Our Blog
Firehouse is committed to keeping your pet happy and healthy while preventing disease.
Our Careful and Common Sense Approach to Vaccines
We Customize the Plan for Your Dog and Cat
3.5 minute read Firehouse customizes vaccine plans for each pet. We’ll chat at your pet’s yearly check-up. Then, we recommend only the vaccines your pet needs based on your lifestyle and environment. Our advice is conservative and based on common sense. Vaccines are...
5 Tips for Senior Cats
Easy ways to protect your best bud
1 min read Your pet might become persnickety! Yet, a picky eater isn’t necessarily cause for alarm. “Something I didn’t expect is Bachan, who is 11, has increasingly become picky with food” says Alex, a CSC at Firehouse Westlake. “When it first started happening, I...
5 ways to nurture your senior pet
Make the most of your companion’s golden years
3 min read “My cat, Sid, was found many years ago living as a street cat in Brooklyn, NY where my husband lived at the time,” says Georgie Chadwick, the new Hospital Manager at Firehouse Westlake. “Sid wandered around the neighborhood, looking for food and hiding...
Ticks are Little. They Spread Big Diseases
Protect your cat and dog with preventive medicine
2.5 min read “We recently saw a stray boxer who was covered in hundreds of ticks,” says Dr Faith Weeks. “Before we started the giant task of removing all of them, we gave him a dose of Bravecto. This helps the ticks fall off on their own. We spent several hours making...
My pet ate poison. Now what?
The 5 things to do next
1 min read If you suspect your pet has eaten something they shouldn’t have eaten, don’t panic. Many pets eat toxins. We won’t judge you over the item or substance. Life happens. We’re here to help. Step 1: Find the packaging. It helps to have the product packaging so...
Brushing Your Pet’s Teeth: What to Know for Cats and Dogs
It's easier than it seems!
2.5 min read Brushing is a good habit to form as part of pet dental care. It’s a nice addition to professional cleanings. While there are a lot of tricks we can teach our pets, brushing their own teeth is not one of them. Alas, this task falls to owners. Get started...
Prep for Everything This Winter: How to Protect Your Pets During Austin Cold Fronts
2 min read Dogs (and even cats!) can enjoy the snow. The cold and texture of the snow are new sensations, triggering all sorts of positive stimuli in their brains. Read the tips below if you plan to be outdoors in the snow for long periods of time. Or if Mother...
When is the Right Time to Spay or Neuter Your Pet?
You and your vet decide together based on breed, age, and health
2 min read We wish there was a hard and fast rule when spaying or neutering your pet, but there is no perfect age. Your pet's health and breed, among other factors, determine the right time. What's the right age to spay or neuter my pet? Discuss this with your...
Xylitol: Is it Lurking in Your Pantry?
Symptoms, treatments, and what to do if you think that your pet has eaten it.
The number #1 recommendation from professionals is to read food labels before feeding anything to your pet. Do you have sugar-free gum, candies, or powdered peanut butter in your pantry? A sugar substitute called xylitol(also called birch sugar)is common in most of...