This time, we are putting chicken under the microscope. Many pet owners avoid chicken almost automatically. Quite often, when a client first comes to us for advice, chicken has already been ruled out. When I ask why, the answer is usually: “this breed has a lot of chicken allergies.” Looking...
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...
Have you ever checked a dog food ingredient list and found the words “cellulose”, “powdered cellulose” or “lignocellulose”? At first glance it sounds harmless: cellulose is a natural component of plant cell walls and therefore a type of fibre. On the other hand, purified cellulose used in pet food may...
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...
Aging does not mean a dog has to stay on the sofa. To preserve muscle mass and function, an older dog needs suitable movement, adequate nutrition and a reason to keep taking part in the world around them. As a dog ages, the body changes. They may sleep more, move more...
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...
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...
Great plantain probably grows in almost every garden and, honestly, most of the time we see it as an annoying weed. As a child, I had a completely different relationship with plantain: if I scraped my knee or something was bleeding, a plantain leaf went on top. At some point...
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...
