Health

As I listened to my dog cough the other night, I found myself shifting out of my logical veterinarian mindset and into my role as pet parent. Nobody likes it when their fur baby is not feeling 100%, including us veterinarians.

Research on canine-to-human and canine-to-canine transmission of COVID strains is inconclusive and data is frequently conflicting. Dog and other pet owners should be cautious and look for signs of COVID infection in their pets, and limit contact if they themselves test positive.

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.

A dog’s world isn’t all black, gray, and white. Much like a colorblind person, dogs can see color, but some colors like red and green are not distinct to a dog.

It’s creepy enough that there are billions of these tiny insects living in the woods and fields, just waiting to latch onto your dog...

My brother's Lab retriever-mix was diagnosed with extensive cancer about a month ago. One vet estimated that she only had three weeks to live. My brother is not a very alternative health" type of guy

Just like people, dogs are susceptible to gastrointestinal illnesses including norovirus.

My six-month-old Rottweiler has a goofy, bouncy walk. Does that mean she has hip dysplasia?A lot of puppies – especially big, gangly ones – have a clumsy, bumbling gait, and this does not mean they have hip dysplasia. If your puppy had a hip dysplasia, you might notice that she limps sometimes, especially after strenuous exercise. You might hear or feel her hips “click” in and out, or notice that she stands and walks with her hocks or hind feet very close together. You might notice her struggling to push herself up into a standing position when she’s lying down, or she might have trouble climbing stairs.

Far be it from us to tell you to put pesticides on your dog. But we’ve never heard of a single nontoxic preparation that was effective at keeping ticks off all dogs. For some dogs, only the potent pesticides seem to keep ticks away. There are, however, some nontoxic products – both commercially produced and homemade formulas – that work to repel ticks well enough to consider using them as part of a comprehensive Lyme disease prevention program.

The parvo virus can live on any surface for weeks to months, and it is easy for people to unwittingly spread parvo virus.

Wounds hurt because the damaged nerves in the area send pain signals to the brain. While it may seem counterintuitive to touch a wound to provide pain relief, overloading the nerves can decrease the overall pain.

What does fiber do for dogs, what are good sources of fiber for dogs, and should you give your dog a fiber supplement?