Countless animal shelters and veterinarians have taken in pets as a result of the owner’s dog allergies. This is unfortunate for the pets, as many of them are euthanized regardless of how sweet or loving they may be. However, studies show that one in four allergy sufferers decline to give up their companions despite allergic reactions. These…
The prevalence of syringomyelia in dogs is not exactly known, although it is found more often in some breeds. Certain terriers, poodles, and Brussels griffon are amongst those that are most commonly affected. Other breeds may have very few instances of the disorder at all. Just as there are various breeds which are most affected, the severity…
Cats’ and dogs’ senses of smell are much greater than that of human beings. In fact, a cat’s sense of smell is estimated to be 14 times stronger than the average human’s, and a dog’s sense of smell is thought to range from 1,000 to 1 million times more powerful than a human’s. Olfactory receptors…
Assessing dog years as compared to human years is not the simple formula many are led to believe. In general, a dog does not age seven human years for every year of life as was previously believed. A few dogs might fall into this category, but many others don’t. Instead, dog years tend to be…
Various studies have shown that dogs show emotions such as love, grief, jealousy and fear. The scientific confirmation of animal emotions is relatively recent. According to studies by a biologist at the University of Texas at Austin, researchers found dogs to be fairly emotionally complex, with four specific areas of personality: competence, emotional stability, affection…
It is not possible to make dogs wag their tails by force, but it is often possible to generate the conditions that make dogs inclined to wag their tails. As tail wagging is a communicative gesture, it is important to set up a situation in which the dog would need to send a particular message…
Treatment of a dog wound depends upon the severity of the injury, but typically the first step in treating a dog wound is to clean it. It is important to consider a dog’s temperament when treating a wound because when dogs are afraid, or in pain, they might act out or try to bite. In…
Treating dog bee stings quickly is vital for fast healing without complications. The fast removal of the stinger is necessary to disrupt the flow of poison to the dog. The stinger can usually be removed by using a credit card or fingernail to scrape along the dog’s skin. To reduce the swelling of dog bee…
Therapy for Cushing’s disease in dogs is generally focused on lowering the amount of cortisol produced in the pet’s adrenal glands. Medications are the primary way of doing this, and they normally work by either suppressing the adrenal gland or actually damaging cells in the gland so that it doesn’t function as well. Veterinarians may also choose to use…
Dogs smell 10,000 to 100,000 times more clearly than humans because the animals are estimated to have 50 times more olfactory receptors in their noses than humans do, and the area of the brain that deciphers smells is 40 times larger in dogs than in humans. Rather than scents being inhaled in and out with the air…