Health

Often a dog foaming at the mouth happens simply because they are excited, stressed, or have been exercising heavily. But if your dog seems unwell, it could be something more serious.

Is it my imagination, or is a plague of ticks currently in effect? Everywhere I go with my dogs these days, they come back crawling with ticks. I use Frontline on them, though I've used Advantix in the past – as well as apple cider vinegar rinses and essential oil sprays and Skin-So-Soft wipedowns. For whatever reason, Frontline seems to work better than anything else on my dogs, in my area, though I hear contrary reports from other dog owners in other places. I'm seriously considering making a line of Tyvek canine coveralls, instead.

If you see your dog losing hair concern is normal. It's not always a cause for concern though with some dogs naturally shedding, and other having hereditary conditions. It's only when the skin beneath the hair looks abnormal that worry is called for.

A wagging tail is often seen as a sign of a happy dog. But your dog’s tail is far more than a barometer of emotion: It’s a complex and highly functional extension of its spine that serves a variety of purposes.

When it comes to joint pain relief for dogs, there are many options out there. Most dogs do best with multimodal therapy combining several treatment solutions.

Cancer. My heart dropped to my stomach. In February 2010 my Border Collie Daisy became one of an estimated six million dogs diagnosed with cancer each year. Chemotherapy. My stomach tumbled to my feet. The diagnosis was scary enough; how could I possibly consider chemotherapy? I had visions of a treatment worse than the disease itself. As it turns out, my preconceptions of chemotherapy were far worse than its reality. Chemo hasn't cured my dog – more on that later – but it's given us more than 18 months (and counting) of joyful, quality time together.

Anal glands in dogs are two small sacks that sit on either side of the anus. They can become full which causes discomfort, and they can leak which causes foul odors.

Anyone who's heard it will recognize the dry, hacking, something's-stuck-in-my-throat cough that won't quit. It's the signature symptom of canine infectious tracheobronchitis, also known as Bordetellosis, Bordetella, and most commonly as kennel cough. Whatever you call it, tracheobronchitis is one of the world's most widespread canine diseases. Like the common cold in humans, tracheobronchitis is highly contagious, rarely fatal, and runs its course in a few days. Fortunately, there are several ways to help make canine patients more comfortable, speed recovery, and prevent future infections. Tracheobronchitis is called kennel cough because of its association with boarding kennels, animal shelters, veterinary waiting rooms, grooming salons, and other areas where dogs congregate in close quarters. It can strike dogs of any age but is most common in puppies, whose immune systems are still developing, and adult dogs with conditions that impair immune function.

Hearing aids for dogs are very expensive. custom fit, and require frequent visits to check both fit and settings. Dog vibration collars provide a more affordable and effective way for owners to communicate with their dogs.

Cataracts make the lens of the eye opaque or cloudy, which gradually reduces vision to the point of blindness. In their early stages, cataracts cause blurring and distortion of vision, but they are invisible to the naked eye. By the time most owners notice them, cataracts involve more than 60 percent of the dog's eye. Cataracts often accompany other illnesses, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Surgery performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist is the only treatment considered effective in conventional veterinary medicine – and is indicated only in cases where the cataracts are not a result of a secondary disease such as diabetes.

Your nagging feeling was right – there really is something wrong with your dog. And it’s not just a pulled muscle or a torn toenail. It’s cancer. As you struggle to wrap your mind around that diagnosis, the veterinarian describes your options: surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, alone or in combination. Or your dog might be eligible to participate in a clinical trial testing a new drug, or you may want to consult an oncology specialist or consider a promising new state-of-the-art treatment. There are no guarantees that any of these treatments will work, and if the prognosis is especially grim, you may want to say goodbye now. Please decide within 24 hours. This is a medical emergency.

There are three general reasons why your dog might not be drinking water: she doesn’t feel good, the available water sources aren’t great, or she is getting water somewhere other than her water bowl. It is easy to monitor your dog’s water intake, and with a little extra consideration you can figure out if your dog is not drinking enough and a possible reason why.