Search Results for: golden retriever

Potential Risks of Neutering and Age at Neutering for Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers

A number of interesting and important research studies have been published in the last 5 years on the subject of the risks and benefits of neutering in dogs, and these have provided important information to help guide veterinarians and owners … Continue reading

Posted in General | 37 Comments

Benefits and Risks of Neutering, an Evidence Update: Study Investigates Effects of Neutering in Golden Retreivers

Given that I recently presented a couple of evidence-updates on the subject the health effects of neutering, the timing was excellent for the release last week of a new research study looking at the same issue. Torres de la Riva … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 12 Comments

How Long Do Dogs Live?

Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really.Agnes Sligh Turnbull How long should a dog live? The obvious answer for any dog lover, of course, is “Forever!” Unfortunately, since this does not appear possible, we must settle for trying … Continue reading

Posted in Aging Science | 5 Comments

Grain-free Diets and Heart Disease in Dogs: Two New Studies

I have to admit, I didn’t think I would again be addressing the topic of diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) so soon after my recent podcast and post summarizing the debate. But the science around this topic is racing ahead, and there are two new … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 4 Comments

Diet-Associated Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) in Dogs: What Do We Know So Far?

I have been following the controversy, and the research, on diet-associated dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs since the issue was first addressed by the FDA in 2018. I recently had a chance to talk with Andy Roark on his Cone … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 7 Comments

Food is Love- Veterinarians and Nutrition

Food is LoveAs a child, I was a big fan of the Peanuts cartoons. One of my favorite characters was Snoopy, a suave, bipedal beagle who wrote novels and engaged in breathtaking aerial combat with his nemesis, the Red Baron. … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 19 Comments

Ketogenic Diets for Dogs and Cats

Nutritional therapies and dietary fads for humans often find their way into veterinary medicine. Sometimes, there is a plausible physiologic rationale or encouraging lab animal research to justify testing specific dietary interventions in dogs and cats, and such interventions may … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 4 Comments

New Evidence about When to Neuter Your Dog

I have followed the literature on the risks and benefits of neutering for many years, from writing my own literature review in 2010 to critically analyzing individual research studies on the subject here. The evidence is always growing and changing, and the attitudes of … Continue reading

Posted in Science-Based Veterinary Medicine | 38 Comments

Vegetarian Diets for Dogs & Cats

Pet owners frequently project their beliefs about human health onto their companion animals. Anxieties about purported harms from vaccines in children, for example, have spurred an anti-vaccination movement among vets and pet owners.1–4Beliefs in alternative medical therapies for people, such … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 11 Comments

FDA Update on Grain-free Diets and Heart Disease in Dogs

The FDA has released a new update about the ongoing investigation into dogs developing the dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a serious heart disease, which appears to be associated with the use of grain-free or exotic protein diets. The agency has received … Continue reading

Posted in Nutrition | 53 Comments