What leads any species to get a cold in the winter? Is it the ambient temperature changes or is it the changes in our bodies? I learned in veterinary school that anytime temperatures change more than 30 degrees in a 24 hour period that we are looking for respiratory...
n my view of the world, it is not acceptable to blame hair loss on a breed, unless we’re talking Chinese Crested dogs. Boxers should have a full coat of hair, like anyone else. If the hair loss is seasonal, what goes along with seasonal changes? Is your dog intact?...
I would have done a full panel. You can have normal T4 but the conversion to T3 (the active form of thyroid hormone) can be abnormal. Another thing that can be abnormal is the autoantibodies (which means that the thyroid gland is having an autoimmune problem and...
First thing is to be sure your dog had a full thyroid test – one that was sent out to a reference laboratory and measured several values of thyroid function, not just T4. If your dog is really and truly low on thyroid function, then your veterinarian will prescribe...
Thanks for your question. This is a common concern as we’ve all been trained since the 50s that taurine has to be added to cat food. Taurine comes from meat. In the 50s, cat food did not contain enough meat to provide cats with enough taurine for healthy hearts. Once...
Long before I learned all this stuff about food, I learned crazy things about ears. The first thing that was world changing for me was the idea that I can use a cotton swab on my ear all day every day. But, for cats and dogs, cotton is abrasive. Second thing – how to...
