Health Alert for Dog Owners

It was just a case of allergies for 7-month old Riley. But while visiting the vet Wednesday, her owner learned about an unsettling disease. "It is concerning because you take them for walks in different places, we take them to Rock Cut hiking with us and theres alot of wild animals," said Pet Owner Andrea Rowan. Her vet, Mike Harter, told her about Leptospirosis. Its a harmful bacteria carried in wildlife feces. Dogs can pick it up by simply splashing around in a puddle. "Now is the worst time, after all the rain we had this year," Harter said. The consequences for our four-legged friends can be serious, with kidney and liver failure. And it doesnt matter the size of dog. "Weve seen several little dogs, you wouldnt expect it, they walked in the middle of a puddle that a possum peed in," Harter said. The trouble with detecting this disease is that dogs dont show specific symptoms. Theyre just sick with a fever, sluggish and dont eat. Harter says your best bet is just bring the dog to the vet once theyre under the weather. And it should help. "Its treatable with antibiotics. If we catch it at the right time we can treat it and eliminate it," Harter said. Theres also a vaccine available that Harter is just starting to use at his clinic. Even so, pet owners, like Rowan, say shell be keeping a closer watch on her pooch when Rilys allergies are gone and shes back outside.

So far this year, Harters clinic has seen at least a dozen dogs with this disease. He says it takes about five-to-seven days for Leptospirosis to kick in. Harter says this disease can be fatal. But with the right response and treatment, you can avoid a deadly outcome. He also says other pets like cats are resistant to this disease, so the concern is more for dogs.

Source: http://www.dogarticles.org

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Dog Ear Care – Keeping Your Dog’s Ears Healthy Pain Free

By Teresa James

Importance of Regular Home Dog Ear Care

Routine home dog ear care is very important to the health ofyour dog. Performed between your regular checkups with theveterinarian, it will help keep your dog’s ears healthy and painfree. If you see signs of trouble you may be able to head themoff before they require an extra visit to the vet. Excessivewax, foul odor, redness, constant scratching, excessive mattingof hair in the external ear, rubbing the ears against otherobjects, head shaking, and disorientation can all be signs ofear problems.

Inspect Your Dog’s Ears Regularly By Using Your Eyes & YourNose!

By performing a home dog ear care inspection; you will beable to detect problems early. Use both your eyes and your nose.If you need help seeing inside your dog’s ears you may want toinvest in a pet scope. A tool very similar to the kind yourdoctor uses to check your ears. Check for redness, excessive waxbuild up or any other foreign matter.

Sniffing your dog’s ears is another way to detect problemsearly. Normally a dog’s ears shouldn’t smell foul in any way. Ifyou see a dark waxy discharge this may be a sign of ear mites.On the other hand, if you see a pus-like discharge along with afoul smell this may be a sign of a bacterial infection.Allergies are also known to cause some dogs to have smelly ears.If you’re new to this and are unsure have the vet check yourdog’s ears. Right after the vet gives your dog a clean bill ofhealth make sure you inspect your dog’s ears. This way you willlearn how your pet’s ears should normally look and smell.

Is Your Breed of Dog More Susceptible To Dog Ear CareProblems?

Due to the warm, damp, and dark environment, as well as poorair circulation, your dog’s ear canal can be the prefectbreeding ground for mites, yeast or bacterial infection. This iswhy, for certain breeds, home dog ear care is even moreimportant. Some pets may require routine applications of dog earcare products to keep their ears free of mites, yeast orbacterial infections.

Some dog’s ears stand straight up which allows for more air toflow into the ear canal. Dogs with floppy ears, like spanielsand bloodhounds, are very prone to ear infections because verylittle air flows into their ear canals. There are also breeds,like the Lhasa, that have a heavy growth of hair inside theirears. This hair must be routinely removed as a preventionagainst chronic ear problems.

If Excess Ear Hair Is A Dog Ear Care Problem Learn How ToRemove It

If you suspect that excess ear hair is a problem, you mayneed to pluck the hair that grows inside your dog’s ears. Thisis a routine dog ear care task that can be performed at home andis much easier then it sounds. You will want to apply dog earpowder to the inside of both ears. Make sure that the hair iscompletely covered, especially at the base. Once the powder hasdried start plucking a few hairs at a time with your fingers ora tweezers. Plucking just a few hairs at a time will be lessirritating for the dog.

You may want to stop a few times to give your dog’s ears agood rub. Make sure you give your dog lots of praise and a fewdog treats too. Once all the inside hair has been removed,follow up by cleaning and inspecting the ears. If you are unsureabout this dog ear care procedure, have your vet or aprofessional groomer show you how to do it.

Things You Should Know About Cleaning Your Dog’s Ears

Some vets recommend that owners routinely flush their dog’sears with warm water at the slightest hint of odor. Other homedog ear care cleaning remedies include mineral oil, hydrogenperoxide, or a combination of equal parts of vinegar and rubbingalcohol. If your dog has open sores its best not to use thevinegar and alcohol because it will cause a burning sensation.

If your dog is prone to ear infections you may want to use apet ear care product that is specifically formulated to cleanand dry up excess moisture in the ear canal. A dog ear washcontaining Tea Tree Oil, which is also formulated to dry the earcanal is an excellent choice. Tea Tree Oil’s natural antiseptic,antibacterial and fungicidal properties can help keep your dog’sears problem free.

It’s also a good idea to use a pet ear-drying agent afterbathing or swimming especially if your dogs ears retainmoisture and dont dry promptly. There are many good pet earcare products available for routine ear cleaning that willdissolve wax, remove foreign debris and dry the ear canal. Thereare also home dog care treatments available that will kill peskyear mites and ear ticks.

A dog’s ear canal is L-shaped. It descends vertically and itmakes a 90-degree horizontal turn before it reaches the eardrum.Even though your dog’s eardrum is better protected than ahuman’s, you should still proceed with caution when cleaning theear canal. Many vets urge caution when inserting anything intothe ear canal, especially cotton-tipped swabs. They can actuallypush dirt and foreign matter deeper into the ear if not handledproperly. You can even lose the cotton tip in the ear canal.

Start cleaning the external part of the ear by swabbinginside the earflaps and all around the gnarled area at theentrance of the ear canal. If you choose to use a cotton-tippedswab you will need a long type since a dog’s ear canal is muchdeeper than ours. If your dog will tolerate it, gently andcarefully swab the inside of the ear canal. A much safer methodis to fill the ear canal with a pet ear cleaning solution andgently massage the outer ear. After a few minutes allow your dogto shake his head to help clear the ear canal. If you’re using acommercial pet ear care product be sure to follow theinstructions carefully.

Make Ear Inspections An Important Part Of Your Home Dog EarCare Routine

Checking your dog’s ears only takes a few minutes so make ita part of your dog grooming routine. And when your dog’s earsneed a cleaning don’t put it off. Remember regular cleanings canprevent many common ear problems. If you think a problem may bedeveloping that is beyond the scope of your home dog ear careroutine, take your dog to the vet for a check up immediately. Aninfection, if left untreated, can be very painful for your dogand could even damage your dog’s hearing.

About the Author: Article courtesy of:http://www.dog-supplies-advisor.com/home-dog-grooming.htmldedicated to providing quality dog care advice on a broad rangeof dog-related topics. Includes articles, frequently askedquestions, recommendations, and Free Ezine. Publication ispermitted so long as the resource information remains intact andthe link is live.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=1733&ca=Pets

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Dog Ear Infections And The Way The Dogs Ear Works

By John Williams

Dog ear infections are common in dogs and in many other pets alike, these infections can be caused by numerous situations and causes but as your pet relies heavily on their hearing to judge many of the every day aspects of life it can be extremely annoying for them as well as soar and a painful nuisance during the day and night.

The shape of a dogs inner ear is the cause for many of the different ear infections due to it being able to collect moisture inside from it getting trapped in the L shaped tunnels or tubes within from playing around water or in rain, ear wax, dirt and unclean debris, and unwanted parasites.

To identify and determine whether your dog has an ear infection or ear related condition, you will have to study your dogs behaviour and actions closely. Common ear infection activities include, rubbing their heads and ears against objects in your house like sofas and tables in order to stop the irritating ear, tilting of the head, and a red looking, soar, foul smelling ear with possible discharge. All these symptoms should be highly irritating for the dog and should be easily observed.

To start you should take your pet to a vet to properly diagnose the ear infection that has occurred, they will then probably issue you with medication or they will need to have the dog sedated in order to clean out the foreign debris. This process can be a difficult one for a vet and may have complications in finding the correct medication.

Dog ear infections that are diagnosed correctly can more than likely be cured, but taking your dog to the vet is crucial, obviously without this step you will be putting your dog through more pain and it will take longer for the dog to become well again and have a non-aggravated life.

To give your dog the prescribed medication you will need to raise the dogs ear and apply the medication to the vertical part of the ear so it can seep down into the correct area of the dogs ear. Then holding the base of the ear flap with your finger and thumb massage the ear canal and you will hear a squishing sound to note that the medication is in the correct area, then clean the outside and around the ear with alcohol to stop further dirt from getting into the ear to complete the process.

For more information on Dog Ear Infections take a look at this Dog Training website .www.Dog-behavior-Training.co.uk

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Properly Crate Training Your Dog

By Andrew Bicknell

The best time to start crate training any dog is when he is a puppy, or if that is not an option when you bring him home for the first time. If you decide that crate training is something you want to do then you should be prepared to continue it for the life of your dog. The reason for this is simple, if properly done the crate will become your dogs personal space where he can feel a sense of security and familiarity, even when away from home.

Crate training your dog is a process that takes time. If you know you will be traveling with your dog a lot then his crate will be his home during those times. Simply pushing him into a crate the first time you travel with him is not the way to do it. The idea is to get him used to the crate even before you ever put him in it.

The first thing you will need to do is select the proper sized crate. Remember to get one large enough for when he is full grown or youll be buying a new one as he grows out of puppy hood. Put his new crate in the room he frequents most so he gets used to it. Leave the door open and place a treat inside so that his curiosity will get the better of him and hell soon go in and enjoy his snack.

The more casual you are about the whole process the more comfortable you dog will be as he gets used to his new crate. You dont want your dog to associate the crate with any sort of punishment or he will always be afraid of it. As he gets used to it continue to put treats in from time to time. You can also put some blankets or cushions and his favorite toys in there to further his comfort level. Placing the crate next to your bed may further his comfort level and you may soon find him sleeping in there.

After you dog has become comfortable with the crate and has gotten used to being in it for periods of time with the door open it is time to get him used to having the door shut. Once again break out your handy treats and put some inside his crate. When he goes in to enjoy his snack close the door gently while he eats. Stay next to the crate while you do this and let him finish the treats. Let him out after a few minutes so as not to create to much stress or anxiety for him.

Keep repeating this same procedure but lengthen the amount of time the door is kept shut each time. As you slowly increase his time in the crate he will become more comfortable with it. When it is time to actually pick up the crate with your dog inside go only a short distance. Maybe to just another room in the house or outside to your back yard. The idea again with carrying your dog is to gradually get him used to it.

The most important part of crate training a dog is to make sure that they are comfortable with the process. If done properly he will just see it as another part of living life as a dog and you can take him anywhere in his crate that you chose.

To learn more about crate training your dog and other training tips and tricks please visit the website Worfdog.com.

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