Health

Early last year, one of my friends fostered a young dog through a long recovery from an extensive surgery. The dog had been hit...

In a nutshell, if your dog is squinting, blinking, pawing or rubbing at the eyes, or if you see an excessive or bloody discharge, or if just one eye is affected with symptoms like these, your dog may have an eye injury, infection, or damage that needs a veterinarian’s expertise.

Dogs are most commonly allergic to flea bites, and they can be allergic to certain foods, but environmental allergies often present the biggest challenge...

What is a reverse sneeze and what causes it?

Many dog breeds have their tails docked when they are puppies. We discuss why and how this is done and detail the potential adverse side effects of the procedure.

Your dogs were out in the yard, and you call them in. One is limping on her front leg. It’s Saturday night, and you’d like to avoid a visit to the emergency clinic. Luckily, the odds are in your favor. Your dog’s pain may be from something simple, like a sprained front paw.

He’s fearless. Reckless. Senseless? Or perhaps my Australian Cattle Dog, Cedar, is just accident-prone. Yesterday he slammed head first into a door jam during rough play with my Shepherd-mix, Willow. Today he did a nose dive off a five-foot embankment in pursuit of his favorite all-natural dog toy: a pine cone. As always, he retrieved the cone, chewed it into a slobbery clump of fibrous goo, and dropped it at my feet. On his trot back I noticed he was limping, holding his front leg off the ground.

Holistic veterinarians have long decried the annual vaccination schedule recommended by many conventionally trained veterinarians for all dogs. Many holistic veterinarians suspect that many of the complex ailments that plague our modern dogs – from allergies to digestive problems to aggressive behavior and so on – have their roots in immune system problems brought on by excessive and unnecessary vaccination. However, many of us are convinced by our veterinarians that our dogs won’t be safe unless they receive these boosters every year. Fortunately, a recent study indicates that most dogs retain humoral antibody protection from past vaccinations for longer than previously thought.

Nobody thinks fleas are good for dogs. But do you know why they are bad? And that they are bad for you and your...

Diarrhea isn’t fun for anybody. When your dog gets it – and feeding boiled chicken or hamburger with rice doesn’t make it go away...

Do female dogs have periods? No, dogs do not have periods. During one stage of the dog's reproductive cycle there is a bloody vaginal discharge that superficially resembles a period.

Do you have a dog recovering from orthopedic or neurologic surgery, one who has mobility issues, or a senior dog who has arthritis? If so, at some point, you have probably wished you could do something – anything! – to help make your dog's life (and your own) a little easier. I asked two veterinarians who specialize in canine rehabilitation to share some of their top picks for canine assistive/rehabilitative equipment. Laurie McCauley, DVM, CCRT, is founder and medical director of TOPS Veterinary Rehabilitation in Grayslake, Illinois, and is considered one of the pioneers in the field of veterinary rehabilitation. Evelyn Orenbuch, DVM, CAVCA, CCRT, recently opened Georgia Veterinary Rehabilitation, Fitness and Pain Management in Marietta, Georgia, and has focused on veterinary rehab medicine since 2003.