DOGS

Cataract Surgery in Dogs

Cataract surgery is a very effective treatment for dogs with cataracts

Have you ever wondered how cataract surgery is actually performed? If so, read on as it really is a very interesting procedure! Cataract surgery is formally known as phacoemulsification. “Phaco” stands for lens, and to ‘emulsify’ means to break down. This is a great name for this procedure, because this is exactly what it is!

Normally the lens in the eye is a clear soft structure that allows light to easily pass through it. If there is any opacity on the lens, it is known as a cataract. A cataract occurs when proteins in the eye leak into the lens, and start to harden. A general rule of thumb is that if you cannot see into an animal’s eyes clearly, then it can’t see out at you clearly! Thus in a cataract, if the entire lens is opaque due to the protein that has leaked out, then the animal’s vision is reduced.

Cataract surgery involves two main tools; one to break up the cataract into smaller pieces, and the other to vacuum the pieces out of the eye. To begin, the animal is placed under general anesthesia so that it is completely unconscious during the procedure.

Why Vet Care is So Expensive

The reasons that veterinary care is expensive

You always take the best possible care of your pet. You keep it up to date with its vaccinations and yearly check-ups. You bring it to the best veterinary clinic, the clinic that cares the most for you and your pet. Along the way, you may have had some emergencies or unexpected events to deal with. There is no question that you want the best care for your pet, but sometimes you wonder why it costs so much.

You are not alone. Many compassionate pet owners out there are struggling with the same problem. It just feels like the economy is down, salaries are down, yet the prices for veterinary care seem to keep going up, or at least are not going down. We never want to put a price on our pets’ lives, but sometimes it feels like we are forced to.

This article will explain the mysteries around the costs of veterinary care. It will talk about what goes into making a decision about prices. But let’s start first with a comparison to human medicine.

Entropion in Dogs

Dogs with an entropion have eyelids that roll inward excessively

Entropion is a condition whereby an animal has eyelids that roll inward excessively. This causes its eyelashes and eyelid skin to brush against its eye, leading to irritation. When this condition has been going on for long periods of time,…

Dogs in Mourning – Pet tip 246

How dogs deal with death and mourning

Dogs are extremely sensitive animals and can feel many of the same emotions that humans feel. Although many seasoned dog owners already know this, newer dog owners are often surprised by the depth of some of the emotions that dogs can feel. We all know that dogs can be very happy creatures; their broad wagging tails give them away every time. But dogs are capable of feeling more complex emotions than just happiness. At the other end of the spectrum there is sadness and depression and dogs are capable of feeling these emotions. Perhaps there is no greater testament to this fact then when a dog’s owner or another dog from the household dies.

Dog is a Crotch Sniffer – Pet tip 245

Get your dog to stop sniffing other people's private parts

Most dog owners are aware that dog noses are extremely sensitive. This is due to the quantity of olfactory or ‘smell’ receptors in a dog’s nose. Whereas humans have around five million olfactory receptors, dogs have two hundred and twenty million. This makes their noses exponentially more sensitive than a human’s. Most times a dog’s sensitive nose works to our benefit. All kinds of dogs are used as service dogs to help humans find missing people, sniff out explosives, drugs etc. They can smell people coming from quite a distance and alert us to their presence. There are some embarrassing occasions however, when a dog’s nose is just too sensitive from our human perspective. Most notably this occurs when dogs try to sniff humans in their private areas.

This behaviour is a common one in dogs and equally common is the fact that it upsets most dog owners. The reason some dogs sniff at a human’s private parts is the same reason they sniff the private parts of other dogs. We know that when they smell other dogs in this way they can tell the sex, rank (is the dog more dominant or submissive) age and other information about the dog.

Lesser Known Food Toxins for Dogs – Pet tip 243

This dog tip talk about foods toxic to dogs.

Most dog owners are aware that many dogs will eat almost anything. This is especially true of puppies and younger dogs. It is for this reason that houses need to be dog proofed or puppy proofed. Good house proofing will keep dogs away from medications, poisons inedible objects etc. and this is a great start. We know that even though dogs eat the weirdest stuff, the greatest temptation comes from foods that they are not supposed to eat. By now most dog owners know that chocolate is a MAJOR ‘no no’ and certain types of chocolate can actually kill a dog.