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Canine Health Tips Healthy Puppies — It's never to early to start! 11 Tips for a Healthy, Happy Puppy 1. Choose a vet before you get the puppy, and schedule a vet visit for the first week after you bring the pup home. The vet will check for health problems, discuss vaccinations and deworming, and advise you on nutrition, housetraining and other puppy issues. 2. Make sure your puppy wears a collar and ID tag at all times, even when she’s inside, because puppies can slip out of a door in an instant. Adjust a buckle collar- not a slip collar- so it’s snug enough not to pull over her head. Inexpensive nylon collars are a good choice for the first few months because your puppy will probably outgrow several before reaching adult size. The ID tag should include your address and a phone number. 3. Set aside two half-hour blocks every day for exercise and obedience training. Start teaching your puppy to come, sit, lie down, and walk quietly on a leash right away. Enroll your puppy in training classed if you need help. 4. Teach you puppy not to jump up on people or chew on their hands. These behaviors may seem charming in a young pup, but they’ll quickly becoming annoying as she gets bigger, stronger, and more persistent. 5. Provide you puppy with a comfortable place to rest- a bed in a crate or on the floor- in the area where she’ll be spending most of her time, and respect her need for “quiet time” when she’s relaxing there. 6. Give your puppy two or three dog toys that are safe to chew on and replace them when they get worn out. 7. Brush your puppy’s teeth once a day. This may sound excessive, but plaque hardens into tartar within about 36 hours so it’s important to get into the habit. 8. Yelling and hitting simply don’t work as training methods. If you need help teaching your puppy to do (or stop doing) something, work with a trainer and use positive reinforcement (praise, petting, a food tidbit, or a toy) rather than punishment. 9. Once she is fully vaccinated, introduce your puppy to a wide variety of people, places, and other dogs so she’ll be comfortable and well-behaved in different situations. 10.Unless you’re showing or breeding your dog, spay (or neuter him) before she’s one year old. 11. Supervise children when they play with the puppy, and teach them not to tease her or encourage undesirable behaviors, such as chasing and barking.
Puppy Health Hazards Electric Cords: Biting an electric cord can cause mouth burns, lung damage, or even death. Keep your puppy away from electrical until he outgrows the “mouthy” stage Kitchen Garbage: Getting into the garbage can cause anything from a nasty bout of vomiting and diarrhea to an intestinal obstruction that requires surgery to unblock (if your puppy gulps down something like part of a corncob or a wooden grilling skewer, which puppies have been known to do. Small balls and dog toys that can be chewed into pieces: Most pieces of dog toys will pass through the digestive tract uneventful, but once in a while a piece gets stuck, requiring a vet to go in there and get it out. Balls small enough to fit inside your puppy’s mouth are dangerous because they can get stuck in the back of his throat and block the air from getting into his trachea. Socks, underwear, and other objects that are clothing. Although cloth may seem like a benign substance, it can easily get hung up in the digesting tract. Trapped cloth or string is often difficult to see on x-rays, and it may even cut through the intestines at they contract. Chew toys and other objects that are hard enough to break teeth: A puppy or dog can break a tooth chewing on sterilized bones, cow hooves, rocks or other hard objects. Give your puppy hard rubber toys (such as Kong or Nylabone) or rawhide to chew on instead. Supervise your puppy closely when you give him rawhide- if he gnaws off large pieces and tries to swallow them, take away the rawhide to prevent choking. Weather Health Hazards Breathing Problems. Hot, humid weather is especially hard on dogs with pushed in faces, like English Bulldogs, Pugs, and Lhasa Apsos. Keep these dogs indoors with the air conditioning on as much as possible when its really hot outside. Heat Stroke. Dogs can cool them selves down by panting, so they can easily become over heated in hot weather. Don’t leave you dog in the car-even with the windows cracked open- in hot weather. Drowning. Even a dog loves to swim can become overtired or get trapped in a swimming- pool he’s forgotten to climb out of. Never let your dog swim unattended. Keep him out of the swimming-pool enclosures when you’re not there to watch him. Fleas. Unless you live in the south where fleas are a year-round problem, you’ll have them most trouble with the bloodsuckers at the tail end of summer- usually August and September. Wolves may be able to handle sub-zero temperatures without a whimper, but they aren’t acclimated to houses with central heating the way our dog companions are. When the weather outside is frightful, protect you dog against the following hazards: Bitter cold weather. If you’re freezing even in your winter coat, your dog probably is freezing in his, too. Shorten the walks in really severe weather, and keep a towel by the back door to dry the melting snow and ice off your dogs coat and feet. Eating Snow. Some dogs love to do this, but eating a lot of snow can lower a dog’s body temperature and possibly even lead to hypothermia. During winter hikes, take some luke warm water in an insulated bottle for your dog to drink so he doesn’t have to slake his thirst with snow. Ice-melting salt. The regular kind stings chapped paws like crazy, and the “paw-safe” kind works well but is very expensive. Other options to protect your dog’s feet include strap-on boots (Muttluks is one popular brand) and foot waxes (such as Musher’s Secret). Boots can pull off in deep snow, so they’re best for plowed roads and side-walk. The waxes are rubbed onto dog’s pads and between toes before going outside. Somedog owners say petroleum jelly also works-it doesn’t stay on as well as the wax, but its much cheaper. Remember that any salve you put on your dogs feet should be safe to eat, because he’s certain lo lick it off. Even if your dogs feet don’t seem sore after a winter walk, it’s a good idea to rinse them with plain warm water and dry them as soon as you get home. This will keep your dog from licking road salt off his feet. Antifreeze. You’ve heard it before, but here it is again: antifreeze is a deadly poison. Small amounts can make a dog sick or even kill him. Keep your dog away from antifreeze spills in your garage or on the road. Flaky itchy skin. Many dogs get flaky skin in the winter in the winter, and some dogs are allergic to mold spores in heating systems or to dust mites. To combat flaky, itchy skin, bathe your dog regularly even during the winter. It’s fine to bathe a dog indoors during cold weather as long as you keep him warm until he is dry. Toothbrushing 101 Happily, brushing a dog’s teeth is usually easier than you might think. But there are a couple of situations in which you shouldn’t attempt it. One is with a dog who is likely to bite if you come near his mouth with a tooth brush: clean teeth simply aren’t worth getting bitten over. The other situation is when a dog already has lots of tartar on his teeth. Tartar can’t be removed by simple brushing, and brushing could be uncomfortable for a dog whose gums are very irritated. If your dog’s teeth are funky, schedule a dental cleaning by your vet before you begin the following home dental care regimen. 1. Plan on Brushing your dog’s teeth once a day. Plaque hardens in tartar within about 36 hours, so you need to remove it every day. 2. Buy a soft bristle toothbrush that’s an appropriate size for your dog’s mouth and a tube of dog toothpaste. A “people” toothbrush is fine, but don’t use people toothpaste-it contains foaming agents that might make a dog vomit, and the enzymes is god tooth paste do a better job of cleaning. 3. A dog has 42 teeth, but you can begin by brushing the outside surfaces (the lip side) of just 4 of them: the upper canines (fangs) and the upper fourth premolars (the first large teeth in the back of the mouth). Those are the four teeth that accumulate the most tartar, so brushing them alone will contribute significantly to your dog’s dental health. 4. Wet the tooth brush, put a tiny dab of toothpaste on it, and brush gently using a circular motion at the gum line of the upper canines for about 5 seconds. Repeat with the upper canines on the other side. 5. Next, brush the upper fourth premolars. The upper fourth premolars are far back in a dogs mouth, but you can bush them without cranking your dogs lip back all the way, which can be uncomfortable for both of you. Picture a vertical line running straight down from your dogs eye. Where that line meets his mouth is where his upper fourth premolar is. Push back your dogs lip to take a peek-it’s the biggest triangular tooth. Once you have an idea of where your target is, let go of the lip, wet the toothbrush, put a tiny dab of toothpaste on it, and slide the toothbrush gently along the inside of his mouth until the head of the toothbrush is about even with his eye. Then brush back with a circular motion at the gum line for about 5 seconds. Repeat with the upper fourth premolar on the other side. 6. Your dog will probably chew on the tooth brush as you’re brushing his teeth. That’s fine, and will even help brush other tooth surfaces. 7. You may notice some blood on the toothbrush when you first start brushing your dog’s teeth. This is a sign wither that his gums are inflamed or that you’re brushing your dog’s teeth too hard or with a saw like back-and-forth motion at the gum line. Ease up on the pressure, but don’t stop brushing. You should notice less bleeding within a week or so of daily brushing, as your efforts make you dog’s gums healthier. 8. Once you’re comfortable brushing the four teeth described above, expand your efforts to include the outer surfaces of the other teeth. With practice, you’ll be able to brush all 42 in just two minutes. Focus your efforts at the gum line, because that’s where the plaque build up. If brushing your dogs teeth is impossible, ask your vet whether using an enzyme or antibacterial mouth spray instead would help reduce the plaque and irritation in your dogs mouth. Another option is Science Diet t/d, a prescription dry dog food that scrapes the inside of a dog’s teeth as he eats. Rawhide or other chew toys may help clean a dogs teeth a little, but they are nowhere near as thorough or effective as daily brushing. The Canine First Aid Kit 1. Ear-cleaning solution, cotton balls, and cotton swabs, for cleaning ears 2. Plain saline eye wash, for cleaning discharge and flushing out debris from the eyes 3. Mild dog shampoo, for general clean ups 4. Dog nail clipper, for broken nails 5. Tweezers, for removing ticks and splinters 6. Electric hair clipper, ky jelly, chlorhexidine or providone-iodine (betadine) wound cleaner and gauze squares, for clipping and cleaning wounds 7. Roll of 2 in wide gauze and roll of 1 in wide bandage tape, for bandaging leg or tail wounds 8. Antibiotic Ointment, for minor wounds 9. Hydrocortisone spry or ointment, for itchy wounds or bug bites 10. 3cc oral medication syringe, for giving liquid medication 11. Muzzle, in case you need to handle your dog when she’s frightened or in pain 12. Diphenhydramine (benadryl), for insect bites or hives 13. Rectal (baby) thermometer, for taking your dogs temperature 14. 10cc oral medication syringe, for flushing wounds, rinsing caustic substances from your dogs mouth, or inducing vomiting; a turkey baster can substitute in a pinch but is messier and harder to aim. 15. 3% hydrogen peroxide, for inducing vomiting (only when appropriate) Safe Plants Be aware, however, that eating any plant can cause upset stomach (in other words, vomiting and diarrhea), so discourage you dog from nibbling on greenery. Also keep in mind that common names of plants can be confusing-a single plant may have several common names, and several different plants may have the same common name. For examples, dozens of plants are known as jasmine or Jessamine, and some are safe while others are poisonous. When in doubt, check the plants botanical name. A Warning To All Dog Owners About Raisins & Grapes Written by: Laurinda Morris, DVM Danville Veterinary Clinic Danville , Ohio This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn't call my emergency service until 7AM. I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn't seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me - had heard something about it, but.... Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give I V fluids at 1 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours. The dog's BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine! Over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care. He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn't control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220. He continued to vomit and the owners elected to Euthanize. This is a very sad case - great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk. Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dogs grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler's. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern. Onions, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.
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