Faithful Friends Cremation Services

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For every pet parent who has experienced loss, our beloved Rainbow Bridge angels remain forever in our hearts. National Pet Memorial Day honors the cherished love shared and memories made throughout their precious lives. 🌈🐾

If your pet has diabetes, they will undergo initial testing, as well as a lifetime of insulin and monitoring, to ensure they lead a fulfilling and happy life. 🐾

Testing & Monitoring Diabetes In Dog - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Generally, the following screening tests are performed when diabetes mellitus is suspected: a complete blood count (CBC), a serum biochemistry profile, and a urinalysis.

Grief is a heavy burden, but for Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, we hope you smile knowing you will see them again. 🌈🐾

Whether you've decided to be a first-time cat parent or you are bringing a new feline into your cat-experienced home, there are many important factors you should consider when choosing the purrfect cat for your family. 🐱

Pet Selection: What To Consider When Choosing A Cat - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center You’ve probably heard lots of funny cat anecdotes; about how you don’t own them…they own YOU; how they feel superior to everyone, especially dogs; that they expect to be treated like royalty. If you are considering a feline acquisition, first consider this: lots of those remarks are true! They...

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Deaf cats rely on vision, touch, and smell. These are the types of cues they'll look for when learning and training. 🐱

Teaching & Training A Deaf Cat - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Deaf cats can learn just as easily as hearing cats. The training process, using rewards to encourage behaviors, is the same. The difference is that all cues must be non-verbal.

So, so true!! ❤️

Today we are celebrating all of our favorite mixed breed pups for National Mutt Day. 🐶 Dogs are simply amazing! ❤️ If you have a sweet, little mutt, we’d love to see their cute pics in the comments! 📸

Hot spots can be caused by allergies, insect bites, poor grooming, infections, and more. If your pet has one, take them to the vet to get them some relief! 🐶

What Is A Hot Spot & Why Do Pets Get Them? - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Hot spots – also known as pyotraumatic dermatitis or acute moist dermatitis – are red, inflamed skin lesions that appear quickly, ooze, and may contain pus.

So true ❤️🐱

Whether your dog was born deaf or has hearing loss due to aging, they still learn from visual cues and more every single day. Show them you care by learning the best ways to communicate with them and train them. 🐶❤️

Teaching & Training A Deaf Dog - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Deaf dogs can learn the same skills as dogs with normal hearing. Deafness does not change the dog’s ability to learn, but it does change how they receive information.

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Signs of cognitive dysfunction include disorientation and anxiety, plus changes in the following: social interactions, sleep cycles, potty behavior, and activity level. 🐾

Understanding Senior Pet Cognitive Dysfunction - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Senior pet cognitive dysfunction refers to age-related changes in cognitive ability. Changes in cognition can occur at the same time as other medical disorders.

Does your cat ever become agitated after enjoying physical contact with you for a short period of time? When a cat bites a kind, petting hand, it's become known as a "go away" bite. It's important to understand when and why cats do this, as well as if you can help lessen their agitation. 🐈

Understanding When & Why Cats Have Petting Aggression - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Initially, the cat acts like it enjoys the physical contact and may even purr and rub against the person. However, after a variable period of time, the cat may become agitated and turn and bite the hand that is petting it.

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Older cats can experience many changes. They deserve mindful attention from those who take care of them. 🐱❤️

What To Consider When Caring For A Senior Cat - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Improved nutrition, infectious disease prevention, and advances in veterinary medicine have resulted in our cats living longer and healthier lives.

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Are you doing any renovations in your home? 🏠🔨
Take these precautions to keep your pets safe. 🐾

Learn How To Make Home Renovations Safe For Your Pet - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Working on a house is stressful for all those living in it. Here are a few things to consider before you tackle your home improvement project.

Remembering Buck ❤️

“It’s not very often a dog comes into your life and saves you in the process and it’s extremely rare that they build your family along the way. But that’s exactly what Buck did. On July 27, 2014, Buck came to me at a very difficult time in my life. I was broken and having a very hard time mentally. I prayed for God to send me help and he sent that help in the form of a little white fluff ball.

I was looking for a lab for my first dog and had turned down several for different reasons. One day while I was fishing with my buddies, my Mom sent me a picture and told me there were three dogs available but they weren’t pure blood labs, they were lab Pyrenees mix. I immediately left fishing and we made the short drive down the road to look at them. Once we arrived they told us they had two males and a female left. I picked up one of the pups that was playing but it just wanted back down to play. I picked up who would later be Buck and he just wrapped up in my arms. I asked the owners if he played or just laid around. They assured me he played too. I was able to narrow the pick down to two dogs but couldn’t make a decision. I decided I would let the dogs choose me. I put both dogs down and walked a few feet away to see if they came to me. Sure enough, Buck came running into my arms. We were best buddies from that day forward.

Buck and I made our first trip to the pet store to pick out food, treats, bowls, a leash, a collar and several toys. In true Buck fashion he was a store favorite.

The next few weeks were difficult trying to work full time, go to school full time and train Buck. He was ornery! I remember he used to wake me up by nibbling on my nose and ears. It was irritating, I wasn’t sleeping but there was no way I could get mad at that sweet little face. He would chew up my phone chargers and cry if I tried to put him in a crate. Buck only spent 30 seconds of his life in a crate, once he started to cry I hurried up and took him out.

Over the next year, we went on a ton of car rides in the country and he would even accompany me at work from time to time. He was the highlight of my day when I would come home from work. Even when I would work long days and be dog tired, seeing Buck would always give me a second wind and the energy to come home and play with him.

Whenever my friends came over to the house, he was always the center of attention and enjoyed every moment of it. Buck was a social butterfly. He never met a stranger! We use to joke that someone could rob us blind if they had treats with them because boy did he love his treats!

A year later Buck would find me a wife. Megan came into the picture in May of 2015. I invited her out to the house one night because we were having a party. She came around the house and told me Buck was a very sweet boy and that he had jumped all over her and gave her lots of kisses. I was a little puzzled by this because although he got along with almost everyone, he never jumped in a strangers arms before. I decided I would trust his judgement and see where this relationship would go. From that night forward Buck would go on many dates with us and would become friends with Megan’s dog Gunner. Buck also had another friend at our house that was unfortunately hit by a car. Buck began to go in a depression and we were told he may need a companion. So along came Molly into our family. Buck wasn’t instantly excited about a new puppy in the house but those two became inseparable.

Two years later, Megan and I bought our first house. All three dogs took a little while to get adjusted as a blended family but soon became best friends. Buck enjoyed many gatherings at our house and enjoyed many treats and table scraps. It was at this house where Buck finally learned how to catch toys and really dialed in on his fetching skills. Buck was an avid hunter! He chased down many rabbits, turtles, snakes, mice and birds. When he would get excited his ears would perk up and he would bunny hop like a rabbit. He enjoyed sitting on his perch on the deck. Buck loved to be outside anytime he could be, as long as it wasn’t hot. He was a lover of the cool nights and the snow in the winter. Buck was an escape artist! Always finding ways to get free! He would out run the underground fence as fast as he could so he only got one shock before he was out of range. He found so many ways to bust out of the chain link fence we put up next. He would even hold the bottom up just enough to let his sidekick, Molly escape with him! It took us running a cattle line at the bottom of the fence to keep his free spirit in!

Buck was the BEST snuggler. There were very few times that I was allowed to sit in my recliner or on the couch without him demanding he lay in my lap as well. He truly didn’t understand his size. He was the biggest lap dog and believed he was a baby, probably because I always called him one, “hims just a little baby.” Buck always enjoyed going for a ride to the store because he was always the center of attention. While riding in the car, he would go to the window that would allow the most people to see him. He always brought joy to people while we were sitting in traffic or going through a drive thru.

Buck hated noise, clutter and kids. There was a time Megan and I worked night shift, (first responder life) Buck would always try and open the bedroom curtains while we were sleeping and the light would wake us up. We had to put tissue paper in the curtains to keep him from doing that. He hated the crinkle noise! Anytime we would decorate for the holidays he would go hide or lay outside until all the totes were put away and the house was cleaned back up. As for the kids, they were what he hated the most….. Noisy and messy! Buck loved his peace and quiet and took his sleep very seriously. Napping was his most loved hobby. Anytime he was asleep he would always have the biggest smile on his face. God help you if you woke him up or made too much noise. He would let you know with a head snap and a look that could kill followed by a very long drawn out heavy sigh!

Buck gave us a couple scares during the span of his life, many of them were after hour emergency calls. Between seizures from a parasite infection, to an infection because he just had to play with a snake. Those scares didn’t come close to the one we received in 2022. I had gotten home from training earlier that day. Late in the night, Buck woke up gagging. At first we assumed he had food or something stuck and it would work itself out. He began to pace and continued to gag. Something in my gut told me something wasn’t right. After looking at him, I saw spit bubbles and could tell in his eyes that something was horribly wrong. We called the on-call vet, which thankfully was Snodgrass Vet. Doctor Hannah met us at the clinic and after an x-ray, she told us he had bloated and his stomach had flipped. She also told us she would have to operate immediately and it would be a 50/50 chance that he would make it. After what felt like an eternity, Doctor Hannah came out and said Buck made it through his surgery and she didn’t see any further damage. Buck was brought to Megan’s parents’ house to recover. He and Molly only made it a few days until they became too depressed so we had to bring them back together. Thankfully, he recovered from his surgery and was able to live almost two more wonderful years.

As time went on, I would see my sweet babies face turn whiter and whiter. Signs of aging were creeping up on us. He would need supplements for his joints. Even with the obvious signs of aging, he played and ran around like he was a puppy. Buck was able to walk into our new house that we built across from our family farm and immediately yell at the deer. He would also get to see Megan and I get married. Unfortunately, Buck would begin to get multiple bladder infections and an enlarged prostate. The decision was made to have him neutered. Buck made it through surgery and started to act himself again. A little over a week after surgery, I got a feeling in my gut to look at his incision. After looking, I noticed he had an infection. Back to the vet we go for antibiotics. Two days later, I get the same gut feeling. I noticed he had severe bruising on his stomach. The next five weeks would be an up and down battle to fight off his autoimmune disease. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a battle that could be won and we had to put him to rest on April 22, 2024.

The past month that Doctor Mara was able to give us was so special and so important to us in a lot of different ways. We got to live the last month with Buck like we may not have tomorrow and boy oh boy did we live it up. He got so many steak dinners, pup cups, car rides and treats. He played, chased wildlife, and he was able to see everyone he loved over that month and had lots of visitors. It was a hard month emotionally not knowing how it was going to turn out but we wouldn’t give it back for anything. It gave me time to process the fact that we would have to continue our life without my best friend by my side. I am going to miss his warm cuddles, his ears perking up when you say “play, treat or outside.” I’m going to miss that I could pat my chest and say “hugs” and he would jump in my arms to give the biggest hugs.

Buck was not just a dog or my best friend, I asked god for help almost 10 years ago so he sent me a special angel. That angel helped me get my life back in gear, helped me enjoy life again, and picked out my wife. He made sure that I would be ok once he had to leave this world. I will forever be thankful for my time with Buck. I am beyond grateful for all the work the doctors did to give me another month with my buddy. Losing a pet is never easy and you can never prepare for it but the doctors gave us a month to love him and come to terms with what may happen and that time can never be replaced.” -Troy L.

Every word of this is precious, and we are so grateful to Buck’s dad for writing this and sharing it with us. Buck was simply amazing. Rest in peace, sweet one. 🌈🐾

Causes of weight loss in dogs can be normal or abnormal. 🐶Regardless of the cause, it's concerning for pet parents. Here are answers to all of your weight loss questions: bit.ly/svmccwl

Are your pets protected? 🐾

Flea & Tick Prevention Is Always Important - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Flea and tick prevention consists of a variety of products used to control flea and/or tick infestations on your pet and to prevent infestations inside your home.

Remembering Brady ❤️

“It was Halloween in 2016. We had moved into our very first rental house after being married and it was like the trick or treating you see in movies — SO many kids. Brady’s dad, Kent, was still finishing up his classes at Auburn, so Brady, his grandma, and I handed out candy. We opened the door one time and Brady ran right out to greet the trick or treater and her grandpa. He quickly said “is that a toy poodle?” So I answered “yes, this is Brady, and he’s never met a stranger.” He explained that his daughter had a toy poodle who looked just like Brady and lived to be almost 17, and that he was her very favorite dog of all time. He asked if he could pet him and Brady happily obliged. I remember going to bed that night, cuddling with Brady, and thinking — “wow, what I would give to have anywhere close to 17 years with you.”

I had just turned 18 when Brady came into my life. He was originally supposed to be my Memaw’s dog, who lived next door, but she had broken her arm and asked us to keep him until she healed. I had never been a big dog lover, but he was pretty cute, so I agreed to help take care of him. Over the coming weeks, Brady and I quickly became attached at the hip. When my Memaw’s arm healed, we sent Brady over to her, but every time she would let him out he would book it back over to our house and scratch on the door to be let in. And then he was mine.

Brady went everywhere with me: to a few engineering classes, a tailgate, a sorority function or two, secret dorm room visits, my bachelorette party, and even worked some snow day shifts with me at my first job. Anywhere he went, he was just happy to be along for the ride as long as I was there too.

After Kent and I got married, Kent and Brady went through some growing pains. Having had just me to share the bed with for over 6 years, that was Brady’s biggest adjustment. He would go in and out of the covers all night long depending on whether he was hot or cold. I had gotten used to lifting the covers in my sleep and Brady had gotten used to navigating around me. Once Kent was thrown in the mixture, every single time Brady would come out from under the covers, he would shake and smack a sleeping Kent in the face with his ears. This went on for months. Kent swears he was doing it on purpose, but of course he would never. 😇 I’m pretty sure it was following a night of one too many ears to the face when Kent asked “if Brady and I were both hanging from a cliff and you could only save one, who would it be?” I told Kent not to ask questions he didn’t want to know the answer to, and he never asked again. 😅

Having been in my life for nearly half my life, Brady loved me through every high and low you experience as a teenager and young adult. He transitioned from being the only, and very doted on, fur child to a big brother of another fur child… and then another… and then two tiny humans, and handled all of this with a wagging tail.

What I would have given then to have nearly 17 years with you, Brady. Turns out I only had to give a lot of belly rubs, a few Oreos, and a permanent place in my bed… and my heart. Honestly, though, I would have given a lot more for more time with my tiny, furry soulmate. Sixteen and a half years of laughs, adventures, cuddles, and pure, unconditional love. Brady will be the dog I’ll miss for the rest of my life, but I’m the very luckiest to have gotten to spend his life with him.” -Allyson J.

Brady Jones
2007-2024 🖤

Such sweet words honoring a special member of the family. We are grateful to Brady’s family for sharing these memories with us. Rest in peace, sweet one. 🌈🐾

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Do you know how to take your pet’s temperature? 🤒 Normal body temperature for dogs and cats is 101.0 to 102.5°F 🌡️

Taking Your Pet’s Temperature - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Normal body temperature for dogs and cats is 101.0 to 102.5°F (38.3 to 39.2°C). Some pets maintain a baseline temperature a little above or below the average, but if your pet’s temperature rises above 104°F (40.0°C) or falls below 99°F (37.2°C), take your pet to your veterinarian.

They make us whole ❤️

Has your pet ever had a hot spot? These inflamed lesions can be painful and itchy, but thankfully, they're treatable and preventable. 🐾

What Is A Hot Spot & Why Do Pets Get Them? - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Hot spots – also known as pyotraumatic dermatitis or acute moist dermatitis – are red, inflamed skin lesions that appear quickly, ooze, and may contain pus.

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Supporting our loyal companions through the aging process is of utmost importance. Here are some tips to help you care for them as they continue to faithfully love you. 🐾❤️

What To Consider When Caring For A Senior Dog - Snodgrass Veterinary Medical Center Dogs older than seven years of age are considered senior pets. Senior dogs are in the stage of life where aging begins to affect every organ system.