Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Prostate cancer usually develops in older, intact male dogs, but it can also be seen in dogs that have been neutered. Signs of prostate cancer often relate to the unique location of the prostate, which surrounds the urethra as it passes between the rectum and the pelvis. What does it look like Prostate cancer can lead to difficulty urinating, as…
The diaphragm is a muscular partition that separates the abdomen and the chest. A tear in this thin muscle is called a diaphragmatic hernia or rupture. What causes it? The most common cause of diaphragmatic hernia is blunt trauma, such as being hit by a car or falling from a high place. A congenital diaphragmatic hernia that results from defective…
Dogs have two tonsils located in the back of the throat, where they act much like lymph nodes to combat throat infections. When the tonsils become inflamed, the condition is called tonsillitis. It is most common in small breeds of dogs. What causes it? Tonsillitis can be caused by an infection or irritation of the mouth that allows bacteria to…
Rabies is a highly fatal viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to people. Rabies in wild animals is most common in bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes. Because dogs and cats can come in contact with these animals when outdoors, our dogs form a “bridge” between rabid animals in the wild and people. Little can be done once signs…
Liver cancer is most common in older dogs. Tumors can originate in the liver, which is called primary liver cancer, or can reach the liver from other areas through metastasis, the process by which cancer cells from the primary tumor site move to other parts of the body — such as the liver — via the blood or lymph fluid.…