Site Menus Section Skip to page content
Site Accessibility Features: Skip to page menus
Site Menus Section Skip to page content
Plenty of curious cats and playful puppies dig the outdoors, so if you’ve got pets plus a green thumb, we have strategies for creating safe, outdoor spaces for pets. Keep reading for our team’s tips on pet-friendly gardening and other ways to turn your backyard into a paradise for pets.
Pet-friendly landscaping means using plants that are safe for pets to taste, but separating safe plants for pets from those that are off-limits requires a bit of digging up front. The ASPCA’s list of toxic plants is a great place to start for information on both ornamental plants and vegetables that can be dangerous for pets to eat.
In the meantime, here’s a short list of common garden growables to keep away from pets:
Pet-friendly gardening is purrfectly doable with careful planning, and there are plenty of safe plants for pets to choose from. We’ve put together lists of some of our favorites.
Include these colorful ornamentals in your pet-friendly landscaping:
Grow a pet-friendly vegetable garden with these healthy edibles:
Creating outdoor spaces for pets to explore is a great way to provide them with mental and physical stimulation. When looking for dog-friendly garden ideas and cat-safe garden design, consider these additional accommodations to make your pets feel at home in the backyard:
Include natural flea repellents. Marigolds, catnip, sage, and rosemary are the perfect plants for pet-friendly landscaping because they naturally repel fleas.
Provide the perfect place to dig. Cats and dogs both have their own reasons for digging, so whether you’re looking for dog-friendly garden ideas or tips for cat-safe garden design, consider including a designated area filled with sand.
Give your pets a path. If your gardens are particularly large and lush, provide your pets with a natural path “paved” with pine or cedar mulch, or pea gravel, so they can weave their way through the garden without trampling your prized petunias.
Choose garden products wisely. Rather than hose down your garden with chemical pesticides, consider pet-safe options like diatomaceous earth and nematodes. Read fertilizer labels carefully, and opt for natural plant boosters like compost, manure, bone meal, or potash.
Sometimes it’s necessary to include barriers to protect pets. Chicken wire, wood fencing, or using raised garden beds can prevent pets from nibbling on prized tomato plants and other people-friendly foliage that is off-limits to pets.
Practicing pet safety indoors and out should be part of any pet lover’s overall pet wellness plan. Contact us at Eastside Veterinary Associates to schedule a visit or for more information about creating safe outdoor spaces for pets.
Feb 12It might surprise you to know that pets have their own love language, and it’s not that different from ours! At Eastside Veterinary Associates, we know that bonding with your pet is important to you, and in this blog, we help you decode the love language of pets so that you can build a lifelong loving relationship with your furry companion.
Our pets express their love in many ways, and while they can’t leave us love letters or actually “talk,” signs of pet affection are likely all around you. In the popular book The Five Love Languages, Dr. Gary Chapman explained how people give and receive love, and our pets “speak” these same languages, too. Let’s take a look at the similarities between Dr. Chapman’s five love languages and how pets express love.
Words of Affirmation: Who among us doesn’t like to hear praise? When your verbal expressions of affection such as, “What a good boy!” or “Such a pretty girl!” are met with a tail wag and enthusiastic yip—or perhaps loud purring—your pet feels the love in your words and “speaks” right back to you to express their unconditional love.
Acts of Service: When we care about someone, we do what we can to make them happy, and pets that speak this language do the same. If your dog follows commands with very little encouragement, he’s telling you in no uncertain terms that you’re his favorite human.
Receiving Gifts: Some pets feel the most loved when they receive delicious new treats or fun new toys, and they’ll often reciprocate by dropping things at your feet—whether it’s your slippers covered in slobber or a mouse.
Quality time: Some signs of pet affection show up as cat-shaped shadows following their favorite humans everywhere. If you’ve got a clingy cat or canine, their love language is quality time, and giving you their undivided attention is their superpower. While it’s always nice to have a sidekick, let us know if their need to be near you goes a bit overboard—your pet could have separation anxiety.
Physical touch: Head boops and biscuit making mean your feline feels that you’re the cat’s meow. And if your dog does his best to steal a kiss every chance he gets, his love language is physical touch, and carving out plenty of cuddle time is the best way to share the love right back.
Understanding pet behavior and recognizing the signs of pet affection will help you speak the love language of pets and create an even deeper bond with your pet. To learn more about how pets express love, feel free to contact our team.
Dec 06At Eastside Veterinary Associates, we know how much you do to keep your family pets happy and healthy. But did you know that a lot of your pet’s mental health and happiness starts at home? Keep reading to learn more about pet enrichment and be sure that your furry friend is getting all the mental enrichment that they need:
Environmental pet enrichment at home refers to the idea of working with your pet’s home environment to support species typical behavior, increase physical activity, and engage natural skills and thought processes. Good enrichment practices can go a long way towards helping a pet achieve their physical and psychological needs, reducing stress, and promoting overall well-being.
Good pet enrichment practices have been shown to directly correlate to the decrease in many behavior concerns, including:
A little effort on your end can help your pet be happier, healthier, and allow them to thrive in your home. It really is as easy as that.
If you are ready to work on your pet enrichment strategies at home, there are a lot of easy changes that you can institute almost immediately. Some of our favorite places to start include:
Physical exercise is great, but most pets need mental exercise as well. Be sure to play games with your pet regularly. Enrichment games for pets can help them mentally and physically, and it will even improve your bond.
Good pet enrichment isn’t hard to accomplish, you just need the right tools to get started. Please contact us if you need help or advice when working towards creating an environment your pet can thrive in.
Nov 10As pet owners, we cherish our furry companions and want the best for them. When it comes to their health and well-being, we seek out the most advanced and effective medical treatments available. Like human medicine, veterinary medicine continues to make significant strides in various fields, including surgical techniques.
At Eastside Veterinary Associates, we perform most soft tissue surgeries such as spays, neuters, mass removals, bladder stone removal, foreign body removal, splenectomies, etc. We invest in the best surgical equipment and training of our staff. Most recently, we have a vessel sealer device that is helping to reduce the surgical time, which also means less anesthetic time. If more advanced surgery is recommended for the best care for your pet, we can refer you to groundbreaking innovations available at our referral specialists who are also improving the lives of our beloved pets.
In recent years, there has been a remarkable surge in the development and adoption of cutting-edge veterinary surgical procedure technology. These advancements have revolutionized how we approach various surgical procedures, making them safer and more effective than ever before.
Alongside technological advancements, innovative surgical techniques have emerged, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in veterinary medicine. These techniques provide solutions for conditions that were once considered untreatable, giving hope to pet owners and improving the quality of life for their pets.
Beyond specific techniques and technology, veterinary surgery, as a whole, has seen improvements that benefit our beloved animals. These advancements have led to better surgical outcomes, reduced risks, and enhanced overall care for pets needing surgical interventions.
The field of veterinary surgery has come a long way, offering hope and solutions for pets facing various health challenges. At Eastside Veterinary Associates, we are committed to providing our patients with the latest and most effective treatments available, and we will refer you to surgical specialists should you need them.
While we will refer you to veterinary surgeons for orthopedic or very complex surgical procedures, we are here to serve your pet with exceptional wellness, preventive, and dental care. Bring your dog or cat to Eastside Veterinary Associates for leading-edge veterinary care. Call us at (425) 882-7788 (Kirkland), (425 )276-4100 (Newcastle), or book an appointment online today.
Aug 30When your beloved fur baby is scheduled for surgery, it is normal to feel anxious about the procedure. But surgery is a regular part of veterinary care for pets, and your vet will take the best possible care of your furry friend.
By making sure you prepare your pet for the big day, you can help ensure a successful procedure too. The team at Eastside Veterinary Associates would like to share 5 top tips for pet surgery preparation.
Your veterinarian will give you pre-surgical instructions for your pet. A vet will take your pet’s breed, size, and medical history into account before providing these tailored instructions. Make sure you reach out to your vet if you have any questions at all:
Does your pup have all her vaccines? Including the ones that are recommended by your vet but not necessarily required? If not, it may be time for her to get those done. Talk to your veterinarian about which vaccines they recommend for your pet.
If your pet receives surgical services at a different veterinarian than the one that gave them their shots, you’ll need to bring shot records.
Make sure you get all the necessary vaccines about two weeks before the scheduled surgery.
Whether you bathe your pet at home or send her to a groomer, now’s the time to make an appointment. You won’t be able to get your dog or cat wet for about two weeks after surgery. With a thorough grooming session, she’ll be ready to snuggle up with you stink-free after her procedure.
Pets who undergo sedation or anesthesia should refrain from eating the night before surgery. We generally recommend taking food away after 8 pm for a 12 hour fast before admitting at 8 am. Your pet can have water during this entire time. Please check with your veterinarian about pre-visit pharmaceutical doses and any special medications that are needed such as insulin.
Do you have an eager hunter on your hands? Keep him inside the night before surgery to make sure he doesn’t eat any critters or other substances that could affect the procedure. This can help keep Fido or Kitty safe during surgery.
Leash your pet up and go for a short, supervised walk around the block on the morning of his surgery. Don’t let him eat anything, but do let him sniff around and go potty. Empty bowels and bladders can help the surgery go more smoothly for the veterinary team—and for your pet.
Just as they did before your pet’s procedure, your veterinarian will give you detailed instructions for helping your pet recover. Follow them carefully and make sure you call your veterinarian with any questions or concerns.
If your pup or kitty needs to be spayed or neutered, reach out to Eastside Veterinary Associates. We provide attentive surgical services to all dogs and cats in the Kirkland, Newcastle, and Renton areas. Call us to learn more about what we can do for your pet.
Jul 05This blog is all about what happens when a male dog’s erection won’t go away. It’s important to be upfront about these matters because, well, male dogs get erections fairly often. The more pet owners are familiar with them, the better. Canine male anatomy is on full display, even when they’re not aroused. However, their penis can get into a lot of trouble when they encounter an issue known as pet paraphimosis.
Male dogs have the following basic equipment down there:
You may have heard it referred to as a red rocket, lipstick, pinky-winky, or wee-nis, but no matter what it’s called, the glans is the part that sticks out during an erection.
The prepuce safely houses the delicate tissue of the glans. It is warm and moist inside the prepuce and protected from exposure or injury. However, when a dog is sexually aroused or otherwise stimulated by their environment, the glans will stick out for all to see.
Dogs also have a secondary reproductive gland called the bulbus glandis which, like testicles, look like two balls at the base of the penis. After ejaculation, the bulbus glandis becomes engorged and leads to the breeding tie between the male and female. This can last upwards of 20 minutes and increases the odds of impregnation.
During this time, the glans penis remains open to the elements. Pet paraphimosis occurs when the erection doesn’t go down after 20-30 minutes following an erection or ejaculation.
Pet paraphimosis can be linked to the following:
Dog owners should have a good idea of how long the erection has lasted before intervening. If the erection doesn’t go away after 20 minutes or so, inspect the area for any visual clues. Remove any hair or string that’s causing a prolonged erection. Lubricate the glans with sterile lubricant to try to smooth the way back inside the prepuce.
An extended period of pet paraphimosis is considered a pet emergency. Constant, prolonged exposure to air, bacteria, and irritation to the tissue. Plus, it can be very painful for dogs to experience. We can decrease swelling and attempt to replace the glans inside the prepuce. In severe cases of pet paraphimosis, surgical intervention is required.
The good news is that, while dog erections are common, pet paraphimosis isn’t an everyday occurrence. That said, it’s always best to know exactly what you’re looking at and when to seek help. Our team at Eastside Veterinary Associates is always here for your dog. Please give us a call anytime at 425-882-7788 (Kirkland) or 425-276-4100 (Newcastle).
May 23Adopting a pet from a shelter is an exciting experience. You might be told what breed or mix of breeds your new family member is. Or, you might be left in the dark. DNA tests become more popular for both humans and pets every year. If you want to find out more about your new dog or cat’s background, an animal DNA test can seem like the perfect way to do it. But is it worth the cost?
Let’s start with the positive side of animal DNA tests. Knowing your dog’s genetic background can tell you more about the mix of breeds that help make her who she is. And this, in turn, can help you understand your dog better.
Say your dog drives you crazy with her love of breaking free of your home and exploring the world around her. A DNA test might show that she’s a part Siberian husky. Huskies are notorious for being escape artists, which would explain your pup’s inner wanderlust.
Or maybe your dog seems to nip at your heels a little too much. A DNA test might reveal sheepdog ancestry. Your dog is just trying to herd you! He might benefit from participating in a mentally stimulating dog sport like agility or dock diving to satisfy his inner desire for a job to do.
A DNA test can give you a glimpse of how your dog views the world based on her background. But keep in mind that even purebred dogs have different personalities. Genetics don’t determine everything!
Things start getting thorny when you seek out DNA testing to find out more about your pet’s health risks. This is because the FDA does not regulate animal DNA tests. Because of this, the FDA has not approved any direct-to-consumer pet DNA tests to help detect or prevent medical conditions in animals. More often than not, these health tests aren’t completely accurate.
When pet parents try to get ahead of their pet’s supposed likelihood of certain health conditions, they may end up doing more harm than good. So instead of leaning on DNA tests for information about your pet’s health, talk to your veterinarian about any concerns you have.
Is your pet ready for an annual wellness check? Bring your dog or cat into Eastside Veterinary Associates for leading-edge care. Call us at (425) 882-7788 or book an appointment online today.
Mar 27While walking your pet may sometimes seem like a chore, it is a really important and beneficial activity for both parties. Read on for our best dog walking tips on how to get out there to walk your pet!
Why is walking your dog important? Let us count the ways! Walking your pet can:
The reasons to walk your pet are numerous, and they benefit both you and your dog. Research shows that time spent with your pet bears great benefits for us as people.
Walking your dog can be lots of fun, but it is important to mind your manners so that others can have fun, too. A properly fitted leash and collar or harness are true dog walking essentials.
Our best dog walking tips include remembering that:
At Eastside Veterinary Associates, we know how important regular exercise is for your pets. Yearly wellness checks also help to keep your pets in optimal health. Call (425) 882-7788 to schedule an appointment with our Kirkland location or (425) 276-4100 for our Renton location.
Feb 02Pet’s teeth and gums need just as much love and attention as our’s do, but oral health is an often overlooked facet of dog or cat ownership. Dog and cat dental care is an essential element of overall pet wellness, however, and your friends at Eastside Veterinary Associates want to make it easier than ever to give it to them. Here are some facts about the importance of pet dental care so you can be sure you can keep their teeth and gums in top shape:
Most cats and dogs will have some form of periodontal disease by the age of 3, which means you have to start thinking about caring for teeth and gums early in their lives. Dental disease can manifest in many different ways, including:
If you notice any of the above in your dog or cat, you should schedule a dental appointment with your veterinarian.
Cat and dog teeth cleaning without anesthesia can be dangerous and not effective. Veterinarians use anesthesia when cleaning your pet’s teeth to ensure that your pets do not feel undue stress during the procedure. Anesthesia also allows them to thoroughly clean the teeth and gums, which will help prevent future issues with tartar and periodontal disease.
Although professional dental cleanings are hugely important, they alone are not enough to completely ward off all forms of periodontal disease. If you want to give your pets the best defense against infections in the mouth, you have to do your part at home, too. Talk to your veterinarian about the best kind of home toothpaste and brush to use for your cats and dogs to keep their teeth and gums healthy.
Eastside Veterinary Associates are here to help you get the pet dental care your pet needs. From routine cleanings to surgery, our dedicated team will always do our best for your pets. We are proud to partner up with you for your pet’s health.
Jan 27Now that colder temperatures are on the doorstep, it’s time to bring out the heavy jackets, scarves, and gloves. Put the ice scraper and winter emergency kit in the car. Now you’re ready for winter’s cold, wind, and occasional snow.
Next, take steps to protect your dog from harsh winter weather. These five winter pet care tips will give you a leg up whatever Mother Nature throws your way.
Animals are very curious by nature, and they love to explore, even when it’s cold outside. It’s up to you to ensure they have everything they need to stay safe from the winter weather.
It’s important to keep your pets inside when the temperatures drop below freezing. Hypothermia and frostbite are real risks for pets (even with all that fur), and they cannot verbally tell us when they’re feeling cold. If you have to let your dog out, try to do so in short bursts. As much as they might fight you, keep your cats inside to keep them safe and warm.
There is plenty of weather gear for pets that can help keep your furry friends toasty if they have to spend time outside. Provide your short-coated, elderly, very young, or very thin animals with a toasty warm sweater. In very cold weather or paw pads to offer an extra layer of protection from the cold.
De-icing salts and chemicals can irritate your pet’s footpads, and is toxic if ingested. Keep a damp towel handy, and thoroughly wipe his feet after his potty walks and treks around the neighborhood. Remember: even if the walkways look clear, there’s a good chance of salt and chemical buildup.
Animals are attracted to the traditional sweet taste of antifreeze. Unfortunately, this substance is deadly to many small creatures. Be extremely careful how you use and store antifreeze to be sure it is safely away from your susceptible pets.
Some animals truly love being outdoors, and providing a warm, sturdy shelter can protect from harsh wind, rain, and snow.
Give your pet a draft-free structure in which he can comfortably sit and lie down. However, keep it small enough so it holds his body heat. Raise the floor off the ground, and cover it with clean straw or cedar shavings. Face the entrance away from the wind, and cover the door with heavy plastic or sturdy waterproof fabric.
The staff at Eastside Veterinary Associates is here to help you with everything from winter care to annual wellness exams. To learn more about our services, please call (425) 276-4100 for our Renton location and (425) 882-7788 for our Kirkland location.
Ready to make an appointment? Book NowSite Sidebar: Skip to end of sidebar
© 2025 Newcastle & Kirkland Washington Veterinarian | Eastside Veterinary Associates. Provided by Covetrus | Powered by LifeLearn WebDVM