Sunday, August 31, 2008

Signs of Ill Health to Your Dog

Signs of ill health are the most important signs of the health status in your dogs. For example, if the dog has continuous nasal discharge, it indicates the presence of nasal congestion and if the discharge is thick, most of the times, the dog may have pneumonia.

If the dog vomits one or two times occasionally, this may not be taken as a serious sign of ill health but if the dog continues this vomiting, then this is something significant to be looked into.

If the dog has continuous itching, then one needs to check up the dog first by closer observation and examination of skin by separating the hair material especially in case of long haired breeds. You may also come across a lot of ticks or lice on skin, which may look apparently normal at a distance.

If the dog passes loose stool for one or two times, this need not be given more emphasis but if there is continuous passing of loose stool, then the dog is understood to suffer from bowel disorders. If the dog does not pass stool for two to three days, the digestive upsets needs to be ruled out carefully.

Just patiently observe the dog's walking movements and rule out any abnormal movements in the dog. If the dog is limping, the animal may have foot lesions. Similarly, if the aged dog has reluctant walking and less feed intake along with repeated vomiting, then acute renal disorders like nephritis needs to be ruled out.

If there is whiteness in eyes, suspect the corneal opacity that may occur in diseases like trypanosomosis. When the dog becomes anemic, the mucous membrane of the eyes becomes paler and in severe cases, this may have wall white color. If the dog bites chain and owners or others, look for behavior disorders and rabies needs to be ruled out.

For information on what you should be feeding your dog go to http://www.squidoo.com/signsofllnesstoyourdog & Learn the truth to dog food

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Muliatlo

Saturday, August 30, 2008

How to Exercise a Pit Bull

All working dog breeds need a lot of exercise. Both to keep them healthy but also to tire them out. This is especially true of Pit Bulls, as the saying goes "A Tired Pit Bull is a Good Pit Bull". If your dog isn't getting enough exercise, the excess energy that he or she has will likely be spent chewing your new couch or jumping on every visitor to your home.

Everyone when they get a new dog is told to take it on long walks. Personally, I don't think walking is enough. Pit bulls were bread to be active working dogs. If you notice when you walk your dog that it never runs. The dog's were breed to run. Walking just doesn't get a dog's activity level high enough to drain much energy. You need to find another way to increase your dogs exercise.

You may be able to jog with your dog, however even at normal jogging paces the dog just isn't really exerting himself. The object of exercising your dog much like a human is to get it to run for a solid 20 to 30 minutes. I find that adding a intense game of fetch at the local park gets my dogs running at the best pace for a good amount of time.

I have a park close by that is quite open and rarely has other people (or dogs for that matter). I normally walk my dog to this park on his leash and then once at the park, I pull out his favorite ball and we play a intense game of fetch. No short passes here, I throw as far as I am able and my dog runs as fast as possible to fetch the ball and return it to me. My dog gets a lot of pleasure out of this game.

I only suggest you take your dog to an open park if it is well trained. If you dog doesn't return unquestioned to the "recall" command you probably need to work with the dog some more before thinking about taking the dog off of leash at a park. This is especially important for the Pit Bull, due both to the breeds tendency to be dog aggressive you may find yourself in a bad situation if your dog decides to be unruly.

Even if you don't have access to a vacant park or have a dog that isn't quite trained enough to be allowed off leash. There are several things you can still do. I use a Flirt pole with younger dogs to tire them out. This can be done in a normal sized back yard. Also, you could hang a spring pole from a tree or other structure and train your dog to use it. I have also read about people that have trained their dogs to use a treadmill.

Exercise should be an important part of your dogs daily routine. I have yet to have behavior problems with any dog that has been properly exercised.

Dave M. Russell is an advocate for the true conforming pit bull breed. Visit his site and learn valuable tips about Pit Bulls.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_M_Russell

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Dog Paw Health - Why Dog Foot Care is Critical For Your Dog's Well Being

Your dogs paws are a critical piece of equipment so practicing good dog paw health care is vital for the well-being of your pet. Let's face it, dogs don't wear shoes to protect their paws so paying a little bit of extra attention to this area can help keep their feet working in tip top shape.

Doc's paws are actually quite a complicated part of their body. On the bottom they have several pads that act as a cushioning and springing mechanism. On the edges are the toenails which can be used to claw and dig and on the top is the fur which of course protects the foot. While not all dogs paws are created exactly equal, they are all pretty similar.

Taking care of your dogs paws should be part of your normal health and grooming routine for the dog. Here are a few of the steps you should take to ensure good dog paw health:

- inspect and the pads periodically for splinters or foreign material and remove it.
- keep your dogs nails trimmed.
- keep the fur in between the dog's pads trimmed
- don't let your dog walk in puddles that may have chemicals like anti-freeze in them
- always dry off your dog's pads after he has been walking in a wet area

While you may not think it because they walk on them, most dogs feet are very sensitive and you may have a hard time getting your dog to submit to having his paws inspected if he's not used to it. The best thing for you to do is to start touching the paws when he is a puppy. Every day spend some time just lightly touching the paws until the dog gets used to it. Then you can move on to a more thorough inspection gradually doing more and more as your dog will allow.

Try to make grooming and inspecting your dogs paws part of your weekly grooming routine. Check the nails to make sure they are not too long and cut them if they are. Some dogs have hair that grows out in between the pads and this can actually get quite long making it hard for them to walk because it can be slippery. If your dog is one of these breeds make sure you keep the hair trimmed down below the pads but be very careful when you have scissors near the pads of your dogs feet.

Every good dog owner wants to make sure that his dog is in the best health possible and having a good dog paw health regimen is just one of the things that conscientious dog owners need to do for perfect pet health. Educating yourself on the health and training needs of your dog and providing those for him will insure a happy, healthy and long-lived pet.

Would you like to have a dog that is perfectly healthy, happy and well trained? If you're ready to learn more about dog care and training, visit http://dogcareandtrainingtips.com and download our free ebook on dog care and training

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lee_Dobbins

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