ask a vet

Fortunately dogs do not crave salty fattening snacks like some of us (specifically me) do. They tend to be more opportunistic eaters and are grateful to get a taste of whatever we offer. If you indulge in salty, greasy snacks, it is not great to share those, but you can choose from the better alternatives and be healthy for you both. Read on for some of our favorite snacks to share with our dogs! Blueberries Blueberries are tiny powerhouses. They … Read more

Have you ever walked up on your dog wearing a hat and she seemed to panic like she did not recognize you? Frightened dogs can start to bark furiously and seem like they cannot be reasoned with. It can be a scary experience for you both. We humans surmise that our dogs are not able to recognize us when we have head gear on, but have you thought about why? It seems crazy. Our dogs know us. They know our … Read more

Ear infections are one of the most common presenting complaints for dogs in the United States. Veterinarians across the nation regularly see patients with ear disorders. The most common is called Otitis Externa or more simply “inflamed outer ear”. Ear infections can also be in the middle and inner ear, but these are less common than otitis externa. Although otitis can be caused by a bacterial infection, there are many causes and complicating factors, like fungal infection, parasites and allergic … Read more

Every dog needs medications at some point in his life. Funny thing is… we are supposed to be the smart ones, right? Then why is it that our dogs completely have our number when it comes to taking medications? There are lots of reasons that your dog knows what you are up to and we have to consider each one to win this battle. We know that the way to a dog’s heart is through his stomach, but we also … Read more

It is culturally expected that most human beings shower or bathe everyday. We can even bathe more often as circumstances present themselves. We all know that gross feeling we get when we know we need a shower and we may get kind of paranoid that we smell bad. Your dog has no such concern. She does not care how bad she smells and probably even rolls in bad odors just for the fun of it. WE care how our dogs … Read more

Lots of dogs are afraid of thunder. We are fairly sure that the sound is what triggers the fear for most dogs, but some believe that barometric pressure and other features associated with storms may also elicit fear. A dog has learned that storms are unpleasant and for certain dogs, the tendency to develop phobias is already present. Fear is a natural response to a threatening situation and thunder can seem threatening to many dogs. Fear becomes classified as anxiety … Read more

Some dogs truly adore riding in the car, to the point that the excitement associated with opening the doors can make them tremble or jump up and down. On mornings when I can take my dog, Skye, to work, she is overjoyed. She races back and forth to the door out to the garage if I do not come along as quickly as she would like. It makes me smile and I love to take her because she seems so … Read more

 1. All puppies have worms. Worms have evolved over time to be pretty creative in the ways that they propagate their species. One of those ways is to hide out in the muscle tissue of mother dogs (no matter how well cared for they are) and then the hormones of pregnancy will trigger them to reactivate and become infectious to the puppies. Pretty dastardly, huh?  2. Over-the-counter dewormers may not be effective and you need a veterinarian’s help. Deworming preparations … Read more

Everyone knows their own dog’s voice. But does it surprise you to know that dogs seldom bark to communicate with other dogs? I think we can all agree that barking is a form of communication, but our dogs have learned through watching our responses that certain things will prompt us to perform certain actions. They bark for our benefit! 1 Animal experts agree that barking is certainly an attempt to convey a need: physical, emotional or social. A bark could … Read more

Everyone that has ever met a dog has been jumped on. Puppies do it almost reflexively and it is a behavior that seems to be present in most dogs and must be trained away and replaced with something else. Animals do things for a reason (even if that reason is merely that they like it). I think that there is more to jumping up than just a bad habit. It might help to try to see the world through a … Read more

No one has even been able to completely explain how our dog friends came to be our friends. It is a special and unique interface that we have. Dogs live with us in our homes and walk with us on the paths of our lives every day. We want to reward them for their friendship, but since we cannot ask them which rewards they like best, we just don’t know exactly how. Dogs seem to like food rewards and they … Read more

Have you ever seen a dog lying down asleep, but his muscles are twitching and jerking? Actually, it happens to humans too, but we are asleep and probably don’t notice! Involuntary muscle twitching is called myoclonus and it routinely occurs in both species. Dogs are actually a lot like us when they sleep. Polysomnography (a sleep study that records brain waves) proves that dogs experience similar brain changes when sleeping as humans. They can engage in all kinds of movements, … Read more

“Humping” in our pet dogs is awkward to us because it is not a behavior that we exhibit in public. Sexually explicit behaviors are not well received in human society and are even against the law in some cases. But those social rules only apply to humans. To dogs, mounting is not particularly associated with sexual behavior.  It is just another way to communicate when one cannot use words. So we have to subtract our human nature and try to think like … Read more

Anxiety Disorder in humans is characterized by fear that impacts quality of life. Dogs feel fear too, of course. Fear is a normal response to a frightening stimulus, but normally is transient. Normal fear keeps an animal safe by helping him respond and escape from threatening situations. Only maladaptive fear causes self-harm or prolonged misery. Separation anxiety is when a dog responds fearfully when separated from their owner. It is a maladaptive fear disorder that can cause profound damage to the human-animal … Read more

Many people these days find running to be a great way to keep in shape and they wonder if they can take their dog along. Veterinarians and physicians alike agree that exercise is a wonderful way to maintain health, both mental and physical. If you want to take your dog along on your runs there are a few things you should consider. How rigorous are your runs? Make sure you are not asking too much of your dog who may not be … Read more

We all delight in watching our dogs play and some dogs have specific ways of interacting with their toys. Sometimes this will include tearing the toy completely apart and rendering the squeaker ineffective. Many dogs seem bent on removing the squeaker as if they want it to stop. We know when we play with our dogs the squeaking sound seems to really fire up the play. Some dogs seem to be very excited by the sound and this could be … Read more

All dogs have toenails and all toenails need some management. The best way to trim a dog’s nails is to achieve the following goals: the nails become shorter and blunter and no one gets traumatized or hurt. You might think these are lofty goals if you have a dog that resents a pedicure. First we have to understand the basics of training animals. Nail trimming is not something that your dog naturally thinks is a good idea, but he doesn’t … Read more

Marking behavior in a pet dog is sometimes frustrating and many veterinarians advocate neutering as prevention and/or treatment. But sometimes neutering a pet will not affect the behavior. It is important that we understand how dogs work to try to explain this annoying behavior. All About That Mate Marking behavior, like urine marking or scratching the dirt, can be a reproductive based signal and intact male dogs certainly engage in it. These intact dogs are using the scents associated with … Read more

Many dogs, including one of my own, spend a fair amount of time leaning against their human’s leg. There have been articles that unequivocally state that I should not allow my dog to lean on me and if she is invading my space, she is disrespecting me. Perhaps they are right in a few cases, but there has never been a kinder and less dominant dog than mine. I think that there are other reasons that she, and probably many … Read more

A fear of darkness, called achluophobia, has been documented among humans for decades. Researchers as early as Sigmund Freud linked it to separation anxiety in humans. Certainly anxiety disorders are diagnosed and treated in dogs regularly, but before you decide that your dog has achluophobia, you will want to be sure that he is experiencing fear and that medical reasons for his fear have been ruled out. The fear of darkness is typically thought to be more of a fear … Read more