5 Effective Ways to Control and Prevent Dog Ticks

Dog ticks are not only annoying, they’re also dangerous carriers of a wide variety of diseases, posing threat not only to your dog but also to you and your family. It’s imperative to do something about it right away. 

Here are 5 effective ways to get rid of dog ticks. 

Over-the-counter topical medication 
Using a spot-on treatment is usually the fastest way to control dog ticks. You may purchase an over-the-counter topical medication from a pet store, online pharmacy, or from your vet. These medications can control ticks for up to one month. Though most are effective, it’s still a must to find out which brand is the best. Carefully read the label too before using. Don’t use anything without first consulting your vet.

  

Oral medication

Some vets give tick-infested dogs with pills that can kill not only adult ticks but also immature ones to put an end to the tick’s life cycle. The great thing about oral medication is that you don’t have to worry about kids coming into contact with dogs after administration, unlike with the topical medication.

  

Shampoos

Bathe your dog with a shampoo that comes with a medicated ingredient that kills ticks in an instant. It’s the less expensive choice, which is ideal if you’re a little tight on the budget. It can be labor-intensive though especially during peak season of ticks, as you’d need to repeat the process about every two weeks. The effect doesn’t last as long as the two previous options.

Tick Dips

A tick dip refers to a concentrated chemical that’s diluted with water and then applied on the dog’s coat. The chemical is not to be rinsed off afterwards. Since it can be very strong, it shouldn’t be used for treating young puppies or pregnant or nursing dogs.

Tick Collars 
Tick collars, as the name suggests, are worn around the neck. They’re useful for protecting your dog from ticks but only from the neck up. Be sure to read the label and follow instructions carefully before putting a tick collar on your dog. 

With these practical tips, you can finally say goodbye to annoying little dog ticks that have been pestering your beloved pooch.

Distemper in Dogs: Know Its Symptoms and Treatment

Distemper in dogs is a serious contagious disease that has caused many fatalities worldwide. It is caused by a virus called canine distemper, which belongs to the paramyxovirus group. In the same group belongs the virus that causes measles in humans. 

This disease affects a dog’s respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems. It is transmitted through contact with respiratory secretions, fecal material, and urine of infected dogs. It can also be passed on through objects contaminated by the virus. Unvaccinated dogs especially at 6 to 12 weeks of age are at highest risk of this viral infection. 

The initial signs usually appear six to nine days after infection. At first, a dog will have a fever spike that can reach up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit or 40.5 degrees Celsius. A second fever spike will then be accompanied by other signs like restlessness, loss of appetite, and watery discharge from nose and eyes. 

After a few days, the watery discharge becomes thick and sticky. At this stage, there may be other signs like vomiting, diarrhea, dry cough, and pus blisters on the abdomen. The ill dog typically gets better within one to two weeks but then goes on a relapse. By this time, bacterial invasion will have occurred, causing gastrointestinal and respiratory complications. 

The condition worsens as the illness progresses two to three weeks after exposure. Head shaking, chewing movements of the jaw, slobbering, and seizures similar to epilepsy are commonly seen. Some dogs develop distemper myoclonus, which is a condition that involves rhythmic muscle contractions that affects most body parts especially the head. The involuntary jerking is usually accompanied by pain. 

Unfortunately, there is no cure for distemper in dogs. However, treatment options are available to alleviate symptoms and prevent new infections. Some examples include:

• Antibiotics to prevent pneumonia

• IV fluids to prevent dehydration from diarrhea and vomiting

• Anti-seizure medications

• Steroids for severe seizures 

If you have a pet dog, the best thing is to prevent infection with a distemper shot. This vaccination is generally administered in combination with parainfluenza, leptospirosis, canine parvovirus, and adenovirus 2. Distemper in dogs is a serious fatal condition that all dog pet owners should be aware of.

Dog Diarrhea Treatment: Caring for Your Sick Pooch

Like humans, dogs are susceptible to diarrhea. In most cases, the condition is not serious and can be treated at home. Here are bits and pieces of useful information on dog diarrhea treatment. 

Diet

Most diarrhea in dogs is diet-related so before you look into possible dog diarrhea treatments, you should first check whether the disorder was caused by something your dog ingested. Have you suddenly changed your dog’s diet? If you want to feed your dog new food items, do so gradually. Otherwise, their system may be unprepared and that could lead to digestive problems. 

Garbage, rotten food, and inedible objects, such as plastic will not only cause diarrhea but will also affect your pet’s overall health. Some table food items, such as milk shouldn’t be given to pets, especially puppies, because most dogs are lactose intolerant. 

Parasites and viruses

Puppies are particularly susceptible to viruses and parasites. If they don’t receive medical attention right away, the condition could lead to dehydration, decreased immune system function, and even death.

Medication and Vaccination

New medications and vaccine shots can cause diarrhea as a side effect. If vomiting and other reactions accompany the diarrhea, it’s best to consult your vet because your dog might need medical attention.  

Emotional disposition

Excitement, stress, and anxiety can also cause diarrhea. If these are the reasons, your dog’s condition should improve in the next 12 hours with the help of first-aid dog diarrhea treatments.

Toxic Substances

If you suspect that your dog has ingested poison or toxic substances, take him to the vet immediately.

Dog Diarrhea Treatment

If your pooch is suffering from diarrhea, take note of the following measures to help your pet recover quickly: 

•  Refrain from feeding your dog for 24 hours (12 hours for puppies) to give the digestive system a chance to empty itself.

•  Make sure your dog is drinking plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Flavor the water with some broth to encourage drinking. If your pet doesn’t want to drink water, bring him to the vet immediately.

•  Consult your vet regarding the possible medications to treat your dog’s diarrhea.

•  Give your dog 3 to 4 small meals (consisting of non-fatty foods) for the first two days.

•  Take note of the bowel movements and observe the stool.

•  If everything seems to be normal, then you can feed your dog his regular diet.

If the diarrhea persists for more than 24 hours, the stool is bloody or black, or the dog is vomiting, despondent, and has a fever, take him to your vet right away.

Best Dog Food Guide: Protein for Dogs

Let us begin by deleting the misconceptions in protein for dogs. As a responsible pet owner, you must know the things you have to give to your dog in order for your dog to thrive and not just survive. This means that you have to know whether protein for dogs is a good thing or not. But I will tell you this, as early as now: Every dog needs it, it is good for them, and it is not harmless. I’ll explain later. Aged research built on experiments in rats concluded that excessive protein intake brings about kidney damage. However, this is to true in healthy dogs.

“Can I feed my dog with too much protein?” The answer is yes. At the time that your dog eats too much protein, some of it will either be excreted in the urine or will be utilized as calories or converted and stored as fat - causing your dog no damage. However, if your dog has kidney damage, you may reduce the amount of protein and give your dog with those proteins that has high biologic value. In this way, the kidney’s effort in excreting excess protein is condensed thus helping the kidney to quickly heal.

Dogs will find it hard to survive if there will be no protein in their diets. In understanding protein for dogs, you must also know this: Nutritive protein contains 10 particular amino acids that dogs cannot create on their own. They are what we all know as essential amino acids, and they deliver the building blocks for numerous significant biologically active compounds and proteins. They also provide the carbon chains required to create glucose for energy. First-class proteins contain an excellent balance of all of the essential amino acids.

Do you know another amazing thing about our dogs? According to studies, dogs can tell when their food is deficient of even a single amino acid and will dodge such a meal. It is not yet known why dogs are known to selectively choose foods that are rich in protein. 

Let us now know the daily recommended allowances for protein for dogs. Puppies weighing 12 lb, 33 lb at maturity, is at 56 grams of crude protein. Adult dogs weighing 33 lb is 25 grams of crude protein. Also, pregnant/nursing dogs weighing 33lb with 6 puppies is at 69 grams/158 grams.

As you can see, puppies need a higher percentage of protein than adults because they need it for their growing bodies. The best diet plan for your puppy is one that incorporates 22 to 28 percent protein. On the other hand, diet plan for adult dogs should comprise of 10 to 18 percent protein. If you have a working dog or sled dogs, you ought to understand that they will need a higher percentage of protein – more than adult home pet dog because of the stress on their muscles. Give a 25 percent for your working herd dogs and up to 35 percent protein for your racing and sled dogs. Lastly, a pregnant and nursing dog will also need a great amount of protein not for themselves but for their growing puppies. Usually, veterinarians will recommend nourishing a mother dog with a puppy food until weaning.

Finally, and for sure you will be asking this: Is meat meal good for my dog? The answer is yes, absolutely. It is a valuable source of concentrated protein thus it is nutritionally superb for your dog. However, it cannot contain blood or hair or any additional in essential constituents. Furthermore, no greater than 11 percent of the crude protein in the meal can be elements that the dog cannot process or break down. 

Tricks for Dogs, Anyone?

No doubt, dogs are indeed man’s best friend. Throughout history, dogs have made it to the growing family of most homes. Further, they have exhibited extraordinary love and extreme loyalty, enough to earn the love and care of human beings.

But loyalty is not the only characteristic that catapulted them to their stature today. One trait that people love from our canine friends is their ability to learn tricks when subjected to consecutive and proper training. From playing fetch to obedience drills, various tricks for dogs are one bonding time for dogs and their owners. 

While dogs are not the most intelligent specie in the whole Kingdom of Animalia, dogs are special because they love to learn new and interesting things. They are curious and they tend to associate learning as a fun thing. As social animals, it is their way to connect with other animals or to their owners. Most of the time, routine activities allow them to learn a couple of concepts such as obedience and simple actions. While the eagerness to learn is there, tricks teach them how to learn things systematically. 

Aside from obedience, a lot of tricks for dogs make them mentally and physically active. For instance, memorizing actions and activities exercise their brains while having fun. It keeps them alert and stimulated at all times.

The key to effective teaching of tricks for dogs is making it fun and exciting for them. Usually, an effective reward system must be imposed. In psychology, this is called Positive Reinforcement. In this way, the dog recognizes the benefit of learning trick as well as obeying his or her master. Aside from food treats, common rewards are praises which are in the form of patting and hugging.

Also, avoid stressing your dog with tall orders. Understand that not all dogs are obedient and not all are comfortable with the process and devices of learning. Most of the time, dogs are not the only ones who need to be very patient, masters too. Experts advise that owners train dogs only for short minutes.

You should avoid boring routines. Start from simple ones and then gradually ascend the difficulty level of the tricks. Furthermore, selected routines or tricks should reflect only one skill at a time. This is to avoid confusion and mixing of complicated concepts. Also, dogs can also be frustrated when faced with a skill that is impossible to learn at a given small range of time. 

It is also important to take in to consideration the characteristic of your dogs. Like humans, our canine friends also have different personalities depending on their breed and the way they were reared. Some are stubborn, and others are playful and active. Activities and tricks should match their characteristics so that they can achieve their full potential.

On the other hand, trainers should also assess their personality as a pet owner. Dogs are pack-oriented animals. Meaning, they tend to see everyone as dominant or submissive to them. As owners and trainers, you should make it a point that you assume the dominant role in the equation.

Truly, there are myriad of benefits tricks for dogs can bring to your relationship as owner and pet. Further, it allows the creation of a two-way relationship not like those which resembles slave and master.

All You Need to Know about Vegetables for Dogs

Dogs have always been close to people’s hearts. That’s why it’s important that every dog owner should understand their furry friend’s required diet. Although dogs are often associated with meat diets, they are actually omnivores. As a matter of fact, recent studies suggest that vegetables for dogs provide a lot of benefit. These foods bring in fiber which is good for digestion. Other researches also claim that regular intake of high-quality vegetables also prevent certain diseases in dogs.

On a general perspective, 20% of a normal dog’s diet should be composed of vegetables. The serving would increase and decrease according to the weight and nutritional needs of your pet. Oftentimes, dogs with obesity or symptoms thereof are prescribed higher servings of vegetables.

While some would argue that it’s hard to make pets eat vegetables, there are ways to get around such a problem. For one, you can pureé cooked vegetables so you could easily incorporate it with your dog’s food. There are also preserved vegetables that you can get from any dog supplies shops. Serving vegetables for dogs is like encouraging a toddler to eat greens.

You need to introduce it little by little. Add variety so your dog wouldn’t get bored with the meals. Also, don’t pressure your pet in eating the veggies. You don’t want your dog to associate veggies with drama.

Here’s a helpful guide in serving vegetables for your dogs.

Know what not to give.

Not all veggies are good for your dog. Some contain toxins that could build up in your dog’s body. The key here is to understand which vegetables are bad for your pet. With this, it’ll be a lot easier to pick vegetables. Some of the vegetables that aren’t advisable for dog consumption include avocado, onions, garlic, wild mushrooms, tomatoes, and macadamia nuts. Aside from certain vegetables, make an effort to know which foods are poisonous for your pet.

Stick with the tried-and-tested.

A lot of dog owners have already considered giving vegetables for their pet. You might want to follow their path by sticking to the basics. What are the popular vegetables for dogs? Broccoli, carrots, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, spinach, celery, asparagus, sweet potatoes, green beans peas, and squash make up the long list. Always go for organic vegetables as they are obviously safer. The chemicals in some produce could be harmful to your pets.

Serve them fully-cooked.

Dogs have shorter digestive tracts needed for digesting certain kinds of food. And contrary to popular belief, some vegetables are actually harder to digest. You need to aid your dog by serving vegetables that are fully-cooked. You can also steam the vegetables so that their natural nutrients would remain intact.

Get the advice of a trusted veterinarian.

You can also hit the right nails during the first try by consulting with a trusted veterinarian. These professionals can assess the specific nutritional needs of your dog. Also, they can advise you on what not and what to give your trusted pal. Having regular check-ups also gives your pet the advantage of preventing any diseases.

It’s painful to correct the diet of your dogs. However, the benefits of such efforts would surely be worth all the trouble. In the long run, a healthy, complete diet would help them ward off serious diseases. Naturally, vegetables for dogs guarantee a happy and good life for your loved pet.

Loyalty of Dogs: The Ultimate Manifestation

Stories of dogs rescuing their owners from danger not minding that they are also putting themselves at risk never fail to break hearts and gain sympathy from people, especially animal lovers. 

Even a man with a heart as hard as an iron would melt at the stories of dogs braving the fire, flood, landslide and earthquake, among others, to save their owners. The extent of dog’s loyalty has never been quantified. At this point, man can only describe the loyalty of dogs as ‘unique’ to its owners and to its kind.

In 2006, an English Cocker Spaniel, then only five-month old, saved her owner from dying in a violent car accident by calling rescuers. The dog was Honey. She and her owner Michael Bosch in an SUV fell and rolled upside down into a ravine unnoticed. Bosch, pinning all his hopes to Honey, helped honey get out to find help, which she sure did. Later, rescuers declared that Bosch could have died if had not been for Honey. Honey was awarded the 2006 Dog of the Year.

In 2004, a golden retriever named Brutis fought a coral snake that was slithering close to child. He sustained deadly bites from the snake. His heroism did not go unrewarded. He was awarded the National Hero Dog award in the same year.

Isn’t it interesting to know where dogs learn the act and values of selflessness for the sake of man? For a dog lover, somehow there is pride at the thought that dogs never fail to live up to their repute as a man’s best friend. 

Yet loyalty of dogs do not only exist to the hand that feeds them. There are also countless of stories about dog’s loyalty to their kind. 

A video posted in the internet sometime in 2008 showed a dog who helped and rescue a friend dog. The hero dog braved the speeding vehicles to get to a friend dog that was just hit by a car. The hero dog then dragged his friend at the side road to avoid being hit further. 

There are also stories of dogs whose loyalty go even beyond death. Almost in different parts of the worlds, you will hear stories about dogs that chose to stay beside the grave of their loved ones instead of moving on. They undergo grief, too. Who knows how much grief they are going through after the loss? 

 There are dogs who continue to wait for their owners who died in an accident outside, not knowing that their beloved owners would never come back. Who knows until when they are going to wait?

The ‘unique’ loyalty of dogs is not what these creatures set them apart from other animals. Some said that they are loyal because they depend on their owners for everything. Pet owners disagree. The affection that dogs develop to their owners seems unbreakable for something founded on material things.  A dog’s love is unconditional. Its loyalty knows no boundaries. 

This love and connection leads dogs that were separated from their owners back home. Remember Cash, a German Shepherd from Colorado? In 2008, Cash found his dead owner who went missing for months. He stayed by his owner’s side for weeks without food and drinks in the plains of Colorado only to protect the cadaver from coyotes.

Understanding More About Dog Eyesight

Unlike that of humans, dog eyesight is built in ways that make canines easily focus on their prey, thus resulting to quicker motion. A lot of dog owners actually have the misconception that their pet dogs are totally color blind. But contrary to beliefs, dogs can actually see colors and they have in fact excellent night vision. Although a dog’s sense of smell and hearing is more useful, their eyesight plays a crucial role in the totality of a dog’s performance. To further understand the biological make up of your canine’s eyes, below are some helpful facts. 

From a Biological Perspective, dog’s eyes are generally similar to that of humans. The eyes have its retinal cover all around the eyeballs and are comprised of two kinds of light sensitive cells: the rods and cones. How they perceive colors and the details of their vision is controlled by the cones. During night time, their eyesight is usually controlled by the eyes’ rods, thus allowing dogs to detect motion. Because rods are highly concentrated in dogs than the cones, this allows the dogs to clearly detect motion. Its low cone concentration is perhaps the reason why myths about dogs being colorblind have become very popular over the years. 

Professional animal handlers, as well as veterinarians attest to the fact that dogs can actually see colors just similar with how a colorblind human would see. Color blind people generally are not color blind, rather they only have trichromatic or dichromatic vision. In the same way, dogs cannot distinguish specific colors like the greens and the reds. A dog’s eyes vary depending on their breed but generally, the eye angles are somewhere around twenty degrees. The position actually is ideal as it helps the dogs increase their peripheral vision, thus achieving better field of view. 

Despite the fact that the peripheral dog eyesight allows them to achieve wider fields of vision, it unfortunately disrupts the dog’s binocular vision. With that, it results to less visual acuity- disabling them from seeing things from far off. 

If you think your pet dogs have eyesight problems, it’s about the best time to have a trip to your veterinarian. Running eyesight tests for your pet dogs are very crucial in diagnosing the problems. So the moment you notice your beloved dogs rubbing their eyes on the ground too often, or they try to avoid from light, no doubt your dogs have eyesight problems. Symptoms include bulging eyes, cloudiness, dog eye discharge, eye redness, and excessive tearing. All these are tell tale signs that your dogs potentially have eye problems. 

Veterinarians will recommend specific eye tests depending on the symptoms. For example, if your dogs have dry eyes, the veterinarian may do a tear duct test. The doctor will check for the dog’s natural eye moisture by carefully inserting a strip of paper in the canine’s eyes. If you notice your dogs having eyesight problems, take your pet to your veterinarian immediately. Also, these problems can be avoided by regularly cleaning your dog’s eyes. You may also insert artificial tears in their eyes to removing dust, hair, and other obstructive particles. 

A dog eyesight is just as important as their sense of smell and hearing. To keep your dogs healthy and problem-free all the time, make sure you do regular eye check-ups.