Nikki Wardle

Bleeding Heart is one of the most beautiful and unique flowers blooming right now in the Treasure Valley. It’s what’s in those tear-drop shaped blooms that you need to be concerned with for the sake of your pets. But first, let’s answer the question of why dogs and cats eat plants in the first place.

Adding a dog to your family is an exciting time, but can be a little overwhelming with all the different breeds available to adopt. A good first step would be to evaluate your current lifestyle. Are you active? Home a lot? Have a big or small yard? These are all questions you need answers to so you can be paired with a breed that best fits what’s already going on in your life.

You’re a new pet owner and want to be responsible for helping control the pet population. Since you already know that your new furry family member will not be used for any breeding purposes, he or she will need to get fixed.

But when should you get them fixed? To find some answers, you do what every second person in the northern hemisphere does and asks Google. What you see is a myriad of different opinions and scientific data suggesting to get them fixed at 6 months of age to up to 2 years of age. What do you do now?

The answer up to you, the love pet parent. With some educated guidance from your veterinarian.

Spay or Neuter at 6-9 months of age

Spaying –Studies have shown that spaying a female before her first heat cycle can almost eliminate her chances of developing mammary cancer. It is worth noting that 90% of mammary tumors found in females are benign. Spaying this early has been associated with preventing uterine infections in both cats and dogs.

Neutering – Getting a jump on neutering your male canine will help you get a jump on curbing undesirable behaviors like humping, roaming around for females, marking territory, and aggressiveness. Your canine will also be less likely to develop testicular cancer.

Spay or Neuter at 12-18 months of age

Spaying - Waiting until your female has gone through her first heat cycle (once she has hit puberty) has become the recommended time frame for most female dogs. Studies have shown that spaying after puberty will decrease:

• Hip dysplasia
• Torn ligaments
• Bone cancer
• Urinary incontinence

While letting your female go through her first heat cycle is messy, letting those hormones run through her system can be a very good thing.

Side note, an Ovary Sparring Spay is an excellent option for females. The procedure allows them to retain normal amounts of hormones but does not experience bleeding

Every breed is different, so it’s best to work closely with a veterinarian to determine when is the right time is to spay your girl.

Neutering – Recent research over the past few decades has shown that letting your male reach puberty before neutering is an excellent thing for most breeds. Studies suggest that when a male’s body has received the reproductive hormones and a significant boost of testosterone at puberty, they have a decreased chance of developing:

• Cardiac tumors
• Bone cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Abnormal bone growth and development
• ACL ruptures
• Hip dysplasia
• Urinary incontinence
• Hypothyroidism
• Behavioral issues such as noise phobias, fearful

Another point to consider is certain breeds like Pitt Bulls who get bigger heads and broader shoulders after they’ve gone through puberty. Individuals who want to show their dogs in competition will want to take this into consideration.

Meridian, Idaho:

Whole health is an initiative put forth by the American Medical Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association to improve the health of people and pets alike. Parasite Prevention is an essential component to the whole health initiative.

We know that certain diseases can be transferred between pets and people. We call these zoonotic diseases. One such disease is the transference of parasites from our pets to humans, which can cause, among other things, blindness in people.

Last month, a case of Parvo made local headlines when a litter of puppies being sold in the Cabela’s parking lot was found to be infected and then sold to unsuspecting patrons. This outbreak led to the company to a ban on selling puppies at the popular location; but more importantly, people wanted to know how and why this happened. 

We are excited to say that Dr. Bingham has successfully completed an ovary-sparing spay (known as an OSS) at our Overland location and the pretty girl he operated on is now home and back to her usual energetic self.

Each time you get into the car you buckle up. Your passengers buckle up. Your kids buckle up, or you buckle them into their car seats. But Fido, he jumps in and proceeds to stick his head out the window to enjoy the wind. But just like you, your passengers, and your kids, if you get into an accident, Fido is put in harm’s way if he isn’t buckled up.

It’s estimated that the current population of the Treasure Valley is almost 710,000, which is a 65% increase from what our population was 2000. And when that explosive growth comes shopping centers, business complexes, and neighborhood development in areas which we used to consider remote.

Spring is finally here! The trees are blooming, birds are chirping, and all-around town mowers are firing up for the first time this year. Treasure Valley springtime is incredible!