EVERYDAY DOGCARE

Q: My dog had been drinking considerably more water than usual and urinating more as a result. I took her to the vet to see if she had diabetes or Cushing’s disease, but she was negative for both of those conditions. Nor does she have other potential thirst-making illnesses like kidney or liver disease, an infection, or a fever, and she does not take any medications that would make her thirsty. What might be going on?

Three main reasons for giving injections at home — and how even the squeamish can get used to administering them.When a veterinarian tells a client that their dog requires regular injections, some people start out by saying, “I can’t do that; I can’t deal with needles,” reports Tufts veterinarian Armelle de Laforcade, DVM. But, she says, “people who think they couldn’t go near a needle, once they try it, realize it’s not that bad.”

Some dogs have access to a doggie door that allows them to exit and re-enter at will, so they can “go to the bathroom” whenever they want. Fortunately for those who are unable to go out when they want, dogs are generally excellent at “holding it in” and can wait for the appointed times at which you take them to do their business. But still, there are those moments when they really need to relieve themselves even though it’s not time for their scheduled walk. What then?

Your dog has a bad reaction after eating a certain food, getting a particular vaccine, having a topical applied to ward off ticks or other parasites, or undergoing home treatment with a device that is supped to relieve pain or heal a wound. Does the adverse reaction have to be reported? No. There is no legal requirement. Should it be? Yes.

Q: Our 3-year-old Havanese is a great leash puller and sniffer, a mostly wonderful dog except for her absolute certainty that the poop of other animals makes a terrific snack. Since her legs are close to the ground, she’s fast and very good at lunging suddenly when she wants to grab some “delicacy.” We — not the youngest kids on the block — are outwitted at every turn. Bunny poop, goose poop, dog poop — she is not particular. A trainer we consulted thought we might try using a device that issues a high-pitched sound to make negative associations for her at those moments. But I’m not sure I have enough hands to carry the device on a walk, much less mobilize it in a timely fashion. And I’m not sure it’s a good approach. I’d appreciate any advice you can offer.

Maybe money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy health. In looking over survey data collected on more than 21,000 dogs, researchers working on a nationwide initiative called the Dog Aging Project found that a higher household income was associated with better health for the dog in the home. No surprise there. More money means pets receive better medical care. What was surprising was that the company of other dogs and even companion animals of other species, such as cats, had a positive health effect that was five times greater than the effect of family income. A vibrant canine social life even had a bigger impact than house-
hold stability.

Outdoor Restaurant Seating Now Includes Your Dog

Q: If a dog has had a Lyme disease vaccination is any other prevention recommended?

Veterinarians Can Now Become Board-Certified in Shelter Medicine

Videos of dogs with bags around their heads are popular on social media — a shame because a dog with his head stuck in a bag is scared. Worse, he’s in grave danger. A pet can suffocate in less than 5 minutes when his head becomes lodged in a bag. Figures for how often that happens are lacking, but the Food and Drug Administration says that “although this may seem like an odd scenario, it plays out more commonly than you realize.”

Few sights are as endearing to a dog lover as seeing a canine exuberantly sticking his head out the car window and feeling the breeze on his face. And many dog lovers like to extend that pleasure to their own pets. But it is dangerous. A dog can get hurt by flying pebbles thrown up by other cars. Dust can get into his eyes. And the flapping of soft ears in the wind can irritate them, make them swell, and cause damage. Dogs have fallen out of car windows, too. All it takes is one too-fast turn around a bend for a dog to lose his footing.

Does your dog get to beat the heat by regularly splashing around in a lake, or perhaps a backyard pool? That could predispose her to ear irritation, or even an infection, if her ears are compromised due to allergies or some other condition. Frequent swimming can increase the moisture inside the ear, and that creates a good breeding ground for harmful pathogens in vulnerable ears, says Tufts veterinary dermatologist Ramón Almela, DVM.