Tuesday, February 24th, 2009
by PetXpert
Note: This was originally submitted as a comment to the post Canine Pregnancy Guide
Although abdominal palpation is the most subjective method of pregnancy diagnosis, it is a reliable method for those skilled in palpation. The ease with which the abdomen can be accurately palpated is influenced by such factors as the amount of body fat, the body conformation, and the temperament of the animal, whereas these factors have little influence on the accuracy of other methods of pregnancy diagnosis. However, uterine enlargement caused by pregnancy cannot be accurately differentiated from uterine enlargement caused by some other process, such as pyometra, based on abdominal palpation findings alone.
In Beagle bitches, uterine swellings that represent uterine edema, embryonic membranes, and early placental development are about 1 cm in diameter at 20 days after breeding. By 30 days after breeding the uterine swellings are about 3 cm in diameter. By 35 days, the gestational sacs are becoming elongated and the uterus is more diffusely enlarged, making it more difficult to detect pregnancy by palpation at that time.
Real-time ultrasonography is an excellent method of pregnancy detection in bitches and queens. It is usually necessary to shave the abdominal hair to obtain good image quality. Scanning is easy to perform and requires minimal animal restraint. Pregnancy can be diagnosed if the gestational sac or fetal structures are identified. The gestational sac appears as a spheric, anechoic structure, surrounded by a hyperechoic wall comprised of the uterus and placenta. Hyperechoic fetal structures are seen within the getational sac. Although it has been reported that the gestational sac can be identified as early as 10 days after the last breeding in the bitch, pregnancy is not reliably detected until 24 to 28 days after breeding in bitches.
Dog Pregnancy
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Saturday, February 21st, 2009
If you have a dog, PLEASE read this and send it on. If you don’t have a dog, please pass along to friends who do.
Written by:
Laurinda Morris, DVM
Danville Veterinary Clinic
Danville , OH
This week I had the first case in history of raisin toxicity ever seen at MedVet. My patient was a 56-pound, 5 yr old male neutered lab mix that ate half a canister of raisins sometime between 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday. He started with vomiting, diarrhea and shaking about 1AM on Wednesday but the owner didn’t call my emergency service until 7AM.
I had heard somewhere about raisins AND grapes causing acute Renal failure but hadn’t seen any formal paper on the subject. We had her bring the dog in immediately. In the meantime, I called the ER service at MedVet, and the doctor there was like me – had heard something about it, but. Anyway, we contacted the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center and they said to give IV fluids at 1 & 1/2 times maintenance and watch the kidney values for the next 48-72 hours.
The dog’s BUN (blood urea nitrogen level) was already at 32 (normal less than 27) and creatinine over 5 (1.9 is the high end of normal). Both are monitors of kidney function in the bloodstream. We placed an IV catheter and started the fluids. Rechecked the renal values at 5 PM and the BUN was over 40 and creatinine over 7 with no urine production after a liter of fluids. At the point I felt the dog was in acute renal failure and sent him on to MedVet for a urinary catheter to monitor urine output overnight as well as overnight care.
He started vomiting again overnight at MedVet and his renal values have continued to increase daily. He produced urine when given lasix as a diuretic. He was on 3 different anti-vomiting medications and they still couldn’t control his vomiting. Today his urine output decreased again, his BUN was over 120, his creatinine was at 10, his phosphorus was very elevated and his blood pressure, which had been staying around 150, skyrocketed to 220 … He continued to vomit and the owners elected to Euthanize.
This is a very sad case – great dog, great owners who had no idea raisins could be a toxin. Please alert everyone you know who has a dog of this very serious risk.
Poison control said as few as 7 raisins or grapes could be toxic. Many people I know give their dog?s grapes or raisins as treats including our ex-handler’s. Any exposure should give rise to immediate concern.
Onions, chocolate, cocoa and macadamia nuts can be fatal, too.
Even if you don’t have a dog, you might have friends who do. This is worth passing on to them.
Disclaimer: This was sent to me via email. I have not verified the source of the information, but since I know raisins and grapes are considered toxic to dogs, I felt safe enough passing it along.
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Sunday, December 28th, 2008
by: Daniel Beatty, DVM
Is your dog being over vaccinated and your vet is not following the new guidelines? How many of you are still getting annual “shots” for your dog? Has your vet told you that there is a “new” protocol for vaccinating your dog? I say “new” loosely because the guidelines have been around for over 5 years now! That is beside the point, lets just go with the new guidelines given out by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) last year in 2006.
First, a bit of information about the vaccination of your dog. The most common other vaccination given to your dog besides rabies is a 5 or a 6 in one shot. Meaning there are 5 or 6 different types of diseases your dog is being vaccinated for in one shot. The common acronym for this vaccine is DHLPP and sometimes added in there is a C. The letters each stand for a different disease – D=Distemper, H=Hepatitis (also known as Adenovirus), L=Leptospirosis, P=Parvo, P=Parainfluenza, and C=Corona.
For the new guidelines lets take the three core vaccines, the three that your dog should be vaccinated for Distemper, Parvo and Hepatitis (Adenovirus). After your dog has been initially vaccinated for these three core diseases usually as a puppy and then a year later with a booster, your dog has prolonged immunity against those diseases. What do I mean by prolonged immunity, well the research shows, your dog is immune for 6 to 9 years! That’s correct! The research done by reputable immunologists, such as Dr. Ronald Schultz, shows that after the initial puppy vaccination and a one year booster many dogs are protected for the majority of their life. WIth this new research AAHA developed some new guidelines. Their suggestion or guidelines, after puppy vaccination and the yearly booster is that the three core vaccines, only need to be boostered every three years. So according to the AAHA guidelines, instead of annual revaccination, your dog really only needs to be revaccinated every three years.
In fact, did you know, annual vaccination of your dog can cause severe diseases. Over-vaccination has been linked to cancer, allergies, and other auto-immune diseases such as Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia. More research needs to be done but many of the recent studies show these links exist. In fact, in cats, over-vaccination has been proven to cause sarcomas, a very severe cancer.
So now the question becomes, if the vaccines have been shown to produce immunity that lasts quite a bit longer than what was originally thought and annual vaccination might be the cause of certain allergies and other immune system diseases including cancer, then why has my vet not told me about this? Unfortunately, the answer is money, if not money then it is pure ignorance on your vet’s part. Yes ignorance, as in not current in their education or just an unwillingness to change because the old way is the way things have always been done. Money is the other answer and no it is not because veterinarians are greedy, but rather in many veterinary offices, 33% of the annual income comes from vaccinations. This is a large percentage of income that with the new guidelines will be cut. Veterinarians are not prepared for that kind of an income cut. Many could go out of business. Many clinics do not have the management skills or their other services are not priced correctly to compensate for that kind of an income loss. So changing to the new vaccination guidelines although would benefit your animals health can be a tough business decision for the owner of the veterinary clinic. Just remember though you have a responsibility as a pet owner for the health and well being of your pet and less vaccinations IS better for your pet, regardless of the business problems that some clinics may have going to the new guidelines.
So if your veterinarian is still requesting annual vaccinations, ask why. Be informed, make the right decisions, choose to protect the health of your dog by learning what your veterinarian is giving to your dog and why – specifically why, not just because he is the vet and it is to better the health of your dog. Ask questions, be dangerous!
About The Author
Daniel Beatty, DVM
Be dangerous to your veterinarian, be informed, make intelligent decisions based on knowledge from credible sources. You can find more information about the topic of dog health care at Dr. Dan’s site http://www.evetclinic.com or his blog http://healthyasadog.com
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Friday, December 5th, 2008
by: Terry King
No Dog training means more to most new puppy owners than that first important lesson: Not in the House!
Teaching your Dog to go to the toilet outside the home, not in it, usually starts between six and eight weeks of age. Dogs as young as four weeks old, have been started on the house training, but at such a young age, a puppy is unlikely to have enough muscle control.
Like any dog training, the trainer’s patience is as important as the dog’s temperament. ‘Sit’, ’stay’ and other behaviours can often be learned in a few days. ‘Potty’ training can take weeks – sometimes as short as two, often a month or more.
As with other learned behaviours, you should look for signs of the impending action, then enforce and direct them with a voice command followed by praise. In this case the technique works to the trainer’s advantage, since all dogs will naturally go to the toilet. The trick is to get them to do it when and where you want!
Look for signs such as circling or squatting, then pick up the pup, say ‘outside’ and hurry outside. The puppy may circle some more, but will often squat immediately. As it begins, say “quickly” (or some other phrase) in a clear, firm (but not angry) voice. Wait until the puppy finished and give lots of praise.
You won’t always be able to catch the puppy about to begin, but don’t become angry or impatient when the dog goes to the toilet indoors. It takes time for the dog to learn to tell you it’s time to ‘go outside’. It also takes time for the muscles needed to control bladder and bowels to develop.
Young dogs need to go to the toilet every 2-3 hours, on average. If you haven’t spotted evacuation behaviour within that time, take the dog outside anyway. Issue the command ‘quickly” and wait. At first, usually, the dog will have no clue what you want.
Again, even when outside, it helps to wait and watch for the desired behaviour then issue the command. That helps the dog associate the command with the behaviour. If the dog hasn’t gone after a few minutes and a few ‘quickly’ commands, take it back inside for an hour. Of course, if you spot the pre-toilet behaviour in less time, go outside again immediately.
Dogs have a surprising ability to quickly learn what their ‘alpha’ (the leader of the pack) wants. This is almost always accomplished by associating a verbal command with behaviour, followed by praise. Punishment is usually counter-productive, and nowhere more so than in toilet training. Never rub a dog’s nose in waste.
Paper and/or crate training is preferred by some. A pup can be trained to go on a newspaper, or on one of the chemically treated puppy pads designed for the purpose. Some small breeds that live all day in the home may not need to go outside at all.
The technique has a couple of down sides however. Unlike cats, dogs will rarely go in a perfumed litter box. Newspapers (even with the top layer removed after the dog goes) will eventually create an unpleasant smell in the house.
Also, long before the odour becomes unattractive to humans, dogs can smell their own distinctive aroma. They don’t find it unattractive – quite the opposite. And that’s the problem.
Dogs that are paper trained will often prefer to eliminate indoors. Sometimes they’ll miss the paper by only an inch, creating a mess to clean up.
Once the odour is in the carpet, the dog will often seek that spot out as its proper ‘place to go’. This makes training the dog to go to the toilet outside even more difficult. Best to suffer a few accidents than to create a hard-to-overcome habit.
Patience, praise and consistency are the keys to any dog training. Elimination training is the first test for you and your dog.
About The Author
Terry King runs Parcel Pets – http://www.pets2home.co.uk/cat–Training-Aids–TRAINING_AIDS.html – a leading UK pet supplies web site and has had pets all his life. He lives with his wife Louise, dog Sam, Cat Sabrina and 5 fish!
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Monday, December 1st, 2008
by: Elyse Grau
During long, cold winters, dogs and their owners may need a little more exercise. This article shows you some fun ways you can play with your dog indoors.
Some of you may have been told never to play tug of war with a dog. The fear is that it might make a dog aggressive or aggravate any possessive tendencies. Other trainers feel that there is nothing wrong with the game, as long as you follow certain rules: 1)The toy you choose must be long enough to avoid accidental injury. A thick rope with knots in the middle is good.
2)The game should be played only with the tug toy. Teach your dog a command such as “drop it” or “leave it” before you start playing. (It’s a good idea to do this even if you never intend to play tug. That way if he wants to play with your shoe, you can simply ask him to drop it.) Never try to pull anything away from the dog, use your command instead.
3)You must be in control of the game. You decide when to play. Keep the toy out of sight in between games. You should win at least most of the time. When you decide you’ve had enough, simply say “that’s enough” and ask the dog to “drop it.” Always stop immediately if the dog gets too excited or puts his mouth on your hand.
Another game you can play is hide and seek. There are two ways to play this game; either you can hide and encourage your dog to find you, or you can hide toys or treats around the house and ask the dog to find them.
If you are to be the target, simply have the dog stay while you go into another room. At first don’t go far, and hide in an easy spot. Then call the dog with “Come find me!” or something like that.
Continue to call as long as you need to. Reward the dog for finding you with treats, excited praise, belly rubs ‘ anything he loves. Once your dog gets the idea, you can hide in more difficult spots, and call less often.
To use treats or toys as the objects to find, start by hiding a treat under or behind something while your dog watches, then exclaim, “Find it!” in an excited voice. Once he gets the rules of the game, have the dog stay in one room while you hide treats in another.
If your dog likes to use his nose, try hiding the treats inside shoes, under rugs, between couch cushions and places like that. For other dogs you may want to put most of the treats in plain view.
Break up large treats so that you are not giving him too many. Toys can be used if your dog has a strong prey drive, or if the he is overweight.
You can also try some brain teasers with your dog. For one, find three boxes of the same size. Have the dog sit and stay, facing the boxes. Place a treat inside or underneath an overturned box.
Release the dog and allow him to find the box the treat is in. Eventually you can begin hiding the treat with the dog facing away from the boxes.
Here’s another puzzle the dog can work on. Place a morsel of food on a flat plate. Cover the plate with a towel or inverted foil pie tin. If using the tin, make a small lip in it so the dog can smell the food. If the dog is good at working things out, he should soon at least try to get the towel or pie tin off of the plate to get to the food.
You can increase the difficulty by placing the plate under a chair or other obstacle. Give him a way to get it out, such as placing it on a towel or attaching a rope to the plate. Don’t let the dog get too frustrated with these games ‘ if he’s not quite up to it, help him along and let him have the treat anyway.
There are toys that you can buy that will keep the dog busy on his own. A number of toys are now made to dispense treats. These are balls or cubes in which you place small treats. When the toy is overturned, the treats come out. You can even feed the dog this way, placing his daily ration in the treat toy.
Also on the market are some puzzle toys such as the Iqube and Puzzle Pup by Kyjen. These are similar to those made for toddlers. Instead of putting rings on a stick, or shapes in a box, the dog takes the toys out of a container. Most of these are plush toys, and might not be suitable for some aggressive chewers.
These are just a few suggestions, use your imagination and your dog’s abilities to come up with even more games you can play indoors.
About The Author
Elyse Grau is an herbalist and a long-time pet owner, well-versed in pet nutrition and feeding. She is the author of Pet Health Resource, your web guide to a healthy, happy dog or cat. For more information on this subject, visit: http://www.pethealthresource.com
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