It’s flu season for humans, but what about dogs?
October 26th, 2007
Here’s an interesting article I dug up on what the flu season can mean for our canine friends. No, you don’t have to take Fido to get his flu shot alongside yours, but there are a few things you should know:
As the air cools and autumn approaches, the flu season is also right around the corner—not just for you, but for your pets as well. Unlike humans, there is no vaccine for canine influenza which is a relatively new virus. Canine flu is an airborne disease, much like kennel cough, and is spread from dog to dog.
Most dogs affected by the flu will have a soft, moist cough with or without yellow/green nasal discharge. Those more severely affected may also have rapid/difficult breathing which is usually caused by a secondary complication of pneumonia. It’s important to note that these symptoms can also represent other respiratory diseases and your dog should be taken to your veterinarian at the earliest signs of illness to be accurately diagnosed and receive appropriate treatment.
Most dogs will successfully recover, with fatalities from the flu being uncommon. However, a complication of developing pneumonia can be very serious and generally requires antibiotics. While you won’t contract the flu from your dog, your sick pet can infect other dogs in the household. Keep Fido away from other dogs until he is back to his healthy self again.
Reprinted from Medical Vet Specialist Newsletter September, 2007
Grooming Your Way to a Healthy Dog
October 19th, 2007
2. Grooming helps in improving the blood flow in the follicles of hair thus improving the health of their coat. The way massage makes our skin healthy, grooming beautifies the coat of the dogs. The health effects too are similar as the dogs’ lymphatic system is also stimulated due to grooming.
3. Grooming also helps in making the bonds stronger between you and your dog. Your gentle grooming is pleasing to your dog and it improves its emotional state.
4. While grooming your dog, it is easy for you to familiarize yourself with your dog’s body. You may also be able to check if your dog has any health related issues, such as any injuries that you had not noticed before. Health problems such as ticks can also be noticed and taken care of in time.
5. It is also beneficial to groom your pet’s paws by checking the growth of its nails and looking for any injuries on its pads which may not be visible otherwise.
Pay a visit to your local pet supply store and you will find numerous grooming materials for your dog. But if you are not sure of how to groom your dog, you can always do some research using Google. You will get a number of tips and good advice on grooming your dog. Your dog owning neighbors can also provide valuable input. If there are no dogs in your neighborhood, try finding dog clubs where you will find many dog owners who can share their experiences of grooming the dogs.
If you develop a liking for grooming and if you can do it really well, you may also consider starting a grooming service for other dogs and make it a profitable business for yourself. Dog grooming is in great demand and your services will surely be valued.
Spend some time to groom your lovely dog everyday and you will gift him with good health and thus have a better looking and healthier dog. If you have never done grooming before, don’t worry, there is no better time that the present. Start now and you will learn with time.
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Aggressive behavior in dogs can be a big problem and a major source of conflict between pets and their owners. Aggressive dog behavior needs to be controlled, for your safety and the safety of your canine companion. Aggressive Dog Behaviour
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