Health – Page 18 – Healthy Dog Club

Surprising things dogs can tell about you….

December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

Your dog might not be able to talk to you about your bad day at work, but when he lays that little snout on your lap, you sense he just gets it. How much do we really know about what’s going on behind those puppy-dog eyes? “A dog’s mind is roughly equivalent to that of a human two-year-old’s,” says Stanley Coren, PhD, author of The Intelligence of Dogs. “But dogs also have the social consciousness of a teenager.” Put that together with a keen sense of smell, and dogs…

Healthy Dog Club interviews Dr Jean Dodds, a world renown vaccine research scientist about hypothyroidism in dogs!

December 15, 2012December 15, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

Healthy Dog Club interviews Dr Jean Dodds, a world renown vaccine research scientist about hypothyroidism in dogs, a growing epidemic often misunderstood among owners. She is also founder of Hemopet, a nonprofit animal blood bank in Southern California and has a new book out, “The Canine Thyroid Epidemic: Answers You Need to Know for Your Dog,” written with Diana R. Laverdure (Dogwise Publishing, $19.95). Dr Dodds talks about: The hypothyroid epidemic in dogs Causes of hypothyroidism (nutrition, genetics, vaccinations etc.) The role thyroid plays in dog’s health and function Importance in addressing this…

Is food sensitivity and food allergy in dogs the same thing?

December 13, 2012December 13, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

W. Jean Dodds, DVM Hemopet: Confusing food allergies with food sensitivities (or intolerances) is a common mistake, not only among dog guardians, but also among veterinary professionals. I often hear experts in the veterinary field refer to food allergies, when in fact they are talking about food sensitivities. This is unfortunate, because as long as the veterinary community continues to confuse these two very different immunological responses, our dogs likely will not receive the correct diagnosis and will continue to suffer. So, let me be clear. Food sensitivities and food…

My dog has pancreatitis, what do I feed him?

December 7, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

Pancreatitis is an acute inflammatory condition that might be triggered when dogs are fed fatty table scraps or are on a diet high in fats. Concurrent liver dysfunction might also be evident, because bile from the liver backs up into the pancreas. Milk thistle and dandelion root herbal products can help improve liver function. Probiotics (always given on an empty stomach) along with a low-fat diet can help improve pancreatic function. Digestive enzymes, such as those from papaya and pineapple extracts, can help compensate for any pancreatic insufficiencies in production…

Ways to help your arthritic dog to live an active life without medication

December 7, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

Arthritis is probably the most common condition amongst the elderly pooch population. Today, veterinarians are seeing more cases because dogs are becoming more obese, less active and living longer. Below you can look into several options of new products that can eliminate pain, reduce inflammation, help repair damaged joints and help keep dogs arthritis safe and comfortable. Arthritis in pets is very similar as arthritis in people. It’s caused by normal wear and tear of cartilage and other parts of the joint. Typically, there is inflammation or swelling in a…

Dogs get stressed during the holidays and here are ways to prevent it

November 30, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

There are two sides of our most celebrated holiday season of the year. One that is so happy, so relaxed, so idyllic with chestnuts roasting on an open fire; peace on earth; good will, angels singing. The other side with last minute shopping, late nights wrapping gifts and mailing cards, standing in lines, working overtime or a second job to cover the added expenses, relatives coming from everywhere. Which one do you think is most likely reality? I love the holidays, but reality is, even if you enjoy hustle,…

Doggie language— debunked

November 27, 2012November 27, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

We call it the ‘doggie language’, but do we really understand what a happy dog looks like? Frightened? Submissive etc.? Our dogs communicate in far more ways than some might give them credit for. Wagging their tail is just one of many ways to communicate, their posture, ears, teeth and eyes also communicate certain feelings as well. Here is doggie language, debunked: Happy Dog Wagging tail is one of the signs we identify the most with hapiness in a dog. But there are other ways to know that your dog is content.…

How you can learn to recognize your dog’s seasonal affective disorder and help him to cheer up

November 27, 2012November 27, 2012 Healthy Dog Club

For most people in the Northern Hemisphere, seasonal depression is nothing new. Most of us, when the days keep getting shorter, darker and fall whiff of melancholy is hanging in the air, our tail-wagging pooches help us to lighten the mood. But did you know that even the brightest and friendliest pooches are likely to become a little down as winter approaches? Vet experts now believe that not only do dogs suffer from what is called Seasonal Affective Disorder in people, but they also echo humans in turning to comfort food to…