Spring has officially sprung, and with the blooming flowers and trees comes allergy season for many sniffling humans. Runny-nosed, watery-eyed pet owners who suffer from hay fever know the discomfort associated with the spring and summer, but many allergies are a year-round problem in our warm Port Charlotte climate. Pets are also prone to seasonal [...]

The bond with your pet is special, and over time pet owners and their four-legged companions sometimes resemble each other with their expressions. Your pet’s internal physiology, including their heart and lungs, functions similarly to human physiology—in fact, many pet owners say that their pets make their hearts complete. However, one pet aspect that is [...]

Spending quality time cuddling and playing with your four-legged companion is one of the many benefits of pet ownership. Our pets are our constant companions, workout partners, and often our nap buddies, but this close relationship should not include sharing hitchhiking pests that may invade our pets. Regular preventive veterinary care and monthly parasite control [...]

Knowing when to drop everything to rush your four-legged family member to the veterinarian may not always be obvious, but guessing wrong can be fatal. Our Groves Veterinary Clinic team wants you to recognize eight serious emergencies, to help you know when your pet’s injury or illness requires immediate medical attention. #1: Your pet has [...]

Because cats are independent and stoic, and experts at hiding illness, many owners do not believe their feline housemate needs routine veterinary check-ups, or recognize that they are ill. Other owners may dread coercing their angry, hissing kitty into their carrier for a veterinary visit. However, cats do need routine care as much as dogs. [...]

Cognition can be described as the mental process of thinking, reasoning, or remembering.  People and pets rely on cognition every day to get through straightforward tasks, such as heading to the eating area at mealtimes or taking a bathroom break when needed. With more difficult chores, our advanced cognitive skills help us accomplish things like [...]

A parasite can be defined as “an organism living in, with, or on another organism in parasitism,” with parasitism defined as a relationship in which “a parasite obtains benefits from a host which it usually injures.” In short, parasites are creatures that take advantage of their hosts. Our pets are susceptible to a number of [...]

Your senior pet has given you a lifetime of love and adoration. Return the favor with special care designed to support their aging body, and ensure their comfort and good health in their golden years. Although age is not a disease, it does come with many age-related illnesses that can be alleviated through multimodal treatment [...]

The COVID-19 pandemic is still going strong, and we have more challenging months ahead. During the pandemic, you’ve likely had many questions about if, and how, COVID-19 can affect your pet. Our Groves Veterinary Clinic team answers our most frequent questions about COVID-19 and pets.  Can animals contract coronaviruses? Many coronavirus strains cause a variety [...]

Dogs have a nose for sniffing out sweet treats, especially chocolate. Cats, on the other hand, are often too discriminating to eat large amounts of this sweet snack, and they do not have receptors for sweet tastes, so chocolate holds no appeal. While food toxicities are common in pets, phone calls about chocolate ingestion are [...]