How to make Fido feel more at home while you’re away
Because you love your dog, your heart is heavy when you travel and have to leave him behind. So is your dogs. He hates being dropped off at the kennel, with its cages and noise and, no matter how great the staff, the somewhat limited attention he receives in your absence. Perhaps he lets you know it by that telltale beseeching look and cowering stance as you give him one last pet before making …
Is Your Dog Going as Anything for Halloween?
I guess I personally am not one for dressing up dogs, says Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, Director of the Tufts Animal Behavior Clinic, when the question is posed to him about whether he will outfit his two pooches for Halloween. My dogs do take to their orange jackets during hunting season pretty well, he says. When Im done getting them ready to walk in the woods, there they are, these two little orange tubes tucked in…
Halloween Safety Tips for Dogs
North Shore Animal League America offers some prudent tips for Halloween night.1. Make sure your pets have on identification at all times. With that front door continuously opening and closing for trick-or-treaters, there is a chance they could run out - especially if they're spooked. Give your pets a quiet, safe place on Halloween. Scary parties, constant doorbell ringing, or too …
Dear Doctor – October 2015
Pain after abdominal surgery Q My dog is supposed to undergo abdominal surgery, but I am worried about the aftermath. When my father had abdominal surgery, he was so tender at the spot that it took at least six weeks before he was able to walk again without pain. I hate to put my dog through that, but I know he needs the operation. Hes a very active dog. How will I be able to keep…
When a Pet Dies
When I was little and didnt have a sister yet, my best friend was a brown, wire-haired mongrel named Mitzi. We shared joyous times, exciting times and sad times. We got scared together when there was thunder and lightening, and together we crawled under the bed until they went away. When I wasnt scared of them any more, Mitzi still was, so I comforted her and felt all the braver.
If Your Dog Smokes
Eighteen out of every 100 adults in the U.S. smokes. If anyone in your household is a smoker, so is your dog. And her risk for cancer is greater than for other dogs. Research at Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine has already shown that cats living in homes with smokers are at increased risk for lymphoma, and perhaps oral cancer, too. In fact, they are almost two and a half times as likely to…
Can Dogs Help Overweight Children Reach Healthy Weight?
More than one in six children and adolescents in the United States - some 13 million kids - are obese, with many more not quite in that category but overweight nonetheless. At the same time, more than 43 million households in this country have pet dogs, many of whom crave more interaction with their human families and, most definitely, more physical activity with them. Hmm…
Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction
Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction Dr. Linders research on whether pet dogs can help overweight children reach healthy weight is being conducted under the auspices of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction, launched in February of this year. She is one of the two associate directors of the Institute, which involves professors and researchers across all the Tufts University campuses: the campus of the veterinary school in the middle of Massachusetts, the medical campus in downtown…
Service Dog or Emotional Support Animal?
That is, we fully support the use of emotional support animals for those people who are plagued by conditions like anxiety, depression, or social phobia to the point that life would be unbearable if they could not live with or fly with a dog. But if too many people start claiming that their pet is a therapeutic necessity when it is not, law enforcement agencies are going to crack down, making it harder for those who have a real need.
Allergic to Your Own Dog
You thought you brought home a dog that wouldnt make you allergic. After all, even the American Kennel Club website assured you his breed was hypoallergenic. And things seemed to be fine - for about a year. But now, every time you pet him or come back into your home from outside, your eyes become itchy. Your nose starts running, and your throat burns. What happened?
