Health

Poison ivy can affect our dogs, but luckily most dogs have enough hair that the sap usually does not get down to skin. However, any dogs with condition that leaves them with exposed bare skin are all susceptible to the rash.

While not as common as fleas, lice can find a home on your canine companion. Lice on your dog can cause a potentially serious condition known as pediculosis, which involves terrible itching and scratching and potentially anemia, so don’t waste time. If you suspect your dog has lice, talk to your veterinarian for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Anaphylaxis in dogs is an immediate, severe, life-threatening allergic reaction. Potentially fatal symptoms can appear as quickly as within 5 minutes of exposure.

With hip dysplasia, the two parts of the hip joint don’t fit together tightly and fully. This can result in a hip dysplasia stance, and also odd gaits and limping that indicate that a vet should take a closer look.

Dogs can get a bump that looks like a person’s cold sore—that small crater-like ulcer on the inside of your lip. But, cold sores in humans are caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1, which cannot be transferred to or from your dog.

Tylenol, or acetaminophen, is a go-to pain reliever for humans, but it can be deadly to dogs. Do not give your dog any Tylenol for any reason.

Wounds hurt because the damaged nerves in the area send pain signals to the brain. While it may seem counterintuitive to touch a wound to provide pain relief, overloading the nerves can decrease the overall pain.

When should you neuter/castrate your male dog? Should you wait till after a heat cycle to spay your female dog? These used to be questions with easy answers.

Regurgitation is a classic sign of megaesophagus, a GI motility disorder. In this condition, the muscles and nerves of the esophagus are not normal, so the important motility required to move food along is absent.

True liver cancer tends to grow slowly, but your dog can be uncomfortable and feel sick. Many metastatic cancers that settle in the liver, such as hemangiosarcoma, have shorter survival times and may be painful. Keep in mind your dog’s quality of life.

If your dog is still coughing you need to assume he might be contagious. To be truly safe from being the bane of your dog’s social circle, I would keep him out of his activities for a week after the last cough.

If your dog is sick, feeling a little off, or has an acute or chronic illness that makes him avoid water, he still needs to drink enough to stay hydrated. We have ways to entice a dog to drink starting with cool clean water, and adding flavorings.