Health

Springtime is all about new outdoor adventures as the gloomy winter weather gives way to longer days and glorious sunshine. But while our pooches have fun exploring every green patch they can find in gardens and parks, owners might be wondering how safe is it for their pets to make acquaintance with every plant under the sun. Colourful spring flowers are wonderful, but are they just harmless beauties, or might they pose a danger for overly curious dogs? In this article, we’re answering the question ‘are bluebells poisonous to dogs’, so you can make sure your pet doesn’t get into too much trouble while admiring these beautiful spring flowers.

When you are sitting at home daydreaming of the perfect canine companion, it is sometimes easy to get caught up in that fantasy and lose sight of reality. We all choose to take a dog into our lives for different reasons but sometimes it is worth taking a step back and looking at what those reasons are – and what that means for your choice. If you’re asking yourself ‘should I get a dog?’, we’ve got the perfect guide for you below. Take a look at these scenarios…

Lots of dogs will happily accompany you on outings but here are some choices you might not have thought about.

Hectic households can still love and care for a family dog! This just means that you need to find the best dog breeds for busy families and the best dog breed for your home and lifestyle. What this could be depends on your family’s activity levels, the amount of exercise you want to do, and how involved you want your dog to be with family life.

Castration or neutering is one of the most frequent procedures carried out by veterinarians in the western world. Used as a way to sterilise male dogs to prevent them from reproducing, castration is something most dog owners may consider at some point in their dog’s life. But what is surgical and chemical castration in dogs, and which procedure should you choose if you decide to neuter your dog? Read on to learn more about these two very different but equally efficient techniques.

We’re all aware that the cost of living has become a huge issue: inflation is higher than it has been for decades and most people’s earning power is not keeping up. At stressful times like these, as we saw during the Covid 19 pandemic, for many of us the comfort and joy we get from the relationships we have with our pets will be immeasurable. But any unexpected costs associated with caring for our pets can of course add some extra worry. As a practising vet and long-term pet owner, I’ve pulled together some of my top tips for owners around how best to effectively manage keeping your pets healthy, while incurring as few unnecessary costs as possible and without compromising the well-being of your beloved furry friend. As a vet, I know what an important part we play in helping to maintain the long-term health of your pet as well as stepping in if emergency situations arise. Sometimes prevention can be the best route to avoiding unexpected or emergency bills.

If you’ve got or seen a little pup who looks a bit small for their age and doesn’t seem to grow, they could have dwarfism. Like humans, dogs can also have this condition, and it’s down to genetics. Read on to find out all about dwarfism in dogs.

Different size dog breeds tend to grow at different rates, so if your puppy is a toy breed, such as a Toy Poodle, you may find that they are not too far from their adult size at six months old. In contrast, if you have a giant dog breed such as a Great Dane, they will carry on growing for much longer, potentially up until the age of two years. Medium dog breeds andlarge breeds will fall somewhere between these two timelines and reach their adult height somewhere between nine and 18 months although may still fill out a little more. When dogs stop growing is a question asked by many, and there are no one-size-fits-all answers, but this article will walk you through what to expect with your pup!

Knowing that your dog is unwell or in some kind of pain or discomfort can be an upsetting and uneasy situation. That is why it is incredibly important to seek advice from a vet to determine what the cause of your dog’s pain is and to do so as quickly as possible, so that they can assess and treat as needed to make sure your dog gets back to their normal selves in no time. It is natural to want to go above and beyond for our pets, especially when they aren’t feeling well, but there are some substances they can’t have. In this article we will be exploring whether steroids for dogs are safe or not.

In people, prednisone or prednisolone may be prescribed as an immunosuppressant medicine and used for issues like asthma. We know that dogs can also suffer with similar conditions and conditions like BOAS in flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds. Are these medications used for treating these conditions in our pets too? Prednisone and prednisolone are prescription medicines so should only ever be given under the direction of a vet. Keep reading to find out more about prednisone for dogs, including whether it’s considered a helpful medication.

What is a heart murmur in dogs? Heart murmurs refer to an unusual sound that’s detected when listening to a dog’s heartbeat through the stethoscope. Instead of the regular heart sounds, there may be a ‘whooshing’ noise indicating an abnormal blood flow through the heart. Heart murmurs in dogs vary in severity, from manageable to life-threatening. So, it’s important to talk to your vet about your dog’s symptoms to determine what type of medical help is needed. Keep reading to find out the key signs to look out for.

It is natural to want to do everything and anything for our pets, but as much as they seem like a family member, albeit a four-legged one, there are some things they can’t have. In this article we will be exploring whether Metronidazole for dogs is safe or not. Now more so than ever, there are lots of treatment options available to help our dogs stay fit and healthy, especially medication such as antibiotics and pain relieffor dogs. But, are they really safe for our pets? Let’s find out.