An evidence-based approach to choosing, combining, and using commercial calming supplements in the rescue setting

An overarching welfare priority of animal rescue centres is the management of stress. The successful rehoming of especially cats and dogs depends on how well they learn to manage their own negative emotional states during their stay.

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My Dog’s Got Diamonds on the Soles of His Paws

I got diamonds on the soles of my shoes…” Remember that Paul Simon song?

Well, if you have dogs you might have something a little less desirable than diamonds on your shoes – and so might your dogs – according to a new study published in the Journal of Veterinary Parasitology by Panova and Khrustalev (2018).

Image by Hans [CC0 1.0]

Read on to find out what…

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Bloat in Dogs: An Update

Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV), in the dog-world commonly called bloat, remains an enduring concern for all owners of at-risk breeds. Despite numerous studies on this horrible disease, a definitive cause has yet to be identified. This has left owners of susceptible breeds with a ‘shopping list’ of potential causal factors along with recommendations of how to avoid them, for example avoiding feeding from a raised food bowl.

Image Copyright © 2017 Robert Falconer-Taylor

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Pets, Fear and Fireworks: The Fallout and Terrible Consequences of Fear and Anxiety for Our Pets. Part 1, The Neurophysiology of Fear

With Halloween and firework season fast approaching and New Year coming up fast behind, now is the time for dog owners to start preparing themselves and their dogs for the parties, bangs and flashes. There is already plenty of good information available about the behavioural and environmental management and rehabilitation of dogs* around fireworks, and cats**, so this is not covered again here. This blog is divided into 4 parts.

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Pets, Fear and Fireworks: The Fallout and Terrible Consequences of Fear and Anxiety for Our Pets. Part 2, Beyond Fear, Anxiety Disorders

In the first article, I looked at how the ‘fear system’ works as a normal, adaptive neurophysiological network essential for the survival of an organism. In this article, I explore the neuropathology of how the ‘fear system’ goes wrong and the serious consequences this has on the animal’s welfare when it does.

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