September 27, 2017
“Dr. Rannals, I think my pet’s joints hurt. He can’t jump up on the bed like he used to, and he struggles getting up after his nap.” Arthritis in pets is being seen more and more as we see our pets living longer thanks to good care. We see arthritis (or more accurately, osteoarthritis) in […]
August 3, 2017
New Outbreak Canine Influenza Outbreak The summer of 2017 has seen a canine influenza outbreak in parts of the South, including Texas. Canine influenza is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by 2 known strains of an actual influenza virus that is specific to dogs. Dog flu was first reported in 2003 in an outbreak […]
July 20, 2017
“Dr. Rannals, I used a flea topical a couple of months ago, but my dog’s fleas are just as bad. This stuff doesn’t work.” Here in East Texas and all of the South, breaking the flea life cycle isn’t like cooking popcorn in a microwave. It’s a process that takes some time and diligence The […]
June 21, 2017
Believe it or not, dogs can actually get the flu. Yes, canine influenza is a thing. And it has been showing up in the South the past few weeks including several cases in Texas. Just like in people it can be very contagious. What it is Canine influenza is a flu style virus that infects […]
May 1, 2017
Dog allergies are extremely common, especially in East Texas. They can be allergic to the same type things as humans. But rather than showing the common respiratory symptoms that people have, like sneezing, sinus problems and eyes watering, dogs show allergy symptoms in their skin. They itch and scratch and chew. Hair may come out […]
February 24, 2017
Urinary disease in cats is very common. It is sometimes called Feline Urological Syndrome (F.U.S.). It is primarily a disease of the urinary system, the urinary bladder in particular. Cats of all ages and both sexes may be affected. It is especially dangerous in the male cat. Symptoms of F.U.S. include frequent trips to the litter […]
January 18, 2017
So far, winter in East Texas in 2017 has been very odd. Low 20’s one night, almost 80 a couple of days later. As a result, we’re still having fleas even in the winter. This isn’t a cool exciting post, but please remember to continue using our flea prevention products on your pets even this […]
December 5, 2016
Trimming Your Dog’s Toenails People often come to us at the Rannals Small Animal Hospital simply to have us trim their dog’s toenails. Often it’s because the pet just will not let them do it at home. But often it’s because they do not know how to do it or they have made the nails […]
September 2, 2016
Oh how things have changed since the 70’s! Telephones in our pockets (and on our wrists). Televisions that hang on our walls. And there have been many advances in veterinary medicine. Vet medicine has changed so much since we opened the Rannals Small Animal Hospital 37 years ago. We now have these things called computers […]
August 20, 2016
“Dr. Rannals, Fido just won’t stop this awful scratching! He’s even keeping us awake at night chewing and scratching all over. Can anything be done to help?” You would not believe how often we hear that complaint. There are several diseases that can cause scratching in dogs and cats (sarcoptic mange, ringworm fungus, and fleas […]
