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Take the Titer Test before Administering Vaccinations

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Now more than ever, vaccine titer tests are readily available, not terribly expensive, and offer multiple advantages over the practices (intentional or not) of over-vaccination and under-vaccination. Few issues in veterinary medicine are as controversial as the debate about administering annual vaccinations to our dogs. Long considered part of the standard of baseline, responsible veterinary healthcare, and credited with conquering some of the fiercest canine viral and other infectious diseases, vaccinations now are also suspected of creating vulnerability to illnesses and chronic conditions such as anemia, arthritis, seizures, allergies, gastrointestinal and thyroid disorders, and cancer.

How to Conduct a Home Health Exam for Your Dog

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There are numerous health conditions that can develop and present a real danger to your dog in between veterinary examinations – and YOU can detect many of them. It’s best to follow a consistent routine, so your dog becomes comfortable and relaxed with the procedure, and to increase your familiarity with his body, lumps, bumps, and all. Write out and follow a short outline, to remind yourself about each part of the dog’s body you want to check.

What You Should Know Before Your Dog Receives Anesthesia

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Advances in anesthesiology have made this life-saving medical tool safer than ever. Prior to administering an anesthetic and performing an elective surgical procedure, a veterinarian will examine your dog completely to determine if she is in general good health. Usually, the veterinarian will draw blood before the day of surgery, especially if the patient is an older dog, or one whose health is compromised by injury or illness. The doctor will check the blood count for signs of anemia or a high white blood cell count that may indicate the dog has an infection.

Defray Veterinary Expenses with The Right Pet Insurance Plan

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American dogs and other pets now find themselves included in the complexities surrounding medical expense insurance coverage. Costs of veterinary care are rising, and increasingly sophisticated and expensive treatments, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and chemotherapy, are more widely available. Pet health insurance and medical discount plans can help defray veterinary expenses. Whole Dog Journal explains which plan would be most beneficial for you and your dogs.

Protecting Your Dog from Parvovirus

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When parvo strikes, it moves fast. Infected dogs may appear to be in perfect health one day and violently ill the next. Emergency veterinary care is expensive, and unless dogs are diagnosed and treated early, many die from this serious disease. However, reactions to parvovirus vary widely – both among dogs and their human caretakers. In a world in which parvovirus is ubiquitous – it is literally everywhere except environments that have been sterilized – parvo kills some dogs and leaves others unscathed.

Finding a Balance Between Conventional and Holistic Dog Care

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I’ve heard many stories from people who use holistic practices and get tired of being pressured by their conventional veterinarians to (over) vaccinate, use (sometimes harmful) drug therapy as a first (not last) resort, or feed their dogs a commercial (low-quality) kibble. Sometimes, in an effort to find more sympathetic veterinarians, these caring guardians replaced their conventional primary practitioner with a holistic veterinarian – only to be disappointed by this professional’s resistance to useful conventional medicine!

Older Dogs and the Onset of Cataracts

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Cataracts make the lens of the eye opaque or cloudy, which gradually reduces vision to the point of blindness. In their early stages, cataracts cause blurring and distortion of vision, but they are invisible to the naked eye. By the time most owners notice them, cataracts involve more than 60 percent of the dog's eye. Cataracts often accompany other illnesses, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Surgery performed by a veterinary ophthalmologist is the only treatment considered effective in conventional veterinary medicine – and is indicated only in cases where the cataracts are not a result of a secondary disease such as diabetes.

Are Topical Flea Killers Safe?

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The newest generation of pesticides are being marketed as far less harmful than the old ones. But they are deeply misrepresented as harmless.

If Your Dog is Ever Exposed to Chemicals – React Quickly

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We hope you’ll never need the information in this article – but if your dog is doused with chemicals or survives a fire, these tips can help prevent long-term health damage. Of course, if you are aware your dog has been exposed to toxic smoke, dust, or chemicals, the first thing you want to do (after taking care of yourself and the rest of your human family) is to wash him as thoroughly as possible. Don’t forget to wash your dog’s collar, leash, and any bedding that he may have come in contact with prior to the bath.

Could Your Dog Be Breathing In Toxins in Your Home?

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While we often consider our homes as sanctuaries – places of peace and safety – we may actually be living in danger zones filled with toxic airborne chemicals. Many of the building materials and housekeeping substances we use in our homes are air pollutants, capable of causing acute and long-term damage to our health, as well as the health of our dogs. We are only rarely aware of indoor air pollutants in the air we breathe – and many people are completely unaware of the potential damage that diminished air quality has on the health of every animal (including us) breathing that air.

YOUR Whole Dog Journal

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A good example is this month's article about vaccination, written by San Francisco writer Roger Govier. Just about every holistic veterinarian will tell you that over-vaccination is responsible for any number of canine ills: the prevalence of autoimmune system failures, cancer, allergies, and even behavior problems. And nearly every conventional veterinarian will tell you that if he doesn't vaccinate your dog every year, you can just about kiss your dog goodbye, because he's sure to catch some awful disease without the shot. And there you are, with a dog you love, stuck in the middle.

Veterinary Exploration of Canine Vaccination

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Here’s an indisputable fact: Vaccines have saved millions of lives. The vaccine discoveries of medical pioneers such as Edward Jenner and Louis Pasteur introduced a new era of health care for humans. Smallpox, once the most feared disease in the world, is thought to be eradicated. Ask any senior citizen to name the great medical advances of this century, and he or she will invariably list the polio vaccine.