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posted by admin on Feb 23

Obesity in pets is common nowadays causing real problems. The obesity in pets is due to either over feeding or not providing any exercise to the pets or not providing the right diet. Obesity in pets is also attributed to the modern lifestyles of people, who leave their pets alone in their house, eating for themselves whatever they want and not providing any exercise. Obesity conditions of pets can lead to devastating state of their health like high blood pressure, skin problems, increased risk to diabetes mellitus and heat intolerance resulting in pets facing high risks of heat strokes during hot weathers, risk towards infections and towards anesthesia.

Obesity in cats:

Nearly 25 percent of cats are known to be clinically obese, meaning excess fat accumulation of the body. Not having a check on the cat’s obesity may lead them to the reduction of the cat’s life span. Obese cats are prone to heart diseases, arthritis, skin disorders, fatty liver disease, lower urinary tract diseases, diabetes and cancer. Obesity can lead to or can be a cause for diabetes.

The main reasons for obesity in cats:

Obesity in cats may be due to aging process or due to the breed, or due to genetics which can cause increase in body weight. Mixed breed cats suffer from obesity than pure breeds.

Neutering female and male cats’ bodily functions gets reduced up to 25 percent leading them into obesity. By eating extra calories too, they become obese. Low thyroid hormonal levels also cause obesity.

Obesity in dogs:

The incidence obesity is more when the dogs are owned by an obese person than the dogs owned by a physically fit person. The dog breeds, which are more prone to obesity, are small terriers, cocker spaniels, dachshunds, beagles etc. This does not mean that other dog breeds are not prone to obesity. Any dog, which is lethargic and lies down all the day, is obese. It has been found that around one third of people do not know that their dogs are obese.

The reasons for obesity in dogs:

When dogs are fed on table scraps they become obese as the food cannot be monitored for quality. The food with a good nutritional balance and value has to be provided for their well being rather than feeding scraps of food.

Spayed female dogs are more prone to obesity. Likewise castrated male dogs too are prone to obesity. A dog may be obese due to under active thyroid hormones making it overweight and sluggish. Also when dogs are not provided regular walks and exercise they tend to become obese.

Ways to overcome obesity in pets:

The pets should be provided with good nutritional food with rich protein content and make the weight loss procedure to take its toll gradually. They have to be supplemented with amino acids, vitamins and minerals for regaining their stamina.

Time should be spent with the pets to make them run, jump and do mild exercises to keep them fit. The valuable time spent with the pet can be very relaxing to both the pet and the owner.

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posted by admin on Aug 22

We have two Italian Greyhounds (affectionately referred to as IG’s). Dixie was two when we brought Yankee home. I read that IG’s are happier with another animal and thought that another IG would be half as much trouble and twice as much fun. After a few days of establishing a pack order the two became great friends.

For those not familiar with IG’s, they are about ¼ scale of the famous racetrack breed. In their finest form they look half-starved, even though it may look cruel to most pet owners, that’s when they are the most active and truly happiest. A pound or two slows them down tremendously and even becomes dangerous.

They are fearless leapers. No matter how many times I try to explain to them Newton’s Laws of Gravity, it does no good. Heart-stopping stories abound over the internet chat rooms about their Superman like tendencies. The extra weight increases the risk of broken bones.

They are also tremendous jumpers. In her hey-day Dixie could jump straight up over 6 feet high to grab a snack. At will she could jump flat-footed on to the dining room table, landing as soft as a butterfly with sore feet.

But more than anything, those long thin legs were meant for speed. Unfortunately, they can run faster than they can think. IG’s become single focused when running. Twice I have nearly had a heart attack as they ran full speed into each other from opposite directions, tumbling like out of control race cars. Chasing after one another, they’d scrape the trees so close that bark literally flew off and misjudging turns, wiping-out in to brick walls and other immoveable objects was a common occurrence.

Well, one day the inevitable finally happened, Dixie went into a door facing and snapped her left leg. The break was clean through. Her little paw dangling 90 degrees from just below her knee told me everything I didn’t want to know.

I did the best I could to immobilize it as my wife called the vet. As soon as we got there they took her back for x-rays. She was obviously in a lot of pain but had quit yelping after I first picked her up. In fact, she was the calmest of any of us.

My wife was crying because of the dog. I was crying because of the bill. If I would’ve known how much it was going to cost in the lobby I would have cried a lot harder. This was going to be a big payday for the vet.

The choices were simple, they could try a cast, but it would probably not set right because of the very tiny, toothpick-thin fibula. The vet recommended a titanium plate and screws.

The surgery alone would run $1,000. The total bill would actually end up over $1,800. I could have bought 3 Dixies and a lifetime supply of dog food for that much. My wife got mad because she didn’t like my sense of humor, but I wasn’t joking. I know the power of the purse, and I have no intention of getting hit by hers again so I relented.

The next morning they put in the custom made plate and screws. It was really tricky because the screws had to be big enough to hold things together, but small enough not to interrupt blood flow.

More painful (if you can believe that) than the vet bill, was the care and attention Dixie would require for the next 3 to 4 months. For the next three months she would have to be kept in a crate at all times.

For the first three weeks when we took her out to go potty we would have to hold on to her. No walking was allowed. It is absolutely crucial for dogs to find the perfect spot to relieve themselves, not any spot will do. Humans cannot fully appreciate this until they miss an entire showing of Monday Night Football.

A few weeks after the surgery we got a bit of good news, the leg was healing fine. She would still have to be crated, but we could put her on a real tight lead and let her stand on her three good legs to go potty. In about two to three week intervals after that she was allowed a little more freedom.

Slowly things got back to normal. The first month after she got full clearance to run was rather tiring. Each jump, every full trot run brought held breaths in anticipation of another vet trip.

It has taken two full years to get to where she no longer yelps or pulls up after a full run or sharp turn. She has lost a noticeable amount of her initial burst. She can longer track down Yankee from behind, but they still love to chase each other in the backyard and that gives us great pleasure. If you’ve never seen these gracious runners play at full speed then you cannot fully appreciate why we went to all the trouble and expense.

My wife loves to show Dixie’s scar to anyone who comes by. She talks about the whole adventure like it was The Good Old Days. Out of fear that my wife will read this article I will state that if I had to do it again I would. But I won’t like it.

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posted by admin on May 9

Caring for dogs involves more than just feeding and walking them. Protecting dogs from potentially debilitating Lyme disease is crucial for their health and happiness.

While many people take precautions against ticks and Lyme disease for themselves, it’s not uncommon for man’s best friend to be overlooked.

To educate dog owners about canine Lyme disease, Merial and the Lyme Disease Foundation have partnered to promote April as Prevent Lyme in Dogs Month. Spring is the start of tick season in most areas, but concerns about Lyme disease last all spring and summer as pets spend more time outdoors.

The number of cases of Lyme disease has increased more than 50-fold since 1982. Lyme disease has been found to be most common in certain areas of the United States, including the Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and upper Midwest regions, plus northern California and Oregon. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease has been found in humans in 49 states.

Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi that is transmitted by the deer tick. Clinical signs of the disease in canines include: shifting leg lameness, fever, swollen joints, muscle soreness, malaise, chronic arthritis, facial paralysis, seizures and acute renal failure.

“Taking preventive measures against Lyme disease can spare dogs from the disease’s horrible symptoms,” says Richard Ford, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACVPM (hon), College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. “In addition to regularly checking dogs for ticks, pet owners should know how to prevent Lyme disease.”

RECOMBITEK® Lyme vaccine protects dogs from Lyme disease and should be used in conjunction with FRONTLINE® brand product. The two work together to help ensure that animals are safe from ticks and Lyme disease. Both products, made by Merial, are available from your local veterinarian.

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