Just like people, many dogs suffer from arthritis, specifically osteoarthritis. Unbelievably, up to thirty percent of family pets have arthritis. They experience pain, swelling and stiffness the same as humans do. Some people refer to it as degenerative joint disease and it has the ability to change your dog, from very playful and energetic, to pain ridden and listless. Arthritis is the breakdown of protective cartilage, which covers and protects the bone joints. By nature, many dogs are extremely active and because of this, subject their joints to trauma. Unlike humans, when a dog injures itself, pet arthritic conditions often develop within weeks.

Dogs and puppies can pass germs, diseases and worms on to people, but it does not occur often. There are certain precautions that you can take to help prevent this from happening. First and foremost, make sure that the dog or puppy you are playing with looks healthy. Do not touch or contact an obviously sick dog. Make sure that your personal dog has regular check ups and is checked for worms by your veterinarian. Look for obvious signs of disease such as spots missing fur on your dog. Hot spots or places that your dog keeps chewing or biting at can be another sign of infection.

Canine hip dysplasia (CHD) is a genetic disease that affects the hip bones in dogs. While pretty much any dog can get it, some dogs are predisposed to this condition and it is more common in larger breed dogs due to the greater weight on the joints of the hip. some breeds at risk for this disease include Dalmatians, German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Golden Retrievers and Blood Hounds.

Puppy teeth care isn't something most new puppy owners think about. After all, house training is a lot more compelling when you bring that new puppy home. But if you want your puppy to grow into a dog with health teeth, you need to think about puppy teeth.

In order for a dog to have healthy teeth throughout his life, he needs dog dental care. Establishing a routine of dog dental care when your dog is a puppy will make that dental care much easier for the whole of your dog's life.

Thousands of dogs are being prescribed Rimadyl by their veterinarians to treat pain, inflammation, and canine arthritis. Many of these prescriptions are written without any blood work done to ensure the dog can tolerate the drug. Learn the facts about Rimadyl and what you should know before administering this drug to your dog.

Just how old is your dog really? More than likely you know the dogs age in years, or at least have an approximation of its age, but do you really have any idea how old it may be- chronologically speaking?

I’m sure you’ve heard of the old “seven year theory”. You know, the system where each year of a dog or cats life is the equivalent of 7 of ours. An example of this thinking would be that a 1 year old dog would be the age and developmental equal of a 7 year old person. Now just how many 7 year old kids do you know that are sexually mature -and able to reproduce? A cat or dog is much more likely to have a litter when it is one year or younger, or at the other extreme,ten years or older, than is a human who is under the age of seven or over the age of seventy!