THE BARK BLOG

We packed two adults, two dogs, and everything we needed into a Kia Soul for a week-long road trip to Kennerdell, Pennsylvania. Here's what we learned.

Pre-made dog first aid kits are expensive and half-full of stuff you'll never use. Here's what's actually in mine — from dollar store basics to the two items I almost skipped and now never travel without.

Ticks are small, patient, and efficient. They’re also one of the most effective disease-delivery systems in the animal kingdom — capable of transmitting bacteria, parasites, and viruses that can cause kidney failure, paralysis, and death in dogs. Most tick-borne diseases are treatable. The catch? You have to catch them early. Here’s a full breakdown of the tick species found across the U.S., what they carry, and what you need to know to protect your dog.

Aspergillosis is a fungal disease that can strike any dog, anywhere — and it comes in two forms with very different outcomes. Learn the symptoms, which dogs are most at risk, and when to push for answers.

Histoplasmosis is the most common fungal infection in Ohio dogs — more prevalent than Blastomycosis, and frequently misdiagnosed. Learn the symptoms, risk environments, and when to call your vet.

Most Ohio dog owners have never heard of Blastomycosis. Neither had I — until a post about a young German Shorthaired Pointer stopped me cold. It's a fungal infection that lives in the soil along Ohio's rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Dogs can inhale the spores just by doing what dogs do — nose down, investigating the ground. And by the time symptoms are obvious, the disease has often already progressed.

Something is back that we thought we'd seen the last of sixty years ago. The New World screwworm has returned to U.S. soil — and it's a timely reminder that the full roster of bugs coming for your dog is longer, and more serious, than most people think. Heartworm, fleas, ticks, intestinal parasites: the threat is year-round. So is the protection your dog needs.

Gus growled at our neighbor last week. Same sweet dog. Same man he's met before. I knew immediately what I was looking at — and I knew I wasn't going to make the same mistake I made with my last dog. Here's what fear periods actually are, why they happen, and what you can do when your dog suddenly seems like a stranger to you.