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An essential to your dog’s health is his/her regular annual checkup with the vet. Whether or not you choose to have your dog vaccinated* at this time, the annual chekup is also an excellent opportunity for a thorough physical examination to be carried out, and a time to discuss any minor problems or issues which you feel may be affecting your dog’s health or wellbeing. This is a time when your vet may pick up inherited diseases and the like (when your dog is young) so they can be treated early, or just kept an eye on. And as your dog gets older, the vet may find the early signs of more sinister illnesses.

I recently took my dogs for their annual checkup, and for the first time alarms were raised about matters of significant concern - it was thought that Kara might have early stages of lymphoma (cancer) - which, fortunately, tests then proved to be not the case. And Jet apparently has something akin to the early stages of cataracts in humans in her eyes, and according to the vet, Jet is likely to go progressively blind over the next several years. At least knowing this in advance gives me the opportunity to watch for any developing signs and, if and when necessary, adapt her outings and home environment to take into account any sight loss, and most importantly, it has made me realise that vitamin and mineral supplementation in dogs is actually a very wise idea.

Worming and “de-flea-ing” your dog are the commonest forms of health measures which you probably undertake yourself for your dog. Fleas infest almost every dog at some time. Sometimes a lot of the time. Dogs which socialise with other dogs outside the home tend to become infested the most often. Fleas can carry disease and parasites, including tapeworm.

But fleas are extremely irritating for your dog. They often cause intense itching, which in turn can cause your dog to damage his/her skin by vigorous scratching. Some dogs are allergic to flea bites. Even after the fleas have been doused with flea poison and killed, the cycle of itch, scratch, itch, scratch, can remain.

My Rottweiler has been terribly affected two or three times now by this self-perpetuating cycle caused by her allergy to flea bites. Most of the skin damage has been caused by Kara incessantly scratching and injuring herself.

A dog with an infestation of fleas is neither a healthy nor a happy dog. So at the first sign of a flea, it's important to treat your dog for this very common problem. And those pesky fleas don't always readily show themselves. So if your dog is scratching more than usual, the first thing to do is a thorough search through your dog's coat. If you sight even one flea, treat your dog immediately. Some people treat routinely just because it's flea season, and still others actually treat throughout the year. And of course, it goes without saying that if you have more than one animal, you must treat them all at the same time.

This way, you'll ensure that your dog is as healthy and happy as can be!

* There are natural alternatives to vaccinations, and signficant controversy as to whether vaccinations are necessary to desirable. For further information, subscribe to the Healthy Happy Dogs newsletter.

(c) 2004, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs

About The Author

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in natural health for dogs. For your free special dog health report, as well as weekly tips, information, strategies and resources for a healthier happier dog, go to http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com and submit your name and email address.

npodsystems@yahoo.com

Written by: Brigitte Smith

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Advice Dog Dog Health Health.blogspot.com Article

There are numerous poisonous substances that can be fatal to dogs and cats, but accidental poisoning can be avoided in most cases if we remember to keep as many of these substances out of reach of our pets. If you suspect that your dog or cat has been poisoned take a moment to try and retrace their movements to detect what type of poison they were exposed to, and then get the animal to the veterinarian at once. No matter what remedies may be suggested here or from other sources, always take the affected animal to a veterinarian as soon as possible, as this may be the only way to save your pets life.

Food poisoning is probably the most common because dogs are not discriminating in the selection of substances they eat if they find the smell attractive, and if their owners want to give them a “treat” in the form of table scraps, leftovers, candy, and drinks, (this is especially true around the holidays). Vomiting and diarrhea are common complaints in the vets office around Thanksgiving and Christmas. The rich food, spoiled leftovers, non digestible bones, candy, and drinks can’t be tolerated by most pets. Spoiled food contains bacterial toxins produced by salmonella and pets suffering from bacterial toxemia must have veterinary treatment in the form of intravenous fluids and antibiotics just to survive.

Chocolate contains Theo bromine and caffeine which are both toxic to dogs and cats. Baking chocolate contains more of these chemicals than milk chocolate does, but both forms can be potentially lethal. A small dog can receive a lethal amount in only two or three squares of baking chocolate. Tea and coffee contain the same chemicals, and can also be lethal depending on the amount ingested. Warning signs include excitement, nervousness, muscle spasms, seizures, and increased body temperature. Veterinary treatment is recommended as soon as possible.

Poisonous plants in the home such as amaryllis, asparagus ferns, crown of thorns, ivy plants, and chrysanthemum plants are toxic to dogs and cats. Signs of plant poisoning are vomiting, abdominal pain, tremors, convulsions, and increases respiratory rate. Outdoor plants such as castor beans, daffodils, bittersweet, Indian tobacco, azalea, cherry laurel, hemlock, oleander, and yew are also toxic to pets and will produce the same effects. Only veterinary treatment will be effective.

Chemical poisons can include dish water granules, oven cleaners, furniture polish, toilet bowl cleaner, shoe polishes, floor polishes, bleach, ammonia, detergents, drain openers, kerosene, paint stripper, and paint removers, paint thinners, gasoline, wood preservatives, antifreeze and most other petroleum based products. Most cleaning products will destroy bodily tissues by acid or alkaline burns in the mouth and throat, accompanied by damage to the stomach, intestines and other internal organs. Antifreeze has a sweet taste that dogs and cats will lick. A dog that consumes only a half teaspoonful of antifreeze per pound of its body weight will have severe damage to its nervous system and kidneys. Signs of poisoning by chemicals are loss of coordination, vomiting, collapsing, convulsions, and coma. Veterinary treatment must be started immediately, and do not induce vomiting.

Pesticide poisoning occurs daily due to the extensive use of pesticides used around our homes and business’s. Ant poisons contain organophosphates or carbonates, both are toxic and can cause muscle tremors, nervousness, and convulsions. Snail baits and pellets contain the toxic metaldehyde causing tremors, rapid breathing, convulsions, coma, and death. Emergency veterinary treatment is required for both ant and snail poisons.

Rat and mouse poisons are typically the most lethal of all commercially used pesticides. Toxic chemicals in these poisons include warfain, sodium fluorecetate, strychnine, ANTU, bromethalin, cholecalciferol, phosphorus, red squill, zinc phosphide, and aluminum phosphide. By design, these poisons work in one of three ways, as anticoagulants, causing death by internal and external bleeding, signs include nasal bleeding, vomiting blood, blood in urine, weakness, poor coordination, abdominal pain and rapid breathing.

Poisons that do not contain anticoagulants effect the nervous system, causing hyper excitability, muscle tremors, seizures, and kidney and heart failure. The last group is the phosphorus containing poisons that damage the liver. Early signs are vomiting, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and a yellow color to the skip and mouth. Phosphorus poisoning is usually fatal due to the irreversible internal damage done to the animal.

To summarize, learn to recognize the symptoms of poisoning, acute abdominal pain, crying and whimpering, vomiting and retching, panting, curling up in a dark corner, blood in urine, vomiting blood, bloody diarrhea, tremors, excitability, and poor coordination. Take your pet to the Veterinarian immediately as most poisons can be fatal, and little can be done by the owner to neutralize or remove the poisons once the ingestion occurs.

About The Author

Brent Jones and his partner Randy Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed the website http://joncopets.com/ on the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest trendy items for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site at http://joncopets.com/.

Written by: Brent Jones

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