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Nine years ago, we described a smoky-smelling pink ointment that worked wonders for seriously infected ears: Pellitol. Pellitol contained zinc oxide, calamine, bismuth subgalate, bismuth subnitrate, resorcinol, echinacea fluid extract, and juniper tar. These ingredients are bothdisinfecting and adhesive, so that as the ointment gradually dried and shrank (a process lasting several days), it healed ulcers, dried pus and debris, and reduced bacterial growth. In addition to being effective, this apply-it-and-leave-it approach spared patients the discomfort of repeated ear-cleaning treatments.

Most people are familiar with the concept of a placebo effect

Heading to your veterinarian for help with an ear infection is always a good idea, especially if you haven’t had previous experience with a canine ear infection and you aren’t certain what it looks like, or if a previously treated infection has recurred. If you are going to take your dog to the vet, don’t clean his ears that day; it may be helpful for the veterinarian to see the appearance and amount of the…

The following is an excerpt adapted from a new book that can help you make smart decisions about what to feed your dog.

This past summer, my niece, who was home on college break, picked up a job walking her neighbor's dog. After a few outings, she contacted me because this fairly large dog she was walking had some behavioral issues and she wanted some suggestions on how to work with him. My advice to her was that this wasn't a job for a novice dog walker; after some discussion she agreed but wanted to pass along some recommendations for other walkers to the owner. Knowing this dog had special needs and not knowing anyone in the dog's area myself to recommend, I turned to my colleague Veronica Boutelle to get the inside scoop on finding a dog walker.

sleep in close proximity to each other

Three months ago, I asked, Why can't veterinary nutritionists design recipes that meet most nutritional needs through the use of whole foods

Cornelia Guest has always had a passion for both animals and natural healthcare. She chooses natural healing modalities over Western pharmaceutical intervention whenever possible – for herself and her dogs.

It's fairly common for dogs to be placed for adoption with a caveat that there should be no cats

Titer test cost is the primary argument against getting titer testing for dogs, but on the other hand titer tests can save you lots of money in vaccination fees and vet bills. One of the tests I asked for at Otto's annual wellness exam last week was a vaccine titer test. These blood tests are able to detect antibodies that the dog has produced in response to a vaccination. Such positive results can confirm that the dog responded in the desired manner to the vaccination and is now protected against the diseases he was vaccinated for.

Study finds genetic differences between dogs and wolves, with dietary implications. Domestication appears to have led to genetic changes in dogs that make them able to digest starches better than wolves can, according to a paper published in Nature in January.