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Dog hair and the dander it traps carry odors, so especially if you have a particularly furry or long-haired dog, it’s a good idea to vacuum every two to three days—not just rugs but also upholstered furniture and drapes.

Dog-walking injuries caused by dogs pulling on the leash increased by roughly 300 to 400 percent between 2001 and 2020, according to researchers reporting in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. Women are “overrepresented” in the statistics, the researchers say, particularly if they are at least 65. The investigators made their findings when they evaluated a number of studies on emergency room visits.

Which bones are safer than you might think; which are dangerous for your pet.

Your dog has begun urinating in the house, something she hasn’t done since she was a puppy. You take her to the vet to find out what’s wrong.

Q: Are there any dogs that can sniff out cancer in other dogs? My chow chow initiates play with my golden retriever by nipping at his back leg and then backing off. Last year the golden had a small area of missing hair on his back leg, and the vet looked at it during his yearly exam. There was no broken skin, and the doctor didn’t see any cut or foreign object. The vet said that whatever it was, it had already healed and I didn’t need to do anything for the patch of missing hair. He suggested I might put a cone on the chow chow so she couldn’t get to him.

Q: My dog’s left eye has been red for several days. Is this something to be concerned about, or will it go away on its own?

If only we could translate our dogs’ communications with more precision so we could better tend to their physical and emotional needs. It’s coming.

The weather is warm, and the air is moist—like right now in many parts of the country—and your dog has started excessively grooming her hind quarters. In fact, she may have been licking, biting, and chewing to the point that she has taken off hair and maybe even some skin, leaving a raw, red area—a hot spot. Worse still, the spot may look inflamed, ooze pus, and bleed intermittently.

You’ve found a wonderful place to live, and though the lease says “No pets allowed,” you’ve been back to the apartment building a few times and have seen another renter walking their dog on the grounds. You’ve even seen a dog in a window, so you figure it won’t be a problem—kind of like the dog owner’s equivalent of jaywalking. But it very well could.

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• When Your Dog Smells Bad—No, Really Bad
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• Beware of Sand Impaction When Taking Your Dog to the Beach 
• Would Chasing a Laser Beam Be a Good Kind of Activity for Your Dog?
• Dear Doctor

Have you ever seen the words “new” or “improved” on a dog food label? If so, it shouldn’t be there for more than the first six months of production. “It’s not new forever,” says the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), whose guidelines are generally written into law by each state legislature.

The molecules in a dog’s urine have a unique fingerprint, and researchers are finding that it can be used to detect—in minutes—whether a dog has cancer. There are blood tests for canine cancer, but they can be expensive, and you have to wait for a lab to come back with the results. Moreover, the results might be only about 60 percent accurate. With a urine test, researchers are finding results that are more than 90 percent accurate.