Dog Care

Dogs who have been spayed or neutered may have a simple tattoo on their tummy. Called a sterilization indicator tattoo, this short straight line of blue or green ink indicates that the dog has had surgery to remove their reproductive organs. Why are spayed and neutered dogs tattooed? When dogs end up in a shelter,

Prenatal vitamins for dogs are generally not needed, but you do want to check with your veterinarian about vitamin B9 to ensure a healthy litter of puppies. Jaromir Chalabala / EyeEm The best prenatal vitamins for dogs are found in quality dog food. Supplementing pre-natal vitamins for dogs is not generally needed, if your dog

Mites come in all shapes and sizes and all are capable of causing difficulties for your dog, but practically speaking there are three types of mites that are by far the most common. Two are the skin mites Sarcoptesand Demodex and the third is the ear mite Otodectes. What do dog mites look like? An

Puppies who are born to mothers who have been vaccinated against parvovirus and who have had an ample opportunity to nurse in the first day or two after birth will receive infection-fighting antibodies from their mothers. This “passive immune transfer” of maternally derived antibodies should protect them in the first few weeks after birth from

Why did we choose the products that are on our 2022 “Approved Canned Dog Foods” list (SUBSCRIBER ONLY: Click here to see the full list) and why we didn’t select others? To build the list, we start by looking for companies who make products that meet our selection criteria: Good canned dog foods should have

A regular sneeze is when air is forcefully exhaled through the nose, often as a single event but sometimes as several sneezes in rapid succession. What is a reverse sneeze in a dog? It is when air is repeatedly and forcefully inhaled through the nose, resulting in a snort that can look and sound alarming.

Vomiting and/or diarrhea can be distressing for a dog and definitely no picnic for his owner. It’s only natural to want to offer some relief as quickly as possible. If Pepto Bismol helps for our upset stomachs, you may also wonder, “Can I give my dog Pepto Bismol?” Pepto Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) can be used

In case you’ve wondered, perhaps after suffering an automobile accident with your dog in the car: Yes, dogs can experience a concussion and the brain injury associated with it. Canine concussions happen because of: Accidents involving cars, motorcycles, or other vehicles Falling from elevated surfaces like windows, decks, or steep hillsides Being dropped or falling

Intact (unsprayed) female dogs will typically have their first heat cycle two to three months after they reach their full adult size. For smaller breed dogs, this is typically between 6 and 8 months of age but could be as early as 4 months. For larger breed dogs, this may be as late as 2

On sunny days, we rub sunscreen on ourselves and our kids, but what about our dogs? Should we protect them, too? Yes! – some dogs absolutely benefit from sunscreen! What dogs need sunscreen? Hairless breeds, dogs with white or thin coats, and dogs with pink or light-pigmented noses and eyelids are at higher risk of

We often pay attention to our dog’s teeth, but the gums supporting those teeth are just as important. Unfortunately, they’re frequently ignored. As a result, gum disease is epidemic in dogs. Recent studies show that by the time they are two years old, almost 90% of America’s dogs have some type of periodontal disease. This

Just like the humans they live with, dogs often develop arthritis as they age. The most common form is osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, in which cushioning cartilage within the joints becomes brittle and breaks down, resulting in painful inflammation that interferes with every canine activity. How Long Can a Dog Live With Arthritis?

Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common phenomenon in dogs. In the case of UTIs, “infection” means that bacteria have gained access to the

It’s been a long day and you’re finally enjoying some quiet time with your dog. Your fingers are coursing through his coat when you feel a small lump on his skin. Parting his fur, you find something fastened to your dog’s skin that looks like a tick. But how do you know it’s a tick?

Vomiting and/or diarrhea can be distressing for a dog and definitely no picnic for his owner. It’s only natural to want to offer some relief as quickly as possible. Pepto Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) can be used to safely reduce a dog’s symptoms of nausea, heartburn, gurgling, uncomfortable stomach and most effectively, diarrhea. Will Pepto Bismol

Our dogs are just as fond of ice cream, popsicles, and other frozen treats as we are. But frozen treats, including those sold for pets, can be high in sugar, difficult to digest, expensive, or contain artificial flavors, colors, and even potentially dangerous ingredients.  Fortunately, it’s easy to save money, add variety, improve the nutritional

America’s most popular dog food is kibble or dry food, which, because it is convenient and affordable, accounts for more than 60% of all dog food sales. Unfortunately, dry dog food is far from perfect.  The good news is, that you can vastly improve a dry diet by making simple additions of cooked or raw

(Picture Credit: Getty Images) You can tell a lot about the general health of your dog by taking a good look at her coat and skin. A healthy dog is a beautiful dog, and a coat that’s nice and shiny is a strong indicator that your pet’s in peak condition. Signs Of A Healthy Coat

Once upon a time, all commercial boarding kennels closely resembled old-school animal shelters or puppy mills – you know, a row of narrow chain-link pens on concrete inside a loud building or under a barn roof. Fancy ones might contain a hard cot-style bed and dog doors that led to equally narrow individual outdoor runs.

What if we could give millions of pets a healthier, happier life and, in the process, make our planet healthier, too?” That’s the question that a pet food company called Jiminy’s was founded to answer back in 2016. Jiminy’s hoped to meet this lofty goal by replacing conventional sources of animal protein (such as chicken

(Picture Credit: sestovic/Getty Images) Even dogs who feel that a bath is cruel and unusual punishment have to get one once in a while. While some dogs with short coats can get away with just a water rinse, most dogs need shampoo. Why do dogs need their own kind of shampoo? Why can’t they just

If you have a big dog, more than one medium or large dog, or, like me, you sometimes foster for a shelter or rescue group, it makes sense to reduce your food and other dog-care supplies by taking advantage of any savings program offered by the retailers you buy from.  While the savings are sometimes

Any food fed to dogs will provoke an argument, but dairy products provoke more than most.  Milk and dairy products are highly regarded because of their protein, calcium, potassium, vitamin D, B vitamins, zinc, and other nutrients. That, and the fact that most dogs love dairy products, mean that milk and other milk-based products remain

The concept of pet foods formulated to benefit dogs with specific health problems was innovated by Mark L. Morris, Sr., a veterinarian who started his first practice in 1928 in Edison, New Jersey, after graduating from Cornell University. At a time when most veterinarians treated mainly livestock and working farm animals, Dr. Morris focused his

Last month, in “Excessive Copper in Dog Food,” we told you how high copper levels in dog food can cause a serious, potentially lethal, illness called dietary-induced, copper-associated hepatopathy (CAH, also known as copper storage disease). The incidence of CAH is increasing at a rate that’s causing alarm among veterinarians and dog owners, with one

Have you ever witnessed a dog fight, a dog getting hit by a car, or falling out of an open truck bed? Has your dog ever sustained a deep cut on his paw pad from stepping on a sharp shard of glass or metal, or gashed himself on some innocuous item in the yard while

Last month, in “Excessive Copper in Dog Food,” we told you how high copper levels in dog food can cause a serious, potentially lethal, illness called dietary-induced, copper-associated hepatopathy (CAH, also known as copper storage disease). The incidence of CAH is increasing at a rate that’s causing alarm among veterinarians and dog owners, with one

So much of what’s on dog food labels has to do with marketing, rather than nutrition. The phrase “limited ingredient” falls somewhere in between. There is no agreed-upon definition for “limited-ingredient foods.” In some cases, pet food makers use the phrase to designate foods that contain only one animal protein source and one carbohydrate source;

We all know good nutrition is critical for the health and longevity of our dogs, and most of us rely on commercial dog foods to help us achieve that. Now, what if we told you those complete-and-balanced diets – the quality food you’ve carefully chosen for your dog – may be slowly killing him?  It’s

Sometimes we have good evidence for this, such as a solid association (backed up by daily notes written on our dog’s health calendar) between our dog eating a certain ingredient and having diarrhea, or a certain type of food causing our dog to nearly instantly develop an ear infection. (Ear infections are often caused by