The speed at which a puppy puts on weight varies depending upon the breed of dog and whether or not it receives enough exercise or food. There are general puppy weight estimates you can use as a guideline for raising your puppy, however if you suspect that your puppy is either over or underweight, talk to your vet for a confirmation.
You can use the Internet as a resource for finding out roughly how much your puppy should weigh at particular age plateaus. Many veterinary office and websites have a dog weight chart you can look at, which determines a dog’s healthy weight based on an age to size ratio for each dog breed.
Many sites will publish a separate chart for each dog breed, or you can ask your vet for a puppy growth rate guide. If you are at all unsure whether your puppy is a safe weight, simply pop into the vet’s office for a check-up. If anything is wrong, your vet will be able to advise you of the proper foods your puppy should be receiving, and in some cases recommend a diet food brand or issue a nutrition supplement for under-nourished puppies.
It’s a good idea to understand the breed of a dog before taking on the care of one. Larger breed dogs will usually put weight on more quickly than a smaller dog, and breeds which are particularly athletic may weigh more due to their muscularity. For instance, a hunting dog, such as an English Springer Spaniel won’t put on as much weight as an English mastiff, because Springer Spaniels are wiry/athletic where mastiffs are extremely large and less active. Each dog growth rate depends upon the ultimate size of the breed.
If you can’t seem to find any information on your dog’s growth rate, ask your vet if they would be willing to give you a guide for your pup’s first two years of growth, make a record of it, and keep it somewhere visible where you can check up often. A good place would be near your dog food storage area or on the refrigerator.
Filed under Dogs by on Jul 20th, 2009. Comment. 
It’s easy to spend money on our dogs for items they don’t truly need. After all, a little pampering never hurt. Unfortunately, while millions of owners purchase trinkets and luxuries for their canines, they often fail to invest the same attention into their dogs’ health. That can lead to large veterinarian bills later. Even worse, the thought of an expensive trip to the vet causes many owners to delay necessary treatment for their pooches.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the things you can do to maintain your canine companion’s health. By spending a little time and money upfront, you can avoid costly emergency bills in the future.
Inspect Your Dog Regularly
Canines deal with plenty of problems, including ear and eye infections, odd discharges, gum disease, and more. Making matters worse, being outside can result in fleas, scratches, and other issues. Invest the time to give your pooch a check-up once a week. That includes brushing his teeth, checking his eyes and ears, and even smelling his breath. Otherwise, the small problem can fester into a larger problem relatively quickly.
Begin Training Classes for Your Dog
Obedience training will result in a more friendly experience with your pets, but could also save you money on otherwise accidental emergency bills. A trained canine is less likely to dart from you into traffic while you’re walking him. Also, training will prevent his snapping or biting a stranger or another pet.
Don’t Neglect Spaying Or Neutering
Responsible dog owners will spay or neuter your dog unless their goal is to professionally breed. Spaying and neutering has substantial health benefits, beside the birth control effects. In female canines, there is a much lower chance of developing breast cancer. And the likelihood of developing cancer in the ovaries or uterus is eliminated. For males, the procedure significantly lowers the likelihood of developing testicular cancer.
Set Aside An Emergency Fund
Sometimes, emergencies are unavoidable. You can provide the best care possible for your dog and still end up worried in the veterinarian’s waiting room. Set aside money before a medical emergency happens. That way, you’ll have the funds to make sure your pooch receives the treatment he needs.
Too often, owners make the tragic decision of sacrificing their canines’ health because they are unable to afford the required treatment. Avoid that situation entirely by creating an emergency fund for your dog.
One last note: make an appointment with the veterinarian to give your pooch a routine check-up every six months. Even if you’re inspecting his coat, eyes, ears, and teeth once a week at home, problems can escape your notice. Plus, your canine may be coping with an internal issue. The veterinarian can perform an examination that uncovers medical problems before they become serious. Treating them early can prevent emergencies later.
A little preventative care – and a lot of love – can keep your dog healthy and happy while preserving your bank account.
Filed under Dogs by on Jul 20th, 2009. Comment.
Some people like having pets, others don’t. And there are people who have never experienced having a pet so don’t know they are pet people yet.
Dogs are known as ‘Mans best friend’, with good reason. They can quite simply be the most loyal friend you could ever have. Of course they won’t be able to give you any words of wisdom or go training at the gym with you but there are many other quality things you can do together. From my own point of view my own dogs have given me so much in my life, here are some examples:
Companionship
Before I got a dog I would need to find a reason to go out for a stroll or to get someone to come along. My dog comes with me every time now. I have never not enjoyed a walk out with my dog.
Motivation
There are days in everyone’s life when you don’t feel like getting up in the morning. If you have a dog you need to. My dog makes his way upstairs every morning at the same time to greet me by nuzzling his head under the covers. Sound like a terrible nightmare? I just can’t be angry with him. When they are visibly so happy to see you and are always in a good mood, how can you?
Safety Outdoors
Referring back to my walks, there are areas I enjoy visiting that I would never have gone to by myself but having my beautiful loyal canine companion at my side provides that element of security. Even though he is an exceptionally friendly pet, he will turn into a protector if he senses danger. Although I suspect I would also feel the need to protect him too! Well, that’s what friends are for, right?
Safety at Home
Today when nobody feels completely safe in their own home, having a dog is an excellent deterrant. Even dogs not trained as a guard dog will bark if they hear a noise they aren’t expecting or see a person too close to the house that they don’t know when you are not in the room. Mine does, and I didn’t train him to do that. As long as the ‘would be robber’ doesn’t catch on that my dog would simply jump at him and except some kind of praise, we’ll be ok!
Entertainment
I have to say I am never bored in my house. You know those days when you want to do something but don’t know what. You don’t want to go out, there’s nothing on the television, you don’t want to read. Well, given the slightest hint and you have a four legged buddy only too happy to provide some entertainment to your day. Teach him some tricks, play catch or use him as an excuse to go out for a run. Boredom eliminated!
And I got all this for the price of an adoption fee from the local dogs home and a bag of dog food every month. I wouldn’t trade my four legged best buddy for anything.
Just remember that while they aren’t human, having a dog is almost like having a child. You do need to take good care of him. He requires medical checks, a good healthy diet and plenty of guidance to grow into a good, well behaved adult dog. So make sure you find a good vet, a well stocked pet supplies shop and read up on a few books too because there are plenty out there.
Filed under Dogs by on Jul 20th, 2009. Comment.
One must be extremely careful about medicines purchased from your drugstore being given to your dog.
Aspirin is dangerous to dogs especially when used indiscriminately.
Depending on what the dog is suffering from there are circumstances where aspirin could be given.
It needs to be stressed however that it is absolutely necessary to have the dog examined and assessed by a veterinarian before any medication purchased over the counter at a drugstore is administered to the animal. Even then the dosage would have to be strictly controlled by someone knowledgeable such as a veterinarian.
A large number of dog owners whose animal are suffering from arthritis and are in pain believe that aspirin can help with the easing of the pain. If this is in fact the case aspirin would help if it is administered by a veterinarian and the correct dosage is given. One should note that aspirin is an anti-inflammatory, non steroidal substance and dogs are extremely susceptible to the side effects of this drug when it is in their gastrointestinal tract.
Effects such as bleeding, development of ulcers or pain and other dog health problems could occur if overdosed with this drug due to the susceptibility of their abdominal area.
At all costs giving aspirin to a dog that is pregnant should be avoided as this action could result in birth defects within the litter. There are safer alternatives then aspirin such as glucosamine and chondroitin which are more preferable to use. Note also that aspirin if given is a substance that can react with certain other drugs in the dog’s body that the animal may be taking such as cortisone, phenobarbitol and certain antibiotics.
In the case of arthritis in dogs the drug cosequin has been known to be effective in cases in helping with the arthritis and any joint difficulties the dog may have. If treating the dog yourself the best bet is to avoid aspirin completely.
Tylenol, Advil and Nadproxen can all cause different problems for dogs so avoid giving them these medications. Liver or kidney disease and ulceration of the dog’s stomach could well result from the indiscriminate use of these medications.
Additional Articles of Interest:
Dog Arthritis is a degernative joint disease that afflicts them, usually when they get older, just like with humans. There is another common related arthritic condition called hip dysplasia. This is caused when the back hip joint starts.
Natural Ways to Treat Dog Arthritis
Be it dogs or human beings presently there is no permanent cure available for arthritis. According to research studies alternative or natural remedies are much better and effective as compared to dog arthritis medications.
Health problems of the larger dogs like arthritis are more common. Arthritis is noticed more in larger dog than the medium sized or small sized dogs, as the weight of the larger dogs is the predisposing factor.
Rimadyl and Dog Arthritis. By joeyhaney6219. Are you familiar with Rimadyl for Dogs? Dogs can’t convey to owners whether they are in pain, hence it is the caretaker’s duty to be alert of changes to behavior of the dog.
Dog Arthritis Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment
Statistics say that in US about 25% of pets are affected by arthritis. As a dog owner and lover, you should pay attention that your non-human friend is always in good mood, playful and that it eats well and healthy food.
Dog arthritis, a canine illness characterized by a pain in the joint, is a common problem among senior or old dogs. It comes with age and mostly affects large dog breeds. A dog with arthritis or hip dysplasia faces difficulty in moving.
Dog Arthritis Medicine, Glucosamine
Glucosamine as a dog arthritis treatment is now recognised after some research as a safe and effective option.
Filed under Dog Health by on Mar 17th, 2009. Comment.
Dogs like humans can develop both benign and malignant tumors. Some of the most common tumors seen in dogs are melanomas, lymphoma, bone cancer.
Mast cell tumors can occur in all the different breeds of dogs irrespective of their age. Tumors may appear to be benign in appearance, but could ultimately turn out to be malignant.
The mast cells are a part of the immune system of the body and their cells are located in the tissues and skin of the body. In instances where a mast cell tumor appears if it is correctly recognized and treated it can be managed. Some of these tumors are able to be removed safely and even though they are small in appearance they could if ignored lead to a serious cancer developing in the dog.
Lymphoma which affects organs of the body such as the liver, spleen , kidneys and other organs has in many instances by using chemotherapy led to an extension of the dog’s lifespan sometimes by many months and in some instances by a number of years. Lymphoma cancer often manifests itself in the form of lumps or swellings on the body of the dog.
As with other genetic diseases certain large breeds of dogs are susceptible to certain cancers. The Golden Retriever is a breed of dog that is prone to lymphoma cancer which could shorten its life. There is a mortality rate of about ten percent if this animal contracts the cancer. Other breeds of dog such as Boxers and Pugs have a tendency to develop mast cell tumors. One breed of dog that stands a very high risk of developing a cancer of the bladder is the Scottish Terrier. Dogs which have unpigmented skin on their noses are susceptible to developing cancer if they have too much exposure to sunlight.
Visit our home page for more information on dog diseases and dog health symptoms.
Dog Cancer Symptoms & Treatment
Diagnosing Pancreatic Cancer in Dogs
One of these is canine pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of dog cancer that there is. Make sure that you are always watching your dog for any symptoms that may associate themselves with the problem.
Brain Cancer in Dogs, and Dog Cancer Symptoms
Although you treat your dog well and make sure that he eats right and exercises, you can be shocked to see that your pet has dog cancer symptoms. Sometimes you cannot prevent this, no matter how much love you have to give.
Canine Liver Cancer Symptoms and Treatment
Information on liver cancer in dogs – Symptoms and treatment of canine liver cancer and how some natural remedies may help.
The importance of monitoring colon cancer symptoms in a dog
Monitoring is of prime importance because the symptoms of colitis are almost similar to the symptoms of colon cancer in dogs . Colitis may be acute, episodic or chronic and the signs fef often last for two to three weeks.
This is also proving to be one of the most promising frontiers in treating dogs with cancer. Immune support, along with conventional therapy, increases the effectiveness and results in higher remission rates.
Symptoms Of Liver Cancer In A Dog A Matter Of Keen Observation
All of their Symptoms Of Liver Cancer In A Dog A Matter Of Keen Observation reviews concerning the product were prescribed feedback with no complaints.
Filed under Dog Health by on Mar 16th, 2009. Comment.
There are several fungal diseases which dogs are susceptible to and ringworm is one of the more common of these. Symptoms of this disease are hair loss and the skin on the animal is rough and scaly. There are a several topical or oral treatments available to dogs who acquire this disease which are effective and can shorten its duration. One should be aware that this disease can be transmitted from dogs to humans.
In the Southern States of the United States along the Mississippi River a fungal disease known as blastomycosis occurs in nature. This disease affects both dogs and humans. Symptoms of this disease are the loss of weight, enlarged lymph nodes, coughing, developing a fever and stiffness in the joints. It can even lead to blindness. Dogs are much more susceptible to diseases acquired from nature then their human counterparts. Dogs are often considered to be the prime carriers of this fungal disease.
Another fungal disease with similar symptoms which can attack dogs is acquired from the faeces of bats and birds. This disease is known as histoplasmosis and occurs in river and lake areas. This disease in dogs occurs in countries throughout the world.
Yet another fungal disease known as coccidioidomycosis occurs in the dry and arid regions of South and Central America.
Dog allergy symptoms are alike in many respects and should not be ignored.
Identifying Skin Diseases In Dogs
Ringworm Ringworm: A fungal infection. Scaly, crusty circular patches 1/2 to 2 inches across. Patches show central hair loss with a red ring at the periphery. Some cases show widespread involvement.
Differences Between Ringworm in Human and Ringworm in Pets
Ringworm is a kind of fungal skin disease, save your hide, you laughter followed her out which could be seen when there is a form of the circle red rings and spread out rapidly on the surface of the skin. There are around 35 species of ringworm which cause infection in dogs and these species are the ones that can also be seen in cats. Two natives, dressed as from her nightmare but drug, señor.
Interesting Facts about Ringworm Disease
It is strongly recommended to avoid physical contact with animals that show signs of disease in order to prevent contamination with infectious fungal elements. Also, if you own a dog or a cat, ensure that your pet is not contaminated.
How to Prevent Pet Borne Diseases
Puppies and kittens are more susceptible to worms and fungal infections such as ringworm than adult dogs and cats. If your pet has worm fef s that are visible in the stool, there are over-the-counter dewormers.
Fungal diseases are another major dog health problem, which include ringworm and dermatophytosis. The warning sign of fungal diseases is hair falling and scaling of skin. Blastomycosis is another form of fungal disease.
Another tip from a cancer newsletter I get
Labrador retriever chat board and forums site featuring puppies, pets, rescue, pictures, dogs, health and training tips. … Most cancers are fungus. If you find that hard to believe, that is only a very small part of it. Here is a partial list of other diseases that are fungal related: psoriasis, dandruff, skin rash, ringworm, athletes foot, gout, arthritis, hypertention, high cholesterol, asthma, copd, chrons, ibs, gerd, sinus problems, ear infections.
Top Ten Reasons Why Your Pet May Be Itching
Ringworm, a fungal infection, is not uncommon – and it’s contagious to humans! Ringworm commonly appears as areas of broken or crusty skin, with hair loss, usually around the head, face, or extremities. A vet can test your pet if ringworm is suspected. … Cushing’s Disease (more correctly called Hyperadrenocorticism) is caused by fef adrenal gland overactivity, and commonly occurs in older dogs.
Filed under Dog Health by on Mar 12th, 2009. Comment.
