A while ago, when I was updating FendaF’s article about chemical tick treatments, one seemingly very simple word kept bothering me: safe. We use it all the time when talking about medicines. “This medicine is safe.” “A lot of dogs use it.” “Side effects are rare.” “The medicine is approved.” But...
August was a very different time for Faddy. Around 2.5 litres of fluid had accumulated in his abdomen and had to be removed. His heart was enlarged. He had very little stamina, and our walks were mostly 1–1.5 kilometres, slow, with pauses and entirely at his pace. Then came the medication,...
Collaboration between a veterinarian and a pet owner can be far more important in resolving an animal's health problems than it may first appear. The past few weeks with Faddy have shown me very clearly that the best care does not happen only in the clinic. A veterinarian has medical...
Using AI for pet health may seem tempting, especially when your animal is unwell and clear answers are difficult to find. Over the past year, I have noticed more and more pet owners turning to AI in the hope of finding answers they have not received elsewhere. This is completely...
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...
People who have never dealt closely with cancer may take a small lump found under a dog’s skin fairly calmly. Those who have know the other reaction: your fingers find a lump and, within a second, your mind is already at the worst-case scenario. I tend to belong to the...
Why antibiotics are not a black-and-white issue Antibiotics can save a dog's life. At the same time, they can cause adverse effects, alter the gut microbiome and select for antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The right question is therefore not whether antibiotics are good or bad, but when they genuinely benefit an individual dog. Not...
How to recognise staphylococcal infection in dogs, when antibiotics are needed and what Oscar's experience can teach us.
I once spoke with a customer whose dog had undergone anesthesia-free dental cleaning about six months earlier. Later, several of that dog’s teeth had to be extracted. This does not prove that the anesthesia-free cleaning caused the problems, but it made me ask even more clearly what such a procedure...
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...
