Swallowing things they shouldn’t – and things “hanging out” the other end! Dogs do tend to wolf down anything and everything – and not all the things they try to consume are good for them! Sometimes they manage to swallow the most inappropriate of things ranging from socks and pants, through to needles and thread […]
Cut Paw Pad: It’s not always obvious when a dog cut’s his paw and often it might not be unless you actually see him limping or spot blood on the ground. Often it’s not until he comes home or you give his muddy paws a rub over that you notice the problem. The important thing […]
Ocular Compression is a technique hoped to help dogs with epilepsy. We have covered fits and epilepsy in a previous blog (here’s the link to it:- Fits & Seizures) Many people try very hard to minimise the amount of drugs or chemicals they use with their dogs, be that in the form of vaccinations or […]
Undescended Testicles is also known as Cryptorchidism. When a male puppy is born, his testicles will still be within his abdomen. As he developes and grows, they will slowly start to “descend” down the tubes until they arrive at their permanent place in his scrotum. It is important for mammals to be able to keep their sperm […]
A lot of problems with our dogs can be caused or exacerbated by our dog’s weight so, Is Your Dog Too Fat? As a rule, people who show their dogs in breed dog show competitions such as Crufts here in the UK and the Westminster Cup in the US see other examples of their breed regularly […]
Licking the paws …….. Why? . This is one of the most common questions I get asked and in all honesty, there is no simple straight-forward answer. First we need to establish whether the dog is licking his paws because there is a medical condition causing his discomfort or whether it is simply a behaviour he’s […]
Causes of Excessive Dog Drooling As the owner of a very “drooly” dog, I can tell you for sure that ALL dogs drool (its just that some do it a hell of a lot more than others and some take it to a whole new level!) Usually with the prospect of food, the flood gates open […]
There’s not much of a worse insult than the term “dog breath”, but your dog really shouldn’t have bad breath just because he’s a dog. Bad breath may be a sign of many different problems from tooth decay, gum disease, an upset stomach or perhaps its just that he has consumed something far from palatable to humans […]
Hot Spots & Wet Eczema are the same thing. Dermatitis is “doctor-speak”. If you break down the parts of the word you get derm which means skin and itis which means inflammation therefore if you or your dog are suffering from dermatitis, it simply means inflammation of the skin. In dogs, it can be caused […]
Diarrhoea After Eating: Usually, when your dog gets an upset stomach or a “runny bum” it’s down to them eating something undesirable that they’ve managed to find on a walk, picking up a bug of some sort or it may be that they’ve eaten something new that doesn’t quite agree with them. Often, when we try to change our […]
Heart Disease & Failure: Seen in middle and old age, this is the most common problem to affect our beloved canine companions. This disease is particularly prevalent in small breeds such as Chihuahuas and even more frequently in Cavalaier King Charles Spaniels, but that is not to say we may not come across heart valve […]
Cheyletiella Mites (or walking dadruff as they are often known) are Zoonoses. Zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted between vertibrate species, including man, which means they are not restricted just to our furry friends. As with the Harvest Mite, “walking dandruff” lives on the surface of the skin and feeds on skin cell debris. […]
The document below was created by a Facebook friend of mine, the lovely Jodi Davies. Many people are opting to try to reduce the amount of chemical medication, pesticides and wormers they use with their dogs and one way of checking to see if your dog actually needs to be wormed is by carrying out […]
Often when our dogs are ill, we trundle off to see the vet and he recommends various diagnostic tests to try to shed a bit of light on exactly what is wrong with them. In the absence of their being able to talk to us to tell us exactly how they are feeling, these tests […]
In my local area I have recently been made aware of at least 3 instances where dogs have ingested rat poison – sadly, one of those dogs didn’t make it. Since then, another of my friends has found rat poison dumped in the garden after their neighbours took exception to the dogs barking. So, firstly, would you […]
Ive been asked several times recently about Colloidal Silver; what it is, how it works, what you can use it for etc. It is gaining quite a bit of a reputation and, due to the enormous list of uses, illnesses, bacteria etc that it is reputed to help, this topic deserves a section all to […]
In a nutshell, heatstroke occurs when a dog is subjected atmospherically to high temperatures so that might be where a dog cannot get out of the heat, for example if they are left in a car in warm weather – or perhaps if you have a “sun-worshiper” who just loves to be out baking his brain in […]
Bleeding tongue: A dog’s tongue is important for many things including eating, cleaning themselves, lapping up water, bonding with the pack and showing submission. Luckily, there aren’t many issues or illnesses that affect dogs’ tongues, however they are susceptible to injury perhaps during general investigation with their mouths by biting, chewing or picking up something which may be sharp […]
Limp or Limber Tail: If your dog suddenly appears to have a hanging, droopy tail, all types of causes for the way he is holding his tail should be considered such as has he injured his back or his spine in any way? Could he have injured his tail with rough and tumble when playing? Did […]
DE or DIATOMACEOUS EARTH Ive been asked on a number of occasions about Diatomaceous Earth. As people get more and more keen to avoid pumping chemicals and drugs into themselves or their dogs, alternatives such as DE are coming more the fore. DE is suitable not just for dogs but for humans, horses, chicken …. well, […]