EVERYDAY DOGCARE

People tend to think of cats as the pets whose human family members move a laser beam around the floors and walls for them to chase, but some people do it for their dogs, too. It’s understandable. Lots of dogs have a very high predatory drive, so creating an easy game for them to go after something seems like just the right kind of fun.

August 26th is National Dog Day, and the entire month is National Dog Month. To show your pet how much you appreciate them, why not treat him or her to a nice cold pup treat during these dog days of summer? Options abound, from a Starbucks “Puppiccino” to a Dunkin’ Donuts “Puppy Latte” (a small espresso-sized cup with whipped cream) to Dairy Queen’s 4-ounce cup of vanilla soft serve in its “Pup Cup.”

For dogs, the scariest day of the year isn’t Halloween. It’s July 4th. It’s estimated that animal control officers see a 30- to 60-percent increase in lost pets from July 4th to July 6th, with July 5th being noted as one of the busiest days of the year for shelters.

Sunburn can especially affect thinly-furred dogs and is sometimes also a precursor to canine skin cancer. You can put a T-shirt on your pet, but certainly during the summer hours when sunlight is at its strongest—from about 9 AM to 3 PM—sunscreen may also be necessary on parts of his body that the cloth won’t cover, like the bridge of his nose and the tips of his ears. Some dogs, like those with short hair and pink skin (think Dalmatians or Chinese cresteds), would benefit from a sprayable sunscreen applied pretty much all over their bodies, with an SPF of at least 15. There is a commercial sunscreen approved for dogs called Dermoscent Sun Free.

Baby shampoo or actual dog shampoo? Hot water, warm, or cool? What part of the body not to spray? And how often? Do you know the right answers to these questions about giving your dog a bath? Take this quiz to find out.

It’s true that certain medical conditions are more prevalent in particular dog breeds. Dachshunds are more likely to have problems with the discs in their spinal column than other dogs. A Yorkshire terrier is more likely to have a collapsing trachea, and a cavalier King Charles spaniel is more likely to develop a kind of heart disease called mitral valve disease. But a new study looking at more than 27,000 canines enrolled in the Dog Aging project—roughly half purebred pets and the other half mixed-breeds—found that the pedigreed pets were no more likely to have medical conditions in general over the course of their lives than the mutts.

Q: I have a neighbor who I have seen literally dragging his dog to the point that it whines as if in pain. I want to say something, but he does not seem like the kind of person you can talk reasonably with and I don’t want any trouble. What’s the best way to say something? I think what he is doing is animal abuse.

Q: I do a lot of gardening, and my dog keeps me company in the backyard as I weed, mulch, water, and otherwise tend to the flower beds. But I worry because you always hear about different flowers and plants being toxic for dogs. Are there certain flowers I should absolutely be keeping her away from?

More than 2 million pets travel by air each year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. If your canine family member is going to be one of them, it’s good to get him acclimated ahead of time.

People shed hair every single day, just like dogs. We just don’t happen to have as much hair to shed, so it doesn’t show in the same way. Also, most of our shed hairs go down the drain when we shower, so we’re not apt to see them. Dogs, of course, have many more hairs than we do, and when those hairs die and slough off, they end up all over the place; our pets don’t rinse their bodies every day.

People think of cats as the pets who keep their human housemates up at night. But some dogs have trouble settling down at bedtime, too. Sometimes it’s pain from an illness that doesn’t allow them to drift off. Dogs with separation anxiety might be particularly afflicted. If they’re in pain and the people in the home aren’t available to them because they’re asleep, they may feel more nervous than usual. But if a medical issue (including dementia) is ruled out, what can you do to help your pet slumber?

We think of dogs as social creatures, and rightly so. They are a species genetically primed for social engagement with others of their kind. But if a dog gets into a frightful scrape with another dog early in life, perhaps before she came to live with you, being around other dogs can unnerve her, truly making her miserable.