How do you keep the Dog Doctor happy when it’s time to evaluate the veterinary health of your best friend (your dog that is!)? Dogs, of course, just like humans, should have regular check-ups at the veterinary’s office. And in addition to check-ups there will, for most dog owners, be the occasional accident or illness that also requires a visit to the local Dog Doctor. In this article we’ll discuss how you can keep your Dog Doctor happy when assessing Fido’s veterinary health.

There are three parties that share responsibility for keeping your Dog Doctor happy during your dog’s visit to the vet: you, the owner; the Dog Doctor and his/her staff; and, of course, your dog. In this article we’ll focus primarily on what you, as the owner, can do to ensure a positive experience for everyone during your dog’s veterinary health visit.

The owner, in fact, does have the lion’s share of the responsibility. You (should) know your dog better than anyone, including the Dog Doctor. After the first or second veterinary health visit you will know how your dog tends to behave in the vet’s office. Once you know how your dog is likely to behave, you can take whatever precautions that may be necessary to keep everyone in the best possible frame of mind.

I know that some dogs are very well-behaved, even during a visit to the Dog Doctor. I’ve never owned one, but I hear they exist! For the lucky owner of such a sweetheart there is very little to do in the way of preparation. By all means, give your dog copious amounts of praise and affection during the visit to reinforce its stellar behavior! However, continue to be present with your dog when it is with the Dog Doctor, always watching for an unexpected reaction. Even well-mannered dogs can react to unexpected pain or prodding in ways that are – how shall we say it – unpleasant.

So, what can we do with dogs that are more nervous, less compliant, and more apt to rebel and misbehave during their veterinary health episodes? Fortunately for you, your dog, and the Dog Doctor, there are some common-sense measures you can take.

Rule One, of course, is to always restrain your dog on a (short) leash during veterinary health visits. Most vets require this, but whether or not it is a requirement of the veterinarian you should do it. For one thing, you never know what other little beasties might be visiting the Dog Doctor at the same time. Even the most well-behaved dog could react in unexpected ways to some of the other animals you may encounter!

Secondly, you should stay with your dog during its examination. Most vets will allow this, and even encourage it. They know that you, the owner, are likely to have the most calming effect on your dog just by your presence in the room. Keep contact with your pet as much as possible. Gentle petting, scratching behind the ears, speaking to your dog in a calming voice – all of these behaviors on your part can help your dog remain calm during this potentially stressful experience.

You can also help by talking with the veterinarian, especially when switching vets or during your pet’s first veterinary health visit. Let him or her know your dog’s likely reactions and any other information that may help for a happy visit. After all, during that first Dog Doctor visit especially, you need to be responsible for alerting the vet to possible problems that could occur.

Depending on your dog’s size and personality, a muzzle may be appropriate. Muzzles may be called for if there is any chance your canine may be spooked by other pets, or other people (including curious toddlers!). If there is any chance at all your dog may over-react and bite another’s pet or another person, muzzle your dog. An ounce of cure may save a pound of ugly lawsuit!

How you prepare your dog for it’s veterinary health visit, and how vigilant and responsible you personally behave, will go a long way toward keeping the Dog Doctor happy! Do everything you can to ensure safety and preserve the peace, and you and your dog will have the best possible experience at the veterinarian’s office.

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Any responsible dog owner wants to feed their pet to provide the best possible nutrition and health. Feeding dogs according to the needs of their bodies – that is, the needs for certain nutrients and the needs of canine digestive processes – is the best way to ensure the health, well-being, and long life of your pet. This article will discuss one common sense way we can feed dogs so that we know without a doubt their diets are full of the best ingredients and nutritional quality possible.

First, it’s important to understand what attracts dogs to certain food. I don’t know about you, but I am not a dog. While you and I are impressed by visual stimuli – the colors of the foods we eat and how they are arranged on the plate – dogs are not. The dog’s nose knows! Dogs are attracted to food by how good it smells to them.

While it’s true that not all dogs are exactly the same in their food preferences, we can generalize somewhat when it comes to what dogs like to eat. Most dogs are attracted to the aromas eminating from most meats – things like liver, beef, lamb, horsemeat, chicken, etc. Most are also attracted by the smell of cheese, fat, garlic and onions.

That brings up the subject of vegetables, and when it comes to feeding dogs vegetables there are not as many universally appreciated smells. You can learn what vegetables your dog likes by offering it leftovers. Notice what gets gobbled and what gets ignored. It may surprise you what vegetables, and even fruits, your dog enjoys.

Our neighbor Bonnie has a Shih Tzu that loves fresh tomatoes. For many years in the summers she would plant a tomato plant or two in large planters on her back porch. This is the same back porch where her dog Snickers would spend much of his day. Bonnie began to notice that her tomatoes would sometimes disappear when they began to ripen, especially the ones closest to the ground. This was a puzzle, and Bonnie began to suspect that perhaps some of the neighborhood kids were making raids on her tomatoes. Not MY kids of course!

One day Bonnie noticed red around Snickers’ mouth. She thought it was blood at first, and looked closer. It was the remains of one of her ripe tomatoes! When I tell this story to other dog owners, I hear all kinds of stories about how their dogs like everything from lettuce, to rutabega to grapes and oranges! Go figure.

While cats should not be fed starchy vegetables like peas and corn, dogs can have pretty much any vegetable they like. We should not, however, be feeding dogs extra salt. The salt nature provides is plenty for our canine friends.

So why not feed dogs the foods they love, and why not make it yourself? When you feed dogs homemade food you know exactly what’s in it and that it is fresh and healthy. A good rule of thumb is to use about three quarters carbohydrates (grains and vegetables) and about one quarter meat products. It’s also a good practice to add grains – whole wheat bread crumbs, cooked oatmeal and wheat germ are probably the healthiest. There’s one very good recipe you can try below, although you may need to tweak it according to what you know about your own pet’s preferences.

Combine a chicken liver, chicken giblets, a chicken heart, a chicken neck, and 2 cups water and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley. Cover in a pot and simmer until the giblet is tender. Be sure to chop up all the meat, and remove all the bones. Add whatever chopped cooked or raw vegetables your dog likes. Substitute any leftover meats and fish you may have in place of the chicken parts.

Experiment with this recipe, and find combinations that your pet appreciates most. Taking a little time and expending the effort to make your pet’s food will save you money while feeding your dog a healthy and nutritious diet that will have plenty of variety and be customized to your dog’s particular tastes. What better expression of your love could your dog receive?

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Let’s face reality – the person who enjoys brushing their dog’s teeth is about as rare as a one-armed trapeze artist! I mean – uggghhhh. But then, most New Yorkers don’t enjoy bagging their puppy’s poop either. They do it anyway!

Dental disease is no fun no matter what your species. This purpose of this article is to give you some helpful information, and a few practical tips, about what you can do at home to keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy.

It’s clear that daily brushing and flossing is extremely important for human oral hygiene. In fact, it’s been shown that keeping the teeth, gums and tongue clean actually helps prevent heart disease in humans. It makes sense, then, that keeping your pet’s teeth, gums and tongue clean on a regular basis will also be very beneficial to its health and well-being.

Perhaps the first best thing you can do for your dog’s dental health is to feed it a nutritious, healthy and well-balanced diet. At least part of your dog’s diet should be dry and crunchy. As your pet crunches away its teeth are getting the benefit of the food’s hard surfaces removing plaque. This benefit will be absent if your dog is not given some sort of dry hard food every day.

The same effect can be achieved with dog bones – the real dead animal variety or the human-made variety. The treats you provide your dog are an important part of its diet. Its a good idea to be watchful about everything your pet eats, including snacky treats. Raw beef bones are great to help with dental hygiene by keeping the teeth clean and plaque-free. Chewing a crunchy treat once or twice a day will also help remove plaque and keep your dog’s mouth healthy. Healthy treats can also give your dog better breath. Yahoo.

But a healthy diet will only go so far – you should also brush your pet’s teeth periodically to minimize plaque and tartar buildup. Toothbrushes for pets of all sizes can be purchased at your local pet store or online. Tooth pastes made especially for dogs can and should also be purchased. And used! Another good practice, along with brushing your pet’s teeth, is to wipe its gums with a dental wipe from the pet store, or even a clean moistened cloth.

Do your dog a big favor and look after its dental health. Use common sense, the vet’s advice, and even the advice of your friendly pet store clerk. Diet, brushing, wiping the gums, healthy snacks – develop a routine for your pet’s teeth and stick to it.

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Protecting your dog’s health is important not only to your dog, but to you as well. The purpose of this article is to remind you of some of the signs your dog may be signalling that it is not feeling well and may need your help.

A disclaimer is in order. I am not a veterinarian, and the advice in this article cannot replace taking your dog to a qualified veterinarian for periodic  checkups and especially when the severity of its symptoms calls for professional help. However, that being said, there are times when your dog is mildly ill or out of sorts, and during those times it doesn’t hurt to understand how to recognize the symptoms that can tip you off.

It may surprise you to know that you are by far the best person to recognize symptoms of illness in your dog. You see the dog every day and know him or her better than anyone else. You know when your dog’s behavior is off – maybe its tail is drooping, or its response to your call is slow, or – well, the list goes on and on. There are many signs, blatant and subtle, that will tip off a dog’s owner that it is not feeling well.

Once you’ve noticed one sign of potential ill health, you can be on the alert to be especially watchful for other clues. The earlier your dog’s symptoms are identified and the appropriate treatment given, the better the likelihood of a full and speedy recovery.

There are some early warning signs of which you should be aware. For example, your dog’s eyes should be bright and clear. Its nose should be dry and clear of any discharge. Its skin should be free of sores and irritations. And the dog’s coat should appear full and healthy – healthy according to the norms of the breed and your particular dog.

Furthermore, your dog will probably not eat its food, or eat less than usual, when it is becoming sick. It may drink more water than usual, or less than usual. It will probably have reduced energy, and may be favoring certain parts of its body. There can also be a sudden change in the dog’s personality. For example, the dog may become overly lethargic, or overly hyper with sudden bursts of energy expressed in odd ways.

The bottom line – you know how your dog behaves when it is feeling well. You know best your dog’s personality, how and when it moves, the tilt of its head and tail, and of course its various facial and body-posture expressions. So you will be the first to recognize when it begins to exhibit different behavior, behavior that is communicating ill health.

So listen carefully to what your dog is telling you by its demeanor and behavior. Recognizing early symptoms of ill health can save you and your pet from the consequences of an illness that is not diagnosed early. Those consequences can be serious, and could include lots of unnecessary pain, financial loss, and heartache.

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Although it may seem like your dog has a fairly easy life, canines have just as many problems with blood pressure as we humans! Alright, so perhaps that’s not stricly true, but our lifestyles are so horrifically unnatural that we probably bring it upon ourselves. You don’t see Alsations sitting in Starbucks at 05:30, knocking back triple espressos to hit deadlines!

You probably won’t have experienced a check in any of your pet’s annual standard checkups unless your pet has suffered from some kind of heart or kidney failure. This is because, although ‘normal’ readings for are about 160-180/100, it is actually very hard to make accurate judgements, due to the wide range of breeds with different normal pressures. When readings are taken, they are done so using one of two methods; the cuff (like we get), or the use of doppler technology. In the latter method, the dog’s hair actually has to be shaven – another reason it’s not commonplace.

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  Arthritis in dogs is fairly similar to arthritis in humans and can be caused by an injury or disease. Unlike humans, however, dogs can develop arthritis as soon as a few weeks after sustaining an injury! To this extent, arthritis is exceptionally common in dogs, yet frequently goes untreated. In fact, although an estimated 20% of dogs suffer from arthritis, only 10% receive any form of treatment! Given how painful the condition is, it is important that pet owners make sure they do everything they can do if they suspect their dog is suffering.

Although care is readily available for dogs with arthritis, there is no cure for the disease. When it comes to treatments, the majority are designed to help deal with the painful inflammations, slow the progress of the disease and help the dog stay as comfortable as possible. Drugs are also often prescribed to help the dog’s stomach from the side effects of strong anti-inflammatory medicines. Aspirin, however, is not usually prescribed as it can further break down the already fragile cartilage in the joints.

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Your dog’s paws are more sensitive than you may give them credit for and you should bare this in mind when taking them outside. If the weather is particularly hot or cold, consider walking your dog on grassier areas, where the ground won’t be as prone to extremes of heat. Certainly avoid tarmac in hot weather and, if possible, steer clear or paths that have been de-iced, salted or gritted in cold weather. These surfaces will chafe your dog’s paws, making them very sore and drying out the pads, causing them to crack. In snowy weather, do try to reduce the amount of time your dog spends with his feet buried! It should also go without saying that you should ensure all ice and snow are removed from your dog’s feet when you get home, especially if there have long hair, which can trap snow and ice.

The same caution should be taken when exercising your dog. Just as joggers suffer knee and ankle injuries from frequent running on concrete, it doesn’t do your dog any good to go racing around on these solid surfaces all the time. Use parks and fields instead, as a far safer and nicer area to play with your pet. There’s also much less of a chance for him to slice his paw on some broken glass or sharp piece of concrete when you’re in a field.

With a bit of care and attention, you can drastically reduce the number of injuries and discomforts your dog suffers due to his poor paws.

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Vomiting can be caused by a wide range of problems, which is why it’s always best to take your dog into the vet if you’re concerned.  There, they will run a variety of tests to ascertain exactly what is causing your dog to be sick.  To start with, the vet will check to see if you dog has a fever, as vomiting can be a symptom of this.  She’ll then move on to apply the classic vet-grips, where she palpates the dog’s abdomen to check his internal organs.  Even having done this myself countless times, it still looks very odd when I see somebody performing this little ritual!  In some cases, your vet may even x-ray your dog, to make certain he hasn’t swallowed anything nasty and dangerous.

Vomiting is also sometimes a symptom of a subtler problem; food allergies, for example, are a common cause.  If this is the case, you’ll have to change his diet permanently.  It’s not always allergies that cause problems though; dogs are also sensitive to a number of different foods, as outlined in our diet posts a few months ago, that can cause far worse effects than vomiting!  As we always say, don’t feed your dog like he was a human!

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It’s always an exciting day at the dog health blog when we get news of a canine achievement or record breaker. Today, however, we’re especially excited to report that there is a brand new Guinness World Record holder for the “Tallest Dog in the World”! Giant George from Tucson, Arizona, measures a mind-blowing 7ft 3in from nose to tail and 43 inches from paw to shoulder! That gives him legs that as long as mine, then half as long again – this dog is gargantuan! He’s not all skin and bones either; at 245 lbs, he just about outweighs me as well!

Despite his size, Giant George actually only beat the previous record-holder, Titan, by a mere 0.75 inches. Titan was also a Great Dane, which comes as little surprise to everybody who knows their dogs, as was Gibson – the record holder before Titan, who was a tiny 0.25 inches shorter than his rival. With an inch seperating the top three, there can be little doubt the competition for Tallest Dog in the World is fierce and Guinness World Records actually had to send their own official adjudicator to confirm the winner.

Guinness World Records is currently searching for pet records, so get in touch if you think your dog might have something special!

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Let’s face reality – the person who enjoys brushing their dog’s teeth is about as rare as a one-armed trapeze artist! I mean – uggghhhh. But then, most New Yorkers don’t enjoy bagging their puppy’s poop either. They do it anyway!

Dental disease is no fun no matter what your species. This purpose of this article is to give you some helpful information, and a few practical tips, about what you can do at home to keep your dog’s teeth and gums healthy.

It’s clear that daily brushing and flossing is extremely important for human oral hygiene. In fact, it’s been shown that keeping the teeth, gums and tongue clean actually helps prevent heart disease in humans. It makes sense, then, that keeping your pet’s teeth, gums and tongue clean on a regular basis will also be very beneficial to its health and well-being.

Perhaps the first best thing you can do for your dog’s dental health is to feed it a nutritious, healthy and well-balanced diet. At least part of your dog’s diet should be dry and crunchy. As your pet crunches away its teeth are getting the benefit of the food’s hard surfaces removing plaque. This benefit will be absent if your dog is not given some sort of dry hard food every day.

The same effect can be achieved with dog bones – the real dead animal variety or the human-made variety. The treats you provide your dog are an important part of its diet. Its a good idea to be watchful about everything your pet eats, including snacky treats. Raw beef bones are great to help with dental hygiene by keeping the teeth clean and plaque-free. Chewing a crunchy treat once or twice a day will also help remove plaque and keep your dog’s mouth healthy. Healthy treats can also give your dog better breath. Yahoo.

But a healthy diet will only go so far – you should also brush your pet’s teeth periodically to minimize plaque and tartar buildup. Toothbrushes for pets of all sizes can be purchased at your local pet store or online. Tooth pastes made especially for dogs can and should also be purchased. And used! Another good practice, along with brushing your pet’s teeth, is to wipe its gums with a dental wipe from the pet store, or even a clean moistened cloth.

Do your dog a big favor and look after its dental health. Use common sense, the vet’s advice, and even the advice of your friendly pet store clerk. Diet, brushing, wiping the gums, healthy snacks – develop a routine for your pet’s teeth and stick to it.

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