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| Canine
Obesity: A Serious Matter with Multiple Causes Is your Husky too hefty? Your Poodle a tad too portly? Your Rottweiler becoming rotund? It's all too easy to over-feed our dogs, give them too much rich food, and fall short on providing them with sufficient exercise opportunities. Unfortunately, this combination may lead to obesity and a host of associated health problems - some quite serious. This introductory article explains the cost to your dog of carrying extra pounds, and also discusses conditions that can mimic obesity. Full Article: OBESITY IN DOGS: OVERVIEW OF CAUSES & DANGERS >> |
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| A
Quick Way to Estimate if Your Dog is at a Good Weight With gentle hands, a keen eye, and a few minutes you can approximate whether your dog is too fat, too thin, or just about right in terms of weight. The farther your dog is from a healthy weight range, the more serious the potential consequences, so this quick check could have substantial benefits. Full Article: HANDS-ON GUIDE TO CHECKING IF YOUR DOG IS AT A GOOD WEIGHT >> |
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Dear Max, When I'm in my yard, passers-by and visitors
with whom I'm unfamiliar frequently walk up to the fence, usually to try
and pet me. Sometimes they stick their hands through the slats. This is
frustrating to me: Here I am guarding my territory, trying to |
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Humans sometimes have trouble interpreting doggie-speak. After all, it's not just the barks and whines that have meaning, but also tail position, eye contact, and body posture. A moving tail actually means you have a willingness to interact, and not necessarily in a friendly way. On the other hand, a tucked tail means you're scared, which is probably not the case in this situation when you're protecting your territory. When you're barking on the other side of your fence, I bet your tail is moving around because you mean business. Another thing humans can get confused about is eye contact. They think eye contact is good, but staring to us is actually a challenge, even a sign of aggression. So if you're staring someone down, your tail twitching side to side, they should stay away! Most humans understand that lying on the floor belly up is a pretty trusting position. But you're probably strutting, chest out and back fur up, very proud to be your family's protector. Only your owner gets to pet your furry tummy. Someday maybe we'll have a translator for doggie-human speak. But until then, please have patience with these people, bark as loud as you can, and hopefully they'll get the message to stay away. A note to you humans who may be reading: Before walking up to a dog whom you don't know, always ask someone in charge if the dog likes to be petted. [This simple gesture may make life easier for everyone.] Sincerely, Max |
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Max's Mini-Reviews WEST PAW ECO NAP: I always dream sweet dreams on this bed. The raised edges give me a place to rest my head and the bed stays soft and doesn't bunch up. … … … … TIRE BITER PAWTRACK W/ COTTON BONE: I love sinking my teeth into this tire. My humans say that it's good for my teeth but I say it's great for a raucous game of tug-o-war. … … … … ZANIES FLEECY FRIENDS: My fleecy friend is my cuddle buddy when I'm not busy making him squeak. He is such a good friend that he holds my scent for me, which soothes me right to sleep. … … … … BUTLER NUTRISENTIALS LEAN TREATS DOG: I'm always ready to do a trick or two for one of these tasty chicken treats. Best of all, the treats won't cause me to lose my slim and trim physique. … … … … |
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ASK DR. SCHELLING DEAR DR. SCHELLING, I've noticed over the past few months that my dog Joey seems to be losing weight. We haven't changed his food, and he seems to be eating okay. What could be going on? - Comfort Food Dear Comfort, Entire textbooks have been devoted to the subject of disease situations that can cause weight loss in dogs, so there isn't room here to describe every possibility. We can, however, touch on a few of the more common underlying diseases. |
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In younger dogs the possibilities that are seen more frequently include exocrine pancreatic inefficiency (EPI), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and parasites. With EPI, the dog is not able to properly digest his food; in IBD, he is not able to absorb enough nutrients from that food. In both of these situations you usually see diarrhea as well. There are many intestinal parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, coccidia, clostridium, and giardia, and some of these are potentially transmittable to people. Diseases affecting the heart, liver, and kidney also cause weight loss, as do diabetes and cancer. These tend to be more frequent in older dogs, although they can be seen in younger dogs as well. Tumors, regardless of location in the body, suck nutrients from the bloodstream to support their growth, so even if the tumor isn't in the dog's intestinal tract it could still cause him to lose weight. Bottom line, unless you have switched Joey to a light diet and increased his exercise, his weight loss could be a symptom of a serious illness. It is critical that you take him to your veterinarian. Along with a thorough physical examination, your vet will probably recommend a stool sample, bloodwork, and maybe X-rays in order to rule-in and rule-out a number of these possibilities. Sincerely, Dr. Schelling |
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| What
topics would you like to see covered in future issues of the Dog Health
Newsletter? Let us know at: comments@doghealthnewsletter.com |
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| DID
YOU KNOW? Obese dogs tend to suffer more from anal gland problems. Fat folds block the pores of the anal glands and prevent drainage during the passage of stool. This can predispose the dog to painful anal gland infections and abscesses. |
TO
QUOTE: "Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job" - Franklin P. Jones |
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Copyright © 2006-2009 • The Dog Health
Newsletter • Dr. Christianne Schelling • All
Rights Reserved Disclaimer: This website is not intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. If you require any veterinary related advice, contact your veterinarian promptly. Information in the Dog Health Newsletter and at Doghealth.com is exclusively of a general reference nature. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment as a result of accessing information at this site. Terms of Use |
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