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Do You Have a Constipated Dog?
There are Many Ways You Can Help a Constipated Dog
Constipated Dogs Can be Made “Regular”
There is nothing worse than going on poop patrol with your dog and discovering that nothing wants to come out the other end! When we walk around with our dog and wait and wait and encourage them to go, and they try desperately but can’t seem to get it to move…we start getting stressed. It’s as simple as that. Now that we all are stressed, our dog picks up that energy from us and there is no way they will ever be able to go! We have a constipated dog!
The viscious cycle of constipation in dogs is not good for them and it is not good for us. Everyone gets stressed over it and stress is just as bad as a dog with constipation. Just like stress shrivels up our vitality with life so does dog constipation shrivel up their stools and make life more difficult to pass those little rockets and run around enjoying life.
To recognize a dog that is constipated, you will see them straining to go and the end result will be hardened and dried up little balls. The dog may only defecate once every three days and that is not a good thing. A healthy dog will defecate once or twice every day, depending on their doggie diet and lifestyle. There are many reasons… Continue reading
Are Your Dog Paws Neglected?
Dog Paws and Their Needs
Why the Dogs Paw Needs Attention
Our dog paws need protection from the elements and from injury just like our feet need protection. Despite them having tougher skin and a fatty cushioning for protection, they endure much wear and tear and are constantly subjected to potential injuries. In addition to this, if their nails are not kept trim, their dog feet will suffer and they could wind up with additional injuries.
When we realize that our dogs paw pads are subjected to many adversities, we will look at them a little more closely. In fact, we need to examine their dog feet everyday. By examining them we are not allowing any foreign object to become deeply embedded should there be something stuck in the webbing between their toes or in the paw pads themselves.
Dog paw injuries can happen from any of the following… Continue reading
Understand Ugly Dog Worms
Worms in Dogs is Common
Don’t Freak Out – What You Need to Know about Dog Worms
Our dogs can get worms from many different places. Food sources is one of the most common and devouring other animal feces is another potential culprit. Flea infestations and mosquitoes can also bring on a bout of worms in dogs. These intestinal inhabitants are usually one of the following kinds: roundworms, tapeworms, hookworms or whip worms. Heartworms live in the lungs and heart and ringworms are not really a worm but technically a fungus on the skin. Yuck! Kind of makes your skin crawl.
We all know our dogs lick their paws, their private parts and many other places. They are bound to get something sooner or later. We also have to remember that dogs’ saliva has healing properties and is able to withstand an onslaught of foreign substances. So even if they lick themselves and then go to lick you they are not that dangerous to contaminating our spotless and bacteria free environment that we think we live in!
Whether it’s from food or drinking water that dogs and worms mingle together, it is unavoidable. Somewhere down the road of discovery your dog will meet with the ugly worm! So since they are going meet without even introducing themselves to each other, you need to understand the different ugly dog worms and where they will decide to launch or hibernate in your dog. You need to know… Continue reading
Diarrhea in Dogs Could be Fatal
How Do I Help My Dog with Diarrhea?
8 Tips You Need to Know about Diarrhea in Dogs
Diarrhea is a scary condition in our dogs that can be fatal. Usually it is brought about by some food our dogs have eaten, however, there are times when our dog has diarrhea for no apparent reason. Every dog will experience dog diarrhea at some point in their life, it is when it is persistent that it changes the picture to seriousness. Diarrhea can me mild or severe, depending on the situation. You need to see a vet if your dog with diarrhea is an ongoing event!
Ongoing events can be as drastic as carrying poop bags in every pocket of your coat for fear of an accident in public that you may not have enough damage control for, to every time you feed your dog it has an episode of a dog with diarrhea event. If my dog has diarrhea, I will not go in public. End of story. There are not enough poop bags to handle this situation and I will not subject another dog to potentially catching something my dog may have by coming in contact with the dog diarrhea.
Here are 8 tips we need to know about when dealing with dogs and diarrhea. There are many more circumstances but for generalization purposes these are crucial to know:
Is My Dog in Pain?
Pain in Dogs Needs Our Attention
How to Recognize Dog Pain and How You can Help
It is worrisome to us if our beloved dog is in pain. Sometimes we may not be sure if they are and the nagging question can haunt us. There are many conditions to consider when determining if our dog is in pain, and how well you know your pet is one of them. Every dogs reaction to pain is going to be different and their personality has much to do with it.
There are many conditions that can cause pain in dogs and our precious pets can hide it extremely well at times. This is where reading body language becomes important. The more aware we are of how our dogs behave and why they do some of the antics they do, the easier it will be for us to determine if our dog is in pain. The following are some examples of how dogs in pain can respond:
Which Dog Food do You Feed?
Is it Raw or is it Cooked?
Perhaps it is something like a little square or heart shaped nugget from a bag?
We all have our feeding preferences! Some like it raw and real and some like it cooked and pleasing to the eye. Whatever the choice is, the most important factor to consider is the nutritional value your beloved dog is getting from it all. Not any one dog food diet is correct for every dog.
Which dog food is right for your dog? Well, myself I do the process of elimination if my dog has health issues. I used to feed kibble diets, then I cooked for my dogs, and finally I evolved into a pure state of RAW! Hmm, what can I say, the health benefits I have seen are so incredible compared to what I used to feed them! My dogs don’t lie and they don’t create dog health problems from stress like us humans do! If they are stressed they chew a toy, a shoe or something else that will get them in trouble. The following are very desirable in their dog food. Continue reading
Dog Health – Eight Simple Steps for a Healthy Dog
It is So Simple – Just Follow these Eight Steps
We have a dog that we love with our entire being. There isn’t anything that we don’t possess in our body and mind that can deny that fact. We will do whatever it takes to the end of the earth to make sure they are healthy and happy to their very last day. Yet despite our hardest efforts, our beloved companion is not a healthy dog.
You feed them a high quality food, give them a walk every day and get their regular check-ups at the vet and vaccinate regularly. What could be wrong? They are loved, you give great attention to your healthy dog because that is what you want; a healthy dog! How come they have dog health issues when you are looking after them so well?
One of the simplest tasks to do is to make a check list of everything you do for your dog. When you have created this list look for where holes could be to their well-being. By that I am referring to cracks in the overall picture where things could be better or modified. That can pertain to diet, grooming, exercise, socializing, stimulation, training, and many more. The following is a guideline you can check your dog care up against to see if something can be improved upon. Continue reading
Allergies and Skin Disorders
Our companions can develop symptoms of an allergy or skin disorder at any time in their life. The more compromised their immune system is the greater the chances of something like this happening. Any dog that is genetically weak and fed poor quality food, plus exposed to daily stress, is a prime candidate for an allergy or skin eruption to occur.
The constant scratching or chewing on the skin culd be anything from flea-bite sensitivities, a reaction to vaccinations, or chemicals in the environment or diet. We need to look back at what we fed our dogs or what events happened leading up to the cause. There are many contributing factors that could potentially come into play here.
Many conventional treatments usually encompass antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines or as much as tranquilizers for the cure all. All of these only give temporary relief and in the end can only create a much worse case scenario of liver disease, adrenal disease or kidney failure. There are many side effects… Continue reading
Hydrotherapy for dogs monitoring
We all know that any exercise program needs a warm up session and a cool down session. In the case of dog hydrotherapy it is the same. This can be as simple as the exercise starting out slowly and increasing in intensity and then slowing again before it ends. For particular conditions, it can be massage, stretching or land-based exercises, during rest breaks or between bouts of exercise.
With the underwater treadmill, the intensity of the exercise is controlled through the depth of the water and the speed at which the dog is walking. With swimming in dog hydrotherapy pools, the intensity is controlled by the number of laps swum before a rest time, the rest time and the use of a bouyancy vest.
The duration of the treatment time is affected by the following:
- the dog’s prior experience with water
- anxiety
- age
- weight
- pre-existing conditions
- recent surgery
- previous fitness level
Hydrotherapy types
Dog Pools for canine hydrotherapy come in many forms
Well, brace yourself, there are so many types of hydrotherapy for dogs available than ever imagined! Everyone has different needs and styles, and while some work for others, some just don’t work at all. The type of hydrotherapy program for your dog will be determined by:
- the assessment
- the findings
- the size of the animal
- the equipment available
- and what your goals are
For very small animals, there are a number of different hydrotherapy methods which can be used. Some will be more effective than others, and some may not really work at all. The following is a list of what these might entail:
- sink
- bathtub
- whirlpool
- children’s wading pool
- beach
- dam
- lake
- river
- above-ground or in-ground human swimming pools
- purpose-built dog pools
- underwater treadmills
For larger animals there is a smaller selection to choose from: Continue reading