We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

Normally dogs have a tendency to keep their paws and the rest of the body parts clean. They literally chew and bite some of the body parts to maintain a good hygiene. However if your dog excessively scratches his body around eyes, muzzle or its paws, it is something alarming and shouldn’t be left ignored. Chances are that your doggy has been under the influence of food allergy.

As per the statistical records, food allergy account for 15% of all skin diseases and 5 % of all skin diseases. One of the common sources of food allergy among dogs is diary product. Some other prominent sources include beef, chicken, wheat, eggs, corn and soy. Dogs under the influence of food allergy always tend to stretch their bodies unnecessarily so as to get some relief to the allergy affected areas.

If you suspect that your doggie has been going through any of these, do not think twice about contacting a veterinarian. Possibly the vet would advice you to opt for an elimination test diet which happens to be the most common and accurate way of detecting food allergies in dogs. If he is diagnosed with a food allergy, he would be put on a “hypoallergenic” diet which would help him avoid consuming food material which is allergic. It is best recommended to prepare an allergen free diet at home; however a variety of dog foods too are available in the market which would serve as a healthy fodder for your pet.

Next time, you go out on an errand in the sweltering heat, don’t take your pet along. You must be thinking why not since we generally go out in our family cars. But folks remember, this can be even more dangerous. We usually tend to leave them behind and in the hustle and bustle of our chores, completely forget about them. A startling report has revealed that our friends can suffer heat strokes or heat exhaustion if left in a hot car for even a short time. They can suffer brain damage in only 10 minutes, says the report.

Pets generally cool themselves by releasing heat through their paws. But during hot days, the temperature inside the car shoots up to such an alarming level that it can even kill our friends.

What are the symptoms of sunstroke we should look for in our pets?

1. Increased panting
2. Irregular pulse
3. Salivation
4. Anxious expression
5. Debilitation and tremors in the muscles
6. Lack of muscle co-ordination
7. Reddish tongues and lips
8. Convulsions or vomiting
9. Collapse

What should be our immediate course of action?

1. Relocate him to a cool, shady place
2. Wet him with cool water
3. Fan extensively to induce evaporation. Never apply ice, as it restricts blood circulation
4. Give him cool water to drink
5. Take him to a vet

We should be very watchful and observant when it comes to our pet’s safety, because a slightest mistake on our part can actually cost their precious lives. So, don’t let their lives be lost in vain.

Our pets are just like our babies and we love them wholeheartedly. But at times we forget to strike a balance and end up overfeeding them. In the short term it may appear as a very loving gesture, but in the longer run it can absolutely ruin their health. So today I am going tell you which are things you should avoid while feeding them.

1. Don’t give him any table food for the first year of his life, because his digestive system is still developing.
2. Don’t overfeed him.
3. Don’t keep changing his food just because he doesn’t like it. Instead give him boiled chicken breast and rice. If you keep changing his food too often it may cause diarrhea.
4. Don’t use garlic or onion seasoning because they are toxic to dogs.
5. Don’t forget to exercise your dog.
6. Don’t give him more than two meals a day.

Trust me these food habits will keep your buddy in fine fettle and he’ll also live longer with you.

Exercise is perhaps the best way to keep our pets healthy and in high spirits. We all know it is a fun activity but while exercising our pets, their safety should not leave our minds. Here is a list of things we should avoid during the course of work outs.

•    Don’t ride a bike with your dog on a leash.
•    Don’t skateboard with your dog on a leash.
•    Don’t rollerblade with your dog on a leash.
•    Don’t exercise when it is very hot or very cold outside.
•    Don’t let your dog run out of your control and go near the traffic.
•    Don’t exercise your dog right before or after a meal.

We all love our pets dearly, but there are certain occasions when they simply drive us crazy. Dog odor is a glaring example of this. It can occur in dogs of any age group. No matter how well you train them, but there are days when they tend to be a little naughty and end up messing up the house or sometimes when they are unwell. Also when they step into the house after getting soaked in the rain, we feel like running away from there. Right?

I know this is a persistent problem. But you must be wondering whether we can put a stop to that? Yes, there are certain things we must practice regularly to keep our house free of odor.

1. Make sure that your pet urinates adequately. Whenever you see any telltale sign immediately take him out.
2. Wash your dog’s bedding and blanket every week.
3. Wash your dog whenever you feel there is a need.
4. If your dog empties or throws up, clean up the mess promptly with water and white paper towels.
5. There are many odor neutralizers available in the market. You can spray the trash can, furniture, bedding, carpet or any other area where your dog ventures.

This will not only keep your house clean, but will also give a positive spin on your pet’s mood.

Can you believe there is finally a drug for the treatment of cancer in dogs? Yes, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug made specifically to treat mast cell tumors in dogs.

Until recently human oncology medicines were used to treat cancer in dogs.

This is indeed a huge breakthrough. The new drug called Palladia, has been manufactured by Pfizer Animal Health Inc.

It works by killing tumor cells and disrupting blood supply to the tumor. However, the side effects may include diarrhea, loss of appetite, lameness, weight loss and blood in the feces.

For more information on mast cell tumors you can log on to http://www.wearethecure.org/mast-cell-tumors.

What about organizing your own dog walks? Right, so that sounds interesting? PDSA, UK’s leading veterinary charity can actually make that happen for you. They are organizing ‘Walkies’ throughout the month of September to raise funds for the treatment of sick and injured dogs.

To realize their dreams, PDSA is urging all dog lovers and owners to sponsor their own dog walks, no matter how big or small it is.

In case you are wondering how to organize the event, trust me PDSA is there to help you in every way. After you register at the PDSA Walkies Registration Page, they will send you an information pack comprising helpful advice and tips, posters, stickers, poop bags and certificates for walkers and all that you need to organize an event.

This is also a very innovative way of meeting vets, in case your pet is in need of one. The organization has published a report recently which says adult dogs need around 20 minutes to 2 hours of exercise a day. But in reality only 26% of dogs get less than even half an hour’s exercise a day. Worse still, 7% get no walks at all.

Lack of exercise coupled with a bad diet, can lead to obesity which can ultimately result in arthritis, diabetes and heart disease for our pawed friends, warns the report.
So this is a wonderful way to kick start your pet’s health regime that will go a long way to ensure his well being.

For more information you can log on to the PDSA Walkies page.

It’s once again that time of the year when you have to innovate cool ways to keep your pets in high spirits. For some of you I know this is a real challenge. But trust me, the recipe I am going to talk about will not only erase those wrinkles from your face, but will also give your friends a welcome relief from the summer heat. This recipe is very simple and lasts in the refrigerator indefinitely.

•    Cut 4 bananas in ¼
•    Take 3-4 teaspoons of peanut butter
•    Take enough water or broth to make a smoothie
•    Place all the items in a blender and mix well
•    Pour the mixture into ice cube trays or plastic cups sprayed with vegetable oil and refrigerate for 4 hours or more. Then serve chilled.

I am sure your pets would absolutely love it.

My dog loves going to doggie day camp where he can tear around a glass-enclosed room with other dogs. People (or worried owners who’ve never seen their dog socialize with a dozen other dogs) can watch the dogs play and rumble with each other, run around, sniff everything, or just chill out on a sleeping pad.

It’s located at a pet supply store that includes an animal hospital and training school. When I’m traveling, I can leave him there for overnight boarding replete with a video monitor that plays any TV or movie scene with dogs!

When I pick him up – whether it’s been an afternoon or three days, he is absolutely exhausted and will sleep most of the day to recover from the fun and excitement.

http://petshotel.petsmart.com/doggie-day-camp/

This is post is contributed by Sarah McCue. Sarah is the founder of BluMail, http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.blumail.org, a global email, education, networking, jobs, entrepreneurship and activism portal for millions who will be coming online in developing countries. She is the author of 8 business and technical books and lives in Washington, DC with her fiance and 7 month old Maltese-Havese named Tim Tebow.

It’s an art, communicating in 140 characters.  We’ve all been there, where you type out your tweet, getting the message across just right and it ends up being over the 140 character limit!   Now there’s a choice to be made in the editing, stay true to proper grade school grammar or go with Twitter slang.  It’s so tempting to  change the “for” to 4, “to” to 2.  And let’s not forget “our” to R.

Finally after a few minutes we have managed to fit the tweet into the 140 character limit and the message is complete and understood.  All that work just to get a simple tweet out.  Was it worth it?

Well, what if we made it worth it?

Have you ever dreamed of quitting your job via Twitter?  How about popping the question within 140 characters?  Just how creative have you gotten with your Tweets?  What if, instead of just getting your message across you were able to Tweet for a good cause AND win a MacBook Pro?

The National Canine Cancer Foundation has made that possible!  The NCCF has created a Tweet writing contest to challenge you to “Write the Perfect Tweet” while giving you a chance to win a prize.

The contest has several categories to challenge you to “Write the Perfect Tweet” in relationship to the subject. You pick the category you want to write and then submit it for a chance to win some great prizes and help fund canine Cancer research.

The categories are:

1. Write the Perfect Tweet for quitting your job.
2. Write the Perfect Tweet for raising money for canine Cancer.
3. Write the Perfect Tweet for a marriage proposal.
4. Write the Perfect Tweet for telling your kids there is no Santa.

You can enter as many “Perfect Tweets” as you want. The cost to enter a tweet in the contest is $5.00 for each time you submit a new tweet. The $5.00 goes to the National Canine Cancer Foundation to fund canine Cancer research. Many of the contest partners have also created a way to enter for free also!

Get creative and go to www.perfecttweet.com!

The National Canine Cancer Foundation is a nationwide, contribution funded, non-profit corporation dedicated to eliminating Cancer as a major health problem in dogs by funding grants for the scientific efforts of Cancer researchers who are working to save lives, find a cure, find better treatments, find more accurate, cost effective, diagnostic methods in dealing with Cancer, and diminishing dogs’ suffering from Cancer through research, education, advocacy, and service.  Find out more about the Foundation on www.wearethecure.org.