Archive for the ‘Dog Health’ Category:
Colitis in Dogs
What is Colitis?
Colitis in dogs is an inflammation of the colon or the large intestine in your pet. It is often confused with IBD, or irritable bowel disease, which is a collection of several specific disorders that are quite similar in nature. If all of the forms of colitis do come together, your dog now has a full blown case of IBD. However, separately, it is considered to be colitis.
What makes this condition so very difficult to actually identify and treat, is that it can be chronic, acute, or turn into a situation that can become very serious. Most dogs will have minor bouts of colitis and never show any serious symptoms or health problems unless it becomes acute or even worse, episodic. Episodic is much different that acute, in that it is sporadic but will occur in episodes. This can be dangerous as the episodes may begin to intensify in severity or may be triggered much easier as your dog ages.
Symptoms:
Colitis in dogs in most every case will be a situation where your dog has some combination of fresh bright blood or mucus in their stool. If it is an acute form, interestingly enough they may show virtually no signs at all of any illness other than occasional vomiting. But if it chronic, they will start to show different symptoms. More »
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Doggy Dental Care Tops List Of Most. Frequently Diagnosed Health Problems
Do you consider yourself a good dog owner? Is Fido not only the happiest pup on the block, but also the healthiest?
There are nearly 44 million U.S. households that own approximately 74 million dogs. Although many of these owners treat their dog more like a family member and less like an animal, most are unaware of one of the biggest health risks for their dog.
Periodontal disease is the most frequently diagnosed health problem in pets. In fact, more than 80 percent of dogs have it by the time they are 4 years old.
Periodontal disease begins when bacteria and food debris build up along the dog’s gum line. Plaque is created and, soon after, tartar forms on the teeth. Eventually the gums swell, and pockets form that can trap bacteria and lead to more serious problems. More »
Doggie Hygiene
Washing your dog is important, but not as important as some people think. Healthy dogs actually don’t need to be washed all that often, but humans prefer to bathe them so that they have a more pleasing smell and appearance. Doggie bath time is a good time to spend with the dog, however. Although most of them don’t like to be washed, they will appreciate the contact and attention that they receive from their owners during a bath. It is also a good time to perform some other necessary “dog maintenance” such as cleaning the ears, checking for ticks and fleas, and brushing the teeth. Since many dogs do not like to sit still for any of these activities, it can be a good idea to do them all at once.
Brushing Dogs’ Teeth
Brushing your dogs’ teeth is just good dental hygiene. Most vets recommend that it be done at least twice a week to ensure your dog maintains healthy teeth and gums. If you’ve not been doing this (and, unfortunately, many people don’t) it’s never too late to start. The dog should have its own toothbrush and special toothpaste designed for dogs. Make sure you brush the back teeth in small circles, the same way you would your own, and brush up and down the length of the “pointy” canine teeth. Dog toothpaste is made to have a pleasing taste (for the dog, don’t try it yourself) and this should make the dog willing to let you perform this activity. More »