First Aid

Eating any product containing THC can be dangerous for your dog. While the amount and type of marijuana product consumed determines how serious the situation is, dogs who have eaten cannabis need to get to a vet.

As we learned in our independent research and from meeting with multiple veterinary surgeons, the TPLO surgery has become the gold-standard treatment for this kind of knee injury, especially in very large, strong, young, athletic dogs. While waiting for Sirius growth plates to close, we saw firsthand how conservative management worked - and then didnt. We were looking for a treatment option that gave Sirius the best chance at the kind of fun and normal life she deserved, one that would allow her to return to the activities and sports training that she loved.

There are a few different types of rat poison, which is why it’s vitally important to know which kind your dog ate and hopefully approximately how much. Your veterinarian and Poison Control will use this information to formulate the best plan for saving your dog.

While some essential oils can benefit dogs, others are extremely dangerous - especially when used in their concentrated form. Tea tree oil demands extra caution around dogs, cats and small children. Although exposure to any essential oil is generally most concentrated when it directly contacts skin, tea tree oil diffusers and liquid potpourri present specific health concerns to dogs. These items release essential oils like tea tree continually into the air, risking exposure by inhalation.

Hives, wheals, and welts are a moderate reaction to stings. Just like their human counterparts, dogs who have been stung can break out in unsightly hives. These are usually very itchy and uncomfortable. The first sign often noticed is the dog rubbing along furniture or scratching at the face and eyes. The hives may manifest as bright red streaks or lumps all over the body or be confined to a single place.

A muscle strain here, a pulled ligament there, a sprain, a bruise pretty soon we're talking about serious problems. Canine sports injuries are increasingly common, but there is much you can do to catch them early, treat them correctly, and reduce the risk of your dog getting badly hurt, needing surgery, or having to retire from competition.

Learning your dog’s normal vitals – temperature, pulse, and respiration – is useful for detecting health problems or tracking your dog’s response to medication. It is also good information to provide when calling your veterinarian or an emergency clinic to make an urgent appointment .

A cranial cruciate ligament injury in a young, healthy dog is typically an athletic injury. In older dogs, it is usually an injury of chronic wear and tear. This explains why its so common for a dog who has damaged the CrCL on one side to then tear it on the other side. When you take one back leg out of commission, the work load shifts to the other, increasing the strain on the ligaments of the good leg.

meant to help the vestibular apparatus develop properly. This is thought to help prevent vestibular disease and motion sickness later in the puppy's life."

The clinical signs of distemper in dogs occur in stages and in three main body systems: the upper respiratory tract, the gastrointestinal tract, and the central nervous system. Initially, a dog may show signs consistent with upper respiratory disease: coughing, sneezing, high fever, lethargy, and nasal and eye discharge.

Every owner should have a first-aid kit for their dogs. But what should be included in that kit? If you're looking for a definitive answer, you'll need to pull out your crystal ball, because there's no telling what you might need in an emergency, since there are infinite ways your dog can be injured. To be prepared for every possible scenario, you'd need a fully stocked van. It really can't be done – and shouldn't be done – because that's not what first aid" is all about. "

Dogs get hiccups. Who knew, right? It turns out that this is a fairly common occurrence, especially in puppies. But what causes dog hiccups, and are there ever cases in which they actually indicate a medical problem?