AVIBLOG
Puppy Socialization in the Age of Coronavirus
Holy cow! What do we do now? For decades, we've been told that to raise stable puppies we need to socialize them with many people of different genders, sizes, ages, races, etc. And, we were told that socialization had to be done before 16 weeks of age. That's...
Choosing The Right Veterinarian
Choosing the right veterinarian is one of the most important decisions that you make for your dog. This key member of your dog’s health-care team will play a role in your and your dog’s quality of life. An excellent vet will be your partner in keeping your dog healthy by assisting you in making important decisions. Although some people select a vet based on how close the office is to their house or how inexpensive the fees are, there are far more important things to consider. Here are some ideas on how to find the perfect vet for you and your dog!
New Screening Protocol for Canine Elbow Dysplasia
The 2016 IEWG published a new x-ray protocol to help distinguish dogs with normal elbows from those with dysplasia. Elbow dysplasia is a painful, inherited condition that is far more challenging for vets, owners and dogs to deal with than hip dysplasia. Yet little...
Splish, Splash! Six Mistakes to Avoid When Teaching Your Dog to Swim
For many of us, watching our dogs play in the water is nothing short of wonderful! Splashing, wading, leaping, retrieving, diving–it’s just all good fun. Spending a warm afternoon at the beach, lake, stream or pool is a perfect day for many owners and dogs. In...
Anything But Helpless: The Strengths and Weaknesses of Newborn Puppies
I am always surprised when people, dog breeding books and even veterinarians describe newborn puppies as “helpless.” Although newborn puppies have limited abilities, they are anything but helpless. Just ask anyone who has tried to convince a day-old pup to...
Are BPA Free Dog Foods Safe or Even BPA Free?
If you feed canned dog food, both regular and those advertised as BPA free, you should read the results of this new study from the University of Missouri (Koestel, Z.L., et al, 2016). Dogs come in contact with bisphenol A or BPA through their food, skin...
Raising Puppies to Be Brave: The Top 10 Ways to Create Confident Dogs
Breeders and owners can do many things to raise puppies to be confident, stable adult dogs. Confidence, self-assurance and composure are characteristics all of us want in our dogs. Confident dogs handle the craziness of daily life with aplomb and are often called...
Puppies Learn Best What They Learn First!
Four problem behaviors that people unintentionally teach puppies. Because of the way canine brains develop, what we teach puppies during the sensitive period, from 3 until 16 weeks of age, stay with them forever unless and until someone makes them unlearn it. And in...
How Badly Do We Need to Know? Part 2
Are routine prenatal x-rays in dogs safe? Over the last 30 years, there has been a dramatic decrease in routine x-rays of pregnant women due to concerns for the safety of their unborn babies. In my last blog, I challenged the prevailing notion that routine prenatal...
Why Not to “Breed Them Young and Breed Them Often”!
New arguments for breeding older dog moms I have always been uncomfortable with the saying “Breed them young, breed them often” with regards to dog breeding. This is most often heard from reproductive veterinarians who are telling breeders how to most easily get...
The Zen of Saying Goodbye
Lessons learned from the death of my dog. I wanted it to be a beautiful, sunny day. It was a stormy, overcast morning. I wanted my vet to be there. He was out of the country on vacation. I wanted it to happen when life was a bit calmer. It happened unexpectedly in...