Featured Articles
Dewlaps and Dogs
The dewlap is defined as a flap of skin beneath the lower jaw. Fat is stored beneath the surface of the skin and if an animal has a fur coat, there will be fur covering the outside of the dewlap. …
Dog and Cat Skin Lumps
Evaluating and treating dog and cat skin lumps – Dr. M. Slome DVM
Skin lumps are one of the most common conditions that Veterinarians are faced with on a day to day basis.
A general approach to lumps is to …
Hot Spots in Dogs
Also known as acute moist dermatitis, pyotraumatic dermatitis, moist eczema or “summer sores,” hot spots are raised, red, wet and oozing wounds on the skin’s surface that are often self-inflicted by a licking or chewing dog. They can appear and …
Dog Tails – Why Dogs Wag their Tails
“….In some ways, tail-wagging serves the same functions as our human smile, polite greeting, or nod of recognition. Smiles are social signals, and human beings seem to reserve most of their smiles for social situations, where somebody is around to see them. Sometimes, vicarious social situations, as when watching television or occasionally when thinking about somebody special, can trigger a smile. For dogs, the tail wag seems to have the same properties. A dog will wag its tail for a person or another dog. It may wag its tail for a cat, horse, mouse, or perhaps even a butterfly. But when the dog is by itself, it will not wag its tail to any lifeless thing. If you put a bowl of food down, the dog will wag its tail to express its gratitude to you. In contrast, when the dog walks into a room and finds its bowl full, it will approach and eat the food just as happily, but with no tail-wagging other than perhaps a slight excitement tremor. This is one indication that tail-wagging is meant as communication or language. In the same way that we don’t talk to walls, dogs don’t wag their tails to things that are not apparently alive and socially responsive.
A dog’s tail speaks volumes about his mental state, his social position, and his intentions. How the tail came to be a communication device is an interesting story.
Tip 60 – Cat wagging its tail
When a dog wags its tail in that familiar broad stroked side to side manner, it means the dog is happy and content. When a cat wags its tail it does not mean the same thing at all. A cat …
Where to buy cats and dogs – Pet tip 152
Choosing to bring a new dog or cat into your home is a big decision. It is likely only after months of planning and careful consideration that you will feel ready to finally pick up your new pet. Where you …
Bad Breath in Dogs and Cats
Bad breath in cats and dogs – Ron Hines DVM
Tooth and gum problems are the most common medical condition I see in pets. Because bad breath in dogs and cats go hand in hand with other health problems it …
Collapsed Trachea
Every living creature needs to breathe to survive. Breathing allows animals to deliver oxygen to tissues, as well as to get rid of wastes such as carbon dioxide that are produced by the body’s metabolism. The air is taken in …
Kittens and Birth Infections – Pet tip 241
When kittens are born they are extra small and fragile. This increases their potential of becoming ill or getting an infection. Infections in newborn kittens are quite serious as their bodies are small and they have not built up adequate immunity against many diseases or potential infections that may harm them. This article will focus on three infections that can affect newborn kittens; umbilical infections, toxic milk syndrome and septicemia.
When a female cat (aka a queen) gives birth, she will bite open the amniotic sac that surrounds the kitten. She will then chew through the umbilical cord of the kitten. Normally there are no problems.
