Fleas live on your pet's body. Dogs and cats can get fleas from their mother (when they are young), from another dog, or from their environment. When infected, your pet might bite or scratch himself frequently. Severe allergic reactions from flea bites can include Flea Allergic Dermatitis, which can show up as encrusted lesions on the skin. Not only can fleas cause dermatitis, but they can also transmit diseases to other animals and humans, such as tapeworm. 

If your pet has fleas, it is important to treat both your pet and his environment. Flea season can last several months and there are several ways to combat fleas. From washing your pet's bedding and deep cleaning, to utilizing a treatment and preventative that is veterinarian approved, you can help your dog or cat to get relief from fleas. 

Pets are most likely to pick up ticks in wooded area in the summer and spring. Bites from certain types of ticks can cause irritation and infection at the point where the tick attaches to the pet's skin and can transmit diseases including Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. Tick infestations can lead to anemia, weight loss, paralysis, and even death. 

Parasite prevention products for fleas and ticks, like Bravecto, can work effectively to eliminate pests living on your dog or cat within hours. We recommend partnering with your veterinarian to determine the best course of treatment for your pet.

Mange mites are tiny organisms not visible to the naked eye. They live on your pet's skin or in hair follicles and they lay their eggs under the skin. As your pet scratches and rubs, the skin becomes dry and thickened leading to hair loss and hardened crusty patches. It is highly contagious to both animals and humans and must be treated by a veterinarian promptly. 

Ear mites will cause your pet to scratch their ears or shake their head. You can tell if your pet has ear mites by checking the ears for dark earwas or specks resembling dried blood or coffee grounds. Ear mites can cause ear infections and are also highly contagious to other animals. Treatment will require veterinary care. 

Ringworm is caused by a fungus and will appear on your dog's or cat's skin as round, bare patches on the skin. If your pet has ringworm, avoid contact with other animals as ringworm is highly contagious and can be transmitted to other animals and humans. Your veterinarian can treat ringworm with medication. 

Even the best cared pet can get ill from time-to-time. Changes in behavior can be early indicators of illness. If your dog or cat exhibits changes, or other unusual symptoms, contact your veterinarian for guidance and care:

• Loss of appetite for more than an day
• Diarrhea, constipation, difficulty with urination, or blood in the stool or urine
• Vomiting
• Fever - usually indicated by a dry, hot nose, dull eyes, and an increase in body heat
• Pain
• Excessive panting or difficulty breathing
• Coughing and sneezing
• Head shaking
• Constant scratching or biting
• Biting or other aggressive or unusual behaviour in a normally well-tempered pet
• Bad mouth odor 
• Lump beneath the skin
• Dull hair coat
• Scooting along the ground

Do you live in Cypress, Tx or the surrounding areas? We are happy to help! Give us a call at 281-970-0601 or make an appointment conveniently online.

Thank you for your continued support during these unprecedented times. Your unconditional support has been a blessing and meant everything to our family and our staff! We will continue to inform you of changes via email and through our social media pages.

​Starting May 4th, our hours of operation will change to the following:

​Sun: closed
Mon: 7:30am - 6pm
Tues: 7:30am - 6pm
Wed: 7:30am - 6pm
Thurs: 7:30am - 12pm
Fri: 7:30am - 6pm
Sat: 8:00am - 12pm (by appointment only until further notice)

We have been thankful to partner with Blue Pearl for after hours emergeny care. At this time, Blue Pearl will not be open to see patients. We have taken time and careful consideration to select a new facility to partner with in order for our patients to receive the same level of attention and care they deserve. Moving forward, we will be partnering with ANIMAL ER of NORTHWEST HOUSTON, located on 27104 HWY 290 in Cypress. ​

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year. We look forward to sharing time with family and friends, decorating, eating extra special dishes, enjoying holiday music and festivities. Many people include their pets in the festivities as well! There are a just a few precautions that pet parents need to take to keep their pet's safe this holiday season. ​Dr. Rusty Tracy, D.V.M. lists the 5 most common things to watch out for.

Human foods that are high in fat can be especially harmful to your pets. Since dogs and cats are accustomed to normal to low fat diets, ingesting fatty foods can cause weakness and pain as well as severe stomach upset including throwing up, diarrhea, and severe pancreatitis which is potentially life-threatening. If your pet exhibits several of these symptoms repeatedly, contact your veterinarian right away. Avoid giving your dog ham, fatty table scraps and left overs, and dark turkey meat. 

Ham bones & turkey bones are choking hazards for your pet. While you may not be directly giving your pet leftovers or bones, many dogs and cats get into the trash. For this reason we recommend that you take your trash out quickly. During this time of year we see an increase in dogs coming in for foreign body removals of disposable plates, silverware, or other items that had food remnants on them.

Candy, chocolate, and other sweets that contain xylitol can be toxic for both dogs and cats. Xylitol is just a sugar substitute found in some sugar-free candies, gum and recipes. When ingested by pets, xylitol may cause vomiting, loss of coordination, seizures, and in severe cases, liver failure. Make sure that you put your sweets far out of reach from your pets. 

Certain foods like nuts & raisins can also cause stomach upset for your pets. In high quantities, these can be toxic. Keep your pets away from the table and unattended plates of food. It's also okay to set some house rules for your guests and ask your them to not feed your pets.

Cats are notorious for eating tinsel. This sparkling decoration attracts cats like nothing else, so it's best to use a different decoration for your tree. Tinsel is thin and sharp and can easily wrap itself around the intestines or ball up in the stomach once ingested. Dr. Tracy has had to do several surgeries to remove balls of tinsel from cat intestines. Lights are another thing to watch out for.

Dr. Rusty Tracy states, "You've got to watch out for cats getting up into the tree and electrocuting themselves. They like to chew on those lights! You don't have to get rid of all your decorations; it's just a time of year to be cautious." 

Be mindful of where you place your electrical outlets, and if possible, keep them out of reach from your pet. 

If you suspect your pet is ill, contact your veterinarian right away. If you are in Cypress, Texas or the surrounding areas, you can call us at 281-970-0601. Dr. Rusty Tracy, Dr. Tanner Tracy, and the staff at Tracy Animal Hospital are here to help. For after hours help, we recommend contacting BluePearl Veterinary Partners.

Share our article with others and have a happy and safe holiday season!