DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Your dog has been urinating considerably more frequently than usual and also appears to be straining to go. You take her to the vet, who finds bacteria in her urine, very reasonably diagnoses a urinary tract infection, and prescribes a course of antibiotics to kill the unwanted pathogens. His solution seems to have worked. Her symptoms abate and all is well - for a few weeks.

After careful consideration of the pros and cons of spaying, youve decided to have the procedure performed on your dog. Yes, some evidence has been coming to light that spaying could potentially increase the risk for certain cancers, including lymphoma, mast cell tumors, and bone cancer. But a lot of that evidence, while suggestive, remains preliminary at this point.

Although marijuana, or cannabis, is classified as a Schedule 1 substance by the federal government, meaning it has a high potential for abuse, as of last October, 29 states and the District of Columbia had laws legalizing it in some form. It has been studied for its therapeutic effects on chronic pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, irritable bowel syndrome, epileptic seizures, anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and a number of other ailments. As more people experience the apparent medical benefits of cannabis, many dog owners are left wondering if the drug might be useful in treating various diseases in veterinary medicine, too.

Something was wrong. Active Chesapeake Bay retriever Jameson had only just turned eight but was not picking up one of his back feet all the way. Instead, he was dragging his toe and turning his foot backward and under - onto his knuckles - when he stood still.

Exercise does more than help keep your dogs weight where it should be, maintain his cardiovascular fitness, and forestall the frailty that often comes with creeping age by staving off much of the muscle loss that accompanies advancing years and weakens the body. Exercise also contributes to a dogs good mood, just like it does for people, by releasing serotonin in the brain.

For the first time in six years, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has come out with a new set of guidelines for vaccinating dogs. And those guidelines are changing with the times. For instance, with this edition they are now produced as an online education resource that will allow ongoing updates to be made whenever new research information comes in. No longer will there be gaps of years between versions, says Link Welborn, DVM, DABVP, CCRT, chair of the AAHAs Canine Vaccination Task Force. In fact, he says, the online format will also be accessible on mobile devices, which will improve functionality greatly.

I have recently heard about a deadly canine disease called Alabama Rot. My understanding is that its spreading. Im kind of freaking out because I live with my dogs very near Alabama in the Florida panhandle. Can you tell me how I can make sure my pets avoid this illness?

Gigi, a newly adopted German shepherd mix puppy, was in obvious pain. At first she would scream out if she was bumped by another dog or if shed jump down from the couch, says Gigis owner, Abby Baker of Phoenix, Arizona. It got to the point where she couldnt walk or stand by herself most of the time.

Why is it that between species, the larger the mammal, the longer it lives (elephants go to about age 60, horses till 25 or 30, dogs up to a range of between 10 to 13, and mice to 2), but within any given species, larger animals die sooner? (A Great Dane might make it to age 8, while some Chihuahuas live to 18.)

Platitudes dont work, says veterinarian Alicia Karas, referring to the need for feelings to be acknowledged that brings bereaved callers to the Tufts University Pet Loss Hotline. Its understandable that people use them, she comments. More often than not, they really dont know how to respond to grief because there are few things you can say that wont end up sounding wrong. But uttering phrases like, he had a good life or hes out of pain or hes is in a better place falls short of the mark because the person is so severely missing the companionship shared with their dog.

Tom Hughes, who lives with his wife, Penni, in the big yellow house with the wraparound porch at the top of our street, had a motto: One wife, one child [Katie], one dog.That dog was Daisy, a smallish (and somewhat cranky, if you ask me) chocolate Lab with whom Tom was completely besotted. He always said that when Daisy went, that was going to be it because no other dog could compare.

After the two broke up, Ms. Brodsky moved from Albuquerque to Portland, Oregon, to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren. The wrinkle in the relocation was that she needed to find a rental situation that would allow her to keep her two dogs, mixed breeds Violet and Sen. Fortunately, that seemed to get smoothed out because she scoped out a landlady who was willing to take in all three of them. But then the landlady decided she didnt want a housemate after all, and while scrambling to find new accommodations for herself, Ms. Brodsky realized that finding another place that would allow two dogs was going to be too difficult.