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 […]
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 […]
Constipation and straining can have many different causes but some of the more usual reasons for it are:- * Change of diet or normal toileting routine * Obesity or general lack of exercise * Spinal, joint or mobility problems making a squatting position painful * Impacted dry faeces * Impacted bony material * High percentage […]
Hip Dysplasia Symptoms vary depending on severity – usually in young dogs in which bones are still growing (up to about a year old) or in older dogs which have developed signs of arthritis in the hip joints. The older dogs have always had HD but the condition has remained “silent” until arthritis eventually begins […]
Dislocations occur at a joint when the angle of the connection is displaced causing the usual function of the joint to be disrupted. You may see a lump or bump where the bones are incorrectly aligned, notice that the dog is unable to use the limb or maybe it just looks plane wrong! As in […]
STRAINS & SPRAINS – As with humans, a strain or sprain (for example as the result of a twisted ankle after a trip or fall, or shoulder muscle strain due to landing badly when jumping and playing) needs rest. The little memory technique for treating a strain or sprain is RICE R= REST Crate rest […]
Hind Leg Lameness: To try to ascertain if there is hind leg lameness, the dog should be trotted slowly away from the observer. The dog favours the sore leg by taking less weight on it. The impression given is that the hindquarter on the GOOD side moves down more – the dog seems to fall […]
Front leg lameness To ascertain if there is lamness in either of the front legs, the dog needs to be trotted towards the observer as lameness is harder to detect while walking unless it is very severe. Trot the dog slowly in a straight line on a relaxed lead. If your dog scrabbles, pulls or […]
Lameness Lameness is usually caused by pain but non-painful lameness may also occur. Two examples of non-painful lamenesses are “mechanical lameness” where limb movement is restricted but pain-free, and neurological lameness which usually means paralaysis of a limb or part of a limb. Apart from non-painful lameness, anything which hurts the dog will cause it […]