Skin Guides

Nothing dramatic happens on your dog's eighth birthday. But somewhere around then, the skin starts behaving differently: thinner, drier, slower to repair, easier to infect. Here is what is actually changing underneath, and the routine adjustments that matter most.

That wet, rhythmic licking at 2am. The rust-coloured stain on one front paw. The skin between the toes that has gone pink and shiny. Paw licking is almost never boredom. Here are the five causes vets look for, and the ones you can act on tonight.