Archive for the Category »Puppy and Dog Health «

Is Pet Obesity a Problem?

By Admin
18
Dec 2009

Pet Obesity could be a problem for most pets. Obesity is commonly perceived as a problem for people and not animals. On the contrary, pet owners must be aware and concerned about their pets overall weight. Compared to other animals the domestic pet is prone to be the animal that is obese. It is estimated that about 25% of the pets are obese or overweight. 

Your pet cannot be evaluated by just measuring their weight. Every pet owner should observe the overall physical condition of the pet by comparing it with one of its own breeds. The ideal weight of your pet will vary depending on the particular breed’s characteristics and lifestyle.

A great way to help to determine if your pet is of ideal weight is by an overall observation. Physically looking at your pet and feeling your pet’s structure. What are you looking for to determine if your pet is of ideal weight? When observing your pet the ribs should not be visible to the human eye but should be easily felt without pressing. No on the opposite end if your pet’s ribs are highly visible your pet may be underweight. Your pet’s stomach or abdominal area should be tucked in not droopy.  Is your pet’s head in proportion to its body? Does your pet tire easily when walking from point to point?

When looking from behind your pet does your pet’s sides stick out or belly hangs low? According to veterinarians your pet should possess an hour-glass physique.

The best way to determine if your pet is of ideal weight is to take your pet to a veterinarian for a complete physical. Obesity decreases the life span in humans and is no different in pets. An obese or overweight pet is not healthy, and could develop many health issues and health complications prematurely. This in turn could shorten your pet’s life span.

The primary reason for pet obesity is a very simple reason, your pet has more to eat and not enough exercise. As a pet owner you need to keep tabs on feeding habits, rewarding pets with food, and adequate exercise for your pet based on the breeds characteristics. As with humans who are overweight and obese it is a life style change that is needed to bring your pet back to its ideal weight.

Consult your veterinarian in regard to what your pet’s ideal weight should be and a weight loss or maintenance plan that is necessary to maintain the pet’s ideal weight.

A healthy pet will give its owner many years of joy and happiness.

Category: Puppy and Dog Health  Tags: puppy diet, puppy health  Leave a Comment

Keeping Your Dog Tick-Free

By Admin
03
Dec 2009

Dogs tend to spend more of their summer time outdoors. Therefore it is very important to be careful of parasites, bugs and micro organisms that can harm your pet while they get their whiff of fresh air. Precautions are necessary to keep these dangers away from your puppy. One of these pests that can cause a lot of nuisance and damage are ticks since they carry diseases. In particular Lyme disease. Avoiding ticks should be a priority to the new pet owner.

Why Ticks?

Ticks tend to stick to warmer temperatures, water, and movement. Ticks do not transmit through the air. Their motion is limited to crawling. They transmit themselves by climbing up taller structures or plants and drop onto any living and moving human or animal. Puppies and adult dogs frolicking in the outdoors is very susceptible to acquiring these pesky little creatures. The danger of having ticks on your dogs body begins once the tick bites. The bite itself is painless and unfeeling but the place of bite might get infected in no time. Consulting a veterinarian is advisable for treatment which normally involves oral antibiotics. If your pet dog is diseased due to a tick bite, there is a risk of infection spreading to other pets.

How to keep ticks away from your pet dog

The best way to avoid ticks is to avoid walking your dog in the midst of vegetation during tick season. Always keep the vegetation around your house trimmed. Certain preventive medication products are also available, but first consult with you veterinarian for proper application and products. Products vary depending on the dogs age and weight. Remember these medications are suited for a particular pet, meaning what is used on an adult dog may not be suitable for a puppy. Again it is recommended you consult with your vet before purchasing or administering any medication to your puppy or adult dog.

Removing Ticks

When your pet comes back from outdoors make sure to check him carefully for ticks by inspecting his or her body. For long haired dogs it will require some moving of the hair around so you can get a good luck at your pet. Check the underside of the pet and areas that are not easily noticeable upon looking at the dog. They are normally found in warm areas, under the arms, in the ears, between the toes and in the folds of the skin. If you find any, remove them carefully. Do not touch the tick, use a alcohol swab, then pull it up slowly with tweezers. Make sure not to leave any parts of the tick sticking to your dog. If you are unsuccessful contact your vet for advice.

Part of puppy and dog ownership is assuring your pet is healthy and happy. By attending to your pets health needs you can expect many happy and healthy years with your pet.

Category: Puppy and Dog Health  Tags: health, puppy  Leave a Comment

Puppy And Dog Separation Anxiety

By Admin
26
Nov 2009

When you leave home does your dog behave poorly while you are gone? Does he or she urinate in the house, pace, excessively bark, chew and tear your furniture, rugs, or other items in your home? If so, your dog may be experiencing separation anxiety.

What is separation anxiety? This condition in dogs is a term used to describe poor behavior when your dog is left alone. The dog could be destructive, noisy, and anxious to the point he disturbs neighbors, destroys items in the home, or harms himself. Separation anxiety is a stressful reaction your dog experiences when they become upset or stressed at their owner for leaving them alone with strangers or alone at home by themselves.

Some dogs are more susceptible than others to separation anxiety. Some common behaviors your dog may exhibit that you need to recognize could be but not limited to:

Vomiting
Reduced Appetite
Urinating or Defecation in the home
Shaking and Pacing
Trying to escape
Panting profusely
Excessive whining or barking
Hiding
Aggressive Behavior

Not all dogs with separation anxiety will experience all of these behaviors. Some may experience these behaviors in a mild state or some may experience them in a severely unhealthy state. It is important to recognize any of these behaviors in your pet when leaving your pet for any period of time by himself. Once recognized there is treatment for this condition. Contact your veterinarian for an evaluation of your dog�s health. There are specific medications your vet can recommend. Stress is not good for any dog and that is basically what triggers the bad behavior. The stress of the separation between the owner and the dog.

There are others ways to help your dog with separation anxiety through proper puppy and dog training. Always remember to focus on positive reinforcement when training your pet. Help promote a more relaxed behavior by rewarding your pet with his favorite treats or toys. Do not yell or scold the dog for undesirable behavior because this only adds to your dog�s anxiety and stress. Positive reinforcement is really the key to your dogs overall health and behavior.

Reward only calm behavior. Do not reward the dog when the dog is hyper or stressed because this only affirms that behavior. Use attention, affection, dog treats, favorite toys, belly rubs, and other attention to your dog to reward calm and acceptable behavior.

A rule of thumb when leaving your pet is not to make the situation overly exciting or stressful. Don’t continue to talk to the dog as you are leaving. You may think that telling your pet to be a good boy or girl, or you will be home soon, is calming to your dog. On the contrary, this gets your dog anxious and excited which we are trying to avoid. Just prior to leaving you can give your dog a treat or his favorite toy as a distraction but then immediately walk out the door quietly.

When you return home do not get the dog excited by talking loudly or being overly excited yourself. Wait for your pet to calm down and then give him attention thus reinforcing the good behavior. Remove his favorite toy and put it up for additional training periods. Remember the favorite toy is a reward for good behavior. If the toy is allowed to be at the dogs disposal whenever he wants it then the reward no longer works.

A good way to help your dog coup with separation anxiety is to teach your dog to settle down in a specified location whether it is a dog crate, a corner with a dog bed, or on his favorite blanket in a certain location in the home. This will allow the dog to have a safe and secure sanctuary to retreat to when left at home alone. It will also teach the dog there is a safe location for him when others are home and he needs to rest.

Properly training your dog through rewarding him with positive reinforcement can improve your pet�s health and help to eliminate or at least control the behavior experienced when separated from his owner.

Separation anxiety is common amongst dogs and is treatable. This article is not a cure all for this condition and it is recommended that any dog owner who suspects their pet is experiencing separation anxiety seek the help of their local veterinarian for proper treatment.

Category: New Puppies, Puppy Training Steps, Puppy and Dog Health, Socializing A Puppy  Tags: agressive, agressive behavior, behavior, dog, puppy training, separationg anxiety, socializing puppy  Leave a Comment

What Do I Feed My New Puppy?

By Admin
26
Nov 2009

Are you feeding your puppy or adult dog the proper food for a healthy coat, aging process, and overall health? Does it really matter what you feed your puppy?

Yes, it does matter what you feed your puppy and adult dog as they age. To determine if you are feeding your puppy or dog correctly you must know what ingredients are in the puppy food and what type of puppy food is best for your dog.

The typical dog food that most dog owners use is commercial dog food. It is the easiest least expensive way to feed a dog and is more accessible. However is it the best dog food for your pet?

Let us look at the different types of commercial dog foods first. There are basically three commercial dog foods, dry, semi-moist, or moist (canned).

The dry dog food is the least expensive. Does this mean this is not considered healthy for your dog to eat? No it does not mean that. Many dry puppy and dog foods have the needed nutrients that your puppy, adult, or senior dog need to maintain a healthy and balanced diet. One advantage of dry dog food for puppies and dogs is that dogs normally have cleaner teeth due to the dry hard bits that scrape against their teeth basically cleaning them.

Semi-moist puppy and dog food come generally in little packets and are the next least expensive food. This food is semi-moist and is essentially soft little chunks. The disadvantage to this type of food is that this food tends to stick to your dogs teeth and gums harboring bacteria and promotes gum disease. Should you avoid this type of food for you dog? Absolutely not, this food is very tasteful to the puppy and dog and it too contains many vitamins and nutrients that are essential to a puppy and dogs development. A regular tooth cleaning is recommended to help the dog maintain healthy teeth and gums.

Moist puppy and dog food otherwise known as canned dog food is the third commercial dog food. Canned dog food is the most expensive of the three types of dog food. Canned dog food can be a supplement to your puppy or dog’s dry dog food to add flavor or as a treat for the dog. Moist dog food is ideal for dog’s that are elderly, have dental problems, or whose appetite is minimal due to an illness. Remember once you open canned dog food you must refrigerate for freshness and to avoid spoiling. A disadvantage that people mention when feeding their dog moist dog food is their stool tends to be loose. This is the opposite when a dog eats dry food where their stool is more solid. It all is personal preference in selecting the appropriate food for your pet.

Category: New Puppies, Puppy and Dog Health  Tags: dog, dog food, food, health, puppy, puppy diet, puppy healt  Leave a Comment

A Puppy Diet Is Important!

By Admin
26
Nov 2009

 Selecting a proper puppy diet takes careful consideration just like selecting a healthy diet for your family. You and you family have taken a considerable amount of time to select just the right puppy for your family so now you need to do the same in selecting the right diet for your puppy. You would not feed yourself or any family members anything but the best to maintain their health. It is no different for man’s best friend.

There are many ways to keep your puppy happy and healthy. A proper puppy diet that is nutritious is one of the best ways to positively influence the health and longevity of your pet.

When we talk about a puppy diet we are not talking about putting your puppy on a diet or diet food. We are talking about selecting the correct puppy food for you puppy that will be best for your puppy’s growth pattern, digestive system, breed, and nutrients.

The best place to begin when selecting a puppy diet is with your Vet. Your veterinarian wants only the best for your new puppy so ask for recommendations for puppy food and feeding schedules. Your veterinarian can advise you on the basics of a puppy’s diet.

Selecting a high-quality diet for your puppy will increase the likelihood of a long and happy life for your pet. A healthy choice for your puppy’s diet will include the basic vitamins and minerals that are essential for your puppy’s health. Again speak with your vet about your dog’s diet. They will be willing to help you make informed and educated decisions about your puppy’s diet.

A proper diet for your puppy will affect your puppy’s energy level, alertness, and agility. If the puppy’s diet is lacking, your pet may be sluggish or unable to rest contently. An improper diet could also result in digestive problems and unnecessary trips to a vet for your sick puppy. If your pet requires extra nutrition to run or walk considerable distances, a healthy diet is crucial. A proper diet for your puppy is just the right thing to do as a dog owner to ensure a healthy and lively animal.

Maintaining a healthy diet can also prevent or reduce reactions to food allergies your puppy may experience. Your puppy’s coat will reflect a nutritional and healthy diet and require less grooming. The type of puppy food you select can also make a difference in your puppy’s teeth and gums. Some puppy food can help sharpen and polish your puppy’s teeth as he or she grows.

Another important aspect of selecting the correct diet for your puppy is the excrement’s your puppy releases will be less requiring less cleanup of your yard and puppy crate. This is always a positive aspect of a puppy’s diet.

Can I give my puppy treats from time to time? Before including treats in your puppy’s diet ask your veterinarian if this is a good idea. It is nice to give the puppy an occasional treat for being a good dog or during training but be careful of dog obesity. Yes, puppies and dogs too become obese if not feed a proper diet.

As you can see, a puppy’s diet influences all aspects of a puppy’s health. Selecting your puppy’s diet wisely and consulting your veterinarian is great way to help your puppy grow to adulthood healthy and improve the quality of your pet’s life.

Category: Puppy and Dog Health  Tags: diet, food, health, puppy, puppy diet, puppy health  Leave a Comment