Heat Stroke for Dogs

I recently talked to a pet owner who caused Heat
Stroke in his dog by throwing a ball.
It was hot and humid ( in Southern Ontario)
His dog is a mixed Northern Breed, who has some
difficulty cooling himself down.

BUT…
it happened fast..in less than 30 minutes. His dog collapsed, so he NEEDED to act quick. Fortunately this wise pet owner has a copy of Pet First Aid Secrets, and knew WHAT to do.

You can grab your copy here: http://www.petfirstaidsecrets.com

Here is WHAT you need to know:
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SIGNS
———-
The signs depend upon the extent of heat stroke. In the early stages, your pet will pant rapidly, have thick, ropy saliva, and have bright red gums.   His body temperature will be between 104 to 106 Fahrenheit. As the body temperature climbs above 106, your pet will go into shock with subsequent organ shutdown.

He will have Pale gums, be weak and dizzy, with vomiting and diarrhea.
The brain becomes affected and he may seizure or fall into a coma. In this case he requires immediate, life saving veterinary intervention.

———-
CAUSES
———-
Being in a hot car. Never leave your pet in a parked car in sunlight. The car heats up to be like a sauna even on mild days.  Excessive exercise on a hot day. Minimize exercise in the heat of the day. Avoid exercising your dog in unusually hot or humid conditions especially at the start of summer. Most heat stroke cases are seen at the start of summer.

————–
SOLUTIONS
————–
AWAY FROM THE HEAT. Remove your pet from the hot environment. Get him out of the car and away from the sun.

TO THE VET ASAP. If you suspect severe heat stroke and your pet has collapsed, then get your pet immediate veterinary care. In this case, the organs may be shutting down and he needs specialized care to survive. While in transit it is important to continue to apply cool wet towels to the back of the neck WHAT’S THE TEMP? Use a rectal thermometer and find your pet’s exact temperature. If it is 104 or higher, then he has heat stroke, and you need to take action.

COOL DOWN. Run cold water over the back of your pet’s head. Place cold packs wrapped in towels between the back legs, on the belly and in the
arm pits. Wet towels can be used instead. You can use a garden hose to run the water over the back of his head.

ALCOHOL SOLUTION. Rubbing alcohol will also speed up heat loss- it can be applied to the belly and groin and cool as it evaporates. Liberally spread it on the skin… the most important thing is reducing the temperature
in a controlled way.

DON’T IMMERSE IN COLD WATER. This treatment does bring your pet’s temperature down but tends to overcorrect it and then your pet may be seriously unwell, cold and wet.

By Dr. Andrew Jones, http://www.veterinarysecretsrevealed.com/course

Protect Your Pet from Theft

From parking lots to pet stores and even backyards, dog thefts are on the rise. Thefts range from tiny puppies being stuffed into purses at pet stores to, most recently, purebred pets being snatched from cars in parking lots and shelters.
The AKC offers the following advice to prevent your “best friend” from being a target of a crime:

At Home
Don’t let your dog off-leash or unattended in your yard. Keeping your dog close to you reduces the likelihood it will wander off and catch the attention of thieves. A Saint Bernard that had wandered away from his owner in Nebraska was snatched up right off the road.

Breeders need to be aware of home visits by potential puppy buyers. From Yorkies in Los Angeles to Bulldogs in Connecticut, thieves posing as would be “puppy buyers” have visited breeder homes to snatch dogs, while other homes have been burglarized when the owner was away.

On the Road
Never leave your dog in an unattended car, even if it’s locked.  Don’t tie your dog outside a store. This popular practice among city dwelling dog owners can be a recipe for disaster. Reports have surfaced of such thefts in Manhattan.

Be vigilant. Always remain aware of your surroundings when entering or leaving any dog-friendly establishments.

Recovery
Protect your dog with microchip identification. Collars and tags can be removed so make sure you have permanent ID with a microchip. Keep contact information current with your recovery service provider. For more information and to enroll your pet in a 24 hour recovery service visit http://www.akccar.org/.

If you suspect your dog has been stolen. Immediately call the police / animal controland pet shelters in the area your pet was last seen.

Have fliers with a recent photo ready to go if your dog goes missing. Keep a photo of your dog in your wallet or on an easily accessible web account so that you can distribute it immediately if your pet goes missing.

Information provided by the American Kennel Club, http://www.akc.org/enewsletter/yourakc/2010/safety/theft.cfm

Pet Obesity – 5 Tips for Keeping Your Pet Healthy and Happy

Just as it is dangerous for humans to be obese, pets share the same risks as well.

The rate of having a cardiac arrest greatly increases and, so are their chances of having high blood pressure, orthopedic injuries (such as cruciate ligament rupture or patellar luxation), osteoarthritis, respiratory disorders and various forms of cancer.

By acting on this problem, we choose to make our pets stronger, happier and most importantly, live longer. The first step to solving it is by doing some basic assessment on your own.

Running your hands over your pet’s ribcage and feeling for the layer of fats is one good way to find out if your pet is overweight. Inability to feel the ribs is a sign of an overweight pet.

Looking at your pet from the side and trying to see the tuck on the abdomen is also a good indicator. An obese pet will have very little or no tuck.

By viewing your pet from above, you can see if there is a difference of width at the waist, just above the ribcage. A straight or noticeable bulging area from the ribcage to the hips indicates an overweight pet.

If you see the need of an intervention, there are some tips you can try.

1. Exercise. Animals are meant to run and burn off calories every day. With frequent physical activity, your pet gets rid of extra calories.

2. Try playing more energetic games with your pet. Animals used to staying indoors will be less likely lose weight and become lazier. By encouraging your pet to run around in more strenous games, you also stimulate the muscles that are not often used.

3. Feed them the amount of food that is appropriate for their size. Small dogs get smaller portions than that of bigger dogs. Their size indicates how fast their metabolism is and will be a great factor in losing and gaining weight.

4. Good quality food without a lot of fillers. Fillers are food substances in pet food that offer LITTLE nutrition to simply trick your pet’s brain into thinking that they’re already stuffed.

5. No feeding your dogs while YOU eat. They can be getting more food than you think. While they may be getting their bowl of kibble, receiving table scraps from you during meal time won’t do them good.

Canine Bladder Stones

We humans know how incredibly painful stones can be!  Your animals experience that same type of pain!  Ouch!

Bladder infections should be addressed right on their onset.

This is to prevent future damages to the other vital organs like the kidneys.

Most breeds of dog are susceptible to forming bladder stones. These stones are produced if excess minerals and other waste products solidify or crystallize in the dog’s bladder area. The presence of stones in your dog’s bladder area could affect your dog’s overall health. For starters, your dog may become very irritable.

The most common mistake dog owners make is in not recognizing the symptoms of bladder stones.  When there is a slight change in temperment they can attribute the abnormal behavior to any number of incorrect things.

Female dogs are more prone to bladder stones than male dogs.  And, smaller dogs acquire it more often than the larger breeds.

More often than not, bladder stones only become a problem once it blocks the flow of urine in the urethra. At such point, your dog won’t be able to urinate properly.

IF NOT ATTENDED TO RIGHT AWAY, your dog might even DIE out of the complications of the disease especially if the crystallized stone is too big for its body to bear.

==========
SYMPTOMS
==========

* Frequent Urination
* Abnormalities in the urine
* General weakness
* Loss of appetite

If you have observed any of these symptoms in your dog, especially when your DOG URINATES IRREGULARLY, then it’s important that you take your dog to the VET IMMEDIATELY to make sure if your dog is suffering from this condition.

===========
TREATMENT
===========

Treatment depends on the size and location within the urinary tract.
Stones that become lodged in the urethra require immediate veterinary medical and surgical intervention. These are usually small and enter the urethra from the bladder where they form.

Catheterization is performed in an attempt to dislodge the stones pushing them back into the bladder and freeing up the flow of urine.  Most of the time, these stones must then be removed from the bladder SURGICALLY.

Smaller stones or crystals can often be effectively managed only with special diets designed to dissolve the stones.

DIET FOR DOG WITH THIS CONDITION:

Homemade diets are PREFERRED for dogs with chronic bladder disorders such as bladder stones.  If processed foods must be fed, most holistic veterinarians prefer canned diets, which contain large amounts of water, rather than dry foods.

But it’s suggested to CONSULT YOUR VET FIRST if you do plan on feeding your dog with the said condition a specific homemade diet.

This information was shared by Sharda Baker.

THE SCIENCE OF VACCINE DAMAGE

Here is an alarming study that I thought everyone should know about. This affects humans and animals alike.

A team at Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine conducted several studies (1,2) to determine if vaccines can cause changes in the immune system of dogs that might lead to life-threatening immune-mediated diseases. They obviously conducted this research because concern already existed. It was sponsored by the Haywood Foundation which itself was looking for evidence that such changes in the human immune system might also be vaccine induced. It found the evidence.

The vaccinated, but not the non-vaccinated, dogs in the Purdue studies developed autoantibodies to many of their own biochemicals, including fibronectin, laminin, DNA, albumin, cytochrome C, cardiolipin and collagen.

This means that the vaccinated dogs — but not the non-vaccinated
dogs — were attacking their own fibronectin, which is involved in
tissue repair, cell multiplication and growth, and differentiation
between tissues and organs in a living organism.

The vaccinated Purdue dogs also developed autoantibodies to laminin,
which is involved in many cellular activities including the adhesion,
spreading, differentiation, proliferation and movement of cells.
Vaccines thus appear to be capable of removing the natural intelligence
of cells.

Autoantibodies to cardiolipin are frequently found in patients with the
serious disease systemic lupus erythematosus and also in individuals
with other autoimmune diseases. The presence of elevated
anti-cardiolipin antibodies is significantly associated with clots
within the heart or blood vessels, in poor blood clotting, haemorrhage,
bleeding into the skin, foetal loss and neurological conditions.
The Purdue studies also found that vaccinated dogs were developing
autoantibodies to their own collagen. About one quarter of all the
protein in the body is collagen. Collagen provides structure to our
bodies, protecting and supporting the softer tissues and connecting them
with the skeleton. It is no wonder that Canine Health Concern’s 1997
study of 4,000 dogs showed a high number of dogs developing mobility
problems shortly after they were vaccinated (noted in my 1997 book, What
Vets Don’t Tell You About Vaccines).

Perhaps most worryingly, the Purdue studies found that the vaccinated
dogs had developed autoantibodies to their own DNA. Did the alarm bells
sound? Did the scientific community call a halt to the vaccination
program? No. Instead, they stuck their fingers in the air, saying more
research is needed to ascertain whether vaccines can cause genetic
damage.

Meanwhile, the study dogs were found good homes, but no
long-term follow-up has been conducted. At around the same time, the
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Vaccine-Associated Feline Sarcoma Task Force initiated several studies to find out why 160,000
cats each year in the USA develop terminal cancer at their vaccine
injection sites.(3)

The fact that cats can get vaccine-induced cancer has been acknowledged by veterinary bodies around the world, and even the British Government acknowledged it through its Working Group charged with the task of looking into canine and feline vaccines(4) following pressure from Canine Health Concern. What do you imagine was the advice of the AVMA Task Force, veterinary bodies and governments? “Carry on vaccinating until we find out why vaccines are killing cats, and which cats are most likely to die.”

In America, in an attempt to mitigate the problem, they’re vaccinating
cats in the tail or leg so they can amputate when cancer appears. Great
advice if it’s not your cat amongst the hundreds of thousands on the
“oops” list.

But other species are okay – right? Wrong. In August 2003, the Journal
of Veterinary Medicine carried an Italian study which showed that dogs
also develop vaccine-induced cancers at their injection sites.(5) We
already know that vaccine-site cancer is a possible sequel to human
vaccines, too, since the Salk polio vaccine was said to carry a monkey
retrovirus (from cultivating the vaccine on monkey organs) that produces
inheritable cancer. The monkey retrovirus SV40 keeps turning up in human
cancer sites.

It is also widely acknowledged that vaccines can cause a fast-acting,
usually fatal, disease called autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA).
Without treatment, and frequently with treatment, individuals can die in
agony within a matter of days.

Merck, itself a multinational vaccine manufacturer, states in The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy that autoimmune haemolytic anaemia may be caused by modified live-virus vaccines, as do Tizard’s Veterinary Immunology (4th edition) and the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine.(6) The British Government’s Working Group, despite being staffed by vaccine-industry consultants who say they are independent, also acknowledged this fact. However, no one warns the pet owners before their animals are subjected to an unnecessary booster, and very few owners are told why after their pets die of AIHA.

Article brought to you courtesy of Catherine O’Driscoll,  www.dogsadversereactions.com

Man’s Best Friend or Beer Belly Buddy?

I was listening to a health show on the radio the other day and the host was interviewing a veterinarian on dog diseases and their prevention. He mentioned that one of the biggest problems for our pets is obesity. He went on to talk about a special canine weight loss diet; how nutritious it is and how your pet won’t be hungry or even know they are on a diet.

I found this quite amazing and almost humorous because if he would not have mentioned the words “pet” or, “dog” I would have sworn he was talking about human obesity and some miracle diet program that he was endorsing.

What is so interesting to me is that while the reasons for obesity are complex, there are some similar components in both humans and animals. The main aspect being family obesity and the emotional use of food for showing love and bonding.

Now please understand, I grew up in the perfect model of the obese family and in no way am blaming anyone that may be reading this. We all do the best we can in the moment and my writing is to raise awareness and not point blame. As a matter of fact, blame would only lead to an increase of bad feelings and not to an open curiosity which gives us the possibility of change.

In my family, food was used as a treat, for entertainment, for a symbol of love and when withheld, a symbol of punishment. This process is something I have had to work on continuously to not replicate with my own family.

When I see an obese dog or cat in addition to feeling badly for the animal, I am curious about its story… How is food used to communicate with this animal?… What are the motives of the owners? I have been at times flabbergasted, seeing animal owners laughing at their obese animal or putting the reason for the obesity on the animal…… something like ….”Scruffy” just can’t stop eating. When I hear this I think, “Are you trying to tell me that while you’re away at work ‘Scruffy’ is in the kitchen baking goodies or at night sneaking down and finishing off that apple pie in the fridge?”

My wife and I have been dog owners for the last 20 years, the last dog being a blond lab, so I understand that almost irresistible urge to show friendship and love with food. However, just like a parent/child food relationship, the owner/pet relationship carries responsibilities. Because of this, I monitor my use of food in my communication very carefully.

I do not suggest abstinence (no treats) unless that is something that works for you. If you do have an obese animal what I do suggest is awareness and asking yourself what is your motivation in over-feeding your animal…. , and how else could you show your love in a more healthy way? An extra walk, snuggle or play time?

Steve Kiges – http://www.theunreasonablelife.com ©2010

For information on food addictions and becoming one of the 5% that keep lost weight off for life, visit: http://www.theunreasonablelife.com

Getting a New Dog? Prepare Your Home

Housekeeping is a casual affair for some and a major event for others. Adopting a dog can help to transform your house into a home, but your new four-legged friend could also turn your home into a mess. With a little thinking ahead, you can have a happy pet and a clean home! Here are some tips for achieving just that:

Clean Pets = Clean House

* Keep your dogs well-groomed. Frequent brushing outdoors will keep indoor shedding to a minimum. If need be, trim excess hair so that dirt and waste won’t cling.

* Keep your dog’s nails trimmed, filing down any edges that could shred upholstery.

* Wipe off your dog’s jowls and long, floppy ears after each meal.

* Placing a large, absorbent place mat under food and water bowls will make for easier clean-up.

Furniture

* Place machine-washable slip covers over lightly colored furniture that is more apt to show stains.

* Vinyl and leather furniture is easy to clean. Just make sure your dog’s nails are trimmed, as they can damage those materials.

* Place a comfy bed for your dog in a designated room or corner. Cover the bed with a machine-washable throw and train your dog that this is the only piece of furniture they are allowed to frequent.

Floors

* You can easily wipe away dog waste on sheet linoleum, tile and Pergo® floor surfaces. Use polyurethane to seal hardwood floors in order to prevent lingering urine odor.

* Try to use washable area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. If urine soaks into carpet backing, it can be impossible to clean. A carpet care product that targets pet stains can prove indispensable if you have carpeting.

* Roll up vegetable-dyed oriental rugs until your new dog is fully house-trained. If rugs have fringe, don’t roll them back out until your dog is done teething, which can take 8 months or more.

* Place a washable area rug by the door and keep a towel handy to wipe down your pet’s paws and/or body on rainy or muddy days.

Windows

* Fabric shades, café curtains, and valances are great window treatments for dog-friendly homes.

* Steer clear of pooling drapery, vertical blinds, tassels, and long cords that can be strangulation hazards, or might bring things crashing down, should your dog try to pull or climb them.

* Mini-blinds can get bent beyond repair when they block a curious dog’s view. Think twice about using these as window treatments.

Walls

* Washable vinyl-backed wallpaper is easier to clean than paper-backed wallpaper.

* Use washable semi-gloss paint in areas where your new dog will frequent. This is important for owners of loose-jowled dogs, who are more likely to shake spittle onto the walls.

* Paint or hang a washable wall covering on the lower half of walls that have antique wallpaper or fabric wall treatments.

Gluten Sensitivity in Dogs

Shandra Baker, author of Dog Food Dangers, shares with us today some vital information on how your dog can be suffering with gluten allergies and what you can do about it.

Gluten allergy, medically described as celiac disease, is a fairly common food allergy in canines.  It can develop at any point in a dog’s life and manifests a variety of symptoms, including skin and bowel problems.

After diagnosis, a lifelong change in diet is usually required to treat the condition.

But what is GLUTEN?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and many other flours that’s often added to commercial pet food. Dogs, like humans and other animals, can develop a sensitivity or allergy to it if through repeat exposure or as an acute reaction to a single exposure.

Gluten allergy causes the inflammation and destruction of the interior of the small intestine, thus preventing nutrients and vitamins from being properly absorbed.  Moreover, gluten irritates the large intestine, causing colitis, which results in bowel problems. Food allergies at large account for about 10 percent of dog allergies.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

Symptoms of gluten allergy include itchy, flaky, and subsequently irritated skin as well as upset bowels.  Other symptoms include hypertension, weight loss, lack of energy and changes in behavior. In the past, the only way to diagnose a food allergy was to replace the existing diet with one containing none of the same ingredients. Today, a simple blood test can indicate an allergy, although the exclusion diet is still widely employed.

WHAT TO DO?

Gluten is ubiquitous in processed pet food and treats and is sometimes omitted from listing on ingredient labels because of its implicit presence in other substances (this includes wheat, cereals and products of animal or vegetable origin). As such, foods explicitly labeled gluten free or homemade meals are the best option for dogs with gluten allergy.

A true allergy cannot but cured, thus the allergen must be removed from the animal’s diet and avoided. A lifelong food can gradually become an irritant or even an allergy over time, thus making initial diagnosis difficult. While a homemade food is the best option for pet owners, there are many varieties of gluten-free diets, although getting a dog to change foods can be difficult.

Other common food allergies in dogs include corn, soya, preservatives, beef, pork, chicken, milk, eggs and fish.

When Doggie Hates the Menu

You may well know the feeling of staring at your dog while he or she stares at the food dish, sighs, and looks at you with an expression which clearly says “You expect ME to eat THAT?”

At those moments, you may even be wondering why you simply don’t just get a cat, which would at least be coming to you with the reputation of being a picky eater.

Most of us dog owners have found themselves in the same situation at one time or another. And because you are a kind-hearted sort, your dog knows that if it waits long enough, sure enough, something really tasty shows up.  Mission accomplished. Owner happy, dog happy and dog just won round one. Many owners are fixated on their dog’s eating habits. That only makes things get worse and worse.

Once your dog knows it can wrangle something else out of you, it will keep on keeping on until it gets right out of hand. And if you think feeding him later will be easier, think again. It only gets worse. This type of behavior needs to be nipped in the bud immediately. Besides, who is the Alpha dog here anyhow – YOU or the dog?

Owners of finicky eaters can get caught up constantly changing their dog’s diet to try to get them to eat. This only makes your dog hold out to see if anything better is being offered. And then you have more problems to sort out.

And if you do make sudden dog diet changes, this can cause digestive upsets for your dog. Any diet change needs to be done slowly. Add a small amount of new food to your pet’s current food and gradually increase that amount while decreasing the amount of the current food over a seven to ten day period.

But right now what we are discussing is NOT catering to a fusspot – so changing foods constantly isn’t going to help matters any.

Have you ever purchased a whole stack of types of dog food (canned and dry) to let your dog figure out what he likes? Not a good idea, because if he doesn’t like anything, three guesses who will be running out and trying to find something better. Right – you!

What can you do?

The basic rule of thumb is if that any dog which gets hungry enough they WILL eat no matter what is in the bowl. Have patience and ye shall be rewarded. Don’t hover, plead, cajole, hand feed, or change the food. Just leave it in the bowl and —- WAIT!

The value of having your dog on a timetable and on a regular dog diet can’t be over emphasized. Dogs thrive on routine, and besides, if you don’t establish a routine and stick to it, your dog will implement one himself. Dogs without routines and a “pack leader” take over the roles themselves and you won’t like the consequences.

If you feed regularly at the same time (or close to it) daily then when the food hits the floor then your dog will be there to eat it – and will in fact learn to anticipate being fed. If you never thought dogs (or other animals) could tell time, try missing your regular feeding time one day.

Here is the most effective thing to do when you feed a finicky dog. Feed at the regular time and if they do not eat the food within 15 minutes, you take the bowl up and put the food back in the fridge. The next time that bowl comes out and goes down on the floor is the second feeding of the day. Period! Watch how fast your dog catches on to the fact if he doesn’t eat when the food is there, it’s GONE.

If your pal is getting adequate amounts of a palatable and nutritious food two times a day, you have fulfilled your responsibilities as far as feeding is concerned. Don’t let doggie involve you in a battle of wills like a spoiled child who won’t go to bed without first having ice cream. That food dish is YOUR domain!

Every dog owner who is concerned about what they are feeding their dog needs to read the book, Dog Food Dangers, by Shandra Baker at http://budurl.com/dogfooddangers.

Tips in Dealing With Hot Spots On Dogs

Shandra Baker, author of Dog Grooming Secrets, brings us this important information on hot spots and what do about it if they show up on your dog(s).  Thank you Shandra!

HOT SPOTS

Hot spots are surface skin infections caused when populations of normal skin bacteria grow and overwhelm normal resistance.

They are generally circular patches that lose hair, can be swollen, may exude a smelly pus, and can be painfully itchy, causing the dog to scratch, lick, or bite to the point of self-mutilation.

Untreated hot spots can spread and provoke a normally even-tempered dog to growl or nip when touched.

These troublesome sores can seem to arise in a matter of hours with no warning, but they do tend to follow a pattern that helps in predicting their occurrence.

Dogs most susceptible to hot spots are those with heavy coats and histories of allergies, ear infections, flea infestations, irritated anal sacs, and grooming problems such as hair tangles and mats, but any dog can develop this infection.

http://www.doggroomingsecrets.org

Dogs in warm, humid climates may develop hot spots when they shed their undercoats if the dead hair is trapped next to the skin, and dogs with behavior problems may mutilate themselves by licking and thus encourage an infection to become established.

The most common locations for hot spots are the legs and feet, flanks, and rump areas that can be reached by licking or biting but these localized infections can also appear on ears, neck, and chest if the dog is continually scratching.

CAUSES OF HOT SPOTS

There is usually an inciting factor to initiate the extreme licking and scratching behavior. Look for fleas, mites, or other external parasites, an insect sting or bite, allergies or injury (skin wound, scrape, etc.).

Some animals have been known to “start” a hot spot out of boredom or stress-related psychological problems.

TREATING A HOT SPOT

Two approaches are necessary for dealing with hot spots: treat the sore and remove the underlying cause to prevent recurrences.

* Trim the hair around the sore to prevent further spread of the  infection and expose the edges of the lesion.

* Wash the area in a mild water-based astringent or antiseptic.

* Be prepared to use antibiotics or cortisone if the washing does  not give results.

* Consult your vet

According to some sources using ointments or creams are discouraged because they can seal the hot spot which will hinder the recovery.