A dog food bag may proudly declare “26% protein”, but that tells us neither what kind of protein the food contains nor how efficiently a dog can use it. At FendaF, I have often said that not all protein is equal. We could say the same about an animal: muscle,...
Which dogs need sun protection? Learn about safe sunscreen, UV exposure and why natural oils are not proven SPF.
As spring arrives, many dogs become very interested in nibbling fresh grass. Some pick out only the longest, softest blades, others eat almost by the handful, while some show no interest in grass at all. And then the owner starts wondering: why does a dog eat grass in the first place? Does their...
With some diseases, it isn't easy to say, “Don't worry, most dogs do well.” If you have seen a dog seriously affected by one, that experience stays with you. Irene's Labrador, Pekwa, suffered severe Lyme disease at about six years of age. It took months to reach the diagnosis, and...
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....
Canine dementia is being discussed more and more, yet it is still very easy to put changes in an older dog down to age alone. They sleep more, move more slowly, no longer react in quite the same way, sometimes become confused in familiar places or grow restless in the...
I read holistic veterinarian Dr Odette Suter's discussion of the foundations of canine health. She describes something I have heard all too often: “I've tried everything.” The real question is frequently what exactly was tried, and why. I like her point that a symptom may not tell the whole story....
I've wondered whether repeated tooth fractures in dogs might partly reflect inadequate calcium during puppyhood. We should not dismiss that possibility. Tooth development depends on balanced nutrition, and deficiencies can disrupt it. But one broken tooth does not reveal what the dog ate as a puppy. A hard chew and...
Hugo’s story and current approaches to canine atopic dermatitis: itch relief, diagnosis, nutrition, skin care and careful interpretation of individual experience.
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...
