Attention, more dog health content If you haven't switched to our new website yet, you have been missing out on a lot of great content. Updated weekly, mydogsymptoms.com brings new real-life stories, dog symptoms articles, and more. Pop over and read about Molly's hair loss Cletus' seizures Gretel's brush with bloat Forrest Gumbo's misdiagnosis Xena's extracapsular repair Ginger's ..read more

Have you updated your bookmark or subscription? You might be missing out on great new and updated content that is being posted in our new location, on mydogsymptoms.com What you missed: Potty Accidents in Dogs: Incontinence versus UTIs What should you make of it when your dog starts having potty accidents? Do urinary incontinence, and urinary tract infections (UTI’s) look the same? What ..read more

If you missed the announcements, we have moved to a new platform, complete with a spanking new domain, mydogsymptoms.com. Visit our new website to grab your FREE Veterinary Visit Checklists as well as to find new articles. Are you taking your dog to a vet for a wellness exam or because they’re ill? Do you know what questions to ask your veterinarian? Do you know how to get the most ..read more

Does your dog's injury or illness call for an emergency veterinary visit? Dogs pant. They pant when they exercise, when they are hot, they pant when they are excited. Panting is your dog’s way to cool their body. Because dogs don’t sweat like we do the only effective way they can cool themselves is by panting. All dogs do that, and it is perfectly normal. Even if your dog looks to be in ..read more

Why is my dog panting so much?  Dogs pant. They pant when they exercise, when they are hot, they pant when they are excited. Panting is your dog’s way to cool their body. Because dogs don’t sweat like we do the only effective way they can cool themselves is by panting. All dogs do that, and it is perfectly normal. What is normal for your dog and what are the circumstances? If your dog’s ..read more

Why is my dog drinking so much?  Since you’re asking that question, the issue isn’t really how much your dog drinks but that they are drinking more than they usually would, correct? Because it is the change that it’s significant, not necessarily the amount of water they consume. How much water your dog needs depends on their size, diet, activity, and even the environment. There might be a perfectly natural reason for your dog to drink more, and it might be a reason for concern ... Freshly updated article on excessive drinking now available at our new location at mydogsymptoms.com ..read more

We have exciting news. After staying put for many years, we decided it is time to move on to a WordPress blog. We are in the process of making a new home there. What is even more exciting, our new home also comes with a new, fabulous domain--mydogsymptoms.com. How awesome is that? Much more appropriate, don't you think? We will work on redirecting visitors to the new place but to save yourself the trouble, why don't you bookmark the new blog instead? mydogsymptoms.com We are looking forward to seeing you there ..read more

How seriously do you take your dog's loss of appetite and lethargy? How does it fit with your dog's normal? How does it fit in the big picture? Would your point of view on the same set of symptoms change if your dog was an intact female who just recently finished her heat cycle? What difference does that make? Phoenix was a middle-aged, intact female. She's been always healthy and hasn't visited a veterinarian in years. Her parents brought her in because she was lethargic and not eating. Phoenix was looking really sick. Her parents couldn't afford to take her to an emergency clinic so they ..read more

R.G.German Shepherd spayed female R.G. was a happy, active girl, until one day she suddenly became lame on her rear end. She could barely walk. When examined, she was showing neurological deficits. The preliminary diagnosis was a disc injury. The veterinarian recommended an MRI. R.G.'s parents agreed to the testing. When the results came back, R.G. was diagnosed with a herniated disc. The veterinarian recommended surgery. Before making such a major decision, R.G.'s parents decided to seek a second opinion. The orthopedic surgeon they consulted with agreed with the diagnoses and the propos ..read more

symptom n. an abnormality caused by a disease that is observable in a sick animal Source: Dictionary of Veterinary Terms: Vet-speak Deciphered for the Non-veterinarian The above definition points out two important things. A symptom is an abnormality that can be observed. Note: Technically--as it was pointed out to me by my book editor, the more accurate term is signs, rather than symptoms. A sign is something that can be objectively observed, such as diarrhea or vomiting, while a symptom is subjective, such a headache. After a lot of deliberation, though, I decided not to split hairs. Howev ..read more