Dog First Aid – DIY First Aid Kit

It’s a good idea to have a first aid kit at home and when you travel just in case you have an emergency with your pet. You can buy one and many courses have them included. Or you can just as easily make your own at home.

You want to be prepared for anything so get yourself a Tupperware storage bin and keep it in a safe place that is accessible to you but out of reach of curious young hands or paws.

Here are some essentials for your first aid kit:


• Pet first aid book
• Emergency Numbers
• Gauze
• Self-Adherent Bandages
• Digital Thermometer
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Eye dropper
• Blanket or a couple of old towels
• Paper Towels
• Wipes
• Pair of gloves
• Tick remover
• Scissors
• Tweezers
• Tongue Depressor
• Muzzle
• Vaseline
• Disinfectant Soap
• Cornstarch or Flour

Include any other items you can think of that might help you and your pet in the case of an emergency.

Stay tuned for a series of articles to help guide you through different situations with your dog.

New Test for Cats and Dogs May Catch Kidney Disease Earlier

 

What heart disease is for humans, kidney disease is for pets – a leading cause of suffering and death. In their lifetime, over 1 in 3 cats and 1 in 10 dogs will get kidney disease. And as pets get older, the likelihood they will develop kidney disease increases. In fact, more than half of cats over age 15 are afflicted. Until recently, veterinarians could not detect kidney disease until very late stages, when the kidneys have lost most of their function permanently. At this point, effective treatment options are limited.
Now IDEXX SDMA, a breakthrough new test that screens for kidney disease, changes that. Available to all veterinarians in the U.S., Canada and Europe via IDEXX Reference Laboratories, the IDEXX SDMA kidney test can detect this serious disease months to years earlier, when there is still time to do something about it. This is fantastic news, especially for our long suffering feline friends, as IDEXX SDMA can detect kidney disease when much of a pet’s kidney function is still intact. This gives you and your veterinarian the chance to take action and give your pet the best shot for a healthy, happy, long life even with kidney disease.
Why should I ask my veterinarian about IDEXX SDMA?
You probably get your cholesterol tested every year to mitigate your risk of heart disease. If your cholesterol is too high, your doctor recommends a lifestyle plan. Similarly, annual SDMA screening is an opportunity for you and your veterinarian to understand your pet’s health more completely. If IDEXX SDMA levels are increased, your veterinarian can prescribe a plan that could help preserve your pet’s kidneys. As the health advocate for your furry family members, be sure to ask your veterinarian for IDEXX SDMA at your pet’s next checkup. (Learn more about IDEXX SDMA screening for cats.)
What are the signs of kidney disease?
It’s important to know that kidney disease has no visible signs early on, which is why IDEXX SDMA is so important. As a natural defense against predators, cats actually hide disease, even when it is advanced. So cats, that are suffering most from kidney disease, can appear normal. While this serves them in the wild, it makes it very difficult for you to even know they are sick. In later stages, symptoms often include increased thirst, increased urination and subtle weight loss. Since all of the above can also be signs of other diseases, IDEXX SDMA, together with other screening tests, can help identify or rule out kidney disease.

Why Does my Dog Lick So Much?

 

Dogs obviously cannot verbalize how they are feeling to us beyond perhaps a bit of whining or barking, and that’s pretty non-specific and really difficult to interpret. If you have a dog that licks a lot, you might be left wondering why.
There are situations where/what your dog is licking can give you a clue that something localized and specific is bothering him. If he is licking between his toes, for instance, it would be logical to check that area to see if there is a burr, a splinter or a sore that he is worrying. If he is licking his tail, or the base of his rump, you might consider a flea problem or an anal gland irritation. In addition, sometimes your dog licks your face in greeting or licks your arms just because.
But, what does it mean if you don’t see any logical reason for your dog to be licking and/or he is persistently licking – either himself or inanimate objects floors, carpets, toys or seemingly nothing at all?
Here are some of the reasons for dog licking:
1. Something hurts
This is not always something obvious, like the burr between his toes. It can be because of inflammation or infection in the skin, arthritis pain in a joint, or even a tingling or numb sensation for a nerve problem.
2. Nausea
If you think about it, when your stomach is upset you tend to get a bad taste in your mouth or you produce a bit of excess saliva that can make you swallow or lick your lips. The same is true for your dog, in which case any underlying disorder that produces nausea could cause your dog to lick a lot.
 

 

My Dog is Scared of Thunder

Thunderstorm anxiety is a difficult, and often frightening, problem for dog parents to handle. A dog afraid of thunder can have a variety of reactions, from mild to extreme. Dogs may pant, whine, bark, hide, tremble, pace, spin, scratch and/or paw at windows and doors, and may become extremely destructive and panicked to the point of hurting themselves. I remember my own sense of horror when we were driving cross country from Los Angeles to Pennsylvania and my shepherd mix became extremely anxious during a thunderstorm in Arizona, to the point where my husband and I had to take turns staying in the car with him at night because we couldn’t keep him in the hotel due to his terrified barking. We never realized he, at six years of age, was thunder-phobic since he lived all his life in an area where there really are no storms. So, I can deeply sympathize with the trauma that other dog guardians can feel when they find their dog suffers from thunderstorm phobia.
Dogs that suffer from thunderstorm phobia are often also sensitive to other loud noises such as fireworks and gun shots¹.  Studies have also found that breed, age, sex and acquisition of the dog can increase the likelihood a dog will suffer from this condition. Female dogs and neutered males are more likely to be thunder phobic, as well was dogs that were rehomed².  

6 Reasons Why My Cat Might Drool

Unlike some dogs, cats do not drool a great deal, and in fact, it sometimes goes unnoticed (unless we scratch their chins or find a small damp spot where they have been lying down).
There are a number of reasons why your cat might drool, and they tend to fall into three major categories:

• Pathologic conditions that result in inflammation, pain or an inability to swallow.
• Irritations that the cat is trying to “wash away”
• Emotional stimuli

Most drooling is intermittent and only involves a small amount of saliva. If your cat is drooling excessively it is a good time to have her examined by your veterinarian.  Some of these causes can be very serious, and early detection is always best.
1. Dental disease and cat drool
There are some conditions, like dental disease, that produce irritation of the mouth. In those cases drooling is an effort to remove or sooth the irritation in the mouth or throat. Dental disease is a common cause of excess drooling. As many as 85% of cats over 3 years of age have tooth or gum disease. The saliva that results may be blood tinged or smell unpleasant.

Check out, "10 Reasons Why You Should Take Care of Your Pet's Teeth."

Dogs With the Most Health Issues

Watching your best four-legged friend struggle is one of the most painful experiences a pet owner can go through.
 Despite all your tender, loving care, health issues could
plague the life of your dear pet. Such experiences can also take a toll on your wallet, with Americans spending nearly $16 billion on vet care in 2015. Pet owners should expect such medical emergencies, as it is likely each will have to pay $2,000-4,000 at some point for their pets.
When choosing a furry companion, it is useful to know which breeds are known for health issues. While purebred dogs are appealing for their characteristic traits, the selective breeding process also leads to the prevalence of a variety of inherited diseases within breeds. Different breeds are predisposed for ailments, such as cataracts, hip dysplasia and cancer. Reputable breeders often offer health guarantees but some diseases are difficult to predict at young ages.
The team at PetBreeds saved you some research and identified the 25 breeds with the most health issues. The data doesn’t say that a given dog will definitely develop the corresponding diseases, only that these concerns are closely associated with the breed. We identified dogs with the highest total of health issues, according to Animal Planet. We then ranked these breeds according to the approximate number of major and minor health concerns and bucketed the total of health issues into tier labels including “Medium,” "High" and “Very High.” Any ties are broken by the dog with the greater number of major health concerns. This list of breeds is ranked from least to most specific concerns. 

Does Your Pet Struggle with Skin Issues?

I recently joined an unfortunate club, the group of pet owners whose pets have skin problems. I make it sound a bit dramatic, but I could not see the need for a support group for our people. After all, in most cases, skin problems are recurring pet or even chronic, and can be uncomfortable for the pet and repellent and expensive for the home.

In our case, Kayden seems to be "sucking their flanks" (a term that creepy vet if ever I heard a noise) due to allergies or irritants. But it is treated twice so far for years and I'm not very optimistic that we won. And let's be honest: what is worse than the drug costs about $ 50 / month and visits to the vet? The cone of shame. Kayden hate and refuse to eat or even go outside when the neighbors dogs are out. My children are afraid. My daughter cried when I said I would have to start using again. It's bad for all concerned.

Therefore, if you take care of a pet struggling with skin problems, you are not alone. I feel your pain and hurt your pet as well.

Do not be afraid. The closest PPOSSPA (PET special pet parents for anonymous skin) is here. This month we will be talking about everything from dietary supplements, hot spots for flea bites, and everything else. Hang in there. Hope is on the way.

I better go. Kayden is not using the cone at the moment and I lick-hour service.

Best of luck,

Meadow

Spring Skin Hassles for Pets

Spring has arrived and so have all the things that our pets itch and rub and shake. Allergy season is upon us. Animals can be allergic to all the same things that we are sneezing. But while our body anaphylaxis (the organ system that is often affected) is our respiratory organ cat and dog skin anaphylaxis. Therefore, when burning my eyes and I can not stop sneezing, I know I have a lot of animals that bite you.

The affected system is not the only difference. Chemicals responsible for causing the symptoms of allergies are also very different. In humans, histamine play an important role. Histamines are chemicals that are released when we allergen, which are inciting agent allergies. Therefore, antihistamines are equally effective in the treatment of allergies. The prevention of the effects of histamine.

For dogs and cats, histamine play a subordinate role. It is reported that antihistamines only work in about 10% of the dogs / cats, but actually there is no evidence that the animals work at all has been in allergy. Benadryl has the advantage that the dog drowsiness and, therefore, cause the dog bite less, which has a value, but steroids are our mainstay in the treatment of allergies. They are cheap and fast to a standstill itching, but can drink the dog and urination still not used characters long term.The allergy in dogs and ACATS result from a number of different chemicals - leukotrienes, cytokines and kinases. Medications may be in order to block these substances. One of these drugs, Apoquel, works as fast or faster than steroids without the side effects. It changes the way we deal with allergies. (The only downside is that the manufacturer greatly underestimated the demand and has been prepared since the launch play catch. Now it seems to be more available, but if the vet says she's not ... believe him / her!)


Another great medication for pets with chronic allergies Atopica. Atopica cyclosporin is, which is used in people stop tissue rejection in transplant patients. Atopica can take to work up to 3 weeks, but once it kicks in, it works very well. It also has no side effects seen with steroids.

One of the best tricks to help skin problems in dogs is control shampoo. I know it can be a pain to bathe some dogs, but if I can get my customers to their dogs with weekly chronic skin problem, or bathe every two weeks, you can make a big difference. Make sure your vet about which shampoo to much of the over-the-counter shampoos have detergent and other ingredients that can be used to make even worse to talk.

Finally Fleas and ticks are now. In the center of Ohio, we have a huge influx of character seen this year. We also have Black legs tick that carries Lyme disease in our area. We are all familiar with the big brands swollen seen in our pets.

American Dog TickPictures right is the American dog tick or dog tick Brown. These can lead to diseases such as spotted fever Rocky Mountains, but not with the Lyme disease. The problem with black legged tick is its small size. It is very difficult to see, hence the nickname "Freckles in motion." That is why it is so important to keep fleas and ticks on your pet products throughout the year, so that your pet is protected and therefore can not pass. It is important to know that when people are bitten by a tick leg Black, who often develop a characteristic "target lesion" on your skin. If you see this, go to your doctor and get antibiotics. The spirochete that causes Lyme disease is easily slain at this time. If left untreated, symptoms can be at a later time.

But with all the goods flea / tick out there, so it should not really be a concern as protected animals is maintained throughout the year. Most pets as chewable tablets, and there are preventative methods fleas and ticks chewable tablets now available. skin care is not fun, but at least we can honestly say that the approach to the prevention and treatment is becoming much more effective!