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…
A Number One Public Enemy: Dog Poop
Adopting a Special Needs Dog May Turn Out To Be More Special Than...
If the special need is age
Dear Doctor – How old is old?
Q Is it really seven human years for every dog year?
Dave Rhodes
Dearborn Heights, MI
Myth or Fact? Test your canine mettle
Teeth Brushing, Yes. Hair Cutting, No Longer.
Dont be wary of close contact with your dog
[From Tufts January 2010 Issue]
Ever since most dog lovers can remember, theyve heard that kissing a dog - and being kissed back - is risky. The dog has germs, mothers would say.
If you let him lick you, youll get sick.
Thats a contention that Scott Shaw, DVM, a specialist in emergency and critical care at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and head of the schools infection control committee, disputes. In most cases, the risk of contracting anything from close contact with a dog is very low, he says.
The American Veterinary Medical Association has reported that about 60 percent of the 1,461 infectious diseases recognized in humans developed in other species and that animals have transmitted about 75 percent of emerging human infectious diseases in the past three decades. The report didnt specify the extent of dogs role, but they account for only a small fraction of those numbers, Dr. Shaw says. People should not be afraid of their dogs.
Dogs can contract only a few diseases from us, but antibiotic-resistant MRSA is one...
The dosage for an antibiotic for my dog?
[From Tufts June 2010 Issue]
Yesterday my dog had his teeth cleaned by a vet, who has prescribed 100 milligrams of Amoxicillin twice a day for 10 days. I am concerned about giving him too much Amoxicillin over that period of time. What is the correct dosage after teeth cleaning?