Dog Breed of the Week: Sussex Spaniel

This week’s featured breed is none other than the Sussex Spaniel! Stump, a Sussex Spaniel, was named Best in Show of this year’s Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday night (after…

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133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

If you are a dog lover – especially of purebred dogs – then you probably spent some time watching the 133rd annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Thousands of beautiful…

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InDOGuration Special at Loews Hotels

If you are fortunate enough to be in the position to travel right now, you are probably still looking for a deal. This economy is no joke, and every little…

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The Pet Emergency Pocket Guide

I had the opportunity to check out this nifty little booklet – the Pet Emergency Pocket Guide by Informed®. This helpful guide gives pet owners the rundown on everything from…

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Dog Breed of the Week: Dogue de Bordeaux

The Dogue de Bordeaux is a huge, lovable, slobbery hunk of dog! This massive canine with a giant head may look fierce, but the breed is usually loyal and gentle….

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Pet And Small Apartment

Moving Into A Small Apartment: Does Your Pet Feel Welcome?

As cities across the world continue to get bigger, small suburban towns are also increasing their population and spawning large apartment facilities to handle the growth. These complexes not only attract newcomers, but also homeowners in the area. Many families are trading the bother of keeping up a house for the convenience of an apartment. Perhaps your family is one of these.

You face the move with mixed feelings. Sadness at parting from old friends, relief at knowing someone else will fix the faucets and cut grass, and anticipation of more time to do the things you want to do. Of course, the task of moving is enormous. You know it will take a while before your family is comfortable in the new home. But you’re prepared for some turbulence in the family routine. But what about your pet?

The advertisement read ìPets Welcome!î but will Sparky feel welcome?

Veterinarian Christina Slater, from Houston, Texas, rejects the idea that breeders can foretell how your pet will adjust to life in an apartment complex. ‘Every dog has its own personality,’ Christina says, ‘The way you have trained him determines how your pet will cope with a new situation’

Apartment dweller Bob Carter says, ‘We’ve had our dog, Dusty, for five years. We lived in a house, but did not confine Dusty to the yard. He ran with other dogs in the neighborhood. Now Dusty is kept on a leash, and he does not like it. He has taken a dislike to two other dogs in our building, and when I walk him he won’t relieve himself unless I drop the leash.’

There are eight buildings where Bob lives, and every tenant family has children or dogs or both. If, in this type of situation, your pet would not be dangerous to other dogs or children, there is always the chance that harm might come to him from them, or he might be injured by a car in the parking area. Even the well-disciplined pet cannot be allowed to run at will in a compact living arrangement, and dogs who have never worn a leash before must become accustomed to restraint.

On the other hand, some dogs react to life in an apartment complex with enthusiasm. A pet who had a lonely yard life to himself may be delighted to accompany his owner on long walks, and may respond happily to meeting other dogs.

Such an eager young dog is named Tiger, whose size is awesome compared to the small dogs living in nearby apartments. In his last home, Tiger was allowed to run, but there were no other dogs in his neighborhood. Tiger is only now learning to socialize with other dogs. His customary greeting to a new acquaintance is a swipe of his large paw! And he does so with the fullest of affection and excitement. Truly, this is one dog that is loving the new changes of living in a small apartment.

City Dogs

Many urban areas are experiencing a new and profound concern with the increasing accumulations of dog litter in the city streets. With the huge concentration of dogs in metropolitan areas, whether as household pets or guard dogs, the city is experiencing a comparable increase in waste materials dotting the already run-down urban landscape.

Concern over environmental pollution in general is also on the rise. Many citizens and some media reporters have made a sensation over dog litter, claiming that every disease from the common cold to bubonic plague comes directly from dog litter. Some people have gone overboard by attempting to agitate parents with such slogans as ìchildren before dogsî.

Fairly speaking, dog litter presents few problems of medical concern to the average citizen residing in large city areas. The more serious health hazard is, of course, to other dogs and not to humans. Diseases such as hepatitis and distemper are passed from infected dogs to healthy ones through saliva and urine, while internal parasites are transmitted through the stool of infected dogs.

However, for a human to contract any disease from dogs would require that he walk the street barefooted or physically ingest dog waste or fleas which is, of course, highly unlikely. The argument of the ìchildren before dogsî group is that children will unwittingly eat dog fleas and stool. We assume that parents would not let their young children to play unattended on public streets, parks and pavements; and when they are old enough to play unattended, they have been taught the basics of cleanliness and hygiene.

More likely to be of significant danger to human health is contamination of food by roaches, rats, and the common housefly, none of which seems to be exciting enough for these same people who are so concerned with dog litter.

But regardless of who’s judging who, most people agree that dog litter does present an awful smell and unsightly pollution of our environment in an area that can hardly afford it. Every dog owner is responsible for the mess created by his dog. Whether it is a Great Dane or a Chihuahua, each dog does his share in contaminating natural resources and infuriating pedestrians.

It is puzzling that dog owners who are fortunate enough to have a backyard have no difficulty keeping it clean of dog waste; but these same owners will walk their dog out the front door and allow her to pollute the public street, which is basically everyoneísí front yard.

Animal lovers have a sensitivity to nature and animals that is not known to people who have never loved a pet. But the love and sensitivity must go beyond our pets and encompass our human neighbors. We cannot ignore the rights and privileges of other people. Our dogs are our responsibility and we have no right to inflict them on others.

If we all clean up after our pets, we will be contributing to a substantially cleaner, more pleasant environment. It is up to us to preserve decent cities to our pets as well as for ourselves and our neighbors.

Pet Poisoning

Pet Poisoning should be the concern of every dog owner, as well as having other pets in the house. Some pet owners fear that an unfriendly neighbor might deliberately poison their dog because of some real or imagined misbehavior. But cases such as these are, fortunately, very rare.

More often, pet poisoning is the result of someone’s ignorance or carelessness. For example, your pet can get lead poisoning if he is allowed to chew on painted objects or to lick old paint cans laying around the garage.

Perhaps you are cleaning and have been spraying for insects or small rodents with an agent that contains phosphorous. Several sniffs of this and your dog can develop serious phosphorous poisoning. If you are trying to get rid of rats and mice with a rodent poison, there is a fair chance that your pet might try a sample.

When playing outside, your dog can nip the leaves of bushes that have been sprayed. Or, your cat may lick his paws and feet after running over an area that has been sprayed with insecticide.

The family garbage can, an attractive nuisance to dogs, must also share a major load of the blame for pet poisoning. Usually, this is where a dog finds old pills, powders, medicines, and decaying meat (most common form of sickness from garbage cans).

When Poisoning Is Suspected

When you think your dog or other pet has been poisoned, call your veterinarian immediately. If he asks you to induce vomiting, the usual emetics are hydrogen peroxide mixed with an equal amount of water; common table salt mixed with 2 teaspoons to a cup of warm water.

Caution: Family remedies from home medicine cabinets are not suited for pets. Tonics that contain an amount of strychnine that has been proven beneficial to human beings are often extremely dangerous since dogs are highly sensitive to this drug.

Pet poisoning can have a sudden, devastating effect on your pet when large doses are taken. Or, if ingested over a period of time, in small amounts, the poison will gradually weaken him.

It is not difficult to tell when your dog has been poisoned. The signs are quite definite. He may be either nervous and excited or depressed. His symptoms may include trembling, vomiting, and convulsions. Your dog may also develop blue gums, cloudiness in the eyes, and blood-streaked diarrhea. Depending upon the kind of poison ingested, one or more of these signs may be seen.

Dog Travel

Dog Travel: Helpful Tips While Traveling With Your Dog

To ensure fun, stress-free travel with your canine pal, follow these 5 simple tips:

1. With experience, most dogs get over the tendency to become sick when riding in a moving vehicle. However, some will almost always get queasy. In such cases, you should ask your veterinarian to prescribe a motion sickness pill or a sedative.

2. Do not try to sneak your dog into a motel or hotel. If you are caught doing this, you will just make it very hard for people with dogs who come along after you. There are many great places that accommodate well-behaved dogs. An extensive directory of motels and hotels that accommodates pets can be obtained online or from your preferred travel agency.

3. When aboard trains, dogs are usually permitted in private room spaces, sleepers, or parlor cars ñ so long as they are kept either in a carrier or leashed up (muzzled in some cases). Otherwise, on most trains, dogs have to ride in the baggage car, where owners are permitted to look after them.

4. Major passenger airlines carry dogs to foreign countries or across the country. If you are traveling by ship, youíll be glad to know that many ocean liners provide private cabin-like areas for canine passengers. For an added touch of luxury while traveling by sea, there may also be trained attendants on hand to feed, groom, and even play with them.

5. When shipping a dog, it will be necessary to make arrangements with the ship line, airline, or railway express. Some airlines use their own crates while others have them available for rent. The crate must be large enough to permit the dog to stand up, turn around, and lie down. The crate should also have enough room for your dogís water and/or food bowl. And, depending on the length of travel, the following should be printed on the crate and on a tag attached to the dogís collar: your name and address, the dogís place of destination, and his ìcall commandî name. Any instructions for attendants should also be clearly printed on the crate.

Final Dog Travel Tip

Finally, keep in mind that no matter which method you choose to go by, whether by car, by sea, or by air, your fellow travelers will happily accept your dogís company if he behaves like a ìladyî or a ìgentlemanî.

More than likely, a well-trained dog who does not cause serious problems at home ñ as the result of proper training and loving care ñ will be a pleasure to travel with as well.

Avocados: For All Dogs

If you feed your pet dog a diet consisting of only cuts of lean meat, chances are he would have severe nutritional problems.

While a dog is a carnivore ñ meat eater ñ he cannot live on protein alone. Just like his owner, a dog needs a balanced diet including fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Few of us could afford a predominantly steak diet for our pets, but even if we could, our dogs would be a lot healthier with a cheaper cut of meat. Less expensive meats are better for dogs because they have a higher fat content.

Fats provide dogs with energy and heat and help keep his skin healthy. Not enough fat in a dogís diet can cause scaly, dry skin. His coat may become coarse and lifeless. A diet low in fat may also cause a dog to become highly nervous and more susceptible to many types of illness.

There are three fatty acids in fats which a dog needs. These are: linolenic, linoleic, and arachidonic. Linoleic acid can be found in meat products, suet, butter, and corn oil. It can also be found in avocados.

The Avocado

Avocados are one of the few fruits that most dogs love. One reason for this is that these fruits add palatability and texture to food, especially dry meal. It is also a nutritious supplement of fats to the canine diet. This pear-shaped fruit contains sixteen percent of rare oil seldom found in fruits as well as an unusual amount of protein for fruits.

One medium avocado contains about 35 grams of fat, mostly monounsaturated. This fruit also has more potassium than bananas. Avocados are also rich in vitamin E, vitamin K, and the B vitamins.

When the nutritional requirements of adult dogs were compared with the composition of avocados, particularly California avocados, this fruit also proved to be a good source of vitamins and minerals. One half of a medium avocado provides a mature dog with all his daily requirements for magnesium, potassium, and niacin. About half of his requirements for thiamin, manganese, and vitamin A, are also provided with this awesome fruit.

Compare what the avocado offers a dog nutritionally to some of the other foods often added to a dogís diet to improve his skin tone and coat. A half of avocado supplies thirteen grams of fat. There is one gram of linoleic acid in half of the fruit.

An egg has half the amount of fat grams and only a trace of linoleic acid. One half cup of cottage cheese only offers five grams of fat and a trace of linoleic acid, while one tablespoon of corn oil has fourteen grams of fat and seven grams of linoleic acid but none of the vitamins and minerals that the avocado offers.

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