Health

For decades, the standard in the veterinary profession was to spay female dogs and cats at the age of six months, and neuter males at nine months. This standard has contributed significantly to the tragedy of pet overpopulation, since most cats and many dogs have reached physiological sexual maturity by that time. Fortunately, the standard is changing. Female dogs can come in season (and get pregnant) prior to age six months. A dog's estrus cycle can be messy, leaving spots of blood on carpets and furniture, and a dog in heat can be a real nuisance. Every unsterilized male dog for miles around will make supercanine efforts to reach her.

Whole Dog Journal unabashedly supports the positive efforts of animal protection workers around the country to reduce the euthanasia of unwanted animal companions, including the proactive approach of shelters to spay and neuter dogs at a relatively early age, before they have had a chance to make more puppies. However, many holistic veterinary practitioners regard prepubescent spay/neuter surgery as potentially harmful to young pups. We'll describe their concerns — but we'll also offer some holistic remedies that can counter the potentially deleterious effects of surgery.

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First, I need to make it clear that there are many types of rear end lamenesses that may end up being diagnosed as hip dysplasia, but you really can't accept the diagnosis of hip dysplasia without hip x-rays. Hip dysplasia is a radiographic diagnosis, not a clinical diagnosis. That may be splitting hairs, but I see many dogs with conditions such as ruptured and improperly healed cruciate ligaments or lower back arthritis that have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Only radiographs can determine whether or not a dog has hip dysplasia.

Pet pills are big business, raking in an estimated $3 billion last year and growing by 20 percent each year. Pharmaceutical companies have found they can modify human drugs for pets without much additional research expense. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 15 new behavior-altering drugs for veterinary use in the last year and a half. The two new canine drugs receiving the biggest ad blitz and the most mainstream media coverage, Clomicalm and Anipryl, both were adapted from human drugs.

Previously in Whole Dog Journal, we discussed the dog's complex immune system. We described what body parts and functions actually comprise the dog's system of immunity" and explained how this system acts to protect the dog from foreign agents including viruses

Enzymes are protein-like compounds that, in small amounts, speed the rate of biological reactions. Unstable, fragile, and easily inactivated, enzymes are produced within living cells to perform specific biochemical reactions. Enzymes exist in plants as well as animals. Without them, life as we know it would not exist. Enzymes cause seeds to sprout, flowers to blossom, plants to grow, autumn leaves to change color, and fruits to ripen.

Diabetes is a common and serious problem in pets. Formally known as diabetes mellitus (the sweet sickness), it’s a disorder of the pancreas gland. The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, whose purpose is to drive nutrients, specifically glucose, or blood sugar, into the cells. It’s the body’s most important fuel molecule. Good management is the key to longevity for diabetic dogs.

Juniper suffered a brush with bloat