Posts tagged “Water Fountain”

If your dog’s having bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, and stomach pain, they’ll need to get to a vet fast—and there’s a chance the problem could be pancreatitis.   Pancreatitis in dogs can be a medical emergency, especially if a dog is showing signs of severe dehydration, such as extreme weakness, pale gums, or quick, rapid breathing.   If you notice these symptoms in your dog, call your veterinarian immediately or take your dog to an emergency vet. 

You know those films that just tug at your heartstrings? Dog war movies definitely fit that bill. Whatever the canine’s character—trained service animal, therapy dog or civilian’s best friend—dog war movies honor all that these incredible animals do for us humans. So, on your next night in, why not curl up with your furry best friend to watch a few of the top dog war movies? You’ll probably want to grab a chew toy for them and some popcorn for you—and maybe some tissues, just in case. Here are 10 of the best.

So, how do dogs even get worms in the first place? You keep your house clean and take your pooch to the vet for all their regular checkups, and yet you’re still seeing worms in your dog’s poop. How did they get there? According to Nicole Savageau, VMD, a veterinarian with The Vets in Austin, Texas, some of the most common ways adult dogs get worms are by: Ingesting contaminated soil Eating contaminated feces (i.e., eating an infected dog’s poop) Eating wild animals or rodents that are infected with worms Dogs can also get a tapeworm infection from fleas, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If a dog has infected fleas on them and then swallows some while self-grooming, the tapeworm eggs can turn into adult worms in your dog’s intestines. Additionally, young puppies can get worms from their mom. Worms can be passed through the mother’s milk and placenta in the early stages of your pup’s life. This is why puppies are often put on a deworming protocol right away, even if no worms are spotted.,Jump to section How Do Dogs Get Worms? What Do Worms Look Like in Dog Poop? Other Signs of Worms in Dogs What To Do if You Find Worms in Your Dog’s Poop Treatment for Worms in Dog Poop How To Prevent Worms in Dogs

Yogurt is just as tasty as it is healthy. It can be enjoyed on its own, paired with countless delicious fruits, as an ingredient in a refreshing smoothie—the list goes on. But can dogs eat yogurt too? We talked with veterinary experts to get the scoop on whether dogs can have yogurt, including the potential health benefits and risks, which types of yogurt are dog-friendly, how to safely feed it to your pup, and more. Always check with your veterinarian before introducing any new food into your dog’s diet.

Most dogs jump at the opportunity to spend time outside (the more walks, the better!). But for some dog breeds that can’t handle the winter chill, their enthusiasm for outdoor activities drops as temperatures dip.  Some breeds aren’t equipped for cold weather because they have low body fat, a short coat, or experience breathing problems when the temperature is too low. But large or small, all dogs need exercise (and potty breaks!), so you can’t give up on outdoor excursions all winter long. Here’s what you need to know about dogs who are sensitive to the cold, and what you can do to keep your pup safe and comfortable.

Trick or Treat, Meet Irith! My name is Irith (pronounced “Ee-reet”). I’m a certified professional animal trainer based on the west side of Los Angeles. When I’m not helping clients or speaking at seminars, I spend my time with my husband and our wonderful, nearly 14-year-old English Shepherd, Franklin. Franklin is a rescue. When we first got him, he had some pretty troubling habits. One of them was barking at the doorbell. This behavior can make holidays like Halloween pretty uncomfortable. The first Halloween we had Franklin, I considered pretending nobody was home, to avoid people ringing the doorbell. However, as a professional who works with animals, I knew there were other options for how to train your dog not to bark. When I’m dealing with a nervous dog (like Franklin used to be), I like to start with one of a variety of calming remedies. There are a lot of options available, such as Sentry HC Good Behavior Pheromone Dog Calming Collar. A nervous dog may also become calmer with the use of calming supplements, such as VetriScience Composure Behavioral Health Bite-Sized Dog Chews, which can be given daily to reduce stress in dogs with anxiety. They’re also yummy, and have the Franklin seal of approval. Calming remedies can be very helpful in reducing a pet’s baseline levels of stress, but using them alone rarely resolves a serious behavior—and Franklin needed more than just Comfort Zone with Adaptil products to learn not to bark at the doorbell. Fortunately, I know how to calm a dog down. There is more than one option for training a dog to keep calm when the doorbell rings, but the training technique below is the one I recommend to most clients, since it is fairly straightforward, and can also be modified to work with cats, birds and other animals.

Image via iStock.com/GeorgePeters By Victoria Schade Dog breed descriptions are almost like dating profiles; pet parents want to match up with the best companion for their lifestyle. That is why many pet parents rely on breed profiles to help them decide on important factors like a dog’s workout requirements or their personality before committing to a forever relationship. Learning as much as possible about different dog breeds is a great way to help prevent bad matchups, like a high-drive working dog living in a small apartment in the city or a dog with demanding grooming requirements winding up with someone who can’t afford the upkeep. While breed descriptions can help give insights about what a potential partnership might be like, it’s important to remember that dogs are individuals with personalities that are also shaped by their experiences. Just because a dog breed is known for being aloof or energetic, it doesn’t mean that every dog within that breed will conform to those traits. Behavioral Traits Are More Difficult to Predict There are certain aspects of a dog’s makeup that are easier to predict from a genetic standpoint, like the way the dog looks. A dog’s coat type is determined by a limited number of genes, as is a dog’s size (although factors, like diet, can influence a dog’s final size). On the other hand, canine behavioral traits are influenced by many genes as well as environmental factors, like early puppyhood experiences, socialization and training. Dr. E. Kathryn Meyer, veterinary behaviorist at the Veterinary Behavior Clinic in Gaithersburg, Maryland, explains that breed temperament descriptions are part of the guidelines that have been set by the American Kennel Club (AKC) that describe the idealized specimen of that breed. She states, “It is much easier to breed for the physical attributes that make a Beagle a Beagle, than it is to breed for the behavioral attributes that make a Beagle a Beagle.” And, keep in mind that most breeders are selecting for a dog’s appearance to conform to the breed standard rather than focusing on temperament. Selective breeding certainly impacts behavior, but it’s not a predictor of it. So instead of a genetic guarantee of dog personalities by breed, there are endless variables that can influence whether a Labrador loves water, or if a Frenchie is the class clown. Nature, Nurture and What Shapes a Dog’s Personality If you’ve ever met a litter of puppies, you’ve probably noticed that even at 8 weeks old, they’re already exhibiting behavioral variety. There’s typically a bold puppy, a shy puppy and a few in-between pups. From that starting point, the unique experiences each pup will have in their new homes make it possible for the siblings to end up with a variety of personality types despite their shared genes and early life. Suppose one puppy—a Boxer—goes to a home where the pet parents researched how to start off their new relationship on the right paw. They feed a high-quality dog food, enroll their new pup in training classes and take care to provide ample socialization opportunities. The other Boxer puppy winds up in a home that feeds low-quality food, keeps him crated most of the time, only takes him out to the yard for potty trips and spanks him if he has an accident in the house. Which of the two dogs do you think is more likely to represent the typical lively, affectionate and outgoing Boxer personality type? The Challenges of Breed Descriptions Breed descriptions are an excellent summary of the potential personality traits of a dog, but behavior isn’t hardwired. Dr. Meyer has seen patients that are nothing like how the AKC describes them, including a Golden Retriever that was extremely aggressive to unfamiliar people and a Shiba Inu that loved everyone despite a description of dog breed personalities that says they’re reserved with strangers. One of the challenges with breed descriptions is that they can give pet parents an unrealistic expectation of how a dog will act and make it seem that every dog from the same breed will act the exact same way. If you assume that breed personality descriptions are blueprints, then you fail to take the individual dog into account as well as the fact that personality can change over time. Breed stereotypes can also be self-fulfilling prophecies; pet parents who believe that a Husky will always pull on their dog leash might be less likely to try to modify the behavior with positive training. Breed behavior stereotyping can even trickle into how we view mixed-breed dogs; pet parents might be wary to adopt a Terrier mix due to Terriers being labeled as stubborn. But, there is a way to add dimension to a dog’s breed description. Dr. Meyer suggests that pet parents should meet a puppy’s parents and other offspring from the parents if they want a better behavioral snapshot. “I think you can make some general predictions based on breed, but don’t consider them to be guarantees,” says Dr. Meyer. Lumping dogs by their breed’s typical behavior fails to take the individual dog into account, and there’s no greater favor we can pay our dogs than loving them for exactly who they are—failed fetchers and all.