posted by Tess on Jan 31
Kennel cough is an extremely contagious illness that can affect your canine pet. It technically called tracheobronchitis and affects the upper respiratory tract causing an inflammation. The disease is mainly caused by a Viral Infection like distemper, parainfluenza, or adenovirus but can also be caused by bacteria like Bordetella bronchiseptica.
The illness derives its name from the fact that the main symptom of the condition is a dry cough that sounds like a honk that gives the impression as if something is stuck in the throat. The word kennel has been given to the problem since it is highly infectious and can be spread easily in kennels and places that board dogs.
The virus or bacteria spreads through air and physical contact is not necessary and since the virus is air-borne, the virus can spread when an infected dog in the vicinity sneezes or coughs. And therefore, it is essential that the infected dog is isolated from all others. The reason why the disease becomes extremely rampant in any area that has even a single dog with the condition makes it almost impossible to contain. The symptoms of kennel cough appear about a few days after exposure and once contracted the disease will last for anywhere from 10 days to three weeks.
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posted by Tess on Jan 25
Kennel cough, an extremely contagious infection among dogs is very similar to common cold and cannot be treated. The only real treatment for the disease is to see it through for the 15 to 20 days that it may last. The only thing that you can do if the disease has already hit, is to take good care of your dog, keep him in a humid, warm environment and reduce the level of exercise that he may be used to.
Knowing the symptoms and treatments of kennel cough can go a long way in identifying the problem well in time so that proper care can be taken. The ideal way to tackle kennel however, is to prevent it from ever happening. There are various vaccines that can be given to dogs as young as a few weeks to avoid the problem completely.
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posted by Tess on Jan 19
If you have a pet at home, you naturally want him to display best behavior and not harm humans or spoil indoor décor or create trouble outside. For this purpose you have to care for your pet in a manner that is conducive for the pet you have, whether it is a cat or a dog or any other pet that you may have chosen to keep.
When you bring home a pet it means you are adding a member to the family. Just like other members of the family, pets too require health care. Although sometimes you will see a veterinarian prescribe similar to human drugs for your pets, health care for pets is however pretty different from what we are used to in regards to humans.
One of the most common mistakes that we commit is with regard to feeding our pets. We usually tend to associate our own dietary habits on our pets without realizing that pets are animals and are structured differently. For example, dogs require to be fed according to their weight and that too only once or twice a day. On the other hand, some pets like cats and dogs need to be neutered to avoid strong urine and unwanted pregnancies.
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posted by Tess on Jan 16
Pets, especially dogs, occupy a special place in the hearts of their owners. Like that of any other family member, the dog’s health is your responsibility. Whereas common ailments like ticks, skin problems, anal blockages, can easily be handled with the aid of Homeopathic medicine for your pets, Cat Herbal Remedies, and Dog Herbal Remedies some of the canine health problems are serious in nature but can be avoided by regular checkups by a veterinarian who will advise you of the prevention and cures for these.
One of the major threats in canine health is a heart disease that can be acquired or congenital in nature. Heart disease in dogs occurs mainly when normal blood flow is restricted when the dog’s heart valves do not close properly or the muscular walls of the dog’s heart are thinned and weakened. Difficult breathing even while at rest, fainting, a loathing for exercise, loss of appetite, and weight loss are indicative of an impending heart failure.
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posted by Tess on Jan 15
Even though we may love our dogs as much as ourselves or any other member of the family, the fact that they belong to a different species and therefore have different needs and behavior patterns needs to be realized. One major mistake that most of us end up making is that we offer the same foods that we eat or like to eat to them assuming that they should be treated just like other humans.
This so called good deed of ours actually may cause a lot of harm to our pets since their requirements of diet, exercise, love and comfort are different. A large dog with lots of hair does not need a warm blanket to sleep on in winter. Nature provides them with the required apparatus to keep them warm. But in case you have a dog that originally belongs to a different environment or region as your pet, you may have to see that he is comfortable in the new climate that you have brought him to.
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posted by Tess on Jan 12
The similarity in overall behavioral patterns between dogs and human beings has earned them the exceptional sobriquet “man’s best friend.” The loyalty and devotion of pet dogs resembles the human idea of love and affection to such a great extent that dog owners view their pets as family members.
Like any other family member, dogs too get sick and contract diseases and deserve as much of your attention and care, as does any other family member.
Dogs are vulnerable to the same illnesses as human beings including Diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, heart disease, and arthritis as well as some dog and animal specific diseases. Some of the common diseases that you can come across in your pet dog are those of presence of parasites like fleas, ticks, and mites, common ailments like coat condition, diarrhea, and allergies. Some dog specific diseases that may surface include anal gland infections as well.
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posted by Tess on Jan 10
Pets are fun to play with. Once inside your home, they become members of the family. However, as they are not in their natural habitat, proximity to human population results in infections for which they need cure. The fact that dogs cannot communicate and express the discomfort that they feel when they get sick makes it essential that we make sure that we observe them carefully to be able to spot an impending disease close to onset to be able to tackle it. In most of the cases pet owners have to go to great length to discover whether the pet they have so lovingly brought up needs medication or is simply behaving as per his nature.
Once it is established that your pet needs medical attention the only recourse that automatically comes to mind is that of consulting a veterinarian. Many times you might perceive that the more you try to suppress an illness by excessive doses of drugs, the more the illness expresses itself with greater vigor. Strong medication often leads to health imbalances and chronic diseases and start affecting vital organ functions.
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posted by Tess on Jan 8
He’s not fat, he’s fluffy. That’s what you keep telling yourself anyways. However, the reality is your dog is obese. This is a medical condition that should be taken seriously. Fat dogs are more at risk in surgery, more prone to heat related stress, more prone to injury, and have more stress on their heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and joints. A sign of obesity is heavy fat over the ribs, along the spine and around the tail head. On a fit dog, you should be able to see their waist when looking at them from above & their tummy should be tucked up when looking at their profile.
Obesity in dogs is caused by two things: overeating & not enough exercise. It’s really that simple. Overeating comes from feeding our dog out of guilt. We didn’t have enough time to take them for a walk today, so here’s a big fat treat. The good news is obesity is a reversible condition.
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posted by Tess on Jan 4
Dog territory marking, dog scent mixing, male spraying, dog marking - it does not matter what you call such bad dog behavior. It may be dog instinctive behavior, but no one wants a dog relieving itself in the house!
Let’s say you have an aging male dog who, up until now, has been somewhat of a model citizen. You want you new puppy to learn from him so that training will be easier, and the pup will grow up with some social skills.
You bring the new pup home. The old dog tolerates him, but he clearly is not thrilled to have another male in his house. In a situation such as this, we humans feel a bit guilty, and we want to give the old timer extra affection to be sure he does not feel left out.
Instead of reacting emotionally, the best thing to do, in reality, is to allow the dogs to acclimate to one another. Correct the old dog if he is too rough on the newcomer, but surely correct the pup if he is out of line. Balance is the only thing that will bring harmony between two males (actually, any dogs being together need this balance).
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posted by Tess on Jan 2
The objective of crate training your dog is to teach him/her to go into its crate for safety, obedience and behavior control.
Your dog will love the crate with proper training as the crate will act as a den for your dog where it can feel secure and comfortable, the same way dogs like going under tables, sofas, or beds.
Crate training has also been proven that it is a very convenient and effective way to housebreak a dog at the same time as dogs generally do not like to soil on the areas where they rest.
This training can also come in handy when you are traveling with your pet as the crate can be utilized to transport your dog around safely.
Overall, crate training is an effective training method and is often used by many dog lovers, owners and trainers alike.
Choosing A Crate
Selecting a crate depends on whether you have a puppy or an adult dog.
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