Paws Up Blog

Picture it. You're at the vet and they say the dreaded words- "Your dog needs to take this medication"- and you know your dog hates taking medication. This could be anything from a short course of robaxin or amoxicillin or a longer term medication like apoquel, pimobendan, furosemide, or Previcox. Your first step is to ask the crucial details while you are at the vet- what is this medication going to do? What side effects should I watch out for? What form (liquid, pill, powder, etc) is this medication in? How should this medication be stored? How much of this...

Thanksgiving is upon us, and plenty of small dogs will be underfoot as turkeys fly out of the oven and guests drop pieces of pie.  How can you keep your small dog safe? The first consideration will be if you are hosting this year's dinner. If you aren't, try to make plans for a friend or neighbor to check in on your dog if you'll be gone longer than normal.  If you are hosting, your first consideration is your small dog's safety with so many visitors. Is everyone used to dogs? Are there any small children who may be drawn...

I am a small dog owner myself. I grew up with "larger" small dogs like Bichon Frises, but over the years I began fostering chihuahuas and suddenly had a host of under 10 pound dogs under foot.  The difference between my 15-20 pound dogs and these four pound friends was tremendous, but for some reason, almost everything I went to buy seemed to be for "small dogs- 25 pounds and under". I don't need to tell you that the difference between a five pound and 25 pound dog is five fold!  The toys appropriate for a 25 pound dog will...

One struggle that us small dog owners have is keeping them warm, even in hot weather months, these pint sized pooches can be desperate to stay in what seems like unbearable heat. I recall a particularly nasty heat wave years ago- during which my black chihuahua was sunning and I couldn't even stand outside! In order to keep their core temperature safely up, we've experimented with many methods and have jotted down a few of our favorites! Blankets Keeping a nice supply of safe (no knit, please! It can catch their toe nails) dog blankets is the first step in keeping...

You're at the store and looking at the long aisle of dog toys wondering which one will keep your dog busy and not be instantly destroyed- we've all been there. Toys fall into several categories and picking the perfect toy largely depends on your dog's personality.