Heartworm is a disease caused by a parasite called Dirofilaria immitis, which lives in the right side of the heart and the adjacent blood vessels. Its presence in these blood vessels causes cardiovascular weakness, compromised lung incapacity, and eventual death. Heartworm occurs primarily in dogs but can also occur in cats and other animals on rare occasions.
Causes
Heartworm is transmitted to dogs, cats and other animals by mosquitoes. Over 70 species of mosquitoes have already been implicated. Transmission of the parasite occurs when a mosquito draws blood from a heartworm infected dog or cat. Once inside the mosquito, the microfilariae develop into larvae. Later, when the mosquito bites a new victim, the larvae are injected into the dog, thereby causing the infection. It generally takes about six to seven months for the larvae to mature and to start producing the microfilariae inside the dog or cat’s circulatory system. The adult worms end up occupying the right chamber of the heart and the pulmonary arteries, while the microscopic microfilariae circulate throughout the bloodstream. All these worms within the blood vessels produce an increased workload on the heart, along with restricted blood flow to the lungs, kidneys, and liver, eventually causing multiple organ failure. At first, pets may exhibit a chronic cough and/or reduced exercise tolerance, followed by sudden collapse and death. Continue Reading…
Do you love chocolate? Who does not? Even your dog seems to love it. While it probably is pretty darn tasty to your pooch, it is not a good idea to let Fido eat chocolate. Your dog can get very, very sick and even die from eating this kind of treat.
Many people think that culprit that is toxic to dogs in chocolate is caffeine. It is not. While chocolate does have caffeine, it is the theobromine in chocolate that is the potential dog killer. Theobromine and caffeine are both from the methylxanthine family of chemical compounds, a family of stimulants.
How much theobromine is in chocolate? Theobromine levels will vary according to manufacturer, but in general, white chocolate has one milligram per ounce of theobromine, milk chocolate has forty-four milligrams per ounce, and semi-sweet chocolate has one hundred and fifty milligrams per ounce. If your pet gets into your hot chocolate, it will drink thirteen milligrams per ounce of hot chocolate that it slurps up. Bakers chocolate is by far the worst, with three hundred and ninety milligrams of theobromine per ounce.
How much chocolate will kill a dog? Part of equation has to include the age and health of your pet. If your dog is twelve years old and does not get around as well as it did in the past, a smaller amount of chocolate might be lethal to it than it might have been if your pet was two years old and spending the day chasing cats and birds. In general, theobromine is toxic to dogs when dogs eat one hundred to one hundred and fifty milligrams of it. Continue Reading…
The rabies virus affects all warm-blooded animals. In wildlife, it is most commonly seen in foxes, skunks, raccoons and bats. Each of these species carries a variant (strain) of the rabies virus. All of these strains can affect pets, humans or domestic animals. Domesticated animals such as cows, horses, dogs and cats commonly act as a source for human infections but people can be infected from wildlife sources as well, particularly bats.
The first step to rabies control in pets is vaccination. All healthy pets should be vaccinated. The rabies vaccine is very effective, costs very little, and it is usually given every 3 years. In horses, it is usually given every year. In most localities, the law requires rabies vaccinations for all pets. The second step to rabies control is a thorough understanding of this terrible disease so that high-risk exposures or contact can be prevented. The third step to controlling of rabies is cooperation between veterinarians, the public, the public health system, and government agencies to monitor and control rabies on a regional level. For example, in some parts of Canada, bait is dropped from airplanes into rural or countryside areas so that wildlife will eat the bait (disguised as food treats) laced with an effective protective vaccine. Public health departments also track and manage human exposures. Rabies moves to and from animals and people through a bite wound or through breaks in the skin or mucous membranes. It’s thought that people can become infected by breathing air around bats, such as in bat caves where the virus is suspended in droplets in the air. Continue Reading…
Constipation can occur in dogs, particularly as they get older. Constipation occurs when defecation becomes difficult or is absent. When feces stays in the intestines longer than is necessary, too much moisture is absorbed from the stools, causing them to become dry and hard. This makes the stools difficult to expel. As a result, your dog or cat will strain to defecate and may not have a bowel movement for several days. If this condition goes untreated, the lower bowels may eventually become severely and irreversibly stretched, causing them to lose their ability to expel feces. This condition is known as "megacolon”.
Causes
There are several possible reasons for constipation. Diet appears to play a significant role. For example, when a dog swallows foreign materials such as hair, bones, garbage, cloth or rocks, it can lead to constipation. Prolonged lack of exercise, a change in surroundings, or a change in daily routine (i.e. stress) can lead to constipation problems as well. In these cases, pets may become reluctant to relieve themselves and become constipated. Some medical problems such as infected anal glands or a fractured hip can cause painful defecation and result in constipation. Some pets may have an intestinal obstruction or a nerve or muscle disorder. Continue Reading…
To stop puppy biting there are numerous do’s and don’t you want to be aware of. Puppy’s bite for various reasons and despite these reasons there are common things that should never be done, as well as things that should be done to assist in the process of inhibiting your puppy’s biting.
First and foremost NEVER under any circumstance use physical force as a form of corrective action. This type of negative reinforcement is not only unnecessary but will in most cases encourage the very behaviour you are trying to stop. As your dog wants to please you, the most effective method of showing your displeasure is the cold shoulder treatment. If the nipping continues after this you may need to move on to the time out method, this involves the use of the puppy’s crate as a way to isolate them for 5 minutes or so. When you bring puppy back out to play, remember to tone it down a bit and not get her all revved up again, remember, nipping is natural and if you get them over excited they are only doing what comes natural. Don’t encourage contact play with dogs that are quick to nip, encourage games that involve their toys instead, catch with a ball or a Frisbee would be ideal.
There are many do’s and don’ts to stop puppy biting. Those listed here are by no means an extensive list. The biggest things to remember are to never hit your puppy and avoid getting a nippy dog over excited. You can always find alternative ways to play with puppy.
