10,460 answers about dogs
From a puppy’s first feeding schedule to a senior dog’s comfort care, dog owners ask it all — this page gathers the dog library of KinsLe Answers in one place. Browse by topic below, from feeding and training to health, grooming, safety and travel. Every answer is original, written by KinsLe, and tied to a real KinsLe feature.
927 answers in Health & Vet Care — page 36 of 39
Persistent bad breath in a dog is a sign, not a personality trait — the commonest cause is dental disease: plaque and tartar harbour bacteria, gums become inflamed, and the smell is the bacteria at work. Dental disease builds gradually over a dog's life, and the breath is often the owner's first clue. Keep notes on…
Summer is ear-infection season for three converging reasons: swimming and bathing leave moisture in the canal, heat and humidity help yeast and bacteria thrive, and summer is peak allergy season — and allergies often sit underneath the repeated infections. Floppy-eared breeds, narrow canals, and hairy ears trap the…
Act on what was in the trash, not on hope. First, secure the bin and work out what and how much your dog ate — cooked bones, corn cobs, skewers, onion and garlic scraps, mouldy food, chocolate, coffee grounds, medication, and hygiene products are the dangerous end of household rubbish. Do not wait to see whether it…
A sunburned nose typically turns pinker or red, looks dry and sore, and may start to flake or peel, with the dog rubbing at it, pawing, or pulling away when it is touched. Light-pigmented noses burn first, especially where the coat is thin, so yes, light-nosed dogs do need protection: shade, walks timed away from the…
Labradors' list is led by hip and elbow dysplasia, obesity (many Labs carry a gene variant that blunts fullness signals, making them famously food-obsessed), exercise-induced collapse (a genetic condition where intense exertion causes hind-leg weakness and collapse in young adult Labs), progressive retinal atrophy…
Cancer dominates the Golden Retriever health picture — studies consistently find it the breed's leading cause of death, with lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma (a cancer of blood-vessel walls, often in the spleen or heart) the most common forms. Goldens are also prone to hip and elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, skin…
German Shepherds' best-known conditions are hip and elbow dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy (a progressive spinal cord disease of older Shepherds that slowly paralyses the back legs), bloat (gastric dilatation-volvulus), exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI — the pancreas fails to make digestive enzymes, causing…
French Bulldogs' flat faces shape their health list: brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (narrow nostrils, an elongated soft palate, and a narrow windpipe) is the defining condition, making many Frenchies noisy breathers who cope badly with heat, exercise, and stress. The breed is also prone to intervertebral…
The Dachshund's long back defines its health: intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) is the breed's signature condition, affecting roughly one in four Dachshunds in their lifetime, as the discs between the spine's vertebrae harden early and can bulge or rupture. Obesity compounds the back risk directly, and the breed is…
The Cavalier's defining health issue is mitral valve disease: by later life, the great majority of Cavaliers develop a heart murmur as the mitral valve degenerates, and it is the breed's leading cause of death. The second signature condition is syringomyelia, where fluid-filled cavities form in the spinal cord near…
Boxers carry one of the heaviest breed health lists, and honest breeders say so: cancer is the big one (including mast cell skin tumours, lymphoma, and brain tumours), heart conditions including aortic stenosis and Boxer cardiomyopathy (a heart-rhythm disorder of the heart muscle), gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat),…
Border Collies are famously athletic and long-lived, but the breed's known list includes hip dysplasia, collie eye anomaly (an inherited eye defect present from birth), epilepsy, and the MDR1 gene mutation, which makes carriers sensitive to a range of common drugs. Some lines also carry a gene for exercise-induced…
Beagles' headline issues are epilepsy, hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid that causes weight gain, lethargy, and coat problems), intervertebral disc disease, cherry eye (a prolapsed tear gland in young dogs), and a powerful tendency to obesity — a Beagle's nose and appetite are a lifelong weight-management…
Australian Shepherds are generally hardy, but the breed carries a real list owners should know: hip dysplasia, epilepsy, hereditary eye problems including cataracts and collie eye anomaly, and the MDR1 gene mutation, which makes affected dogs dangerously sensitive to certain common medications, including some wormers…
A healthy dog stool is chocolate-brown, formed like a log, firm enough to hold its shape when picked up but not rock hard, and moist without being shiny or greasy. It should come out without straining or accidents, and frequency is typically one to three times a day depending on diet and size. Dated stool notes and…
Anal glands are two small scent glands sitting just inside your dog's anus, at roughly the four and eight o'clock positions, holding a strong-smelling fluid that normally squeezes out a little with each firm stool and marks it with individual scent. Some dogs' glands do not empty well on their own, and the fluid then…
Monthly is the sweet spot for a healthy adult dog: often enough to catch a trend while it is still a few hundred grams of adjustment, not a diet. Weigh puppies every two to four weeks while they grow, and seniors or dogs with health conditions as often as your vet suggests — for a dog on a weight-loss plan,…
A quick look weekly is a good habit, folded into grooming: in good light, check that both eyes are clear, bright, and free of discharge, the whites are white (mild sleep in the corners in the morning is normal), the pupils look equal, and there is no squinting, pawing, or new cloudiness. Keep notes on what you notice…
Road salt and chemical de-icers irritate and can crack paw pads, and dogs then lick the chemicals off — which can upset the stomach and mouth as well as the feet. Note which streets were salted, whether he wore booties or balm, and any cracking or licking you see that evening. For a vet visit about split or sore pads,…
Use the five-second test: press the back of your hand flat on the pavement for five seconds. If it is too hot to hold comfortably, it is too hot for paws — pavement in strong sun can be far hotter than the air and can burn pads in under a minute of standing. Note the time of day, the surface he stood on and for how…
Check three things together: gums, skin, and behaviour. Moist, slippery gums are reassuring, while dry, tacky gums are an early warning. For the skin test, gently lift the skin over the shoulder blades and release it: it should snap back at once, and skin that falls slowly or stays tented points to dehydration,…
Yes — some dogs do. The nose leather, ear tips, eyelids, and any thinly furred or pink skin can sunburn, and the nose is the classic spot on dogs who sunbathe or have pale, unpigmented noses. Keep notes on what you notice and when, and take them to your appointment so decisions are based on a pattern, not a single…
Scooting is a dog's way of saying her rear end itches or hurts. The usual cause is full or irritated anal glands — the two small scent glands just inside the anus that should empty when a dog passes stool but sometimes do not, becoming uncomfortable or even infected. Keep notes on what you notice and when, and take…
Repeated head-shaking usually points to the ears. The common causes are an ear infection (bacterial or yeast — often with a smell, redness, or dark discharge), ear mites (more common in puppies and multi-pet homes, with dry black debris), a foreign body such as a grass seed after a walk in long grass, an…
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