Health

Losing your vision can be a life-altering event. The same is true for our dogs. There are several causes of blindness in dogs—one of...

One of the most common skin diseases that develop in dogs is atopic dermatitis. Most of these cases are caused by allergies to substances...

Digestion involves the balanced interaction of several biodynamic systems. A healthy animal ingests raw materials (food), changes these raw materials into usable nutrients, extracts from these nutrients the essentials for life and vitality, and excretes (in the form of feces) those substances that have not been digested or that weren’t utilized.

the cerebellum and brain stem

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

A lethargic dog is out of energy and lacks enthusiasm for his usual favorite things.

At the close of 2019, 2.82 million pets had health insurance, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. Over the past five...

Many adult rescue and shelter dogs are listed as potty trained. But, in fairness to the shelter, it can be difficult to ascertain whether...

You’ve played this game thousands of times. You’ve got a few minutes, and your maniacally loyal canine companion is eager to play fetch, begging for it, ball in mouth, dropping it at your feet, barking in joyful anticipation. Then it happened. Willie slipped, tried to stop, and twisted into a ball with a yelp. He lay paralyzed from the middle of the back down, lying quietly on the frozen ground as Rogers rushed over.

The esophagus is a muscular, distensible organ that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Megaesophagus is a common disorder in dogs that describes slow motility with resultant dilation of the esophagus. As a result of hypomotility, food will pool in the esophagus and stretch it. The stretching leads to damage to the nerves. This worsens hypomotility - a vicious cycle.

Some dogs have sparkling white teeth (or at least, whitish teeth that are free of tartar) throughout their lifetimes, with absolutely no thought or effort required of their owners. Those are the lucky ones – the owners, I mean – because more than 80 percent of dogs develop a form of canine gum disease by the age of just three years, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society. The owners of those dogs – that is, most of us – should be brushing our dogs’ teeth regularly to prevent the accumulation of plaque and tartar that precipitates gum disease. Proponents of raw dog food diets believe that the mechanical action of chewing raw meat and bones and the superior nutrition provided by the diets help maintain healthy teeth. That may be true, but for dogs on more conventional diets, regular brushing is the most effective method of keeping a dog’s teeth free of tartar and plaque.

For each of the past six months, I’ve written an article for WDJ about the cancers that most commonly afflict dogs. It’s my sincere...