Help Your Dog Live a Longer, Healthier Life
Many dog owners aren’t sure how to determine their dog’s body condition. Even more confusing, a recent Pet Obesity U.S. Prevalence Survey found that more than a third of people with dogs consider their body condition “normal” when their veterinarians actually classified the pets as overweight or obese. So where might this disconnect come from?
You’ve Told the Vet Your Dog’s Symptoms, But Have You Told Him Your Dog’s...
Your dog has begun urinating in the house, something she hasn’t done since she was a puppy. You take her to the vet to find out what’s wrong.
Sniffing out illness in another dog?
Q: Are there any dogs that can sniff out cancer in other dogs? My chow chow initiates play with my golden retriever by nipping at his back leg and then backing off. Last year the golden had a small area of missing hair on his back leg, and the vet looked at it during his yearly exam. There was no broken skin, and the doctor didn’t see any cut or foreign object. The vet said that whatever it was, it had already healed and I didn’t need to do anything for the patch of missing hair. He suggested I might put a cone on the chow chow so she couldn’t get to him.
Red Eye
Q: My dog’s left eye has been red for several days. Is this something to be concerned about, or will it go away on its own?
Excessive Licking in the Summer Could Indicate a Hot Spot
The weather is warm, and the air is moist—like right now in many parts of the country—and your dog has started excessively grooming her hind quarters. In fact, she may have been licking, biting, and chewing to the point that she has taken off hair and maybe even some skin, leaving a raw, red area—a hot spot. Worse still, the spot may look inflamed, ooze pus, and bleed intermittently.
On the Horizon: Dog Cancer Screening Via a Urine Sample
The molecules in a dog’s urine have a unique fingerprint, and researchers are finding that it can be used to detect—in minutes—whether a dog has cancer. There are blood tests for canine cancer, but they can be expensive, and you have to wait for a lab to come back with the results. Moreover, the results might be only about 60 percent accurate. With a urine test, researchers are finding results that are more than 90 percent accurate.
When $35 of Prevention is Worth More than $10,000 of Cure
Inoculation against a bacterial disease called leptospirosis is not considered a core vaccine, meaning you should discuss with your vet whether your particular dog is at risk. The offending bacteria particularly thrive in relatively warm climates with high average rainfall.
At What Age Should Your Dog Be Spayed or Neutered? It’s Complicated.
A female wire-haired pointer, the tenth most popular dog breed, has only a 1 percent chance of getting cancer. But if she is spayed before she is a year old, her risk for cancer of the lymph nodes shoots up to more than 10 percent. A male mastiff has a 6 percent chance of developing a joint disorder, but that risk rises to 21 percent if he is castrated before he is one.
When Your Dog Smells Bad—No, Really Bad
Dogs seem happiest when they stink. Who among us hasn’t had—or at least seen—a dog happily rolling her body back and forth over something positively rank?
Cauliflower-shaped bump
Q: I’ve noticed a little cauliflower-shaped bump on my 12-year-old dog’s forehead, between her right ear and eye. I think it has been bleeding periodically because sometimes it appears dark in color as if blood has dried. I know I have to take her to the doctor and am scared. Is it cancer?
When It Comes to Canine Cancer Risk, Size Matters
For every four inches over average height, a person’s baseline risk for developing cancer rises by 10 percent, according to research conducted by Leonard Nunney, PhD, a professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at the University of California, Riverside. There are a number of possible reasons, but much of the thinking behind the finding is that within any one species, the bigger you are, the more cells you have, and the more chance for them to mutate into cancerous forms when dividing and multiplying. Thus, if your baseline risk for cancer is 20 percent, for instance, it goes up 10 percent to a 22 percent risk if you’re 4 inches above average height.
There’s a Dog Who Needs Your Old Pacemaker
People who need an upgrade in their pacemaker have started donating their out-of-date but still perfectly usable models to veterinary school practices for use in dogs. That considerably lowers the price for a canine pet who needs a pacemaker because his heart’s electrical rhythm is off. He may be weak, prone to sudden collapses, and at risk for sudden death.
