DOG OWNERSHIP

Its well established that when a dog licks her lips, it means she is feeling nervous or anxious. (People do it, too.) Now, new research shows that they lick their lips in response to our angry faces. British and Brazilian researchers reporting in the journal Behavioural Processes made the finding when they observed 17 family dogs of various breeds looking at pictures of people with either happy/playful facial expressions or angry/aggressive ones. The dogs licked their mouths significantly more frequently when looking at the bad-mood faces (more than twice as much, on average).

Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic Head Dr. Stephanie Borns-Weil makes very clear that in general, adding a new dog to a dogs home life is an improvement in quality of life for the first pet. Its not that remaining a one-dog household is bad. It is always a good thing to give any dog, even if its an only dog, a loving home where its well cared for, and no one should feel guilty for not taking in a second canine pet if that doesnt work for them. But the doctor feels strongly enough about dogs needing canine companionship that she says those who choose to remain a one-dog household should consider doggie day care so their pet can run with their own kind - or at least make sure they frequent dog-friendly parks where there are other dogs around to cavort in ways that only dogs can.

Initially, in partnerships between people and dogs, dogs werent locked up in houses alone, the Head of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic, Stephanie Borns-Weil, DVM, points out. They got to go with people everywhere. They and their human companions were always together. Even less than 100 years ago, many companion dogs did not sit in the house until they were walked once or twice a day but were allowed to roam the neighborhood on their own, with fewer cars on local roads to threaten their safety. Today, the opportunity for dogs to socialize is in many cases greatly diminished. Thus, the decision whether to bring home a second dog is often a decision between no companionship for most of the daylight hours and constant companionship.

Sure, you can bring home a picture frame ringed by shells or some other tchotchke from the Turks and Caicos. But have you thought about a potcake?

Dave Errico of a suburb just north of Boston was told during a veterinary visit that his dog had 3 to 6 months to live. That dog was Robby, a 10-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel - the breed most prone to developing a diseased mitral valve that leads to congestive heart failure.

My 11-year-old retriever-Bernese mix, Charlie, always used to walk forward in a normal fashion. But lately, Ive been noticing that he waddles from side to side as he moves forward, kind of swinging his back in the process. It looks cute, to tell you the truth, and he doesnt seem distressed in any way. Is this a normal part of aging? Ive seen other dogs waddle, too.

Q Our dog, B.B. Mantis, has a fungal problem. His vet said to cut his hair down to his skin to help keep the skin dry. We would like to know what you think because as a Great Pyrenees/old English sheepdog, he has a thick double coat. Cutting down to the skin would not be that simple. …

Northrop terrier Chili was only five years old when she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her abdomen last May. Cancer was not a word Marilyn Davison wanted to hear. Her husband had died of cancer very quickly, and a previous dog she had adopted just a few months after his death to bring some warmth into her life developed cancer and died after six months of treatment. She brought Chili home soon after, and now Chili, too, was diagnosed with the disease.

When researchers turned to social media to recruit people for a study that would look at the extent of the psychological and social burdens that come with caring for a sick pet, the overwhelming majority of those who responded to the call were women. Tufts veterinary social worker Eric Richman, MSW, LICSW, isnt surprised. Mr. Richman, who used to work in the human healthcare system, says that when talking about human medicine and chronic illness, the caregiver is often female. And that role, rightly or wrongly, often extends to caregivers for dogs.

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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.

Many of the responses were way off the mark. One dog thought to be mainly golden retriever by 40 percent of the respondents turned out to be equal parts golden retriever, American Eskimo dog, Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever, and Rottweiler. Another, called a border collie by almost half the people asked, was actually a mix of English springer spaniel and German wire-haired pointer with other breeds thrown in for good measure in smaller genetic doses.