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In 2020, the American Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) published its data on poisonings in dogs. It’s the best information we have on household dangers to our canine friends.
From a dog-owner’s perspective, it contains two important lists: the top 5 reported poisonings and the top 20 fatalities. As you’ll see, these are quite different.
Continue reading “The Most Common & Serious Poisons Of Dogs”
It must seem strange for a vet to compare humans and dogs and find humans better. Well let me tell you, that’s not normally the case. Just read ‘Why Dogs Are Better Than Humans‘ and you’ll agree.
However, our inferiority tends to mask the fact that there are a few special areas in which we do better. And because we don’t recognise them, we tend to make bad assumptions and harm our dogs. So here they are…
Continue reading “3 Ways Humans Are Better Than Dogs”
If you’ve got an itchy dog, it gets very frustrating very quickly. Nothing seems to help for long, and everyone tells you something different. Is it the food, is it grass, is it mites?
I’ve been seeing itchy dogs for nearly 30 years and I’ve yet to see one who can’t be helped. Here I’m going to boil down all the conflicting advice into a simple step by step approach.
Continue reading “How To Stop Dogs Scratching In 8 Not-So-Easy Steps”
Some dogs you never forget. They’re the ones you know you failed. Like Holly.
She came to me late one night for vestibular disease. And she certainly had all the classic signs:
It had been happening for two years, on and off, and she needed more of her medication. Except she really needed a whole lot more than that.
Continue reading “Help! My Dog’s Head Is Tilted To One Side”
In 2020, Adelaide has been awash with stories of dog baits being found in parks. Just this month we’ve had:
Leaving aside the twisted motives of why anyone would do this, it’s important to understand the risks and what you can do if it happens.
Continue reading “Dog Baiting In Adelaide: What To Know”
We’re lucky to live in Adelaide, but how many people have seen all of the parklands of the square mile? How many dogs?
I’ve previously shared with you my favourite off-the-beaten-track dog walks around Adelaide, but this one’s special. It’s a celebration of the unique parklands that are the pride of Adelaide.
Continue reading “An Epic Adelaide Parklands Dog Walk”
Sometimes when a tooth needs removal, there’s plenty of time to explain why. However, most of the time, you get a hurried phone call while your dog or cat is asleep. There’s really nothing you can do but trust us.
Let’s pull back the curtain. Here I want to show you, using the latest best practice guidelines, how vets decide when a tooth should be extracted (never pulled), and what your choices are.
Continue reading “When Should A Dog Or Cat’s Tooth Be Extracted?”
The tooth pictured here is fractured. Ignore the black gums, which are normal in dogs, and focus on the dental probe which is in the exposed (and dead) pulp cavity. It’s infected and needs removal.
It’s stressful knowing a dog or cat might lose teeth. The main worry is “how will they eat?” When it happens it’s never as bad as feared.
Continue reading “Tooth Extractions In Dogs & Cats: Recovery & Cost”
The key to a dog’s teeth developing properly is that it isn’t just programming. Sure, their structure and growth are genetic, but a tooth’s final position is dictated by the teeth around it.
When it works well, each tooth finds the gap it needs and they all end up being perfectly spaced. But what you see above is what happens when there are extra teeth in the way. These are persistent deciduous teeth.
Continue reading “Help! My Dog Has Retained Puppy Teeth”
The internet is full of useful lists of plants that are poisonous to dogs. However, it’s a lot harder to find out what you can plant. That’s what I’ll do here from an Australian point of view.
Continue reading “Safe & Toxic Plants For Australian Dogs”