plus: Can A Dog Be Autistic? Hello Reader, He walked into the kitchen this morning and listed sideways. Just slightly. Like he'd forgotten, for a second, which way was straight. It's late August. The heat outside makes us feel slow and a little uncertain. Somewhere in that same haze, you might have caught it. A small wobble. A head tilt that wasn't there last week. It's scary to notice something new in a dog you know by heart. But sometimes the scary thing has a name. And a name makes it...
9 days ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, Maybe your dog used to inhale their food in thirty seconds flat. Now they eat half, walk away, come back later. Or they've started asking for breakfast earlier than usual, pacing the kitchen before you've even had coffee. Something shifted, and you can't quite tell if it's a problem or just... them getting older. Feeding schedules feel like settled science. Two meals a day, done. But it turns out the math changes as dogs age, and what worked at four might actually be working...
16 days ago • 2 min read
plus: only 5 mins a day for bonding Hello Reader, He stops in the middle of the yard. Just stands there, nose up, reading something in the air you can't smell. Then he forgets why he went outside. It's a small thing. Easy to explain away. But a lot of us are noticing these little pauses this summer. The staring at the water bowl. The slow blink in the middle of a room like he's trying to remember what comes next. Turns out, what's in his bowl might have something to do with what's happening...
20 days ago • 2 min read
plus: Why Standing Up Is the Hard Part Hello Reader, Maybe your dog still gets excited when you grab the car keys. Still perks up at the word "outside." But the long trips? The big hikes? You've quietly started wondering if those days are behind you both. It's a weird kind of grief, mourning something that hasn't ended yet. And it makes planning feel impossible. Do you push for one more adventure, or play it safe? Turns out there's a real middle ground. Today's article walks through how to...
23 days ago • 3 min read
plus: When Your Dog Tilt Their Head... Hello Reader, He ate slower this morning. Not refusing his food, just… taking his time. You noticed, the way you notice everything now. It's August. The kind of heavy, buzzing heat that makes everyone move a little more carefully. You're both doing that thing where you find the coolest spot in the house and just stay there. But slower eating, a little lethargy, maybe skipping a meal here and there. In this heat, it's easy to chalk it up to summer....
26 days ago • 2 min read
plus: How Do Dogs Apologize? Hello Reader, My dog has decided the couch cushion he's slept on for six years is no longer acceptable. Not the couch. Just that cushion. He will stand in front of it and stare at me until I fix whatever I've apparently done wrong. He does have opinions. He also has a heart rate, blood pressure, and kidneys that I never think about until something goes wrong. That's the thing about senior dogs. The real risks don't announce themselves. Today, we're talking about...
30 days ago • 2 min read
plus: What Does My Dog Think of Me? Hello Reader, Your dog's breath has always been, let's say, *present*. But lately it's different. Sharper. Sour, almost. Or there's a sweetness to it that wasn't there before. Maybe you noticed it when they came in from the yard and put their face right next to yours in the heat. The thing is, a sudden change in how their breath smells isn't always a teeth issue. Sometimes it's pointing at something else entirely, and that's the part worth understanding....
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hello Reader, He drank from his bowl twice before breakfast this morning. You noticed, then talked yourself out of it. Probably the heat. It's been brutal out there, and the whole country is just... cooked right now. July has a way of making everything feel like it might just be the weather. But sometimes it's not the weather. Kidney disease in senior dogs is sneaky. It doesn't announce itself. It shows up in small, easy-to-explain-away things. The extra trips to the water bowl. The food he...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
plus: Morning Stiffness Isn't Just Old Age Hello Reader, Your dog used to inhale their kibble. Now they walk up to the bowl, sniff it, and just... stand there. Maybe they eat eventually. Maybe they don't finish. Maybe they've started dropping pieces on the floor while they chew. It could be teeth. Could be nausea. Could also be that dry kibble just isn't working the way it used to for a dog whose body has changed. A lot of dog parents are quietly switching to wet food right now, or mixing...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
