Nancy L. Murbach, DVM / Veterinary House Call Service

06/03/2025

Warning to dog owners who may visit the lower Colorado River as it courses between Arizona and California. Cases of dogs infected with liver flukes are being seen by vets in the area. Recommendation is to avoid letting dogs enter the water.

Pet owners are being warned not to let their dogs enter, swim in, or drink from the Colorado River. This comes after the discovery of a parasite that, while harmless

03/22/2022

https://www.akcchf.org/educational-resources/library/articles/xylitol-information-for-dog.html

Information on xylitol, a sugar substitue that is poisonous to dogs.

11/23/2021

This is a well written summary of what is currently known regarding diet related dilated cardiomyopathy.

There appears to be an association between dilated cardiomyopathy in dogs and grain-free foods from boutique companies that contain exotic ingredients.

04/18/2020

The fabulous sense of smell possessed by dogs may prove helping in the fight against COVID 19!

Dogs trained to detect people infected with malaria have a high success rate, and researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine think a COVID-19 infection changes human body odor in a way that can also be detected by trained dogs. They are crowdfunding a project to train dogs tha...

04/02/2020

We’re all in this together! I’m available for house calls, and for the present time, for telemedicine visits as the FDA and the AVMA have allowed. I am trying to learn how Skype works and know how to do FaceTime if something is of concern and an in person visit isn’t desired. This type of visit is appropriate for certain problems. Do your best to be safe and keep others safe. Wear a mask when you leave the house, wash your hands and wipe down surfaces. Pretend it’s the worst parvo season ever, and you are a young puppy. And its 1978 and no vaccine is available. Speaking of, the weather is warming, the flies are coming out, and will be transporting parvovirus around the valley, so be sure your dogs are protected! Give me a call if you need help with your pets.

09/12/2019

07/04/2019

For those wondering where the grain free pet food fad began and where it’s leading, this article will be helpful.

A new warning about dog food underscores a problem with certain diets that goes beyond pets.

09/03/2018

As a follow up, please read "Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Pet's Food"

How can you tell about the quality and nutritional expertise of a pet food company? Here are some questions savvy owners should ask companies to select the best possible food for their pets.

09/03/2018

Many of you have heard of the recent increase in cases of dogs developing dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) which appears to be related to dietary nutritional deficiency. The following is an excellent place to begin understanding what is currently known about this condition as well as ongoing research.

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/06/a-broken-heart-risk-of-heart-disease-in-boutique-or-grain-free-diets-and-exotic-ingredients/

09/28/2017

Rabies continues to kill thousands, mostly children, in third world countries globally. The majority of these cases are contracted by bites from dogs, often family pets. Rabies vaccine is expensive and difficult to obtain in many of these countries, so most pets are not vaccinated. They then come into contact with rabid wildlife and continue the cycle. Some US manufacturers have a program in which they donate a rabies vaccine for every one sold to veterinarians. By keeping your dogs, cats and ferrets up to date on their rabies vaccinations, you might just save the life of a child.

September 28 is World Rabies Day, and the AVMA encourages veterinarians to use this opportunity to remind pet owners and the general public to stay vigilant and proactive in rabies prevention. Crea...

06/28/2017