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I’m infamous among my friends and colleagues for asking people if they are aware that their dogs are overweight. It’s because I have seen firsthand how fat dogs suffer in their senior years when they are too heavy to exercise without pain! And their burden of carrying extra pounds makes the ordinary aches and pains of arthritis even worse. AND YET, I have to give myself a stern talking-to from time to time about helping my older dog stay trim.

Recently, a dog was admitted to a veterinary hospital in northern Michigan with symptoms that looked just like those of canine parvovirus type 2...

Euthanizing any pet is emotionally difficult. You know what's going on, and the pet doesn't; there is a lot of guilt around that. Even when the animal has been suffering, and is likely to suffer far more if you chose not to arrange for this humane assistance, most of us feel at least a little bit of guilt about bringing our friend to the vet (or a housecall vet to our pet) for that final visit. You may be experiencing anticipatory grief and sadness. You may also be feeling doubt: Is this really the time? Did we do everything we could?I've attended the euthanasia of a number of animals, my own, and those who belonged to friends or relatives who felt they couldn't be present. I've been present for the euthanasia of dogs and cats, my family milk cow, and several horses. It was wrenching emotionally every time - and yet, every single time, the process went smoothly. Every veterinarian who has helped my animal friends pass from consciousness has induced this calmly, professionally, and with great sensitivity. Given the difficulties with the medical or behavioral problems and trauma that necessitated each euthanasia, I couldn't be more grateful to the veterinary professionals who provided this valuable service.

I've heard of it happening, but have never witnessed it before tonight: the horror of a dog getting his jaw twisted in another dog's collar. May I never witness it again.

BoredPanda.com is a Lithuanian website that publishes articles about “lightweight and inoffensive topics,” including frequent posts about animals. A week ago, the site shared...

If only it was summer. I have been so eager for the end of the hot, dry weather that characterizes every summer in my...

So much of what’s on dog food labels has to do with marketing, rather than nutrition. The phrase “limited ingredient” falls somewhere in between. There...

Well, here is a pleasant surprise: A company that offers support for dog-related products that were purchased years ago - even more than a decade ago!I bought this gate a long time ago. It was for sure more than 10 years, because I have been living in my current northern California town for more than 10 years, and I bought it (and used it for at least a few years) in my old rental home in the San Francisco Bay area. And it's easily the best dog or baby gate I've ever had, which is why I brought it with me when I moved.

A few years ago, we added a column in our “Approved Dry Dog Foods” tables – an additional data point for people who are...

A friend recently had a terrible scare with a dog who ate a homemade cinnamon bun and got hideously ill; it turned out that...

It’s a funny thing: No matter how badly I want to place a foster dog or foster puppy, no matter how much time and...

Dog trainers like to say that our dogs do what works for them. The thought behind that concept is that dogs are extraordinarily good...