Category Archives: Science & Health

The possible fallout of old-age deafness on our dog

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Theo Stewart

I try to imagine what it must be like for him. Deaf Pickle is now in a silent world – a world in which as a pet dog he has little control. He has no early warning system anymore. Continue reading →

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TV – Do our dogs love it or do some merely have to endure it?

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Theo Stewart

Many of the people I visit have their TVs on all the time, whether or not they are watching anything.  They leave television on ‘for the dogs’ when they go out. I myself live with someone whose hearing is not … Continue reading →

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If they don’t understand English – SHOUT

Posted on November 22, 2018 by Theo Stewart

When in another part of the world, we English have a reputation of expecting people to understand English. If they don’t, we think speaking more slowly and LOUDLY will make us understood. “WHERE-IS-THE-NEAREST-TOILET?”. Similarly, we expect our dog to understand … Continue reading →

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I’ve Hidden the Ball Thrower. A Cautionary Tale

Posted on July 26, 2018 by Theo Stewart

This is a story about my own dog, Cocker Spaniel Pickle, and the ball thrower. I’ve hidden the ball thrower. Pickle loves to chase the ball. He jumps to catch it and he would carry on till he dropped (though … Continue reading →

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Cleanliness Next to Dogliness?

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Theo Stewart

My eye was caught by this headline the other day: Cleaning sprays ‘as harmful to your lungs as smoking 20 cigarettes a day’. To quote: ‘Using everyday cleaning sprays can be as harmful to a woman’s lungs as smoking 20 … Continue reading →

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We Exhale, Our Dogs (and Cats) Become Smokers Too

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Theo Stewart

‘Supervet’ Noel Fitzpatrick was quoted in the Daily Mail yesterday saying, ‘Pet owners have not yet got the message that their dogs and cats can get cancer from their second-hand smoke.’ Noel Fitzpatrick referred to this study at the University of … Continue reading →

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Sensory Overload – Dogs Also?

Posted on April 30, 2017 by Theo Stewart

I recently visited a teenage girl with autism. She was wearing noise cancelling ear muffs. She explained to me that without them she simply has sensory overload. They enable her to function. Her two highly-stressed little terriers, like so many … Continue reading →

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“I Never Feed my Dog Human Food”

Posted on March 26, 2017 by Theo Stewart

How many times do we hear this? Where did the idea come from? What is ‘human’ food anyway? Both humans and dogs are omnivorous and need much the same things but in different ratios. We can digest grains better than dogs … Continue reading →

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Silence Really IS Golden

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Theo Stewart

Science says silence is much more important to our brains than we think, according to lifehack.org (Science also says that dogs’ brains are also a lot more similar to our own than we think). In 2011, the Finnish Tourist Board ran a … Continue reading →

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Habituation and Desensitisation. The Difference?

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Theo Stewart

This blog takes me back to my original reason for my Pawses, to mull over things that give me pause for thought. A short while ago I described in a professional Facebook group about how I had stopped my dog Pickle barking … Continue reading →

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