A psychosis is defined as a mental disturbance of such degree that there is personality disintegration and loss of contact with reality. The line between neurotic and psychotic behavior is not well defined, even by psychiatrists and psychologists. Two prevailing criteria can be added to the definition of a neurotic dog to describe, for this [...]

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can affect a dog’s blood, liver, and kidneys. The bacteria that cause the illness are carried primarily by rats and other rodents, but dogs that are infected with the disease can infect other dogs as well. Ingestion of the urine of an infected animal is the most common means [...]

Heartworms (Latin name Dirofilaria immitis) are parasitic worms that are common in both dogs and cats.  Like their name suggests, they live in the dog’s heart, normally free-floating in the right ventricle and nearby blood vessels.  The worms are transmitted from dog to dog by mosquitoes which pass the worm larvae through their saliva.  The [...]