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...
Joint problems are not only an issue for old dogs. Osteoarthritis can develop as a result of trauma, a developmental joint disorder, dysplasia, excess weight or long-term uneven loading, and some dogs begin to need joint support at a fairly young age. This topic is very personal to me. Oscar has an elbow...
When a puppy pees in the house, there is usually nothing mysterious about it. They are still learning when and where to go, and how long they can hold it. But if an adult dog who has been reliably house-trained for years suddenly starts peeing indoors, that is a different...
For years, whenever possible, I have preferred natural ways of protecting my dogs against ticks, and Oscar is the main reason behind that choice. When he was a puppy, I used Bravecto tablets because I had seen with Faddy how effectively they kept ticks away. Oscar received the tablet twice....
When a dog suddenly asks to go outside every few minutes, squats repeatedly, passes only a few drops of urine or has blood in the urine, it is very easy to think “cystitis” straight away. Sometimes a bacterial bladder infection really is the cause. But not always. Urinary crystals or...
Apoquel is probably one of the best-known medications for itching in dogs. In some dogs, its effect can be impressively fast: a dog that was licking, chewing and scratching itself yesterday may be noticeably less itchy after a short time. That matters. Severe itching is not merely uncomfortable. A dog can...
I know quite a few dog owners who have at least once found some kind of “lump” under their dog’s skin. And even when reason says it is probably nothing serious, the brain usually reaches the word tumour in about three seconds. A lipoma in dogs is one of the...
I have always liked Dr Edward Beltrani's observation that an imbalance in the gut may sometimes lie behind skin and ear problems. He describes the paws, ears and skin as the tip of an iceberg. It is an interesting integrative perspective, but not an automatic diagnostic rule: itching does not...
From time to time, dog owners come to us because their dog vomits yellow foam or mucus in the morning or after a longer gap between meals. Most people quickly realise that the yellow colour comes from bile, but the harder question is: why does it happen, and what should...
I believe there is no such thing as a dog owner whose dog has never had diarrhea at some point. I've been lucky and diarrhea has never been a major problem in our house, but it has happened from time to time. A lot of dogs are basically walking garbage disposals....
