DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Q I know that people can help prevent diabetes by staying trim and active. I assume thats true for dogs, too, right?
Christian Chase
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

"We don't give the same anesthesia drugs to every patient," says Tufts veterinary surgeon, John Berg, DVM, Your Dog's editor-in-chief. "We adjust protocols for every dog to make the procedure as safe as possible for the individual." For instance, he says, "there are anesthesia drugs that have minimal effects on the heart and others that affect the heart more. So for a dog with cardiac disease, we'll probably go with an anesthetic agent that doesn't impact the heart so much.

Warm weather is prime season for ticks. The parasites can transmit infectious disease, such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, or even paralysis, because of a toxin in their salvia.

We asked Michael Stone, DVM, board-certified in small animal medicine at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, how owners can protect their dogs from ticks. His response:

Unfortunately, tick control is more difficult than flea control. Even with the use of anti-tick products, youll still find an occasional tick on your dogs coat. Adult ticks most commonly migrate to the ears, around the neck and between the toes.

Snoring has been an age-old problem in dogs and people. In both instances, it can be a harmless nuisance or a sign of an anatomical problem. In most cases, a dogs snoring is not a major cause for alarm, says Elizabeth Rozanski, assistant professor of emergency and critical care at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The key is to determine what is considered normal for your dog."

Conjunctivitis is a common eye problem in dogs, but that doesnt mean its necessarily a simple one to treat. Quite often, the condition is a symptom of a potentially more serious problem. It occurs when the conjunctiva, the very thin layer of clear tissue on the outer surface of the eye, becomes inflamed, resulting in whats colloquially known as pink eye.

The inflammation is usually secondary to another problem, often a lid abnormality or dry eye, says ophthalmologist Chris Pirie, DVM, at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. The key is to recognize and treat the underlying cause.

A dog's muzzle includes the nasal planum, or nose; the nasal cavity, or interior of the muzzle; and the skin and bone overlying the nasal cavity. Diseases of the nasal cavity are usually associated with sneezing, bleeding and discharge from the nostrils. Identifying their cause, however, can be daunting.

Gaining excess pounds is all too common in older dogs. So is unintended weight loss. Neither is good for your pet, especially in his advancing years. That's why monitoring your dog's weight is of key importance as he ages. Too many pounds can exacerbate heart disease and arthritis and can cause problems, too- diabetes, back pain, and other orthopedic ills. It can also bring on arthritis where there had never been any. In addition, excess…

Just as some people dont vaccinate their newborn infants for fear the vaccinations can cause more harm than the disease, some owners of new puppies forego vaccinations for their young canine charges in the belief that the shots will do more harm than good. That is not true. Without immunization through vaccinations, a puppy can become gravely ill - and die. Its that simple.

The pain is not mild to moderate; its severe, to the point that the dog may not be able to eat. In fact, she may yelp even when you just touch her back and might possibly be unable to move or stand. The suffering and paralysis can come on either with a past history of back pain or with absolutely no prior warning.Moreover, the pain doesnt wax and wane, as it does with arthritis. Your pet may have real reluctance not only to jump or use the stairs but even to walk.

Eight-year-old English setter Buxley was staying at my moms house, says Neil Whitmore of Fairfield, Virginia. He had been out with her in the morning, and then she left him in the fenced yard. In the early afternoon he lay down with her, like he always does, but then he couldnt get up. It got progressively worse very quickly. He had no muscle control, and then he was paralyzed in both his front and rear legs.

Many pet owners love to consult Dr. Google, says Tufts veterinarian Alicia Karas, DVM, facetiously. Not that she doesnt understand the allure.

Its tempting, she comments, right there at your fingertips. Its free, she adds. And it seems spot on. My dog is limping - how can I get her through this without a visit to the vet? Ah, heres the answer.

The problem, Dr. Karas says, is that not even the best pet-related sites on the Internet can walk you through how to take care of your own particular dog with his own particular circumstances. There are just too many variables. The issue gets particularly serious when it comes to dispensing drugs.

Large studies of human populations have suggested for some time that having adequate vitamin D concentrations in the body protects not just against rickets but also against all kinds of other diseases, notably a number of cancers, including breast cancer. Research has indicated, in fact, that women who live in southern climates in the US. are less prone to developing breast cancer than women who live up north.