On occasion we have a customer that wants to switch their dog’s food either because their dog is not eating its current food, or for pet health reasons or because they are looking to feed their dog a more natural food.

A dog’s digestive system is very sensitive and when changing a dog’s food the change must be made slowly as switching too fast can cause problems. It is important to gradually change a dog’s food slowly over a course of a week or so. If you change your dog’s food gradually you will avoid excess gas, stomach cramps, indigestion and diarrhea.

Here is a tip on how to make the transition to the new food easy.

Start mixing the new food with the old food. For example your dog eats one cup of food in the morning and one cup at night. For each meal you will put ¾ of the old food and mix it with ¼ of the new food. Gradual change is the key. Over the next week, slowly increase the ratio of the new food while decreasing the old food. This could take up to ten days.

Even though the new food may be a healthier alternative to the current dog food your dog is eating, your dog being a creature of habit may still prefer the old food and eat only the old food out of the mix. No need to worry as with positive reinforcement your dog will soon come to like the new food. If however, after a couple of days your dog continues to eat around the new food then you may need to switch brands.

The same applies to the instance in which you need to change your dog from canned food to dry food. Slowly add the dry food to the bowl and bit by bit reduce the amount of wet food until the dog is eating only dry food.

How do I know if my dog has fleas?
If your dog seems to never stop itching, he might have fleas. Run your hand along his coat against the direction the fur lays, or use a flea comb. Are there irritated, red bumps, fast-crawling brownish-red critters, or little black specks that look like dirt? Then your dog has fleas. Other indications include “hot spots” (irritated, moist/oozing, round, hairless spots on your dog’s skin) and trouble sleeping.

What kind of problems can fleas cause?
Fleas are annoying to both humans and dogs, but they can also cause serious health problems.

Some dogs are allergic to the flea’s saliva. Rather than developing little “bug bites” like most dogs and people, they break out in large welts and present with severe skin irritation and excessive shedding–the irritation results in your dog licking and biting at the site, which often leads to infection. This is called flea allergy dermatitis. It is a self perpetuating cycle because the more your dog licks and bites at the affected area, the worse the irritation gets and the more he will want to lick and bite. This cycle can be halted by getting rid of the fleas, and putting an Elizabethan collar on your dog so he cannot worsen the problem while it heals

Fleas carry several types of internal parasites. Flea larvae feed on tapeworm eggs which then makes the flea a carrier of the parasite. As your dog grooms, he can ingest an infected flea and become infected himself. The tapeworm attaches itself to your dog’s intestinal wall and sheds eggs, which pass through the dog’s system and out of his body. These eggs are then eaten by flea larvae and the cycle continues. Symptoms of tapeworm infection include weight loss, loss of appetite, nervousness, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and rectal irritation. Humans, especially children, can become infected with tapeworms through contact with infected fleas and contact with the waste of infected animals.

Fleas can carry the mites that cause sarcoptic mange, demodectic mange, and chyletilla deramatitis, all of which can be transmitted to humans as well.

Severe flea infestation can cause flea anemia, which is characterized by a reduced level of red blood cells or hemoglobin and causes lethargy, decreased appetite, discoloration of the skin, and episodes of collapse.

Fleas are also the carriers of the bubonic plague, and murine typhus.

From more information please visit http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/dogs/articles/the-dangers-of-fleas~193.aspx

One method to restrain the dog is to place her/him on a table. Stand on the side of the table opposite to the claws you are trimming.Drape your arms and upper body over the dog. When trimming the front claws, keep your left forearm over the neck to keep the dog from lifting its head. Hold the paw in your left hand and hold the trimmer in your right hand. If the dog tries to stand, lean your upper body over his/her shoulders to prevent him/her from rising.

If your dog is too wiggly, try laying him/her on his/her side. Use your right arm and upper body to keep the dog laying on his/her side. Hold the trimmer in your right hand. Use your left arm to keep the head on the table and use the left hand to hold the paw.

For more information please visit http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_claws.aspx

Not all lumps on dogs should be a cause for alarm, but pet owners should be alert and investigate any suspicious growth or mass they find. See your vet quickly if you are concerned about a lump. The two major categories which will most concern you are benign tumors and malignant tumors. Benign tumors will not grow, or only grow very slowly; they will not change, or only change over several years. Malignant tumors are usually cancerous and very dangerous. They can grow and change quickly and spread (metastasize) throughout the body. Here is more important information about many lumps typically seen on dogs.

1. Sebaceous Cysts

Sebaceous cysts are caused by an oil producing gland in your dog’s body. When this sebaceous gland is blocked, a cyst filled with white liquid forms. This cyst is benign and can be surgically removed.

2. Lipomas

Lipomas are fatty lumps often found on middle-aged dogs. They are almost never malignant.

3. Warts

Warts are a commonly seen type of lump, particularly on younger dogs. They are caused by a viral infection, and they usually do not require treatment.

4. Hematomas

Hematomas are lumps filled with blood which collect near or around the site of a trauma or injury.

5. Abscesses

Abscesses are actually sacs of pus that form around wounds and trauma sites. They fight off infection by surrounding the area with white blood cells. They are part of your dog’s healthy immune system defenses.

6. Papules

Papules are common skin lesions, and they are usually associated with inflammations. They can be caused by allergies, exposure to toxic substances or irritants, or minor skin infections such as follicular infections.

7. Mast Cell Tumors

Mast Cell Tumors are among the most important to watch closely, because while they can be benign, they are more often cancerous. These tumors are formed by the cells that defend the dog’s body against invasion by germs and other organisms, or foreign objects. For instance, mast cells produce the swelling around an insect bite, or the site of a vaccination.

When these cells form a tumor it is usually cancerous, and can become the deadliest form of cancer. The most important things to watch for in any tumor are signs of rapid growth and changes in color, shape and size. Go to your vet immediately when you see these.

Common Malignant Tumors

• Abdominal tumors: These are not common, and you usually cannot see or feel a limp. Some symptoms are weight loss, bloody stool, diarrhea and great discomfort associated with abdominal pain.
• Mammary tumors: The most common form of malignant tumor seen in unsprayed females. If you find lumps in the mammary wall see your vet immediately. Early diagnosis is critical.
• Skin cancers: The most common form of cancer found in dogs. If you find unusual red or black spots on the skin, these could be hemangiosarcomas. Fibrosarcoma could be present when you see or feel small lumps under the skin around the spine, on the skull or in the pelvic region. Squamous cell carcinomas, or SCC, can start as sores that won’t heal, or small lumps. These usually appear around the head where the fur is thin, and spread from there to the internal organs.

Article taken from http://www.vetinfo.com/types-lumps-dogs.html

What Causes Cherry Eye in Dogs, and How to Correct It

Cherry eye in dogs isn’t a life threatening condition, but if left untreated can cause your dog eye problems later on. If you’ve ever seen a red bulge in the corner of your dog’s eye, you’ve seen firsthand what cherry eye looks like. What causes cherry eye in dogs, and how is it treated?

A dog’s eye has three eyelids: an upper and lower lid, as well as a third eyelid we seldom see. The importance of the third eyelid is to give added protection to the dog’s eyes. It acts like a wipe to help keep the eye clear of dust and debris and has a tear gland that produces around 35% of the moisture to the dog’s eye. Sometimes the gland in the third eyelid, located in the corner of the eye next to the dog’s nose, slips out of place and bulges. We see it as a red or pinkish blob, and this bulge is what’s called cherry eye.

Why it slips out of place is not clear, but if it happens in one eye, more than likely it will happen in the other, although it can be months later. What you want to pay attention to in your dog’s eye is any watery or thick discharge, a red or pink blob in the corner of their eye, any redness in the lining of their eyelid or if your dog is pawing at his eye.

For unknown reasons, the connective tissue around the tear gland becomes weak and starts to move around. Movement irritates the gland which leads to swelling that can produce a mucous or clear discharge. It’s possible cherry eye will correct itself within a couple of weeks, but it’s best not to wait. If it doesn’t correct itself, the longer the gland is out of place, the more swelling there is. This makes it harder to reposition it, and there’s a greater chance it will happen again. Left untreated, cherry eye can lead to more serious eye problems later on. You need to have your dog examined by your vet as soon as you notice the out-of-place gland.

Dog food aggression is one of those dog behavior problems that is difficult for us humans to fully understand. It just doesn’t seem to make sense that your dog would consider you a threat to his/her food resource. I mean you gave him the food in the first place, and if you feed your dog the same kind of foods that I do, it’s not all that appealing anyway!

But, what is your dog thinking?

If your dog glares at you, snarls, growls and positions himself between you and the food he is actually saying to you “this is mine, go away, find your own”. He is basically telling you that he considers himself as the leader or alpha dog in your household. Dog food aggression (sometimes called canine possession aggression or food guarding) is a dominance issue, it is serious and needs to be addressed immediately. It won’t simply just go away.

We’ve all made the mistake of laughing and even encouraging our feisty little dogs when they first display the “cute” signs of dog food aggression. Don’t fall into this trap! Food or toy aggression in dogs should never be tolerated as you never know when it can escalate into something more dangerous for you or a family member.

For more information please read the whole article http://www.dog-obedience-training-review.com/dog-food-aggression.html

Signs of ear disease

Every day we see dogs who have problems with their ears. Signs of these ear problems include:

• Odor
• Scratching or rubbing of ears and head
• Discharge in the ears
• Redness or swelling of the ear flap or canal
• Shaking of the head or tilting it to one side
• Pain around the ears
• Changes in behavior such as depression or irritability

Ear disease is one of the most common conditions we see in pets. The medical name for inflammation of the outer ear canal is ‘otitis externa.’ It is estimated that up to 20% of the dog population is affected by this disease.

Causes of ear disease

Dogs can have ear problems for many different reasons. When we see a dog with ear disease we need to think about the possibility of:

• Allergies such as atopy or food allergies
• Parasites – ear mites
• Infections – bacteria and yeast
• Foreign bodies, e.g., plant awns
• Trauma
• Hormonal abnormalities, e.g., hypothyroidism
• The ear environment, e.g., excess moisture and ear anatomy
• Hereditary or immune conditions, and tumors

For more information visit http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2091&aid=273

This is false! Yes, dogs were domesticated from wolves thousands of years ago, and then selectively bred by humans for desired sizes, shapes, and characteristics. However, they have NOT adapted to a cooked food diet, as evidenced by the millions of pets sitting in the waiting rooms of veterinary clinics with periodontal disease, skin diseases, cancers, organ diseases, diabetes, obesity—diseases that have strong connections to cooked and processed foods. No, a cooked diet has not been kind to our animals.

Kibbled foods (which are cooked and highly processed) have only been around for the last 100 years. Evolutionary adaptations require much more time than this. The evolutionary changes—from gross anatomy down to the molecular level—that would be required for the development of such different digestive capabilities would take MUCH longer than the time that wolves have been living with humans.

So what were pets eating before the advent of cooked, processed, kibbled pet diets? They received hardly any cooked food, as food was a precious commodity that very few people would waste on something like a dog (remember, dogs have not always enjoyed the same social status they enjoy now). Instead, they received the human “waste food”—things people would not use or eat, which may have included a small portion of table scraps. By and large, however, the dogs foraged and scavenged on their own, or hunted small prey animals to supplement what little food they received at home.

And before this? Wolf-dogs hunted with their masters and hung around the camps, knowing they would receive whatever raw meat, bones, and offal were left over (Feldhamer, G.A. 1999. Mammology: Adaptation, Diversity, and Ecology. McGraw-Hill. pg 472.). Thousands of years ago, people did not cook for their pets. Why should they? The animals were fully capable of obtaining their own food and moreover were a good “disposal” for unused parts of animals. The dogs ate what they were designed to eat, and until the 1950s (some argue as late as the 1980s and 1990s), dogs were recognized as the carnivores they are.

For more information please visit: http://rawfed.com/myths/cooked.html

Here are specific items that are dangerous to your pet and can be found in every household:

CHEMICALS: Chemicals may poison your dog if ingested or even inhaled. Keep your dog away from household cleaners and chemicals and make sure your garden pesticides and fertilizers are pet friendly. Chlorine bleach, toilet bowl cleaner, and paint remover can be fatal to your pet.

ANTIFREEZE: Antifreeze contains Ethylene Glycol and has a sweet taste and appeals to dogs and cats. Exposure typically occurs when antifreeze is drained from the car radiator and is lapped up by the pet. Less than 3 ounces is enough to poison a 40lb dog. The poison affects the brain and the kidneys.

RAT OR RODENT POISON.

CHOCOLATE: Theobromine is a substance that is found in chocolate and cocoa. The darker the chocolate the higher the content of Theobromine. Baking chocolate is the most dangerous. Don’t feed chocolate to dogs, not even in low amounts. Just 4oz of baking chocolate can potentially kill a dog under 9lbs.

CHEWING GUM: Chewing gum contains Xylitol, which is an artificial sweetener that may potentially cause liver damage to your pet.

ONIONS AND GARLIC: Onions and garlic contain the toxic ingredient Thiosulphate. Onions are more of a danger. Pets affected by onion toxicity will develop haemolytic anaemia, where the pet’s red blood cells burst while circulating in its body. As for garlic although it also contains Thiosulfate, it seems it is less toxic and large amounts would be needed to be eaten to cause illness.

MACADAMIA NUTS: Macadamia nuts, either in raw or roasted form are toxic for dogs and can lead to temporary paralysis in the hind legs.

GRAPES AND RAISINS: Grapes and raisins are dangerous to your dog’s health. All it takes is 4 or 5 grapes for a small dog to be poisoned.

AVOCADOS. All parts of the avocado fruit must be avoided. Avocado contains Persin. The Guatemalan variety which is found in most stores, is the most toxic.

SEEDS AND PITS: The seeds and pits of common fruits are poisonous. Pits and seeds contain Cyanide which can lead to kidney failure. Avoid the pits and seeds of apples, peaches, apricots, plums and cherries.

HOUSEHOLD PLANTS: Poinsetta, chrysanthemum and lily. To prevent household plant poisoning either dispose of them or keep them in a place the dog is unable to reach.

DETECTING POISONING: A dog that has ingested something toxic will display signs of weekness, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, dehydration, stomach pain or even seizures. Seek veterinary help immediately.

Brushing your dogs teeth is a good way to maintain good oral hygiene. Start brushing for a few seconds at a time and gradually increase the time as your pet gets used to it. A “finger brush” may be an easier alternative for smaller breeds. Puppies adapt easily to having their teeth brushed, so begin when he or she is very young. Do not use human toothpaste as dogs cannot rinse their mouths out, and human toothpaste is not meant to be swallowed.

For dogs that do not like the feel of a toothbrush in their mouths, we carry a new, innovative product line in our store. It is called Fresh Breath Made Easy. It is available in gel form that helps remove plaque and tartar — no toothbrush required, spray form that helps with the odor, and a water additive, which you can add to your pets drinking water, that is developed to provide essential daily oral hygiene care and promotes healthy gums. The company also makes a low fat, low calorie treat with natural breath freshening ingredients. It is a great product and customers have told us that with regular use they have seen a difference on their pets dental health.

Warning signs that your pet has dental problems are difficulty eating dry dog food and hard treats. Look for broken, crooked or missing teeth. Check for swollen, painful or bleeding gums and any growths within the mouth. If your pet has any of these symptoms it is best you call your vet and set up an appointment.