| Morning, Fort Collins. |
| It's 83 and gray as we write this, with a high near 100 on the way — the kind of afternoon where the dog claims the coolest tile in the house and refuses to negotiate. Cold water and short walks until it breaks. Here's what caught our eye this week. |
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1.Some of your pet's meds are now at CVS
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2.A newer answer for the dog who can't stop scratching
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3.What we actually do when you find a lump
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4.Cost is keeping pets from care, and Dr. Google is filling the gap
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The lead · PHARMACY NEWS
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Some of your pet's meds are now at CVS
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| CVS has started stocking select dog and cat medications at around 9,000 of its pharmacies nationwide. |
| The list covers a lot of the everyday stuff: antibiotics, allergy pills, flea and tick control, insulin, and pain relievers. Handy for the night you realize you're out and we're already closed. The prescription still comes from us after an exam; the fill just doesn't have to happen here anymore. |
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Why it matters: For anyone managing something ongoing, like a diabetic cat's insulin, more places to fill a script means fewer frantic drives across town.
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Read at veterinarypracticenews.com →
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ITCH RELIEF
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A newer answer for the dog who can't stop scratching
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| A veterinary dermatologist is making the case for JAK inhibitors, a newer class of anti-itch medication, as a way to give allergic dogs their comfort back. |
| If you've got a dog who licks, scratches, and chews all summer, you know how much allergies can wear on a whole household. These target the itch more directly than a steroid does, which is why vets reach for them when a dog needs relief for months, not days. They aren't right for every dog and they aren't cheap, but for the truly miserable scratchers, they can turn the summer around. |
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Why it matters: For the household losing sleep to a scratching dog, the takeaway is that steroids aren't the only option anymore, and the newer ones are built for the long haul.
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Read the full story →
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EXAM ROOM
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What we actually do when you find a lump
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| You feel a new bump on your dog and your stomach drops — here's the low-drama test that usually comes next. |
| It's called a fine-needle aspirate. A small needle draws a few cells from the lump, we look at them under the microscope, and often that's the whole visit — no anesthesia, no cutting. Most of the time it sorts a harmless fatty lump from something that needs a closer look, so you usually walk out the same day knowing what you're dealing with. |
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Why it matters: The next time you feel a new bump under the fur, it helps to know the first step is usually a quick in-room test, not surgery and not a long wait for answers.
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Read the full story →
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COST OF CARE
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Cost is keeping pets from care, and Dr. Google is filling the gap
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| A new report finds many pet owners are putting off treatment because of cost, and more of them are asking the internet or an AI chatbot before they call a vet. |
| We get it — vet bills are real. Nobody wants to pay for a problem that might've cleared up on its own, and looking things up first is completely reasonable. But a search bar can't feel your cat's belly or hear that cough, so it tends to push you toward panic or false calm, and the pet in the middle is the one who pays for the guess. |
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Why it matters: If money is the reason you're hesitating, tell us — we'll walk you through what's genuinely urgent and what can wait, and we've never sold anyone a treatment their pet doesn't need.
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Read the full story →
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Quick hits
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• Researchers found cats with chronic kidney disease have measurably different gut chemistry — early work, but a hint the gut and kidneys are more linked than we knew. →
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• A cat-only hospital built around feline behavior is set to open in Colorado this fall, aimed at making visits less stressful for cats. →
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• Hill's is moving into the fresh, refrigerated dog food aisle with a single-protein line in three flavors, if you've been curious about the trend. →
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Tip of the week
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The back-of-the-hand test
Before a midday walk this week, press the back of your hand flat to the sidewalk and hold it there. If it's too hot for you to keep it there comfortably, it's too hot for your dog's paw pads — pavement runs much hotter than the air, and burns hide under fur until the limping starts. Save the real walk for after dinner, once things cool off.
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How was this issue?
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Until next week,
Dr. Alvarez and the Cedar Park team
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| P.S. If you've got a summer photo of your dog doing something ridiculous to stay cool, send it our way — the front desk has a wall that could use it. |