Misinformation about pet care is a very serious problem. Some of this information is incorrect and harmless and some may cause great problems. Below are a few things that have been proven to be accurate and should not be controversial.

• Puppies should start on heartworm preventive at 8 weeks of age and continued throughout life.
• People should begin gentle handling of puppies starting at 3 days of age
• Puppies should be introduced to a variety of people beginning at 3 weeks through 14 weeks. This early socialization allows puppies to bond with people.
• Omega 3 fatty acid (fish oil) has shown to be very beneficial in arthritis to reduce pain and slow cartilage destruction.
• Leptospirosis vaccine for dogs does not cause more reactions than other vaccines. This outdated information causes some people to refuse this vaccine. Leptospirosis is a disease we see every year sometimes with fatal consequences.
• Dogs should never eat bones or any hard substance like antlers. There are no safe bones. They cannot digest bones and we have done everything from surgically removing bones from the gut to removing cracked teeth damaged by bones and other hard toys.
• These things do not prevent fleas. Brewer's yeast, garlic, sulfur compounds, and diatomaceous earth among others have been tried for flea control and failed.
• Dogs are not wolves or carnivores (exclusive meat-eaters). They eat meat and vegetable material in a balanced diet.
• Eating feces (stool) of plant-eating animals is a natural behavior for dogs. We recommend not allowing this behavior but giving vegetables as part of the diet as a good substitute.
• Dogs and cats do not need milk. Many pets have lactose intolerance which causes diarrhea.