as possible.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can affect most mammals. It's relatively common in wildlife, and since it can be spread in the urine of those wild animals, dogs can pick it up if they happen to drink from a contaminated stream or puddle. If your dog contracts leptospirosis and becomes ill, there's a good chance they will need to be hospitalized — at least for a few days while they're at their worst.

Cats are tough, independent animals, so they may not show any signs of being ill until it's too late. They also don't have overt signals of mood change like dogs do. It makes it difficult to know when the time has come for a veterinarian visit. However, cats will get ill from time to time, sometimes with life-threatening conditions. What signs can tell you it is time to rush your favorite feline to the vet?

Dogs can be amazingly graceful, except when they're not. It's quite easy for a dog to take a tumble and hit the ground hard. In many instances, they simply pick themselves up, with no harm done. However, sometimes injuries from a fall result in a delayed reaction, with the extent of the damage only being apparent hours later. This is especially relevant with a particularly hard fall, such as if your dog took a tumble down the stairs.

Whether the litter was planned or happened by accident, your new litter of puppies deserves the best care, and that includes veterinary care. While puppies don't need their first round of shots until six weeks or so after birth, taking the entire litter to the vet as newborns could have several advantages. Here are some of the reasons why you should take your newborn puppies to the veterinarian early on.