Julie Buzby DVM, CAVCA, CVA

Saying goodbye to a pet is never easy, but it can be even harder when you can’t find the cause of your dog’s decline. In this episode, Dr. Buzby shares the story of Zimmer, how his owner finally found those answers, and what we can learn from Zimmer’s story to help our own dogs.

In today’s episode, we’ll be covering eight ways to help your dog live a longer, happier, healthier life. Like you, I would love it for my dogs to live forever, and while immortality isn’t a possibility, a dog living into its late teens is what I’ve come to expect and the norm that I want to define. Even though we don’t have direct control of our dog’s genes, we do have control over many factors that are proven to increase the length and quality of life for our dogs.

Today’s episode is different than the others, we’re going to talking about a story that is very near and dear to my heart. The clinic, where I work part-time, holds an annual open house each December. In 2011, I was manning my “Holistic Veterinary Care” station, chatting with clients and sipping hot cocoa, when the trajectory of my life was forever changed. Naturally, at a veterinary hospital open house, pets are welcome.

Today’s topic of conversation is urinary incontinence in senior dogs. So grab a cup of coffee and let’s talk about pee. Urinary incontinence is kind of a big word, but what does it actually mean? Simply put—it is the involuntary leaking or dribbling of urine. Involuntary is the operative word. Right, Because sometimes a senior dog might have an “accident” in the house, which may seem like the same thing. But they are in fact two different things—an accident vs incontinence.

In this week’s episode of The Buzby Dog Podcast, we cover a story that involves my sister’s rescue dog Banjo and a condition called dead tail. You may have never heard of dead tail, and if I hadn’t had a seasoned colleague give me some insight when I was a newly minted veterinarian, I may not have been able to give my sister some advice when she called me in distress! I had never heard “Dead Tail” mentioned in my veterinary school lectures or read about it in my textbooks. This condition is sometimes misdiagnosed as a prostate problem, anal gland impaction, fracture, disc herniation, cancer, or infection. Working dogs, such as English Pointers, Labradors, and Beagles, are the most commonly affected breeds, but it is thought to occur in all breeds. I have had a couple patients instantly improve after chiropractic adjustment of the sacrum, where the tail attaches to the skeleton, but typically treatment involves rest, anti-inflammatories, and tincture of time. In this episode I cover what my sister’s dog was experiencing and delve into what we know about this condition. Fear not, the story has a happy ending…no pun intended!