Dog Health Care

Health is a matter of concern to everyone, and dogs are certainly not an exception. Their health is also very important. A healthy dog is very useful at all times. To have a healthy dog one must have enough patience to take care of its necessities. All the basic necessities, from the puppy stage to the grown up dog stage it has to be attended regularly without fail.

One has to note changes in the behavior of a dog. To note the behavioral changes one has to understand the symptoms of changes in a dog. His health should be given priority and one should take care with proper knowledge. Proper medication will ensure proper health of the dog. A regular veterinary doctor should be in contact to attend to the ailments required.

Dogs do show signs of discomfort. They have some symptoms to indicate that they are not healthy. One symptom is choking; the sound and gesture will be obvious. When a dog cries, trembles or has heavy breathing it is a sign of acute pain in the abdomen. If there is a bad odor from the ear, then it is ear infection or ear mites. Such symptoms should be noticed and medications should be done immediately. A dog’s normal temperature is 101 to 102 degree and the heart beat is 100 to 150 beats per minute. A dog’s health is comprised of everything from head to toe. It has to be taken care with intense love and affection.

One cannot tame a dog without proper knowledge. Dogs expect every attention from their masters. So the master should take pain to know about dogs, their habits, diets and possible health disorders. Sensing the difference in its health, one should guess its problem and explain it to the doctor and get the right medications.

Dog Care provides detailed information on Dog Care, Dog Day Care, Dog Dental Care, Dog Ear Care and more. Dog Care is affiliated with Large Dog Beds . Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Cole

Your Child's First Pet

Tired of hearing your child whine about wanting a pet? All parents seem to have this problem at one time or another. Many children want a pet, and it's a perfect way to teach children responsibility. If you've decided to give your children the opportunity to have a pet of their own, you just have to figure out which pet is the right pet! There are a few smaller, easier to care for animals that make great first pets. These are typically a bit more affordable than bigger animals such as dogs or cats. However, with any pet, the owner's personality affects the decision. Gerbils make great pets for smaller children, as they are active during the day and are extremely curious and friendly. Gerbils are actually desert animals. They are very clean animals, which makes cleaning up after them a lot simpler. For a young child's first pet, these are perfect! Gerbils are very social animals, so a pair is definitely the way to go with these animals. However, be sure they are not mates, otherwise you'd better be prepared to take care of lots of little gerbils! A large aquarium-style tank with a deep layer of wood shavings makes for a perfect home for these little creatures, as they love to tunnel and dig. To keep them (as well as your child) entertained, tunnel-type toys are great! Gerbil food is relatively inexpensive and can be purchased at any pet store. They also enjoy the occasional bit of lettuce or cheese. Gerbils usually live up to three years. Guinea pigs are good first pets, as they don't scratch and can be gently handled. Like gerbils, they're social creatures, so a pair is preferred. Guinea pigs are very timid, so they need lots of places to hide in their cage. An aquarium-style tank works well for guinea pigs as well, as long as they have a grazing area and places to burrow. Guinea pigs need a daily diet that his high in fiber and vitamin C. Guinea pigs live up to six years. Most people aren't entirely keen on the idea of keeping mice, but if you're looking to get one as a first pet, you should keep in mind that, like the others, they are social. Two to three female mice are the best way to go as males tend to fight and produce a much stronger smell. Cages must be cleaned two to three times a week. A wire-mesh cage works best for mice, as they need a well-ventilated living space, with tunnels and other toys. Mice need a lot of things to gnaw on, such as dog biscuits. Though they generally have a shorter life span than gerbils or guinea pigs, mice are by far the highest maintenance. However, any of these pets are perfect for a child's first pet, and what better way to give your child a lesson in responsibility?

The Five Most Important Considerations When Purchasing a Protection Dog

Man's Best Friend has been a trusted protector of our homes for thousands of years. Their keen senses and awareness, along with a pack mentality, have made dogs a valuable asset to man in his effort to keep his home secure.

In today's world, home protection dogs are more valuable than ever. They can deter break-ins, assaults, and give real world protection in situations where lethal force is not an option.

Of course, a trained protection dog is not a panacea and they are certainly not for everyone. Weighing your options is very important and there are many things to consider before your purchase.

1. COST

The cost of a trained dog can be astronomical. A trained protection dog can cost as little as $1500 and as much as $50,000! While the old adage,"You get what you pay for," is generally true, the more expensive dog is not always the better one. Investigate costs from reputable trainers and compare your needs to your budget. Decide what you can afford and discuss this with your vendor. Some may even offer financing or payment plans.

2. BREED

Some breeds are better suited for protection than others. While a Chihuaua may put on a defensive display that rivals a dog ten times its size, the reality is he cannot defend you or your home. The German Shepherd and the Belgian Malinois are excellent choices for protection dogs. Their temperment and drives are suited for working, they are larger and more deterring, and will offer many years of faithful service. Giant breeds can be very intimidating, but are prone to health problems and in general lack the trainability of the other breeds. In all cases the dog should be purebred from quality working lines. European imported dogs seem to offer the best results as they are mainly bred for working ability and not for the show ring.

3. GUARANTEE

If a vendor does not offer a replacement guarantee, they probably do not have your best interests in mind. Matching people with protection dogs is a process, and does not always work right the first time. A replacement guarantee offers peace of mind, knowing that you will get the right dog for you.

4. ENVIRONMENT

What other pets do you have? Do you live in a studio apartment or a 5 bedroom home? Do you have children and how old are they? Are you ready to commit 10+ years to dog ownership? Reputable vendors should ask these questions and many more. They should try to find out as much as they can about your environment and needs to determine the dog most suitable to you. By putting a protection dog in an environment its not suited for, you are asking for trouble sooner rather than later.

5. ABILITY

What is the dog trained to do? Will the dog bark only, or has it been trained to bite should the need arise? Is the dog obedient off the leash, or on leash only? Know what the dog is trained to do in all situations. If I am being attacked by two people will the dog know what to do? When you don't know the limitations of the dog, you could be setting yourself up for a bad day.

Sean Muratet is a professional police and protection dog trainer. He is the President of North Alabama K-9 Services, a full service training and deployment company serving law enforcement and the public.

First Tips For Rabbit Owners

These tips are taken from PsyTech Inc. book Rabbit Care Secrets

This is absolutely critical information you need whether you already own a rabbit or you are just thinking about getting one:

Avoid pine scented beddings (the kind you're most likely to buy at the pet store) like the plague! (Many studies show that they cause liver damage in small animals - and there's mounting evidence that they may irritate your bunny's respiratory system too). Opt for brands made with unscented wood shavings or compressed newspaper instead.

Cell Sorb, Care Fresh, and "Yesterday's News" are all great brands. (we're trying to set up a special discount for our readers... we'll let you know if we're able to do it).

Of course bunny rabbits love carrots, but you have to watch the quantity closely because there's actually a lot of sugar in them. (Same with banannas and grapes, etc).

It's OK to give small pieces a few times a week... but it's dangerous to do much more.

If a bunny gets too heavy, their internal organs don't function very well.

Before you buy a bunny rabbit from a pet store, please consider the frequent problems encountered including (1) unknowingly purchasing a pregnant bunny and winding up with too many rabbits to care for; (2) the high incidence of illness; (3) the frequency with which pet stores misidentify your pet's gender (especially important if you buy 2 or more rabbits because not every gender pair gets along well).

Consider looking for a rescue (search Google for "rabbit rescue") instead. (Over a million bunnies in rescues around the world are put to sleep each year because they can't find a home - wouldn't it feel good to save a life?)

Avoid wire mesh cage bottoms. They're easier to clean, sure but they cause sores on your pet's tender little feet. Opt for plastic bottoms instead! (Or even better, give your bunnies an entire rabbit-proofed room or two)

If you do purchase from a pet store, read about the proper diet and care for rabbits first. Generally a sales associate at the pet store is going to steer you toward buying products, rather than what is necessary and proper for your bunny to live a happy, healthy life. (Of course, there ARE some very ethical pet stores - but they're harder to find)

Rabbit Care Secrets You can get the book here: http://www.rabbitsecrets.com/R.htm is the book with literally hundreds of "word of mouth" tips and tricks - secrets which are next to impossible to find in books and pet stores. This is the gold which only comes from years and years of hands on experience... including all the hard to find Rabbit information people just can't locate with internet searches or trips to the library!

The Large and Small Munsterlander

The Munsterlander dog can be found in two sizes, the Large Munsterlander and the Small Munsterlander and both are considered to be sufficiently different in size and function that they are considered to be "close cousins" in the Munsterlander family, but are bred separately. The Munsterlanders originated in Germany, where they were bred and used exclusively as a hunting, pointing and retrieving game dog.

The Large Munsterlander is slower to mature and needs sufficient time in training to become useful as a hunting companion. He is used on both land and water and once trained is absolutely focused and fearless. He much prefers to be with people and is a strong and faithful companion, not making a good kennel dog at all. When he is young he needs close bonding with his human master and will become completely loyal and affectionate as he matures. He is strong willed, needing good obedience training as a basis for his hunting skills. He is an active and alert breed that has a lot of energy and needs plenty of exercise.

The Small Munsterlander is used in the dense woodlands and is quite good at hunting deer and hare. It is also a pointing and retrieving dog. The small Munsterlander is considered to be much easier to train than his larger cousin, having a temperament that is more likely to be biddable. He is an alert and intelligent dog.

Both dogs are excellent swimmers and retrievers on both land and water. They have made a mark for themselves in Germany and are registered in the gun dog group of the F.C.I. Although little known outside of northern Europe, they do have a definite following amongst hunters.

The coat of the Large Munsterlander is spotted black and white or blue roan, the head always being a solid black. The coat is more heavily "feathered" than that of his smaller cousin, especially on the breeches and needs regular grooming. He is a square in appearance, being 23-24 inches tall and having a length of back approximately the same.

The color of the Small Munsterlander is dapple brown and white, or roan and the coat is that of a spaniel type, being feathered slightly on the legs but not overly thick. It is a coat that needs to be groomed regularly but is not so excessive as to pick up a lot of burrs and tangles , quite similar actually to the coat of the Brittany Spaniel. The dog appears longer of back than his larger cousin.

Both of the breeds are "people dogs" with gentle natures, loving to be with people, enjoying the home life and being quite mannerly as adults. At heart the Munsterlanders are also excellent gun dogs, with strong hunting abilities, being considered efficient and very effective in deep woods and dense thickets.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Dogs Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Why Training Your Dog Could be the Best Thing You Can Do for Your Pet

Most dogs enjoy listening and are proud of the knowledge and skills they acquire. Untrained dogs are seldom as happy as trained ones, and lead much less interesting lives. Many dogs also get a sense of security from obedience and discipline, especially the more intelligent ones.

Every observant dog owner can see for himself that his dog gets greater satisfaction from the praise rewarding a well- executed command or good behavior than he does from the momentary excitement of disobeying, which is usually followed by the evident guilt feelings, (ears back and avoiding eye contact), even when he has not been punished.

Owners vary in their training talents just as dogs vary in their train ability. Some people are born animal trainers and accomplish remarkable results with little effort. But even the best trainers are seldom equally successful with every breed of dog. The training procedures that are highly successful with one type of dog may be totally ineffective with another.

A basic mental affinity, even a certain type of personality seems to be necessary when training a dog. All good trainers possess authority, patience, and self-control. Brilliant ones possess an additional indefinable "x" quality that is probably a combination of love and respect.

Dog training techniques have been so well systematized in recent years that the least gifted owner can achieve reasonable good results with effort, persistence, patience, and understanding. Dogs have a much higher understanding intelligence than most people give them credit for. They can and do learn, but we have to give them our time and patience.

All pet dogs should be given basic obedience training as a matter of course, and not only when they develop bad behavior. Today s dogs live in a much faster paced world, just as we do. Even though we may be with them when they are out in public, they can still "stray" or disobey. While training cannot completely compensate for poor breeding, a bad environment, or poor upbringing, it can surely help. They world will teach them how to misbehave, but it's up to us as pet parents to teach them how to behave.

Specialized training isn't necessary unless the dog is to perform or be seen, such as the purebred show dogs. This level of training and behavior requires much more time and labor and usually requires a higher aptitude on the part of the dog, and much more skill and patience on the part of the trainer. Training of so called "champion" show dogs usually begins when they are puppies and continues through most of their lives.

Training your dog is the basics of behavior and communication with you can be very rewarding. What you may lack in experience, equipment, facilities, etc. is usually compensated for by your dogs desire to please the person he loves and lives with, which is his strongest motivation.

Randy Jones and his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time. Recently they formed Joncopets.com On the site, customers can read articles about anything pets as well as shop for the latest trends in pet supplies, dog accessories, dog clothes, dog collars, dog beds and more for their best friend. Feel free to check out the site for more information and products.

Megaesophagus

The esophagus is a long, muscular tube that connects the back of the mouth (pharynx) to the stomach. The opening of the esophagus into the pharynx is close to where the windpipe (trachea) enters the pharynx. The purpose of the esophagus is to transport swallowed food and water to the stomach. To do this, the esophagus normally uses a squeezing movement behind the food (peristalsis) to propel the material into the stomach within a few seconds after it is swallowed. After swallowing, the normal esophagus is empty and resembles a collapsed hose. Megaesophagus refers to a syndrome in which the esophagus is weak and flaccid and subsequently becomes much larger than normal (hence the term megaesophagus). This occurs because the weak, flaccid esophagus has no tone and does not propel ingested air, food, and water into the stomach; rather, these items stay in the esophagus and stretch it out of shape (dilatation). This syndrome is much more common in dogs than in cats and can occur in dogs of any age. There are many causes of this weakness, but the consequences tend to be similar regardless of cause. Affected pets usually regurgitate fluid and /or food. Regurgitation is much like vomiting, except that vomiting involves ejecting material from the stomach and intestines where as regurgitation involves emptying material from the esophagus or the back of the mouth. Regurgitation related to megaesophagus may occur soon after eating or hours later. Dogs may or may not lose weight, depending on how much food ultimately reaches the stomach. The most devastating side effect of this syndrome is having food, water, and saliva leak into the windpipe (trachea) and lungs (this leakage is called aspiration), subsequently causing pneumonia (i.e.' infection of the lungs). Because the esophagus and the trachea enter the pharynx so close to each other, it is easy for this to happen. In some instances, the dog had signs of aspiration (i.e., cough, labored breathing, and/or fever) despite the owner never seeing evidence of regurgitation. This is because the dog may regurgitate the material into its mouth and then reswallow it or inhale it without ever having that material ejected from the mouth. It only small amount of material are aspirated into the windpipe, cough will be the most obvious problem. This cough may be moist or dry. If larger amounts are inhaled and material reaches the lungs, pneumonia may occur, causing fever and labored breathing. Dogs can die from severe aspiration pneumonia. Sometimes nasal discharge occurs when regurgitated material is pushed from the pharynx into the back of the nose. If large amounts of material are aspirated and reach the lungs, the dog can develop sudden, sever pneumonia and they can even die from asphyxiation. Such a sudden death may occur any time, even if the dog has not been regurgitating for several weeks or months. Megaesophagus is diagnosed by taking radiographs (x-rays) of the chest, often after feeding a contrast agent (material visible on an x-ray) such as barium. It is important to obtain these radiographs because there are other problems that cause clinical signs resembling those of megaesophagus but require very different therapy (in some cases surgery). Because of the potentially devastating side effects of megaesophagus, it is wise to look for an underlying cause. Underlying causes are found only 15 to 25 percent of the time; however, finding such a cause may allow the veterinarian to treat the cause of the megaesophagus (which tends to be more successful) instead of the signs (which often fails to prevent aspiration). If an underlying cause cannot be found (termed "idiopathic" megaesophagus), then symptomatic therapy is provided. This consists of trying to help food traverse the diseases esophagus and reach the stomach. If food does not remain in the esophagus, it cannot be regurgitated and aspirated. Although there is substantial dog-to-dog variation, one generally makes the dog stand on its hind legs when it eats, so that is as nearly vertical to the ground (and like a person) as possible. The dog should remain in this position for 5 to10 minutes after eating. In doing this, we hope that gravity will help pull the food down into the stomach. Gruels are often fed in the hope that they will "slide" down the esophagus more easily than dry foods; however, some patients tolerate dry food or canned foods better than gruels. Feeding several small meals a day is usually preferred to feeding one or two large meals. Sometimes, drugs suck as cisapride help diminish regurgitation. Rarely, a tube can be placed through the skin and wall of the abdomen directly into the stomach (i.e., gastrostomy tube) so that the dog may be fed and watered without anything having go through the esophagus. This feeding technique does not eliminate all aspiration (the dog is still swallowing saliva), but it can help diminish aspiration. Gastrostomy tubes may allow dogs with idiopathic megaesophagus to live a nearly normal life, except for their manner of being fed and watered. The above is general veterinary information. Do not begin any course of treatment without consulting your regular veterinarian. All animals should be examined at least once every 12 months.