Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hormonal problem where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your dog’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”) with diabetes mellitus.

Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give insulin to your dog with a tiny syringe twice a day. In dogs, this is a disease that can be costly to treat and requires twice-a-day insulin along with frequent veterinary visits for the rest of your dog’s life.

So how do you know if your dog has diabetes? Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urination
• Urinary accidents in the house
• Dilute urine
• Overweight or obese
• Muscle wasting
• Ravenous appetite
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Weakness
• Unkempt or poor hair coat
• Blindness secondary to cataracts
• Neuropathies (nerve problems)

As your dog gets older, it’s worth talking to your veterinarian about doing routine blood work to make sure your dog is healthy. This blood work will help rule out kidney and liver problems, anaemia, infections, electrolyte problems and diabetes mellitus. The sooner you recognize the clinical signs, the sooner your dog can be treated with insulin and the fewer complications we see as a result.

So, if you notice any of the signs above, get to a veterinarian right away. Now, continue on for 5 important reasons to test your dog for diabetes:

1. Your dog will live longer

Diabetes mellitus can shorten the lifespan of your dog, as secondary complications and infections can occur. With diabetes, the body is immunosuppressed and more likely to develop diabetic complications which cause long term harm to your dog.

2. Your dog will be able to see

Did you know that the majority of dogs with diabetes eventually go blind from cataracts? Even in well-controlled diabetic dogs, the excess sugar in the body can have secondary effects on the lens of the eye; it causes more water to influx into the lens, which disrupts the clearness of the lens. As a result, cataract formation occurs, resulting in eventual blindness and secondary inflammation in both eyes. While cataract surgery can (and ideally, should) be performed, it can be costly.

3. You’ll save a lot of money

Treatment for diabetes mellitus includes twice-a-day insulin treatment, insulin syringes, prescription diets, and frequent veterinary trips for blood tests. Also, as diabetic dogs can’t go without their insulin, it may mean hiring house sitters or pet sitters to treat your pet while you are on vacation.

You might also like:  Large Dog kennels

4. You’ll have fewer urinary accidents in the house

One of the biggest signs of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is excessive drinking, urination and having urinary accidents in the house. Because of hyperglycemia, dogs are also at increased risk for urinary tract infections, wreaking havoc on your carpet. The sooner you can treat your dog with insulin and get diabetes controlled or regulated, the less your dog will drink and urinate, making your dog more comfortable too!

5. You’ll have more peace knowing that your dog is healthy

As a veterinarian and dog owner, I want to make sure my dog is as healthy as possible. You might already be talking with your veterinarian about vaccines each year in a dog that is older than 7 years of age; next, talk to your veterinarian about doing an annual exam and routine blood work too. It’ll pick up on medical problems sooner, so you can rest assured that your dog is going to live a longer, happier, healthier life!

Having a diabetic pet is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin. Caring for a diabetic dog does require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate blood sugar. That said, dogs can live with diabetes for years with appropriate care and treatment. When in doubt, make sure to monitor your dog carefully for the signs of diabetes, and seek veterinary attention sooner rather than later to help test for this ever-growing problem!

If you want to learn how to groom your dog at home, you need to know the basics, such as how to cut a dog’s nails. I’ll show you exactly what you need to do and how to do it safely so that know one gets hurt.

Cutting a dog’s fingernails might sound scary but there’s nothing about it that’s difficult. You just have to be careful and know what you’re doing .

You should start off by collecting all of the supplies for this task. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Nail Trimmer
• Scissors
• Styptic Powder (optional)

Now that you’ve got your stuff together, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Make Your Dog Comfortable

First, make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable around you. Do this by giving him a treat or two before starting. If possible, start this process after they’ve eaten their meal to help them feel extra sleepy and calm! For anxious dogs, you can even try CBD Oil for Dogs.

Step 2: Prepare The Paw

Second, lift one of your dogs paws into your hand and press gently on the pad of the paw while looking at the tip of each nail. You’ll be able to see where your dog’s skin is and if you cut it, he will bleed and it may hurt him.

You might also like:  The dog’s body language

That’s why we use a nail cutter, so we don’t have to worry about hurting our dog when trimming their nails.

Step Three: Secure The Paw

Third, you can feel free to push down on the pad of their paw if it’s more comfortable for you. If your dog is wiggly when you’re trying to hold his paw, you can try this instead!

Step 4: Apply The Cut

Fourth, once you’ve identified where the quick ends in each nail, go ahead and cut just past that point. You’ll only want to cut into the pinkish area on the end of his nail, not into the black part. If you do accidentally cut into this black section, use an absorbent cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After it stops, apply some styptic powder to help the blood clot faster and prevent infection in your dog’s paw. You can then apply some CBD for Pets to promote healing as well.

Step 5: Repeat on All Nails

Fifth, keep trimming until all their nails are the same length.

Step by Step Instructions for Trimming Dog Nails

1. Pet your dog and make sure they’re comfortable with you
2. With one paw in each hand, feel for the end of each nail to know where to cut
3. Cut just past this point (only into the pinkish area)
4. Keep cutting until all of the nails are the same length
5. If you accidentally cut into the black part, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding

You might also like:  Do Dogs Dream?

Now that you’ve learned how to cut your dog’s nails, you can feel confident doing it at home! If this process continues to be too stressful for either of you, then why not try bringing them to a groomer?

If you want more information on how to do this and other dog grooming basics, check out the video linked below:

Whether or not dogs dream isn’t known with scientific certainty, but it sure is difficult to imagine that they don’t. We’ve all watched our dogs demonstrate behaviours in their sleep that resemble what they do in a fully awake state. Paddling legs, whining, growling, wagging tails, chewing jowls, and twitching noses inspire us to wonder what our dogs are dreaming about.

What we know about dogs and dreams

While our knowledge on this topic is very limited, the following known information helps us believe that dogs do indeed experience dreams. According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake.

Can we apply this to dogs?

Can we take what is known about dreaming in rats and humans and apply the information to dogs? Wilson believes that we can.”My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing,” he said, according to USA Today’s website.

You might also like:  WRITE DOWN THESE TIPS TO WALK YOUR DOG

It is known that the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that collects and stores memories, is wired much the same way in all mammals. According to healthday.com, Professor Wilson says, “If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces.” He believes that as dogs sleep, images of past events replay in their minds, much the same way people recall experiences while dreaming.

In people, it is known that most dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dogs also experience periods of REM sleep. Psychology Today’s website says that during REM their breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. There may be muscle twitching during REM and, when one looks closely, rapid eye movements behind closed eyelids can often be observed. It is during REM sleep that behaviours thought to be associated with dreaming (legs paddling, twitching, vocalizing, etc.) are most commonly observed.

What we want to believe about dog dreams

When we observe our dogs as they sleep, it’s just about impossible to imagine that they are not dreaming. Just like the rats studied by Wilson and Louie, it is tempting to believe that our four-legged best buddies are reenacting their recent experiences; playing at the dog park, sniffing in the woods, chewing on a treasured bone, and chasing squirrels.

The National Institutes of Health says that Sigmund Freud theorized that dreaming was a “safety valve” for our unconscious desires. Perhaps he is correct, and, when our dogs sleep, they dream about catching the neighbour’s pesky cat, continuous belly rubs in conjunction with unlimited dog treats, and stealing the Thanksgiving turkey from the dining room table.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

LAS VEGAS–There are millions of dogs in the United States and according to American Kennel Club (AKC) there are seven primary groups of dogs including:

• Sporting: Breeds in the Sporting Group were bred to assist hunters in the capture and retrieval of feathered game.
• Hound: All breeds in this group were bred to pursue warm-blooded quarry, including jackrabbits, deer, fish, ducks, and birds.
• Working Group: These breeds were developed to assist humans in some capacity. This ranges from pulling sleds and carts to guarding flocks and homes to protecting their families. Many of these breeds are still used as working dogs today.
• Herding: This group comprises breeds developed for moving livestock, including sheep, cattle, and even reindeer.
• Terrier: The feisty, short-legged breeds in the Terrier Group were first bred to go to the ground in pursuit of rodents and other vermin.
• Toy: It may not surprise you to learn that these small dogs were bred to serve as attentive companions and that they’re especially popular with city dwellers.
• Non-Sporting: Breeds in the Non-Sporting Group have job descriptions that defy categorization in the six other groups. They were all developed to interact with people in some capacity.

The pandemic has changed the way much of how people work with a large number of people remaining home and working.  The rises of the vaccinations are working well with the hope of returning to an office.

You might also like:  WRITE DOWN THESE TIPS TO WALK YOUR DOG

This is all fine and good for the majority of people, but the family pet may not do well with the separation.  Animals, dogs in particular, are creatures of habit and adjust accordingly. The master of the pack, the dog owner, around all the time gives the dog a degree of comfort.  Rapidly up and leaving can cause a real pet anxiety issue in dogs.

Pre-pandemic, the approximate rate of anxiety in dogs was around 14 percent.  As people begin to return to work, it is highly likely that number will rise and with that rise, visits to the vet’s office.  The diagnosis will be clear – separation anxiety.  The veterinarian will likely prescribe anxiety medications, along with the unfortunate side effects of most medications.

Happy Paws 4 Life believes there is a better solution, and one that does not require a prescription – CBD Oil.

CBD is derived from the hemp plant and it is non intoxicating, compared to THC the active component of marijuana.  The efficacy of CBD oil is well documented for pain and anxiety relief in people as well as the family pet.

Happy Paws 4 Life has an all-natural full spectrum hemp extract oil with a powerful prebiotic and super omega oils rich in Omega 3 fatty acids for health.  The CBD extract oil helps the family pet stay calm and relaxed during the separation time without any known side effects.

The post 5 Reasons to Why You Should Test Your Dog for Diabetes appeared first on The Petster.

In females, it is a more delicate intervention than in males, but in both cases the benefits of sterilization for their health are important.

Usually, we speak of spaying when referring to an operation in females and castration when referring to one in males, but in scientific terms, spaying and neutering are not the same.

Spay or neuter?

The sterilization is a less invasive surgical castration and recovery of the animal is faster.

In males, it consists of sectioning the ducts that connect the penis and testicles (seminiferous) and in females in performing a ligation of the fallopian tubes.

The castration is more invasive for dogs and bitches (especially for the latter) and requires a longer period of recovery.

Neutering a dog consists of removing its testicles and a female dog in removing the uterus and ovaries (although on rare occasions, only the ovaries are removed).

Sterilization does not eliminate the production of hormones or sexual desire in males or heat in females, something that does occur with castration.

Besides, castration reduces the probability of developing prostate diseases in dogs and tumours in reproductive organs and breast cancer in dogs.

At a general level, due to the health benefits it brings, we opt more for castration than for sterilization, but when deciding whether to neuter or sterilize, our veterinarian is the only one who can help us decide the characteristics, needs and state of health of our dog. We must always consult him before making a decision and he will be the one who performs the intervention.

You might also like:  Do Macaws Make Great Pets?

Why sterilize a dog

Taking into account the popularly used name, from this point on we will talk about sterilization, in general, to refer to castration.

If we are sure that we do not want our dog or bitch to have offspring, intervening to sterilize him is an important decision for his health.

In addition to preventing the development of prostate diseases, tumours of the reproductive organs and breast cancer, sterilization directly affects the character of the dog, making it more peaceful, reducing dominance and facilitating socialization and coexistence.

When to sterilize a dog

Professionals recommend doing it before one year of age in males and before the first heat in females (before six or seven months).

However, there is the same benefit in terms of prevention of mammary tumours and reproductive organs, if the female is sterilized before the third heat (which more or less coincides with turning two years of age).

Our experience in sterilizing Elma

Although the whole family would have loved that Elma had puppies (they would all have had a home with human fathers, grandparents, cousins ​​and uncles) her health problems have pushed us to decide to sterilize her.

Elma suffers from a very young age from two disc protrusions that are controlled and do not have to go to more, but that would be very damaged both during the gestation period and during delivery.

You might also like:  Things To Consider When Looking For A Veterinarian

If we add to this that Elma is a “very mini” mini dachshund and has so short legs that she barely lifts a finger from the ground with her chest, the risk of having puppies is even greater.

After asking the opinion of two veterinarians (who fully agreed on her diagnosis), we decided to operate on her.

Both the intervention and recovery have gone smoothly. Elma was convalescing the first two days, but from the second day in the afternoon, she began to eat normally and even demand her playtime.

Except for the discomfort of wearing the Elizabethan collar to prevent it from licking its wounds (something that Elma has also handled very well and has not tried to touch), our dachshund has led a normal life and has recovered quickly.

Besides, as our veterinarian used absorbable stitches (which are absorbed by the body or are thrown away without the need to remove them), Elma was discharged from the veterinarian three days after the intervention, being treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.

Although when making the decision we had doubts and some fear because it is a surgical intervention and, after all, it has its risks, today we are happy to have operated on Elma because we know that in this way we have contributed to her health.

You might also like:  10 Tips to take care of your pet

We hope that our experience can, above all, help you calmly decide to sterilize your dogs and always do it with the advice, help and supervision of a veterinary professional.

If you want to learn how to groom your dog at home, you need to know the basics, such as how to cut a dog’s nails. I’ll show you exactly what you need to do and how to do it safely so that know one gets hurt.

Cutting a dog’s fingernails might sound scary but there’s nothing about it that’s difficult. You just have to be careful and know what you’re doing .

You should start off by collecting all of the supplies for this task. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Nail Trimmer
• Scissors
• Styptic Powder (optional)

Now that you’ve got your stuff together, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Make Your Dog Comfortable

First, make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable around you. Do this by giving him a treat or two before starting. If possible, start this process after they’ve eaten their meal to help them feel extra sleepy and calm! For anxious dogs, you can even try CBD Oil for Dogs.

Step 2: Prepare The Paw

Second, lift one of your dogs paws into your hand and press gently on the pad of the paw while looking at the tip of each nail. You’ll be able to see where your dog’s skin is and if you cut it, he will bleed and it may hurt him.

That’s why we use a nail cutter, so we don’t have to worry about hurting our dog when trimming their nails.

Step Three: Secure The Paw

Third, you can feel free to push down on the pad of their paw if it’s more comfortable for you. If your dog is wiggly when you’re trying to hold his paw, you can try this instead!

Step 4: Apply The Cut

Fourth, once you’ve identified where the quick ends in each nail, go ahead and cut just past that point. You’ll only want to cut into the pinkish area on the end of his nail, not into the black part. If you do accidentally cut into this black section, use an absorbent cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After it stops, apply some styptic powder to help the blood clot faster and prevent infection in your dog’s paw. You can then apply some CBD for Pets to promote healing as well.

Step 5: Repeat on All Nails

Fifth, keep trimming until all their nails are the same length.

Step by Step Instructions for Trimming Dog Nails

1. Pet your dog and make sure they’re comfortable with you
2. With one paw in each hand, feel for the end of each nail to know where to cut
3. Cut just past this point (only into the pinkish area)
4. Keep cutting until all of the nails are the same length
5. If you accidentally cut into the black part, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding

You might also like:  Do Macaws Make Great Pets?

Now that you’ve learned how to cut your dog’s nails, you can feel confident doing it at home! If this process continues to be too stressful for either of you, then why not try bringing them to a groomer?

If you want more information on how to do this and other dog grooming basics, check out the video linked below:

Whether or not dogs dream isn’t known with scientific certainty, but it sure is difficult to imagine that they don’t. We’ve all watched our dogs demonstrate behaviours in their sleep that resemble what they do in a fully awake state. Paddling legs, whining, growling, wagging tails, chewing jowls, and twitching noses inspire us to wonder what our dogs are dreaming about.

What we know about dogs and dreams

While our knowledge on this topic is very limited, the following known information helps us believe that dogs do indeed experience dreams. According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake.

Can we apply this to dogs?

Can we take what is known about dreaming in rats and humans and apply the information to dogs? Wilson believes that we can.”My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing,” he said, according to USA Today’s website.

You might also like:  How to disinfect my dog’s dishes and bed?

It is known that the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that collects and stores memories, is wired much the same way in all mammals. According to healthday.com, Professor Wilson says, “If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces.” He believes that as dogs sleep, images of past events replay in their minds, much the same way people recall experiences while dreaming.

In people, it is known that most dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dogs also experience periods of REM sleep. Psychology Today’s website says that during REM their breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. There may be muscle twitching during REM and, when one looks closely, rapid eye movements behind closed eyelids can often be observed. It is during REM sleep that behaviours thought to be associated with dreaming (legs paddling, twitching, vocalizing, etc.) are most commonly observed.

What we want to believe about dog dreams

When we observe our dogs as they sleep, it’s just about impossible to imagine that they are not dreaming. Just like the rats studied by Wilson and Louie, it is tempting to believe that our four-legged best buddies are reenacting their recent experiences; playing at the dog park, sniffing in the woods, chewing on a treasured bone, and chasing squirrels.

You might also like:  10 Tips to take care of your pet

The National Institutes of Health says that Sigmund Freud theorized that dreaming was a “safety valve” for our unconscious desires. Perhaps he is correct, and, when our dogs sleep, they dream about catching the neighbour’s pesky cat, continuous belly rubs in conjunction with unlimited dog treats, and stealing the Thanksgiving turkey from the dining room table.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

Did you know that some authorities feel that 1 out of every 100 dogs that reach 12 years of age develops diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hormonal problem where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your dog’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”) with diabetes mellitus.

Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give insulin to your dog with a tiny syringe twice a day. In dogs, this is a disease that can be costly to treat and requires twice-a-day insulin along with frequent veterinary visits for the rest of your dog’s life.

So how do you know if your dog has diabetes? Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urination
• Urinary accidents in the house
• Dilute urine
• Overweight or obese
• Muscle wasting
• Ravenous appetite
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Weakness
• Unkempt or poor hair coat
• Blindness secondary to cataracts
• Neuropathies (nerve problems)

As your dog gets older, it’s worth talking to your veterinarian about doing routine blood work to make sure your dog is healthy. This blood work will help rule out kidney and liver problems, anaemia, infections, electrolyte problems and diabetes mellitus. The sooner you recognize the clinical signs, the sooner your dog can be treated with insulin and the fewer complications we see as a result.

You might also like:  Things To Consider When Looking For A Veterinarian

So, if you notice any of the signs above, get to a veterinarian right away. Now, continue on for 5 important reasons to test your dog for diabetes:

1. Your dog will live longer

Diabetes mellitus can shorten the lifespan of your dog, as secondary complications and infections can occur. With diabetes, the body is immunosuppressed and more likely to develop diabetic complications which cause long term harm to your dog.

2. Your dog will be able to see

Did you know that the majority of dogs with diabetes eventually go blind from cataracts? Even in well-controlled diabetic dogs, the excess sugar in the body can have secondary effects on the lens of the eye; it causes more water to influx into the lens, which disrupts the clearness of the lens. As a result, cataract formation occurs, resulting in eventual blindness and secondary inflammation in both eyes. While cataract surgery can (and ideally, should) be performed, it can be costly.

3. You’ll save a lot of money

Treatment for diabetes mellitus includes twice-a-day insulin treatment, insulin syringes, prescription diets, and frequent veterinary trips for blood tests. Also, as diabetic dogs can’t go without their insulin, it may mean hiring house sitters or pet sitters to treat your pet while you are on vacation.

You might also like:  Do Macaws Make Great Pets?

4. You’ll have fewer urinary accidents in the house

One of the biggest signs of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is excessive drinking, urination and having urinary accidents in the house. Because of hyperglycemia, dogs are also at increased risk for urinary tract infections, wreaking havoc on your carpet. The sooner you can treat your dog with insulin and get diabetes controlled or regulated, the less your dog will drink and urinate, making your dog more comfortable too!

5. You’ll have more peace knowing that your dog is healthy

As a veterinarian and dog owner, I want to make sure my dog is as healthy as possible. You might already be talking with your veterinarian about vaccines each year in a dog that is older than 7 years of age; next, talk to your veterinarian about doing an annual exam and routine blood work too. It’ll pick up on medical problems sooner, so you can rest assured that your dog is going to live a longer, happier, healthier life!

Having a diabetic pet is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin. Caring for a diabetic dog does require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate blood sugar. That said, dogs can live with diabetes for years with appropriate care and treatment. When in doubt, make sure to monitor your dog carefully for the signs of diabetes, and seek veterinary attention sooner rather than later to help test for this ever-growing problem!

The post Why and When to Sterilize a Dog appeared first on The Petster.

What is your favourite season of the year? Do you follow the summer or winter fashion? Do you prefer the cold or the heat? Surely it has never occurred to you to ask your pet this, but perhaps she has thought about it, watching you adapt your clothes, modify your habits and change your diet.

We must be aware that dogs, like us, feel the cold. Regardless of the breed and the type of coat, our pets may be suffering the effects of the change in temperature below 4 degrees Celsius, in the coldest times of the year, wherever we live or develop our joint activity. Our dog has a layer of hair and fat on his skin that protects him thermally, but, on certain occasions, this natural protection may be insufficient and, therefore, allow the cold to penetrate his body.

If we do not prevent the cold, the dog’s immune system can weaken and become very vulnerable to different pathologies.
If our partner is not one of the breeds adapted to colder Nordic climates, or his short-haired nature does not offer him that protection, we must be vigilant to avoid getting cold and suffering possible consequences. Above all, we must watch out for the weakest and most prone to cold; the puppies, the old dogs and the sick.

You might also like:  The dog’s body language

To prevent the effects of cold, we can follow some simple tips that will help our pet to enjoy winter and not suffer its consequences :

• Condition the environment of the house to maintain a stable temperature between 19 and 25 degrees Celsius, avoiding areas with drafts.
• Wear waterproof sweaters, capes and coats when the cold is very intense outside.
• Condition your bed with a blanket to keep it warmer and use a house if you sleep outside the house.
• Take the walks in the hours with the incidence of sunlight.
• Use specific moisturizers for dogs, on the paws (pads) and ears, to prevent them from drying out or cracking, especially when they step on snow.
• Dry it very well when you return home when it has gotten wet during the walk or games.
• In puppies and elderly dogs we can apply a careful massage on the muscles that present stiffness, and even help ourselves with a warm compress for 15 minutes.

If we do not prevent the cold, the dog’s immune system can weaken and become very vulnerable to different pathologies. And, above all, even if it is cold there are parasites, such as fleas and ticks, which do not disappear during the winter, due to the heating in our homes. So our dog needs us to maintain the periodic reviews prescribed by his veterinarian to maintain deworming, internal and external,

You might also like:  HOW MUCH EXERCISE DOES A DOG NEED PER DAY?

If you want to learn how to groom your dog at home, you need to know the basics, such as how to cut a dog’s nails. I’ll show you exactly what you need to do and how to do it safely so that know one gets hurt.

Cutting a dog’s fingernails might sound scary but there’s nothing about it that’s difficult. You just have to be careful and know what you’re doing .

You should start off by collecting all of the supplies for this task. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Nail Trimmer
• Scissors
• Styptic Powder (optional)

Now that you’ve got your stuff together, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Make Your Dog Comfortable

First, make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable around you. Do this by giving him a treat or two before starting. If possible, start this process after they’ve eaten their meal to help them feel extra sleepy and calm! For anxious dogs, you can even try CBD Oil for Dogs.

Step 2: Prepare The Paw

Second, lift one of your dogs paws into your hand and press gently on the pad of the paw while looking at the tip of each nail. You’ll be able to see where your dog’s skin is and if you cut it, he will bleed and it may hurt him.

That’s why we use a nail cutter, so we don’t have to worry about hurting our dog when trimming their nails.

Step Three: Secure The Paw

Third, you can feel free to push down on the pad of their paw if it’s more comfortable for you. If your dog is wiggly when you’re trying to hold his paw, you can try this instead!

Step 4: Apply The Cut

Fourth, once you’ve identified where the quick ends in each nail, go ahead and cut just past that point. You’ll only want to cut into the pinkish area on the end of his nail, not into the black part. If you do accidentally cut into this black section, use an absorbent cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After it stops, apply some styptic powder to help the blood clot faster and prevent infection in your dog’s paw. You can then apply some CBD for Pets to promote healing as well.

Step 5: Repeat on All Nails

Fifth, keep trimming until all their nails are the same length.

Step by Step Instructions for Trimming Dog Nails

1. Pet your dog and make sure they’re comfortable with you
2. With one paw in each hand, feel for the end of each nail to know where to cut
3. Cut just past this point (only into the pinkish area)
4. Keep cutting until all of the nails are the same length
5. If you accidentally cut into the black part, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding

You might also like:  DOG EDUCATION, COGNITIVE-EMOTIONAL TRAINING

Now that you’ve learned how to cut your dog’s nails, you can feel confident doing it at home! If this process continues to be too stressful for either of you, then why not try bringing them to a groomer?

If you want more information on how to do this and other dog grooming basics, check out the video linked below:

Whether or not dogs dream isn’t known with scientific certainty, but it sure is difficult to imagine that they don’t. We’ve all watched our dogs demonstrate behaviours in their sleep that resemble what they do in a fully awake state. Paddling legs, whining, growling, wagging tails, chewing jowls, and twitching noses inspire us to wonder what our dogs are dreaming about.

What we know about dogs and dreams

While our knowledge on this topic is very limited, the following known information helps us believe that dogs do indeed experience dreams. According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake.

Can we apply this to dogs?

Can we take what is known about dreaming in rats and humans and apply the information to dogs? Wilson believes that we can.”My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing,” he said, according to USA Today’s website.

You might also like:  Dog Screen Doors: which is that the supper of 2024?

It is known that the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that collects and stores memories, is wired much the same way in all mammals. According to healthday.com, Professor Wilson says, “If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces.” He believes that as dogs sleep, images of past events replay in their minds, much the same way people recall experiences while dreaming.

In people, it is known that most dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dogs also experience periods of REM sleep. Psychology Today’s website says that during REM their breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. There may be muscle twitching during REM and, when one looks closely, rapid eye movements behind closed eyelids can often be observed. It is during REM sleep that behaviours thought to be associated with dreaming (legs paddling, twitching, vocalizing, etc.) are most commonly observed.

What we want to believe about dog dreams

When we observe our dogs as they sleep, it’s just about impossible to imagine that they are not dreaming. Just like the rats studied by Wilson and Louie, it is tempting to believe that our four-legged best buddies are reenacting their recent experiences; playing at the dog park, sniffing in the woods, chewing on a treasured bone, and chasing squirrels.

You might also like:  Teach your dog to behave well with others

The National Institutes of Health says that Sigmund Freud theorized that dreaming was a “safety valve” for our unconscious desires. Perhaps he is correct, and, when our dogs sleep, they dream about catching the neighbour’s pesky cat, continuous belly rubs in conjunction with unlimited dog treats, and stealing the Thanksgiving turkey from the dining room table.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

Did you know that some authorities feel that 1 out of every 100 dogs that reach 12 years of age develops diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hormonal problem where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your dog’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”) with diabetes mellitus.

Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give insulin to your dog with a tiny syringe twice a day. In dogs, this is a disease that can be costly to treat and requires twice-a-day insulin along with frequent veterinary visits for the rest of your dog’s life.

So how do you know if your dog has diabetes? Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urination
• Urinary accidents in the house
• Dilute urine
• Overweight or obese
• Muscle wasting
• Ravenous appetite
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Weakness
• Unkempt or poor hair coat
• Blindness secondary to cataracts
• Neuropathies (nerve problems)

As your dog gets older, it’s worth talking to your veterinarian about doing routine blood work to make sure your dog is healthy. This blood work will help rule out kidney and liver problems, anaemia, infections, electrolyte problems and diabetes mellitus. The sooner you recognize the clinical signs, the sooner your dog can be treated with insulin and the fewer complications we see as a result.

So, if you notice any of the signs above, get to a veterinarian right away. Now, continue on for 5 important reasons to test your dog for diabetes:

1. Your dog will live longer

Diabetes mellitus can shorten the lifespan of your dog, as secondary complications and infections can occur. With diabetes, the body is immunosuppressed and more likely to develop diabetic complications which cause long term harm to your dog.

2. Your dog will be able to see

Did you know that the majority of dogs with diabetes eventually go blind from cataracts? Even in well-controlled diabetic dogs, the excess sugar in the body can have secondary effects on the lens of the eye; it causes more water to influx into the lens, which disrupts the clearness of the lens. As a result, cataract formation occurs, resulting in eventual blindness and secondary inflammation in both eyes. While cataract surgery can (and ideally, should) be performed, it can be costly.

3. You’ll save a lot of money

Treatment for diabetes mellitus includes twice-a-day insulin treatment, insulin syringes, prescription diets, and frequent veterinary trips for blood tests. Also, as diabetic dogs can’t go without their insulin, it may mean hiring house sitters or pet sitters to treat your pet while you are on vacation.

4. You’ll have fewer urinary accidents in the house

One of the biggest signs of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is excessive drinking, urination and having urinary accidents in the house. Because of hyperglycemia, dogs are also at increased risk for urinary tract infections, wreaking havoc on your carpet. The sooner you can treat your dog with insulin and get diabetes controlled or regulated, the less your dog will drink and urinate, making your dog more comfortable too!

5. You’ll have more peace knowing that your dog is healthy

As a veterinarian and dog owner, I want to make sure my dog is as healthy as possible. You might already be talking with your veterinarian about vaccines each year in a dog that is older than 7 years of age; next, talk to your veterinarian about doing an annual exam and routine blood work too. It’ll pick up on medical problems sooner, so you can rest assured that your dog is going to live a longer, happier, healthier life!

Having a diabetic pet is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin. Caring for a diabetic dog does require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate blood sugar. That said, dogs can live with diabetes for years with appropriate care and treatment. When in doubt, make sure to monitor your dog carefully for the signs of diabetes, and seek veterinary attention sooner rather than later to help test for this ever-growing problem!

The post How to Prevent Cold in Dogs? appeared first on The Petster.

How long can a dog go without eating?

The exact number of days a dog can go without food depends on the size and physical health of the animal. Age is also a key factor in determining how long a dog can go without eating. Taking healthy adult dogs as a reference, it can be stated that the largest can endure around 14 days without eating; At the opposite end of the scale, we have small dogs, which only last 7 days.

On the other hand, puppies and elderly dogs, as well as adults with certain conditions, will resist much less time. The constitution of these three types of dogs is weaker than that of healthy adults. Therefore, if your dog goes more than a day without eating, we advise you to monitor if he has any other symptoms and, if necessary, go to the vet.

And without drinking water?

We already know how many days a dog can go without eating but… And without drinking water? A dog can go without drinking water for just 24 hours. After that period without fluids, he will begin to become dehydrated and, if he continues without eating or drinking, the consequences could be fatal.

The lack of fluid intake can cause serious problems in pets. For example, liver failure, as the liver is very delicate and is one of the first organs to feel the consequences of not drinking fluids. Along with the liver, the kidneys are also key in the consumption of fluids. Kidney problems vary and there may be kidney stones, kidney failure, urinary tract problems, etc. Kidney-type conditions, once discovered, require meticulous lifelong treatment.

If your dog does not drink water, it can be due to multiple causes, most of them easily detectable. It is possible that the dog has a gastrointestinal problem that, as in humans, causes dehydration; therefore, you should offer your pet water in small doses in case of diarrhea and vomiting. Diabetes also causes dehydration, as do otitis and conjunctivitis.

Is it bad to leave a dog without eating for a day?

It has already been analyzed how many days a dog can go without eating, according to their size and taking into account that they are healthy adults. You know, then, that if he goes 24 hours without eating, nothing serious will happen, but it is not recommended either.

In the case of diseases such as diarrhea and vomiting, it is perfectly understandable that the animal does not want or cannot eat any food. Except for very specific situations, a dog should not go more than 24 hours without eating. It is not bad that he does not eat for a day, there will be no serious consequences for his health (if he is a healthy adult dog); but, even so, we advise you to try by all means to get your pet to eat. And pay special attention to other symptoms like not wanting to drink water or being crestfallen – they can be symptoms of a more serious condition.

What can you give a dog that does not want to eat?

Now that you know how long a dog can go without eating, it is important that you find the reason why it does not eat and look for a solution.

There are many reasons why a dog does not eat. The first to rule out is the change of diet. If you have recently changed his feed, and you have not done it gradually, it is logical that your dog does not want to eat. That is why we recommend that you start a transition between foods progressively. When the change of food is abrupt, by veterinary prescription (occurs, for example, with kidney diets), the dog may reject the new food at first.

If you have a puppy that has just come home and does not want to eat the special feed for his age, you can try mixing it with wet food. This type of food (which dogs love), you can also give to dogs that have just had an illness or to elderly dogs. Keep in mind that, in the case of this last option, many times they stop eating not because of a lack of appetite, but because of problems with their gums and teeth; this could prevent them from shredding the feed and eating easily. Even so, if the problem is in the mouth, you should still take your dog to the vet because it can create an infection and should be treated.

So, the most common reasons why a dog does not eat can be the following:

• Oral or gastrointestinal problems:
  It often happens that dogs grab certain things that they shouldn’t and get stuck in their gums, preventing them from eating. The best thing you can do to rule out this option is to check your dog’s mouth and throat properly. Also, they may have gastrointestinal problems either because of what they ate or because of obstruction. If your dog has diarrhea or vomits, it is common that he does not feel hungry and you should take him to the emergency vet if his condition does not improve within 24 hours.
• Bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection:
  If your dogs go out often, they can get an infection that causes a lack of appetite that is why vaccinations are important to prevent parasites, salmonellosis, parvoviruses, etc. Take your dog to the vet immediately.
• Cancer and organ failure:
  Other reasons why your dog does not want to eat may be due to symptoms of developing the disease. There are several medical reports where it is specified that many dog owners have noticed certain behaviors that have not been normal when their dogs eat or drink water, before receiving a diagnosis.

Also, the owners, before receiving the diagnosis, have noticed that their dogs had lost a lot of weight. This generally happens when the animal has cancer and is in pain, the lack of appetite in these situations is normal. If the dog is already in treatment, the medications may influence the appetite.

• Anxiety or depressionMany dogs that are left alone at home for many hours suffer from depression and/or anxiety, although depression or anxiety can also be due to other causes such as the death of their owner or even a dog or cat friend. Because of this, dogs may stop eating.
• Sudden changes in diet
  This has a lot to do with the reasons mentioned above. It may be due to the change in the dog’s diet, for example, when you change the brand of food, they usually stop eating it. Generally, dogs tend to get used to a particular food and if it is changed suddenly, it may take time to eat again.In case you have no choice and need to change the brand of your dog’s food or even the flavor, you can try adding some additional flavor such as cooked meat juice or chicken pieces mixed with their own food. On the other hand, if you want to change the food, you can do it little by little.
• Your dog may be bored
  Yes, dogs also tend to get bored when they eat the same meal every day (we are talking about the same flavor). Many dogs that have already tried other foods will know more about what they want and whatnot, so here you can also do what was mentioned above and add small pieces of cooked meat to their food for a change.

What to do if your dog does not eat?

If you have noticed that your dog has not eaten in 24 hours, then check him starting with his mouth, then slowly feel his chest and stomach to see if it hurts. If your dog is in pain, perhaps he will want to bite you as a defensive reflex or will directly prevent you from touching him. The best thing you can do is go to the vet whether you have checked him or not after 24 hours.

Although you already know how many days a dog can go without eating, and that is quite a few, we recommend that you consult your veterinarian if your dog has been without appetite for more than 24 hours and the situation does not improve, because his health could be at risk.

Do not forget that, under no circumstances, you should give your dog treats, chocolates, fatty foods, or homemade stews that contain salt or sugar; you can’t offer him bones either. It is the veterinarian who can recommend a type of diet according to the possible pathologies of your dog in case he rejects his usual food.

Related Posts

The post How Long Can a Dog Go Without Eating? appeared first on The Petster.

Surely you have seen in pine forests, parks, forests or gardens, caterpillars moving along the ground in a line like a procession, does that sound familiar? They are known, precisely, as processionary caterpillars.

“Contact with caterpillars can be fatal”

Although they may seem innocuous, their body is covered in hairs that release a toxin called Thaumatopenia, capable of causing severe allergic reactions in your dog when sniffing, licking or eating them.

The most common symptoms of this intoxication are hypersalivation (drooling), itching, inflammation of the head, lips and tongue, being able to appreciate colour changes in these areas, agitation, vomiting, panting, respiratory distress, etc. In some cases, contact with the caterpillars can be fatal.
“In case of contact with a caterpillar, go immediately to your vet.”

For all this, we leave you some tips to avoid the risk of this poisoning:

• Avoid walks with your dog through areas infested with caterpillars, especially between February and April, when temperatures begin to rise, although due to climate change their presence is increasing more and more.
• You should use gloves and wash the affected area well with running water, but without rubbing, since friction stimulates the production of toxins and helps their penetration and, we repeat, go immediately to your veterinarian.
• In the presence of this insect in parks, gardens or forests, inform the authorities so that they take the necessary measures. To eliminate caterpillars from your field or garden, seek the advice of a pest control company so they can propose the best solution.
• In case of contact with a caterpillar, go immediately to your vet. How quickly treatment is given is essential to saving your life.

If you want to learn how to groom your dog at home, you need to know the basics, such as how to cut a dog’s nails. I’ll show you exactly what you need to do and how to do it safely so that know one gets hurt.

Cutting a dog’s fingernails might sound scary but there’s nothing about it that’s difficult. You just have to be careful and know what you’re doing .

You should start off by collecting all of the supplies for this task. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Nail Trimmer
• Scissors
• Styptic Powder (optional)

Now that you’ve got your stuff together, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Make Your Dog Comfortable

First, make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable around you. Do this by giving him a treat or two before starting. If possible, start this process after they’ve eaten their meal to help them feel extra sleepy and calm! For anxious dogs, you can even try CBD Oil for Dogs.

Step 2: Prepare The Paw

Second, lift one of your dogs paws into your hand and press gently on the pad of the paw while looking at the tip of each nail. You’ll be able to see where your dog’s skin is and if you cut it, he will bleed and it may hurt him.

You might also like:  5 Reasons to why you should test Your Dog for Diabetes

That’s why we use a nail cutter, so we don’t have to worry about hurting our dog when trimming their nails.

Step Three: Secure The Paw

Third, you can feel free to push down on the pad of their paw if it’s more comfortable for you. If your dog is wiggly when you’re trying to hold his paw, you can try this instead!

Step 4: Apply The Cut

Fourth, once you’ve identified where the quick ends in each nail, go ahead and cut just past that point. You’ll only want to cut into the pinkish area on the end of his nail, not into the black part. If you do accidentally cut into this black section, use an absorbent cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After it stops, apply some styptic powder to help the blood clot faster and prevent infection in your dog’s paw. You can then apply some CBD for Pets to promote healing as well.

Step 5: Repeat on All Nails

Fifth, keep trimming until all their nails are the same length.

Step by Step Instructions for Trimming Dog Nails

1. Pet your dog and make sure they’re comfortable with you
2. With one paw in each hand, feel for the end of each nail to know where to cut
3. Cut just past this point (only into the pinkish area)
4. Keep cutting until all of the nails are the same length
5. If you accidentally cut into the black part, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding

You might also like:  Fresh meat, pet express dog food

Now that you’ve learned how to cut your dog’s nails, you can feel confident doing it at home! If this process continues to be too stressful for either of you, then why not try bringing them to a groomer?

If you want more information on how to do this and other dog grooming basics, check out the video linked below:

Whether or not dogs dream isn’t known with scientific certainty, but it sure is difficult to imagine that they don’t. We’ve all watched our dogs demonstrate behaviours in their sleep that resemble what they do in a fully awake state. Paddling legs, whining, growling, wagging tails, chewing jowls, and twitching noses inspire us to wonder what our dogs are dreaming about.

What we know about dogs and dreams

While our knowledge on this topic is very limited, the following known information helps us believe that dogs do indeed experience dreams. According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake.

Can we apply this to dogs?

Can we take what is known about dreaming in rats and humans and apply the information to dogs? Wilson believes that we can.”My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing,” he said, according to USA Today’s website.

You might also like:  Reasons to own a Terrier

It is known that the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that collects and stores memories, is wired much the same way in all mammals. According to healthday.com, Professor Wilson says, “If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces.” He believes that as dogs sleep, images of past events replay in their minds, much the same way people recall experiences while dreaming.

In people, it is known that most dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dogs also experience periods of REM sleep. Psychology Today’s website says that during REM their breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. There may be muscle twitching during REM and, when one looks closely, rapid eye movements behind closed eyelids can often be observed. It is during REM sleep that behaviours thought to be associated with dreaming (legs paddling, twitching, vocalizing, etc.) are most commonly observed.

What we want to believe about dog dreams

When we observe our dogs as they sleep, it’s just about impossible to imagine that they are not dreaming. Just like the rats studied by Wilson and Louie, it is tempting to believe that our four-legged best buddies are reenacting their recent experiences; playing at the dog park, sniffing in the woods, chewing on a treasured bone, and chasing squirrels.

The National Institutes of Health says that Sigmund Freud theorized that dreaming was a “safety valve” for our unconscious desires. Perhaps he is correct, and, when our dogs sleep, they dream about catching the neighbour’s pesky cat, continuous belly rubs in conjunction with unlimited dog treats, and stealing the Thanksgiving turkey from the dining room table.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

Did you know that some authorities feel that 1 out of every 100 dogs that reach 12 years of age develops diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hormonal problem where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your dog’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”) with diabetes mellitus.

Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give insulin to your dog with a tiny syringe twice a day. In dogs, this is a disease that can be costly to treat and requires twice-a-day insulin along with frequent veterinary visits for the rest of your dog’s life.

So how do you know if your dog has diabetes? Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urination
• Urinary accidents in the house
• Dilute urine
• Overweight or obese
• Muscle wasting
• Ravenous appetite
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Weakness
• Unkempt or poor hair coat
• Blindness secondary to cataracts
• Neuropathies (nerve problems)

As your dog gets older, it’s worth talking to your veterinarian about doing routine blood work to make sure your dog is healthy. This blood work will help rule out kidney and liver problems, anaemia, infections, electrolyte problems and diabetes mellitus. The sooner you recognize the clinical signs, the sooner your dog can be treated with insulin and the fewer complications we see as a result.

You might also like:  Fresh meat, pet express dog food

So, if you notice any of the signs above, get to a veterinarian right away. Now, continue on for 5 important reasons to test your dog for diabetes:

1. Your dog will live longer

Diabetes mellitus can shorten the lifespan of your dog, as secondary complications and infections can occur. With diabetes, the body is immunosuppressed and more likely to develop diabetic complications which cause long term harm to your dog.

2. Your dog will be able to see

Did you know that the majority of dogs with diabetes eventually go blind from cataracts? Even in well-controlled diabetic dogs, the excess sugar in the body can have secondary effects on the lens of the eye; it causes more water to influx into the lens, which disrupts the clearness of the lens. As a result, cataract formation occurs, resulting in eventual blindness and secondary inflammation in both eyes. While cataract surgery can (and ideally, should) be performed, it can be costly.

3. You’ll save a lot of money

Treatment for diabetes mellitus includes twice-a-day insulin treatment, insulin syringes, prescription diets, and frequent veterinary trips for blood tests. Also, as diabetic dogs can’t go without their insulin, it may mean hiring house sitters or pet sitters to treat your pet while you are on vacation.

You might also like:  All about the French Bulldog Breed

4. You’ll have fewer urinary accidents in the house

One of the biggest signs of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is excessive drinking, urination and having urinary accidents in the house. Because of hyperglycemia, dogs are also at increased risk for urinary tract infections, wreaking havoc on your carpet. The sooner you can treat your dog with insulin and get diabetes controlled or regulated, the less your dog will drink and urinate, making your dog more comfortable too!

5. You’ll have more peace knowing that your dog is healthy

As a veterinarian and dog owner, I want to make sure my dog is as healthy as possible. You might already be talking with your veterinarian about vaccines each year in a dog that is older than 7 years of age; next, talk to your veterinarian about doing an annual exam and routine blood work too. It’ll pick up on medical problems sooner, so you can rest assured that your dog is going to live a longer, happier, healthier life!

Having a diabetic pet is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin. Caring for a diabetic dog does require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate blood sugar. That said, dogs can live with diabetes for years with appropriate care and treatment. When in doubt, make sure to monitor your dog carefully for the signs of diabetes, and seek veterinary attention sooner rather than later to help test for this ever-growing problem!

The post The Danger of Caterpillars: Tips to Protect Your Dog appeared first on The Petster.

There are different aspects that are important when we have a dog as a pet at home. Having a healthy pet means not only keeping it in good health but other aspects as well.

The care of the pet’s health, hygiene, and correct education of the dog are the three pillars of the good coexistence of dogs and people.

The health of the pet is an aspect of vital importance, a healthy dog ​​can bring us problems but a sick dog or with a weak state of health will surely bring them to us.

An os Healthy Habits are essential to maintaining the good health of our pets:

• Correct feeding
• Routine veterinary visits and the pertinent vaccinations
• Regular physical activity
• If we complement it with correct hygiene (also important for health) and careful education of the dog important for the family-dog relationship, we will have a set of aspects that will greatly improve the relationship with our dog, his quality of life, and that of the whole the family.
• The correct diet:
• Dogs should eat I think, many times we wonder if it would not be better for dogs to eat homemade food, or if they can live well with what is leftover from a house, as they used to do. The answer is always the same, the canine feed is a complete, balanced food, formulated by veterinary nutritionists who determine the needs of each dog according to its breed, age, and physical activity and develop the most balanced and complete diet.
• Canine feed, as long as we buy the type that best suits our animal, will be the best food we can give to our pet. We must respect the measures recommended by the same brand or ask our veterinarian for help, he will be the most suitable to explain the amount of feed to eat and in the cases that it is necessary if we can supplement it with a special dietary supplement.
• Routine visits and vaccinations:
• Not only for our pet but also for everyone else in the neighborhood, including for our own safety and that of the people who live with us or our neighbors, it is extremely important that we keep the dog’s vaccination record up to date.

You might also like:  Reasons to own a Terrier

• Hygiene:
• It is another of the important aspects, although sometimes forgotten about pets, hygiene does not only mean keeping the dog clean, but taking care of its skin, its hooves, its mouth, and therefore its breath, and that it has the appropriate place to make its needs without staining and where we can collect and deposit them in the appropriate place.
• Depending on the type of dog, the breed, its physical activity, we should wash it more or less, and in certain breeds, we should pay special attention to specific points. For example, the Cocker have a special tendency to make recurrent otitis, even chronic, this is because due to the position of their ears and their size, the ears breathe very little and it is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria and fungi; it is avoided with a simple spray every certain time and a correct washing of the dog’s ears in a much more usual way than is necessary for other breeds.
• It is good to find out about these aspects when we adopt or incorporate a new member into the family. You can consult in a multitude of specific forums for dog breeds, kennels, canine clubs, and of course whenever you have doubts about the Veterinarian.
• Physical activity :
• It is the great forgotten in Spanish dogs, I feel envious when I see dogs doing physical activity with their owners in Central Park in American movies …
• Some privileged Spanish dogs go out for walks three or four times a day, but they go out for a walk to relieve themselves, and especially in winter these walks are almost exclusively limited to this activity. It is not that it is wrong to take the dog to urinate or defecate, the problem is that too many dogs ONLY go out to urinate and defecate.
• The walk must be an important part of the owner’s relationship with his animal, the dog must feel free, satisfied, happy with the walk and it must serve for him to do physical activity. Therefore, it is important that one or two of the walks that the dog takes throughout the day is much longer and the dog, especially if it is Young.

If you want to learn how to groom your dog at home, you need to know the basics, such as how to cut a dog’s nails. I’ll show you exactly what you need to do and how to do it safely so that know one gets hurt.

Cutting a dog’s fingernails might sound scary but there’s nothing about it that’s difficult. You just have to be careful and know what you’re doing .

You should start off by collecting all of the supplies for this task. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Nail Trimmer
• Scissors
• Styptic Powder (optional)

Now that you’ve got your stuff together, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Make Your Dog Comfortable

First, make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable around you. Do this by giving him a treat or two before starting. If possible, start this process after they’ve eaten their meal to help them feel extra sleepy and calm! For anxious dogs, you can even try CBD Oil for Dogs.

Step 2: Prepare The Paw

Second, lift one of your dogs paws into your hand and press gently on the pad of the paw while looking at the tip of each nail. You’ll be able to see where your dog’s skin is and if you cut it, he will bleed and it may hurt him.

You might also like:  Reasons to own a Terrier

That’s why we use a nail cutter, so we don’t have to worry about hurting our dog when trimming their nails.

Step Three: Secure The Paw

Third, you can feel free to push down on the pad of their paw if it’s more comfortable for you. If your dog is wiggly when you’re trying to hold his paw, you can try this instead!

Step 4: Apply The Cut

Fourth, once you’ve identified where the quick ends in each nail, go ahead and cut just past that point. You’ll only want to cut into the pinkish area on the end of his nail, not into the black part. If you do accidentally cut into this black section, use an absorbent cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After it stops, apply some styptic powder to help the blood clot faster and prevent infection in your dog’s paw. You can then apply some CBD for Pets to promote healing as well.

Step 5: Repeat on All Nails

Fifth, keep trimming until all their nails are the same length.

Step by Step Instructions for Trimming Dog Nails

1. Pet your dog and make sure they’re comfortable with you
2. With one paw in each hand, feel for the end of each nail to know where to cut
3. Cut just past this point (only into the pinkish area)
4. Keep cutting until all of the nails are the same length
5. If you accidentally cut into the black part, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding

You might also like:  Dog Screen Doors: which is that the supper of 2024?

Now that you’ve learned how to cut your dog’s nails, you can feel confident doing it at home! If this process continues to be too stressful for either of you, then why not try bringing them to a groomer?

If you want more information on how to do this and other dog grooming basics, check out the video linked below:

Whether or not dogs dream isn’t known with scientific certainty, but it sure is difficult to imagine that they don’t. We’ve all watched our dogs demonstrate behaviours in their sleep that resemble what they do in a fully awake state. Paddling legs, whining, growling, wagging tails, chewing jowls, and twitching noses inspire us to wonder what our dogs are dreaming about.

What we know about dogs and dreams

While our knowledge on this topic is very limited, the following known information helps us believe that dogs do indeed experience dreams. According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake.

Can we apply this to dogs?

Can we take what is known about dreaming in rats and humans and apply the information to dogs? Wilson believes that we can.”My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing,” he said, according to USA Today’s website.

You might also like:  BENEFITS OF PURCHASING DOG ONLINE PRODUCTS

It is known that the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that collects and stores memories, is wired much the same way in all mammals. According to healthday.com, Professor Wilson says, “If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces.” He believes that as dogs sleep, images of past events replay in their minds, much the same way people recall experiences while dreaming.

In people, it is known that most dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dogs also experience periods of REM sleep. Psychology Today’s website says that during REM their breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. There may be muscle twitching during REM and, when one looks closely, rapid eye movements behind closed eyelids can often be observed. It is during REM sleep that behaviours thought to be associated with dreaming (legs paddling, twitching, vocalizing, etc.) are most commonly observed.

What we want to believe about dog dreams

When we observe our dogs as they sleep, it’s just about impossible to imagine that they are not dreaming. Just like the rats studied by Wilson and Louie, it is tempting to believe that our four-legged best buddies are reenacting their recent experiences; playing at the dog park, sniffing in the woods, chewing on a treasured bone, and chasing squirrels.

You might also like:  Reasons to own a Terrier

The National Institutes of Health says that Sigmund Freud theorized that dreaming was a “safety valve” for our unconscious desires. Perhaps he is correct, and, when our dogs sleep, they dream about catching the neighbour’s pesky cat, continuous belly rubs in conjunction with unlimited dog treats, and stealing the Thanksgiving turkey from the dining room table.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

Did you know that some authorities feel that 1 out of every 100 dogs that reach 12 years of age develops diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hormonal problem where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your dog’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”) with diabetes mellitus.

Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give insulin to your dog with a tiny syringe twice a day. In dogs, this is a disease that can be costly to treat and requires twice-a-day insulin along with frequent veterinary visits for the rest of your dog’s life.

So how do you know if your dog has diabetes? Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urination
• Urinary accidents in the house
• Dilute urine
• Overweight or obese
• Muscle wasting
• Ravenous appetite
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Weakness
• Unkempt or poor hair coat
• Blindness secondary to cataracts
• Neuropathies (nerve problems)

As your dog gets older, it’s worth talking to your veterinarian about doing routine blood work to make sure your dog is healthy. This blood work will help rule out kidney and liver problems, anaemia, infections, electrolyte problems and diabetes mellitus. The sooner you recognize the clinical signs, the sooner your dog can be treated with insulin and the fewer complications we see as a result.

You might also like:  5 Questions About Dogs You’ve Always Wanted To Know

So, if you notice any of the signs above, get to a veterinarian right away. Now, continue on for 5 important reasons to test your dog for diabetes:

1. Your dog will live longer

Diabetes mellitus can shorten the lifespan of your dog, as secondary complications and infections can occur. With diabetes, the body is immunosuppressed and more likely to develop diabetic complications which cause long term harm to your dog.

2. Your dog will be able to see

Did you know that the majority of dogs with diabetes eventually go blind from cataracts? Even in well-controlled diabetic dogs, the excess sugar in the body can have secondary effects on the lens of the eye; it causes more water to influx into the lens, which disrupts the clearness of the lens. As a result, cataract formation occurs, resulting in eventual blindness and secondary inflammation in both eyes. While cataract surgery can (and ideally, should) be performed, it can be costly.

3. You’ll save a lot of money

Treatment for diabetes mellitus includes twice-a-day insulin treatment, insulin syringes, prescription diets, and frequent veterinary trips for blood tests. Also, as diabetic dogs can’t go without their insulin, it may mean hiring house sitters or pet sitters to treat your pet while you are on vacation.

4. You’ll have fewer urinary accidents in the house

One of the biggest signs of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is excessive drinking, urination and having urinary accidents in the house. Because of hyperglycemia, dogs are also at increased risk for urinary tract infections, wreaking havoc on your carpet. The sooner you can treat your dog with insulin and get diabetes controlled or regulated, the less your dog will drink and urinate, making your dog more comfortable too!

5. You’ll have more peace knowing that your dog is healthy

As a veterinarian and dog owner, I want to make sure my dog is as healthy as possible. You might already be talking with your veterinarian about vaccines each year in a dog that is older than 7 years of age; next, talk to your veterinarian about doing an annual exam and routine blood work too. It’ll pick up on medical problems sooner, so you can rest assured that your dog is going to live a longer, happier, healthier life!

Having a diabetic pet is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin. Caring for a diabetic dog does require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate blood sugar. That said, dogs can live with diabetes for years with appropriate care and treatment. When in doubt, make sure to monitor your dog carefully for the signs of diabetes, and seek veterinary attention sooner rather than later to help test for this ever-growing problem!

The post The Five Keys to Having a Healthy and Happy Dog at Home and Enjoying It appeared first on The Petster.

One indication of whether to be concerned when your dog sneezes are to examine the color of the mucus. Since dark colors indicate the presence of bleeding. And it is possible that the dog sneezes blood directly indicating an injury to the respiratory tract. So it is better to make an appointment at our veterinary clinic to have the dog examined.

Why Does My Dog Sneeze a lot?

• Sneeze while playing. To show that they are playing, the dogs sneeze although it is more common in small dogs. All dogs show this behavior. So if your dog sneezes while playing, nothing happens, they sometimes feel so excited and happy that they sneeze. Unless he does it a lot or the sneeze is accompanied by dark secretions, then, pay attention to it.
• Sneezing due to a bad smell. Sometimes dogs smell the environment air and sniffing is their way to express their discomfort and the same can happen if they inhale a rare body inadvertently. Be it a small stone, a spike, or anything else. Normally, the estrange body is expelled with a sneeze and a shake of the head. But if it gets stuck in the nose, it causes the dog to sneeze a lot. In this case, it is important to go to a veterinary center because it is the best way to remove the object without causing harm to the dog.
• Sneezing from illness. When a dog has an infection with Aspergillus, a common fungus in the grass and rural environments, the dog uses it to sneeze. Also if he contracts the canine respiratory complex, which is a general term for various respiratory diseases. Or he has a dental infection, which can spread to his nostrils. The dog will sneeze a lot. It is best to go to the vet and receive the most appropriate treatment.
• The shape of his nose can also produce sneezing in both the dogs that are flatter and those that have shorter noses. They can develop nasal obstructions. In flat dogs, this is because they have shorter nasal passages. And in the case of long-nosed dogs, when they are old they can have nasal tumors. Veterinary monitoring is very important; it is the best way to prevent health problems.
• Allergies although it is not common for dogs to sneeze from allergies. When canine atopic dermatitis occurs, the dog may begin to sneeze. Because intense itching occurs, secretions in the nose and eyes increase. So the dog has to sneeze to get relief.

On the other hand, the drops in temperatures that the arrival of winter produces, in addition to bringing large waves of cold in some parts of the world, as happens, especially in North America or Europe, affect a large part of the population with flu or uncomfortable colds that usually are always accompanied by sneezing. This gesture that seems so “human”, and it is, is also performed by dogs, but it is not always the product of a cold.

Veterinarians indicate that arousal can sometimes be one of the reasons the dog sneezes. The excitement caused by seeing his owner after a while, when he is playing or when he is very happy, often manifests itself in the form of a sneeze. Hence, these sneezes, although they may seem strange to you if they are many and very often, they are still a reason for sneezing and should not be a cause for alarm.

On the other hand, when a dog’s sneezes are accompanied by excessive mucus and irritated eyes, it can signify the presence of an allergy. Pollen, mites, or a reaction to dust are the most common factors that can cause a dog to suffer a frequent episode of sneezing.

In addition to allergies, another reason for annoying sneezing is when a dog inhales an irritating substance, the nerves of the nose tend to become sensitized, causing the dog to sneeze either with a noticeable sound or spontaneously and explosively, facilitating the expulsion of these external agents that irritate the nasal passages.

The Reverse Sneeze

Although it is probably not well known, the truth is that reverse sneezing is quite common among dogs.

While in a normal sneeze, the air is expelled through the nose, in a reverse sneeze, the air is forced inwards, abruptly, and noisily through the nose and has the same causes as normal sneezing and it is a reflection of the dog’s body. Typically, the dog stands still with his elbows spread, his head extended, his eyes bulging, and a loud snort, veterinarians explain.

Usually, it affects dogs with a flat nose and a strange sound is produced. It may indicate a respiratory obstruction. Therefore, once again, it is advisable to go to a veterinary clinic to get an accurate diagnosis. If your dog sneezes a lot it is the best thing to do.

In this sense, veterinarians talk about the spectacular nature of the sound, which sometimes alarms us and leads us to go to our veterinarian, because we tend to think that our animal cannot breathe, in principle it does not reverse gravity.

Reverse sneezing episodes typically last from a few seconds to a minute or two. As soon as it is passed, the dog breathes normally and behaves as if nothing had happened.

As you can see, although it seems a very “human” gesture, dogs also sneeze; the causes can range from an allergy to excitement by an event so you should not worry. On the other hand, if you notice that your dog keeps sneezing and can’s stop or he does it often, then it is recommended to take him to the vet.

Related Posts

The post Why Does My Dog Keep Sneezing? appeared first on The Petster.

We watch TV, we listen to the radio, we read on the internet, and everywhere we are told about climate change. It seems that the whole planet is immersed in a slow process of change. Scientists and governments do not agree, but what is being verified is the existence of an increase in hot and humid areas on all continents. And Spain is no exception.
It is in these areas where our protagonist – the heartworm of the nematode family (Dirofilaria emmitis) – finds the best habitat to develop its life cycle and its best ally – the mosquito -.

Despite having the name of a cartoon character, the heartworm is a host that we would rather not host. Canine heartworm is a serious and common parasitic disease in areas where maggots and mosquitoes are present, which can leave important sequelae in our pet and even cause death. Although there is treatment and it can be cured, it is complex and even dangerous, so correct prevention with antiparasitics will be the best way to protect our beloved dog.

Who is heartworm and how does my dog ​​get infected?

Heartworm disease was discovered in dogs over a hundred years ago and is therefore well known to the veterinary community. It is a disease that is not spread by contact between dog and dog since it requires the intermediation of a mosquito. When a mosquito bites an animal previously infested with young larvae, these are acquired by the insect and transmitted to the bloodstream of the next healthy dog ​​it bites. These larvae will develop within the tissues of the dog until they become mature worms (reaching between 15 and 30 centimetres in length), managing to lodge mainly in the pulmonary arteries and the heart.

You might also like:  HOW TO REMOVE AND PREVENT TICKS

Canine heartworm is a serious and common parasitic disease in worm and mosquito areas.

How can I suspect that the disease is present?

From the time the parasites enter the body of a healthy dog ​​until they reach maturity, about 4-6 months may elapse. In the early stages, there may be no obvious symptoms. That is why, many times, when the first symptoms appear, the worms are already in their destination locations. For all this, if we detect any symptoms, we must go to our veterinarian to perform a blood test in search of the parasite.

The most notable and common symptoms of this disease are:

• Exercise intolerance due to heart and respiratory distress you experience
• Tiredness even with little effort
• Increased heart rate due to overexertion of the heart
• Cough after exertion and shortness of breath
• Lack of appetite and weight loss
• Nosebleeds and bleeding from the mouth
• Apathy, low mood, and even nervousness
• Fainting from general weakness

In advanced cases, there may be swelling due to fluid accumulation

What is the best prevention?

Heartworm parasitosis can be prevented by going to our trusted veterinarian and asking him to make a preventive plan about this disease, especially coinciding with the hot and humid times of greatest activity of mosquitoes, although in many areas the disease can be purchased throughout the year. Besides, with the Double Monthly Protection, your pet will be protected against the most frequent parasites, such as other worms, fleas and ticks, avoiding the risk of contagion to your family. We must not forget the protection of our pet both inside and outside its body.

If you want to learn how to groom your dog at home, you need to know the basics, such as how to cut a dog’s nails. I’ll show you exactly what you need to do and how to do it safely so that know one gets hurt.

Cutting a dog’s fingernails might sound scary but there’s nothing about it that’s difficult. You just have to be careful and know what you’re doing .

You should start off by collecting all of the supplies for this task. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Nail Trimmer
• Scissors
• Styptic Powder (optional)

Now that you’ve got your stuff together, it’s time to get started.

Step 1: Make Your Dog Comfortable

First, make sure your dog is relaxed and comfortable around you. Do this by giving him a treat or two before starting. If possible, start this process after they’ve eaten their meal to help them feel extra sleepy and calm! For anxious dogs, you can even try CBD Oil for Dogs.

Step 2: Prepare The Paw

Second, lift one of your dogs paws into your hand and press gently on the pad of the paw while looking at the tip of each nail. You’ll be able to see where your dog’s skin is and if you cut it, he will bleed and it may hurt him.

You might also like:  HOW TO REMOVE AND PREVENT TICKS

That’s why we use a nail cutter, so we don’t have to worry about hurting our dog when trimming their nails.

Step Three: Secure The Paw

Third, you can feel free to push down on the pad of their paw if it’s more comfortable for you. If your dog is wiggly when you’re trying to hold his paw, you can try this instead!

Step 4: Apply The Cut

Fourth, once you’ve identified where the quick ends in each nail, go ahead and cut just past that point. You’ll only want to cut into the pinkish area on the end of his nail, not into the black part. If you do accidentally cut into this black section, use an absorbent cotton ball to stop the bleeding. After it stops, apply some styptic powder to help the blood clot faster and prevent infection in your dog’s paw. You can then apply some CBD for Pets to promote healing as well.

Step 5: Repeat on All Nails

Fifth, keep trimming until all their nails are the same length.

Step by Step Instructions for Trimming Dog Nails

1. Pet your dog and make sure they’re comfortable with you
2. With one paw in each hand, feel for the end of each nail to know where to cut
3. Cut just past this point (only into the pinkish area)
4. Keep cutting until all of the nails are the same length
5. If you accidentally cut into the black part, apply some styptic powder to stop the bleeding

You might also like:  5 Questions About Dogs You’ve Always Wanted To Know

Now that you’ve learned how to cut your dog’s nails, you can feel confident doing it at home! If this process continues to be too stressful for either of you, then why not try bringing them to a groomer?

If you want more information on how to do this and other dog grooming basics, check out the video linked below:

Whether or not dogs dream isn’t known with scientific certainty, but it sure is difficult to imagine that they don’t. We’ve all watched our dogs demonstrate behaviours in their sleep that resemble what they do in a fully awake state. Paddling legs, whining, growling, wagging tails, chewing jowls, and twitching noses inspire us to wonder what our dogs are dreaming about.

What we know about dogs and dreams

While our knowledge on this topic is very limited, the following known information helps us believe that dogs do indeed experience dreams. According to MIT News, Matthew Wilson, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Kenway Louie, a graduate student in 2001,  have studied the relationships between memory, sleep and dreams. They found that when rats were trained to run along a circular track for food rewards, their brains created a distinctive firing pattern of neurons (brain cells). The researchers repeated the brain monitoring while the rats were sleeping. Low and behold, they observed the same signature brain activity pattern associated with running whether the rats were awake or asleep. In fact, the memories played at approximately the same speed during sleep as when the rats were awake.

Can we apply this to dogs?

Can we take what is known about dreaming in rats and humans and apply the information to dogs? Wilson believes that we can.”My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing,” he said, according to USA Today’s website.

You might also like:  5 Questions About Dogs You’ve Always Wanted To Know

It is known that the hippocampus, the portion of the brain that collects and stores memories, is wired much the same way in all mammals. According to healthday.com, Professor Wilson says, “If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces.” He believes that as dogs sleep, images of past events replay in their minds, much the same way people recall experiences while dreaming.

In people, it is known that most dreams occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, according to the National Institutes of Health. Dogs also experience periods of REM sleep. Psychology Today’s website says that during REM their breathing becomes more irregular and shallow. There may be muscle twitching during REM and, when one looks closely, rapid eye movements behind closed eyelids can often be observed. It is during REM sleep that behaviours thought to be associated with dreaming (legs paddling, twitching, vocalizing, etc.) are most commonly observed.

What we want to believe about dog dreams

When we observe our dogs as they sleep, it’s just about impossible to imagine that they are not dreaming. Just like the rats studied by Wilson and Louie, it is tempting to believe that our four-legged best buddies are reenacting their recent experiences; playing at the dog park, sniffing in the woods, chewing on a treasured bone, and chasing squirrels.

You might also like:  HOW TO REMOVE AND PREVENT TICKS

The National Institutes of Health says that Sigmund Freud theorized that dreaming was a “safety valve” for our unconscious desires. Perhaps he is correct, and, when our dogs sleep, they dream about catching the neighbour’s pesky cat, continuous belly rubs in conjunction with unlimited dog treats, and stealing the Thanksgiving turkey from the dining room table.

If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.

Did you know that some authorities feel that 1 out of every 100 dogs that reach 12 years of age develops diabetes mellitus?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a hormonal problem where the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps push sugar (“glucose”) into the body’s cells. Without the insulin, the body’s cells are starving for sugar; unfortunately, this then stimulates the body to produce more and more sugar (in an attempt to feed the cells). That’s why your dog’s blood sugar is so high (what we call a “hyperglycemia”) with diabetes mellitus.

Without insulin, the sugar can’t get into the cells; hence, why you need to give insulin to your dog with a tiny syringe twice a day. In dogs, this is a disease that can be costly to treat and requires twice-a-day insulin along with frequent veterinary visits for the rest of your dog’s life.

So how do you know if your dog has diabetes? Clinical signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urination
• Urinary accidents in the house
• Dilute urine
• Overweight or obese
• Muscle wasting
• Ravenous appetite
• Frequent urinary tract infections
• Weakness
• Unkempt or poor hair coat
• Blindness secondary to cataracts
• Neuropathies (nerve problems)

As your dog gets older, it’s worth talking to your veterinarian about doing routine blood work to make sure your dog is healthy. This blood work will help rule out kidney and liver problems, anaemia, infections, electrolyte problems and diabetes mellitus. The sooner you recognize the clinical signs, the sooner your dog can be treated with insulin and the fewer complications we see as a result.

So, if you notice any of the signs above, get to a veterinarian right away. Now, continue on for 5 important reasons to test your dog for diabetes:

1. Your dog will live longer

Diabetes mellitus can shorten the lifespan of your dog, as secondary complications and infections can occur. With diabetes, the body is immunosuppressed and more likely to develop diabetic complications which cause long term harm to your dog.

2. Your dog will be able to see

Did you know that the majority of dogs with diabetes eventually go blind from cataracts? Even in well-controlled diabetic dogs, the excess sugar in the body can have secondary effects on the lens of the eye; it causes more water to influx into the lens, which disrupts the clearness of the lens. As a result, cataract formation occurs, resulting in eventual blindness and secondary inflammation in both eyes. While cataract surgery can (and ideally, should) be performed, it can be costly.

3. You’ll save a lot of money

Treatment for diabetes mellitus includes twice-a-day insulin treatment, insulin syringes, prescription diets, and frequent veterinary trips for blood tests. Also, as diabetic dogs can’t go without their insulin, it may mean hiring house sitters or pet sitters to treat your pet while you are on vacation.

You might also like:  How to Trim A Dog’s Nails (A Step by Step Guide)

4. You’ll have fewer urinary accidents in the house

One of the biggest signs of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus is excessive drinking, urination and having urinary accidents in the house. Because of hyperglycemia, dogs are also at increased risk for urinary tract infections, wreaking havoc on your carpet. The sooner you can treat your dog with insulin and get diabetes controlled or regulated, the less your dog will drink and urinate, making your dog more comfortable too!

5. You’ll have more peace knowing that your dog is healthy

As a veterinarian and dog owner, I want to make sure my dog is as healthy as possible. You might already be talking with your veterinarian about vaccines each year in a dog that is older than 7 years of age; next, talk to your veterinarian about doing an annual exam and routine blood work too. It’ll pick up on medical problems sooner, so you can rest assured that your dog is going to live a longer, happier, healthier life!

Having a diabetic pet is also a big commitment, as it requires dedicated pet parents who can give twice-a-day injections of insulin. Caring for a diabetic dog does require frequent trips to the veterinarian to regulate blood sugar. That said, dogs can live with diabetes for years with appropriate care and treatment. When in doubt, make sure to monitor your dog carefully for the signs of diabetes, and seek veterinary attention sooner rather than later to help test for this ever-growing problem!

The post The Heartworm: A Traveler We Don’t Want appeared first on The Petster.

While this may seem minor, it is vital to recognize symptoms and determine the reasons for dog constipation. In addition, it’s important to know your pet’s symptoms because they can’t communicate.

Your dog may poop 1–4 times every day, depending on the breed.

Food digests faster in dogs since it flows directly into their colon; they go immediately after eating.

Generally, dogs defecate once or twice each day; however, this might vary depending on their nutrition. The average dog goes two days (48 hours) without pooping. However, if your dog hasn’t pooped in the last 24 hours, you shouldn’t worry.

Without pooping, dogs can spend up to 48 hours, but if it persists for more than 48-72 hours, they are most likely constipated.

If they don’t stop constipating, you should have taken them to the veterinarian and begun examining the cause of their constipation.

If your dog cannot poop for longer than two days, you must determine the source of constipation. This issue could result in anus infection or perhaps megacolon, necessitating surgery.

Constipation in dogs can be resolved by various factors, including nutritional, lifestyle, and potty training adaptations. In addition, there are different things you can do, like the following:

1. Ensure that they have access to appropriate safe drinking water all the time. Lack of water affects stool solidification.
2. Feeding your pet a diet high in bran can help them avoid constipation. This is a stool softener for dogs. It is a great way to help them get rid of their waste.
3. Canned pumpkin may help relieve constipation symptoms and treat its causes. The high fiber and water content aid in stimulating the dog’s feces. Beta-carotene and other nutrients are also present.
4. Allow a veterinarian to administer an enema to your dog. This can assist in removing the clogs and trapping waste. Remember, don’t try this at home. It would help if you only trusted a veterinarian with the health of your dog’s family.
5. Your dog’s colon can be lubricated with mineral oil and high-fiber food, or you can give it Benefiber or Laxatone.
6. Metamucil may be used in more effective treatment strategies. This increases the amount of water in the stool, which helps prevent hard stool production.
7. To alleviate your pet’s stress, give him a little more attention.
8. The best aspect is that all of this can be done from the convenience of one’s home. So, you do not need to bring your dogs to the veterinarian while using these procedures.

Yes, minor constipation in dogs can be treated at home if no other symptoms exist. You can try these home treatments if they haven’t pooped in over 48 hours.

1. To get things moving, you should serve your dog pumpkin as the first stage of the process. The high fiber content of canned pumpkins aids in the bulking up of bowel movements, which aids in the removal of fecal waste.
2. Additionally, you can combine their regular meal with mineral oil to lubricate the colon and stimulate poop excretion. Additionally, ensure that your pooch gets enough physical activity.
3. The more exercise they receive, the more easily they will poop. Make sure to provide them with lots of water throughout the process.
4. Finally, it would be best to ensure that your dog’s diet has sufficient fiber. If their typical diet is deficient in fiber, they should change. Consult your veterinarian for recommendations on high-fiber foods and fiber supplements for your dog.

As a rule, most healthy dogs will poop one or two times a day. However, depending on their nutrition and activity level, some dogs can poop up to 4 times each day.

Despite this, dogs can spend up to 48 hours without pooping. So there is no reason to be concerned if they don’t pass any fees for two days.

As long as it doesn’t go on for more than one week, it would help if you were concerned. If left untreated, constipation can lead to major health problems like colitis, UTIs, and bladder blockages in dogs.

Take your dog for a stroll and allow plenty of exercise if he’s over-pooping. This may assist in stabilizing conditions causing your dog’s excessive pooping.

When your dog’s intestines get inflamed, the cause could be roundworms, hookworms, or giardia. Either of the basic steps should be effective in resolving the over-pooping problem:

• Avoid providing additional snacks, particularly human meals, after meals.
• If you are looking for a new brand of dog food for your dog, consider altering the proportions of mixing up the food in the bowl. Soon, your dog will be used to the new product and poop normally.
• If you believe that he is suffering from emotional stress, you should encourage him to exercise more. Swimming is an excellent alternative.
• If a parasite infection results in diarrhea, a veterinarian may recommend medicine or homemade dog meals.
• Reduce your dog’s excrement with food that is roughly 80% digestible. Even better, don’t feed too much fiber to avoid over-pooping.

Constipation in dogs has numerous symptoms, but the following three are the most important.

1. Constipation can cause your dog to strain while pooping.
2. If their excrement is only small balls of hard substance, this is also an indication.
3. Finally, if they cry or whine while attempting to pass their excrement, this may indicate constipation. There may be something wrong with the dog if they drag their butt around the carpet and lick it.

Consult your veterinarian when your dog is suffering from constipation. Constipation in dogs can cause the following symptoms:

• Crouching or discomfort when going to eliminate
• Dry, hard stools that feel like stones
• Eliminating small amounts of feces combined with mucous or blood
• Grass, string, excrement, and other items in the butt
• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Appetite loss

However, you should be aware that strain and discomfort might also be associated with other disorders.

When treating constipation in your dog, you must contact your veterinarian. Remember that constipation can be an indication of a more serious issue. You should call the vet rather than always treat your pet at home. Additionally, constipation in dogs might be indicative of a severe illness such as:

• Infection of the urinary tract
• Colitis
• Bladder blockage
• Obstruction of the anorectal duct

Dogs may have difficulty pooping for a variety of reasons. Their diet may be deficient in fiber.

• Insufficient water intake – resulting in dehydration
• Antihistamines and diuretics — prevent water retention
• Prostate cancer or an enlargement of the prostate gland
• Problems with lymph node development
• Tumors, mostly in the colon or anal area, resulting in abscesses.
• Hip dysplasia causes back and hips pain.
• Insufficient dietary fiber
• There is a lack of physical activity.
• An infestation of worms
• Matted hair blocking the anus
• Kidney disease
• Hernia
• Disorders of the central nervous system
• Anxiety or stress
• Hyperthyroidism

They may have enlarged prostate or anal glands. They may be dehydrated and lacking in physical activity. They may be suffering from the adverse effects of medication.

When your dog goes more than 48 hours without pooping, bacteria and parasite from the digestive system (colon) will migrate deeper. This could have a detrimental effect on dogs suffering from sepsis and risk their life.

To prevent constipation in dogs, provide them with a diet high in fiber. This eliminates the necessity for liquid feces, diarrhea, and the use of a laxative chemical that promotes bowel movement.

Although a dog may go two days without pooping, making this a routine could harm your dog’s health and well-being. Try to alleviate this discomfort to avoid prolonged constipation, also called obstipation. The following issues may develop as a disease, infection, or other body discomforts.

Chronic intestinal irritation occurs as a result of inflammatory bowel disease. The inflammation causes extreme pain and a significant loss of appetite. Even worse, it causes frequent vomiting, smelly feces, and excessive lethargy in the dog.

Providing your dog with a hydrolyzed diet will help improve this situation. A veterinarian would supplement this diet with small beef, chicken, lamb, and other meats.

If you do not exhibit appropriate attention and care, you will begin to detect indicators of a rapidly declining body and bones. This may result in bone damage, putting your pet at risk of developing hip, leg, or back problems.

Hypothyroidism indicates constipation in any dog, regardless of age, size, or breed—hypothyroidism results in hair loss, dry skin coat, strain, and cold intolerance. As a result of this problem, your dog may go for up to 48 hours without pooping!

The thyroid spread can cause a variety of abnormalities in many organs in different breeds. You can help prevent the spread of symptoms by incorporating mineral oil that contains iodine. Your dog’s diet should also include kelp, shellfish, and seaweed.

The prostatic disease is usually correlated to a dog’s prostate gland. Over time, it can lead to the point of becoming a urinary tract infection (or colitis). It can cause significant disruption to your dog’s regular activities. This may cause excessive straining to defecate or urinate. This disease may also necessitate a change in your pet’s lifestyle.

Experts recommend abdominal workouts and anti-inflammatory medications. Choosing the right canned dog food can also help control prostatic disease-induced constipation in dogs.

Pain medicines such as opioids are beneficial in the case of significant muscle stress, tumor growth, intestinal mucous clusters, or difficult feces passage. However, this may cause constipation in dogs. A veterinarian can help you choose meals that are less likely to cause constipation in your pet.

There are various things you do to help your dog’s digestive system remain healthy in the long run. First, feed them a diet appropriate for their size, type, and way of life.

Maintain your dog’s hydration by providing them with plenty of water. Some extra fiber might be good for them if they have much constipation. You may even need to consider adding canned food to your diet to increase fluid consumption.

Every 6-12 months, your dog should be examined for worms by a veterinarian.

Generally, dogs can spend 1 – 2 days without pooping. However, suppose they haven’t pooped in 3 days or have abdominal discomfort. If this is the case, this is important to take action. You can consider a few home treatments first, but you should seek assistance from your local veterinarian if the condition does not improve. Among the home remedies are the following:

• Feed canned pumpkins to assist them in pooping.
• Supplement their food with mineral oil for added lubrication.
• Get them for regular exercise.
• Keep them hydrated.
• Make sure they get adequate fiber in their diet.

When you see the veterinarian, they try to find the source of your constipation, as this is where the treatment will come from. There are different methods to resolve this issue.

• Your veterinarian may prescribe Laxatives or stool softeners.
• You may get medication that strengthens your dog’s intestine’s ability to contract.
• You may be requested to supplement your dog’s diet with fiber-rich products such as wheat bran and canned pumpkin.
• You may need to increase your dog’s regular activities.
• Your dog may require a professional enema.
• If your dog has an abscess, your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics to treat it.

According to some veterinarians, fixing your dog’s food may be the best option. But, unfortunately, that means no medicines for you.

Additionally, this aids in the treatment of severe bowel issues. Ask your vet about the best food for your dog based on their age, breed, and overall health.

Examining your dog’s poop is similar to checking your child’s poop. This is the best way to ensure that they are in good health.

First of all, you’re a terrible dog owner, and your pet is in danger because of it. It is vital to understand your dog’s breed and not ignore anything that appears to be a serious health problem.

Without relief, your dog may develop constipation. Because of this, the feces in your dog’s colon will swell, and they will become quite ill.

Additionally, it may cause lethargy, loss of appetite, and maybe vomiting. All of these factors are harmful to your dog’s health and necessitate the need for medical treatment.

The post How Long Can a Dog Go Without Pooping? appeared first on The Petster.

But what many people don’t know is that humans and dogs share many genetic similarities – including a predisposition to age-related cancer. This means that many of the things humans can do to be healthier and longer lived may also work for dogs.

Here are just a few ways that you might help your dog live a longer, healthier life.

1. Watch their waistline

One factor that’s repeatedly linked with longevity across a range of species is maintaining a healthy bodyweight. That means ensuring dogs aren’t carrying excess weight, and managing their calorie intake carefully. Not only will a lean, healthy bodyweight be better for your dog in the long term, it can also help to limit the impact of certain health conditions, such as osteoarthritis.

Carefully monitor and manage your dog’s body weight through regular weighing or body condition scoring – where you look at your dog’s physical shape and “score” them on a scale to check whether they’re overweight, or at a healthy weight. Using both of these methods together will allow you to identify weight changes and alter their diet as needed.

You might also like:  My dog ​​barks a lot, how can I entertain him?

Use feeding guidelines as a starting point for how much to feed your dog, but you might need to change food type or the amount you feed to maintain a healthy weight as your dog gets older, or depending on how much activity they get. Knowing exactly how much you are feeding your dog is also a crucial weight-management tool – so weigh their food rather than scooping it in by eye.

More generally, good nutrition can be linked to a healthy ageing process, suggesting that what you feed can be as important as how much you feed. “Good” nutrition will vary for each dog, but be sure to look for foods that are safe, tasty and provide all the nutrients your dog needs.

2. Plenty of walks

Exercise has many physiological and psychological benefits, both for our dogs (and us). Physical activity can help to manage a dog’s bodyweight, and is also associated with anti-ageing effects in other genetically similar species.

While exercise alone won’t increase your dog’s lifespan, it might help protect you both from carrying excess bodyweight. And indeed, research suggests that “happy” dog walks lead to both happy dogs and people.

3. Teach them new tricks

Ageing isn’t just physical. Keeping your dog’s mind active is also helpful. Contrary to the popular adage, you can teach old dogs new tricks – and you might just keep their brain and body younger as a result.

You might also like:  Discover how to make homemade toys for dogs and cats

Even when physical activity might be limited, explore alternative low-impact games and pursuits, such as scentwork that you and your dog can do together. Using their nose is an inherently rewarding and fun thing for dogs to do, so training dogs to find items by scent will exercise them both mentally and physically

Other exercise such as hydrotherapy – a type of swimming exercise – might be a good option – especially for dogs who have conditions which affect their ability to exercise as normal.

4. Bonding

Like many companion animals, dogs develop a clear attachment to their caregivers. The human-dog bond likely provides companionship – and often, dog lovers describe them as a family member.

A stable caregiver-dog bond can help maintain a happy and mutually beneficial partnership between you and your dog. It can also help you recognise subtle changes in your dog’s behaviour or movement that might signal potential concerns.

Where there is compatability between caregiver and dog, this leads to a better relationship – and even benefits for owners, too, including stress relief and exercise. Sharing positive, fun experiences with your dog, including playing with them, are great for cementing your bond.

5. Don’t skip vet visits

Modern veterinary medicine has seen substantial improvements in preventing and managing health concerns in dogs. Successful vaccination and parasite management programmes have effectively reduced the incidence of disease in both dogs and humans – including toxocariasis, which can be transmitted from dog faeces to humans, and rabies, which can be transmitted dog-to-dog or dog-to-human.

You might also like:  3 “Silent” Killers of Cats

Having a good relationship with your vet will allow you to tailor treatments and discuss your dog’s needs. Regular health checks can also be useful in identifying any potential problems at a treatable stage – such as dental issues or osteoarthritis – which can cause pain and negatively impact the dog’s wellbeing.

At the end of the day, it’s a combination of our dog’s genetics and the environment they live in that impacts their longevity. So while we can’t change their genetics, there are many things we can do to improve their health that may just help them live a longer, healthier life.

Every few weeks, my exotic pet hospital in New York receives a call from a desperate exotic pet owner somewhere far away seeking advice about their sick pet. Sometimes it’s about a reptile, sometimes about a bird or bunny. The caller might be from the Midwest, Canada, or even from another continent. Unfortunately, in most cases, there is little we can recommend over the phone, and we generally advise pet-owner to take their animals to an exotic pet-savvy veterinarian to be examined. While there are several great resources online directing people to terrific local vets who are comfortable treating exotic species, for some people in certain remote locations, exotic pet veterinarians can be hard to find. What are the most important things to look for when you are seeking out care for an exotic pet vet? Here are 5 essential considerations:

1. How many (snakes, birds, ferrets, rabbits, whatever species) has this vet ever treated?

While the practice may not always make perfect, it certainly makes better. The more of any given species a veterinarian sees, the more likely that he or she is to recognize the disease and be able to recommend the appropriate treatment. Most vets receive little to no training in school on exotic animal species, so if they really want to learn about how to care for these animals, they have to seek out information on their own. These vets who take the initiative to go the extra mile to learn about exotic pets are the vets you’d want to see.

You might also like:  BARF diet for pets, is it good or dangerous?

2. Is the veterinary hospital set up to accommodate exotic pets?

While many cat and dog hospitals will see exotic pets, they often do so because they are the only game in town. Many cat and dog hospitals will only treat an exotic pet when no one else will, and the pet is really sick. You can really tell whether a veterinary hospital is set up to treat exotic pets if they have some of the basic equipment and supplies needed to do so, such as a small scale that weighs in grams for weighing little exotic pets or a tank for safely enclosing a reptile. If they have no equipment specifically designed for treating and examining typically smaller exotic patients, it is likely they don’t treat many of them.

3. Are the veterinary technicians comfortable handling exotic patients?

Knowing how to safely handle exotic pets is truly an art that takes years to master. Most exotic animals are prey species that become stressed when restrained. No matter how good a veterinarian may be at the medical care of exotic species, without great technical staff to comfortably hold these animals, that vet cannot perform great medical care. By just watching how veterinary technicians restrain and manipulate your exotic pet, you can get an idea about how often they actually handle exotic pets. Technicians and veterinarians trained in exotic pet restraint should be relaxed and have a plan on how to pick up and hold your pet. If they are floundering around trying to figure out how to catch your pet, their experience is very likely limited.

You might also like:  5 tips for taking care of your dog

4. Are the veterinarians and/or the veterinary staff members of any exotic pet professional organizations?

There are several professional exotic animal groups, such as the Association of Avian Veterinarians, the Association of Exotic Mammal Veterinarians, and the Association of Reptilian and Amphibian Veterinarians, to which many veterinarians who are interested in exotic pet care belong. These organizations provide continuing education to veterinary professionals, and typically, individuals who want to remain knowledgeable in exotic pet care will join one or more of these groups to stay current. Veterinarians who belong to these groups typically display the organization’s logo on a decal in their hospitals’ window or printed on their hospitals’ client literature. Each of these organizations have websites, too, that list current members geographically. If a vet has taken the time and money to join any of these organizations, then he or she at least has a strong interest in exotic pets.

5. Does the veterinary hospital provide care for exotic pet emergencies?

This is something most exotic pet owners don’t think about until they are faced with their own pets’ emergency. While a few animal hospitals have veterinarians on call and technicians who remain in the hospital overnight to care for critical cases, the most veterinary hospitals are not open 24/7 but have arrangements with local 24-hour emergency clinics to care for their patients overnight and on emergency basis. However, while local emergency clinics are generally happy to take in dog and cat emergencies, they are not always equipped to handle exotic pet emergencies. When choosing an animal hospital to care for your unique exotic pet, be sure to ask the veterinary staff exactly how they handle exotic pet patients with emergencies after hours. If they have no contingency plan, they likely treat very few exotics. Just as your dog and cat vet should have a plan for after-hours emergencies, so should your exotic pet vet. This is perhaps the most important question to consider when choosing a doctor for your beloved pet. Don’t be afraid to ask it. The answer could be the difference between life and death.

When it comes to caring for your cat, I have a few simple recommendations:

• Maintain a safe environment (keep him indoors)
• Feed a high-quality food (e.g., a meat-based protein)
• Think about preventive care (e.g., an annual physical examination, laboratory tests, and the appropriate vaccines)
• Provide lots of affection and exercise

By following these basic tips, you can help keep your four-legged, feline friends healthy–potentially for decades! But as cat guardians, you should also be aware of five “silent” killers in cats. By knowing what the most common silent killers are, you can know what clinical signs to look for. With most of these diseases, the sooner the clinical signs are recognized, the sooner we veterinarians can treat them.

1. Chronic kidney disease

One of the top silent killers of cats is chronic kidney disease (CKD) (This is sometimes called a chronic renal failure or chronic kidney injury). These terms are all semantically the same, and basically mean that 75% of both the kidneys are ineffective and not working. Clinical signs of CRD include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive urinating
• Larger clumps in the litter box
• Weight loss
• Bad breath (due to toxins building up in the blood and causing ulcers in the mouth, oesophagus, and stomach)
• Lethargy
• Hiding

Thankfully, with appropriate management, cats can live with CKD for years (unlike dogs where CKD usually progresses more rapidly). Chronic management may include a low-protein diet, frequent blood work, increasing water intake (e.g., with a water fountain or by feeding a gruelling canned food), medications and even fluids under the skin (which many pet guardians do at home, once properly trained).

You might also like:  THE HOOKED WORM: WHEN CURIOSITY BETRAYS THEM

2. Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism is an endocrine disease where the thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone. This is seen in middle-aged to geriatric cats and can result in very similar clinical signs to chronic kidney disease including:

• Excessive thirst
• Increased water consumption/urination
• Vomiting/diarrhoea
• Weight loss

However, as hyperthyroidism increases the metabolism of cats, it causes one defining sign: a ravenous appetite despite weight loss. It can also result in:

• A racing heart rate
• Severe hypertension (resulting in acute blood loss, neurologic signs, or even a clot or stroke)
• Secondary organ injury (e.g., a heart murmur or changes to the kidney)

Thankfully, treatment for hyperthyroidism is very effective and includes either a medication (called methimazole, surgical removal of the thyroid glands (less commonly done), a special prescription diet called y/d® Feline Thyroid Health) or I131 radioiodine therapy. With hyperthyroidism, the sooner you treat it, the fewer potential side effects or organ damage will occur in your cat.

3. Diabetes mellitus

Another costly, silent killer that affects cats is diabetes mellitus (DM). As many of our cats are often overweight to obese, they are at a greater risk for DM. With diabetes, the pancreas fails to secrete adequate amounts of insulin (Type I DM) or there is resistance to insulin (Type II DM). Insulin is a natural hormone that drives sugar (i.e., blood glucose) into the cells. As a result of the cells starving for glucose, the body makes more and more glucose, causing hyperglycemia (i.e., high blood sugar) and many of the clinical signs seen with DM. Common clinical signs for DM are similar to those of Chronic kidney disease and hyperthyroidism and include:

• Excessive urination and thirst
• Larger clumps in the litter box
• An overweight or obese body condition with muscle wasting (especially over the spine or back) or weight loss
• A decreased or ravenous appetite
• Lethargy or weakness
• Vomiting
• Abnormal breath (e.g., acetone breath)
• Walking abnormally (e.g., lower to the ground)

You might also like:  5 tips for taking care of your dog

Treatment for DM can be costly, as it requires twice-a-day insulin injections that you have to give under the skin. It also requires changes in diet (to a high protein, low carbohydrate diet), frequent blood glucose monitoring, and frequent veterinary visits. With supportive care and chronic management, cats can do reasonably well; however, once diabetic complications develop (e.g., diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar, hyperglycemic syndrome), DM can be life-threatening.

If your cat or dog is coughing, the good news is that it’s probably not due to COVID-19. Experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)  and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) agree that COVID-19 is predominantly a human illness, and it’s unlikely for pets to be infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. There are many types of viruses that can make cats or dogs sick. So, your veterinarian will check your pet to make sure that the symptoms aren’t being caused by a more common virus or other health problem.

Opinions about testing pets for COVID-19 are changing as we learn more about the virus and cases around the world. Public health authorities and veterinarians are working together to determine if an animal should be tested. Right now, there’s no evidence that dogs or cats can spread the virus to people. But there is growing evidence that in rare cases people may be able to infect animals. In the past month, two dogs and a cat in Hong Kong, a cat in Belgium, and a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City were found to have been infected. In each situation, there was exposure to a COVID-19 positive person.

If your cat or dog is sick, the best thing to do is speak with your veterinarian. Be sure to let them know if your pet has been exposed to anyone who has COVID-19. Your veterinarian will let you know what to do and will work with public health authorities to determine if a test is recommended.

The post Five Ways to Help Your Dog Live a Longer, Healthier Life appeared first on The Petster.