Dog care, symptoms, health issues, and dog health advocacy from an owner's perspective. In loving memory of Jasmine.
Your dog’s poop will become black and tarry because of the presence of digested blood. How does digested blood end up in the poop? When a dog is bleeding in the stomach or small intestine, iron in the blood oxidizes as it passes through the colon, which gives the blood a black color. It might not look as scary as…
What if your intact female dog lost appetite and became lethargic shortly after her heat cycle? How does it fit with your dog’s normal? How does it fit in the big picture? What if your dog was a middle-aged intact female who just recently finished her heat cycle? Would that change your point of view on the same set of…
Stories of veterinary ER horrors are close to home—we had our own emergency vet horror. Jasmine’s life was nearly cut short if we went with their conclusions. If we had taken the ER vet’s word for it, we would have put Jasmine down because that was their recommendation. But that was only a small part of the whole ordeal. Story…
Glaucoma is a condition where pressure builds up in the eyeball, damaging the structures and leading to blindness. Introduction A dog’s eyeball is filled with fluid that nourishes the eye, cushions it, and helps it keep its shape. Some of this fluid is thick, like jelly, while some are thin, like water. The fluid constantly moves because new fluid is…
Should you rush your dog to the vet at the slightest sign of not feeling well? What if their stomach is swollen and hard? There are times when things are best left to resolve on their own, and there are times when not treating is the better strategy. Particularly when treatment equals drugs, such as antibiotics, steroids, and the like.…