Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
One of the first things that your veterinarian will want to do is get your dog’s history from you. You can help by being able to answer basic questions such as is your dog is eating normally has been any change in their drinking habits were there any changes in urination are they acting abnormally (vomiting, lethargy, diarrhea, etc.) To…
If your dog starts peeing blood, it typically involves two potential scenarios—damage to the tissues of the urinary tract or conditions that cause abnormal bleeding. The most common cause of blood in your dog’s urine (hematuria) are urinary tract infections (UTIs) or urinary tract stones. Other potential causes include: trauma non-infectious inflammation cancer Further information: Blood in the Urine in…
When your dog’s kidneys fail to do their job, dialysis can step in to remove toxins accumulated in the blood. In veterinary medicine, hemodialysis is used to buy time for dogs with acute kidney failure. Time is what a dog with acute kidney injury needs. Things that can cause injury to the kidneys include: over-the-counter medications medication overdose toxins (e.g.…
Last time, I talked about (and hopefully clarified) some of the confusing terminology associated with diseases affecting the canine kidney. I touched upon the basics of both acute kidney failure (or acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney failure. Today, I’d like to go over what all this means for the dogs in our lives. In other words, what happens to…
When I was writing my book the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms, Vet-Speak Deciphered for the Non-Veterinarian, the kidneys caused me no end of grief. Not only are the kidneys themselves complicated, but so is the terminology associated with the diseases that affect them. So here’s a primer on canine kidneys and all the associated verbiage. Kidneys: Where are They and…