Showing posts with label Health Care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health Care. Show all posts

Tuesday, 24 August 2010

Puppy Snoring


It’s sleeping time! You are lying in bed waiting for sleep to carry you away to dreamland. Your eyelids become heavy and you are on the verge of nodding off. Rover lets out a big snore and you almost jump out of your skin. So much for getting a good night’s rest.

This scenario is a lot more common than you may think of. Most dogs do snore at least occasionally. Unfortunately, some puppies are able to rival the most adept of human snorers. Puppies and adult dogs snore for the same reasons that people do. The cause is that something is blocking the dog’s upper airways. Although canine snoring does not necessarily mean there are serious health issues, it can be irritating.

What are the conditions that have might affect your puppy’s snoring habit? Like humans, obesity is one of the most common reasons your puppy snores. The extra weight pushes on the airways, partially blocking the flow of air. You can determine if your puppy is overweight by looking down on him or her from above. If you cannot detect a waist, your puppy is overweight. Snoring caused by obesity can be corrected. Talk to the puppy’s veterinarian about a good diet and exercise regiment. Losing a few pounds can have a big effect on your puppy’s snoring frequency.

Some canine breeds are more prone to snoring than others. When it comes to snoring noses, dog’s breeds such as Pekinese, pugs and Boston terriers tend to lead the band. This is because they are more prone to nasal infections. It is rare to find flat-faced dogs that do not snore. A cold or allergies can cause puppies to snore, this is the cause of nasal congestion. Mucus plugs the airways, causing the dog to snore. This type of snoring usually stops when the cold is kicked or the allergies are identified and treated.

You could also be the reason or the cause your puppy snores, if you smoke cigarettes or cigar. Tobacco smoke is definitely an irritant to humans and canines alike. If you smoke and your snoring puppy keeps you awake, consider quitting or smoking outdoors only.

Dogs that are on tranquilizers or painkillers may snore even though it isn’t in their normal repertoire of tricks. This is because the medications cause the puppy’s muscles to relax to a degree where they press and partially block the dog’s airways.

Alcohol is another factor that can cause puppies to snore. As with humans, their bodies become very relaxed and the noise begins. Alcohol should not be given to dogs of any age. Watch to make sure your friends don’t offer intoxicating beverages behind your back. If your puppy snores, discuss the situation with the dog’s vet. It is wise to let the vet examine the dog to rule out tumors and cysts that can grow and block airways.

As with humans, snoring usually increases if the puppy is lying on his or her back. If the snoring is chronic, try giving the puppy a round bed that just fits his or her girth. This will cause the dog to curl up to sleep rather than stretch out on his or her back. Some dogs will snore no matter what you do and unfortunately, sometimes there is simply no solution.

Why Does Your Dog Have Bad Breath

"It Could Be Something He Ate - Or It could Be A Lot More Serious!"

You will already know the problem of dog bad breath. Your concern for your pet dog is well founded. The worry is that it could simply be bad dog breath OR it could be an indication that your favorite pet is unwell and needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

You will know here the possibilities why your dog has bad breath. Your concern about your pet’s hygiene is very important because this may indicate to any health problem. The worry is that it could simply be bad dog breath OR it could be an indication that your favorite pet is unwell and needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

Indications of bad breath in a dog could be the signs of
• Heart Disease
• Joint Disease
• Kidney Failure
• Digestive Disturbances
• And even worse - The death of your dog

You must take seriously your dog’s bad breath. It can be such a disappointment to discover that through no fault of his/her own your dog has a serious breath problem. But you want to help solve the problem as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Developing Your Dog’s Agility

Professional dog trainers always say that it is never too early for a puppy to get agility training. However, training older dogs is not necessarily going to become a problem. There is, however, the question of whether your dog is too old for training. The notion of being old deviates from one dog to another, depending on the dog’s experiences and its natural tendencies. Basically, age doesn’t necessarily matter in keeping a dog from training.


Nonetheless, it is generally suggested that puppies undergo training at an early age because their habits are not yet firmly rooted into their personalities, therefore they are easier to handle. When training old dogs, the trainer should keep in mind that the dog can still learn and that his time will not be wasted. The dog’s willingness to learn depends on how it perceives his master’s willingness to train him. To warm your doggie up for training, you could follow these approaches:

Physical Exercise

Agility training should be introduced to your doggies through exercising. The dedication of the trainer towards the dog will overrule the fact that the dog is not a puppy anymore, and this will make the endeavor enjoyable. Encouraging the dog to move can be done by chasing them around, letting them jump and be active in the process. Puppies are more active in exercising because they still have a lot of energy to burn.

Play time

Like little children, puppies can easily be taught exercises when it is done in a series. Take advantage of the fact the puppies are very active and can add through several channels and chutes, which introduces the training area as a big playground for them.
Letting your dog play around gives him enjoyment which he will carry all the way to the actual agility training.

Agility promotion

You may have a problem with setting up obstacle courses, i.e. no available space. You can augment the lack of space by building improvised tunnels and walls to use for his training.

Shorter is better

Although dogs do not have that drive to do activities on their own, they do it nonetheless because they know that it will please their owners/trainers. They do not get hooked into training unless their owners give them something to look forward to, like a treat or a favorable response. You should also keep in mind that dogs have a short attention span, and cannot be kept doing an exercise for a long period of time at once.
The moment you finally decide to train your dog, make sure that you keep every single training session as short as possible. It is not necessary to finish the whole exercise in one session. In fact, it is better if you divide the exercises into several activities that your dog could easily grasp. Never end the lesson negatively; always shower your dog with praises and treats to increase his motivation for the next sessions. It does not matter whether your dog is young or old to train him; it depends on building his responsiveness, independence, motivation to learn by itself and to follow commands, and also your personality when training him and in acknowledging his capacities.

Are you looking for new pet puppies? No. 1 Orlando Puppies pet shop is offering variety of puppy breeds.

Food Allergies in Dogs: An Increasing Threat

It seems that not only human allergies are increasing for the past 30 years; even dog allergies are.
In the total population of allergic dogs in the US, about 10% of these have dog food allergies. This follows the first two most common cause of allergy in dogs: Flea bite and atopy. Atopy is an allergic reaction characterized by an ill reaction towards a substance found in the environment.


Actually, it would take a long time before an allergic reaction to a particular dog food manifests in your pet. He would have eaten it before without any effects at all! The reason for your doggy’s allergic reaction is his immune system over reacting to an offending substance in his food. Although a specific protein is identified to be the root cause of food allergy, other ingredients in his dog food may also be categorized as the culprits. Pet owners should not identify food allergies to that of food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance. Every dog has a possibility of developing an allergy in his lifetime, but this is more common in younger animals. Allergies may also depend on the breed of the dog. Symptoms to food allergy may vary from dog to dog. Here are the main indications that your dog has food allergy:

• too much scratching;
• licking;

• vomiting; and

• diarrhea

Pet owners often assume that scratching and licking is just a part of the dog learning new things. This is not always the case, however, as this are the signs that something is bothering your pooch. If his actions are bothering you, don’t lash it all out on him because it’s not really his fault that he is sick.

What To Do If Your Dog is Allergic

It can be very depressing to see your dog feel depressed about his allergy symptoms. The more your dog ages, the more these symptoms will manifest and worsen. There is no need to wait if this is the case. However, desensitizing is not always reliable in food-induced allergies. The only way for pet owners to alleviate their pooch’s pain is to identify what ingredient he is allergic to.
If you suspect that your dog definitely has allergies, it is better to visit the veterinarian immediately so your pet could be subjected to tests and observation. There are several dog allergy tests that he may have to take; this will confirm or reject the roots of allergy. Identifying the kinds of allergy will eventually help you in choosing appropriate dog food for your dog and learn more about elimination diet.

The elimination diet process can be a difficult task for the owner, so the help of the vet should be sought here. You can always keep your dog on a hypoallergenic food diet while keeping in mind that it should be well-balanced. The need to switch dog food for several times may arise; pet owners should keep in mind that their pet’s health is what’s at stake. You should always consider that your dog might not only be allergic to his food but also to several environmental allergens. Always refer to the list of symptoms above to be sure if your pooch is already having an allergy when testing a particular dog food.

Saturday, 21 August 2010

Is your Canine suffering from Skin Infections and Irritations?


We might not know but our pets have also sensitivity in their health sometimes. The Labrador Retriever dog breed is prone to many healthy problems ranging from hip dysplasia to retinal damage. The most frustrating of all the healthy concerns found in this specific dog breed is Labrador Retriever skin allergies and irritations. After a few bouts of canine infected acne, it should not have surprised us when our youngest Labrador’s lip started to turn red, get inflamed and ooze greenish-yellow liquid.


We assumed it was canine infected acne again and began treating Cheyenne at home. Her dog bowls are stainless steel so we washed those again in the dishwasher on the sanitize mode. We threw out all of her toys just incase one of them was harboring bacteria. Her lip was cleaned with warm water and allergen-free soap after each meal and we even went as far as to clean the area with hydrogen peroxide twice a day. This was everything you would do for canine infected acne.
But it wasn’t.

After 3 weeks, the area kept looking like it was getting better and then it would get worse. It went from oozing small amounts of pus from the pours to small drops of blood. It was at that point we visited the veterinarian.

Cheyenne was poked and prodded to make sure nothing else was going on – nothing systemic. After that clean bill of health, the vet did a mange check (putting tape on the skin and pulling it off to see if mites were present), fungus check (florescent purple light which reflects fungus) and then a biopsy (skin scrapping to check for bacteria and anything else).

Everything came back good except the bacterial test. It was evident that her lip was already infected and the test concluded that oral antibiotics were in order. There was no way to put on topical creams since she would just lick them off so oral was the only way to go.
We walked out of the veterinarian with a bacterial skin infection diagnosis, 2 weeks of prescription antibiotics and $103 less in our pocket.

Was it worth bringing her to vet? Most definitely! We tried to fix Cheyenne at home with the knowledge we had about her earlier skin problems but nothing was working. It wasn’t affecting her behavior, eating habits or energy but you could clearly tell it was infected. If left on its own, it could have made her seriously sick with an infection that could have traveled throughout her entire body and infected her blood or organs.

There comes a point in a dog owner’s life when they just know in their gut that something is wrong and beyond his or her control. This was our moment and although it cost us a good chunk of change, the happiness and laughter that Cheyenne brings into our lives every day was well worth the price to keep her healthy.

Is your dog prone to skin infections? How long do you wait before you seek a vet’s assistance?


Are you looking for new pet puppies? No. 1 Orlando Puppies pet shop is offering variety of puppy breeds.

Monday, 16 August 2010

Home Care Training for a Puppy with Diarrhea

It is really a big challenge for a trainee to train a puppy that has diarrhea or irregular bowel movements. There are few reasons on how and why your puppy get to loose his/her stools. For assurance as an owner or a trainer to your puppies, you should always consult with your veterinarian whenever your puppy develop diarrhea.


First, be responsible to make sure that your puppy is not taking something that he shouldn’t be eating. Puppies love to explore, tend to find things and put them into their mouth and eventually eat it. This is one of the causes that lead to loose stools or the reason for them to have diarrhea. As a trainer, part of your puppy house training is making sure to puppy proof your house.


Second, do not feed your puppy any people food. Your puppy’s digestive system cannot handle it, and they may develop loose stools or diarrhea.
Third, for young puppies under 12 weeks old, your veterinarian should let you know on feeding your puppy around 3 times a day. Every dog is different, and also their digestive systems are different. In your house training, some puppies may need to be fed 4 or 5 smaller meals a day as their systems develop. This will help avoid overloading their digestive system, and allow time to digest their food. This can help your puppy avoid loose stools or diarrhea.

You will eventually have to cut out your work for you. Even though your puppy has diarrhea, you will not treat them as if they should be confine, they still be trained with the same training as if they don’t have diarrhea but with much more frequently.Keep an eye on your dog and read his body language. Be the one to initiate when your puppy tells you he has to go out to go potty. Yes, your dog can tell you when he has to go out.

Depending on how bad your puppy has diarrhea, you may just want to set up a schedule of taking your puppy out every 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or whatever seems best to let your sick puppy relieve himself and to avoid any accidents in your house.
You will also probably want to fast your puppy. This means that you should not feed him for up to 12 hours, until he stops defecating. After fasting your puppy, you may also want to start with feeding your puppy some plain canned pumpkin, or some boiled chicken with rice. You can see that they should also be cared as a person has a sick. Treat them as one of your love ones; after all, your puppy is your responsibility.

As always, anytime your dog has any health issues, you should consult with your vet for help. They may suggest you bring your puppy in for testing to make sure your puppy’s diarrhea is not something more serious. You also need to make sure your dog does not get dehydrated, which is a danger with diarrhea.

Always consult with your veterinarian for any health issues that your dog is having trouble with. They may suggest you bring your puppy in for testing to make sure your puppy’s diarrhea is not something more serious. Don’t let them be dehydrated if they have diarrhea, this is one of the risk factor that your dog will be dealing with.
You will be in tough position whenever your puppy gets diarrhea. You are responsible to take care of him without a problem. Don’t take the risk to put your puppy in danger of being sick. Secure him that you are being a good trainer and a best buddy to your dog. If they get sick in weekends, you don’t have any problem taking care of your puppy but if it happens to be weekdays and your busy with something, maybe you are having dilemma on how to deal with your puppy’s situation.

You have a puppy now. You will either have to stay home from work to make sure your puppy is taken care of, or have someone else take care of them. Preferably, this should be someone who has been taking part in your puppy’s house training, or someone who has experience in house training a puppy with diarrhea. Do not leave your puppy alone.

A puppy with diarrhea is a delicate situation, but this is a defining moment in your puppy house training. You must take the good with the bad, and this may be bad. But it is your responsibility.


Are you looking for new pet puppies? No. 1 Orlando Puppies pet shop is offering variety of puppy breeds.
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