Dog Care

For many people, a sleeping dog is a happy, content dog—especially if he’s a puppy or high-energy dog. Credit: Kohei Hara | Getty Images Few things in life are as rewarding as the sight of your dog sleeping—seeing him curled up in a sunbeam or sprawled contentedly across the floor brings a sense of peace.

The full length of this adult female’s spay incision was tattooed, but some spay/neuter tattoos are not as long. Photo by Nancy Kerns. Dogs who have been spayed or neutered may have a small tattoo on their abdomen, or “tummy.” Called a “sterilization indicator tattoo,” this short, straight line indicates that the dog has had

Seeing a fox while out walking your dog is not unusual. Backing slowly away from the fox, while making a lot of loud noise is usually your best bet. Credit: Henrik Karlsson | Getty Images If you’ve been seeing more foxes in your neighborhood, you’re not alone. As deer, bear, and fox inch close to

Cheatgrass awns can burrow into a dog’s skin, causing serious, potentially deadly injuries and infections. Credit: MoKa | Getty Images Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is well named. The invasive species—also known as downy brome—overwhelms native grass species, reducing wildlife habitat and livestock forage; increases the risk of wildfires in Western ecosystems; and is dangerous, even deadly,

Paw balm for dogs can be used to help protect pads from extreme weather, terrain, and some health conditions. Credit: miriam-doerr | Getty Images Your dog’s paw pads act like the soles of our shoes, cushioning your dog’s stride and protecting her paws from damage. Weather conditions, strenuous activity, and some health conditions can all

Regularly brushing your dog’s coat helps remove dead hair and keeps the dog’s coat shiny and healthy. Credit: Petko Ninov | Getty Images Finding your dog losing hair in patches and scabs can be upsetting. Before you panic, however, remember that alopecia, which is hair loss, in dogs is natural. It’s when you see abnormal

The Chillybuddy Dog Cooling Vest has a reflective mesh that helps deflect the sun’s rays and an inner lightweight cotton mesh you can wet to help keep your dog cool. Credit: Photo Dr. Eileen Fatcheric Cooling vests for dogs can help your dog stay cooler in hot weather. The best cooling vests, or coats, for

: Finding toys that will stand up to serious chewing can be a difficult task. Credit: davidf | Getty Images Are you in need of some indestructible dog toys to keep your furry monster entertained? I’m right there with you. While no toy is truly indestructible, there are products out there that can provide your

The noise vacuum cleaners make is among the most common sounds dogs hate. Credit: Westend61 | Getty Images It’s no secret that dogs as a species have better hearing than humans. Exactly how much better is still a matter of scientific investigation, but studies have shown that dogs’ hearing is both more sensitive and has

The most effective way to prevent odor is to clean up urine as soon as possible but there are still options for set-in stains and smells. Credit: Liudmila Chernetska | Getty Images Your dog pees on the rug, you clean it up, and the stain remains. Worse, your dog keeps urinating in the same place,

Fleas are wingless blood-sucking insects that are dark brown in color and about 1 to 2 millimeters long. Although they cannot fly, they are capable of jumping on and off their host. Fleas excrete a powdery form of the blood they ingest called frass, also known as flea dirt. Frass is used to feed flea

Universal dog microchip scanners can be used to identify any dog with a microchip and get that dog back to the owner. Credit: Ali Cobanoglu | Getty Images YES, microchipping your dog is 100% worth it! This quick, easy, inexpensive process gives your dog permanent identification that will stay with her for life no matter

Caption: Massage therapy is one of the treatments often offered by canine rehabilitation therapists. Credit: Georgiy Datsenko | Getty Images The term “physical therapist” is reserved for practitioners who treat human patients, but canine rehabilitation therapists (that’s the correct term) provide the same assistance for dogs. As dog physical therapy becomes more widely available, some

Running a fan for your dog can go a long way toward keeping him cool as the weather warms up and, along with water, can help get your dog’s body temperature down. Credit: Petra Richli | Getty Images The two keys to relieving your dog’s fever are hydration and cooling his body temperature. Encourage your

Consider that your dog’s reluctance to walk on a winter sidewalk has more to do with ice melt that may have been applied than the temperature itself. Credit: Brittany Denny | Getty Images There is no hard-and-fast rule for how cold is too cold for dogs, but it is important to understand when it is

Having the right toys on hand is a big help when it comes to keeping a teething puppy away from all the things he shouldn’t be chewing on. Credit: InnaVlasova | Getty Images Teething can be a trying time for puppies and their owners. As puppy teeth fall out to make way for adult teeth,

Make sure you dry the dog’s ear well, using clean cotton balls or cotton gauze to wipe away dirt and earwax that’s been loosened by the cleaning solution. Photo by Irina Kashaeva, Getty Images Some dogs’ ears stay clean without any attention or effort from us, but other dogs’ ears are prone to developing a

Dramamine may help dogs who do not enjoy car rides, if the dog is suffering from motion sickness. Credit: Westend61 | Getty Images Dramamine, a brand name for the drug dimenhydrinate, is an antihistamine that is used off-label in many dogs for vestibular problems, including carsickness and senior dog vestibular disease. With its antihistamine properties,