Anti-inflammatory painkillers, or NSAIDs, can give a dog in pain something very important back: the ability to get up, move, walk and live with less pain. In osteoarthritis, they are also among the best-studied pain-relieving medicines. This article did not come from a position of being against medicines in principle. Quite...
Sometimes a dog starts licking one spot, and at first it seems harmless. Then the fur thins, the skin becomes red, and one day you notice a thickened, painful patch. What makes it harder is that healing skin does not necessarily stop the licking. A cycle can develop in which...
An elevated dog bowl may seem like a sensible purchase. A large dog need not bend so far down, an older dog might be more comfortable, and perhaps the floor stays cleaner. But is a raised bowl really better for dogs? Owners' experiences and the scientific findings do not entirely...
Does a dog understand what we say, or does it merely react to our tone of voice? I talk to my dogs quite a lot. Faddy and Oscar do not need to speak Estonian to understand us, but it would be unfair to suggest that words mean nothing to them....
A dog occasionally chases their tail, a cat carefully grooms itself and some pets want to repeat the same game endlessly. These can be normal behaviours. But what if tail chasing lasts for minutes, the dog cannot stop or a cat develops bald patches from constant licking? Then we need...
Sometimes it is difficult to decide whether you should take your pet to a clinic immediately or whether it is reasonable to monitor the situation for a while. The same symptom may be fairly harmless in one situation but the first sign of a condition where every hour matters in...
Omega-3 fatty acids are often discussed as though one bottle of salmon oil were enough to solve problems involving the skin, joints and immune system. I have used omega-3 oil with my dogs for years and have preferred courses in spring and autumn. In spring, I think about preparing the...
Most of us have medicines at home for pain, fever, allergies or chronic conditions. When a dog or cat develops similar symptoms, it may seem logical to give them the same medication. Unfortunately, a medicine that is entirely ordinary for humans can cause serious poisoning in a pet. The risk is...
Can dry food, wet food and raw food be combined? Yes, combining different types of food is not wrong in itself. It is important to distinguish between complete food and complementary food. Complete food is intended to cover the dog's needs at the appropriate life stage, while complementary food is intended...
When I first came across Dr Judy Morgan’s five-element approach, I was curious rather than convinced. Sorting a dog’s personality into Fire, Water, Wood, Earth or Metal sounded rather unusual. Then I compared the descriptions with our own dogs and was surprised at how much I recognised in Faddy, Oscar,...
