A Closer Look at Veterinary Chiropractic
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. …
If Youre Thinking of Finding a Chiropractor for Your Dog
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. …
A Virus Once Found Only in Pigs and Birds Now Seen in Dogs
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…
Dear Doctor – April 2014
Letters to Tufts Veterinarians - Putting animal offenders online; The puppy won't pee outside
Brick-and-Mortar Changes, Literally, at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
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. …
Drugs for Nauseous Dogs
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.
Diet Sometimes Enters the Mix
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…
When the Vomiting Should Not Be Treated
There are some cases in which the right response to vomiting is not to administer a medication to quell the nausea and get the throwing up to cease but to get to the root cause of the problem. That is, vomiting may be a sign of an obstruction in the stomach or small intestine that needs to be addressed promptly with surgery or, at the very least, an endoscope to see if the object blocking…
Your Dog is Walking You, Too
People who regularly walk a dog - and we assume that means almost everybody reading this sentence - are significantly less likely to have diabetes. Theyre also less likely to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol than their non-dog-walking counterparts and are less likely to smoke cigarettes, too. And theyre thinner. …
Bigger Dogs Get Their Owners Walking More Than Smaller Ones
The Michigan State University research indicated that owners of dogs weighing more than 45 pounds were more likely to walk their pets than those whose dogs were smaller. Even owners of small dogs who did walk their pets averaged fewer minutes per week than owners of larger dogs. Because toy breeds and other small dogs need less walking to get their fill, owners of larger dogs fare a little better when it comes to the…
Walking Fido Helps Form Friendships
In Australias Perth and in San Diego, Portland, and Nashville here in the states, dogs owners all say the same thing: having a dog not only insures that they get some physical activity but also increases their chances of making more friends in their neighborhood. When surveyed by researchers at the University of Western Australia, some 2,700 adults in all four cities said they got to know people where they live because of their dog…
