Roland Jefferson asked:

When a new dog is brought home for the first time, the pet is usually greeted with all the comforts that will make up their new home. In addition to new food dishes and shiny toys, there’s usually a bed along with a new collar and leash waiting. For those that aren’t familiar with raising a new puppy or dog, things like dog training leads will usually be overlooked.

Before You Buy

Before a dog owner decides to run out and buy a dog training lead, there are a number of things that should be considered. Firstly, the breed along with their weight and height are the most important aspect. If you try to use a dog training lead that isn’t heavy or strong enough for your dog’s breed and weight, the lead simply will not do its job, therefore leaving you back at square one.

Another thing to consider before purchasing a dog training lead is to decide what style would best suit you and your needs. For example, if you live in a remote area that doesn’t have a lot of streets and traffic to deal with, a British style dog training lead would work perfectly for you. On the other hand, a traffic dog training lead would work best for a dog and owner that lives a city life!

Where to Buy

When it comes time to purchase your dog training lead, the best way to do this is to visit your local pet supply store or dog training facility. By visiting a local expert, you’ll have the opportunity to ask as many questions as you can come up with, which in turn will help the expert pick up the dog training lead that best suits you.

If you prefer to shop on the Internet, the first thing you’ll need to do is write down a list of questions to get answers to by searching the web. If you can’t find enough information, call a veterinarian or trainer. They’ll be able to point you in the right direction. Finally, you’ll want the best deal on the lead that you want, so make sure to comparison shop. Just remember that shopping at websites you have heard of and trust is always the safest way to do business online.

After You Buy

You’ll want to make sure the dog training lead you own is always in great working order. Before using the lead, always check to make sure there are no strains or rips in the lead at any point. You’ll want to make sure the dog isn’t outgrowing the lead by putting your fingers between your dog and the lead after it’s put on, to make sure it’s not too snug.

If you ever have any doubts about the safety of the dog training lead you use, contact a professional that can attend to your concerns.

Bichon Frise

Madeleine Innocent asked:

Lets face it, fleas aren’t most people’s favourite animal. They irritate the skin, they bite and they leave their eggs (white specks) and their poo (black specks) in your dogs fur.

There are various home remedies for killing fleas, some good, some bad, some indifferent. But all of them, including those you buy from your veterinarian, are highly toxic and do far more harm than good.

Flea collars, flea sprays, flea spot-on, flea powders, they’re all toxic to us. Read the label if you don’t believe me.

So what does that mean for your dog? They have it put directly onto their skin, where it is quickly absorbed into their body.

Environmental Protection Agency has reported an alarming increase in the number of adverse incidents from anti flea and tick products. These can vary from mild effects such as skin irritation to more serious effects such as seizures and in some cases death.

Over 44,000 potential incidents associated with registered spot-on products were reported to EPA in 2008. And I doubt that is half the real number of total adverse reactions. Many people just don’t report these incidents or don’t even see them to report them.

If your dog is kept outside or you’re away, you would not necessarily notice a reaction.

According to the EPA the following companies products represent about 80% of the reported adverse reactions.

Promeris, Frontline, RF, Zodiac, Farnam Companies, The Hartz Mountain Group, Sergeant’s, Tradewinds.

But that doesn’t mean the others aren’t safe, just perhaps less hazardous.

So what can you do to control fleas? Are there any natural and effective home remedies for killing fleas?

Before we go there, I can never really understand why the cause of problems aren’t looked at. Why produce a toxic product to kill off a parasite without looking at why the parasite is there in the first place? Aren’t humans meant to be intelligent?

Or is the profit motive so strong, every other voice is drowned out?

You might think that dogs and fleas go together. That’s just nature’s way.

Well, I’m telling you that it isn’t nature’s way. Wild dogs may well have the odd flea, but they don’t have the infestation that you see with untreated domestic dogs.

Wild dogs don’t have access to any home remedies for killing fleas. It’s a bizarre thought.

So what could be the answer?

The answer lies in the daily habits of domestic dogs which is totally different from that of wild dogs.

Their diet!

Commercial pet food is to blame for the vast majority of flea infestations. Why would you need home remedies for killing fleas, when you can stop the infestation from happening in the first place? And so easily.

Once you get your head around the idea of feeding your dog a natural diet, you and your dog’s flea problem will disappear.

Forget about home remedies for killing fleas. Because none of them get to the cause of the problem, they can’t be effective indefinitely, even if some are initially.

reference – Truth about Petfood

Healthy Dog Recipes

Mitch Endick asked:

Dogs and puppies can pass germs, diseases and worms on to people, but it does not occur often. There are certain precautions that you can take to help prevent this from happening. First and foremost, make sure that the dog or puppy you are playing with looks healthy. Do not touch or contact an obviously sick dog. Make sure that your personal dog has regular check ups and is checked for worms by your veterinarian. Look for obvious signs of disease such as spots missing fur on your dog. Hot spots or places that your dog keeps chewing or biting at can be another sign of infection.

One of the best lines of defense from getting sick from contact with a dog is to wash your hands well, especially with anti-bacterial soap. After dog or puppy contact, keep your hands away from your face, especially your mouth. Do not eat finger foods after dog contact until you can wash. Do not let your dog lick you on your face. Try not to have contact with dog saliva, urine or dog feces.

Dogs and puppies can carry a fair variety of bacteria, parasites, fungus and worms. Some of these are fairly common in dogs and others are quite rare. Some people are more likely than others to catch these diseases. Some of the factors associated with catching the diseases depend upon the persons age and status of their health. People who are more likely to get diseases from dogs include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS, and people being treated for cancer.

The following diseases may be carried by dogs:

Brucella canis Infection (brucellosis): A bacterial disease rarely associated with dogs.

Campylobacter Infection (campylobacteriosis): A bacterial disease associated with dogs, cats, and farm animals. If your dog has diarrhea, you may want to consult with your veterinarian, as this disease may be the culprit and it is passable to humans. If you develop symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and/or nausea, contact your physician. Be sure to inform him or her of your pet and if it is ill.

Cryptosporidium (cryptosporidiosis): A parasitic disease associated with dogs, especially puppies, cats, and farm animals. Animals can carry this parasite in their feces and pass it to people. Animals do not have to be ill to pass Cryptosporidium to humans, they may just carry the disease. This disease usually causes a mild to severe infection of the gastrointestinal system, including watery diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, nausea, and vomiting.

Dipylidium Infection (tapeworm): A parasitic disease associated with dogs, cats and fleas. Fleas carry the tapeworm and the dog must swallow the flea (which may easily happen during grooming) to allow the tapeworms to hatch and grown in the dog. For a person to become infected with Dipylidium, or tapeworm, he or she must accidentally swallow an infected flea. Most reported cases involve children. The risk of infection with this tapeworm in humans is low.

Giardia Infection (giardiasis): A parasitic disease associated with various animals, including dogs and their environment (including water). The Giardia parasite lives in the intestine of infected humans or animals. Millions of germs can be released in a bowel movement from an infected human or animal. Giardia is found in soil, food, water, or surfaces that have been contaminated with the feces from infected humans or animals.

Hookworm Infection: A parasitic disease associated with dogs and cats and their environment. Puppies and kittens are especially likely to have hookworm infections. Animals that are infected pass hookworm eggs in their stools. The eggs can hatch into larvae, and both eggs and larvae may be found in dirt where animals have been. Eggs or larvae can get into your body when you accidentally eat or have direct contact with contaminated dirt. For example, this can happen if a child is walking barefoot or playing in an area where dogs or cats have been.

Leishmania Infection (leishaniasis): A parasitic disease associated with dogs and sand flies outside the United States.

Leptospira Infection (leptospirosis): A bacterial disease associated with wild and domestic animals, including dogs. In people, the symptoms are often like the flu, but sometimes leptospirosis can develop into a more severe, life-threatening illness with infections in the kidney, liver, brain, lung, and heart.

Lyme Disease: A bacterial disease that can affect dogs and ticks. People get Lyme disease when they are bitten by ticks carrying B. burgdorferi, and this is in certain parts of the country.

Q Fever (Coxiella burnettii): A bacterial disease occasionally associated with dogs, but more often associated with sheep, cattle and goats, especially their birth products.

Rabies: A viral disease associated with various animals, including dogs. This is fairly rare in the US.

Ringworm: A fungal disease associated with dogs. Ringworm is transmitted from direct contact with an infected animal’s skin or hair. Dogs and cats, especially kittens or puppies, can have ringworm that can be passed to people.

Vet Secrets

Lee Dobbins asked:

Who doesn’t love the cute a cuddly pug dog?

They’re so adorable with their wrinkly faces and sweet personalities, but anyone thinking of adopting one should be aware of some serious pug health problems that affect the breed.

The Pugs flat face really makes him a cutie, but it’s also what causes some of his problems. For one, the shape of his face and placement of his eyes causes the eyes to “stick out” which can cause them to become ulcerated if they touch his food bowl or anything else for that matter. Luckily this isn’t a life threatening problem, just something you should watch for.

Another problem that has to do with the shape of the Pugs face is elongated soft palate. The soft palate is the soft skin at the back of your throat but in a pug it can stick out longer than it should and constrict the airway. This can cause the wheezing or funny breathing you hear in a lot of pugs and can also cause them to cough up food and snore pretty loudly. Luckily, this problem can be fixed with surgery.

Unfortunately, the other two pug health problems I want to talk about are a lot more serious in nature.

One of these is Pug Dog Encephalitis – a deadly disease. This is an inflammation of the brain and usually affects Pugs that are between 2 and 3 years of age. Unfortunately a lot is not known about this disease except that it is always fatal. A dog with this disease might have seizures or exhibit muscle weakness and have trouble walking. These symptoms are not unique to Pug Dog Encephalitis, though and you should definitely take your dog to a Veterinarian if he shows these symptoms.

The other is called hemi-vertebrae and is a defect that is present from birth. Although there is not a lot you can do about this and if your dog has it, you’ll likely have to put him to sleep, you can avoid adopting a dog with this as it’s presence can be revealed by an x-ray. What happens is that the vertebra do not grow properly causing an imbalance in the spine. As the dog grows, this imbalance puts pressure on the spine which can cause paralysis of the back legs.

These pug health problems are something anyone who is thinking of adopting a pug should consider. However, don’t let it weight too heavily as only a small percentage of Pugs will suffer these horrible problems.

Dog Food Dangers

One of todays most popular dog breeds is the Pug and anyone who is thinking about adding one to their family should become familiar with the specifics of pug dog health care.

This breed has been known to man for over three thousand years, and is a member of the AKC Toy group where it was first recognized in 1885. This breed is one of the most easily recognized with it’s flat wrinkly face, thickset body, and curly tail. Pugs generally weigh between 13 and 20 pounds and are about 10 to 14 inches tall.

This is one of the cutest dog breeds but some of the very things which make a pug so cute and adorable are also the very things that require a little bit of extra care in order to avoid some of the health problems specific to the breed.

First, there is the dog’s wrinkly skin. Unfortunately, your pug’s adorable skin folds are prone to infection — you must consult your veterinarian immediately at the first signs of infection. You should bathe and clean your pug regularly — particularly making sure you clean in between the wrinkles, removing any dirt or debris because that can cause bacteria build up (which could lead to infection).

Another factor which could cause pug dog health problems is its eyes. Because of its peculiar shape and location on the face, the pug’s eyes are not protected properly and are prone to injury and other problems. Look for any inflammation in the eye regularly and take the dog to the Vet immediately if you identify any problem in the surrounding area.

If allowed, pugs will eat to excess. Watch your pet’s food intake carefully to keep him at a healthy weight — being overweight could adversely affect a pets health as much as it would a person’s.

Pugs are very sensitive to heat and humidity, so don’t leave your dog outdoors without shade or locked in a car during the summer. An overheated pug can have a hard time breathing, so make sure that you don’t leave him anywhere where he might be subjected to high heat for any length of time.

Of course, like any dog, taking proper care of your pug and taking him to the vet for regular visits is the best way to insure good pug dog health. Take care of your pug responsibly and you’ll have your companion healthy and happy for many years to come.

By: Lee Dobbins

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Pug dogs have quite a historical background. They are one of the oldest breeds dating back to 400 BC. According to pug history, they originated in China. They came to America after the Civil War.

Before you make the decision to breed your pug, there are several things that you need to be aware of. Pugs can have problems both during pregnancy and delivery. Short nosed dogs tend to have certain birth defects common to their breed.

By the first of the fifth week, the female will began to show a little.

To determine a probable due date or to set a c section, count back 63 days from when your dog was bred. You will need to discuss dates with the veterinarian you are planning to use. Some vets like to schedule a planned surgery at 60 days. Sometime in pugs gestation can be shorter. As you approach your due date, watch your dog closely.

First signs of labor

The first signs of labor in a dog that is close to whelping are almost always obvious. They will become restless. In the second stage they will scratch at their beds, and bite at any piece of cloth at hand. In the third stage they will began to pant. Panting will increase in intensity until they began the last stage of pushing their puppies up the birth canal.

This is now the critical time of pug pregnancy for the breeder. Do not leave the dog for the rest of the whelping time.

The short nose prevents the female from getting the puppy out of the sac of fluid that it is born in. That water bag must be broken immediately or the puppy will suffocate in a very short time. Once you have the puppy in your hands, turn it upside down and clear the fluid from it nose by patting it on the back.

Have your whelping bed ready by having a heating pad covered with baby blankets. Puppies must be rubbed dry and kept very warm until they are a few days old.

Pugs are not always careful mothers, and they must be watched to make sure they do not get on a puppy.

Do I need a c-section

A large litter of eight or nine puppies is not uncommon in pug pregnancy. Labor can last for hours causing the female to become extremely weak and lethargic. When this happens, the female becomes too tired to push the puppies out of the birth canal. Feel for unborn puppies by running your hand down the dogs belly and sides. If it has been over an hour since the last pup was born, and the dog is lying still without pushing, it is time to call a veterinarian.

Feeding during pregnancy

A pregnant pug should be fed a good quality puppy food with good protein content. As a supplement to puppy food, alternate daily between a boiled egg and one half cup of cottage cheese for about two weeks before the puppies are born. Give the pregnant dog a good vitamin.

By: Candis Reade

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Dog Grooming

In recent years, one of the most popular dog breeds has been the Pug. Prior to bringing a Pug dog home, you must realize that it will require special care. This breed has long been a recognized one, and is a member of the AKC Toy group where it was initially recognized in 1885. The Pug’s flat and wrinkly face, along with its thick body and curly tail, make it a breed which is easy to recognize. The standard size for a Pug runs from 10 to 14 inches high and weighs between 13 to 20 pounds. Although these dogs are adorable in their own way, an owner has to be aware of special health concerns in this breed.

Starting with the folds in the skin, you must carefully inspect between them for any sign of infection. This happens regularly in Pugs. Any infection should be immediately treated by your veterinarian. Consistently scheduled baths to remove excess dirt from between the skin folds will help to prevent skin infections. Not bathing between the wrinkles can cause bacteria build up which could lead to infection.

Overeating is a problem with many Pugs. Keeping your Pug at a healthy weight by watching its’ food intake is important. Being overweight can be detrimental to them in the same way that it can be for humans. Heat can bother a Pug tremendously, so make sure there is ample shade available if left outside. As with any living thing, they should never be left in a car during the summer. High temperatures can cause difficulty in breathing in Pugs, so you should not leave them exposed to high temperatures.

Another place a Pug manifests health concerns is their eyes. The special shape of a Pug’s face and the location of its’ eyes are generally the cause of many eyesight problems. Consistently checking should alert you to any immediate inflammation in the eye. Any signs of inflammation is a signal to get your dog to the vet right away.

Going to the vet when needed and providing basic pet care are the best ways to keep your Pug in good health. For those that are responsible in their pet’s care, they can be rewarded with many years of companionship.

By: Debbie Foster

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Healthy Dog Recipes