An itchy dog quickly raises the question: is it an allergy? Sometimes it is. But sometimes the cause is fleas, yeast, bacterial inflammation, dry or irritated skin, a painful paw, or several smaller problems at once. In this article I want to go beyond asking 'how can I stop the...
Milk thistle for dogs: what Dr Dobias recommends, what canine studies show, seed preparation, silymarin dosage and how to assess results.
For decades, spaying and neutering dogs was often treated as a fairly simple choice: if a dog was not going to be used for breeding, the ovaries or testicles were removed. This prevents unwanted litters and reduces the risk of several diseases of the reproductive system. For me, the question has...
Parasite control is often discussed in very simple terms: drops, a tablet, a collar, a dewormer or a ‘natural’ product. In reality, parasite control is a very broad concept: some products are intended for parasites that live on the dog, such as ticks and fleas, while others target worms or...
Fenton was diagnosed with pannus two weeks before his 9th birthday. My first thought, honestly, was: why now? Pannus is often described as an eye disease that develops in middle age in German Shepherds and other predisposed breeds, but the actual age range is broader. For example, in a retrospective...
Most of us have probably heard the old rule that one dog year equals seven human years. It is a convenient calculation, but real life is much more interesting. Dogs do not age in a linear way, and their size matters in particular: during the first years of life they...
The more I learn about canine health and nutrition, the clearer it becomes how many questions can hide inside a single bag of food. The label gives a protein percentage, but that does not yet tell us which amino acids a dog actually receives, how well they are digested or...
Small changes for better dog health: thoughtful feeding, vegetables, kefir, dental care and suitable exercise, without grand New Year’s promises.
Some time ago, a client called me and said she suspected her dog had fleas. To be honest, my first thought was probably the same as that of many dog owners: is this really still a problem in Estonia? It is. Fleas are not only a “country-life problem” and they...
The old version of this article grew out of a very real question: if grapes and raisins can cause acute kidney injury in dogs, why do some dog foods contain grape-derived ingredients such as grapeseed oil or grape extract? It is still a good question. With what we know in...
