Are you certain that your dog is protected from heartworm this season?
Although heartworm prevention techniques, including mosquito avoidance and
drugs that kill heartworm larvae, have been recommended for years, the number of
dogs diagnosed with heartworm continues to increase. One factor that contributes
to the persistence of this preventable disease is "prophylactic failure," which
means that animals develop the disease even though they received a prophylactic
drug to prevent heartworm for at least 1 year or season.
- Obesity (the storage of excess fat) is usually caused by
excessive food intake and insufficient exercise.
- Estimates show that 40% to 50% of dogs are overweight and 25%
of dogs are obese.
- Dogs can develop many obesity-related health problems.
- By examining your dog, veterinarians determine whether he or
she is overweight or obese and help you create a weight-loss program.
- The most effective weight-loss plans involve increasing
activity and feeding fewer calories.
An extensive retrospective study by the University of Georgia analyzes causes of death for dozens of
dog breeds.
The scientists looked at data from nearly 75,000 dogs whose deaths were
recorded in the Veterinary Medical Database (VMDB) between 1984 and 2004. They categorized the deaths by
organ system and pathophysiologic process, and hypothesized that these could be
segregated by age, breed and body mass.
Like most veterinarians,
Cindy Houlihan talks to the animals that visit her hospital, The Cat Practice,
in suburban Detroit. But Dr. Houlihan goes one step further. To make her
patients less fearful, she explains each procedure to them. "I'm going to draw
blood and as soon as we're done, you'll be able to go home," she tells a
patient. "I know you won't like it, but if you lay still, I won't have to start
over and we'll get you home
faster."