This post was written by our friend Melissa R. Shyan Norwalt, Ph.D., CAAB

Your dog or cat is an important member of your family. They provide unconditional love and are there for us on our best and worst days. Feeding them a high-quality diet that meets their nutritional needs is an essential step in showing them the same love they give you. Unfortunately, choosing a suitable cat food or dog food is confusing simply because there are so many options.

August is National Pet Immunization Month, offering us a chance to address a critical opportunity for optimal wellness. We all want our four-legged family members to live the longest, healthiest life possible, and one of the best ways to ensure that is to vaccinate them against common diseases.

Our pets communicate with us all the time; we just need to know what to listen for. Because cats and dogs can be very stoic about when they hurt, pet owners need to pay attention to any changes in behavior. In the blog post below, we've shared 15 signs of pain in cats and dogs that you should have on your radar.

Summer is the perfect time to get out and enjoy those warm, sunny days with your furry friend. Unfortunately, this time of year can be hazardous for pets. If you are not careful, your dog or cat could experience serious injuries, illnesses, or worse. As veterinarians, we want you and your pet to enjoy the rest of a healthy, fun-filled summer, so we're sharing information about some of the most common summertime pet hazards below.

Keeping your dog up-to-date on vaccinations protects them from several devastating illnesses, including rabies, parvovirus, distemper, bordetella, and more. Unfortunately, no vaccine will protect your canine companion from every disease they may encounter throughout their life. And while modern vaccines are highly effective, there is always a minuscule risk of vaccine failure. This means that, despite your best efforts, there's no way to ensure that your furry friend will never get sick.

As one of the hottest months of the year, July is a time when you need to stay hydrated. The media blasts messages at this time of year reminding us to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration and heat-related illnesses. Unfortunately, there is not as much information on how important proper hydration is for optimal health in cat and dog nutrition.

Drowning is a familiar term to all of us—a traumatic event that occurs when a person or animal is submerged in water for too long and deprived of oxygen. However, a relatively uncommon but related term is secondary or "dry drowning." Water is aspirated into the lungs and causes serious complications, often hours or even days after water exposure. Dry drowning, also known as aspiration pneumonia, can affect humans and their pets.