If you know or suspect that your dog has eaten a product containing xylitol, contact a veterinarian or emergency clinic immediately. Do not wait for symptoms, and do not induce vomiting at home unless a veterinarian specifically instructs you to do so. Xylitol is one of those substances that can turn...
Dehydration in dogs can develop more quickly in summer than we might expect. Hot weather, activity and constant panting make the body work harder and increase the need for fluids. The problem is that a dog cannot always tell us when they are thirsty or feeling unwell. By the time...
Dogs do not usually enter the sea intending to drink, but they inevitably swallow some water while running, swimming and retrieving toys. One accidental mouthful will not usually cause poisoning. The risk increases when a dog repeatedly swallows saltwater or consumes a larger amount, especially in hot weather or when...
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...
Dogs have a habit of licking people. Some aim for the face, others for a hand or leg, and some would happily keep at it all day. To me, licking has always felt like one of a dog's ways of saying, “you are my person.” As I have got older,...
Some time ago, I was asked to write about which bones are suitable for which dogs. The starting point for this article was, and still is, the approach of integrative veterinarian Dr Peter Dobias, who divides bones into three groups according to purpose: for eating, for cleaning teeth, and for...
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...
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...
