EVERYDAY DOGCARE

Tufts veterinarians see more than their fair share of pups whose owners havent trimmed their nails - in the emergency room. The nails have grown in a circular shape and back into the dogs paw pads, causing painful infections that turn red and ooze pus.

My 12-year-old dog, Emmy, has been pure white her entire life - until the last 7 months. As you can see from the photo, she now has a rust-colored face and paws. Three different veterinarians have given me three different theories for why this has happened, ranging from old age to allergies. At this point she has been on four allergy medications, including steroids, but none of them has helped. I should note that she has also had pus in her left eye, which is red. I have been applying the over-the-counter eye ointment Maxitrol, but I am already on my fourth tube - it only works for a couple of days. Please help my baby girl. I dont know what else to do.

Could a hawk or an eagle carry off a small dog? We let our shih tzu, Lily, out in the yard by herself, and I worry because those birds circle round and round.

Every dog should have a bed. Its a go-to spot they love, whether to snuggle, snooze, or get a good nights rest. But which bed is best? It depends on your canine pals proclivities, health conditions, and age. A dogs bed needs to change through the years, and you may want to switch beds as she gets older. Here are eight types of beds, along with features that may suit a dogs specific needs.

Theres a common belief that once a child has been diagnosed with asthma, any dog (or cat) who lives under the same roof as the youngster should be re-homed because asthma leads to allergies, including allergies to pets. But according to the results of a new study from Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, that belief is nothing more than urban legend - as long as the child is properly treated for his condition.

Fully 95 percent of dog owners buy Christmas gifts for their pets, according to a survey reported on by Pet Age. On the one hand, it may seem silly. After all, dogs dont understand the holidays. They dont even understand what a holiday is. On the other hand, making sure the dog gets some attention by presenting her with a gift on a day that her routine is completely thrown off, often with people on the scene who she doesnt know or hardly knows, can be a nice way of remembering that she likes being in and also needs some focus to feel secure.

For us, daily tooth care and regular dental visits are basic things that we do to stay healthy. But did you realize that our pets require regular dental care, too? Truly bad dog breath (not normal doggy breath) is one of the most commonly ignored problems in our dogs - and a sure sign of canine dental and gum disease.

When fluffy-man Franklin was young, he would scream at our mail carrier, Pat, each time he came up the walk toward the house, which, of course, was almost every single day. Frank would rip the mail out of Pats hand as he put it through the slot, shredding bills, ads, wedding invitations - you name it. Today, 10 years later, there has been some mellowing - on Pats part. He knows Franklins schtick and is happy to throw him a biscuit if we happen to meet up during a walk.

All too few dogs engage in enough physical activity, which not only contributes to the epidemic of unhealthful excess weight in an estimated two in five of our canine companions but also leads to behavioral issues. Problems like whining, panting, barking, and aggression could be ameliorated with regular aerobic activity that gets the heart rate up and excess energy out. Some veterinary experts even put vigorous physical activity in front of training, diet, and other measures as a mood stabilizer and overall calming influence - no surprise to people habituated to using a good workout to lift their spirits and get the venom out.

Dogs have been a fixture on college campus for years as team mascots. But more and more, they are being brought to live at institutions of higher learning to relieve students often considerable stress. The University of South Carolina, for instance, has recently adopted therapy puppy Indy. Once her training is complete, she will hold office hours at the schools Student Health Services. The University of California also has a campus facility dog - Beau, a black goldendoodle who spends time ratcheting down students anxiety at the campuss health center.

Katie Helf of Chickasha, Oklahoma, is very angry about something we said in the article on big dogs attacking little dogs in the August issues lead story.

Can littermates recognize their siblings that they havent seen in a long time? My dog and his four littermates are all from Tennessee but ended up in New England and were adopted out to different families by the time they were 12 weeks old. Now they are five, and three of us owners got together for a meet-up recently. We thought the dogs would be ecstatic to see each other again, but while they certainly had a good time horsing around together, they did not appear to have an affinity for each other that was any greater than their affinity for other dogs they have come to know and get along with. At the same time, I have read about littermates so thrilled to see each other again after having been separated for a long time that youd think they were on one of those TV shows where adoptees try to find their birth families. Whats the answer?