Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Xylitol is a type of carbohydrate from the class of sugar alcohols (polyols). Sugar alcohols have a lower caloric density than traditional sweeteners like table sugar. However, they still impart a sweet taste to foods. As well as the bacteria found in the mouth doesn’t break down sugar alcohols, which makes them less likely to cause tooth decay in people.…
In my last post about xylitol poisoning, I mentioned that dogs respond to high blood xylitol levels with a spike in insulin secretion. This spike results in a dramatic drop in blood sugar levels. I thought this was the perfect opportunity to delve into how insulin works. Insulin is a hormone. It is produced by beta cells within the pancreas…
Diseases that require surgery to reach a definitive diagnosis are frustrating to deal with. No matter how persuasive I try to be, owners are understandably reluctant to think that biopsying some internal bit of their sick dog is a great idea. Now the shoe’s on the other foot, so to speak. I recently adopted a pup with just such a…
How can you tell whether your dog’s injury or illness calls for an emergency veterinary visit? Dogs seem to get sick or injured at the worst possible times. Of course this is not their fault, but nonetheless, it does often put owners in the position of having to decide whether an after-hours visit to the veterinarian is truly necessary. Jana’s…
What can the content of your dog’s vomit tell you? Dogs are built to vomit. No, I’m not kidding. A part of the brain named the “vomiting center” is especially well developed in dogs, and they have a layer of skeletal muscle throughout the length of the esophagus that essentially allows them to vomit at will. So, if your dog…