DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Restoring a dogs health requires a partnership between owner and veterinarian. The veterinarian selects the appropriate medicine and relies on the owner to give the medicine in the correct dose at the right time for the full duration. Far too often, the medicine stays in the refrigerator or the medicine cabinet because an owner lacks the confidence to administer it or tires of struggling with his dog to accept the medicine.

[From Tufts December 2010 Issue] This is the first of an occasional column by best-selling author Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, DACVB, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cummings School. When Bernie was first brought to see me, he was 2 years, 10 months old. His owner, a charming older woman living alone, clearly doted on Bernie. A castrated male, Bernie was first acquired by the woman from a breeder when he was 8 weeks of age. He…

[From Tufts January 2011 Issue] Its easy to spot problems with the muzzle - the dogs snout - because the signs are readily discernible. The skin or nose may exhibit depigmentation, ulcers, scaling, itchiness or redness. The 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.…

"Jessie was one of a kind," says Bill Tidman of his shepherd/collie mix. "Other than my wife, she was my best friend.""She was just...

Q We have a Samoyed, about nine years old and in good health. Recently, he was shaved head to tail for an accumulation of burrs. Our previous groomer had not been brushing him well (its quite an event to brush him-he has a huge mane of white fur and a lot of undercoating), and the new groomer ended up having to shave him almost completely, even around the neck area. There were burrs embedded everywhere.

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…