Dog Hospital

Dogs Can Develop Heat Stroke Too

We are now entering the hotter months of summer and your dog’s health can be compromised greatly by the heat. Thus looking out for the safety of your pet should still also include keeping them cool and out of the sun.

For a dog’s health to be compromised by the heat, they do not have to be out in it for very long at all. Depending on where you live, will usually depend on how much heat your dog has the opportunity of being exposed too. That said, just because you live in a hot climate province or country, does not mean that your dog can fend off the heat better than a dog from a cooler climated location.

Heat stroke is more commonly found in dogs than one might think. To often, families will be so wrapped up with making sure that they themselves are protected from the sun that they simply forget about their dog. How many times have you been at the beach and seen families having a great time, with the family dog racing after the ball or jumping into and over waves in the water? I’ll bet you anything that if you check that dog out for sun protection, you would find not an ounce of sun screen on that dog’s nose. Yes,  nose, as it is this part of a dog’s body that lacks any sort of protection due to it being clear of any hair that might offer protection if it was there, leaving it vulnerable to severe sunburn.

Heat stroke can creep up on a dog without the dog owner even knowing it. This statement is even more pronounced when you take into account that the average dog owner does not even know; A that dogs can contract heat stroke, and B even if they did know, they surely do not know what symptoms to look for.

Symptoms that might be exhibited by a dog entering into heat stroke include but or not limited to; weakness, difficulty breathing, red tongue, thurst, vomiting, shivering, loss of appetite, etc. In most cases, removing the dog to a cool environment, wrapping them in a cool towel, and giving them measured drinking opportunities as to not cool him down to quickly is recommended.

Americans View Their Pets as Family Members

DIY Pet Vaccinations

If you choose to vaccinate your own dog or cat, there are a few things you should consider first.  Remember…any animal could have an adverse reaction to any vaccine. The probability is small, but if it happens, your pet could be in big trouble…fast!

Adverse reactions from vaccinations are rare but do happen. The worst case scenario occurs when the dog or cat has what is termed an ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION.  These hypersensitivity reactions cause a number of physiologic disturbances within the body that result in low blood pressure, slow heart rate and depressed breathing rate.  The pet goes into a SHOCK REACTION…meaning (among many other things) extremely low blood pressure and heart output.  Blood vessels dilate lowering blood pressure, the brain is starved for oxygen and unconsciousness occurs.   In thirty years of vaccinating pets nearly every day (over 200,000 doses administered!) I have witnessed three of these ANAPHYLACTIC REACTIONS.  They are very scary and require immediate life-saving measures to prevent an unpleasant outcome.   Fortunately for my three patients the reactions occurred right there in the animal hospital and I was able to reverse the shock.  Had these reactions occurred at someone’s home where no anti-shock medications and fluids were immediately available, those three pets would certainly not survived.

Some animal hospitals will sell vaccine to breeders, physicians and nurses, and other pet owners who wish to vaccinate their own pets.  A RELEASE FORM may be required to be read and signed prior to selling vaccines.  (NOT including Rabies vaccine…this is always administered by a veterinarian and should never be sold or distributed to anyone for use by someone other than a licensed veterinarian.)  Read the sample RELEASE FORM below and you will have a better appreciation for the variables that you should be aware of prior to making the decision to vaccinate your own dog or cat.

The Importance of a Good Dog Shampoo

Does your dog always having a lush, soft coat?

Does your dog’s skin remain rash and itch free?

If you said yes to either or both of the above questions, yours is a very fortunate dog.

More likely, like me, you said “No”, or, perhaps “Sometimes”.

Most of our dogs suffer from a dull coat and/or a skin irritation of some type from time to time.  Some poor dogs seem to be plagued by skin problems, which often causes them to molt, or even to pull their own fur out in an attempt to relieve the itchiness.

This can be caused by a number of things, including a vitamin deficiency.

Even if you think you’re feeding your dog an ideal diet, it may not be so.  For years my vet complimented me on the great health of my dogs due to the largely raw diet I fed them, but little did I realise that down the track they would begin to develop degenerative conditions which I can now only attribute to a failure to supplement with vitamins and/or balanced holistic food.

Yes, diet can impact on your dog’s skin condition and the look and feel of your dog’s coat in a big way.

And fleas also, of course, can cause major skin irritation for your dog.

But for now, back to the external, and non-parasitic, causes of an irritated, dry or itchy skin.

To keep your dog’s skin and coat in tip top condition and health, a good dog shampoo is really important.  When my dogs were younger I sometimes used cheap shampoos from discount stores.  I came to the conclusion that this was really false economy.  They cleaned the coat reasonably well, but weren’t particularly beneficial to the skin.

Now I use an all-natural, enriched shampoo which helps relieve itching and dry, flaky skin.  And the coat comes out really silky and it really seems to have a lovely shine.  And it has a tearless formula, so it’s kind to your dog’s eyes!

Your Dog Vaccination Schedule – Very Important

Many dog owners are not aware of the vaccinations required for their dogs, and their timing. Below is a list which should clear things (hopefully):

6-8 WEEKS:

• Physical examination
• First DHLPPC (Distemper, Leptospirosis, Hepatitis, Parainfluenza, Parvo virus, & Corona virus)
• Deworming

10-12 WEEKS:

• Physical examination
• Second DHLPPC
• Deworming
• Kennel Cough Vaccination

14-16 WEEKS:

• Physical examination
• Third DHLPPC
• Rabies Vaccination*

ANNUALLY:

• Physical examination
• DHLPPC Booster
• Kennel Cough Booster
• Rabies Booster*
• Deworming

Raw deal? Some feed their pets uncooked diet

BARF.
It’s what’s for dinner. Your dog’s dinner, that is. The acronym stands for Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, which is not so much a diet as it is a movement among pet owners who believe their pets will benefit from eating the same kinds of food their furry ancestors gobbled: bones, raw meats and veggies. Just as a raw food trend has turned more mainstream among people, a small but vocal community of pet owners is using the same quality ingredients they buy for themselves to create homemade raw meals for their critters.

But most veterinarians are wary about the trend toward raw food, or even meals that are cooked, but homemade. The idea of feeding pets raw meat, which has the potential to be contaminated with salmonella or E. coli bacteria, or a home-cooked meal that may not be properly balanced, gives them the shudders. “So many of these people are just trying to make their pets happy and have no concept of nutrition,” says Dr. Patty Khuly, who practices in Miami.

Although no studies have been conducted to assess the benefits of a raw food diet for cats and dogs, believers in the raw pet food movement say the evidence speaks for itself: Their pets have shinier coats, stronger teeth, fewer ear infections and improved weight control.

Bob Kurtz, who was already feeding his retrievers a high-quality dry food, recently turned to a commercial raw diet to solve a young Labrador’s skin allergies.

“Since switching to raw, we have found several major benefits,” he says. “Our dogs’ weights have stabilized perfectly. They now rarely change weight by more than a pound between checkups. They are lean and muscular, with coats that are even more beautiful and glossy than before. The ground bone in the diet does a great job of scouring their teeth, and all signs of plaque and tartar buildup have disappeared.”

Dog Training – Benefits to a Well Trained Dog

The benefits of having a well trained dog are aboundless. Owning a dog that knows his or her place in the family, is a pleasure as the amount of conflict that takes place between you and the dog is minimal to none at all. Training your dog to live as part of your family (pack) can be fun yet challenging at the same time, but if done efficiently, the benefits are life long and you will be thankful in the end.

The benefits are not all aimed at the dog owner, the well trained dog will hugely benefit from being trained, and you will see this in his behavior towards you, and his overall disposition. Dogs like to be aware of what their routine is. They are followers and need direction, and if you can give this to them, you and your pet will enjoy a lifetime of happiness together.

To often dog owners are unknowingly trained by their dog instead of the other way around. Allowing your dog to dictate certain aspects of your daily routine is their way of exerting dominance on you. Your dog exerting dominance towards you, is allowing for the possibility for future confrontations that could lead to anything from your dog biting you to you giving your dog away. The simple act of refraining to remove a dog’s toy because he growls at you is a pure sign of your submission. Your dog must understand that all possessions are yours and not theirs and you will decide when he can and can not have them.

How To Teach Your Dog To Stop Begging

A dog that begs obviously wants something. What the dog wants is not as important as how he asks for it. There are a variety of sources that teach an owner how to train the family dog. The steps involved are usually systematic and repetitive and you have to read pages and pages of content that you really do not need. Our goal here is simply to stop a behavior, that’s it. Your dog begs because it works, begging produces the desired results, whether it be a walk, food, play, or any variety of things that a dog may conjure in that little doggy brain. Now while this behavior works we cannot stop it, in fact it may be impossible to stop any cause and effect behavior, but it is possible to replace that behavior. Here are a few simple steps that will replace begging with two of the easiest “tricks” to teach a dog, down and sit. Down is simply a dog in a submissive lying position, while sitting is exactly what it implies. To teach these two behaviors will take repetition.

There are only three steps to teach these behaviors and they are extremely simple.

Step 1. Say the command Sit. (Tone is very important here, you must use the same tone every time you give this command. Dogs hear tone and stress in your voice and that is what they respond to.)

Step 2. After you have given the command you must now physically coach the dog into the proper position.

Step 3. After your dog begins to understand what you are asking him to do it will become easier and you may begin some sort of reward, you may begin the reward earlier if you wish, but it once he realizes there is a snack involved he will become much more accepting of his new “tricks”. Now you simply repeat at least every other day for about thirty minutes.

Now how does this help you curtail the begging behavior of your dog? When the behavior occurs you simply give the command of your choice. Over the period of just a few weeks the begging will stop and be replaced with either sitting or lying down. A dog will perform a behavior that gets results and if you only react when the dog sits they will learn that behavior. Simple.

Why Do Pets End Up in Shelters?

Every day in communities across Canada and the US, a bond is broken. It’s the bond between people and their pets, resulting in millions of pets being surrendered to shelters each year. And little has been known about the reasons why until now.

In a study conducted by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP) and published in the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (JAAWS), researchers went into 12 selected animal shelters in the United States for one year to find out why.

The results of the study show that the top seven reasons for relinquishment for both dogs and cats are the same. “These commonalties suggest that there may be similar ways to address relinquishment in dogs and cats,” says Pam Burney, NCPPSP president. “For people who work in a shelter all day, there isn’t always time to look at these issues. We have impressions of what’s happening, but now we have objective data that will help us develop specific programs to address the issues that have been identified.”

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Commercial Pet Food For Your Dog?

What you feed your dog is really SO important for your dog’s ultimate health, susceptibility to illness, and longevity.

You know, if you really want your dog to be as healthy as s/he can be, you should stop feeding ANY of the widely available commercial dog foods.

These are the types of dog food commonly found in supermarkets, and even about most of the supposedly superior brands sold in some supermarkets, pet food shops, and even by many vets.

The cheaper the brand, then generally the more full of garbage it is, but even many of the more expensive brands leave much to  be desired.

What do you think is an ideal diet for your dog?

- plump chickens?
- choice cuts of juicy beef and lamb?
- maybe a few healthy fresh grains for variety?
- the odd fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit?

You’d be right.

But how many of the above ingredients do you think go into commercial pet food?

A lot?  Only a little?  If you said yes to either of these, you’d be dead wrong.

The average commercial dog food bears NO relation to the above list of choice ingredients, despite what pet food manufacturers display in some of their marketing, and despite what the list of ingredients on the pack or can might tend to indicate.

There is very, very little (if any) of the above ingredients in the average commercial dog food, and by the time it’s been overcooked at sustained high temperatures, and sprayed with preservative agents, the resultant “food” can be very harmful to your dog’s health and wellbeing indeed.

Suffice to say that if you’re feeding your dog ANY commercially available dog food, you’re exposing your dog to a source of chemically enhanced, overprocessed, garbage, the meat source for which includes diseased carcasses which have been left for up to 5 days before being processed.

I should say that SOME of the expensive pet foods which are readily available ARE better than the cheaper brands.  BUT, most are still far from an ideal diet for your dog, so query whether the extra money is money well spent.

If the product says it’s “with real chicken”, did you know that it only needs to contain 3% of chicken?

If the first item listed is meat or chicken, did you know that this doesn’t mean that’s the main ingredient?

Take a close look at the label.  It’s likely to list a meat first, and then 2, 3, 4 or 5 types of grains.  This is a very misleading tactic used by the commercial pet food manufacturers.  Each of the grains individually may be slightly less in quantity than the meat.  But added together?  They’re probably nearly 2, 3, 4 or 5 times the quantity of the meat ingredient.

After having looked into this issue in a great deal of detail,  the most healthy diet for your dog is mainly fresh meat, with some fresh veges and a little grain thrown in.  And this alone is NOT enough.  You need to give your dog a vitamin supplement always, for optimal health.

And for the very best health, there ARE some reputable HEALTHY, wholesome, holistic dog food manufacturers, which really DO provide wonderfully healthy food for our dogs.