SpecialPets HealthCare

09/07/2025

UPDATE:
Good afternoon, it appears the intention of this post was misunderstood. The intention of this post was to inform our clients that a new stone was found and could be linked to a certain compound ( choline bitartrate). This compound is found in supplements as well as some foods. It was not intended to make it sound like a common issue or a reason for you to switch your pet's food without talking with your veterinarian. Thank you for all who kindly commented, clearing up some of these concerns. If you have any questions or concerns please reach out to us or your family veterinarian.

BREAKING NEWS -- use caution when feeding your dog fresh food from brands such as The Farmers Dog, JustFoodForDogs and Nom Nom⚠️

The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine Urolith Center has discovered a NEW urinary stone and the likely cause🔬
The UMN Urolith Center is the laboratory we use for all bladder stone analysis that are conducted for HAH patients and we recently received notification of this new information.

These new stones are called "calcium tartrate tetrahydrate" (CTT) uroliths according to Dr. Lulich (co-director of UMN Urolith Center). Canine patients get "choline bitartrate" (the main compound in CTT uroliths) from fresh dog food and supplements recommended for dogs that eat homemade food.
The data collected by Dr. Lulich and his team showed a link between choline bitartrate found in some of the most popular fresh dog food brands -- including The Farmers Dog, JustFoodForDogs and Nom Nom -- and the newly discovered CTT uroliths.

This discovery was published in April 2025 in the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.

09/07/2025

Brain scans show that a dog’s brain responds most strongly to the scent of its owner - more than to food or even other dogs.
A study from Emory University found that pet dogs often seem to view humans as family, perhaps even more so than members of their own species. To find out, scientists trained dogs to stay still inside an MRI machine and then exposed them to different smells, including their favorite treats, unfamiliar dogs, and their human companions.
The scans revealed that the scent of their owners activated the caudate nucleus - the brain’s reward center - more than anything else. In other words, the smell of their person feels better than the smell of food. Similar work from researchers in Budapest showed that dogs’ brains also respond with excitement when they hear a familiar, happy human voice.
Together, these findings point to how deeply dogs are wired to connect with us. They’re the only non-primate animals that maintain eye contact with humans, and studies suggest they even turn to us for comfort the way children turn to parents. It’s no wonder so many families see their dogs not just as pets, but as true members of the pack.

08/19/2025

❤️🐾Dear Mom and Dad:
Let me stay home. It's not nice for me to walk and run next to you. But because I am a loyal dog, I often go beyond my limits. So I walk and run beside you, standing still if I have to. And feel my paws burn.
I'm looking at you for a moment, but you do not understand. Because in a little over 5 minutes we're at the cool puddle, right? But those little 5 minutes can be fatal to me. Because I sweat through my paws, and in this heat I just can not get rid of the sweat. My whole body is boiling, but I keep going .....
And then I end up on the tarmac. In the heat and in the sun. With my tongue out of my mouth and my eyes flashing in the sun. My paws are burning, my tongue is dry and my head is pounding in the heat that my body cannot get rid of ...
Instead, let me stay at home where I can enjoy the sun, with a large bowl of water, somewhere in the shade. And best of all like in a cool area with grass.
Love
Your Fur Baby❤️🐾

04/26/2025

04/26/2025

Ticks are active this spring. The lone sar tick only has to bite to transmit in seconds the alpha-gal red meat allergy.

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ticksurveillance2022?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ5TVZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkUjQVjG33XdGLCdNhmHs5OqhhochR90eS9rn1jCLePJHS_JTvKSCQrFq2by_aem_7Derd7-P3SnKAawMTtb5wg

Thank you for your interest in submitting a tick to our Kentucky Tick Surveillance Project. The results from the testing done here will be of service to Kentuckians concerned with tickborne illness and the specimens will help to further public health research at the state level. To be clear, this is...

04/03/2025

https://www.avma.org/news/press-releases/cooler-heads-prevail-new-research-reveals-best-way-prevent-dogs-overheating?fbclid=IwY2xjawJa5t5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWCqHV8-PRUBBORpVIji-YCuxSMRIA5jxIcWgOLyv-utXF6sYVHOI-IYog_aem_rOM4Go9dQ8gr6BA2EUe3CQ

04/03/2025

Here's a tip: Ring your doorbell on... 👀