Archive for April, 2009
The dogs are lovely animal to have as pet. They shower hell a lot of affection towards the owner and his family. The loss of the pet dog is unbearable pain. Many pet owners will vouch for this. So it is the duty of the pet owner to protect the dog from possible loss. There are many methods to locate the dog, if lost. Let’s discuss about them one by one here.
Collar tags
The tag must have complete information about the dog such as the name, address and the contact number of the pet owner. The name of the vet should also be mentioned in that, if there is space. The tag should be attached firmly to the collar of the dog, so that it doesn’t get detached that easily. If the pet owner doesn’t like the ID tag, he can go for collar plates of sufficient size to have all the above mentioned information of the dog.
Top tag pet ID
This tag has 64MBb flash drives that are safely located in the waterproof cases. The whole set up will have attachment provision for connecting it to the collar of the dog. The flash drive will have the fed information about the dog which can be accessed with ease. The program is done in such a manner; one can easily retrieve the information. Hence the pet will be taken to safety and the owner will be informed at once.
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Pet protector system
This is something similar to the medic alert system in humans. This provides 24 hour service and functions nationwide. The company will have the complete information about the dog registered. All one has to do is to make a call to the toll free number of the company, that is provided in the color. The company’s representative will attend and do all the needful to take the dog to its owner.
Tattoos
This identification method is in practice for quite long time. Here the dog will be tattooed with a number on any part of the body, preferably the upper leg. If any one finds the lost dog with the tattoo, he needs to contact the national dog registry and inform the number noticed in the form of tattoo, which in turn inform the owner of the pet. The pet owner can also tattoo his contact number, but he should never change the number. The other disadvantage is that if the tattoo is not done perfectly, it becomes illegible after some time. Besides the procedure is painful affair for the pet.
Micro chip
This is one of the recent introductions. Here the procedure is very simple. The micro chip grain size] is inserted to the back side of the dog’s neck. All the information about the dog is fed to the chip. All one has to do is to just pass the scanner over the neck to find out the registration number. Using that number all the information required about the dog, can be found out from the database. Here one minor disadvantage is a quick swipe of the scanner over the neck can miss to locate the registration number. Hence the scanner needs to be moved carefully and slowly over the neck.
Micro chip and Cancer
There are some reports that these micro chips cause cancer in some dogs. But the manufactures of the microchips aver that they are absolutely safe. Many experts opine that one can’t rule out the possibility of cancerous growth triggered by microchips but the incidences are very rare.
Dogs are the beloved pets. There are few who love to have dog as pet, but develop allergic reactions. The reactions can be manifested in the form of sniffling, sneezing, and running nose. Very odd is it not. These poor people suffer due to dog related allergies, in order to enjoy the proud feeling of owning a puppy.
Do you know, what are the causative agents for these allergies to develop? There are many to pint out, but in most cases it is due to the saliva and dander of the dog. Danders are nothing but the tiny particles that are released from the skin and hair of the pet dog. These airborne tiny particles are trapped in carpets, upholstery and curtains. The saliva too cause the same kind of trouble once dried. If the exposure to these dangers and the saliva is limited, then the chances for the allergic reactions are very minimal.
How to fight the dangers and saliva?
There are ways to tackle the dangers and salvia. Here they are 1.Heap filter. This is nothing but high efficiency, electro static particulate air cleaner. If this cleaner is used to clean the complete house, the possibility of dog allergy is very less. Read the rest of this entry »
One of my male GSD suddenly went off-feed and had a high temperature 106 degrees last month. Immediately I rushed my dog to my vet’s hospital. He examined and treated the dog with suitable antibiotics to reduce the fever. The fever diminished, but my dog started to pass bloody urine and followed by expulsion of raw blood from its genitals. My vet suspected TVT- which is nothing but Transmissible Veneral Tumor.
My vet immediately prescribed the drug vincristin for my dog and gave the injection at weekly intervals. Now I haven’t seen the blood from its genitals. But my dog is going down its weight as well as body condition.
I don’t know what to do? Will I am going to loose my dog? Hope I won’t. God won’t let me down. I am praying him to get cured ASAP.
The only thing which made my dog to get this worst infection is I have allowed my dog to mate other bitch from a breeder. I think she would be a carrier. I am waiting with my fingers crossed.
Just imagine, you go to the yard and call your pet. It doesn’t turn up. You hurry to the side of the house and call again the pet dog with name. No response still. The fear grips in. you are about to experience what all most all the pet owner fear the most, the feeling that your beloved pet is lost. But in fact this is not the time to panic but to act. Let’s discuss about the things that one has to do at the time of crisis like this.
Things to do
First and foremost thing is to surf the locality completely. Talk to the passersby and the neighbors and inform that the pet is missing. Move about the locality and look for the lost pet preferably early morning or the evening. Take several print of the photo of the pet taken recently and place them at vantage position with the contact number of yours. The photo needs to be place at high traffic areas or veterinary hospital or, animal shelter.
It is the duty of the pet owner to circulate the information about the lost pet at least sixty kilometers radius. The animal shelter in the locality needs to be visited on daily basis. It is better to check the animals at the animal center in person, even though the authorities say that they don’t have any dog matching your description, to rule out the possibility of mistaken identity. Read the rest of this entry »
There are plenty of the dog toys available in the market. Choosing the right one is really challenging for the pet owners. Like the human being the taste differs from dog to dog. The toy purchased must suit the liking of the dog. Like mentioned earlier, different types of toys such as stuffed toy, chew toy, rope toys, interactive toys, dental care toys, plush toys etc are available in various size, type, cost etc. The point one has to remember while purchasing the dog toy is the safety of the dog. By buying the poor quality toy, one should never invite the health complication for the beloved pet animal.
The points to consider in dog toys
There are certain key features that one has to consider at the time of purchase. Size- the size of the toy should be such that the dog shouldn’t swallow. Safe- the toy must be safe to use and should not harm the dog in any way. The material used needs to be non –toxic. Design- the design of the dog should be such that it shouldn’t have any sharp edges which can damage the dog’s mouth. Durable- None prefers anything that becomes useless short duration of time, which holds good for dog toy too. Washable- the toy should be washable, so that the hygiene requirement is met. The toys suitable for heavy breeds will never meet the requirements of small breeds. Just because a toy is popular in heavy breeds, he can’t buy the same for small breeds.
Beagles and Retrievers are known for their enormous appetites and nonselective feeding habits. A dog’s increased appetite may be an indication of a disease condition. In the cold weather, all the dog is having increased appetite. It is not a problem!
The old saying that dogs will eat only what they need is simply not true — the fact approximately one-third of dogs in US and UK are overweight bears witness to that.
Abnormal Signs of Increased Appetite
A sudden increase in appetite may have an obvious cause, such as an unusual spurt of activity, growth (in young dog), pregnancy, or underfeeding. If the dog’s eating habits have the following characteristics, ther may be an underlying medical problem:
- It eats feces of its own species, or other animals- cows, sheep, or horses, which is called as copraphagia.
- It eats more rapidly than normal, cleaning its bowl as quickly as possible (this may be competitive, if sharing mealtimes with another dog).
- It eats less selectively and sometimes ingests inedible matter. This is called “PICA“.
- The dog demands food at unusual times of day and is unsatisfied when its meal is finished.
Disorders of the adrenal gland and pancreas, including sugar diabetes, may affect appetite, so it’s wise to take a urine sample with you as well. Kidney disease can cause protein loss and muscle wasting, leading the dog to eat more. Even some medicines have the effect of increasing appetite, so be sure to inform the vet if your dog has received any recent treatment.
Intestinal worms are common causes of increased appetite, and your vet cancan carry out a simple test to establish whether they are present in the dog’s stools, or feces. If the worms are ruled out, the vet will look for disorders of eating and swallowing that leave hunger unsatisfied.
Occasionally, however, a dog’s increased appetite is not caused by greed but by one of a number of medical problems. The dog may eat indiscriminately, or develop an unusual eating habit. Vets call this dog’s increased appetite as “POLYPHAGIA”.
