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Common Misconceptions About Dogs

January 15, 2023

Have you ever heard the myth about how if Fido’s nose is wet, it means he’s healthy? That’s not exactly true, but that old wives ‘tail’ just won’t go away. Actually, quite a few common rumors and myths about our canine companions are incorrect or inaccurate. A Brampton, ON clarifies a few of them in this article.

Wagging Tail = Happy Dog

This one isn’t entirely wrong: Fido definitely does wag his tail when he’s happy or excited. In fact, Fido sometimes gets so excited that he can hurt his tail by smacking it on things. (This sort of injury is rather aptly named Happy Tail Syndrome.) However, what many people don’t realize is that dogs also wag their tails when they are nervous or uncertain. A slow wag is more of a question mark, and can even be a sign that a pooch is considering attacking.

They Age At A Set Rate

You may have heard the old adage about how one human year equals seven dog years. That isn’t exactly the case. Our four-legged friends don’t all age at the same rate. Size plays a huge role here: large breeds age faster than smaller pups. Dogs also grow much faster in the first years of their lives than we do. By the time your canine buddy is two, he’ll be about the equivalent age of a 25-year-old human. After that, it’s about four dog years to one human year. 

Girls Should Have Litters Before Being Fixed

This one is actually the opposite to the truth. There actually are no benefits to letting a dog give birth to a litter before having her spayed. Your furry buddy doesn’t have an inner longing to be a mama, and any instinctive and/or hormonal urges she has to reproduce will diminish after she’s been fixed. It’s also hard to justify bringing more puppies into the world: there are already far too many homeless pooches out there.

Garlic Kills Fleas

Garlic may be effective against vampires, but it’s definitely not something you want in your parasite control arsenal. Garlic can sometimes cause hemolytic anemia in our canine friends. While not every pup will get sick from garlic, this is definitely an area where it’s best to err on the side of caution. 

Do you have questions about your furry pal’s health or care? Contact us, your Brampton, ON vet clinic anytime!