Health

All dog lovers appreciate seeing a healthy, happy dog, running in the sun with a glistening coat. And it's great to hear, Wow! Your dog's coat is so soft and shiny. How do you do it?" It's wonderful if you are one of the lucky owners whose dog inspires this sort of spontaneous compliment

A new 20-year retrospective study from the University of Georgia examined causes of death in dogs between 1984 and 2004. Researchers looked at records of 74,566 dogs from the Veterinary Medical Database, which includes data from 27 veterinary teaching hospitals. These results may be biased toward more severe, complicated, or unusual causes than the general dog population, but are fascinating nonetheless. The study grouped deaths by organ system and by disease category (“pathophysiological process”), and analyzed results based on age, breed, and average breed size. Eighty-two breeds with at least 100 representatives were included in breed-based analyses; mixed-breed dogs were considered as one group.

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...

If you've lived your life with dogs, chances are you've cared for one with a bladder infection. The normal urinary bladder is sterile, meaning devoid of bacteria. Infection occurs when bacteria find their way into the bladder and set up housekeeping. Bacterial cystitis (medical-speak for a bladder infection) is a common diagnosis in the canine world. The term urinary tract infection (UTI) is often used synonymously with bacterial cystitis. Technically speaking, a UTI can mean infection anywhere within the urinary tract, and is not specific to the bladder.

Rocky Mountain spotted fever can cause blood vessel wall damage leading to small hemorrhages in a dog's eyes and gums. It can also cause organ damage.

Three days after Jonah first showed symptoms, so did his brother, Micah. Three days later, eight-year-old Tyrone and two-year-old Vivian, both Malamutes, became ill. Levy caught their symptoms early because she kept all of her dogs confined and followed them individually to check for diarrhea. Parvo's diarrhea has such a specific

Steroids are perhaps one of the most ubiquitous medications in the veterinary world. They can be used for a host of problems ranging from inflammation and allergies to autoimmune disease. While they are incredibly useful and diverse medications, steroids are not without significant side effects. It is important to know why they are used and how they can best be used. It is also critical to realize the possible negative effects and interactions that can occur. Steroids are not benign.

Viral dog papillomas are contagious from dog to dog. With the dawn of dog parks and doggy day care veterinarians are seeing more cases of viral dog papillomas, especially oral papillomas in dogs.

If my dog sprains his leg, or is otherwise lame or sore, my immediate go-to is to run a cold hose over the area (or the whole leg) for 5 minutes two to three times a day. You need to time the 5 minutes because it will feel like an hour after just 30 seconds.

Continued research is essential to furthering our understanding of how CBD affects the canine body

Vitamin D deficiencies in dogs can cause health problems over time, but so can an oversupply. Because vitamin D is fat soluble, it accumulates in body fat. Overdoses can be toxic and even fatal, but some vitamin D is necessary to a dog's health. Vitamin D will aid in the absorption of calcium and phosphate, increases bone cell activity, influences the formation and growth of long bones, and speeds the healing of fractures. Adequate D levels may help prevent heart disease, joint inflammation, skin and coat problems, cancer, vision problems, depression, mental illness, infections, inflammatory bowel disease, dental problems, hyperparathyroidism, and kidney disease.

Heat therapy for dogs can reduce pain, ease stiffness, and relax muscles.