health conditions
common issues, allergies, ear infections, joint pain, skin, dental, urinary.
Allergies
Does your dog seem constantly itchy? Are they always licking their paws, shaking their head, or dealing with recurring ear infections that never quite go away?
Environmental Allergies (Atopic Dermatitis)
Environmental allergies, also called atopy or atopic dermatitis, are the most common type of allergic reaction in dogs. The triggers are things your dog…
Flea Allergy Dermatitis
This one often surprises people: the problem isn't the flea itself, but an allergy to proteins in flea saliva. In a dog with flea allergy dermatitis, a single…
Food Allergies
A food allergy happens when your dog's immune system mistakes a specific ingredient, almost always a protein, for a threat and mounts a defense against it.…
Common Health Issues
Your guide to recognizing, understanding, and responding to the everyday health conditions dogs face most often.
Dental Health
By age 3, up to 80–90% of dogs have some degree of periodontal disease, and most owners have no idea, because dogs are very good at hiding dental pain.…
Diarrhea
An upset stomach is one of the most common reasons dogs see the vet, and one of the most common things to happen at home. Most cases are short-lived and…
Ear Infections
Ear infections are one of the most common reasons dogs visit the vet. Because a dog's ear canal is long, narrow, and L-shaped, it traps moisture, debris, and…
Eye Conditions
Eye Conditions & Discharge
Heartworm Disease & Prevention
The Bottom Line
Limping & Joint Pain
Limping is one of the most common reasons dogs visit the vet, and it covers a huge range of causes, from a pebble stuck in a paw pad to a torn ligament to…
Holistic & Complementary Therapies
Holistic & Complementary Therapies
How To Calm A Dog After Surgery
Coming home from surgery is disorienting for a dog. The anesthesia, the soreness, the cone around their neck, it's a lot to process. The two most important…
Recognizing Pain & Discomfort in Dogs
Dogs are wired to hide pain, an instinct inherited from ancestors who had to appear strong to survive. By the time a dog shows obvious signs of pain, they've…
Safe Pain Management for Senior Dogs
Arthritis affects an estimated 80% of dogs over age 8. It is the most common source of chronic pain in senior dogs, but it is far from the only one. Dental…
Sun Safety for Dogs
⚠️ Never Use Human Sunscreen or Sunburn Products
Reverse Sneezing
If your dog has ever made a sudden, alarming snort-snort-snort sound, like they're rapidly inhaling through their nose in bursts, and then stopped abruptly…
Skin Conditions
Skin Conditions
Urinary Issues
Changes in your dog's bathroom habits, how often they go, how much they produce, straining, accidents indoors, are often the first signal of a urinary…
Vomiting
Like diarrhea, vomiting happens to almost every dog at some point. A dog that vomits once and then acts completely normal is usually not a cause for concern.…
Pain & Discomfort
Your dog can't tell you when something hurts. But their body is always sending signals, you just have to know what to look for.