Articles & Tips For Dog Owners

Length measurement is the base of the tail to the base of the neck area. The girth measurement is around their middle.

The Environmental Working Group says, “bisphenol a (BPA), a synthetic estrogen used to harden polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resin, is the focus of a growing number of research studies and legislative actions, reflecting mounting scientific evidence that it causes serious and sometimes irreversible damage to health, even at the low doses to which people are routinely exposed.”

A few things that struck me about evacuating multiple pets, is what do you do with them after you get them out. You can't take them all out at once. They are going to be scared and noncooperative. So, you grab 1 or 2, or as many as you can. Where are your collars and leashes? What are you going to do with them once outside? If you have more than 1 or 2 pets you will have to go back for the rest. You know you will. You can't just tie the ones outside to a tree. They will choke themselves trying to get free.

Can your dog swim. Some breeds can't swim because of hair, short legs, or short muzzle. See if your breed is listed.

Your dog's life may depend on it in the event of a fire or natural disaster. Crates are a safe haven for your pet.

Veterinarians recommend elevated feeders for dogs and cats because they offer a number of advantages: hygiene and cleanliness, comfort for dogs and cats with arthritis or neck or back problems, and benefits for cats and dogs with megaesophagus or other conditions that make swallowing difficult. Elevated feeders and dishes keep feeding areas cleaner.

Have you ever seen a dog with ragged ear edges? Most likely, it's from fly strikes. Lyme disease is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi transmitted by Ixodes ticks (hard ticks). Heartworms are the most life-threatening canine worms, for they reside in the dog's heart and pulmonary arteries, causing heart failure and eventually death. Adult worms are 10 to 30 cm in length and about 1 mm in diameter. Read about them here.

Ever notice a lump forming on your dog's elbows? Usually, it's on one of the front legs. More than likely it is a hygroma growth. A hygroma growth is a fluid-filled sac that is formed on the elbow. Vets believe it's caused by the dog irritating the elbow, by lying on hard surfaces, or by the dog favoring one elbow over the other when lying down. The sac forms below the skin and feels firm, but is yielding and somewhat mobile within the loose skin.

Sure, dogs come equipped with their own external layering system, but some dogs have lighter layers of fur than others, and some are not genetically suited to the environments in which they find themselves transplanted. So your dog may in fact be extremely uncomfortable with the winter temperatures — as uncomfortable as you would be if you went outside without clothing.