February is Pet Dental Health Month

Dog health, cat health and generally, our pet's health is very important but often overlooked or forgotten in this busy times of economic struggle. This is why February is the time for our pet's dental health because just like their owners, they need the dental attention too. It is a known fact that eighty percent of dogs and seventy percent of cats show signs of oral disease as early as age three and dental health doesn't just affect the mouth. It may actually lead to more serious health problems such as heart, lungs and kidney disease. We definitely wouldn't want that to happen to our precious babies. So let’s look at what you can do and try to break it down so that you would know how to go about the task.

One very serious disease is called the Periodontal Disease. It is an infection of the tissues surrounding the teeth that can take hold during the progressive stages. It starts out as mere plaque and eventually, as the bacteria in the plaque dies, it becomes calcified by the calcium found in saliva. It now becomes tartar and invites more plaque and will lead to gingivitis which causes the gums to swell and bleed. If left untreated, it can spread around the root of the tooth. Finally, the surrounding tissues are destroyed and the bone socket holding the tooth erodes and the tooth becomes loose. This is very painful for your canine friend but luckily, it can be prevented by gaining information on your dog's health as well as other pets.

The two critical components of your pet's dental care are oral examinations and dental cleanings. It is highly recommended that you have your pet checked early because then, as your pet ages, your veterinarian will look for developmental anomalies, the accumulation of plaque and tartar, periodontal disease and oral tumors. Basic oral examinations can be performed while the patient is awake but anesthetics may be required for a more thorough and complete examination as well as the cleaning itself. It is also recommended by the AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) that general anesthesia should be used for oral examinations as well as dental cleanings for all cats and dogs. Furthermore, these procedures should be done at least annually at one year of age for cats and small breed dogs and at two years of age for large breed dogs. This is not much to do for our pet's sake knowing that you would do anything for you cat's or dog's health any day.

Dog Health Tip for Holidays

As families all around the country start pulling out their favorite holiday recipes, and shopping lists, and decorations, it's easy to overlook one hairy detail: the family pets. Between vacationing out-of-town and readying the house for a veritable invasion of friends and family members, it is really no surprise that pets feel left out, but more than that, the general upheaval of the holidays can be a dangerous time for cats and dogs.

Nationally recognized veterinarian Dr. Bernadine Cruz, DVM, and one of the resident veterinarian advisors on MyPetCareTV.com, encourages pet owners everywhere to add "pet safety" to their holiday list and check it twice.

Year-round every room in a house can pose a potential threat to your dog health when human foods, cleaning products, insecticides and rodenticides, and medicines meant for people are left out where pets can get into them. During the holidays inattention to things left unattended can double. Everyone is busy, caught up in the celebration of good food and good company: house guests may unwittingly allow the dog into a room he is usually forbidden to go, or feed the dog a "treat" to which he is allergic. The holidays bring out so many more potential hazards to pets than we may think. Dogs may ingest tinsel, ribbons, and string, harming their digestion and intestinal tract. Especially harmful is fertilizer used in the water of Christmas tree stands which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

To pass the holidays in celebration, companionship, and good health, Dr. Bernadine Cruz offer these tips to add to every dog owner's list:

* Remind houseguests not to feed your dogs human food, especially fatty foods and candy.
* Restrict dogs to "safe areas" or outdoors during dinner parties when you are too occupied to watch them.
* If you have not already, install child safety locks on cabinets that contain cleaning supplies, paints, and medicines. Even hand soap and toothpaste can harm your dog health.
* Try to give your dog some focused attention each day to keep her or him calm, relaxed, and less likely to misbehave.
* Be sure dogs wear identification tags at all times. That includes indoor pets, because with the hustle and bustle of having visitors, pets can wander outside without their owners being aware of their escape.
* To protect curious pets, be sure to keep candles safely out of the reach of paws, whiskers, and tails.
* Pets, especially dogs, tend to eat first and think later. A dangling, shinny tree ornament or holiday table decorations may be more than your pet can ignore. A nibble of a plant can lead to an upset stomach or worse. Decorations can lead to an obstruction in the digestive tract and require a visit to the veterinary emergency room.

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A Bite of Information on Dog Rabies

It's a big responsibility to own a dog. You need to protect your overall dog health and protect him or her from any form of diseases. Rabies is a life-threatening viral disease that causes inflammation to your pet's nervous system and eventually results to madness and death. When your dog is infected with rabies, he or she might go through the three dreadful stages.

Prodomal Phase - the first phase which can last until two to three days. During this stage, your dog may experience fever, frequent chewing at the infected area of the bite and showing unusual behavioral changes.
Furious Stage - this might be the most scariest phase of the three because the pressure has already reached the dog's brain and starts to rip him off. Your dog will begin to display disorientation, irritability and a different level of aggression and he or she might no longer follow your orders. This terrible stage will last for two to four days.
Paralytic Phase - The final stage, like the Furious stage, this will also occur between two to four days and the entire body of your dog will be numbed. There's no cure once your dog is already at this stage and whether you like it or not, he or she will die in a short while.

Protecting Your Dog from Rabies
Dog rabies can be cured if it is detected early. Once your dog is bitten by some vicious or any domestic animal, you need to bring your dog to the nearest veterinarian for immunization. It is suggested that you need to make arrangements with your vet regarding this matter. Don't delay things, you just need to make it happen. Remember, you need to protect your dog health before anything else. Studies show that a puppy can now have its first immunization at eight weeks old. The second shot should be be given four weeks after. When the puppy turned sixteen weeks old, he or she can have the vaccination for rabies.

Yet, there are some side effects you should be wary of once your dog is immunized. These side effects are: disorientation, lethargy, vomiting, trembling and swelling. If you observe that your dog has displayed any of these signs, you need to call your vet asap. To prevent these heartbreaking events from happening, you need to protect your dog. Regular grooming and proper health care of your dog should be observed. When you walk them down the street, avoid contacting them with wild dogs.

Protecting Yourself from Rabies
Are you aware that the effects of rabies in dog is same as that of humans? Truth is, the chances of having a rabies in humans may be slim but still, you need to be extra cautious.
For any instances that you are bitten by dogs or by any animal, wild or not, with rabies or without, you must immediately wash the infected area of your body with soap and water before seeing your veterinarian for further testing and observation.

It might be also helpful that after you've been bitten, you follow the dog on its way home then request the authorities to capture it. When the dog is captured, never injure the head as this is used for further medical verification.

Conclusion
“Prevention is better than cure,” you need this quote all the time. It's not impossible to fight dog rabies as long as you are doing the proper precaution in protecting your pet dog and your health and life, as well.

Canine Distemper Virus

Canine distemper virus or CDV is an above ground variety and highly transmissible disease-causing illness that is every so often deadly and can affect the respiratory, urogenital, gastrointestinal, optic nerves, central nervous systems and your dog health as a whole. This communicable disease usually affects dog of all ages worldwide. However the degree of severity is more dangerous in young puppies compared to a non-immunized adult dogs.

Dog distemper is a dog health problem which is strongly associated to human measles because the virus that generates canine distemper belongs to the same paramyxovirus group where human measles virus is a member. Thus, if a person has vaccine and is immune to measles then they will also have imperceptibility to canine distemper. In spite of this, there is an account that humans can conceivably be infected with dog distemper virus but will unveil no signs or warnings at all.

Symptoms of canine distemper are on case to case basis depending on your dog health. Early signs include high fever, loss of appetite because of tonsils and lymph nodes problem. Because of this the dog will drastically loss weight and will eventually becomes very weak. The virus will attack the lungs and respiratory tract so dogs will develop persistent cough. Severe diarrhea with bloody traces is the manifestation of intestinal inflammation.

This disease that attacks dogs has a 50% mortality rate and most of the dogs die by the third week because of neurological complications. In selected cases, the dog's protective mechanisms generate antibodies in this period, and subsequently beat the infection. However the virus is not completely gone and it actually remains in the brain which can be activated anytime. This if often times referred to as “Old Dog Encephalitis”. It should be noted also that virus can survive and in fact loves cold temperature and is more pervasive during winter and fall season. However they only remain dormant on warm weather.

It is important that puppies should receive colostrums from their mother to strengthen their immune system in order to battle not only distemper virus but all forms of dog health problems. New and tested vaccines are now available to protect your dog health from canine distemper virus. Veterinarians strongly advised that your dog should be vaccinated at an early age and lessens contact with other animals and avoid exposure to other places. Proper sanitation is encouraged as a best form of prevention.

Dog Cognitive Disorder

Dogs can be affected by a degenerative disease like Alzheimer's disease in humans. This is formally called canine cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS). Similar to the symptoms of Alzheimer disease in humans, dog cognitive dysfunction syndrome causes behavioral changes that are not normal in the canine aging process. This condition affects mostly dogs aged 11 years and above. There are similar studies about this dog health issue that revealed that 48% of dogs with ages 8 years and older, 62% of dogs 11 to 16 years of age and 100% of dogs 16 years of age and older exhibited at least one of the changes that occurs in dogs with cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS).

The symptoms of cognitive dysfunction syndrome (CDS) in dogs can be abbreviated with the following acronym: D.I.S.H.

D - Disorientation
I - Interaction changes
S - Sleep changes
H - House soiling

Dogs who have CDS or cognitive dysfunction syndrome have been seen to be disoriented with familiar surroundings. Your dog with CDS can have a hard time locating his favorite area where he naps or sleeps. In some cases, your dog will have a harder time of locating your doors. Regarding interaction changes, he may not remember to do as he is commanded; even simple commands like “Stay” and “Sit” can elicit strange responses from your dog. Dog with this kind of problem may not even recognize your family members, familiar people or your friends; he may even act hostile to them. Sleep habits of your dog may change with this condition, he may sleep more during daytime than at night; depression can also be seen wherein your dog seems lethargic and lack energy or enthusiasm with favorite activities.

About the house soiling category of symptoms, house-trained dogs may have accidents in your house. Your dog may even forget where he is and have a hard time making his way around your house. He will usually urinates and defecates anywhere or even inside the house.

Cognitive dysfunction syndrome in itself is not fatal to your dogs, but complications arising from this disease can seriously harm your dog. The symptoms like disorientation and interaction changes can lead to situations that can seriously physically and emotionally harm your beloved dog.

If your dog is exhibiting the above-mentioned behavior or symptoms for no apparent reason, it's wise and best to consult your veterinarian for proper recommendation to alleviate and control this dog health problem.

BARF Diet for your dog health

Are you feeding your dog with the right food to ensure its optimum health? Do you think that what you see as a good stuff for your dog health is really appropriate and could give you and your dog the security that what you've been feeding to him/her is safe? Now what kind of food is it really that can not only satisfy your dog's hunger but will also optimize its health?

It has been a practice for pet lovers, dog lovers specifically to feed their dogs with processed foods. Branded dog foods are just what they would prefer. They think that by feeding their dogs with this kind of stuff, they will have no worries or whatsoever regarding their nutrition. But little did they know that these processed foods can just bring about more harm to their dog health. Most of these foods contain a long list of additives, preservatives and grain products.

So why not stick to the traditional manner of feeding our pets? Why not feed them the way they would feed themselves into the wild? Why not give them the kind of food that their ancestors feasted originally when they were once scavengers and hunt for food to suffice their hunger? Feeding your dog with fresh, raw foods is just what I am talking about. Giving them exactly what the typical food chain would allow them to have is more likely to guarantee you a supreme kind of healthy lifestyle for your dog.

BARF (“biologically appropriate raw food") or "BARF" diet is the healthy, safe and nutritious way to feed your pet. The natural way your pet or dog used to eat just before all those manufactured, highly-processed and grain-based foods entered the system of their food chain is what this BARF diet is trying to portray and win back to all dog lovers all over. This diet is typically made up of 60-80% of raw meaty bones(RMB), that is bones with about 50% meat, (e.g. chicken neck, back and wings) and 20-40% of fruits and vegetables, offal, meat, eggs, or dairy foods. The BARF diet looks only to the freshest whole raw food sources rich in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids derived mostly from human edible ingredients.

The presence of bacteria in raw food often worries pet owners and vets. They assume these bacteria will imperil their dog health. However, dogs, being scavengers, have evolved to eat and thrive on bacteria laden food, requiring them for immune system maturity. Living enzymes are proteins found in raw foods which help the body function. Enzymes are only beneficial to the body if they are living. Once food is cooked or processed, it no longer contains living enzymes. Living Enzymes in a raw diet restore, repair, and maintain health. Animals replenish their enzymes systems by eating raw unprocessed foods. As a result, feeding your dog with raw food is more likely to give out a lot of benefits for the betterment of your dog health.

So if you want to improve your dog health, lengthen the span of its life, give your dog stronger teeth and fresher breath, indestructible immune system and fully-developed bones or body structure, then settle for something that's natural and proven to have made supreme developments for your dog health. If we people are now trying to resort to alternatives or those natural ways to improve our lifestyles, then why leave out our dogs with the least essential stuff if we can give them the most appropriate and rewarding kinds of food to feast with?

Dog Kennel: There’s no place like home

Dogs need shelter from the storm and protection from their enemies. They also need a place of safety when necessary. Dog kennel provides the man's best friend this need and therefore protect dog health.

There are several types of kennels for the man's best friend. Some are made specifically for your dog health protection, others for show. Most of the time, we see those kennels which really resembles like houses so we term them “dog house” where our dogs rest after a long day of playing around, guiding us, giving us entertainment and looking after us.

Since dogs are very good companions, it is certainly a must that we provide them with a comfortable dwelling place. And since there are several designs of dog kennel, there are also professionals who can back us up and help us decorate our dog houses, we have no other excuse to just let your dog sleep in an unused room or beside your car in the garage.

But it is inevitable that families will travel and since the dog plays an important role in the family, it cannot just be left behind. It has to tag along in the family's picnic in the beach or be with the daddy and baby boy on their hunting adventure. There's only one problem; it is difficult to look for a place where the dog can spend the night because it cannot just sleep in the living room of the summer house. There's no worry though because right now, there are a lot of dog kennel that are handy and can be brought anywhere.

Dog kennel are available in various forms, sizes and colors. However, before we buy a certain kennel, we first have to consider several things. First, are the size of our backyard and the size of our dog. We also have to take into consideration the breed of the dog that we have and the sensitivity of the dog health. Some dogs have different needs so maybe its best we seek for help from our friendly veterinarians on what type of kennel does our doggy need. For humans, after a long day, when we're weary and exhausted, we want to lie down on that corner we consider to be our comfort zone. Dogs have that feeling, too, so let's make sure that the kennels we give our dogs will provide that need.

We don't really have to spend so much buying that ready-made dog kennel. If you have that carpentering skills, then start buying the equipments and take our your hammers, nails and saw and anything else that you need and make the best kennel that you can think of for you pet satisfaction and dog health. If you don't have that skill, check out some people in the neighborhood, I'm sure they're willing to lend a hand to help you out.

Dog Food Recall; Past Present and the Future

The term back yard dog is becoming more of taboo now for dog lovers. Pet owners’ nurtures and spoil their dog as if it’s their only child. They are actually spending a lot of money now on eye-catching yet expensive collars, dog kennel, dog health insurance and a good brand of dog food.

However after the series of unpleasant incident of a massive dog food recall, pet owners are taking a lot consideration when it comes to choosing what to feed their pet. The improved self-consciousness of pet owners in their dog health and choices greatly affects and still affecting sales of various pet food products. Various associations for dog health protection and FDA are sterner on regulating the distribution of pet food. Companies are obligated to follow strict guidelines and requirements which should in general satisfy the needs of most pets.

Harking back to the past, the FDA found out that a certain brand/brands of dog food are the primary caused of dogs getting sick and a considerable number died after eating that food contaminated with harmful chemicals. Dog health were put at risk and dogs generally experienced kidney problems and showed sign of poisoning which includes but not limited to vomiting, convulsion and difficulty of breathing. Pet owner’s grievances steers the very heart of the media and therefore heightened consciousness of the general public.

In the face of the past sticky situation on dog food recall, studies shows that in America alone, pet owner will spend $43.4 billion on their pets in 2008, which is way higher that $41.2 billion last year. And the focal target market is of course the Baby boomers, since being alone in the house; they are most likely the people to own a pet and will have enough superfluous budgets to pamper their pet in most ways. Nevertheless they are also the type of pet owner who are more involved in their dog health and will spend extra time reading nutrition facts and bag of dog food.

After the dog food recall, comes a new challenged for dog food manufacturer to make available to the more educated pet owners the best products they can offer without jeopardizing the dog health and being. It would probably be one of the grounds for higher price on dog food, improve premiums, and confusing hype. Either way, dog food ought to supply the dog's nutrient necessities. After all you dogs are your family and you don’t want any of your family eating pieces of crap, don’t you?

Dog Allergy and Remedy

Because of the unstoppable modernization of our society today, more people find ways to pacify their stress. One of these ways is to have a pet at home. We all know that most of us especially the dog lovers consider dogs as the perfect pet for anyone. Some even treat their pets as humans, dress them up and let them sleep in their own beds! But, how much do you know about your dog health? Do you know that dogs can acquire allergies like humans, too?

Yes, new allergies develop each day and increases in severity of existing ones. Dogs also suffer seasonal allergies involving pollen, plants, and molds, just like us. But the most common dog allergies include flea allergy, dog food allergy, contact allergy and occasionally an allergic reaction to vaccinations. Dog allergies caused by different substances generally produce symptoms that affect the skin, affecting you dog health. If your dog scratches and licks himself especially his belly and paws continuously; with sore, red patches of skin, and patchy hair loss, he definitely suffers from allergies.

Other symptoms include sneezing, coughing, persistent head shaking or discharge from the eyes or nose. Small dogs or puppies commonly do not develop dog allergies until they become a year old or more. Their exposure to allergens in the environment, food, and others sensitizes them to certain substances and tend to develop allergies. Treating an allergy that appeared recently seems easier than the one present and untreated for a long period of time. Canine allergies can severely affect a dog health because the symptoms it produces can make your dog very miserable and uncomfortable, unless you treat it carefully. Dogs do not get better by themselves.

In order to protect your dog health, minimize your pup's exposure to as many “triggers” as possible to lessen the chances of developing canine allergies in later life. Feed him a high-quality food without dangerous chemicals and artificial additives. Use a good, effective flea medication on your pup during flea’s season. Give him a regular bath and grooming, and minimize your dogs' contact with long grasses.

It is advisable to take your dog to a veterinarian that can perform either skin tests or blood tests to determine the exact cause of the allergy. But if in case your dog's skin conditions looks severe and appears to be infected, your veterinarian may prescribe corticosteroids, cortisone shots or allergy medications. You can also use products available in the market that can help you treat the skin allergy symptoms that your dog may be experiencing. Different shampoos such as hypoallergenic or hydrocortisone formula, itch stop sprays, lotions and salves can soothe and reduce inflammation. Hydrocortisone products also help in fast healing. All of these products are of big help to your dog health if allergy occurs.

Some dietary supplements and excellent dog foods that contain pure, natural ingredients can also improve skin condition and boost immunity. It can also end food allergies and strengthen the digestive and immune system. Vomiting, diarrheas, loss of appetite or lethargy are symptoms that are often mistaken as food allergy instead of food intolerance. To expose a food allergy and isolate the offending ingredients, perform an elimination diet for the betterment of your dog health. These symptoms also indicate one of several serious canine illnesses, so better seek veterinary attention.

Occasionally, dogs suffer allergic reactions to a vaccination. Most of these vaccine reactions are mild involving lethargy, loss of appetite or a slight fever. We rarely encounter vaccination's moderate to severe reactions, but it can seriously affect your dog health. Development of any swelling or hives on your pet's body, particularly around or on his face after taking his shots minutes or several hours later is definitely serious. This could even progress to swelling of his throat, difficult breathing, seizure and even death. Seek immediate veterinary attention before it's too late.

We may think that dog allergies are usual, but we must do something to reduce the chances of putting our dog health at stake. If you suspect your pup experiences a canine allergy of some sort, you figure out what is causing the problem and make him feel better! Know about your dog health before anything gets worse. In that way, you will feel better, too, and can enjoy more time with your pet.

Dog Health Tip – Take Your Dog for a Walk

Talking about dog health, don't you know that a round of exercise a day will keep your dog up and about from the boredom of being alone at home while you are at work? Truly! If you are a dog lover, spending time with your dog outdoors like taking him for a walk could mean a lot in strengthening the bond of a human-canine relationship plus keeping you both fit, healthy and above all happy.

Like humans do, dogs have certain basic needs necessary for survival. Aside from providing a good food and a good home, a routine of a good exercise must be made available as well. Exercised dogs will likely live longer than inactive and isolated dogs. It will spare them from having poor muscle tone, obesity, heart ailments and bone disorders resulting to weakness and untimely death. Dog lover wouldn’t want this to happen. Consequently, it will bring you grief and guilt since your pet is a mere reflection of the kind of owner you are breaking down to the quality of care and provisions you have given. However, a well exercised dog possesses a strong, active and a happy aura with the benefit of behaving well in your household.

What kind of dog training exercise should you imposed? Actually, taking your dog a walk while on leash is the simplest form of dog exercise enough to improve your dog health. It will allow him to experience outdoors, socialize with people and fellow dogs – a good way of treating aggression problems. An appropriate venue may be in a wide open space preferably in the park as not all households nowadays have a wide yard giving your dog the opportunity to run around but with close supervision. Other than walking you can introduce more exciting and vigorous exercise like swimming and fetching. Swimming can be helpful in strengthening the lung function and the good thing is you will have the fun of dipping together with you pet while improving your dog health Doing this activity in lakes or the beach is a great choice during hot summer seasons, since it gives him a great workout without the risk of getting overheated and the peril of dehydration. Another fun dog exercise is fetching. You can teach your dog to fetch and catch a ball or could be a Frisbee.

Committing yourself to your dog health through exercise is like a touch of love to your furry friend. In return guarantees you to a fun and stress away moments with your canine companion the way you wanted them to be. This is the surest thing to prove that you are a certified dog lover.

Chocolates for your Dog Health - A big NO NO

They say that chocolates are symbols for love, but certainly not when it comes to your dog health. Most dog lovers are aware that chocolate should not be given to pets particularly your pet dog. Dogs are receptive to a chemical called methylxanthines and unfortunately the compound theobromine found in chocolates is members of that family. Although it is fairly safe in humans, dogs are having difficulty if not unable to digest theobromine at all. Expectantly the dogs system will continue on digesting this substance and in effect poisoning itself instead of eliminating it as waste. That is why the premature manifestation of chocolate poisoning for dogs includes but not limited to diarrhea, vomiting, hyperactivity, dehydration and restlessness. The effect on dog's heart is the most decisive because it can cause rapid heartbeat and abnormal breathing rate and eventually can cause death.

Dog lovers should be aware that even though the severity of chocolate poisoning depends on the type of chocolate or the amount eaten, it nevertheless contains the same chemical harmful to your dog health. Although it’s of equal importance to know the toxic dosage amounts and the type of chocolate because it can be of help in determining what proper treatment or medicine your veterinarian should administer. Dark chocolates or chocolates high in cocoa is the most fatal of all the types, while white chocolate has the lesser amount of theobromine and therefore not as harmful as the former.

Dog lovers should take heed on their dog health if they suspect that their dog has eaten chocolates in anyway. Even if early signs of poisoning are palpable, most of these symptoms will appear at a snail's pace and can take 3 days to completely manifest. So by the time you assimilate that there is a threat to your dog health, it will be too late. So do not wait for this to happen, be sure to bring your dog to the nearest animal hospital and have it diagnosed for possible poisoning. Whatever the result are, you’ll be glad that you brought your adored pet in the vet. If you have discovered intake within 2 hours or less it will be helpful if you can simply induce vomiting while preparing to take him to the vet for further treatment and possible admission.

It is our inmost interest to endow with the best things for our treasured pet but sometimes we should keep in mind that what they want are not essentially they justly needed.

Harmful food for your dog health

If you care about your dog health and you want them to live the longest, healthiest life possible, it is critical that you know what you should and what you should not be feeding to them Click Here!. Dogs have different metabolism compared to humans and feeding them with foods that we enjoy can be very fatal.

Here are some of the common food items that should not be given to your dogs, as they have been found to be either directly or indirectly "toxic" to them:

• Grapes and raisins
  Grapes and raisins should be avoided as pet snacks as they can cause the dog to develop a sudden kidney failure with anuria (a lack of urine production).

• Raw eggs
  Undercooked eggs still contains an enzyme called avidin. This enzyme decreases the absorption of biotin or B vitamin, which can lead to skin and hair coat problems.

• Tobacco
  Like in humans tobacco is also very harmful to your dog health. Tobacco (from cigarettes and cigars or their butts, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, nicotine patches, and nicotine gum) contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. This can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.
  

• Onions and Garlic
  These contain thiosulphate, which can damage red blood cells and cause a form of anemia called Heinz body anemia, where your pet's red blood cells burst while circulating in its body.
  

• Raw Fish
  Feeding your dog raw fish regularly can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
  

• Alcoholic Beverages
  Feeding your dogs alcoholic beverages can result to intoxication, urination problems, coma or death from alcohol poisoning. Remember that your pet is smaller than you are, so even a small amount is very lethal to your dog health.
  

• Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems
  The starchy white flesh inside potatoes is not harmful, but potato skins which are still green and any green sprouts or "eyes" contain the alkaloid solanum which is poisonous to dogs and humans. The stems and leaves of tomatoes and rhubarb contain oxalates, which can cause bladder stones.

• Yeast Dough
  Yeast dough is designed to expand and when eaten by your pet, it can expand in your dog's warm stomach and produce gas in the digestive system. This causes extreme pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.

• Chocolate, coffee, tea and other caffeine
  Chocolate contains theobromine, a naturally occurring stimulant found in the cocoa bean.
  
  
  This compound is a cardiac stimulant and a diuretic. It increases urination and affects the central nervous system.

As a dog lovers, it is very important to remember that dogs and puppies do not have the ability as we humans have to digest and to utilize these foods for our benefits. Foods like these are delectable to us human but these are damaging to our dog's health.

Top Four Dog Killing Diseases

Taking care of your dog health and well being means knowing every threat that could harm them. To keep them safe and secure and provide sufficient food, vitamins and shelter are the basic needs but do you know the major concerns that keep your canine friends at risk? Below are the top four most dangerous and the most death causing diseases ever listed on canine statistics these past few months.

1. Canine Distemper Virus (CDV)
CDV attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems. The disease is contracted through contact with other infected dogs and can be fatal to both young and old dogs. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, shivering, and redness around the eyes, loss of appetite, weight loss, seizures, thickened footpads, cough and a discharge from the nose. There is no specific treatment, but sometimes antibiotics can be effective. However, dog vaccination exists and should always be administered.

2. Canine Adenovirus or Infectious Canine Hepatitis (ICH)
Infectious Canine Hepatitis (ICH) is an acute liver disease, and highly contagious. The virus is transmitted through bodily fluids like urine, eye or nose secretions. Young and old dogs can be affected by ICH, but puppies are at a higher risk. Symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice and corneal edema, though a blood test is needed to make a final diagnosis. Many dogs recover, but it's best to prevent ICH through a simple vaccination.

3. Para Influenza or Tracheobronchitis (aka Kennel Cough)
The common name for Tracheobronchitis is Kennel Cough because of its propensity for spreading in close quarters, such as in a boarding kennel. It's highly contagious and attacks the dog's upper respiratory system. Like bronchitis in humans, the symptoms are coughing, snorting, hacking and sometimes fever. Kennel Cough can be treated with antibiotics or prevented through vaccination.

4. Rabies
Rabies is not just a dog disease; it will affect all mammals that are not vaccinated against the disease. Rabies directly attacks the brain and the prognosis is often deadly. This common disease can be easily prevented through vaccination. In many states, vaccination for domestic pets is absolutely mandatory.

Many dog lovers have suffered a great loss and emotional struggle and this is indeed a big deal to dog lovers who treated their dogs as family and friend. Many dog owners invested a lot for their dog health but uncertain things might just happened and you lose them because of lack of knowledge and preventive measures. If you are truly devoted to your dogs and cared for them, know the diseases, protect your dog health, be prepared at all times and take note of the procedures to fight dreadful diseases. Always remember, your dog is your responsibility.

Dog Health 101: Why Dog Lovers Need to Vaccinate their Pets

Oftentimes, pet owners have this doubt about dog vaccination. They pity them, especially newborn puppies whenever getting their vaccinations. That is why, questions like, “How often do we need to let our dogs have their injections?', or “why do we need to vaccinate them?”, or for dog lovers who cannot withstand the pity cries of their pets ask themselves first, “to vaccinate or not to vaccinate?” Those are just some of the baffling questions most dog owners always ask themselves. But do they know the importance of vaccination?

Talking about dog health, vaccinations are antigenic preparations used to boost immune system and in so doing, establish immunity to various illnesses. These are given to prevent your dogs from acquiring malefic diseases and are designed to stimulate your pet's immune system, bolstering it to bring out antibodies to battle all kinds of harmful or deadly viruses or bacteria. Today the widespread of harmful zonotic diseases or diseases from animals to humans is one of our major health problems. With this we resort to the fundamental and most effective form of prevention, that is, vaccination both to humans and our pets. Since most of the dog lovers usually interact with their pet, vaccination uphold the dog health and/or public health.

If you want to make your dog’s life easier and less painful, you can also choose to administer what they called multivalent vaccine. The basic principle is a single injection for multiple defensive actions. One of the most common multivalent vaccines is DHPPiL for dogs or referred to as 5 in 1 vaccine. This stands for the 5 common dog diseases namely distemper, hepatitis, parvovirus, para-influenza and leptospirosis. However, vaccines can only last for 6 months or a year so annual re-vaccinations are suggested to keep your dog healthy. We just have to relate the need for regular shots for our dogs to newborn babies. Babies, still don't have a strong immune system that is why they need to have their monthly immunizations. Same as with our pets, we need to keep them away from viruses that may cause their unwanted sickness or even untimely death.

Dog vaccination helps protect your dog from diseases and your pet can develop strong immunity thus making vaccination a vital factor of your dog health care. Nevertheless, engaging your pets to 'annual vaccinations' needs to be consulted from veterinarians. It is important that you know what and how often to give your dog a vaccination, for his total safety. You should continue vaccinating you dog as per advice of your vets or by the requirement of local laws. As dog lovers, you should take full responsibility to make your dog as healthy as he can be. Prevention is always one step ahead than cure.

Dog Lovers Guide to Dog Vaccination

A certified dog lover must not only be concerned about how his pet dog would bring fun and entertainment to the household but a certified dog lover must also seek for the dog health and welfare. To do this, a complete and regular vaccine shot is needed for protection against possible diseases.

Dog vaccination does not only develop the well being of the dog but most importantly the overall well being of your household and the community. Prevention is better than cure has always been the rule. You wouldn't imagine how adverse and disastrous a rabid dog would cause and the contagious dreadful infections it carries may become alarming.

Dog vaccination has been found to be the preventive method. Remember that there is no proven cure for the disease only preventive measures. Thus to some countries were there are prone cases of rabies , government had imposed a law requiring core vaccination, not only to rabies but as well as dog diseases such as canine distemper, canine parvovirus, canine hepatitis serovars and leptospirosis. The vaccine being administered contain viruses and bacteria. Normally it may cause diseases but in this case, they have been chemically altered so that they won't bring any harm to your beloved pets. After vaccinated, your pets immune system develops antibodies that combats the virus and bacteria during exposure. Thus, prevent the disease and strengthens dog's health.

You may asked as to what age does vaccination must be applied how frequently. The answer is as soon as the puppy is weaned from the protection of a mother's milk. The mothers milk called the colostrum contains antibodies that serves as the primary protective agent for the nursing young. The antibodies are stored in the blood but its effect is temporary up until the puppy can be able to produce his own antibodies to keep it more effective and long lasting vaccine shots are needed. How often? Consequently, puppies are given a series of vaccinations until they reach 16 weeks of age. By vaccinating more frequently, later doses will continue to stimulate the pet’s generation of its own disease-fighting antibodies.

This protection from dog vaccination however has not come without side effects. Adverse reactions may occur in the appearances of ulcers, scabs, darkening of the skin, lumps with scarring with hair loss nearing or surrounding areas where the vaccine is administered. Fever may occur afterwards. To treat this a pentoxyfylline may be given to eased the inflammation. Future vaccinations where reactions arises must be reduce or avoided to the extent medically and legally possible. Dog Vaccinations are necessary but a dog lover must also take note the appropriateness of the type of vaccination to be administered so as to avoid further damage to the dog health. Consultation and supervision of a veterinarian is your best advantage.

Dog Health Protected at Home

Dog lovers are often put into a dilemma of determining if their dog health is in danger because like humans, dog do have emotions too, and sometimes they are not just in the mood to eat, play or roam around. Here are some of conditions that call for immediate actions.

· Pain, prolong or severe

· Major trauma, injury, or shock from

• falls, vehicle accidents, wounds or cuts, fractured bones

· Demonstrate signs of:

• weakness, collapse, rapid heartbeat, rapid of breathing, dilated pupils, and disorientated appearance,

· Ingested poison; be sure to present the product or the container if you have it.

· Penetrating wounds anywhere, but particularly in the chest or abdomen.

· Vomiting and diarrhea accompany by blood or violent episodes.

· Weakness and cannot put any weight on the leg.

· Any other signs that look serious, such as: eye problems, severe itching with self-mutilation, severe hives

· Difficulty breathing,

• raucous respiration, blue tongue, gasping for breath.

· Continuous bleeding on any part of the body; apply pressure with a clean cloth and go!

· Bloated or swollen abdomen or painful abdomen with or without vomiting.

· Inability to urinate, constipation or has bloody stool or urine or painful defecation or urination.

· Heatstroke

• heavy panting, intense weakness and body temperature about 104 degrees Fahrenheit.

· Inability to deliver puppies or kittens, labour contractions for longer than one hour or more than 15 minutes of labor with the fetus or membrane showing.

· Loss of balance or consciousness or seizure, including

• tremors, coma, staggering, convulsions, sudden blindness, tilting of the head, biting at imaginary objects and
• Sudden changes in disposition such as unusual withdrawal or out-of-character aggressiveness.

In addition I also included a list of basic and helpful first aid kit that every dog owners need to have in their houses. With this first aid kit, do lovers can take care of minor injuries and problem in their dog health if they have the appropriate tools, remedies, and equipment.

· Rubbing alcohol

· Ear syringe -- two ounce capacity

· Ace self-adhering athletic bandage -- three-inch width

· White petroleum jelly (Vaseline or similar)

· Eye wash

· Sterile, non-adherent pads

· Gauze sponges -- 50 four-by-four inch sponges, two per envelope

· Triple antibiotic ointment

· Sterile stretch gauze bandage -- three inches by four yards

· Buffered aspirin

· Dermicil hypoallergenic cloth tape one inch by 10 yards

· Hydrogen peroxide

· Pepto Bismol tablets

· Generic Benadryl capsules -- 25mg, for allergies

· Hydrocortisone acetate -- one percent

· Kaopectate tablets maximum strength

· Bandage scissors

· Custom splints

· Vet Rap bandage

Other suggested items are:

• Blanket
• Tweezers
• Muzzle
• Hemostats
• Rectal thermometer
• Ziplock bags
• Chart, that includes all dog health information, medications, and for other pertinent numbers to call in case of emergency.