DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

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If the gook in your dogs eye is white to clear and in the eyes inner corner, thats normal, says veterinary ophthalmologist Nancy Bromberg, VMD, MS, DACVO, chair of the public relations committee for the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology. Almost all dogs have that. I recommend just using good old warm water on a cotton ball to get out the gook, comments the doctor, who treats pets eyes at her practice in Fairfax, Virginia.

The worst thing Ive ever had to deal with is a dog getting shot in the eye, says Fairfax, Virginia-based veterinary ophthalmologist Nancy Bromberg, VMD, MS, DACVO. Usually trauma takes the form of foreign bodies - splinters in the conjunctiva [which lines the inside of the eyelids and also covers the white of the eye] or under the dogs third eyelid or stuck right into the cornea. Ive seen that a fair amount in hunting…

Google the words tea tree oil, and the results could make your head spin. Some sites sing its praises as a healing elixir with the power to effectively treat bacterial and fungal infections that render your dogs skin or ears itchy, while others warn that tea tree oil is a highly toxic substance, even applied topically, and can leave your pet paralyzed or even dead. Which view is right? …

People thought I went off the deep end, recalls veterinarian Gene Giggleman about the period when he began incorporating chiropractic into his private practice. But he understood, having been a disbeliever himself. In fact, he warmed to the technique only after several years of watching patients in pain restored through chiropractic care at Parker University in Dallas, where he was initially hired to teach in 1983. …

Chiropractic has long been perceived by many as pure quackery, perhaps because its founder in the late 1890s, D.D. Palmer, was a believer in popular metaphysical interests of his day and also because of some present-day practitioners claims of chiropractics usefulness for conditions over which it has no influence, such as kidney disease. But chiropractic has been gaining ground in legitimate professional medical circles over the past 25 years. …

It has been known for more than 30 years that sphere-shaped pathogens called circoviruses can and have infected pigs worldwide, causing everything from pneumonia and kidney problems to wasting syndrome in young piglets that results in poor growth and high death rates. Circovirus has also caused beak and feather disease in parrots, cockatiels and other breeds; infectious anemia in chickens; and deadly infections in pigeons, canaries, and finches. Now a canine version of circovirus…

Letters to Tufts Veterinarians - Putting animal offenders online; The puppy won't pee outside

When Tuftss Foster Hospital for Small Animals was built in 1985, the goal was to provide care to some 12,000 dogs, cats, and other companion animals each year. That goal was long ago surpassed. Last year the hospital treated 28,000 patients, and that number is expected to grow by another 4,000 in 2014. …

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A single episode of vomiting is no big deal for a dog. It wont make her feel good, but it isnt likely to cause any harm. Repeated vomiting, however, can lead to serious dehydration and electrolyte imbalances that, if severe enough, can prove life-threatening and land a dog in the hospital for intravenous fluids and vigilant watch.

A not uncommon cause of vomiting in a dog is a sudden change of diet. Try never to change your dogs diet too fast. For instance, if youre switching kibble based on doctors orders or because of a change in your own feeding preferences, mix some of the new food with the old, gradually changing the proportion until more and more of the new food goes into your pets bowl. That will lessen the chances…