dog

If the pitter-pat of dog feet is sounding more like clickety-clack at your house, it's time for a trim. Indoor pets don't wear down their nails naturally, so a pedicure every two weeks is a healthy indulgence that will keep your dog comfortable. Step 1 Consider investing in nail clippers specially contoured for dogs. Step 2 Choose a spot for your dog's pedicure that's quiet, with few Read more...

A massage (touch) is a healthy indulgence both you and your dog can enjoy. Best of all, it's an excellent way to strengthen the loving bond between you. Here's how to make massage part of your daily routine: Step 1 Massage has tremendous therapeutic value. Just the same, it's better to treat it like a special indulgence instead of a "procedure." Your dog will sense your spirit of Read more...

Thanks to improved nutrition, better veterinary care, and safer home environments, household pets are living longer than ever. And like humans, as animals grow older, their brains undergo the normal structural and functional changes that accompany age -- all of which can alter memory and behavior. Senility is prevalent amongst older animals. As Kim Campbell Thornton from MSNBC notes, recent Read more...

See also: aging, brain, cat, dementia, dog, pet

By Josh Fischman Falls Church, Va. - "Can I pet your dog?" asks Suzi Zarkin, leaning over a rangy yellow Labrador, who picks up his square head at the sound of her voice. "Sure. His name is Miles," says Leslie Horton. A typical street-corner conversation, but this is no street. It's the oncology floor at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia. Zarkin, of the nearby Read more...

A dog or a cat can give you years of pleasure and companionship -- and in doing so, says a University of Buffalo scientist, you may be healthier too. Pets, says Dr. Karen Allen, can tame high blood pressure. Dr. Allen has told the American Heart Association that she has tested this theory of the healing power of pets on a group of single stockbrokers. Half of the 48 brokers agreed to have a Read more...

What is the best breed of dog to run with every day? So many breeds and mixes would thrive on a 30-minute daily run that it's actually easier to rule out those that aren't as suitable. The toy breeds or heavy giant breeds wouldn't be your best choice, nor would such short-legged dogs as the basset hound, dachshund or Welsh corgi. Dogs with short faces don't do as well exercising on warm days, so Read more...

A man walks into a bar with his golden retriever. "Hey, can I get a drink on the house if my dog talks for you?" he asks the bartender. "Dogs can't talk, pal," the bartender says. "If you can prove to me yours does, though, I'll give you a drink. But if you're trying to pull a fast one, I'll make you wish you had never come in here." Read more...

A man walks into a shrink's office and says, "Doc, you gotta help me; I think I'm a dog!" The doctor asks, "How long has this been going on?" The man replies, "Ever since I was a puppy." "Well, lie down on the couch, and we'll get to work on this," says the doctor. The man says, "I can't. I'm not allowed on the Read more...