Pet Health Blog

While we know that marijuana is toxic to our furry friends, there are still many unknowns about the use of medical marijuana in veterinary medicine. DoveLewis Chief Medical Officer Lee Herold answers your questions about this controversial drug use for pets.

Bold, beautiful lilies start to blossom in spring gardens and appear in Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and May Day bouquets. But did you know they can be poisonous and extremely toxic to cats?

As availability of marijuana increases in the Portland area since legalization, so have the number of marijuana toxicity cases treated at DoveLewis. Our doctors warn pet owners of the potential risks to their dogs and cats if marijuana is ingested in any form.

One of the most common and most serious symptoms treated by doctors at DoveLewis is respiratory distress, or breathing challenges. Whether an animal is having difficulty breathing or they are breathing excessively, this issue should be treated immediately.

Most people know that smoking is bad for your health, but how many of us think about the dangers of tobacco, cigarettes and smoking around pets?

Parvovirus is a potentially life-threatening illness, most commonly affecting young dogs between the age of 8 weeks and 1 year old. Highly contagious, the virus is transmitted through contaminated dog feces and can live for long periods of time in the environment (sometimes several years).