More often than not, our dogs are victims of intestinal parasites, also referred as worms. Most of them develop immunity but at some point during stressful situations like pregnancy, illnesses and diseases, the immunity will break down. These worms then tend to multiply and later on produce symptoms of infection particularly in the intestines. Diarrhea, anemia, weight loss and presence of blood in the feces are the usual signs and symptoms for intestinal parasitism. On the other hand, some worms may cause few or no symptoms at all.

The most common parasites are roundworms and tapeworms which can be seen using you bare eyes, but other worms can’t easily be diagnosed. Sometimes eggs or larvae of Ascaris, hookworms and threadworms migrate in the tissues of the dog and activated only in stressful situations. If worms are suspected, a stool sample should be brought to the veterinarian at least once or twice a year for microscopic examination. Proper diagnosis is important so that the safest and the most effective medication will be prescribed. No particular drug is effective for all kinds of parasite, although some may be effective against more than one species.  It is not right to deworm the dog who suffers from unexplained illness without proper consultation and diagnosis.

DEWORMING A PUPPY

Ascaris and hookworms are most common to puppies. There is presence of other parasites but they are rare. It is recommended to let you veterinarian examine the stool first before giving any deworming agent. Some might need a much stronger and a broader-spectrum medication due to the severity of the case.

Usually, puppies are dewormed at 2 weeks of age before eggs of the Ascaris are eliminated in the feces, and once again in 4^th, 6^th and 8^th week after birth. Then, a monthly deworming is required until 6 months. With this schedule, there will be a higher chance of eliminating all the eggs of the Ascaris even though it is passed through pregnancy, lactation and ingestion. Pyrantel pamoate (suspension) is the drug-of-choice for this because it is safe for a 2 week old puppy. Heartworm prevention will then be given by the veterinarian to eliminate presence of roundworms and hookworms.

Deworming agents may be harmful to puppies, especially those who are suffering from respiratory problems, high body temperature and those who live in an unsanitary surrounding. These problems ought to be corrected before giving any deworming medication. Keep in mind not to deworm any puppy with diarrhea without any confirmation from the physician that this symptom is caused by worms.

DEWORMING A DOG

Veterinarians would usually recommend that dogs should be dewormed at least once a year or only when there is a reason to do so like persistent diarrhea because of the presence of intestinal parasites. If your pet lives in an unsanitary environment, it would be best to deworm them every 3 or 6 months depending on the recommendation of the veterinarian and the case of the dog. They can also take a yearlong preventive medication for heartworms which protects them from most worms.

PREVENTION

Treating and eradicating worms in the environment is vital before these infect other dogs, and human beings. One must remove dog’s feces in the lawn or in the backyard at least twice a week or every other day using appropriate equipment like gloves, masks and aprons. Have a stool sample for the bi-annual microscopic examination. During a walk with your dog in the park or in your neighborhood, remove the feces your dog left so that your dog doesn’t pass the worms or contaminate other dogs. Do not let your dog take any medication or dewormer unless prescribed by the physician in order not to develop resistance to these drugs.

Nevertheless, it’s always an excellent idea to maintain a worm-free dog so that if any stressful situation occurs, your dog will be spared from having a parasitic infection.

Almost every six months, a female dog comes in heat. It is a part of female dog’s normal life cycle. At this time, her hormones are organizing and preparing her body to catch the attention of a male dog and get pregnant after mating. A dog that is in heat is impulsive and restless. If you want her to be pregnant and have some puppies, then this is the right time. If breeding is not a priority at this moment, this normal cycle would be a stressor for her and for you as well.

When dogs are in heat, their body is preparing her for mating. Usually, she will get a lot of attention from a male dog due to her distinct scent at that time and her unusual behavior. As pet owner, one must watch his dog closely because she needs help to ward off the advances from other dogs. Certainly, caring a dog that is in heat needs patience and dedication. Here are some ways you can care for your dog:

• Keep your windows, doors and gates close if you are not around. Your dogs might go out and look for a partner without your knowledge.
• Choose car rides rather than walking to any destinations.
• Continue daily walking but choose a well-contained area rather than an open area. Preferably, an area that doesn’t have dogs.
• Encourage and allow her to play and walk in your lawn or backyard but don’t leave hear unattended.
• Never let male dogs invade your house. Some male dogs may climb fences or jump wooden fence. They can even open screened doors.
• Do anything that you can do to sooth her and keep her calm most of the time. A dog that is in heat is very anxious. Avoid activities that will promote agitation on your dog and instruct children to treat her with respect and avoid rough play with them.

Throughout the entire first 14 days of being in heat, your female dog’s vulva might swell and she may also experience a brown spotting or even slight bleeding. This is usually the indication that your dog is in estrus. Having your dog wear a protective panty is a very nice idea during her first stage of cycle. Make sure that her bed comes with a cotton cloth or a washable covering to avoid staining the cloth.

If you’re not willing to give up most of your time and patience doing stuffs like this, you might consider spaying your dog to eliminate issues associated with heat cycles. It is usually performed before she experiences her first estrus. This may also decrease her risk of having cancer, mammary tumors and any stressful anxious behavior.

Contrary to its name, ringworms are not caused by worms but rather fungus called Dermatophytes which means “plants that live on skin”. Before, people thought that these round lesions are caused by worms hence, the term ringworm was given. It is actually a skin problem usually caused by a plant or skin contact to other dogs either direct or indirect contact. It can also be passed from dogs to cats and from cats to dogs and often from human beings to dogs and vise versa. The spore of the fungus usually lives in the environment for a long time. It can be found in carpets, clothes, beddings, etc and infects your dog when it comes into contact with their skin.

The fungus usually stays in hair follicles near the head, ears, tail and front paws which cause hair shafts to break off. This disease would appear as a circle on the dog’s skin with raised edges. It looks like the hair was removed with a pale spot at the center. Other symptoms would include itchiness, scaling and crusty skin with some redness. A patch that is irregular in shape would mean that two or more lesions joined together. It’s easier to see this disease to younger dogs than that of the adults.

The younger dogs and puppies are more susceptible for infection since their immune system has not fully developed yet. Healthy dogs typically develop resistance to ringworms. Some may be carriers but show no symptoms, then later on infect other animals or even human beings.

Treatment should be started as soon as ringworm is diagnosed through culture and microscopic studies. Usually the entire course of this disease is from two to four months but if left unattended it would later on spread and infect other body parts or even infect human beings.

Griseofulvin may be prescribed by the veterinarian for your dog. It is an anti-fungal drug that inhibits fungal reproduction. It is widely used and recommended by the vet because it is very effective and would also prevent reoccurance of the fungus. Keep in mind that this oral medication has side effects like abortion and birth defects if given to pregnant dogs, so be sure to consult a veterinarian first before giving the medication. Usually, topical medications are not advised because dogs will just lick them out before it takes effect.

Treatments don’t work over night. Veterinarian might also consider giving your dog a lime sulfur dip baths twice a week. It may be performed at home or at the clinic. Remember that this will stain clothing and jewelries and will cause temporary yellowing of the skin and of the coat of the dog. It is also advisable to bath your dog every other day using an anti-fungal shampoo. The lather of the shampoo should be left for at least 5 minutes to destroy and eliminate fungal spores.

Fungus spores might spread throughout the house by the infected dog which might cause reinfection to dogs and might infect humans that live in the home. In order to prevent this, it is important to clean the house with bleach mixed with water at 1:10 ratio on all surface exposed. Vacuum and steam cleaning would eliminate a large number of spores and don’t forget to clean beddings and couches as well. It is also advisable to confine and isolate the dog in one room or area during the entire treatment course.

BREEDING YOUR DOG

Is it that your kids want another baby pup to play with, or that you want to make some extra bucks selling puppies? Whatever your reasons are, try to clarify them before you attempt to breed your bitch.

Your bitch usually comes into heat about twice every year, and it is during this heat periods that you can attempt to mate her. Before the mating, she should be placed on special diets to flush her system and get her ready for the task ahead.

CHOOSING THE STUD

Getting the male dog (stud) that will mate your girl is an important task and it has to be carried out judiciously. You may have a friend or a neighbor with a stud that you think is suitable for the process, or there ay be a breeder who can get you one. However, breeding is not just about bringing together a male a female. There are several factors to be put into consideration if you are to get the desired results. They include:-

*  Ascertaining the pedigree of the dog – Do you want your bitch to produce purebred puppies? Then you must certainly mate her with a purebred stud (if she is also one).  You may want to check out his registration  details etc.

*  Check out poor performance results -does he have a past performance of repeated breeding, abortion etc. This may be due to the stud carrying a venereal disease, defective sperm abnormalities etc. you can very well know what to expect from scrutinizing past records.

*  Check out for conformation - Does the stud have all the unique posture and other characteristics features of it’s breed?

*  Be careful to mate your bitch with a stud or commensurate size. Do not mate your small -sized bitch with an over-sized, over- weight male. The results could be disastrous.

MATING

when your dogs come into a season, she remains on heat for about three weeks. During this time, there will be swelling of vulva  and discharges. When she is on heat (peak period), she welcomes all attempts by the male to mount her. She is usually fertile, releasing eggs during five days of the period.

It is usually advisable to take your bitch to the stud (not vice versa). This is because the stud is more comfortable within her own premises , and it is better able to carry out his own duty. The female may not be so submissive when the male is brought  into her territory.

The stud mounts the bitch and after ejaculation, remains in the bitch for a several minutes while her vaginal muscle still hold onto his penis. Sometimes the dog may climb off her back and turn 180^o facing the other  way. This act is referred to ‘a tie’ and is usually believed by the breeders to mean a successful mating..

Gestation period (pregnancy) in the dog usually ranges from sixty days to sixty six days, with sixty three days as the average. When the range is exceeded, you may need to call the attention of your veterinary doctor.

Note – your bitch should not just be mature in age, she also has to have developed enough physically before she is bred. This will help to foretell future reproductive (birth) complication.

knowing how to go about administering first aid to your pets, and having the items you need within your reach is an important aspect of health management. If an emergency situation arise, your knowledge of first aid would help to keep your pet going until you can get her to veterinary clinic.

Situation that may require first aid include:-

Bleeding – Bleeding may occur due to cuts from sharp objects e.g the dog may run into a sharp protrusion, or attempting to pass through a hole in a wire fence etc.

Treatment Apply pressure over the area until bleeding stops, deep wounds will require stitching and the vet’s attention will have to be called upon.

Sores – A dog may develop sores on its skin for several reasons. Some of which include flea bite, persistent itching, allergic reaction to an internal or external substance. Many times, sores are -inflicted due to the dog’s preoccupation with an itch.

Treatment : Eliminate cause. More often than not, flea are the cause of itching, and dog should be treated for fleas.

Bite wounds Dog fights often result into one or both of the dogs sustaining severe injuries.

Treatment :- Because most dog bite wounds are deep ( puncture wounds), they are prone to infection, and the animal will require antibiotics shots. Clean the wound with saline or clean water. Apply pressure to stop aby bleeding, and get the animal to the veterinary clinic.

*  Burns :- could be cause by electrical shocks, chemical substances or heat. Symptoms include blistering, exudation, redness and swelling of the skin.

Treatment :- flush the area with copious amounts of cold water. If available, aplly ice wrapped in a towel over the burnt area for some minutes. Get the animal to the vet.

Seizures :- seizures could be due to several reasons. Symptoms include violent muscle spasms, salivation, unconsciousness etc.

Treatment - place the animal in a safe area to prevent him from injury himself. Keep the area as quiet as possible to enable the animal remain calm, and call for the veterinary attention.

Vomiting :-could be the result of several factors including obstructions.

Treatment :- withhold food for 12-24 hours. Allow it to take water after the vomiting stops if it shows interest. Call for the veterinary attention.

Shock : your dog may go into shock after bien involved in an accident causing severe infury. Signs include irregular breathing and dilated pupils.

Treatment :- rinse lower body to allow blood flow to the brain, and keep animal quiet and warm. Call for immediate veterinary attention.

Fractures: fractures would occur when your pet is involved in an automobile or domestic accident. Signs include limb spread out in an awkward fashion, favoring of limb, pain etc.

Treatment : control any bleeding that may occur, and give support to the point of fractures to prevent further complications.

* Do not attempt to set or repair fracture. Get the dog to the vet immediately.

Heat stroke or exhaustion

Dog become prone to heat stroke during very hot weather, more so, when ventilation is poor e.g leaving them inside a hot room or car during summer without air conditioning.

Signs include labored breathing, panting, high body temperature. Etc

Treatment

A case of heat stroke should be approached as an emergency  and immediate resuscitation is required. Place animal in a bath tub containing cold water. Use your hand to work the water into its coat properly. Do not stop until the dog shows some sign of normal breathing.

Snake bite and insect bite: dogs may get bitten when they attempt to attack or ‘play’ with  snake e.g  when they are roaming in the garden. It is usually for you to know if you are not present.

Signs and symptoms include;-

- swelling up of the dog’s face

- Breathing problems e.g panting.

Treatment locate the bite wound and thoroughly wash, before ‘hurrying’ the dog the vet. Do not attempt to ‘suck out’ the venom yourself. Insects such as the bee and wasp ,ay also sting your dog. Apply soothing cream or ointment to the spot. You may seek for veterinary assistance if it swells up and seems out of control.

Choking

Dogs are always picking thing up to chew them e. g toys, bones, sticks etc. they sometimes get there materials stick up in their throat, leading to choking etc.

Signs include blue tongue, difficult breathing etc.

Treatment

Open the mouth to view and see if you can locate the foreign object. Try removing it with tweezers if it is not lodge too deep into the throat. If deeply lodged, you may have to get the dog to the veterinary clinic for sedation and removal.

Poisoning

Your dog may get poisoned by picking up and eating some stuffs in the house meant for your use. E.g medicines (e.g aspirin), paint, detergents, chemicals (e.g fertilizer), rat poison, cigarette ends etc.

Signs and symptoms include  vomiting, salivation, spasms or convulsion, weakness etc

Treatment ; obtain some samples of the ingested material if possible, and call on your vet immediately. The sample you go along with could assist the vet in knowing how exactly to treat your dog.

Content of a mini First Aid Box

1. Cotton wool
2. Bandage (both gauge and adhesive)
3. Scissors
4. Thermometer
5. Syringes
6. Antibiotics cream or ointment
7. Soothing cream
8. Forceps
9. Eye drops etc

You love your best friend, and can’t imagine losing him.  However, one of the biggest mistakes we tend to overlook is placing rat poison in an area which is easily accessible to your dog.  Rat poison has a purpose, which is to kill rats and mice.  Rat poison is designed to taste really good and smell great to rats and mice, unfortunately this also true for dogs. Dogs love the smell and taste of rat poison, and therefore, will actively seek out rat poison. Thus, no matter where you place rat poison, be it in your garage, your backyard, or behind your couch, your dog will find it and eat it.

In case your dog eats rat poison and you luckily catch him eating it, you need to force a teaspoon or two of hydrogen peroxide down his throat, which will make him throw up. Next you need to take him to your local vet immediately; your vet may administer vitamin K to your dog to counteract the poison. However, if you are not sure and suspect that your dog has eaten it, then look for the following symptoms of poisoning: blood in the stool, blood in the urine, bloody nose, and bleeding from his gums. Rat poison stops the blood from clotting and basically is designed to bleed the animal to death.

Thus; if you have dogs or any other pets at home, it’s not recommended that you use rat poison as it can be fatal to your dog or cat.  Instead use glue traps to trap rodents, which are safe for your pet.

Another common household product is antifreeze, which is fatal for dogs. Your dog may be attracted to Antifreeze which may have leaked from under your car or you may have an unsealed bottle of antifreeze placed insecurely in your garage, furthermore, in freezing climate if you find a puddle of water, it’s certainly contaminated with antifreeze therefore, don’t let your dog drink from puddles during freezing weather.  Your dog will naturally be attracted to its sweet smell and will lick it. Antifreeze will damage your dogs liver and death can result in a matter of few hours. Symptoms of antifreeze poisoning can be vomiting; listlessness, weaving, and sometimes you can simply smell the antifreeze on the dog’s breath. If you suspect that your dog has consumed antifreeze, then take him to the vet ASAP.

Therefore considering all these points; one should be extra careful and keep poisons out of your dog’s reach, as well as prescription drugs.  Keep antifreeze away from a dogs reach preferably on the top of a shelf, where your dog can’t reach it.  Moreover, don’t use rat poison in your home. In addition, prescription drugs should also be kept in a safe secure area where your dog can’t reach them.

Why are regular check-ups important?  Every dog owner asks this type of question, often. If you failed to do the regular check-ups, then the dog may end up having some major diseases that you don’t know about.  Hence, you need to pay lot of money both to the veterinarians for consultancy and for the required drugs useful for the therapy of the clinical condition.

One may not be able to find out the very commonly occurring clinical conditions in case of their dogs because of less experience with dog diseases or dog rearing.  This is why check ups are important.   For example, if the dog has potbelly, the condition may not look abnormal many times. But if the dog is subjected to the regular check-up, then the veterinarian immediately finds it out and gives the appropriate therapy. If not, the animal may experience diarrhea and the dehydration.

If the dog has any signs of illness, then don’t wait for the regular check-up. Instead, you need to approach the veterinarian immediately. Check ups if done in a regular manner will help to give vaccinations against canine distemper, parvovirus, corona virus, rabies virus, hepatitis virus, and more.

Booster vaccinations will be carried out in such cases without any delay in the injections and this helps to improve the immunity level of the dog against such diseases in a remarkable degree. Regular check up is the essential one with proper stools examination.  Hence, the deworming may be carried out with drugs like fenbendazole, albendazole, etc.

Abnormalities like signs of pain may be ruled out during such  examinations.  If not, helminthiasis may affect the animal and diarrhea may occur in addition to the other types of digestive upsets and anemia. Regular examinations help to rule out the external parasitic conditions like lice or tick infestations.  Dental problems are also found out during the regular check ups in reputed veterinary hospitals.

Nursing a sick dog is one of the vital measures that a dog owner needs to understand.  Similarly, when a dog becomes sick, the dog is in need of more care and affection based activities by the dog owners. Nursing a sick animal is often considered as an art and this should not be taken as a causal measure.

Yes. You need to take extra care to the dog when it becomes sick. For example, the sick dog with high fever needs to be given only some bread pieces and bulky non-vegetarian items may be avoided.  Such dogs should be kept in some calm place after medications are taken and should not be disturbed.  During the nursing of the dog who has taken the drug, the animal needs coaxing and stroking by the owner.  Don’t raise the dog’s head too much to avoid the passing of drugs given by the mouth directly into the respiratory organs like lungs.  During the nursing measures, take care by giving warm fluids.

Safety is to be given more priority during the nursing activity in any dog. When the dog has severe diarrhea, the animal may start showing signs of dehydration. Hence, the nursing care for dehydration includes an addition of small doses of salt and glucose to water in a careful manner.
Similarly, the vomiting dog also needs proper nursing care.  Ice cubes may be given in such cases along with egg whites to smooth the esophageal passage.

Nowadays, a non-contact based infrared thermometer has come up in the market to obtain the temperature of the animal without much stress.  Place the dog in a shaded place if the temperature is so high and provide good ventilation to the suffering animal.   If the animal is suffering from hypothermia, provide warm blankets to given comfort to the animal.

Preventing dental disease is an important feature, which is to be paid more emphasis by the dog lovers or dog owners. Dental disease is given priority in the health schedule of the dog nowadays because of the association of the dental diseases with systemic diseases in the dogs.

Antibiotics need to be given in the initial stage of teeth infection itself and if not, this may cause specific infections and the organisms may spread to the other nearby regions like the oral mucous membrane and pharyngeal region etc.

More acidic or alkaline food materials need not be given to the dogs to avoid the possible teeth damage.  Antibiotics need to be given in the initial stage of teeth infection itself and if not, this may cause specific infections and the organisms may spread to the other nearby regions like the oral mucous membrane and pharyngeal region etc.  More acidic or alkaline food materials need not be given to the dogs to avoid the possible teeth damage.  If the dog is not given at its young age some bony material to bite on, the dog may develop some dental diseases later. The teething action often causes the animal to go for biting in an indiscriminate manner. Hence, the animal has to be given some biting materials to avoid the occurrence of dental diseases.

If there is an evidence of bleeding from the oral region, the dog needs to be examined thoroughly for any dental abnormality.  Mainly the puppies or some times, the adult dogs also may have teeth injuries. They need to be attended immediately as a preventive step. If not, the animal may end up in secondary bacterial infections.

Hunting dogs need additional care associated with the dental structures and such care is needed to avoid the future dental problems in such dogs.  Brushes are available to provide better dental care to dogs. However, one has to allot more time and should have patience to use such brushes in case of dogs.     This may lead into further problems. Centers for disease control and prevention are trying to put up guidelines to prevent the dental diseases in dogs in many nations.  However, the oral examination needs to be carried out frequently in dogs and such activities help to rule out the emerging problems pertaining to the dentine structures in the beginning itself.

Veterinary dental treatments are more important. If the dental structures are not being looked carefully, there are more chances for the development of periodontal diseases in dogs.  Hence, the veterinary dental treatments need to be paid maximum importance during the life of your dogs.

There are many advanced systems that deal with dental treatments that have come up in the market.  Many systems are available with built in water spray systems, double filter systems, auto clavable clips, and more.

Many veterinarians use high speed fiber optic hand pieces with push button turbines, two hand piece water jet systems, soundless water compressors and more.  The diagnosis of a condition pertaining to the periodontal structure based diseases are more important before the treatment.

Periodontal diseases are graded into minimal and moderate and severe diseases.  Accordingly the therapy is carried out, it is impossible to check all teeth by basic oral examination in the dog patient.  Hence, general anesthesia is required before the examination of the teeth inside structures.  Surgical curettage is done in case of advanced periodontal diseases using flaps and the teeth extractions are also carried out using moderate force and more care is taken to avoid the continuous bleeding.

Oral surgeries are undertaken after obtaining of the dental radio graphs in the dogs and by comparing the tissue damage with normal teeth structures.  The concerned veterinarians assess the extent of damage in a systematic manner.

The periodontal diseases are controlled by administration of broad-spectrum antibiotics in an effective manner.  Along with the dental surgeries, the oral treatment is done with many products that are helpful to prevent the attachment of the tartar or plaque on the teeth. However, reputable products should be used in the veterinary practice and the dog owner’s satisfaction is given more priority during the veterinary dental therapy.