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As a vet I often get dogs brought to me because they have a bad smell. Here I’m going to lead you through every common reason for a dog to stink even after a bath.
While not all are simple to fix, after reading this you should have a good idea of what to do. I’ll rank them in rough order of frequency.
Continue reading “Help! My Dog Smells Bad (9 Reasons Why)”
Australian raw feeders are still coming to terms with the horse meat scandal that killed and maimed so many Victorian dogs. Given the potential risk of buying pet meats, it begs the question: is it worth it?
In my vet practice we support raw feeding, but that doesn’t mean we don’t also have a watchful eye. I’ll cover the risks first. By knowing them and their solutions, you can do it more safely.
Afterwards, I’ll feature some of the first evidence to show a benefit for raw puppy foods.
Continue reading “Is A Raw Diet Good For Puppies?”
If you know your cat, there’s a sign of poor health that you can spot from across the room. But you have to get your eye in first.
It’s called a staring coat.
Continue reading “Recognise The Staring Coat: An Early Sign Of Cat Illness”
New treatments for mast cell tumours have given dogs better chances than ever before. Here you can find out how to recognise a mast cell tumour and what to do if your dog has one.
Just a warning: this is no one-size fits all treatment!
Continue reading “Mast Cell Tumours In The 2020s: Surgery, Chemo or Stelfonta?”
I want you to see these pictures of severe facial sores in a dog. Note especially how quickly they developed and then went away with the right treatment. This is canine eosinophilic furunculosis.
I will discuss it and other causes of lesions on the face of dogs afterwards.
Continue reading “Help! My Dog’s Has Sores On The Face”
In places like Australia, we all know how dangerous the sun can be. It can be just as bad for our dogs. Here I will help you decide three things:
If you have 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?
This is an opinion piece, not a regular clinic article. I have been seeing itchy dogs for nearly 30 years and have yet to see one who cannot be helped. Here I’m going to boil down all the conflicting advice into my simple step by step approach.
Continue reading “How To Stop Dogs Scratching In 8 Steps”
My ear is always on the dog park and recently I heard something intriguing. The owner of a blue French Bulldog told me she had several people come up to give her the same unsolicited advice:
Continue reading “The Link Between Coat Colour & Skin Problems In Dogs”Blue dogs have lots of skin problems
The use of Atopica® for dermatitis is a tale of two very different species: dogs and cats. What was once a very useful drug in dogs has turned into an essential part of treating skin diseases in cats.
Now I use it far more in cats than dogs. Keep reading on to see why.
Continue reading “Using Cyclosporine In Dogs & Cats”
Is there any other drug that can be all of these?
Love it or hate it, prednisolone is the most misunderstood drug in veterinary medicine. Its uses and side effects are too varied and complex to understand easily. Here I’ll help you to get informed.
Prednisolone is a steroid hormone. Even just that fact is confusing enough.
Continue reading “Prednisolone Use In Dogs & Cats”
If you have an itchy dog, then you know how hard it can be. What would you say then if you were told that one of the most effective treatments is sometimes not offered to you? Or that other times it should never have been used.
Prednisolone is a problematic drug, and I understand why vets avoid it, but sometimes it’s just what’s needed. Amber, who’s pictured above is a perfect example.
Continue reading “Should My Itchy Dog Get Prednisolone?”
A normal chicken’s leg is a thing of wonder: shiny, evenly spaced scales completely cover the leg and top of the foot, giving you the unmistakable reminder that chooks are really little pet dinosaurs.
You know a normal leg when you see one, but it’s harder to notice when it’s not. Scaly leg in chickens often goes unrecognised in flocks until it either gets bad, or you end up at the vet for another reason.
Continue reading “How To Treat Chicken Scaly Leg Mite”
There’s just one common cause of a lump on a cat’s face. Have a look at the picture above. I hope you can see that the left cheek isn’t chubby, it’s swollen. This is an abscess and it needs veterinary attention.
Continue reading “Facial Swelling In Cats”
Do you have a dog that has a thyroid problem? Or have you started to suspect a low thyroid level could be making your dog sick? Then there’s something you need to know: hypothyroidism is the most poorly diagnosed hormonal disease of dogs.
Continue reading “Hypothyroidism In Dogs: The Diagnosis Problem”
Hair loss, itching and skin wounds are one of the most common and frustrating skin conditions of rats.
Continue reading “Causes Of Itching, Scratching & Hair Loss In Rats”
The most common health problem in guinea pigs is itching and scratching caused by mites. It’s a simple problem with a simple solution. However, as you’ll see, there’s also a lot of rubbish being said.
Continue reading “Help! My Guinea Pig Has Mites”
A cat with dandruff may sound funny, but it’s not. So please no Head and Shoulders jokes. In a minute you’re going to see that none of the causes are trivial.
Continue reading “Help! My Cat Has Dandruff”
Lymphoma in dogs is unfortunately quite a common cancer. It happens when the white blood cells called lymphocytes start growing and multiplying uncontrollably. They then spread to the lymph nodes, blood or internal organs.
A rare form that targets the skin is epitheliotropic lymphoma (EL), also called mycosis fungoides or cutaneous lymphoma. It has a very different appearance and outlook.
Continue reading “Epitheliotropic Lymphoma In Dogs”
Does your dog have a sore in the hair that they keep licking or scratching? Is it also enlarging and crusty? Then they probably have a hotspot.
Continue reading “Hotspots On Dogs Skin”
For a variety of reasons, lip and mouth problems are common in both kittens and cats. Most are easy to fix, but beware: they are hard to tell apart and some are extremely serious. Here are the essential facts for cat owners.
Continue reading “Lip Sores & Mouth Ulcers In Cats”
Just read this message. Can it be that we are finally able to help these poor dogs?
“I have a Westie with atopic dermatitis. Have just started on Cytopoint – 2nd injection last week. First one lasted 6 weeks. Have been vilified on a number of FB groups as have other Westie members. Last week was told “well if you want your dog to go blind it is up to you.”
After 5 years my boy has found relief. Tried Atopica and Apoquel. Lots of steroids and antibiotics. Diet. Raw. Grain free. Hypoallergenic. Elimination. Malaseb. Baking soda. Iodine. Tee Tree oil. Oatmeal shampoo and conditioner. Sox. Bootees. Sandals. Onesies. Everything except the cone of shame.”
Continue reading “Cytopoint: The New Dog Allergy Medicine”
The picture above shows an ear problem in Adelaide that’s also found around the world. It only affects the margins and tips of the ears. The most common cause will surprise you.
Continue reading “Help! My Dog’s Ear Tips Are Bleeding”
Grass seed season in southern Australia is that time between October and year’s end when extra care is needed. All dog owners need to know how to prevent and treat this menace. The same also applies to cats to a lesser extent.
Continue reading “Help! My Dog Has A Grass Seed” Hair loss is a good example of how the skin problems of cats are different from dogs. It’s got a lot to do with their special grooming behaviour.
Continue reading “Losing Hair, Overgrooming or Over Licking in Cats”
If you have an itchy dog, it doesn’t take long before someone tells you it’s due to the food. Usually that someone also offers an alternative.
It’s not a case of people trying to pull a fast one; they just believe in what they use. Who doesn’t? If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
The trouble is, though, most owners of dogs with skin problems aren’t getting the advice they need. Or they’re getting it far too late.
Continue reading “5 Myths About Food Allergy In Dogs”
Elsewhere on this site we’ve published the evidence for which foods dogs and cats are allergic to. Now we’ll show you how to figure it out for your own pet. This even works for a mouse!
The bad news is that there is no simple test. Popular blood test kits are not reliable enough.
The good news is that you can do it at home. It’s called an elimination diet. You have two choices:
You’ve got a dog needing treatment and you’ve even got some of your own meds nearby. Can you use them?
The use of non-veterinary drugs is a common question from pet owners. When is it a good idea to give your dog human medications? Sometimes, surprisingly, it is. Just not that often.*
Continue reading “What Human Drugs Are Safe For Dogs?”
I have never seen a drug either so hyped or so demonised as Apoquel®. If you have a dog that lives with itchy skin and allergies you’ve probably already heard of it. You might have heard of miraculous cures of long-suffering dogs. You might instead have heard of a drug too dangerous to trust.
Continue reading “Should My Itchy Dog Get Apoquel?”
Every seen a mangy dog? Probably not, at least not the way I mean. You have to be my age or older, or travel to disadvantaged places, to be likely to say yes these days. What passes for ‘mange’ now is nothing compared to what it looked like up to a generation ago.
Continue reading “What Causes Mange In Dogs?”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
Is natural flea prevention an alternative for pets? Are there safe, non-toxic home remedies you can use to prevent or kill fleas?
I’ve listed some below and given my views on the safety and efficacy of each.
Continue reading “Natural Flea Remedies”
Every Springtime my little Loki starts to show the signs of his allergies. From then until after Christmas I have to work hard to keep him comfortable.
He’s not alone; every day we see dogs like Loki. We call this condition atopic dermatitis or atopy.
Allergies look so different in dogs that most of the time their owners aren’t aware what the problem is.
Follow the links for information on:
Reactions to food are a major concern to many pet owners. Here’s what we know about food allergies, which foods cause most of the problems, and what you can do about it.
Continue reading “Food Allergies In Dogs And Cats”
TLDR: the main reason why dogs lick their paws is when allergic skin disease causes itchy dermatitis between the toes. Other less common causes include
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Rapid Care Guide
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
“I thought you can’t bath a dog more than once a month”. We hear this almost every day when we tell someone how the right bathing strategy can help their dog’s skin (read how to bath dogs later). This has to be the most common and widely held myth of all and it deprives dogs of a great way to soothe their itchy skin. However, there is an element of truth to it.
Continue reading “Bathing Dogs: How Often To Bath, How To Do It”
This is Toyah’s gift to all dogs with itchy skin. She had mild dermatitis for a while and her owners quite rightly thought a bath would help. They found a nice-looking soothing shampoo with tea tree oil and gave her a good clean. Instead of getting better, her dermatitis got dramatically worse, and three days later when she came to us her skin was looking angry and sore.
Continue reading “Myth 21: Tea Tree Oil is good for my dog’s skin”In these days of the ‘Cone of Shame’ most people know that pets shouldn’t lick their wounds. But there is also a long folk tradition that licking and saliva are good for healing. So where is the truth? Somewhere in the middle, as I will explain.
Continue reading “Myth 18: Dog saliva is good for wounds”Ted and Millie have been seeing us for over six months now. Ted has a joint problem, recently diagnosed and treated, while Millie has mostly just ‘come along for the ride’. A few weeks ago, however, Millie developed itchy skin associated with pinpoint scabs on the head.
Continue reading “A Tale of Two Dogs, One Skin Problem (and a surprisingly simple answer)”