Posts from — December 2006

Every Working Dog handler knows that “Failure to Thrive” and “Hip Dysplasia” are big issues for Shepherds. But do you know why? Genetics and environment. The primary suspects are- pollution (air, water, soil) and a fast food diet.

“Fully 90% of all disease is caused by an unhealthy digestive system!”

The Royal Society of Medicine of Great Britain

Rescue areas can be loaded with airborne pollutants. Often times, their effect shows up long after any immediate connection can be made. Water contaminants can include everything from, chemical spills (transmission and engine coolant are particularly toxic in small amounts) to bacteria from unseen decaying garbage.

Commercial Dog Food Is Fast Food. Canned or dry dog foods are little more than empty calories, which are very difficult to process. Although they satisfy hunger, empty calories do nothing to support health and vitality. Empty calories are hard to digest. Food digestion is a time sensitive process.

Dry dog foods are extruded under extreme heat, destroying any nutritional value they might have had.
Although you won’t find it among the ingredients, recycled restaurant grease is sprayed on dry dog foods as a flavor enhancer. Yet frying temperatures chemically alters oils, making them carcinogenic!

Canned meats contain meat and meat byproducts unfit for human consumption. Canned meats become rancid quickly. Open bags of dry food attract bugs and rodents who deposit eggs and leave toxic droppings.

Low nutrition food remains in the intestinal tract too long where they putrefy; at the same time it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and pathogens.

Chlorine not only kills pathogens and bacteria in municipal water, it also kills the good bacteria in your dogs’ gut. Untreated water soon becomes stagnant, requiring frequent replacement. Water puddles are likely to contain numerous toxic contaminants like engine coolant residues (carcinogenic), bug larvae, and pathogens.

It’s bad enough when the family dog gets sick, but when a K-9 is taken out of action, lives may be at stake.

When a dogs’ GI tract is upset, they instinctively know that eating grass and dirt will settle it. Alas, allowing them to do this could actually make matters worse! Why? Today, soil and grass is contaminated with pesticides, insecticides, inorganic fertilizers, chlorine and chemical runoff.
Most K9 Disease is Reversible!

The steps to restore (or maintain) health are relatively simple, and far less costly than vet visits, medications, or health insurance!

GI disorders develop when your dogs’ GI tract is out of balance. You restore that balance with digestive aid supplements, not medication.

The intestinal wall is the gatekeeper. This is where blood dumps the waste products and picks up the nutrients to feed your dogs’ body.

Once the intestinal wall is inflamed, the nutrition/waste exchange is compromised. Until the inflammation is addressed, the benefits of improved diet, supplements, or medications will be negligible! Chronic inflammation leads to immune system breakdown. Herbal anti-inflammatories are natural alternatives to steroids like prednisone.

Working dogs are often placed into highly stressed environments. Routine administration of nutrient rich food combined with bio-available supplements, and digestive aids is essential.

No matter what age they are when you start, you will soon see improvements in mental and physical performance!

The author of this article is Robert Hart, the co-founder of Vitality Science, Inc., a company that formulates scientifically proven, all natural supplements to restore and maintain pet health- for cats, dogs, kittens and puppies.

Robert Hart has articles published in Fido Friendly Magazine, The Pet Professor, an on-line pet portal, Ani-Med, and pet newsletters.

Protecting your dog’s health is the most important thing over anything else. With the proper diagnosis and knowing what to look for will help, you determine some possible reasons for the dog health problems. The top 5 dog health problem symptoms provide knowledge about parvovirus, skin disorders, eye problems, rabies and ear problems. When you see the first signs of a problem, you need to respond appropriately to protect the health of your dog.

Dog Health Problem Symptoms of Parvovirus
Some symptoms of the disease are weight loss, dehydration, vomiting, fever and nasal discharge. If you see any of these signs, you will need immediate medical attention for your dog. Diarrhea is usually the first symptom, which could be from anything, but when other symptoms appear, you will have a better idea of what you are dealing with. A puppy under the age of six months can contract this disease and will ultimately die. Proper vaccination at an early age will protect the puppy from this horrible disease and death.

Dog Health Problem Symptoms of Skin Disorders
Some symptoms of a skin disorder will be scratching, inflammation of the skin, and is some cases a discharge of pus from the area that breaks open due to excessive scratching. This requires medical tests and observation to determine if it results from a parasite, both internally and externally, allergy, bacterial or fungal infections and hereditary. The bottom line is there are two different types of shin diseases, hereditary and acquired.

Dog Health Problem Symptoms of Eye Problems
Red eyes, swollen eyes and weepy eyes are signs of something wrong and should be checked by your veterinarian to determine if is caused by an allergy or a more serious health problem such as conjunctivitis. The problem may also be the result of an injury if the dog plays with other dogs or cats with claws.

Dog Health Problem Symptoms of Ear Problems
Scratching of the ear, discharge, odor and shaking of the head might indicate some type of ear infection. This also might come from a parasite infestation that invades the ear such as an ear mite. Other reasons for symptoms may be trauma, bacterial and allergies, which will result in ear problems as well. Dogs that have ears that hang down covering the ear canal are more prone to ear problems than other dog because no air gets into the ear to dry it up, so it stays moist and invites infection.

Dog Health Problem Symptoms of Rabies
Without proper vaccination, the dog that has an encounter with a rabid animal can contract rabies, which will result in death. Symptoms to watch for are change in behavior, foaming of the mouth, biting and aggressive behavior towards people and other animals. This is probably the most serious dog health problem ever, since it can spread the virus through biting. Immediate containment and medical help is needed at the onset of such symptoms to protect your family and society from the spread of rabies.

You can also find more info on aboutdoghealth.org/dogbreedhealth/Bull-Dog-Health.html bull dog health issues and aboutdoghealth.org/index.html dog health care. AboutDogHealth.org is a comprehensive resource to help dog owners identify their dog’s illness symptoms and treatment options.

Two terms most new dog owners hear early on are Obedience Training and Socialization.

Obedience Training is pretty self-explanatory. It’s teaching your dog to obey you better. It’s very important, since it helps put the humans in the position of “leader of the pack,” and also helps develop control of the dog and establishment of house rules for her.

Socialization is not quite as clear most of the time. Well-socialized dogs tend to be much calmer and more adaptive to strange situations than dogs that are not given that educational advantage.

Starting at home, you can begin socializing your new dog or puppy by making a point of exposing her to new things in a non-threatening manner. For example, if you seldom wear a baseball cap, it might be a surprise to your dog the first time you do. Things that change your appearance should be introduced to the dog frequently and she should be given time to adapt to them. Wigs, masks, cowboy hats, anything that is different and makes you look strange to your dog is a step forward. It also allows her to begin to comprehend that there are different people out there.

Other things you can do would be like bouncing a basketball near the puppy. Then, let her examine it. Have some crutches lying around? Use them around the puppy and then let her examine them, too. Always encourage the puppy to examine new things, but don’t force her to go near things she’s reluctant to get near. Less is more in this case.

Introduce your puppy to stairs, the car, taking short trips with you, friendly people in your neighborhood. Make it all as fun as you can and praise the puppy or dog when she does well. Allow her to approach things from different angles. Sometimes, just a different angle/viewpoint of an item makes it seem totally strange to the puppy.

An example of this is when I was teaching obedience at a major pet retailer. One thing I used in my puppy classes was a child’s play tunnel. It was six feet long and about two feet in diameter. Many of the puppies would be very leery of this strange thing. For some of them, we would close the tunnel totally up and let them go through it that way, then, we’d slowly let the tunnel out and encourage the puppies to go through it. One of my reluctant (at first) students even decided one day that the tunnel was a great place to just take a nap during class.

The easiest way to do this is to have two family members working with the puppy. Put the lead on the puppy (hopefully she knows what that is) and run it into the tunnel. One family member holds the puppy at one end of the tunnel and the other goes to the far end with treats and takes hold of the lead. The puppy is encouraged to come to the family member with the treats through the tunnel. Work the puppy back and forth, as this will look different from the other end to the dog. Part of what this teaches, too, is trust. Trust that you would not expose the puppy/dog to something dangerous to her.

Other socialization things you can do include handling the puppy’s feet (helps with nail-clipping later), handle her tail and pat her bottom (helps her learn that her bottom is not sacred territory, especially if temps need to be taken at some point), give her a massage now and again (gives you some more control over her body and helps you know when something is wrong with muscles or in case of lumps of some sort). Teach her to be rolled from one side to another without struggling (helpful if she needs to be moved when wounded). All the time you work with her, use lots of praise and try to end all sessions on a positive note.

Once the shot schedule is complete at about 4-6 months, start taking the puppy, or dog (if an older adoption), to places like pet stores that allow pets in, shopping areas where you can have people pet the puppy while she sits nicely, visiting to “grandma’s” house or other relatives’. Going to the vet’s just to say “hi,” dog parks where she can meet other dogs.

Use your imagination about anywhere you might ever concievably need to take the dog. The more you can expose the puppy to other people, dogs, places and activities, the more socialized the dog and the calmer and easier to live with she’ll be. Besides, then she can go anywhere a well-trained, well-socialized dog is welcome and do you proud.

C. Rogers Upson has been training dogs and studying them for nearly 40 years. Her website is dogpotentials.com Dog Potentials and she has two dog-related stores at cafepress.com/keepbts Keeping to the Borders and cafepress.com/dp52 Dog Potentials-The Store.

Did you know that a cat typically does not bite and chew when they are bitten bye a flea. In fact a cat may not show any signs of having fleas until they are completely infested with them. A cat will only bite and chew if they have an allergic reaction to a fleas saliva. If your cat doesn’t have a reaction to the saliva and becomes completely infested with the fleas, your cats life is in danger.

Fleas eat 15 times their body weight in blood. Cats are not very large animals to begin with which means it will only take a small amount of fleas and a small amount of time for their circulating blood flow to become seriously diminished. If you don’t check your cat for fleas regularly, you should. You are putting your cat at serious risk for anemia, dehydration and even death if you are not checking for fleas regularly.

Checking your cat for fleas is a very simple process. First, put your cat in an empty tub or sink. Rub their coat vigourously for a minute. If you see any black spots fall from your cats fur put a small drop of water on the black spot, if it turns red when the drop of water is added, then your cat has flea droppings on its skin, which means they have fleas.

There are numerous options to free your cat from fleas and it’s very important that you address the situation immediately. Your cats health and life are in danger bye these little buggers and they need your help to protect them.

To learn more about how to get rid of fleas on your cat, along with step by step instructions to walk you through the process of flea control, go to

A basic dog obedience training class is one of the best things you can do for your dog or puppy and is a necessary requirement for anyone who owns a dog. The best way to get started with an obedience class is to visit your local pet store or look in the phone book for to find local classes taught by reputable trainers.

The average weekly obedience class meets anywhere from four to eight weeks in a row for an hour to an hour and a half per session. In a number of classes, curriculum may include training on dog’s social behaviors and training-related topics often allowing a certain time to be devoted for exercises like jumping up or controlled walking. You will also be given home work to work on with your dog between classes.

Obedience training doesn’t solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem. Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will behave like animals. Obedience training class is a good first step way to establishing the social hierarchy and if done successfully will create a firm relationship between your dog and you.

Training opens up a line of communication between you and your dog and can strengthen the pet/owner bond and help each understand the other better. Dog obedience training class can also be used to carry out many of your dog’s fundamental needs like exercise, feeling of accomplishment, the security of understanding what’s expected from him, and to adapt him for social interaction.

Dog behavior can often be directed and controlled by training. If you were to define it would be the control of the environmental and social issues to accomplish desirable actions and decrease undesirable behavior from your dog. The very essence of dog obedience is to direct and control the behavior of your dog.

To do this a good dog obedience training class will help do several things, including: understanding how your dog views the world, understanding of how your dog learns, ensuring that your dog enjoys doing what you want him to do, that you not only train your dog to do what you want, but make sure he understands the words of command, rewarding your dog for the right reasons and using your dog’s natural instincts as a basis for training. For the basic dog obedience training class- the curriculum for novices would typically comprise of the basic exercises like “sit”, “stay”, “heel”, “down”, and “come” for these only reinforce their normal behavior making it easier for your pet to learn more advanced commands as you get deeper into the class.

Dog obedience training class should be fun and rewarding for you and your dog. It is also a great way to make new friends and helpful contacts in the dog world. Remember that a well trained dog is a happy dog.

If you are looking for more information about worfdog.com/Dog-Training/Dog-Obedience-Training.html online dog training please visit the website worfdog.com/Dog-Training/Dog-Obedience-Training.html Worfdog.com.

This is a very controversial topic which has a lot of emotion behind but it needs to be looked at. As a cat owner who has experienced difficulty dealing with a cat scratching issue in my home, it is difficult not to be biased but let’s give the issue of declawing its due and see what exactly the pros and cons are.

There are 2 types of surgical procedures which are commonly done to eradicate this problem. One involves cutting the tendon that attaches the claw to the bone in a cats foot. The claw stays intact but the cat can’t use it at all because it is no longer attached to the tendon that works it.

The second procedure employs the use of a laser for cutting. This procedure removes the lateral attachment. The claw is then removed.

Proponents of both these procedures claim there is minimal blood loss and discomfort. They also state that most cats are up running around in no time after the surgery. Great!

However, what they fail to mention is that both procedures are invasive (any surgical procedure is), both require general anethestic, and both can result in complications especially for older cats. The second procedure is quite plainly amputation. They also fail to mention what many people have stated – that post-surgery their cat developed a biting problem that was not prevelant prior to the surgery. What I have read also doesn’t account for the many reports of people’s cats undergoing drastic behavior changes afterwards.

One such advocate I read about stated that “there will be medical reasons and other circumstances where this procedure will be necessary.” But it fails to cite any of those reasons.

For me at least, it all comes back to the question – “How would you like to have part of the anatomy God gave you amputated?” For me, there is only one “pro” After declawing, no matter what procedure you opt to have done, your cat will no longer be able to claw your furniture and carpets. The “cons” however, are still stacked against this and they are many!

We had a terrible experience with our cat Milo, when he recently developed a lower urinary tract infection and had to be admitted to stay 2 nights in a local vet clinic while he underwent surgery and monitoring for this common cat health problem. After seeing how terrified he was at the clinic and then worrying whether he would live or not because he refused to eat anything for a week after we got him home and had to be forcibly fed water to keep him hydrated, we simply could not bring ourselves to consider the idea of declawing no matter how stressful his clawing behavior was.

Milo is part of our family. God gave him all the parts he has for a reason and declawing to us is tantamount to saying he is less important than any other member of our family; something that we couldn’t bring ourselves to think.

Pets count on us to look after their best interests. When we take on the responsibility of owning a pet we make what should be a statement of promise to protect them, nuture them and ensure that they are looked after. If you are considering declawing as a way to deal with your cats clawing behavior, I would urge you to please try some less invasive methods first before you resort to such a drastic measure. Why risk potential side-effects and the trauma that can accompany any surgical procedure if there are clearly other, less invasive ways of dealing with this problem?

by Brad Knell (c) 2005 All Rights Reserved

Brad Knell is the webmaster of stopcatscratching.com stopcatscratching.com one of several sites designed to help people with pet problems.

It’s very important as part of your plan for having successful aquarium to take note of the type of inhabitants. One of the most important elements of you aquarium will naturaly be fish.

Never buy fish before finding out about its requirement first.
You really need to take your time to ask questions and be very observant when you are in the aquarium store. There are lots of aquarium stores with unknowledgeable owners, so you don’t base your decision on their advice alone… make sure you take a look at the fish yourself.

If you can make friends with some of the staff in the store they will possibly tell you more about the lifestyle of the fish you are intending to pick.

Below are some basic guidelines to consider when buying new fish.

- The following points all need to be considered:

- Is your fish tank at the right temperature?

- Are your water conditions correct?

- How big does it get? – It may be small now, but will your other fish be at risk when it grows?

- Is it a territorial – or will it be happier in a group?

Can you supply the right food for it?

Remember that the key to successful fishkeeping is happy, stress-free fish, so don’t be tempted into buying an incompatible species jut because you think it’s attractive – you’ll regret it.

Sometimes it can be difficult to be patient, particularly if the dealer has a species of fish that you really want. But it’s important not to rush things. Don’t try to add too many fish to your tank at once – and always check that the fish are healthy.

For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out