Dog Healthcare

“Every tooth in a man’s head is more valuable than a diamond.”

~Miguel de Cervantes, 1605

A healthy adult dog has 42 teeth, 10 more than we do. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that every one of his 42 teeth is as important to his overall health as ours are to us.

In an effort to educate pet owners about the need to provide their pets with good dental hygiene the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has designated February National Pet Dental Health Month.
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We’ve all heard about the obesity epidemic in the United States. Movies like “Supersize Me” and “Fast Food Nation,” TV shows like “The Biggest Loser,” “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition,” and “My 600-lb Life,” as well as First Lady Michelle Obama’s anti-childhood-obesity campaign, have done a pretty good job of driving the point home. What you may not know is that canine and feline obesity is just as real, and just as big a problem. According to a 2011 survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, an estimated 53% of adult dogs and 55% of cats are classified as overweight or obese, and the majority of pet owners are either unaware or in denial of the very real danger this poses to their beloved companions. In this blog, we’re going to help you understand what pet obesity is, how to recognize it, the health risks it creates, and what to do about it.

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Skunk. A single word that fills even the most intrepid dog owner with dread. The smell, the nightmare of getting it off, the waste of perfectly good tomato juice… Let’s face it, nothing about your dog getting sprayed by a skunk is pleasant. Unfortunately, one of our own dogs was the victim of a quite vigorous skunking (in her face, no less!) this past weekend, which sent us to the good old internet to see what we could find for a treatment. What we found was a wealth of information and a course of action that made a huge difference for poor Lucy! We’re sharing what we learned here to help you should you find your own pup in this predicament.
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Independence Day (the 4th of July) is next week (can you believe it?), and may towns are opting to have their fireworks displays this weekend. If you’ve been through this holiday with your pup before, you probably have a good idea as to how he will react. Some dogs are surprisingly fine with the flash and bang of fireworks, but a good number tend to get scared and agitated, and may even try to run away to escape the show. Runaway dogs many not find their way home and end up in shelters (if they are not microchipped or wearing proper identification), or they may get injured (or worse) trying to cross streets or highways or traveling through areas with large predators like bears, mountain lions, or coyotes. Our best suggestion is to keep your dog inside for the festivities. If you DO decide to have him outside with you, make sure he has proper ID on him and is either securely leashed, properly fenced in (like a DogWatch Hidden Fence system) or on a sturdy dog run.
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