Everyone has heard that dogs shouldn’t eat chocolate but has anyone heard of onion toxicity?
There are a number of foods that can create serious health problems for your dog and unfortunately not many people of aware of this. These foods include cooked as well as uncooked chocolate, onions, bones, mushroom, macadamia nuts, garlic, avocados, grapes, raisins, and all spicy or greasy foods.
Most pet owners have, at one time or another, fed their dog foods containing onion such as pizza, hamburger, general table scraps or gravy. A small amount is not likely to cause a problem since onion toxicity depends on the quantity of onion ingested. However, onions in any form including cooked, raw, dehydrated or powdered can create a serious life-threatening form of hemolytic anemia in dogs.
All red blood cells carry a protein called hemoglobin which delivers oxygen to our tissues and organs and our dog’s tissue and organs. Onions contain a substance called thiosulphate which dogs and cats are unable to digest. Garlic also contains thiosulphate but in much lesser amounts. Thiosulphate causes oxidation of hemoglobin in your dog’s red blood cells, which then forms lumps and weakens the cell membranes. These lumps, called Heinz bodies, protrude from the cells and eventually cause the cell to rupture and die. When enough red cells are destroyed the body becomes starved for oxygen and goes into a state of anemia. (more…)
The technical, more polite name for what you are describing in your dog’s behavior is coprophagia. It is a very common problem. Actually in most canines it is a normal behavior. Of course, mothers consume their pups’ droppings until they are old enough to get away from the nest to eliminate, but dogs will eat other dogs’ feces and even that of other species. It is a little more unusual for them to eat their own, but it still happens.
Assuming other health concerns such as vaccinations and parasite elimination have been taken care of by your veterinarian, and your dog is on a well-balanced diet, then the idea that it comes from a vitamin deficiency can be ruled out.
At this point, your dog’s habit of eating feces should be approached from a behavioral perspective. The more a behavior occurs the more likely it will be repeated. That means physically preventing it from happening helps your dog forget about it. Whatever you do, it will take some time to modify the behavior.
That means letting your dog know that it is bad through a loud, firm, scolding voice. You can use this method when your pet sniffs or shows interest in feces. It helps to have your pet on a leash when outside to give you some physical control over movement as well.
Products such as monosodium glutamate (seasoning salt) added to a pet’s food makes the feces less desirable. A more direct approach includes putting tobasco or bitter lemon on the feces itself. Some pet owners simply clean the yard every day to remove any temptation.
The simplest answer to this question is, whenever he needs it. Dogs who spend the most of their time indoors will not need much bathing, while dogs who are outside a lot, romping in the mud and trees (and possibly other smelly things) will need to be bathed more often. Also, some dogs’ coats will accumulate grease and oil more quickly than others.
Breeds prone to oily skin and other skin conditions, such as Cocker Spaniels, benefit from regular bathing about every four weeks. Breeds with a thick, double coat, like huskies and chows, only need bathing about three or four times a year. Washing a dog with an undercoat more often than this can make the coat softer and less waterproof and insulating.
In general, you can use your common sense to judge when your dog needs bathing. If you’re concerned about causing dry skin, there are moisturizing treatments available at most pet stores, which you rub into your dog’s skin after you shampoo him. If your dog seems uncomfortable or shows signs of skin problems, consult your veterinarian.
Questions about this often pop up. I find it hardest to convince clients to neuter male dogs because they feel that it’s not something that inconveniences them as much as an unneutered female dog who comes on heat every 6 months. If you aren’t planning on breeding from your dog, then I’d highly suggest you neuter it. There are too many ‘surrendered’ unwanted puppies out there, we don’t want or need anymore. There are obvious health advantages to neutering your dogs. Males that are neutered are less aggressive and it reduces their prostate and testicular cancer rates to near nil. The health advantages to female dogs are even more pronounced – it reduces their risk of mammary cancer to nearly nil, they don’t get womb infections (pyometra) which their entire female cousins get if they aren’t bred, they are at a lower risk of getting a form of diabetes plus you save on the hassle of having all the local male dogs congregating at your doorstep whenever she does come on heat!
Neutering is usually performed at 6 months of age, but some vets perform it in young pups. Many shelters are now taking this option as they find that increasing numbers of people opt not to bring their adopted puppies back for the operation at the appointed 6 months of age.
Generally for most dogs, it’s a yearly visit for their annual vaccinations. With puppies, it’s often a bit more frequent initially as they require their vaccination boosters. Of course if you dog has an ongoing medical problem which needs to be addressed then your visits would be more frequent. As your dog ages (after 6 years of age is a good estimate), you may decide to take him in bi-annually ie twice a year for a thorough check up to pick up any conditions that he could have at an earlier stage so that treatment options are greater.
