Dear Doctor – Adopting a different-size dog from the one you already have
Q I have a smallish mutt - 26 pounds - who is active for her size but probably not as active as many bigger dogs. That said, I have fallen in love with a 70-pound Lab who needs a home, and I would like it to be mine. But I worry that the two dogs wont be simpatico in terms of their needs for physical activity, and I dont have the time to take them out separately. What do you think?
Michaela Borovoi
Fullerton, California
Behind Every Great Veterinarian…
When internationally acclaimed animal behaviorist and advocate Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, was eight years old and food was still being rationed in his native England post World War II, a fledgling song thrush had the misfortune to have fallen out of the nest near my grandmothers front porch, as he puts it. Though the chances of a bird thriving after being put back into a nest are low, my mother felt we needed to at least try.
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Dear Doctor – Squeamish about giving my dog needle injections
Q My dog has entered an advanced stage of kidney disease and can no longer drink enough water to make up for the amount he urinates. My vet said that to keep him comfortable for as long as possible, I have to start giving him daily injections of fluid. I love my pet and will do anything to help him, but just the thought of sticking him with a needle makes my knees wobbly. I cant…