Health and Well-being

Our dogs can't tell us when something is wrong. By getting to know your furry best friend from head-to-tail, you can more readily detect a problem early and intervene. In this webinar, Denise Fleck, The Pet Safety Crusader and Grey Muzzle's Board President, provides step-by-step instructions to perform an at-home examination of your dog.

Senior dogs are part of the family and some of the beings we are most grateful to have in our lives. As we move through fall and into Thanksgiving, unique foods and spices may be added to our diets. Denise Fleck, The Pet Safety Crusader, shares which of these autumn favorites are safe for the whole family (including Fido) and which are potentially hazardous, meaning you could end up at the emergency vet if ingested.

F. Barish-Stern’s most recent book, “Shamrock’s Story, From Hurricane Katrina to Doggy Dementia and Alzheimer’s,” combines her personal experience and love of dogs with input from more than 50 experts she interviewed. By knitting together their guidance with the story of one rescued dog's journey through the stages of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, she hopes the book and this article will help other senior dogs and the people who love them.

There are many gentle therapies we can provide to senior dogs to make them more comfortable, strengthen weak limbs, and help guide the process of aging instead of reacting to it. A well-intentioned touch goes a long way towards creating comfort and vitality. With a bit of navigation, you can use these simple acupressure and neuro-lymphatic techniques to enrich your old dogs’ lives and your own as you gently create harmony in their aging bodies.

PEOPLE magazine took notice of senior beagle Wolfgang's journey from obesity to 5K ready, and so did we! Phoenix couple Erin McManis and Chad Schatz are passionate about helping dogs live their best, healthiest lives. In this blog, Erin shares the remarkable story of how they helped Wolfgang, and other dogs in need of major weight loss, reach their goals and become happier, healthier companions.   

Head-to-Tail, Snout-to-Tail, Wag-to-Woof, or by any other name, performing an at-home exam of your dog or cat weekly to catch problems early on is a MUST! Our dogs don't always tell us when something is wrong, so detecting a problem at onset and getting medical intervention may ensure your best friend gets to spend more days by your side! Doing home exams also gets your senior pooch comfortable with the human touch, making for a much better patient at the vet and grooming shop when you get him used to being touched all over.

When dogs enter their twilight years, they may have some difficulty adjusting to age-related limitations. As pet owners, it’s up to us to help them adjust. One of the easiest ways to do this is to revamp your backyard into a senior-friendly area.

In part two of this blog series, we’ll provide a follow up to the overview of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), including prognosis, treatment and management of and management tips. For more information on symptoms and diagnosis, read Part 1 of our CCD blog series.

In part one of this blog series, we’ll provide an overview of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (CCD), including definition, symptoms, diagnosis and prognosis. This information was provided by Lap of Love Veterinary Hospice as part of their educational pet disease series and has been republished with permission. 

Dr. Kipp Chapman, DVM, of Philadelphia Animal Hospital has been in veterinary practice and surgery for 20 years. We spoke with Dr. Chapman to get the 411 on questions veterinarians get asked most regarding nutrition.

When it comes to keeping your pet healthy, one of the questions veterinarians get asked most is, “What should I feed my dog?”