Health

The respiratory system functions rather miraculously. Vital for life, critical for the health of the whole body, it’s one of the major ways the dog’s body unites his external environment with his inner milieu. As a primary site of contact with the outer world, the lungs are susceptible to diseases that can be caused by any airborne germ, irritant, or toxin that happens to be floating around.

The syndrome seems to be caused by muscle injury possibly brought on by overexertion, says Janet Steiss, DVM, PhD, PT. Steiss is an associate professor at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine and coauthor of the 1999 study on limber tail that pinpointed the nature of the muscle damage.

The mouth is the site of the two most common canine diseases.

however.üIt can be a sign of immune problems if a dog's nose is normally black

and took four-month-old Gideon home in August 2002.

Seeking an outlet for Gideon's energy

Most of us have seen signs or advertisements for anesthesia-free teeth cleaning" for dogs and cats. To most people

and then waits for Tater to offer an approximation of "dead." (Above) Once Tater offers "dead

Every day the already dazzling array of options for caring for your dog grows even more. There are myriad modalities in the realm of holistic care, including complementary and alternative options, as well as conventional veterinary medicine, with its low- and high-tech diagnostic and treatment procedures. Which way do you go when your dog has a health concern?

In some dog-related circles, the question of surgical sterilization, otherwise known as spaying (females) and neutering (males), is sure to spark hot debate. Humane associations and shelters are vocal proponents of sterilization for population control, a stand that makes sense considering they're often the ones who deal firsthand with the tragic consequences of unplanned breeding.

The dog's eye is pretty much a garden-variety mammalian eye, with some notable adaptations that have evolved over the millennia. It is a globe with two fluid-filled chambers (anterior and posterior). The chambers are separated by the lens, the structure that helps focus light beams onto the rear part of the eye, the retina. The eye's outer, clear surface, the cornea, offers protection to the inner eye and helps the lens focus light onto the rear of the eyeball, the retina.

In recent years, one nutritional supplement in particular has been embraced by competitive dog owners and veterinarians for its ability to meet that challenge. Glucosamine is the best known and most commonly used supplement for prevention of lameness due to osteoarthritis (a.k.a. degenerative joint disease) – a disorder of the joints characterized by progressive deterioration of the articular cartilage.

Over the years I have treated literally thousands of animal patients for allergic problems, using both Western and alternative medicine methods. The more I think I know about allergies, the more I read and learn about them, the more confused I get. Nothing I have tried therapeutically works with all my patients; some patients get better with hardly any effort on my part; others finally respond to my third or fourth treatment protocol (or 9th or 10th); and some never respond, no matter what I try.