Pets can make amazing travel companions, especially if they’re curious and up for adventures in new places. This summer, your travels might take you to mountainous regions, where you and your adventure pup can enjoy day-long hikes and breathtaking vistas. Unfortunately, there are more than a few dangers that await you in the mountains. One of these is altitude sickness.

Although cats do not get common colds like humans, they can suffer from upper respiratory illnesses that, when left untreated, can progress and lead to feline pneumonia. While pneumonia in cats is relatively rare, the consequences of inaction could be grievous.

The effects smoking can have on your lungs, as well as the people around you, are well known. But less attention has been paid to the effects smoking can have on our pets. Vaping or smoking a cigarette or cigar near your furry friend might not seem like a big deal, but it could lead to significant health problems.

You’re used to your dog panting audibly after a healthy run or on a hot summer’s day. But if your pup begins to breathe rapidly, struggle for air or cough frequently, something is probably wrong with their health. Although we never want to think the worst, one of the potential causes of breathing problems in dogs is lung cancer.

Cat owners are used to a lot of sounds coming from their furry friends. Meows, cries, trills and purrs are all everyday occurrences in most households. But one noise many pet parents don’t always expect from their tiny furballs is snoring.

Dog allergies are pretty common. Many pups develop atopic dermatitis—an itchy skin reaction—as a result of food, environmental and seasonal outdoor allergies. However, there is another aspect of allergic reactions that isn’t seen as often in dogs: asthma.

There are a lot of potential illnesses your cat might face over the course of its life. One of the most common is feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV-1), a contagious viral infection. Cats that contract FHV-1 most often carry the virus with them for life, which may put them at risk for cold symptoms at random periods.

One of the most commonly discussed dangers to pets is heartworm—a disease caused by parasitic worms that affect the heart, lungs and blood vessels of animals. Unlike worms that live in the gastrointestinal tract, heartworms find their way to your cat’s heart, blood vessels and lungs, where they can grow to around a foot long and cause damage. 

The sight and sound of a dog panting is very familiar to dog owners—all dogs will pant at some point or another, letting their tongue hang out as they catch their breath after a strenuous run or on a hot day. Panting is a normal bodily process that dog owners should expect, but it can sometimes be worrisome, since it may appear that your dog is having trouble catching its breath.