Kennel Cough is a fairly common and typically benign disease that causes coughing, retching and gagging in dogs. The best way to thing go Kennel Cough is like the common cold or flu in humans.
Read MoreSo when should you pick up the phone and call us at Primal Paws? The quick answer is anytime you want to chat about your pet. We are always happy to take a call and work through any worries or issues you are having on the phone. Since that seems a bit like cheating, we have brain-stormed a list of conditions and concerns that we can help your pet with. All of these conditions are areas where evidence that exercise and other techniques can improve patient outcomes or quality of life. Here's the big list:
Read MoreWhat do you do during your training session when your dog starts to refuse to do a particular task or activity? Whether it be blowing off a sit command, refusing to go up the A-frame or running off to chase another dog?
Read MoreIt is always exciting to be asked to talk at a professional conference. And I was recently invited to speak at the Centre of Veterinary Education Cradle to the Grave conference in Melbourne. The best part is the excitement of being in the same room and getting to share my passion with others who are just as excited about the same topic.
Weight is linked to many diseases with our pets, much the same as it is in humans. Fat is a metabolically active tissue in the body. It impacts on hormones, inflammation and regulation of energy. In a study of 31 dogs that were identified as obese only 6 of these did not have significant changes to chemical levels within their body. Free thyroxine, cortisol, thyroid-stimulating hormone, prolacin and furosamide were tested and showed varying changes. These are regulated within the body to maintain the dogs health and function, so changes indicate a problem, even though these dogs were considered otherwise healthy.
Read MoreHindsight is amazing- looking back with the knowledge I now have the signs were clear that she had injured herself somehow and was avoiding activities that hurt! She wanted to sit but it hurt so she would offer a drop instead. She still wanted to jump so she changed the mechanics so it wasn't as painful. And settling down at home was because running was uncomfortable, not because she was maturing.
Read MoreEveryone knows how we (and our furry friends) move, right? Muscles pull on joints causing them to move and allowing our pets to walk, run, jump, kick, pounce, play and roll on their back for tummy scratches. But that is only the story that we can see playing out.
However, there is a whole other story being played out in the background that we don't see.
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