Early detection and treatment of disease can mean the difference between comfort and pain—even life and death. Unfortunately, too many pet owners aren’t concerned with preventive care; instead, they only take their cat or dog to the animal hospital when they are visibly sick or overdue for a…
Despite being “so done” with living our lives around the COVID-19 virus, the severity of the current rate of infection demands our attention…and consideration. We have many months of coping and learning under our belts. We’ve become informed about the scientific facts, transmission method, a…
Christy King, the Cricket's digital director, tackles a different vexing tech topic every week in her column, From The Digital Desk. This week, she takes up cloud-based storage options for all those videos, pictures, and files you've been stacking up in your life.
If you’re nervous about your pet undergoing anesthesia, you’re not alone. Many pet owners are so fearful about anesthesia and sedation that they delay or avoid important treatments for their beloved animal family members. But it’s often the best—or only—way for your pet to receive high-qua…
Welcoming a new puppy is a very exciting endeavor! This week it came close to home when my two grandchildren, James and Jonathan, brought their new pet, a mixed breed puppy named “Holly”, to me in a state of euphoric rapture. I am still not immune to the intoxication that comes with the joy…
It is almost like midnight at 4:00 pm these days. Even if the seconds of daylight increase after the solstice on December 21, the darkness is upon us, NOW. In the darkness, I’m looking for the light: the decorated houses with window lights that feel like Colonial Williamsburg, the Chevy Ch…
I had a 12-year-old car with only 81,000 miles on it. The first question I get from people is, “did you not ever leave your house?”
This will be a holiday season like no other, writes Joanne MacInnis, RN and president of Danvers-based Aberdeen Home Care, Inc. Here are her tips for getting through, safely.
This Holiday season will be unique this year on Cape Ann, for as we look forward to the rest of the holiday season with time set aside for family, and as we remember all there is to be thankful for, we also have to be mindful of the health threat that Covid-19 represents this year. As you p…
Believe it or not, 5G simply stands for the “Fifth Generation” of mobile wireless networks. As in, this is the fifth major evolution of the technology that started with the analog transmission of voices via radio wave spectrum (1G) in the 1970s.
We’ve been living under a weighted blanket of worry and anxiety for eight months.
There’s already a flurry of conversation about how we’ll handle our end-of-year Holidays.
As we reach November first, the number of Covid-19 cases are increasing in Massachusetts and other parts of the Northeast. We are all exhausted with the hardships imposed by the Pandemic. However, unfortunately, we need to be more careful than ever. This includes the way we care for our p…
Is your loved one's neighborhood still participating in Halloween, even if in a limited capacity? Consider putting a basket of candy outside in the driveway, not necessarily right next to the door. Although this may be a "light" trick or treat year, it's a good idea to have a family member…
One of the conditions we see in cats at the Manchester Animal Hospital is called lower urinary tract disease. The following is information from the Cornell University Feline Health Center and the American Veterinary Medical Association describes the signs, causes and recommendations for pre…
After your lawn gets its last cut before winter, it will be time to put away spring and summer outdoor power equipment, like lawn mowers, leaf blowers, and trimmers. What’s next?
If technology is so pervasive that Big Brother is watching us, and Facebook knows everything about us, why do so many of us still receive seemingly endless unwanted calls? For many of us who receive unwanted calls, the biggest culprit are robocalls.
Last week I might have scared more than a few of you with a short explanation on how our personal data is used and how, at this moment, our laws do not give us control over our data as it’s stored in private databases. However, all this integrated data doesn’t have to be entirely scary or bad news.
“Head spinning off neck” is sometimes my response to the proverbial “how are you doing?” Although my issues may not be your challenge, you have your own, writes Joanne McInnis.
Hip dysplasia is a deformity of the hip joint. Although any dog can be affected, writes veterinarian Lawrence Lamb, it is predominantly seen in larger dogs such as German Shepherds, Saint Bernards, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Old English Sheepdogs, Bulldogs, etc. Large mixed-bre…
Many people around town are talking about Netflix’s “The Social Dilemma.” It has turned out to be an eye-opening account for many as to the problems and pitfalls of the businesses that make money from the data gathered in social media.
As Dorothy said in the “merry old land of OZ,” which was as different from Kansas as it could be, she was in a new world. We are in that new world too. School and Testing and Vaccines, OH MY.
Spot-on flea and tick products for dogs and cats have greatly improved the safety and convenience of controlling external parasites on our pets. They are great improvement to other types of pesticides used in the past. However, I am reluctant to use them because they can come in contact wit…
Coping with an itchy cat can be an extremely frustrating experience for any pet owner, and can truly test the limits of the human-animal bond. The following information is intended to help provide pet owners with a basic understanding of the most common underlying causes of itching and aller…
It is indeed. Consider just these four big-ticket topics: COVID, Economy, School, Politics, and my head is spinning. I imagine yours is too. The heat setting on our cooktop of coping seems to be on “hard boil.”
Dr. Lamb discusses the day we all avoid thinking about when we bring home that new puppy.
Resiliency. The new buzz word. Every crisis has one; we've had many during COVID. The "R" word has many meanings, depending on your perspective.
One of the most common problems I see at the Manchester Animal Hospital is a skin condition called “Hot Spots”. It is often caused by a local allergic reaction to a specific irritation such as anything that disturbs the healthy integrity of skin.
If you have space in your home and heart for two guys, consider adopting Panchito and Rocky today! They still have lots of love to give. Because of their age and size both pups are considered “special needs,” mainly due to typical aging.
Do we remember what a world not dominated by a pandemic feels like? I often find myself saying to colleagues in the healthcare field, "Remember when we thought healthcare was stressful before COVID?" And we either roll our eyes, let out a huge groan, or respond with a long pause of silence.
Giardiasis is a gastrointestinal infection of many mammalian species. The disease is caused by Giardia duodenalis, a flagellated protozoan parasite found worldwide. Infection among dogs and cats is common, with prevalence rates of 5-15%. Humans can also become infected with strains of Gia…
Our culture has brought immediate gratification to a new, perhaps unhealthy, level, but the pandemic screeched all of that to a halt, and we have no choice but to slow down. Use this time to consider who you are, what makes you tick, what you value, and how you cope. It might serve you well …
A question we are all thinking about, even if we are not putting it into words. Is a vaccine the COVID-19 "Holy Grail?" Will it bring safety and normalcy back to our lives? Who is working on it? How many are in trials? Is it safe? Will it give me the virus? Can everyone get vaccinated…
I know our clients get tired of us saying it, but I really believe that age is not a disease, and mature pets that are otherwise healthy are able to tolerate anesthesia well. A pet that is older is more likely to have more severe periodontal disease and thus more pain. These animals still …
Cough is a common problem in dogs but occurs less frequently in cats. Cough is caused by irritation of the throat, airways, or the lungs. The main airway to the lungs, known as the windpipe or trachea, branches into smaller airways called bronchi, which branch several more times as they tr…