When someone says their dog is allergic to chicken, what they almost always mean is that their dog reacted to a food with chicken on the label. Those are not the same observation, and the gap between them is what this article is about. In this second article, I move from the “reaction” part of that term into the second half – what’s actually in the food.
Tag Archives: Health
Food reactions in dogs: four mechanisms that are not the same thing
“Reaction to food” is not one thing. It is an umbrella term covering four fundamentally different mechanisms that produce overlapping symptoms but require different responses. Conflating them does not just lead to wrong conclusions — in some cases it leads to management strategies that actively make things worse.
The dog on paper vs. the dog in front of me – are labels destiny?
A few nights ago, I saw a story on Instagram – the person had x-rayed her young dog and the HD score came back as C/D. She was heartbroken. The replies were kind, but they carried a particular heaviness – a feeling that a line had been crossed, that certain lives or activities might no longer be responsible. I recognised that moment because I had been there myself.
Risk and uncertainty of dog genetics, unpacked (Part 2)
Health discussions in dog breeding often sound more decisive than the evidence allows. Genetic information is probabilistic, contextual, and population-dependent, but it is repeatedly treated as categorical, individual, and decisive.
10 myths about hip dysplasia
Hip dysplasia remains one of the most frequently discussed yet misunderstood topics in canine health. Despite decades of research and screening programmes, misconceptions persist about what hip scores actually mean, how genetics and environment interact, and what constitutes healthy hips. These misunderstandings matter because they influence breeding decisions, how puppies are raised, and which dogsContinueContinue reading “10 myths about hip dysplasia”
The Fetch Continuum: understanding risks and making it safer
Fetch is one of the most heated topics in dog training: some guardians see it as an easy way to exercise a dog, while others (rightly) argue that it causes injuries and fuels unhealthy obsession. The discussion is often polarized but in reality the question of fetch is far more nuanced
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