EVERYDAY DOGCARE

Q Sassy, age six, has had a constant problem back there and goes to the vet frequently to have her glands expressed. Within a week she is scooting again and licking her behind. The vet suggested adding more fiber to her food, but her bowel movements are not soft. What to do?
Gary Thomas
Houston, Texas

When your dog is hurt, you have no time to lose. Your pet needs attention. Now. Considering the many scrapes and tussles a typical dog will endure in a long, eventful lifetime, it's good to know that you safely can handle some of his or her health problems by at home. But which ones? And how? And which situations definitely require a veterinarian's immediate attention?

Keeping Your Dog Engaged

Owners can take greater responsibilities in helping slow the aging process by noting early changes in their dogs' appetites, behaviors and physical conditions. Veterinarians offer these recommendations:

Reinforce basic commands. You can teach an aging dog to "Sit" before heading out the door for a walk or "Give me a paw" shake before settling down his or her food bowl. Test hearing and sight by teaching your dog to make eye contact with…

Q Do I really have to trim my dogs nails? Im afraid Ill hurt him by cutting into the quick.

Girls pull their hair back into ponytails; boys get buzz cuts. It helps keep them feeling fresh and cool for summer. Do dogs like to have their locks pushed or cut away in the hot summer months, too? No, says Tufts veterinary dermatologist Lluis Ferrer, DVM, PhD, DECVD, and in general, its a bad idea. Hair on a dog is actually insulating from the heat, Dr. Ferrer comments. The hair coat creates an air chamber between…

We have had Great Danes for several years. Most have been males neutered at about 6 months. Recently, we have heard breeders and others say this age is too young for large-breed dogs. They say neutering them this early causes them to grow taller and not fill out. Our male is 18 months old and was neutered at 6 months. He now is 36 inches tall at the shoulders and barely tips the scale at 140 pounds. [The Great Dane Club of America includes no weight requirements in its standard, but other sources list weight for males at 135 to 170 pounds and height of 33 to 36 inches.] What is the medically recommended time to neuter a large breed?

[From Tufts May 2010 Issue]

You open your front door to accept a package, carefully body-blocking your dog so he doesnt escape. Just as youre closing the door, your mail carrier asks you a question. Distracted, you forget Scooter and open the door to answer. And there he goes. Hes out the door, dashing down the sidewalk before you can stop him. Heart pounding, you rush out to try to capture him before hes injured or vanishes altogether.

Countless hazards lie in wait for dogs running the streets. A client of mine lost her beautiful Belgian Tervuren when her long-line snapped and the dog ran off. She was later found badly injured, hit by a car. Linney died at the veterinarian. A recent news article told of a Pomeranian who, terrified by thunder, darted away from her owner into nearby woods. Early the next morning when a woman was driving to work, a horned owl flew over the road and dropped the hapless dog in front of her car. The driver slammed on the brakes, jumped out and scooped up the little dog just ahead of the owl, who was swooping back for a second grab. Miraculously the dog had only mild injuries and was safely returned to his owner.

[From Tufts June 2010 Issue]

Whether during the drama of a fire or the innocence of a walk, dogs suffer burns just like people do. In summer, they burn their paw pads by walking across hot asphalt streets or parking lots, says Scott Shaw, DVM, a specialist in emergency and critical care at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. In winter, they get stuck under radiators in the house, or they go under a car and touch a hot muffler or tailpipe.

Sometimes, too, people accidentally burn them. For example, heating pads left next to the skin can cause burns, when all the person tried to do was keep an older dog warm, Dr. Shaw says. The injury happens slowly, the burn going deeper and deeper. The same thing happens to elderly people.

It can be normal to see periods of reduced appetite, especially in some Northern dog breeds, such as Siberian huskies. However, a reduced appetite can also be a sign of an underlying illness. It is non-specific sign, meaning that it can be seen with a variety of illnesses ranging from fever and infection to gastrointestinal or even liver or kidney disease.

[From Tufts October 2010 Issue]

When your dog has a lackluster coat, flaky skin and hair loss, the cause could be an underlying medical problem. If, however, the condition resulted from his diet, the reason may come as a surprise.

Most problems are associated with feeding low-cost generic diets or home-prepared foods in which balance may be an issue, says dermatologist Lowell Ackerman, DVM, a Your Dog advisory board member. If a well balanced diet is fed, it is rare to see diet-related hair coat problems.

[From Tufts December 2010 Issue]

Obesity has become a major public health threat, increasing at a rate faster than anyone could have imaged, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Twenty-seven percent, or 72 million, of U.S. adults are obese. Nine states had obesity rates of 30 percent or more last year, compared to three states in 2007.

At the same time, the FDAs Center for Veterinary Medicine says obesity among dogs is also increasing at an alarming rate. Estimates are that 25 to 44 percent of dogs are clinically obese.

[From Tufts December 2010 Issue]

Want to start an exercise program with your dog? Its easy. Take your dog for a walk. Every day. Twice a day if you can manage it. If youre both out of shape, check with your own doctor and your dogs veterinarian, then start slowly and build up.

We believe in starting where youre at, says Robert F. Kushner, MD. If youre a couch potato, start off with bite-size pieces: 5-, 10- or 15-minute walks.