November 2008

Pet treatment goes beyond countering a particular disease or health problem - it’s about preventive care and pet appropriate products to help ensure your dog enjoys a long and happy life.

Once your pet has reached adulthood, your relationship will probably settle into a routine. Make sure it’s a mutually rewarding one by following these guidelines and being attentive to your pet’s well-being.

Lots of Attention

Give your dog at least a half hour of your undivided attention every day. Play with him, brush him, or practice obedience tricks or commands.

Exercise

Most dog owners know that regular exercise is critical to your dog’s health and emotional well-being.

Safety Collar

While technically not a health-related pet treatment, ensuring your dog wears a flat collar and ID tag at all times, even inside, will help bring him home safely if he ever escapes or gets lost.

Obedience

Obedience training doesn’t just produce a well-trained dog, it also helps your canine lead a disciplined and structured life, something that’s critical to their pack mentality. Obedience training also helps to keep the mind sharp.

Annual Checkups

Take your dog to the vet once a year for a thorough physical exam and discussion of any new or ongoing health issues.

Brush His Teeth

Most veterinarians recommend brushing your dog’s teeth every day. It’s difficult, cumbersome and not always fun, but it will keep gingivitis, tooth decay and disease at bay. Remember, you don’t have to brush forever - a few nightly swipes should do the trick.

Practice Good Hygiene

Good hygiene is an important part of your dog’s health. By giving your dog a regular bath or one after a particularly dirty day, you’re protecting him from bacteria, skin problems and insect bites.

Don’t Leave Your Dog Alone

Dogs naturally live in packs, meaning they’re intensely social animals. So, if your dog is home alone all day, consider putting him in a doggie daycare or hire a dog walker to take your pet out during the day. Without interaction, dogs become bored, lonely and sometimes destructive.

Provide Dog Space

Provide your dog with a comfortable place to rest in the area where he spends most of his time, and respect your dog’s need for quiet time whenever he’s napping or relaxing there. Just like humans, dogs sometimes need their personal space.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Invest in quality dog food that’s formulated for your pet’s weight, age and health. If you love your dog, don’t cheap out on its diet and nutrition.

Prevent Heartworm

Heartworm prevention drugs are a critical pet treatment. Remember, heartworm is painful and deadly, but it’s also easily preventable.

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The heel command is a very important skill to teach your dog. You will find this very useful if you have to walk your dog on bust streets. If you are able to get your dog to heel correctly he will not pull, or try to get to other animals, or pick up trash, or stop to sniff things.

Owners should remember that a leash is a safety tool. If your dog knows how to heel correctly the leash becomes almost unnecessary. As in all training you do not want to pull on the leash.

The first thing to do is get your dog to sit beside you on the left. Once he is sitting, get the dog’s attention. Say the dog’s name and give the command word. Be sure to have a treat in your hand. Take two steps forward. Keep the treat in your hand close to your side and slightly above the dogs head. If the dog stays with you reward and praise. Do not be too concerned with having your dog sit just yet. This is a building process. Keep repeating this process, slowly increasing the amount of steps that you take.

Once your dog has a good grasp of staying by your side start getting him to sit when you stop. Make sure to give the release command so that the dog knows when the exercise is over. While you are walking praise the dog if he stays beside you. If he starts to stray change direction. If he does not notice right away that you have turned get his attention. If the leash begins to get tight STOP. Do not pull and do not move. Call the dog back to the correct position.

Remember that all training sessions should be kept to about fifteen minutes. Training your dog to heel is a hard task for your dog to learn. Be sure to give lots of praise and rewards and always end on a positive note.

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Do you have questions about animal health, medications, therapies, surgery, behavior, or safety? If you want to learn more about your pet’s health, inquire from these reliable veterinarians in Fresno.

Shahbazian Gary DVM
(559) 432-3300
7425 N Palm Bluffs Ave
Fresno, CA 93711

Weaver Kelly DVM
(559) 437-3766
7375 N Palm Bluffs Ave
Fresno, CA 93711

Shaw Veterinary Hospital
(559) 222-7752
1119 E Shaw Ave
Fresno, CA 93710

Shaw Veterinary Hospital
(559) 222-6233
1119 E Shaw Ave
Fresno, CA 93710

Eib Ned E DVM
(559) 233-0313
2338 S Elm Ave
Fresno, CA 93706

Lebeuf Leroy L DVM
(559) 251-8482
4696 E Kings Canyon Rd
Fresno, CA 93702

Abby Pet Hospital
(559) 442-1127
445 N Abby St
Fresno, CA 93701

Escalon Veterinary Clinic
(559) 432-3300
7425 N Palm Bluffs Ave Ste 104
Fresno, CA 93711

Nicolaysen Robert O Dr Animal Medical Clinic
(559) 227-3541
111 W Shields Ave
Fresno, CA 93705

Suda Michael J Dr
(559) 255-0698
4677 E Olive Ave
Fresno, CA 93702

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Taking the dog for a walk does not have to be a battle of wills. Stopping dog leash pulling is not as hard as many people think but you have to be consistent. And you have use these techniques every time the dog is on a leash not just when you are training.

Each time the dog is about to pull on the leash, STOP. Do not move. Wait until the dog turns to see what you are doing. Then praise the dog for focusing on you. You may have to back up a few steps. Every time the leash shows tension you must stop. You might not get very far on your first few walks but with time this does work.

Another trick is while walking change your direction. Do not walk in a straight line. Make sharp turns or zig zag. This will help to keep the dog focused on you. But you must not let the dog pull ever. STOP and wait until the dog is focused before moving forward again.

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The pets whether acquired purposely or by chance are our closest friends. The whole family is kept connected due to some pets and this makes them one of the most important members of the family. It makes sense to start searching for good veterinarian services of the area.

If you live in or near Nashville, we have made your search easier. We have prepared for you a list of top 10 veterinarian services in Nashville. You might be interested in just day to day pet care, puppy training, and dental care for your pets or surgical facilities.

Let’s see the top Nashville Pet Hospitals,

1) Bolles James DVM
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

2) Bell Leighton DVM
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

3) Lewis Janet DVM
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

4) Prior I Craig Bvsc
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

5) Murphy Road Animal Hospital PC
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

6) Haber Griffith B DVM
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

7) Superpetz Vaccination Clinics
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

Graves L Bruce DVM
(615) 383-4241
4408 Murphy Rd
Nashville, TN 37209

9) Belle Meade Animal Hospital
(615) 352-4370
5121 Harding Pike
Nashville, TN 37205

10) Campbell Robert DVM
(615) 298-2663
2207 Bandywood Dr
Nashville, TN 37215

The top 10 veterinarian services are always there to help you out.Apart from general practitioners, you also have specialized experts in preventive pet care. Even large and exotic animals can get quality services here. Also serious problems like malignancy are treated in the oncology sections of these veterinary services.

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Getting ready to discover how to train a puppy needs you to be organized and take copious amounts of notes. If that sounds a little too simple, it can and will make a big difference to your success and enjoyment, as it will give you something to refer back to, and will help you identify techniques that work when teaching new tricks. Taking notes is a means of recording what has worked well for your puppy, and anything that proved harder than expected. No matter what you do in life - the fundamentals are the same. And puppy training is no different - preparing a plan is crucial to being successful a lot more frequently than doing it wrong or the hard way. You know it makes sense.

Planning ahead is your first task when you start training a puppy, because it can only improve the process of the transition for your new puppy from his familiar surroundings to the new and strange world you are providing for him. Puppies can become very stressed and anxious during the first few days of leaving his mother and playmates, and he finds himself in new and unfamiliar surroundings where there is nothing but unfamiliar people and strange smells.

The best time to bring a new puppy or dog into your home is when you can give him several days on undivided attention. You need to be at home all day. A summer vacation is perfect, but only if you can plan on being home for the summer. Don’t bring a new dog home and then pack him off to a boarding kennel while you take a three-week cruise. You need to have at least a couple of days at home, and help him overcome any separation anxiety he may experience.

When we bring a new baby home, we make heaps of preparations where we buy all the things we’ll need for the babies needs, tips for training a puppy is just the same. As a new dog carer, you need to prepare your home in just the same way. After all, your new puppy is a new member of the family.

The perfect place for your new puppy is a cordoned off area in a main living area, as your puppy house training regime will go much smoother too as accidents can easily be cleaned up off the tile floors of these rooms. Normally, the kitchen makes a great new home as we tend to frequent these areas regularly, which will make a big difference in helping your puppy get acclimatized quickly.

In his previous abode, your puppy had the friendship of his littermates. Having left them behind he will feel lonely and insecure so you will need to take their place at least for a few days. But don’t overdo it because you shouldn’t allow him free reign round the home for his first week or so then start to break his new habits when you train him. House train a puppy can begin with the easy techniques, but needs to start as soon as he moves in.

Your puppy will get mixed signals if he isn’t being taught the rules right away, as it will confuse him when he finally does start. Much of these techniques for training a puppy are equally effective when working with older dogs, in pretty much the same way. Adult dogs can also suffer from homesickness when you move them. It’s not only puppies. All dogs entering a new living arrangement will need discipline, patience, and comfort. But you’ll get your just rewards with a happy and well behaved dog.

train a puppy

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The Right Food For Your Dalmatian: Part 1

Having the proper nutrition is one of the most important aspects of raising a healthy Dalmatian and yet it is often the source of controversy among breeders, veterinarians, pet owners and dog food manufacturers.

All Dalmatians are susceptible to forming life-threatening urinary tract “stones” though these can be effectively managed with diet. Although susceptibility to forming these “stones” is present in almost all Dalmatians.

Most dog foods are sold based on how to make a product appealing to owners instead of what would meet the needs of dogs. We want a dog food that specifically meets our dog’s needs, economical and causes few, if any, problems. In this particular case that must be 101 dalmations sort of food.

Most foods come in dry, semi-moist and canned forms, and some can now be purchased frozen. The dry food is the most economical, contain the least fat and the most preservatives. The canned food is the most expensive, contain 75% water, usually contain the most fat, and have the least preservatives. Semi-moist foods are also expensive and high in sugar content. In feeding the Dalmatian, the critical part of the diet is not the amount of protein but rather the type of protein.

We need to provide our Dalmatian with a diet that is low in purine, not necessarily a low-protein diet. Vegetable-based diets are not always satisfactory. While broccoli, kale, tomatoes, and carrots are low in purines, asparagus, cauliflower, beans, peas, mushrooms, spinach and whole grains are high in purines. The same is true for meats and dairy. Cheese, milk and eggs are low in purines, but most fish such as herring, mackerel, or sardines, organ meats such as liver, kidney, sweetbreads, poultry such as chicken, duck, or turkey, and meats such as beef, lamb, pork, and veal, are high in purines. The worst offenders are organ meats, and fish. In most commercial diets suitable for Dalmatians, poultry, lamb and eggs are usually the preferred sources for protein while rice is considered as the main source for carbohydrate.

There are commercial low purine diets available from veterinarians. You can also select other diets by paying close attention to their ingredients. In addition, it is also important to pay attention to treats that you give to your Dalmatian. The best treats for this breed includes fruits and cottage cheese. Last but not least, Dalmatians should be encouraged to drink large amounts of fresh, clean water. This not only keeps them hydrated, but it helps flush out their urinary tracts to keep large “stones” from forming.

Read more about dalmation dog here.

Tips about how to house train your dog published here.

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