Dog Nose Bleed

Posted by macca


If your dog suffers a nose bleed you want to act immediately. Never assume it was caused by a knock of some sort. There are other more serious scenarios. Dog nose bleed can be from any of the following: Foreign material in nose, Haemophilia, Ratsak Poisoning, Ruptured nasal tumors, Car Accident or direct injury.

FOREIGN MATTER

Material in the nose automatically stimulates sneezing. Excessive sneezing and irritation will cause bleeding. It can be caused by a grass seed, a blade of grass or an insect or anything that the dog sniffs. Allow a short time to see if the bleeding settles before going to the vet. Once the nose has started to bleed then the seed is well and truly up the nose causing allot of irritation and bleeding.

The vet may give the dog a general anaesthetic and examine the nasal cavity, soft palate and throat regions for a grass seed or any foreign matter and remove it. In the nasal cavity it is very difficult as the bleeding obscures the view and the sneezing sensation remains until the dog is fully anesthetized.

The effect of tranquilizers and anesthetics calm the sneezing and allow the seed to pass through the passages and eventually be swallowed in some cases. Others can lodge in a crypt or just in the soft palate area and start up an infection. Once the irritation has passed the bleeding eases. Antibiotics may be given to prevent infection and antihistamines for the irritation.

HAEMOPHILIA

Blood clotting disorders and diseases usually show up first as anemia, nose bleeding and gum bleeding. If any of these are apparent with your dog then a veterinary examination is needed. The vet will probably recommend blood tests to identify the problem and a course of vitamin K. Supportive treatment e.g: giving blood and fluids to the dog may also be necessary.

RATSAK POISONING

This is very similar to HAEMOPHILIA, as Ratsak is an anti coagulant designed to kill mice and rats. Fortunately it is treatable in the dog or cat but can still be fatal if left untreated. Veterinary treatment / consultation is needed as in haemophilia. Nose bleeding in your dog can have fatal consequences. Please be alert when this happens. Below are reasons why it happens and what you can do about it.

TUMORS

As tumors grow they cause more and more irritation to the breathing passages this can start a sneezing spasm. Eventually it will become partly blocked causing a snoring or snorting noise. Occasional bleeding may occur as the irritation and blockage gets worse. Veterinary diagnosis and if it is possible surgery to clear the breathing passages. Veterinary examination is necessary to alleviate the problem. Surgery may be possible.

CAR ACCIDENTS / INJURIES

Physical nasal damage will obviously cause bleeding. Let the dog settle down outside in the yard in a cool comfortable place and observe the bleeding. It takes time to stop so be patient. Do not excite the dog, let it settle. If the bleeding is not easing then transport the dog to the vet. Use a wad of material (cotton cloth) and hold around the dog’s nose when transporting to the vet.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO OBSCURE BREATHING!

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Maternal Aggression

Posted by macca

Bitches can become aggressive when they have young, even to the owner. It is always best to move in slowly, when looking at the mother and her pups. The Bitch will not be normally aggressive while she is giving birth to the pups unless something may have gone wrong and she is in pain. When you first handle the pups pick one up that may be leaving its mother, show it to the mother, let the mother lick the pup then give it back.

By doing this you are showing the mother that she should not be fearful of you taking away the pups. If you have visitors that may wish to see the pups, it would be best to leave that visit for about one week unless the mother shows no sign of aggression. The Mother may not be aggressive towards humans but towards other household pets like another dog or the family cat. In time the mother will not class these animals as a threat and allow them to come close to the pups. In summary it is good to let the mother have lots of peace and quiet for the first four days at least. But, this does not mean any visitors, just tone it down a lot.

Another important point is to keep your shoes off before entering the room where the mother and pups are. This will prevent any outside contaminants from entering the room.

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Dog First Aid Kits

Posted by macca

First-Aid-Kit

1. Adhesive Bandage (Elastoplast etc) 2.5 cm wide
2. Antibiotic Powder
3. Antiseptic Spray (blue, purple or pink). e.g: Chloromide or cetrigen spray.
4. Antiseptic Wash
5. Aspirin e.g.: 1/4 of a tablet per 10kg twice daily as required, but for no more than 3 days.(for pain relief).
6. Bucket or Elizabethan Collar
7. Cotton Wool (1 roll not balls)
8. Gauze bandage (cotton) 2.5 cm wide
9. Hydrogen peroxide 3% Solution
10. Iodine Solution (Betadine)
11. Liquid Tears
12. Paraffin Oil
13. Salt- To induce vomiting 3 teaspoons in half a cup of warm water or a teaspoonful on the back of the tongue.
14. Scissors
15. Syrup Of Ipecac- To induce vomiting 2mls per kg of body weight.
16. Thermometer. Normal temperature is 38.5′c

Keep the kit in a cool clean place, in a portable case. Take it away with
you. Wherever the dog goes, it goes.

First-Aid-Treatment

Fractures

Try to have someone help hold the dog and a muzzle may be necessary.

Use a large piece of cotton wool and wrap it around and around the leg suspected of being fractured. Then use a plain cotton bandage or Elastoplast to wrap over the cotton wool. Be firm but not constricting.

This will splint the leg satisfactorily for transporting to the vet.

Wounds

Any fresh wound must be treated with first aid, either by you first and then your vet or just by your vet. Depending on how deep and sore it is will determine the need for an anesthetic or sedation. Minor wounds, which do not require stitching, can be attended to by yourself providing you have the basic first-aid kit.

You may need someone’s assistance so that your hands are free, but do not attempt it if the dog is in too much pain. It is not worth saving money and putting your dog through the pain or you getting bitten.

It is quicker and easier to sedate the dog and repair the wound without the dog suffering.

Why clean the wound? -

Prevent infection – which reduces pain and inflammation. Increase healing time.

Dogs enjoy lying in sandy and garden areas, swimming and chewing on old bones that are full of bacteria. These provide an ideal way for an infection to enter a wound.

When you find a wound, cut or abrasion the first thing to do is:

- Trim away the hair as short as possible.

- Prepare a solution of an antiseptic wash (a solution means to dilute the concentrate. Dilute iodine with warm water until it is a weak tea color)

- Bathe the wound to remove debris like sand, grass, and hair.

- Always begin in the center of the wound and work outwards. Dispose of swab (cotton wool piece) after each time you reach the outer edge of the wound.

- Allow to dry or pat dry the wound with a dry swab.

- If a dressing for drawing out infection is needed apply now with a poultice and an elastoplastä bandage (take care not to apply too much pressure).

- An Elizabethan collar may also be needed.

- If the wound is OK. to leave open, apply the wound sealer. This also helps keep flies away and deters the dog from licking.

- Licking the wound at this stage will not help. It would only introduce more bacteria into a clean wound and keep it moist which slows healing and aids bacteria growth. When a dog licks a fresh wound that has a lot of debris in it there is some benefit in having the wound cleaned, but not as much as in using an antiseptic solution.

- If, when you find the wound the infection has already become an abscess (puss) then you must trim the hair as explained earlier and then apply diluted hydrogen peroxide at a 3% solution. This will bubble up and clean up the abscess, then continue as a normal wound.

- Most abscesses will require veterinary attention as antibiotics are essential for healing and often surgery is required to repair the damaged area.

Get free advice on the following:

Know which toys your dog wants!, How to win your pup’s love! , Introduce your puppy to his/her crate! , Welcome a new puppy to your home, Fixing Aggression Problems In Your Dog!

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Dog Flatulence: How To Minimize It

Posted by macca

Flatulence in dogs can be a discomfort for them and uncomfortable for the owner if the dog is living inside. The following can aid your dog in keeping it to a minimum.

Causes – Diet, eating habits, digestive disorders, parasites, vegetables and grass.

The diet of the dog can cause gas, different brands of dog food affect different dogs so slowly introduce a change of brand for a possible improvement. More often tinned foods cause more gas than home prepared, semi-moist or dry foods.
It might have to do with the time it takes the dog to chew its food. Tinned food takes very little chewing and can be swallowed in large gulps which also would cause large amounts of air to be swallowed. Harder-to-chew-up meals seems to ensure that only the food is swallowed not air.

The eating habits of your dog, like gulping down its food should be discouraged. Training and smaller meals more often will help. It is natural for puppies in large litters to scoff down whatever they can as quickly as they can. Once weaned and away from brothers and sisters this habit should resolve. This can be another reason for flatulence.

The use of vegetables in the diet is good but excessive amounts. (especially cabbage and cauliflower) cause a lot of gas. Grass eating in excess can also cause flatulence. Always make sure that the meat you feed your dog is fresh, as any suspect meat can introduce bacteria, which will cause a foul gas and a possible gastric infection. This can develop into diarrhea.

Digestive disorders like viral and bacterial infections, gut abnormalities and diseases can also cause flatulence. If you are unable to improve the flatulence and your dog appears to be uncomfortable get the dog to the vet to examine it and apply treatment.

Worms are also culprits in causing flatulence. You may see the dog scooting and very uncomfortable around its back end. You may even see the worms on top of freshly done faeces. You have to check straight away as the worms do not like the light and move away from it.

Treatment:

-Reduce meal sizes and feed three to four times a day. (Rather than one big gulping meal).

- Change brands of dog food.

- Try fewer vegetables.

- Add yogurt or other live enzymes to the diet.

- De-worm the dog.

- Give charcoal tablets or biscuits to the dog -available from vets, pharmacies or stock-feeds.

- Check the quality of the meat.

If you are unable to improve the flatulence and your dog appears to be uncomfortable get a vet to examine the animal, to ease your dog’s discomfort.

On a more serious note, there could come a time when you have to make the gut wrenching decision to put your dog down. For a detailed procedure of putting your dog down and to help prepare you for the day, there is a tutorial here

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How To Make Your Dog Drop

Posted by macca

The Drop command is one of the most powerful tools used in dog training to control your dog. What I mean by this is that the ‘DROP’ can be used as a dominant command, like a ‘Drop Stay’ command and an ‘EMERGENCY STOP’ command.

To learn how to make your dog drop may be more difficult for some dogs than others. The bigger dogs like the Mastiff and the Rottweiler will drop more easily than the smaller dogs, because this is a more comfortable position than the sit or the stand for long periods. The smaller breeds like the Jack Russell may wish to stand rather than drop, because little dogs can stand for longer periods.

When you start teaching your dog to drop, you will be able to start at any age, the younger the dog the better. Like any sort of training for dogs you need to remember the following.

* Be fair on the dog, not hard.
* Do not over practice the same command so the dog gets board, keep repetitions in sets of 5 – 7.
* Praise the Dog immediately when it has accomplished something good.
* Never loose your Temper or Hit your Dog.
* Always finish on a good note.
* Make training fun for both of you.
* Use food at the early stages and then wean off to a pat \ verbal praise.
* Correct the Dog’s mistakes immediately.

How to make your Dog’s first Drop happen.

If you have a young pup or a mature dog you can use the same technique.

Follow these basic steps:

* Play with your Dog and get it out of the “I’m Bored Look”. This is done by walking the dog, playing with a ball, a stick or just rolls on the floor with the dog and let the dog play fight with you.

* It is important not to let your dog get over excited. If it is, then calm the dog down by you not being too excited with your actions or voice. Otherwise gently pat the dog until it calms, but don’t reward the dog for being excited. When you pat the dog, pat from the top of the head to half way down its back slowly.

* Now you should have the dog’s complete attention.

* If you have food, (small chunks or cat biscuits, something with lots of smell and taste) then you can hold a tiny piece in-between your thumb and forefinger. Swiftly pass the food right past the dog’s nose, so the dog gets the smell.

* Now you should really have your dog’s attention.

* Have the dog sitting (Read the Sit Section) in front of you.

* Place the food in your hand about 1cm. from the dog’s nose, but do not let the dog eat or taste the food yet.

* Move your hand slowly in a ‘C’ shape movement. This is done from the dog’s nose, your hand is moving away from you and towards the dog’s stomach. Then back towards you with your hand just skimming the floor.
(See the picture on the right, use the scroll bar)

* It is important to do this at a speed that is not too fast for the dog and also not too slow or the dog may stand up out of its sit position.

* Your dog’s nose should be following the food now, as the dogs head gets lower place your other hand on the dogs back where the shoulder blades are. Only use your hand as a guide. You do not need to add pressure.

* As the dog follows the food to the ground it will lie down. If the dog does not drop look at the troubleshooting section at the bottom of this page.

* As soon as the dog lies down give the ‘DROP’ command, (see command section) if this has all gone according to plan ‘PRAISE’ the dog immediately.

The praise can be verbal as well as food.
If no success then try again, you must remember these important points.

Troubleshooting Section.

* Have your dog sitting first.

* If the Dog gets up from the sit, start again.

* If the Dog continues to stand before you even perform the ‘C’ movement then this is because you may have hesitated for too long with the food under the dog’s nose.

* Start again if it is not right, but don’t be hard on the dog and don’t lose your temper. If you feel frustrated or angry (maybe at something else), then put training off to another time. But, you need to finish on a good note by praising the dog for the sit or just playing with the dog.

* Praise the dog immediately on the correct movement.

* Keep the dog’s attention. Don’t let it get bored.

* If the dog growls or snaps at you during this exercise it could mean that your dog is in pain or has a dominant behavioral problem. (Any of these need to be seen by a Veterinarian.)

* Any other problems you could try the next method or go and see you local dog trainer for advice and practical instruction.

Once you have taught your dog to ‘Drop’ and you have practiced this indoors and outdoors, it is time to practice on a lead.

If you still have trouble getting your dog to drop then try coaching the dog under something with food. This can be an arch made by your leg or get him to crawl under a chair. Food should be your answer to motivate your dog, if your dog is not food orientated then use a ball or a stick.

On a more serious note, there could come a time when you have to make the gut wrenching decision to put your dog down. For a detailed procedure of dog euthanasia and to help prepare you for the day, there is a tutorial here

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