Canine atopic dermatitis is a chronic, genetically predisposed inflammatory skin condition driven by an exaggerated immune response to environmental allergens such as house dust mites, pollens and moulds.

By Dr Noor Haddad, DVM, DACVD · 4 min read

$Luxating Patella in Small Breeds: A Complete Guide$

Orthopaedics

Luxating Patella in Small Breeds: A Complete Guide

A luxating patella occurs when the kneecap slips out of its normal groove on the front of the femur, most commonly toward the inside of the leg in toy and small breeds such as Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and Yorkshire Terriers.

By Dr Thomas Nakamura, DVM · 4 min read

Parasites

Heartworm Disease: Prevention Is the Only Real Cure

Heartworm disease is caused by Dirofilaria immitis, a parasitic worm transmitted exclusively by mosquito bites, that matures into foot-long adults living in the pulmonary arteries and right side of the heart.

By Dr Noor Haddad, DVM, DACVD · 4 min read

$Cruciate Ligament Rupture: Surgery, Recovery and Realistic Timelines$

Orthopaedics

Cruciate Ligament Rupture: Surgery, Recovery and Realistic Timelines

Cranial cruciate ligament rupture is the most common cause of hind limb lameness in dogs, mirroring the ACL injuries seen in human athletes but usually resulting from gradual ligament degeneration rather than a single traumatic tear.

By Dr Mariana Oliveira, DVM, DACVN · 4 min read

Endocrinology

Canine Cushing's Disease: Reading the Subtle Symptoms

Cushing's disease, or hyperadrenocorticism, results from chronic overproduction of cortisol, most often driven by a small pituitary tumour that oversecretes ACTH and drives both adrenal glands to enlarge.

By Dr Rowan Kelly, BVSc, MVS · 4 min read

Endocrinology

Hypothyroidism in Dogs: Weight, Coat and Mood

Canine hypothyroidism results from insufficient thyroid hormone production, most commonly due to autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis that gradually destroys thyroid tissue over months to years.

By Dr Callum Wright, BVSc, MANZCVS · 4 min read

$Pancreatitis in Dogs: The Fat-Trigger Myth, Corrected$

Gastroenterology

Pancreatitis in Dogs: The Fat-Trigger Myth, Corrected

Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas caused by premature activation of digestive enzymes within the gland itself, effectively causing the pancreas to begin digesting its own tissue.

By Dr Noor Haddad, DVM, DACVD · 4 min read

Neurology

Canine Epilepsy: Living Well Between Seizures

Idiopathic epilepsy is the most common cause of recurrent seizures in dogs, typically emerging between six months and six years of age in breeds such as Border Collies, Labradors and Beagles, where a genetic basis is suspected but no structural brain lesion can be identified.

By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read

Respiratory

Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome: What Flat Faces Cost

Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome describes the cluster of anatomical abnormalities that affect flat-faced breeds such as French Bulldogs, Pugs and English Bulldogs, whose skulls have been selectively bred to be dramatically shortened while the soft tissue of the airway remains proportioned for a longer muzzle.

By Dr Thomas Nakamura, DVM · 4 min read

$Anal Gland Problems: Why Your Dog Scoots$

Gastroenterology

Anal Gland Problems: Why Your Dog Scoots

The two anal glands sit at roughly four and eight o'clock around a dog's anus, each producing a foul-smelling, oily secretion normally expressed automatically during defecation as a scent marker.

By Dr Thomas Nakamura, DVM · 4 min read

Dermatology

Demodectic vs Sarcoptic Mange: Telling Them Apart

Mange in dogs is caused by two very different mites that produce superficially similar hair loss and skin irritation but require entirely different management strategies.

By Dr Samuel Adeyemi, DVM, DACVIM · 4 min read

$Canine Parvovirus: The Case for Early Vaccination$

Infectious Disease

Canine Parvovirus: The Case for Early Vaccination

Canine parvovirus is a highly resilient, highly contagious virus that targets the rapidly dividing cells of the intestinal lining and bone marrow, producing a combination of severe haemorrhagic diarrhoea and immune suppression that can kill unvaccinated puppies within days.

By Dr Priya Raghunathan, BVMS · 4 min read

Dermatology

Hot Spots: Treating Acute Moist Dermatitis Fast

Acute moist dermatitis, universally known as a hot spot, is a rapidly developing, intensely itchy patch of skin inflammation that can appear within hours and expand dramatically as a dog licks, chews or scratches the area raw.

By Dr Priya Raghunathan, BVMS · 4 min read

$Intervertebral Disc Disease in Dachshunds$

Neurology

Intervertebral Disc Disease in Dachshunds

Intervertebral disc disease is a leading cause of acute back pain and hind limb paralysis in chondrodystrophic breeds, and Dachshunds carry the highest documented risk of any breed due to a genetic mutation affecting normal disc development.

By Dr Callum Wright, BVSc, MANZCVS · 4 min read

Endocrinology

Canine Diabetes Mellitus: A Practical Home Protocol

Canine diabetes mellitus most commonly results from an absolute deficiency of insulin due to immune-mediated destruction of pancreatic beta cells, meaning affected dogs, unlike many diabetic cats, almost always require insulin injections rather than oral medication or diet alone.

By Dr Rowan Kelly, BVSc, MVS · 4 min read

$Lyme Disease in Dogs: Tick Season Realities$

Parasites

Lyme Disease in Dogs: Tick Season Realities

Lyme disease in dogs is caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, transmitted through the prolonged attachment and feeding of infected Ixodes ticks, commonly known as deer ticks or black-legged ticks.

By Dr Mariana Oliveira, DVM, DACVN · 4 min read

Nephrology

Chronic Kidney Disease in Dogs: Slowing the Decline

Chronic kidney disease describes a progressive, irreversible loss of functioning nephrons over months to years, most commonly seen in older dogs as a consequence of age-related degeneration, though it can also follow untreated infections, toxin exposure or congenital abnormalities in younger dogs.

By Dr Rowan Kelly, BVSc, MVS · 4 min read

Oncology

Mast Cell Tumours: The Great Imitator of Canine Lumps

Mast cell tumours are among the most common skin tumours in dogs and have earned a reputation as the great imitator because they can look like almost anything, from a soft, harmless-seeming lipoma to an angry insect bite that changes size from day to day.

By Dr Eleanor Murphy, BVSc · 4 min read

$Addison's Disease: The Diagnosis That Hides in Plain Sight$

Endocrinology

Addison's Disease: The Diagnosis That Hides in Plain Sight

Hypoadrenocorticism, commonly known as Addison's disease, results from inadequate production of cortisol and often aldosterone by the adrenal cortex, most frequently due to immune-mediated destruction of adrenal tissue.

By Dr Mariana Oliveira, DVM, DACVN · 4 min read

Respiratory

Laryngeal Paralysis in Older Labradors

Laryngeal paralysis is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which the nerves controlling the muscles that open the larynx during breathing gradually fail, leaving the arytenoid cartilages unable to abduct properly and creating a fixed, partial airway obstruction.

By Dr Noor Haddad, DVM, DACVD · 4 min read

Infectious Disease

Canine Influenza: What Boarding Facilities Want You to Know

Canine influenza is caused by influenza A viruses, primarily the H3N8 strain that jumped from horses and the more recently emerged H3N2 strain that jumped from birds, both of which spread efficiently between dogs in group settings such as boarding kennels, daycare facilities and dog shows.

By Dr Rowan Kelly, BVSc, MVS · 4 min read