I’ve lived with a lot of dogs who would do pretty much anything for treats. Our canine cocktails Quora and Quixote, along with our old Golden, Shakira, and my beloved Gracie, all beg for treats, and nothing brings them running like the sound of the treat drawer opening.

Maybe you have dogs like that, too. Unfortunately, if we give in when our delighted frenzies of fur keep begging, before too long they’ll start bulging. Obesity is at epidemic proportions in America’s pets, and that spells a shortened lifespan and reduced quality of life.

Pudgy pooches have an increase in serious health problems obesity including joint problems, Type 2 diabetes, respiratory and skin problems, even cancer.

Sure, you can give in to the plea in those dancing liquid eyes, but please limit treats to no more than 10 percent of total caloric intake for a lean dog, and even less for dogs with weight to lose. And don’t let your own eyes be the judge; as a veterinarian, I know most owners of obese pets don’t see the extra pounds. Ask your vet to tell you!

Here’s the good news: Dogs would almost always rather play or get massaged than eat! And what’s better, play burns calories for both pet and owner, while massage gives both of you a biochemical spa treatment and bonding experience.

So the next time, don’t get out the treats; head for the yard for a game of chase, or to the park for a long walk. Then settle in for a nice, long massage at the end of the day. You’ll both live longer, happier lives for it!

See that poor dog on the right? That’s Boone, who I helped treat for demodectic mange while he was in a foster home (which became his forever home, but that’s another story!).

Boone is healthy now, but demodectic mange is a problem that affects a lot of dogs, so I thought you’d want to know more about it.

Demodectic mange is caused by a microscopic mite that can be considered normal skin when present in small numbers. They produce disease when an abnormal or extremely weekend immune system allows unchecked proliferation and leads to patches of hair loss on head, legs and truck that coalesce to form large areas of hair loss.

A high incidence in dogs of the pit bull type suggests that some dogs may have an inherited immune susceptibility.

The hair follicles become plugged with mites and skin scales. A veterinary hospital will do a skin scrap to confirm diagnosis; I usually show the live mites to the pet owner under the microscope and invariably they get really creeped out like watching a real life subterranean horror movie with millions of monsters just under their pet’s skin.

When the mites are present in large numbers, the skin breaks down to form sores, crusts, and draining tracts, which can be debilitating.

Almost bald and with oozing, crusty skin, there are few dogs who look worse on the outside. But when treated, these dogs can make a transformation from ugly caterpillar to beautiful butterfly, just like Boone did.

Treatment can involve benzoyl peroxide shampoo, miticides such as Mitaban, and ivermectin. If you think your dog might have demodectic mange, talk to your veterinarian right away!

Whether your dog loves getting wet or hates it, the fact is, frequent bathing is a good thing!

For decades, veterinary health care professionals recommended that people not bathe their dogs very often because it stripped oils from the skin, drying it out.

We now know this is not only false, but by bathing your dog once a week (more often during the height of the allergy season), you wash off allergy triggers that can make dogs itchy and miserable — and may even make your allergies flare!

Frequent bathing will result in a healthy, huggable coat immediately and can prevent serious health problems from occurring later in the dog’s life. So get out the doggie bubble bath, and start scrubbing — we do!