DOG HEALTH AND MEDICINE

Bob Paluzzi of San Diego wants to know how important it is for an older dog to have his teeth cleaned professionally at the veterinarians office. He asked because his dog is 10 years old, and he is concerned about the risk associated with anesthesia.

Virtually all dry dog foods have an abrasive action on the teeth, so their manufacturers are allowed to put wording on the label along the lines of cleanses, freshens, or whitens. But some dog foods also have a seal from the Veterinary Oral Health Council (vohc.org), which recognizes products that meet standards for plaque and tartar control.

Letter to Tufts Veterinarians - What does the waddling mean?; Fly biting; Dealing with a Staph infection

Dog owners find that overweight dogs with heart disease who are trimmed down with a sound weight management plan appear to have less trouble getting around and are more comfortable breathing - no surprise there.

Sometimes its hard to know whether your dog is sick enough for you to make an appointment to see the vet. Herewith, the six signs that should at least prompt a phone call to the veterinarians office - and the six signs that you should skip the phone call and instead scoop and run, getting your dog to the emergency room as quickly as possible.

The American Animal Hospital Association considers the leptospirosis vaccine a non-core vaccine for dogs. That is, they see it as optional. But is it optional for your particular pet? Cummings School clinical professor Mary Labato, DVM, DACVIM, says that at Tufts, we recommend lepto vaccination for all dogs. Besides the fact that leptospirosis is potentially fatal, the cost of treating this preventable disease can range into the thousands of dollars, with the high end including those dogs that require dialysis because of kidney failure

…

Are doggie face lifts, breast reductions and tummy tucks vanity surgeries or medical necessities? It depends on the breed and the dog. And your pet insurance can cover the procedures.

Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter, with their fat-laden meals, are high on the list of holidays that lead to pancreatitis in dogs - which, if not treated, can sometimes be life-threatening.

The holidays are a time for family and tradition. But it can also be a time for pancreatitis for dogs. The most common cause of pancreatitis in a dog is the ingestion of a lot of fat. People feed a lot of high-fat treats in the wake of these holidays, or the dog gets hold of them inadvertently. The fat then increases the production of the digestive enzymes in the pancreas, which is what gets the process going.

Most cases of pancreatitis in dogs are acute. They come, and then they go. But sometimes, instead of an acute presentation, it develops into a more chronic presentation, says Linda Ross, DVM, a Tufts veterinarian who specializes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Palliative radiation therapy is an option for those dogs whose cancers are too far advanced or whose tumors for whatever reason will not be responsive to surgery or chemotherapy. This therapy can make the rest of their time with you as comfortable and asymptomatic as possible.