Mar
19
Understanding MRI: A Guide for Pet Parents
MRI of a dog's brain Learn More
Friendship Hospital Archives
Jan
27
Snow Melt and Pets: What Every Pet Owner Should Know
During winter, snow and ice melting products (“snow melt” or “ice melt”) are commonly used on sidewalks, driveways, and roads. While helpful for people, many of these products can be dangerous to pets. Why Snow Melt Is a Problem Snow melt products often contain chemicals such as: salt (sodium chloride), calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium... Learn More
Jan
25
Winter Safety Tips for Your Furry Friends
As winter brings a chilly embrace, it’s crucial to be proactive in ensuring the well-being of our four-legged friends. The frosty season brings not only joy, but also potential hazards for dogs and cats. Here are some winter safety tips to keep your pets healthy and happy. Beware of Common Toxins: One of the most... Learn More
Dec
29
Keeping Your Furry Friends Safe As You Celebrate the New Year & Head Into Winter 2026!
The winter months and the New Year bring joy, but they also present unique hazards for our beloved pets. Here are some helpful tips to consider for the season ❄️ Winter Weather Safety Tips for Dogs & Cats ❄️ * Protect from the Cold: * Indoor Warmth: 🎄 Holiday Season Safety Tips for Dogs & Cats 🎄 Decorations: Toxic Plants: ... Learn More
Nov
18
Thanksgiving Safety Tips for You and Your Pets
Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude, family, and of course, delicious food! As you prepare to gather around the table and celebrate, it’s important to remember that the holiday hustle and bustle can be stressful—and even hazardous—for our furry family members. From tempting table scraps to a house full of guests, here’s how to keep... Learn More
Nov
12
Trending now! Drs. Skinner and Foster explore a modified technique for vascular catheter placement for extracorporeal therapy in the American Journal of Veterinary Research.
To view their article and training video visit the AVMA publication here. Learn More
Nov
01
Cancer Prevention in Pets
Cancer rarely has a single cause. Instead, it typically develops due to a complex mix of genetic predisposition, environmental influences, immune system dysfunction, and plain chance. Because of this multifactorial nature, we can’t completely prevent cancer—but there are several practical steps pet owners can take to reduce the risk. Spaying and Neutering Spaying and neutering... Learn More
Aug
28
A Comprehensive Guide to Our Wellness Plans
Caring for your pet means managing their health—and their expenses. Regular health checkups and good prevention are key to a long, happy life for your furry friend. Preventive healthcare helps catch health issues early and keeps costs down. At Friendship Hospital for Animals, we offer top-notch wellness plans designed to protect your pet’s health and... Learn More
Aug
28
What Does Itchiness Look Like in Cats?
Overgrooming cats are frequently thought to be bored, anxious, or stressed. The truth is, psychogenic or situational itch is extremely rare in cats, and can only be diagnosed by ruling out the far more common cause of itch: allergic skin disease. Even moreso than dogs, cats can be sneaky about their allergies and their lesions... Learn More
Aug
14
What does itchiness look like in dogs?
In people, itchiness is a symptom that we can easily identify and express. In dogs, the most common cause of itchiness is allergic skin disease; dogs however express their itchiness in behaviors unique to ours, which can make correctly identifying (and addressing) this behavior a challenge. Other than the obvious scratching behavior we know too... Learn More
Jul
31
What Causes Your Pet To Be Itchy And Why Do Medications Not Always Work?
The most common cause of excessive licking, biting, scratching, and chewing of the skin in dogs and cats is allergic skin disease. These diseases are not curable, but can be successfully managed and abated with targeted and diligent therapies. Intense, rapid-onset itch, as well as the formation of skin lesions in the absence of significant... Learn More
May
06
Understanding Pet Allergies
At this time of year we are all enjoying spring and looking forward to the summer. But with leafy trees, colorful flowers, and plants blooming, we are also very aware of the pollens! Many humans suffer from allergic disease and many pet owners can see their dogs and cats suffering as well. Cats and dogs... Learn More
May
06
Allergy Testing and Immunotherapy for Pets
Environmental allergies are a life-long problem for so many pets. What is especially hard is that we cannot easily remove environmental allergens. Most dogs and cats are NOT allergic to cleaning products, laundry detergents, or litter. Although many dog and cat parents would be willing to do anything for their pets, cleaning or filtering simply... Learn More
Oct
10
Chemotherapy in Pets
Finding out your pet has cancer can be a frightening and stressful experience for many reasons. One common source of anxiety is the idea that your pet may require chemotherapy treatment, which can be an intimidating prospect. The word “chemotherapy” often conjures images of severe side effects that nobody wants their pet to experience: things... Learn More
May
08
Spay and neuter surgery at Friendship: What to expect
The General Surgery department at Friendship Hospital for Animals offers a wide range of surgical procedures, both on an elective and emergency basis Monday through Friday. Ovariectomy is the surgical removal of the ovaries in females and orchiectomy is the surgical removal of the testes in males, these procedures are commonly called referred to as... Learn More
Apr
10
April is National Heartworm Awareness Month!
Heartworm disease, caused by the parasite Dirofilaria immitus, is an all-too common and potentially devastating disease of dogs and cats. It is estimated that approximately ONE MILLION dogs and cats in the US are infected with this parasite, and many may not have symptoms of the disease until the damage has been done. This parasite... Learn More
Feb
13
Treating Luna’s Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
Meet Luna: A young Rat Terrier who presented to Friendship Hospital for Animals for evaluation of urinary issues with the Internal Medicine service. While being evaluated by Dr. Stephanie Skinner, a loud heart murmur was heard and Luna was referred to see one of our Board-Certified Veterinary Cardiologist, Dr. Chris McLaughlin. Dr. McLaughlin performed a... Learn More
Dec
15
RECOVER Initiative – CPR for pets
What is CPR? How helpful is it from a pet owner’s perspective? Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, also known as CPR, is an emergency first aid technique that sustains blood flow to the brain and heart in the event of cardia arrest. CPR entails chest compressions, assisted breathing, and advance life support measures including medications and defibrillation. Cardiopulmonary... Learn More
Apr
23
The Dog Aging Project
Logan is a participant in a study called the Dog Aging Project. To enroll him in the study I had to complete information on Logan’s physical and nutritional health, and his lifestyle. Today I signed up to participate in the “access to stairs” survey as part of the study. The Dog Aging Project is looking... Learn More
Apr
09
Pet Poison Prevention Q&A
Dr. Sara Lister is a veterinarian with ASPCA Animal Poison Control. Her previous work includes Oklahoma State University (class of 2007), followed by internship at Friendship Hospital for Animals. She continued to practice emergency medicine and general practice for the past 10 years, before joining Poison Control. If you think your pet may have ingested a... Learn More
Mar
30
Lilies and Cats: The Lethal Lily
It is quite an unfortunate fact that most cat owners are unaware of the health hazards of lily plants. Flower shops typically do not ask if the recipient of a floral bouquet has a cat in the house and despite educational campaigns from veterinarians, the public is still mostly unaware of just how dangerous lilies... Learn More
Dec
22
10 Strategies to Cope with Pet Loss at the Holidays
Losing your pet can feel devastating at any moment in the year. At the holidays, your grief can appear even greater as you try to find joy amongst your loss and are often contending with added family stressors. It’s normal to wonder how you may ever find happy holidays again when missing your loved one.... Learn More
Sep
10
Treats – How much is too much?
Showing love through food can quickly become a problem for some pets. Commonly pet owners start off with a few small additional treats which over time expands to high calorie treats given more frequently. This quickly contributes to pets becoming overweight and even obese. In 2018, an estimated 60% of cats and 56% of dogs... Learn More
Jul
31
Do Pets Grieve?
Survivor Pet Your survivor pet may exhibit signs of intense stress after the loss of a housemate. It can be two pets that have been together their whole lives, yet it can also be pets who have only been together a short period of time. This can also occur to a dog after the passing... Learn More
Jun
19
Thoughts from a veterinarian practicing during the COVID pandemic
As the COVID pandemic picked up speed in mid-March, Friendship made the difficult decision to close our doors to our clients while leaving our doors open to our patients. We understood that this decision would change our daily routines with curbside check-in and without clients in exam rooms. What we didn’t expect was that it... Learn More
May
20
Friendship and Encore Vet Group
We write you today with some very exciting news. As of May 18th, Friendship has merged with Encore Vet Group. With notable cultural and philosophical alignment, and a shared passionate commitment to veterinary medicine, Friendship and Encore are excited to serve the DC community together. For the past 85 years, Friendship has been a Tenleytown... Learn More
May
12
Cooking for Your Pet
You asked: I would love to know more about how to feed my dog unprocessed or minimally processed food. I’d like a guideline for calorie-density and appropriate volume, balanced sources of protein. What is the importance of variety of nutrition sources? For example, hard cooked or scrambled chicken eggs, salmon, red meat? What grains might... Learn More
May
05
Preventing Separation Anxiety
A record number of new pet adoptions have happily taken place during the current pandemic. With ample time at home to train and care for a growing puppy, many have determined now is a great time to adopt. Additionally, dogs and cats that previously spent hours each day home alone, are undoubtedly a little perplexed... Learn More
Apr
15
Coronavirus & Cats
With the recent report of a tiger at the Bronx Zoo testing positive for coronavirus, there may be renewed fear about the spread of coronavirus between humans and domestic cats. Multiple cats were showing symptoms The tiger at the Bronx Zoo that tested positive for coronavirus displayed symptoms of a dry cough. Several other tigers... Learn More
Apr
10
Dangers of Blue Green Algae
In the late summer of 2019, news reports and Facebook accounts from around the country were describing acute neurological signs and even death in dogs that had been out swimming in bodies of water. Even here in the DMV, there were accounts in northern Maryland of dogs falling ill. Blue Green Algae, also known as... Learn More
