Health

• Dog Emergencies - How to Prepare and Prevent Them- We often say that the best medicine is prevention, and that’s a truth that’s just as applicable to pets as it is to people. Here are some of the most common accidents and suggestions on how to avoid dog emergencies.
  
• Active Dog Safety Tips for the Outdoors- Before you take your dog out on an active excursion, we want you to take the following dog safety measures. One of the gravest mistakes you can make is assume your dog is infallible to things like heatstroke, muscle strains, and even broken bone because truth be told, it isn’t!
  
• How to Find a Veterinarian-

  If you thumb through the yellow pages in search of a vet, you’ll find more than you’ll care to sift through. But if you want to keep up with necessary vaccinations, spaying, neutering, and care for illnesses and injuries, you’re going to have to bite the bullet and actively find a veterinarian. Dog’s aren’t the infallible creatures that we’d like to think they are, and certain breeds are more susceptible to injuries or illnesses than you might be aware of. So here’s how to find the vet that you’ll come to trust and depend on for years to come.

• The Dog Grooming Health Connection- In several of our articles about grooming, we only hinted at the dog grooming health relationship. This article explains that connection in much more detail.
  
  

  The Inarguable Bottom Line

• Administering Emergency Dog Care- Going against all instinct, the best thing you can do in any type of emergency is to remain calm. When it comes to emergency dog care, your excited response could cause your dog to panic and worsen the situation that it’s in. Here’s how to properly respond to a canine emergency.
• Moving an Injured Dog- When we have to move an injured dog to a place where it can be treated, one of our biggest fears is inadvertently hurting the dog or worsening an already delicate wound. Here’s how to do it in a way that minimizes pain and harm.
• Teacup Yorkshire Terrier Misnomers- Let's get straight to the point. The teacup Yorkshire Terrier doesn’t exist as a standard because the AKC (American Kennel Club) does not recognize the teacup Yorkie. The AKC instead, acknowledges Yorkies as toy dogs when and only when they fall within the five to seven pound range. Any Yorkie below that range is not only a non-toy -- it's dangerous. For this reason, the AKC refuses to admit the teacup Yorkie in its current standards.
• How to Remove Dog Ticks- Please keep an eye out for dog ticks during the year’s warmest months, and/or anytime that you allow your dog into a damp, wooded or grassy area. Ticks are a dangerous parasite that’s known for spreading life-threatening Lyme Disease to both dogs and humans. Here’s how to safely remove them.
• Dog Fleas - How to Get Rid of Those Nasty Pests- There’s probably nothing more irritating to both canines and humans than dog fleas! Just the sight of one of them sends everyone in a household itching like crazy since one flea really means there are hundreds more biting you, your spouse, your children, your other pets, and your dog. Here are some ways you can get rid of the pesky little buggers and return to a normal, scratch-free life!
• Dog Anal Glands- Not a very easy subject to talk about, dog anal glands play an important role in a canine’s health. What’s even more uncomfortable than merely talking about them is grooming them. It’s a necessary evil that if left ignored, can and will contribute to all sorts of unhealthy situations. Here’s a quick run-down on a low-down job.
  
  Dog anal glands sit on each side of and right under a dog’s anus. They’re scent markers and they’re filled with a liquid that’s released whenever a dog defecates. Its remaining scent is what enables a dog to mark its territory.
• How to Solve Fat Dog Problems-

  Way too many calories and a lack of sufficient exercise spells "FAT DOG" with big, capital letters. And it’s the most common form of nutrition-related problems created out of fear. Owners who fear malnutrition have a tendency of overfeeding their pets without realizing they’re causing additional problems. In the U.S., approximately 40% of all dogs are needlessly fat or obese, and thus suffer from arthritis and heart disease. Even worse, obesity decreases a dog’s life span!

• Dog Vaccines Timeline and Infectious Diseases-

  Although your vet may recommend a dog vaccine schedule that’s based on your dog’s breed, health, lifestyle, and exposure, you may find the following dog vaccines schedule developed by the American Animal Hospital Association Canine Vaccine Task Force helpful as well.

  · Vaccinate against bordetella (also known as kennel cough) annually or more frequently if you live in an area that’s a high risk.

• Dog Vaccination - Pros and Cons-

  Dog vaccinations are an important part of preventing canine diseases. They contain antigens that trigger a dog’s immune system. This article introduces dog vaccination pros and cons, and cautions as well.

• Eliminating External Dog Parasites: Fleas, Ticks, and Mites-

  The most common external parasites dogs encounter are fleas, mites, and ticks. Because they can spread diseases like the tapeworm for example, controlling them is a must. This article describes common dog parasites, and then explains how to get rid of them.

• Helping a Poisoned Dog Through Induced Vomiting- There could come a time when your dog swallows something poisonous and you can’t get her to a vet. In this situation, you’ll need to remain calm and follow the suggestions below. They describe how to properly help a poisoned dog.
• Understanding Internal Dog Parasites-

  Heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, tapeworms, and whipworms are the worst dog parasites your pet could ever get. As parasites, these nasty little things treat a dog as a host and feed off of its internal system – consuming important nutrients that a dog needs to survive, killing organ tissue and red blood cells, and spreading disease. Heartworms will kill a dog. Here’s how to treat and/or prevent internal parasites from destroying your dog’s health and putting its life at risk.

• Puppy Development Timeline for a Well Raised Puppy-

  It’s awful convenient when we have a handy development reference that explains what to expect from a dog at specific times. We use a similar reference for our own children that describes when babies, toddlers, and kids learn new skills or become capable of learning new skills. The following puppy development timeline describes the same for puppies. Refer to it to make sure your dog is healthy and properly developing according to schedule.

• A Dog Health Problem May Be the Cause of Bad Behavior - How Can You Tell?-

  Often times, what may seem as a dog's bad behavior is actually caused by a health problem. The best way to tell if a dog's behavioral problem stems from a dog health problem is to note when the behavior began. Is the problem new and sudden? Or is it a problem that was never corrected when the dog was a puppy? If the problem is new and sudden, chances are the dog has a health issue. A good example is when a well housetrained dog suddenly starts to eliminate inside the home, or when an otherwise friendly sociable dog suddenly turns aggressive. When these behaviors seemingly erupt out of nowhere, it’s time to schedule an appointment with the vet.

• Poodle Health Problems- Across the board, all dogs suffer from common health problems such as external and internal parasites for example, and Poodles aren’t exempt from those issues. You’ll definitely want to keep an eye out for their symptoms. Below however, describes Poodle health issues that are exclusive to the breed. We briefly referenced them in several of our other articles. Now we’re going explain what they are in detail.
• Giving Your Dog Vitamins and Supplements-

  Most of us toy with the idea of taking supplemental vitamins once and a while, and many of us set out on a faithful vitamin consuming routine. When it comes to dogs, advocates claim that supplemental dog vitamins can only help. Proponents claim that they’re too dangerous or even unnecessary. Does this sound familiar? If you’ve done any research on nutritional supplements, then you can see that the arguments are essentially the same for both dogs and people.

• How to Perform Dog CPR- Believe it or not, dog CPR can save your pet’s life in the event that his heart stops beating or he stops breathing. And the procedure is surprisingly similar to the procedure we use on humans. Here’s how to perform it on a dog in need.
• Appropriate Dog Bite Treatment- Make no mistake about it. Dog bites can be dangerous. Not only can a dog bite hurt and damage muscle and nerve tissue, it can also infect. We’ve therefore outlined the steps for appropriate dog bite treatment in the event that you’re bitten by a known or unknown dog.
  
• Dog Fitness Tips for Safety- You may find it hard to believe, but dogs carry the same risks for overexertion that we do! Even the most robust of dogs have to be monitored for injuries, since like humans, they too can suffer from strained muscles, pulled tendons, and a whole host of other “sports-related” injuries. The following dog fitness tips will help you make sure your dog is fit for activity and show you how to safely increase your dog's fitness level.