3 Major Health Problems in Dogs

Life with your dog can be fun and exciting. There are times when this excitement can take a turn in the wrong direction. This is when your dog gets sick. There will be times in your dog’s life that he will become ill. It is for this reason that it is important that you are aware of some of the common health problems in dogs. There are the big three that you should be aware of when it comes to taking care of your dog.

Heart Disease

Heart disease is not just a serious health problem for humans. Dogs can suffer from this health concern as well. Heart disease in a cat can be present at birth or it can acquire through his lifetime. There are two basic types of heart disease that your cat can have. One is where the walls of the arteries thin out. The other happens when the valves to properly close and affect the flow of blood through the heart.

Heart disease in a dog can lead to heart failure. Just like in a person, heart disease can be a precursor to a failure of your dog’s heart. This happens when the heart can not keep up with the blood needs of the body. There are few warning signs of heart failure in a dog. It is important to have your dog checked out often by your vet to keep tabs on this health problem.

Heartworm

Heartworm is one of the most well known health problems that a dog may have. Mosquitoes are the culprit that can cause your furry four legged friend to get heartworm. There is a greater risk of getting heartworm for dogs that spend time outdoors. It is not unheard of for an indoor dog to get heartworm.

When it comes to heartworm, the most important word is one of prevention. Treating heartworm in a dog can be very expensive. It is for this reason that vets concentrate on heartworm prevention. There are few different preventatives that are used. Many are oral pills that the dog will take daily or monthly.

 Canine Distemper

This is one of those health problems that a dog can get that is often tracked back to being around other dogs. This disease is spread through contact with other dogs’ secretions. There are a few symptoms of canine distemper to watch out for. They are pus coming out of the eye, loss of weight, and diarrhea. Distemper is usually prevented through a simple vaccine that your vet can give your dog.

Keeping your dog healthy and around for a long time lays firmly on your shoulders. It is up to you to know when something is wrong with your dog and to seek the proper medical attention that he needs. This is why it is so important for you to be aware of the many common health problems that your dog may face.

Originally posted 2009-03-03 02:51:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Traveling with Your Dog – Six Tips for Success

Nothing is quite as fun as packing up and heading out of town for a weekend or a longer trip. A change of scenery from time to time is important to recharge your battery. This is true for your dog as well. Most dogs love to travel and to be exposed to new places just like you do. But there are a few things that you need to do to make the trip a positive experience for everyone.

TIP ONE
Make sure that you take with you items that your dog is fond of on the trip. Being ripped away from their routine and surroundings can be traumatic for your dog. If your pet has a favorite toy or blanket, be sure to take it along with you in the car. For more comforts of home, you can also bring their food and water dishes from home to use when you arrive at your destination. Also pack a good supply of paper towels and blankets for cleaning up dog hair, dirty paws and the like.

TIP TWO
Keep small plastic baggies of food and treats with you as you travel with your dog. The main supply of their food for vacation can be kept in the main luggage. Even if you do not think that your dog will need to eat while traveling because it will be a short amount of time before you reach your destination, you still need to have some food on hand in case something happens and your are detained longer on the road then planned. Keep these baggies of food in a couple of different bags that are being carried on the trip. This will help you from misplacing the dog food when you really need it.

TIP THREE
If your dog does not currently travel often, keep in mind that it could be a traumatic experience him to travel with you. To lessen this possibility, take some time well before your trip to take your dog in the car for short trips to acclimate him to the experience. My poodle Buffy, who wasn’t accustomed to riding in the car except to the vet, without fail would throw up as soon as she rode in the car. That is until I began taking her with me to the park when I walked. She soon associated riding in the car with something she enjoyed instead of something unpleasant. Buffy’s nausea when riding in the car was soon replaced with excitement.

TIP FOUR
Keep a clean water supply with you as you travel with your pet. You can keep a couple of bottles of water with you just for this. There are pop up bowls that you can use as a drink container for your pet when you are on the road.

TIP FIVE
Make frequent stops during the drive – at least once per hour to hour and a half. Dogs can get car sick just like humans and if you dog gets nervous out of his routine, he may need more potty breaks than normal. From my experience, my dogs have been so excited to travel, that they wanted to get out of the car and explore often.

TIP SIX
One of the most important things to do when traveling with a dog is to make sure they have identification on them. The identification should clearly state their name, your name, address and phone number. This will be a lifesaver if you should become separated from your pet. This happened to a friend of mine who was traveling from Florida to Texas in a convertible with a friend and her Golden Retriever, Goldie. At some point while driving down the freeway Goldie fell out of the convertible onto the road. It was a miracle that she was reunited with Goldie about five hours later when she received a call on her mobile phone from the person who found Goldie limping along the highway. If my friend had not had a current identification tag on Goldie, she would have lost her best friend forever.

Traveling with your dog can be a fun experience for you both. Once you have taken one trip with your dog, hopefully you will want to take him on every trip. Your dog will love exploring new places and spending time with you. By following the tips above you can make sure that your trip with your dog is fun and free for you both.

Originally posted 2009-02-25 19:45:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter