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...
Fenton was diagnosed with pannus two weeks before his 9th birthday. My first thought, honestly, was: why now? Pannus is often described as an eye disease that develops in middle age in German Shepherds and other predisposed breeds, but the actual age range is broader. For example, in a retrospective...
Most of us have probably heard the old rule that one dog year equals seven human years. It is a convenient calculation, but real life is much more interesting. Dogs do not age in a linear way, and their size matters in particular: during the first years of life they...
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...
Cleaning minor dog wounds, caring for scabs and using calendula: Peter Dobias’s approach, research limits and when veterinary help is needed.
When your dog has an upset stomach, the advice to “cook chicken and rice” comes faster than you can ask what caused the upset stomach in the first place. This is one of the most persistent home recommendations in the dog world. However, integrative veterinarians, including Dr. Karen Becker, have...
Food need not be merely a way to fill the stomach. It also supplies fibre, fatty acids and thousands of plant compounds whose effects we are still learning to understand. That is why integrative veterinarians were discussing functional foods long before the word “functional” appeared on every other packet. The three...
How well do you actually know what your dog is like when everything is normal? What does their breathing look like while asleep, how quickly do they get up, how much do they drink, what colour are their gums, and has that small soft lump on the left side been...
When a dog keeps trying to urinate but produces only a few drops, bladder stones may be the cause. Some stones merely irritate the bladder lining; others may enter the urethra and block urine flow. An obstruction is an emergency. There is no time to wait and see whether drinking...
