Pat, Cat & Dog

Posts Tagged ‘dog health’

If you’re a first time puppy owner, you’re probably starting to wonder about your new responsibilities. Now that you’re responsible for another life, it’s important that you understand what these responsibilities entail.

Your puppy’s diet is first on our list. Puppies are on their mother’s milk until they are about six to eight weeks old. This weaning age is usually when breeders allow the puppies to be taken home by their new owner. Ask your breeder what the pup is currently eating and continue to feed him that. Usually they will be eating a soft canned food mixed with puppy milk replacer. Use less and less milk until your puppy is on pure canned food. You can do the same when switching to dry food by mixing in a little soft food and then cutting back a little each day until the puppy is on dry food only. Dry food is recommended as the best type of food for dogs as it has less fat content and keeps your dog’s teeth strong and free of plaque build up. This should happen gradually over the course of about 7 – 10 days. You should never feed your dog human food (ie: table scraps) at any time during his life. A dog’s diet requires a specific balance of certain nutrients and feeding your dog table scraps will upset this balance. Also remember to keep a water bowl filled for your pup at all times.

Your next concern should be to see that your dog gets all of the required vaccinations. Some breeders may start the vaccination process, so check with your dog’s breeder to find out if any vaccinations have been given to your pup. There are three shots given three weeks apart. These shots are referred to as the “core” injections. They help to prevent your pup from contracting distemper, parvovirus, and hepatitis. You can have the first shot administered when your puppy is 6 weeks old. Your veterinarian may suggest vaccinations to prevent illnesses that are a concern for certain breeds or demographic regions. These are called non-core vaccinations as they are not a requirement for all dogs. To be on the safe side, we recommend you keep your dog away from other dogs (that are not in your home) until your puppy has completed his round of core vaccines. They will become effective about 10 days after the last vaccination.

Our next health tip is grooming. Regardless of the breed of your puppy, all dogs require a certain amount of grooming. For instance, long-haired dogs will require much more brushing and haircuts than other breeds, but there are also some breeds, particularly the ones with long ears, that need their ears cleaned frequently to avoid infection. All dogs need to have their nails clipped every so often, but we recommend that you have this done professionally if you aren’t experienced at the job, as clipping too close to the quick in your dog’s nails causes a great deal of pain and bleeding. Do a bit of research on your puppy’s breed to get a good idea as to what your grooming responsibilities will be.

Last but not least is exercise. Puppies are energetic by nature and need an outlet. Take extra care to spend time playing with your pup and make sure he gets plenty of time outdoors (other than trips to relieve himself!). Boredom can often result in excessive chewing as well as destructive behaviour, so the more time you dedicate to wearing out your spirited companion, the happier he will be! A great exercise trick is to buy dog steps and teach your dog fun games that incorporate running up and down the stairs. Pet stairs are also handy to have around if you allow your dog on the couch or bed so he doesn’t have to jump to and from the furniture.

For more tips on raising a healthy pup, visit HelpYourPets.com.

Pet owners believe different things about their cat health care and dog health care practices, but not all of them are true, so it is worth evaluating what is right and what isn’t before its too late. As a nation, we love our pets, but when it comes to looking after them properly and knowing the truth, we don’t always get it right.

Misconception 1: Neutering my cat or dog is bad for its health

Wrong! In terms of cat health care and dog health care, neutering is actually very good and it can calm the animal down and make it a more relaxed pet to be around. Some think that neutering makes the animal fat and lazy, but this is only the case if you feed it more. Don’t misconstrue laziness for loyalty though, as dogs and cats tend to prefer to stay close to you when they have been neutered. There is some research being conducted to determine if neutering can shorten an animal’s lifespan, but there is no sufficient evidence at present to suggest this is correct.

Misconception 2: Dogs know when they have done something wrong

Trust us that this isn’t true. Some dogs do not know when they have been badly behaved and they will continue to misbehave if they don’t get appropriately informed that what they have done is wrong. As you would a child, show the dog what it has done wrong so it learns. If you don’t do this, how can it ever learn? Try and shift your voice to sound angry rather than getting high-pitched as this relates too closely to happy sounds. Don’t hit your dog though, as this is very bad pet ownership. In fact, no dog health care routine should involve hitting the pet. The same applies to any mistreating of cats and kittens – this is not good cat health care.

Lets bear in mind that there are many things you can end up believing about dogs and cats, but be sure to check out the truth before putting any dog health care or cat health care practices into motion. As an expert in the field, a vet will be able to advise you about what is right and wrong with dog or cat health care.

So, you presumed this was only you who could stock different clothing items in your wardrobe? Well, not really! Your pet too has many options to choose from in dog clothing. From modern jackets to stylish sweat suits, your pet has heaps of options to select from.

One of the most preferred and well-liked dog clothing item is jacket. You should buy a dog jacket in each style possible. Some of the popular options in this context are turtle necks, padded jackets fake fur, thermal hoods, hoodies and lots more.

When it comes to dog jackets, countless options are available to you. You will find them in many styles as acceptable for every occasion. One popular option is sport jacket. You can dress your dog in a sport jacket when taking him / her for a stroll. If you would like your dog to be dressed to kill for a party, it is commended to grace him with corduroy jacket or fashionable silk jackets.

It’s an acknowledged fact that dressing female dogs is comparatively easier as you have numerous options to select between. You have a range of wonderful and lovable clothing’s that you can dress your dog in. They form the best clothing line for your female dog. However, if you want an off-the-cuff look for your dog then floral made public dresses are the ideal pick. You can also settle in for the ones which have minimum fur and laces. Some other fashionable options for you are tank tops, spaghetti style, halter neck and several others.

For the male dogs, the basics of style and fashion are served by smart looking dog shirts. Just like you can get stripes, checks, prints and other patterns to make shirt for human males, the same options may also be found in shirt options for male dogs. Again, the shirts are basically formal wear. Specially made polo necks or round necks are available for causal wear.

If you are among those people who like both style and utility in a clothing item, you will need to select sweat suits. Your pet can wear them when you take it for a stroll or it can wear them in general, when it is in the house. To add more to the application factor, you can get sweat suits for dogs which offer protection from heat as well as rain.

There are countless color options in sweat suits.But, ensure that you go in for the one that suits the color of your dog. If you have a brown dog, you can go in for soft colors like pale pink or emerald green. Sweat suits in pastel shades are a sensible choice if you’ve got a white dog.

So next time you go out shopping, ensure that you shop for these must haves for your pet too. This will enable you to take your dog out in its most trendy and stylist form possible. In addition to that you are certain to make many heads turn too.

Dogs are very curious animals and as omnivores and natural scavengers, can get into and eat just about anything. Remember though that there are numerous toxic things in the home that could prove fatal for your pooch. The following is a list of 4 common household substances that you should make sure to keep out of your dog’s reach. Just by following these simple steps you can make sure your dog health care routine is boosted.

1) Antifreeze: Although not widely known, antifreeze can be a killer for dogs. It smells and tastes very sweet to your dog and is very appealing to him. The core ingredient of antifreeze is ethylene glycol and this is very dangerous. The symptoms of ingesting a toxic substance are awful, and your dog will end up with kidney failure. You can prevent this painful death by just making sure the product is kept far out of reach. If you suspect that your dog has ingested antifreeze, take him to the vet immediately for a dog health check.

2) Chocolate: Baking chocolate and dark chocolate are very dangerous. While it usually takes a somewhat large amount of chocolate to kill a dog, poisoning and death do occur with smaller amounts ingested. The symptoms you need to be aware of with chocolate poisoning are diarrhoea and vomiting. Your dog might even suffer seizures and it can raise the heartbeat. Even the slightest suspicion that your dog might have even chocolate means you have to visit the vet to get checked out. Chocolate is bad for your dog’s health.

3) Bleach: As you might imagine, household bleach is toxic to dogs. All bleach-related products are to be kept high up out of a dog’s reach.   Symptoms of bleach poisoning include drooling, vomiting, and abdominal pain.   Do NOT induce vomiting if you suspect your dog has ingested bleach and contact your vet immediately. Remember that by doing these simple things, your dog health care routine stays in check.

4) Mouthwash: Highly toxic to dogs is an owner’s mouthwash, and this is commonly found in the home. Mouthwash poisoning can even send your dog into a coma, which is a heartbreaking thought. Once again, any mouthwash ingestion requires a visit to the vet.

If you own a pet then you have to take responsibility for it and this means looking after its health and keeping toxic products out of reach. As owners, we try our best to keep on top of a dog health care routine, but its no good washing them and grooming them if you then poison them accidentally with household substances. As long as you stay vigilant, you shouldn’t need to visit the vet with a sick dog that has just ingested something toxic.

According to surveys made by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the third most common problem that veterinarians treat among dogs that are brought to them is canine diarrhea. If this has ever hit your dog, you know how much this can disrupt your daily life. Your dog’s stomach problem may come from an overgrowth of bacteria in their intestines, but its also possible that this might be due to overfeeding. More troublesome cases can include bloating of the stomach and intestines or stomach cancer.

If the dog’s stomach problems are not accompanied by vomiting and a sudden lack of appetite, the problem may be mild and you can handle it yourself. We’ve got some tips you might find helpful if your dog has loose bowel movements. But if your little dog is vomiting or showing blood in his feces, you need to put him in the car and drive directly to the vet’s office.

But sometimes stomach problems and loose bowels are just side effects from diet changes, super snacking or digging through the trash in the kitchen. Other reasons for this might involve worms that can make bacteria grow in your dog’s intestinal tract.

If you see worms in your dog’s feces, either spaghetti looking or rice like in appearance, you can get an OTC de-wormer medicine and this might just do the trick. However, certain parasites like Giardia and other non-visible worms are not easily treated by dewormers. This will result in continuous stomach problems and further loose bowel movements. When this happens, you need to scoop up some of your dog’s stool and carry it off to the vet office for further testing.

You can probably handle mild stomach problems yourself simply by letting your dog fast without anything to eat just for one whole day. This is with the assumption that everything else with your dog except the loose bowel movement is normal and there are no unusual symptoms being exhibited.

After a day of no food at all for your dog, give him or her a meal made of boiled hamburger, chicken and white rice with all the fat drained off of the meat. Just give your little dog friend small portions of food a half a dozen times a day until his feces are normal again. In some cases, vets would recommend the addition of small quantities of yogurt to the diet to add beneficial bacteria into their digestive system.