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Dog Health Health.blogspot.com Information Pet Article

Sure, you may be a master of human First Aid. But do you know what to do in a dog health emergency?





Approaching Dog Health Emergencies: Two Steps



  1. In any dog health emergency, stay calm and think.

  2. Approach the dog cautiously. The dog may become aggressive because of fear or pain. You can’t help the dog if you’re hurt yourself.



Dog Emergency 1: Traffic Accident:



  1. If possible, do not to move the dog.

  2. Call the nearest Humane Society or ASPCA office.

  3. If the animal workers can’t or won’t come and you must move the dog, slide a blanket under the animal. Lift the animal to safety with the help of another person.

  4. Check for a heartbeat and bleeding. Try to stop the excessive loss of blood by holding a clean cloth or pad over the wound and securing it tightly with a makeshift bandage.

  5. Take the dog to the nearest vet, calling ahead to prepare them for the emergency.



    6. Dog Heathcare Emergency 2: Burns



    1. Immerse the burned body part in cold running water for as long as possible.


    2. If the burn is from a caustic substance, wash it off.


    3. Call the vet.




      4. Canine Health Emergency 3: Heat stroke



      Warning signs: The dog is overheated and without sufficient air. The dog might be panting, vomiting, frothing at the mouth, or already collapsed.





      1. Remove the froth,


      2. Place or douse the dog with cold water to lower body temperature.


      3. Take the dog immediately to the veterinarian for treatment. Treatment usually consists of more cold water, drugs and observation.





      Emergency 4: Dog Poisoning



      Warning signs: Look for muscular twitching, vomiting, bleeding, convulsion or collapse.





      1. Have someone call the vet.


      2. Follow the vet's advice. Different poisoning cases sometimes have to be treated differently.




      4. If you know what the poison is, take some of it with you to the vet’s office.



      Emergency 5: Dog Choking



      1. Open the dog’s mouth carefully and try to see what is causing the problem. It could be anything: a small ball, bone, stick, meat wrapping.

      2. Pump the chest by pressing down on the ribs and releasing immediately at 5-second intervals.

      3. If this doesn’t dislodge the object within a few moments, rush the dog to the nearest animal hospital to have the foreign object removed under anesthetic.



        4. Dog Emergency 6: Drowning



        1. Remove the dog from the water.

        2. Try to get the water out of the dog's lungs as soon as possible by pumping the chest as for choking (see above).

        3. Take the dog to the vet to be checked out.




        Hopefully, you will never have to handle any of these emergencies. But if you do, you have the dog health advice that you need.



        About the Author

        About the author: You can read more of Joel Walsh's articles on dog issues such as Dog Health Advice at: http://www.i-love-dogs.com



        Written by: Joel Walsh

        More Info

        Dog Health Health.blogspot.com Information Pet Article

        As with most pedigree breeds, there are certain hereditary conditions that can be a problem in the German Shepherd Dog as well as other health issues that are more prevalent in this breed which need to be considered if you are thinking acquiring a GSD.

        If you are buying a German Shepherd puppy it is important to ensure that you only purchase a healthy dog from a reputable breeder and a good idea would be to contact the breed council who should be able to provide you with a list of such breeders. Most reputable breeders don't need to advertise but if they do they tend not to use free papers or other general advertising media but will usually place their advert in a specialist dog magazine or paper. The Kennel Club will provide a list of breeders but this does not signify that they are reputable only that they register their puppies with the KC. There are a number of common conditions seen in this breed, some of which have a better prognosis than others but all of which are expensive to treat - so insure your German Shepherd Dog as soon as you get it.

        Inherited conditions such as hip dysplasia are becoming more common largely because of irresponsible breeding so you should look for a puppy whose parents are both hip scored and the lower the score the better - ideally less than ten. This is a distressing and painful condition for a GSD as well as the costs for treating being prohibitive if the animal is not insured. Elbow dysplasia is also a common hereditary condition.

        Bloat or gastric torsion is a real emergency and a life threatening condition, which has become more common in deep chested dogs over the years. Experts are divided but good tips for reducing the risk are that it is best to feed 2 small meals rather than one large meal a day and to avoid feeding your GSD before strenuous exercise.

        Anal furunculosis is a distressing auto immune condition which can be controlled with expensive drugs for a while but will inevitably progress as is the condition CDRM which is a degenerative disease which will ultimately lead to the loss of use of the dogs back legs and then bowel/urinary incontinence.

        For whatever reason there seems to be an increasing number of GSD's suffering from PI - pancreatic insufficiency, which presents as chronic watery diarrhoea and failure to thrive. This condition is treatable with expensive pancreatic enzymes and a low fat diet but the regime must be strictly adhered to.

        Epilepsy is also more common these days and although it can be controlled by drugs, usually tolerance eventually occurs which will often result in the loss of control of the fits and the likelihood of brain damage as a result of prolonged uncontrolled fitting.

        To protect your new puppy and in order to try to minimise long term or future health problems, it is vital that a high quality feeding regime is adopted from the start. German shepherds often have digestive problems so it is important to find a quality food that your dog likes and one that doesn't upset the digestion. If in doubt ask your vet for advice or contact German Shepherd Rescue UK.

        About the author:

        German Shepherd Dog Health Problems. Written by Jayne Shenstone who runs German Shepherd Rescue UK which helps rescue and rehome GSD's across the UK

        Written by: Jayne Shenstone

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