Dogs

Yogurt is just as tasty as it is healthy. It can be enjoyed on its own, paired with countless delicious fruits, as an ingredient in a refreshing smoothie—the list goes on. But can dogs eat yogurt too? We talked with veterinary experts to get the scoop on whether dogs can have yogurt, including the potential health benefits and risks, which types of yogurt are dog-friendly, how to safely feed it to your pup, and more. Always check with your veterinarian before introducing any new food into your dog’s diet.

Most dogs jump at the opportunity to spend time outside (the more walks, the better!). But for some dog breeds that can’t handle the winter chill, their enthusiasm for outdoor activities drops as temperatures dip.  Some breeds aren’t equipped for cold weather because they have low body fat, a short coat, or experience breathing problems when the temperature is too low. But large or small, all dogs need exercise (and potty breaks!), so you can’t give up on outdoor excursions all winter long. Here’s what you need to know about dogs who are sensitive to the cold, and what you can do to keep your pup safe and comfortable.

Trick or Treat, Meet Irith! My name is Irith (pronounced “Ee-reet”). I’m a certified professional animal trainer based on the west side of Los Angeles. When I’m not helping clients or speaking at seminars, I spend my time with my husband and our wonderful, nearly 14-year-old English Shepherd, Franklin. Franklin is a rescue. When we first got him, he had some pretty troubling habits. One of them was barking at the doorbell. This behavior can make holidays like Halloween pretty uncomfortable. The first Halloween we had Franklin, I considered pretending nobody was home, to avoid people ringing the doorbell. However, as a professional who works with animals, I knew there were other options for how to train your dog not to bark. When I’m dealing with a nervous dog (like Franklin used to be), I like to start with one of a variety of calming remedies. There are a lot of options available, such as Sentry HC Good Behavior Pheromone Dog Calming Collar. A nervous dog may also become calmer with the use of calming supplements, such as VetriScience Composure Behavioral Health Bite-Sized Dog Chews, which can be given daily to reduce stress in dogs with anxiety. They’re also yummy, and have the Franklin seal of approval. Calming remedies can be very helpful in reducing a pet’s baseline levels of stress, but using them alone rarely resolves a serious behavior—and Franklin needed more than just Comfort Zone with Adaptil products to learn not to bark at the doorbell. Fortunately, I know how to calm a dog down. There is more than one option for training a dog to keep calm when the doorbell rings, but the training technique below is the one I recommend to most clients, since it is fairly straightforward, and can also be modified to work with cats, birds and other animals.

Image via iStock.com/GeorgePeters By Victoria Schade Dog breed descriptions are almost like dating profiles; pet parents want to match up with the best companion for their lifestyle. That is why many pet parents rely on breed profiles to help them decide on important factors like a dog’s workout requirements or their personality before committing to a forever relationship. Learning as much as possible about different dog breeds is a great way to help prevent bad matchups, like a high-drive working dog living in a small apartment in the city or a dog with demanding grooming requirements winding up with someone who can’t afford the upkeep. While breed descriptions can help give insights about what a potential partnership might be like, it’s important to remember that dogs are individuals with personalities that are also shaped by their experiences. Just because a dog breed is known for being aloof or energetic, it doesn’t mean that every dog within that breed will conform to those traits. Behavioral Traits Are More Difficult to Predict There are certain aspects of a dog’s makeup that are easier to predict from a genetic standpoint, like the way the dog looks. A dog’s coat type is determined by a limited number of genes, as is a dog’s size (although factors, like diet, can influence a dog’s final size). On the other hand, canine behavioral traits are influenced by many genes as well as environmental factors, like early puppyhood experiences, socialization and training. Dr. E. Kathryn Meyer, veterinary behaviorist at the Veterinary Behavior Clinic in Gaithersburg, Maryland, explains that breed temperament descriptions are part of the guidelines that have been set by the American Kennel Club (AKC) that describe the idealized specimen of that breed. She states, “It is much easier to breed for the physical attributes that make a Beagle a Beagle, than it is to breed for the behavioral attributes that make a Beagle a Beagle.” And, keep in mind that most breeders are selecting for a dog’s appearance to conform to the breed standard rather than focusing on temperament. Selective breeding certainly impacts behavior, but it’s not a predictor of it. So instead of a genetic guarantee of dog personalities by breed, there are endless variables that can influence whether a Labrador loves water, or if a Frenchie is the class clown. Nature, Nurture and What Shapes a Dog’s Personality If you’ve ever met a litter of puppies, you’ve probably noticed that even at 8 weeks old, they’re already exhibiting behavioral variety. There’s typically a bold puppy, a shy puppy and a few in-between pups. From that starting point, the unique experiences each pup will have in their new homes make it possible for the siblings to end up with a variety of personality types despite their shared genes and early life. Suppose one puppy—a Boxer—goes to a home where the pet parents researched how to start off their new relationship on the right paw. They feed a high-quality dog food, enroll their new pup in training classes and take care to provide ample socialization opportunities. The other Boxer puppy winds up in a home that feeds low-quality food, keeps him crated most of the time, only takes him out to the yard for potty trips and spanks him if he has an accident in the house. Which of the two dogs do you think is more likely to represent the typical lively, affectionate and outgoing Boxer personality type? The Challenges of Breed Descriptions Breed descriptions are an excellent summary of the potential personality traits of a dog, but behavior isn’t hardwired. Dr. Meyer has seen patients that are nothing like how the AKC describes them, including a Golden Retriever that was extremely aggressive to unfamiliar people and a Shiba Inu that loved everyone despite a description of dog breed personalities that says they’re reserved with strangers. One of the challenges with breed descriptions is that they can give pet parents an unrealistic expectation of how a dog will act and make it seem that every dog from the same breed will act the exact same way. If you assume that breed personality descriptions are blueprints, then you fail to take the individual dog into account as well as the fact that personality can change over time. Breed stereotypes can also be self-fulfilling prophecies; pet parents who believe that a Husky will always pull on their dog leash might be less likely to try to modify the behavior with positive training. Breed behavior stereotyping can even trickle into how we view mixed-breed dogs; pet parents might be wary to adopt a Terrier mix due to Terriers being labeled as stubborn. But, there is a way to add dimension to a dog’s breed description. Dr. Meyer suggests that pet parents should meet a puppy’s parents and other offspring from the parents if they want a better behavioral snapshot. “I think you can make some general predictions based on breed, but don’t consider them to be guarantees,” says Dr. Meyer. Lumping dogs by their breed’s typical behavior fails to take the individual dog into account, and there’s no greater favor we can pay our dogs than loving them for exactly who they are—failed fetchers and all.

Recovery and Management of Sinus Infections in Dogs Medical Therapy Bacterial infections in the nose and sinus may be cleared by one course of antibiotics. But recurrence is common due to the anatomy of the nose, which allows for pockets of infection to persist. These infections typically are not life-threatening but may be bothersome to the dog and pet parent. Dogs with ciliary dyskinesia have a very guarded to poor long-term prognosis, as they have difficulty clearing infections with poorly functioning respiratory cilia. Chronic idiopathic rhinosinusitis is a recurrent disease. Some dogs have episodes of the disease with relief for long periods between episodes, while other dogs are persistently affected. If the episodes are persistent, a full diagnostic work-up including CT scan and rhinoscopy is recommended to rule out an underlying infection or nasal mass that could be complicating the disease. Dogs with aspergillus sp. infections in the nose have a better chance of cure if they are young, if more plaques were able to be removed before treatment, and if the dog was not sick for a long time before diagnosis. Brain infections have a more guarded prognosis. Similarly, cryptococcus sp. infections of the brain have a more guarded prognosis than nasal infections. Sinus infections are more difficult to clear, have a longer treatment time, and may require surgery. Surgery Recovery from surgery to repair fractures, trauma, or mass in the nose/sinus may take  several weeks, depending on the extent of the wounds and the complexity of the repair. The long-term prognosis is generally good after a fracture repair, although some dogs are more susceptible to bacterial infections due to loss of the normal bony structures inside of their nose. Dogs that had a tooth root abscess removed generally need to eat soft food for 7-10 days and will go home on antibiotics and a pain reliever. Once the area has healed, the prognosis is excellent. Brachycephalic dogs that have surgery to widen their nostrils and/or remove extra soft palate tissue and their everted laryngeal saccules to ease their breathing will have hospital stay and a recovery lasting about 10 days. Afterward, their prognosis for breathing better is very good. The surgery cannot change the size of the sinuses (due to the shape of the skull), but by improving airflow, nasal and sinus infection occurrences should decrease. Featured Image: iStock.com/Gorica Poturak,References Cappello ZJ, Minutello K, Dublin AB. Anatomy, Head and Neck, Nose Paranasal Sinuses. StatPearls. Online site. Updated February 11, 2023. Billen F, Peeters D. Canine Aspergillosis. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, ebook. 8th Edition. Elsevier; 2017. Clercx C. Disease of the Trachea and Small Airways. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, ebook. 8th Edition. Elsevier; 2017. Clercx C, Billen F. Sinusitis and Other Sinus Disorders. Cote’s Clinical Veterinary Advisor: Dogs and Cats, ebook. 4th Edition. Elsevier; 2019. Merveille AC, Battaille G, Billen F, Deleuze S, Fredholm M, Thomas A, Clercx C, Lequarré AS. Clinical findings and prevalence of the mutation associated with primary ciliary dyskinesia in Old English Sheepdogs. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine. 2014;28(3):771-778. Oechtering, GU. Diseases of the Nose, Sinuses, and Nasopharynx. Ettinger SJ, Feldman EC, Cote E. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, ebook. 8th Edition. Elsevier; 2017. Kaczmar, E., Rychlik, A. Szweda, M. The evaluation of three treatment protocols using oral prednisone and oral meloxicam for therapy of canine idiopathic lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis: a pilot study. Irish Veterinary Journal. 2018;71(19).,What Is a Sinus Infection in Dogs? When you think about a dog’s nose, you might imagine a wide-open space inside. But actually, the nose also contains tiny, bony curlicues of specialized skin cells covered with tiny hairs called cilia that help the dog smell and filter debris. These curlicues are very important filters that block dust, pollens, and other particles from getting into your dog’s airways. The sinuses, however, are open spaces where infections can occur. The frontal sinuses are in the back of the nose, near the forehead. The sphenoid sinus is near the middle of the head. In dogs, the maxillary recess in the cheek is so small that it is often empty. In brachycephalic dogs (short-nosed dogs, such as the Pug or French Bulldog), the frontal sinuses are very small or nonexistent. Sinuses have several important functions: They decrease the weight of the skull They improve the sound of the voice They buffer the nose from outside temperature changes They humidify the air the dog breathes in The mucosal lining of the sinuses helps fight infection Since sinuses are surrounded by skull bones, sinuses have little escape from infection when there is infection or a mass in the nose. Sinus infections can also be difficult to treat because there is little blood supply in the sinuses to deliver antibiotics.

Does your canine companion have a sensitive stomach? You’re not alone. Many dogs suffer from digestive issues throughout their lives. While some pets only experience the occasional episode of constipation or diarrhea, other pups with frequent gastrointestinal upset benefit from specially formulated diets that are gentle on troublesome tummies. Ready for a mealtime makeover? Read on for everything you need to know about how to select the best dog food for sensitive stomachs.

The days are longer and the temperatures are warmer, which means one thing—summer is in full swing! Summer is a great time to hit the road with your family and take a much-needed (and well-deserved) vacation. And for pup parents, it’s the ideal time to vacation with your dog. If you’re taking a vacation with your dog this summer, there are few better destinations than the City of Angels—Los Angeles, California. Dog-friendly Los Angeles is a must-visit for travelers and their pups; the weather is perfect, there’s plenty to explore and there are a ton of cool places in LA and its surrounding areas to take your dog. “Los Angeles is the ultimate pet-friendly destination offering memorable experiences for every member of the family, including our furry companions,” says Jamie Foley, vice president of global communications for Discover Los Angeles. “Whether looking for dog-friendly hotels … alfresco dining options, trails … or beaches, LA has it all.” Here are five reasons to make your next vacation with your dog a trip to Los Angeles.

Most dog parents have been there—you’re taking your furry friend out for a walk, they go No. 2 either on the sidewalk or grass and the next thing you know, they’re kicking and scratching at the ground. Rest assured, ground-scratching behavior is quite normal, and sometimes chuckle-inducing. “Kicking and scratching after defecating is a normal behavior for many dogs,” shares Dr. Penny Coder, DVM, a senior veterinarian at Small Door Veterinary based in Washington, D.C. “It’s a natural part of their instinctive behavior and is generally nothing to worry about.”,I noticed that my dog will kick and scratch at the ground for at least a few seconds immediately after he poops. Why do dogs kick the ground after they poop? Is this normal?

First, let’s define exactly what a raw food diet for dogs is. The primary ingredient in most raw food diets is raw meat. The diet may or may not include bones, organs, grains or other carbohydrate sources, fruits, vegetables, vitamins, minerals, and other supplements. You can make a raw dog food diet at home or purchase a commercially prepared one. These diets are also sometimes called “BARF,” which stands for either “biologically appropriate raw foods” or “bones and raw food.”,Jump to section What Is a Raw Food Diet for Dogs? Risks of a Raw Food Diet for Dogs Possible Benefits of a Raw Food Diet for Dogs Vet-Recommended Dog Food Is a Raw Dog Food Diet Right for Your Pet? FAQs About Raw Diets for Dogs

It’s true that a dog can pass away within a month or two of beginning to show signs of diabetes, but many will live for a year or two after diagnosis with appropriate treatment. Some do very well for even longer, particularly if they have a dedicated pet parent who can continue to provide the care they need. Dogs with diabetes usually require insulin injections, dietary management, and close monitoring for the rest of their lives. Sooner or later, it’s normal to start to worry about your pet’s quality of life. It’s difficult to know when it’s time to think about euthanasia if your pet is no longer enjoying a reasonable quality of life. What Are the Signs That a Dog With Diabetes Is Dying? Most dogs with diabetes get a form of the disease where their own immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells within the pancreas. Eventually, these dogs won’t produce enough insulin to survive without treatment. Early signs of diabetes in dogs include increased thirst and urination as well as weight loss, despite a normal or even increased appetite. These symptoms will worsen relatively quickly if the dog doesn’t receive insulin. Signs of advancing diabetes include: A dramatic increase in thirst and urination Dehydration Lethargy and weakness Severe weight loss Repeated infections, especially bladder infections Urine that is sticky and smells sweet Cataracts Diabetic neuropathy (a type of nerve damage more common in cats than dogs) The final stage of untreated or poorly treated diabetes is often a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which will be fatal unless the dog quickly receives aggressive veterinary treatment. Undiagnosed and Untreated Diabetes Most dogs who develop diabetic ketoacidosis have diabetes that has either not yet been diagnosed or is not being treated with insulin. Insulin is needed to move glucose (a type of sugar) out of the bloodstream and into cells, where it is used as an energy source. Without enough insulin, a dog’s blood glucose levels rise to dangerous levels while their cells are simultaneously being starved for glucose. To compensate for the lack of glucose inside cells, the body begins to break down muscles and fat to produce energy. The body produces ketone bodies when fat is used as an energy source. This works in the short term, but over time, high levels of ketone bodies in the bloodstream make the body too acidic, hence the term diabetic ketoacidosis. Prolonged acidosis leads to electrolyte imbalances, muscle damage, heart failure, fluid buildup in the lungs, kidney damage, or death. Signs that a dog might be suffering from diabetic ketoacidosis include all of the symptoms associated with diabetes, plus: More severe lethargy and weakness Mental dullness Rapid breathing Breath that smells like acetone (think of nail polish remover or paint remover) Vomiting Diarrhea Seizures Death Dogs can recover from diabetic ketoacidosis. They will need several days of hospitalization to be given intravenous fluids, insulin injections, medications to correct electrolyte abnormalities and acidosis, and symptomatic care. Treated Diabetes With Complications Dogs who are being treated for diabetes can also develop ketoacidosis, often because they have another health problem that has made them need a higher dose of insulin than they are getting. The opposite problem—getting too much insulin—is just as dangerous. Dogs whose insulin needs have declined (maybe they’re not eating well or are getting more exercise than normal) or dogs that have been accidentally overdosed with insulin can develop dangerously low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia). Signs of hypoglycemia in dogs include: Sleepiness Hunger Shivering Unsteadiness Disorientation Seizures Coma Death If you think your diabetic dog might be hypoglycemic, do NOT give them more insulin. Rub corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, or a sugar solution on their gums if they will let you, and more importantly, get them to the nearest veterinarian immediately.