Dog Health Questions
There are a number of pet health questions that you may encounter with your dog throughout his/her life. Being prepared by feeding your dog a healthy diet, and being able to recognise some of the signs of sickness will help you maintain your pet dog health. Knowing what types of nutrients to feed your dog, and how to deal with diarrhea, constipation and fleas are all dog health questions that you may need to educate yourself on.
Here are several of the most common dog health questions, together with some answers to assist you.
1. How to deal with constipation in your dog:
This is one of the more common dog health questions that many people will face at some point in time. The most common cause of constipation is an unbalanced diet in which a lack of fiber causes a build up of drying feces. Adding a teaspoon of fiber to their usual meal will help increase their fiber intake and eliminate the build up of drying feces. If the constipation does not clear in a few days, you may need to take your dog to a veterinarian.
2. How to deal with diarrhea in your dog:
This is a serious pet heath question because diarrhea can become a concern to your pet dog health if it goes on too long. You have to become worried about dehydration and further complication if it drags on too long. You can help the problem by feeding your dog white or brown rice with their usual meal, along with giving them an over-the-counter remedy.
3. How to deal with fleas on your dog:
Fleas can be the bane of your dog’s life. They are nasty creatures that live on, and feed off your dog. They are highly contagious, in that if one of your pets contracts fleas, all of your pets will become infested within a very short space of time. How do you prevent fleas? Or get rid of them if you haven’t succeeded in preventing fleas on your dog? Most pet owners resort to chemical preventatives and treatments, but more and more pet owners are turning to natural flea treatments that, when used consistently, can be just as effective in treating fleas as their chemical counterparts. – Especially if your dog is otherwise healthy, is bathed from time to time, and is eating a healthy diet. Which brings us to the next two dog health questions:
4. How regularly you should bathe your dog:
Dogs can be placed in water as often as you would like them to be as long as you don’t use any kinds of soap. If you are giving them bath and washing them with shampoo or soap, human shampoo or soap can lead to an imbalance of sweat with dogs and hurt your pet dog health. Even when using dog-specific soap, no more than one bath every few weeks should be given.
5. What is the best food choice for your dog:
This is one of the more difficult dog health questions to answer because there isn’t necessarily a correct answer for everyone. There are certain foods that are not good for any dogs. Avoid store-bought foods that contain by-products of any kind in them. Such commercial dog food is undoubtedly the worst food you can feed for your pet dog’s health. The best natural dog food is raw meat and other raw food as the primary food source for your dog. Some dog owners are reluctant to feed raw meat and bones, so a very high quality convenience natural dog food is an alternative, as is cooked meat with perhaps a little rice, cottage cheese and even some eggs for a varied protein source from time to time.
Taking care of your pet dog health is absolutely vital to increasing your dog’s lifespan. Everything from what to feed your dog to how to handle fleas, diarrhea and constipation are all important. If you’re not sure of the answer, don’t hesitate to look online (see below) or ask your veterinarian your dog health questions.
Healthy Happy Dogs is a resource containing a wealth of information on dog health questions. If your dog tends to suffer from constipation or diarrhea, click here: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/NaturalRemedies for information on the very best natural remedies for dogs available.
For more information on quality dog shampoos, natural flea treatments and for your FREE dog health report, sign up at HealthyHappyDogs.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brigitte_Smith
dog health
khealey on April 13th 2007 in Dogs
dog training said on 15 May 2007 at 3:52 pm #
If you are concerned about using either animal or human shampoo’s on your dog then use organic ones. My dog suffered with awful skin allergies and despite the vet perscribing different creams and medication the problem was just getting worse. I purchased a bottle of organic shampoo made with oatmeal and honey and a tube of organic Calendular cream. After two baths and applying the cream every day, the collies skin improved greatly. I will never use anything but organic shampoo’s on my dogs and in the aftermath of this pet food recall I have decided to feed my dogs on a natural home prepared diet as much as I can.
dog lover
dog training said on 24 May 2007 at 8:15 am #
Another reason why a dog may become constipated is when they have got too hot. Often in summer months dogs strain to defaeciate as a result of exercising too strenuously in hot weather and not drinking enough to replace fluids lost by panting as they try to cool down. Always make sure that your dog has adequate cool, fresh water and never stop them drinking even if they empty the bowl. Take extreme care with deep chested dogs or ones that are susceptable to Gastric Torsion (Bloat) that they do not run around after drinking water. Many owners are unaware that drinking causes Bloat and not just Food. We had a GSD that “bloated” after gulping down water then running around the garden. Within ten minutes the dog was in a crititcal state and had to have an emergency operation to save his life.
Graig Langston said on 01 Jul 2007 at 8:13 am #
Graig Langston…
I have this old dog, somtimes I spice up commercial dog food with broth from boiled beef or chicken you cook for yourself. A tablespoon mixed in with the canned/dry food works wonders. Sometimes a dab of cottage cheese will do the trick, too….
Augustine Sybilla said on 16 Sep 2007 at 11:40 am #
Augustine Sybilla…
I have a 3 yr old female labrador. She had a litter of puppies last year and had problems with her allergies after her puppies were weaned. She was given a couple of doses of cortizone. Since then she has not been back into heat. Is this a side effect …
khealey said on 16 Sep 2007 at 3:49 pm #
yes its probably a side effect of the steroids
is she still taking them?
it will probably take about 6 months for the steroids to get out of her system, and her own hormones to get back in balance
kxx
Pfau said on 30 Oct 2007 at 4:08 am #
Having a dog has truly become more complicated in the recent years.Dog health care is important to ensure that dogs live long.The stress on the importance of providing suitable health and living requirements for pets has increased and been made more profound.Having a health insurance for your dog may give you peace of mind because you know you’ll be ready whatever health problems your dog may have in the future.