Most health problems are best treated by a veterinarian, but in the event of a sudden accident, immediate action may be required. Knowing what to do in an emergency could be the difference between life an death.

1- If your dog is unconscious and is not breathing and has not heartbeat, administer CPR and call your veterinarian as soon as possible. CPR is a combination of mouth to nose resuscitation and cardiac massage.

1) Mouth to nose resuscitation:

1. Step 1: Remove any mucus or foreign material from mouth. Pull tongue forward.
2. Step 2: If dog is unconscious, place your mouth over the nostrils and blow a steady stream of air for 2 or 3 seconds. Watch for the chest to rise.
3. Step 3: Pause for 2 to 3 seconds to allow air to exit lungs. Continue until normal breathing resumes, which may take as long as an hour. Feel for heartbeat and apply cardiac massage if needed.

2) Cardiac Massage: If dog is unconscious asn has no heartbeat, apply cardiac massage.

- Step 1: Place hand on chest behind elbow and press gently but firmly. Do this five or six times at one second intervals.

- Step 2: Alternate massage with breath from your artificial respiration. Try for 10 minutes.

3) Draining water from your dog’s lungs:

- Step 1: If dog is motionless, first clear any discharge from nose and mouth and pull tongue forward.

- Step 2: To drain water form dog’s lungs, hold the animal by its hind legs and gently swing it back and forth.

4) Moving an Injured Dog: If you suspect that a dog has a fracture, handle the dog so as to cause minimum disturbance. This is especially important if there a fracture of the spine, as sudden movement can lead to paralysis. Check that the airway is not blocked before moving the dog. Do not attempt to apply a splint yourself as this may cause unnecessary stress and waste valuable time. Get the dog to a veterinarina immediately.

a) Moving a large dog: Carefully place dog on a board or stretcher, without twisting the body

b) Moving a small dog: Carefully lift dog with both hands to support the whole body. Try to let the fractured limb dangle.

Hip Dysplasia: is an inherited defect that causes abnormal posotioning of the bones of the hip joint. Although hip dysplasia affects almost every breed of dog, the large breeds are the most severely affected.

Back Pain: Just like people dogs suffer from back problems. One of the first signs of back pains is a reluctance to climb stairs or to jump up onto furniture. Your dog may also cry out in pain when touched or lifted. Treatment for muscle soreness usually consists of strict rest, muscle relaxants and a course of anti-inflamatory drugs. Severe disk disease requires immediate surgery.

Arthritis: Osteoarthritis. also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of arthritis occurring in dogs. It may affect any joint and is very comon in older dogs. Arthritis may develop because of an inherited malforamtion (sucha hip dysplasia), an old injury of from normal wear and tear. Treatment may be a combiantion of anti inflammatory medication (such as buffered aspirin) proper exercise and weigh reduction.

Canine arthritis is more common that you may think. It can affect dogs ofa ny age, breed or sex. In fact, studies hav shown that as many as 1 in 5 adulto dogs have arthritis. Although there is not cure, chronic arthritis pain can be managed with the help of diet, exercis, ssurgery and proper medication.

Constant activity can damage your dog's cartilage putting strain on joints and indulcing arthritis, a degenerative joint disease. Unfortunately, the symptoms of arthritis are easily missed and often misinterpreted.Contact your veterinarian if you notice any of the following signs:

• Trouble getting up
• Limps or lags behind
• Tires easily
• Trembles or shakes
• Climbs stairs reluctantly
• Reluctant to play

 

General Risk factors:

 

Age, Size and weight, Breed, Activity Level

 

What can you do to help manage canine arthritis?

 

Lighten their load: Diet

Get the paws in gear -- Exercise!  It's good for both you and your dog!

 

All dogs cough and sneese occassionally, but if the problem is frequent or persists for more than one day, visit your veterinarian. Coughing that appears suddenly in a healthy dog may be due to kennel cough, the canine equivalent to our cold. A typical kennel cough looks and sounds like gaggingg, and often brings up a small amount of phlegm. Coughing due to kennel cough may lat up to 2 weeks. However, persistent coughing especially at night, may cause by a failing heart.

Older dogs also frequently cough when they have bronchitis, which is easily remedied with medication. Young toy dogs frequently cough because of a collapsing trachea, an inherited defect of their windpipe.

To prevent periodontal disease: Feed your dog dry food or hard biscuits every day and provide a hard toy or bone to chew on. Have your dog’s teeth checked once a year by your veterinarian.

a) Conjunctivitis is probably the most common cause of eye discharge and redness in dogs. Conjunctivitis is easily treated by drops or topical ointments.

b) Redness and very thick eye discharge, sometimes green, is seen in dogs who are unable to produce enough tears. Known as “dry eye” or keratoconjunctivitis, this condition can lead to permanent corneal damage and loss of vision if not treated.

c) Redness, pain and discharge may also be signs of glaucoma, a condition caused by too much pressure within the eye. Because glaucoma can rapidly lead to blindness, any dog suspected of having it must be treated inmmediately.

d) Cataracts, are comom in dogs and may the center of the eye look white. Cataracts may be present at birth and develop with age. They are often caused by diabetes.

Is the number one nutrition related disease in dogs. Sometimes a metabolic disease, such as hypo-thyroidism, triggers obesity. In most cases, however, the extra weigh is simply due to dogs eating too much and exercising little. It is very important for your dog to stay in shape. A brisk walk everyday is a simple way to make sure that your dog doesn’t become overweight. The best way to weigh your dog is to pick him up and step on the bathroom scale. Then you simply subtract your own weight from the total, leaving you with the way of the dog.

Vomiting: It is normal for dogs to vomit. How else would they protect themselves from all the junk they pick up an eat. Dogs vomit when they overeat, or when they eat things they are not used to.

Bloat: Or Gastric dilatation, is a true medical emergency, requiring immedite veterinary treatment. During an episode of bloat, the stomach becomes distended with air. It may then rotate so that air cannot escape in either direction. The condition is painful and affected dogs look ill and pant heavily. If not treated early, bloat leads to shock,often followed by death. The syndrome is most common in large deep-chested dogs.

Diarrhea: All dogs get diarrhea at some point in their lives, and the most common cause is diet. Overeating or eating food that the intestines aren’t used to, will cause diarrhea, Other causes include intestinal parasite, viral diseases, food allergies, digestive disorders, kidney and liver disease and cancer.

Flatulence: Small amounts of gas are a normal product of digestion. Some dogs produce more gas than others. Flatulence is ussually caused by overeating, eating too fast, poor quality diets, changng diet too rapidly or eating garbage.

Anal Sacs: The anal sacs are situated on either side of the anus, just inside the anal openning. They contain a pungent fishy smelly fluid, which is normally discharge each time a dog defecates. Unfortunately, anal sacs often become blocked or infected causing discomfort. If you see your dog dragging her hind end along your carpet or frequently licking her anal area, her anal glands are probably plugged and they might need to be empty by your veterinarian.

 Heartworms, Roundworms and Hookworms

The annoying whine of a mosquito can signal more than just an itchy inconvenience. A single mosquito bite can be lethal to your dog if heartworm is trasmitted. And since it can take months before the Symptoms become apparent, heartworm is often referred to as the "silent killer:

Heartworm is a parasitic disease that can affect any dog regardless of age, sex or habitat. Spread by mosquitoes, it is found virtually all parts of the United States and many parts of Canada.  Heartworms live in the blood of a dog's heart and adjancent blood vessels, grow from twleve inches in lenght, reach maturation one year after the infection and live for five to seven years. Adult heartworms living in the heat produce offspring, known as microfilariae, which circulate in the animal's blood. When a female mosquito bites and infected an infected animal, it sucks out ht eblood containing the microfilariae. When the mosquito bites another pet, the infected larvae are transmitted and the cycle begins again.

Symptoms: Difficulty breathing, coughing, fatigue, listlessness, weigh loss and rough hair coat.

Roundworms, Hookworms and other worms: These parasites are picked up through exposure to contaminated soil or feces. They attach themselves to the intestinal wall and feed on the dog's blood (hookworms) or literally swin in the dog's digesting food (roundworms). They can cause discomfort and health deterioration if left untreated.

•  Roundworms: Puppies acquire them form their mothers before they are born (look like spaghetti).
•  Hookworms: Inhabit intestine where they ingest blood (need fecal examination is required).
•  Whipworms: Caused by unhygenic living conditions (need fecal examination is required). Tapeworms: Usually fleas but also rabbitts and rodents. (rice like pieces around the anus.  
•  Coccidia: Infection caused by unhygenic, crowed living conditions (fecal examination). 
•  Giardia: Infection through drinking contaminated water (fecal examination).

Though rare, transmission to humans is possible through direct contact with contaminants, ( for example young children ingesting soil contaminated with feces). Keep stray dogs and cats away from play areas, was hands often, and ensure that your dog is properly protected.

Lice: These bitting insects are visible as they crawl over your dog’s skin. Their white eggs called “nits” are also easy to see in your dog’s hair.

Ticks: Although a tick bite itself usually causes little or no skin irritation, the danger of ticks is in the diseases they carry, such a Lyme Disease and Tick Paralysis.

Mites: These microscopic parasited live under the skin. Two of them, Demodex and Sarcoptes, cause mange. Demodex mites are found in the hair follicles of all dogs. At times, when a dog’s immunity wanes, the mites multiple and cause hair loss. Sarcopte mites are highly contagious. They burrow under the skin, causing intense scratching, crusting and hair loss, especially on the elbows and ears.

Urinary Problems:

Urinary tract infections cause your dog to strain to urinate or to urinate more frequently than usual.

 Diseases of the prostrate gland in male dogs can also cause straining. In both cases the urine may appear bloody.

Bladder Stones: Some dogs develop stones in their bladder that can block the urethra making urination impossible.

Diabetes and kidney failure, both commom diseases in older dogs, cause increased urination and increased thrist.

Sometimes a dog wil lose urinary control without realizing it.This type of incontinence responds readily to medication, which your vetrinarian can prescribe.

As adorable as puppies may be, there are too many of them. When they grow up, many will find themselves in humane society shelters, because the owners where not prepared to care for them. Spay and neuter helps to prevent this tragic situation.

Each year, thousands of dogs are put to sleep in animals shelters because no one wants them. Many of these dogs are the result of accidental breeding. The only way to avoid this tragedy is to stop allowing our pets to breed and the safest and most effective way is to spay and neuter them.

Why Neuter a Male: Castration has significant health benefits for a male dog. It prevent prostate disease, a serious problem for older male dogs, and virtually eradicates the chances of testicular cancer or infection. Neutering can also modify many behavioral problems such as mounting, urine marking, fighting an roaming. Not only is your dog less likely to fight with other male dogs, but also less likely to be picked on.

Why Spay a Female: If you spay a female dog before her first heat, she has virtually no chance of developing breast cancer. Spaying  also eliminates her chances of developing cancer or infection of the uterus. Spaying also means that you won't have to contend with blood stains on your carpets and furniture from the discharge that occurs during heat.