I commonly get questions from owners after their dogs have been recently diagnosed with mange. I usually get blank looks to my inevitable response, "What type of mange?" Their answers are typically, "There’s more than one?" and "Does it matter?" On...

I just had an interesting conversation with the manager of my horse’s new barn. We were swapping stories and our outlooks on all things equine when he said, "I think one of the biggest mistakes that people make is thinking that their horses love them." I’m sure...

As I write this, I have the live UStream feed of the Westminster Dog Show open in another window on my computer. Right now, the English Bulldogs are on the floor. Not my favorite breed from a veterinary perspective (any breed that has lost the ability to give birth on its own has some...

I recently had a friend ask me, in hind-sight, why their middle-aged dog died at home "suddenly." They had noticed that their dog was "off" for a day and had a "really bad night." In other words, their dog was collapsed, couldn’t get up, wouldn’t...

Every year, lithe specimens of canine perfection strut the Astroturf runway at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. These four legged competitors generate public interest in a particular breed, but does this "Best...

Did you know that your cat can suffer from dental disease and you might not even know it? In fact, veterinarians have found that the majority of cats over three years of age already have signs of dental disease.   What types of signs might indicate...

When my dog Sweetie — whose silhouette is on my logo and whose picture is on my website — was 5 ½ months old, she was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. This is a very painful, inherited disease that...

Last week’s blog post topic was the vaccination series for puppies. One reader had questions about vaccines and titers given after the puppy series is complete. This is such an interesting...

There is a lot of controversy nowadays about vaccinations. Which vaccinations should your puppy get? How often does your puppy need to be vaccinated? Do you really have to go back every three weeks for another vaccine? How important is all this anyway?   Times...

Last week, we considered this question about the younger, healthy pet. I’ve seen a number of references in the comments to this blog about having older pets and wondering if they were insurable or not.   There are several pet insurance companies...

This week’s post is a follow-up to last week’s post. One of my favorite quotes is a proverb that says: When is the best time to plant a tree? Answer: 20 years ago When is the next best time to plant a tree?

If you listen to consumer watch groups or read publications like Consumer Reports, you might decide that pet insurance just isn’t worth it.   In their

Do you leave food out for your dog 24/7? If so, you might be doing him a disservice.   There are basically only three ways (or some combination thereof) to feed pets:   Free Choice — food is available at all times...

Owners can find themselves in the position of having to switch dog foods for any number of reasons. Maybe your dog has been diagnosed with a dietary responsive disease. Perhaps it’s time to switch from puppy to adult food or from adult to mature food. Or maybe you’ve simply...

A dog is a dog is a dog, right? Not quite – at least when we’re talking nutrition. While dogs of all breeds, ages and sizes do have similar nutritional needs, there are some subtle but important differences that owners should be aware of.   I’ve...