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A number of years ago, the American Animal Hospital Association published a chart listing a number of things that stand in the way of weight loss for overweight dogs. Topping the chart: begging. Also way up there: guilt on the part of the pet “parent.”

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.”

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• Does Your Dog Have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Inflammatory Bowel Disease?
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• Your Role in Reporting Your Dog’s Bad Reaction to a Product
• Some Dog Breeds Appear More Sensitive to Pain Than Others
• Dear Doctor

Indoor dog gyms are on the rise all over the country, and we’re all for the trend. In some locales, for months on end the weather is either too hot or too cold for adequate outdoor activity. Just like for people, a climate-controlled fitness center is the solution for getting a dog’s muscles moving and her brain’s mood-stabilizing endorphins flowing.

Short-nosed (brachycephalic) dogs often have lifelong breathing problems because their pushed-in nasal cavities are too compromised for proper respiration. Now a new study says that a short snout predisposes a dog to sleep apnea, a condition of many interruptions in sleep throughout the night that are so brief they go unnoticed but can result in extreme daytime fatigue. People with sleep apnea are not only more tired than others, they are more disposed to a variety of illnesses that include high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. The same may be true for dogs.

The smoke from wildfires coming south from Canada this year affected people’s breathing across much of the northern tier of the country. Dogs have it worse than people because they can’t wear masks to keep out toxic particulates. At least one major veterinary hospital saw an uptick in cases of breathing difficulties among dogs affected by the smoky air. Exposure can cause irritation to the throat, nose, and eyes and even coughing and gagging.

Signs of canine hypothyroidism — too little of certain thyroid hormones — often come on subtly and slowly, progressing over years, and therefore can be easy to miss or misattribute to advancing age. These signs often include poor coat quality, lethargy, mental dullness, exercise intolerance, and weight gain. If this constellation of symptoms describes your dog, it’s worth discussing whether an evaluation for hypothyroidism is in order, as treatment is available.

Perhaps your dog barks when you and your partner hug or kiss or show other signs of amorousness. Maybe she even tries to stop acts of physical intimacy, getting between you and your mate. Is she jealous?

Your dog has intermittent bouts of diarrhea and vomiting and alternates between straining to defecate and having a sudden urge to defecate. Additionally, she is experiencing abdominal discomfort (rumbly tummy and flatulence) and a concomitant loss of appetite. Does she have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or irritable bowel disease (IBD)?

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.