All Dog Info

Vitamin toxicity sounds strange – aren’t vitamins good for dogs? Yes, they are but only in doses recommended for their body weight. Dosing higher then the recommended levels is called over supplementation and can happen in several ways. The most common is for an owner to accidentally give their dog a vitamin dosed for an adult not realizing that there is a big difference between a 150-pound human and a twenty-pound dog. The next most common is the canine vacuum – a dog eats a vitamin found on the floor. Other common causes are eating rat poison that contains cholecalciferol, ingesting plants including Day Jassmine (Cestrum diurnum), owners over supplementing food with too much fish oil, brewer’s yeast, liver, or other highly concentrated foods.

Symptoms are dependent on what vitamin is over supplemented but can range from lethargy, anorexia, weight loss, front leg limping, stiffness, and constipation in vitamin A over supplementation to vomiting, diarrhea, excessive drinking and urinating, abnormal bleeding or bruising, abnormal heart rhythms, limping and pain.

In most cases of over supplementation, pets are presented to their vet for one of the symptoms and the vet must go through a series of blood test, x-rays and serum test to discover the cause. In the case of acute over supplementation, (the dog eats the contents of a bottle of fish oil capsules), the treatment is the same for any poisoning – the vet induces vomiting, activated charcoal is administered to bind the toxin and prevent absorption and medication and treatment is administered to ease or stop additional symptoms.

The easiest treatment is prevention. Always keep vitamins and supplements away from pets and watch that you do not drop any accidentally. Always ask your vet about dosing recommendations and if it is even required. There are vitamins for dogs specifically formulated for their smaller size and needs.

Over supplementation is surprisingly common and if your dog begins to show any unusual symptoms, be sure to inform your vet if you give your pet supplements even if you are sure they are within allowable levels – again, better safe then sorry.

The following list is of reasons to brush your dog’s coat – even if he has short fur that doesn’t tangle or mat.
* Brushing your dog goes a long way towards keeping his coat clean.
* He enjoys the brushing itself, the close contact, and the extra attention.

source: www.wagstreet.com/article_how_to_stop_dog_barking_problem-dog_behavior_problems.html Dogs bark to communicate and it is not recommended that you stop a dog from barking completely. Dogs bark to warn you of danger, to let you know they are hungry or need to be let outside, and even to let you know they are anxious or bored.

When pups play, they spend much of their time biting and chewing each other. This is normal puppy behavior. Human skin is much more sensitive that of a pup, and it really hurts when they bite us, so we must teach pups that it is unacceptable to continue this behavior in the human pack.

source: www.mydogbreed.com/dog-training-articles/how-to-choose-right-dog-trainer.php Choosing a trainer is a very important decision and one that requires a fair amount of research and consideration. How your trainer works with both you and your dog will impact your relationship with your pet both during the…

Ch-Champion of Record-earned by gaining 15 points in conformation wins. Points awarded is determined by the number of other entries the winning dog defeats. A dog must win at least two majors (by winning at two different shows under two different judges where there are enough entries defeated to equal 3-5 points by the AKC point system.)

source: www.mydogbreed.com/dog-health-articles/understanding-dog-food-ingredients.php It is often confusing when you go to buy dog food to try to identify what is important on the label and why some foods are priced so much higher or so much lower than the rest.

Moldy Food

It only makes sense not to feed you dog moldy food – mold indicates stale, old food so why would you feed it to your dog? But is it going to hurt him? Most molds found on food won’t and in fact, it might even prove beneficial considering penicillin is made from mold. So a little mold on some old bread your dog ate when he chewed through the garbage? It probably won’t hurt him.

But not all molds are created equal or benign. Some molds that grow on common food can cause muscle spasms or tremors, seizures and even death. Dairy products are notorious for this as are moldy walnuts. Dairy mold produces Penitrem A, a potentially lethal fungus.

When buying kibble, always check the outside of the bag before you purchase it and when you open it up, if the food does not smell normal or if there is any mold or discoloration, return it to the store. Grease stains on the side of the bags can be a warning sign as can any odd staining. Always check the production date on the side of the bag. Kibble over six months old are supposed to be removed from the shelves and returned to the manufacturer. In the past, recalls have been issued on moldy dog food that contained aflatoxin, a known poison and carcinogen. Three deaths are attributed to one such case in 2007. Aflatoxin is a common mold found in ‘sick buildings’ and is caused from water damage that was improperly dried or cleaned up.

If your dog eats a bit of moldy bread, keep an eye on them over the next few days. Mild diarrhea and/or vomiting is normal but if the diarrhea becomes liquid, contains blood or accompanied by muscle tremors, take your dog to the vet immediately. Treatment is difficult because the toxin is already ingested however fluids and medication will be administered to treat the symptoms and keep your pet as comfortable as possible.

If your dog went dumpster diving and had a wonderful time eating a ton of moldy food, take him to the vet immediately to induce vomiting. It is better to be safe then sorry in this case. Your vet will advise you of various treatment options.

Lastly, dogs can suffer from allergies to penicillin much like humans and if an allergic dog eats some mold, they could go into anaphylactic shock. Although you may not know if you is allergic to penicillin, if they develop odd symptoms such as rash, vomiting, shortness of breath, take them to the vet immediately and explain your suspicions. Again, better to be safe then sorry!

Hi Ann,
I’m sending you this picture of Maggie so that you can see how cute
her new coat looks on her. I purchased the coat from you for her
Christmas present.
Suzanne

Thanks, Suzanne! Very cute!

Question:

Our two year old Labrador, Binka, has always pulled on the leash and three months ago a friend recommended I get hold of a prong collar, which is like a choke chain but has two rows of inwardly pointing blunt spikes. When we walked Binka in quieter areas, the effect was miraculous and we thought we had cracked it. But whenever we walked past another dog we quickly realised that the collar was not enought to stop Binka’s urge pull and lunge. We persevered but now Binka has also begun to growl and snarl at other dogs when he is on the leash and I fear we have created an aggressive dog. Help!

ANSWER:

Your dog’s throat is a delicate area and dogs that persistently pull on the leash can cause serious damage to the nerves and blood vessels. The potential for damage is far worse with choke chains and, in particular, prong collars. Add on to this the fact that dogs often associate pain with a threat and you can begin to see that not only is Binka feeling under pressure when meeting new dogs for the first time (a natural state of affairs for all dogs), but that the added pain is makes him feel even more vulnerable and so provoking an excessive display of self-defense.

I think you should abandon the prong collar at once. Training dogs to walk nicely on the leash can take a lot of time and patience. The key is to stop dead in your tracks as soon as your dog puts and pressure on the leash and refuse to move forward until your dog has either stepped backwards or has sat down and is waiting for your next command. This method only works if you can be 100% consistent and means you will have a few days of slow and short walks. In the meantime, or if you want a quicker alternative, try a Gentle Leader or harness instead. In particular, the Gentle Leader (a nose halter) has the effect of pulling your dog’s head around which means that staring eye contact with other dogs is broken and the threat diminished.

Written by Karen Allport, resident dog training expert from Be Dog Savvy. For more dog training articles from Karen, visit bedogsavvy.com

Question:

I have two fixed males one is 4 and the other is 9 months.

 My puppy attacks my 4 yr. old all the time when he does not even send out a threat. 

My older one is very loving and does not care what the puppy dose to him infact he backs away from him I would rather see my puppy back away from my older dog.

 Should I maybe sell my puppy to a home where there are no other dogs?

Answer:

If you can hire a trainer in your area, that’s the best first step. I can’t tell you enough in this blog to fully fix this problem. Look for a trainer that uses reward-based training.The idea is to make a set of rules that pays off for whoever is the most polite, not for the bossiest dog. If the trainer blames the situation on you not being ‘alpha’ enough, run the other direction.

As much as you would like the younger dog to be the one that gives in, the dogs get to decide that sort of thing. It’s your job to keep the situation safe, but you can’t pick who you want to be the one who gets first dibs on resources.

If you can’t afford a trainer, then you can buy some great books on aggression, including:

• Jean Donaldson’s book, “Fight”

• Patricia McConnell’s book, “Feeling Outnumbered: How to Manage & Enjoy Your Multi-Dog Household”

• Karen Pryor’s book, “Don’t Shoot the Dog”which covers the big theories of how to train dogs and solve problems.

Part of the problem is that it feels like the younger dog is doing this for no reason. There is almost always a reason, but you just might not be able to see it yet. You may need to keep the dogs separate, or take away bones if they are causing trouble. Maybe the younger dog is guarding a bed, and moving that further from the spot where the older dog is will help. Learn all that you can about subtle dog body language, so you can tell what the two dogs are saying and can cool off fights before they start. If you do get a fight, you can break it up with a citronella spray called Spray Shield without hurting any of the dogs or putting yourself at risk. It almost always works to break up fights.

But it sounds like you’ve given up on the situation.

If you do need to find a new home for one of the dogs, you may have to rehome the older dog, not the younger one. When you got these dogs, you should have committed to both of them that you would care for them forever and keep them in a home that is safe. If you can’t make that home safe through training or keeping the dogs apart, then rehoming is the answer.

Why?

With a history of fighting, the younger dog will be hard to find a good home for. If you lie and say that he has no problems, you will be financially (and morally) liable if he hurts another dog. Even if you do tell them, you can be held liable.

I know this is a tough situation. It’s very scary to have dogs fighting in your house. It’s probably not your fault that they are fighting, but you can be part of the solution. I wish you all the best.

Grisha

Grisha Stewart, MA, CPDT, CTP

Voted as Seattle’s Top Dog Trainer by the readers of CityDog Magazine, Grisha Stewart is the owner and founder of Ahimsa Dog Training in Seattle, WA. Grisha is a Certified Training Partner from the Karen Pryor Academy for Animal Training & Behavior, a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and since 2002, an active member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. She attends several training and behavior workshops each year and is a certified Pet First Aid attendant and evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen program.

For more information on Grisha and Ahimsa Dog Training in the Seattle, Washington area, visitwww.ahimsadogtraining.com.

Question:

Hi!

ANSWER:

Hi Sophie,

The miniature schnauzer is spirited, intelligent and obedient. They like children and are friendly to other animals, which makes them a good addition to the family. Miniature schnauzers typically enjoy training, learn quickly and respond well, particularly when young. And they love long walks.

source: www.emaxhealth.com/117/12693.html
Have you ever wondered what the proper way to clean your dog’s ears is? Or if you are cleaning your dogs ears is it the proper way? You need to be sure that when you are cleaning your dog’s ears if you decide to, that you do it properly.

When new trainers first get started, they tend to make a lot of mistakes in their techniques and how the approach the training process. There are a few mistakes that are fairly common among most trainers and we shall make these ten mistakes the subject of this discourse.

source: www.k9calendars.com/articles/firstaid.htm
Most people understand or know a bit of first aid for humans but many dog owners are not as familiar with the basic first aid for their dogs. While several of the techniques are very similar it is important to review them…

Even pets that spend most of their time indoors may be exposed to a number of potential hazards. The following list will help keep your home safe and sound for your dog or cat.