We Are The Cure Blog | Canine Cancer Information

When you go hunting for waterfowls or fishing do you take your pets along? Yes some people do even before adequately training them to ride in a boat. You should, however, remember that an untrained pet can spell enormous trouble. So, don’t venture into the waters without training your dog properly. An unrestrained pet might run amok on board spurring life threatening conditions both for him and his master.

Here’s a quick look at the some of ways in which you can boat train your pet.

1) First introduce your pet to the boat. Then anchor it on the beach and allow him to get used to it. Teach him how to get in and out of the boat. Training your pet how to sit tight in a boat is an equally important part of the training. Once he has mastered this, make him perform drills. Allow him to run straight to the boat from some marked location and on arrival teach him to climb back into the desired location. Once he gets used to this set up move the boat into shallow water and implement the same procedures. Then try moving the craft in the shallow waters. Watch out for his demeanor. Initially you would notice a marked discomfiture, but gradually he would get used to the changing circumstances around him. Try to replicate the real life scenarios as closely as possible.

2) Your behavior shouldn’t exhibit any hurriedness or anxiety. Otherwise, he’ll pick up on that and start behaving weirdly.

3) You should set the expectations right and not keep changing them under different circumstances. This would instill in him a strong belief that he should conduct himself in a particular manner under all the prevailing conditions.

Until recently Saturdays used to be so dreadful and painstaking for me. Wondering why? It was that day of the week when Rover received his scheduled dose of shower. The entire household would be in commotion due to his misdemeanor. I was so frustrated with the whinnings that I finally sought an expert advice. Now things are quite under control.

So, today I would like to share these tips with my readers:

1. Never put your pet into the tub and then arrange the toiletries. Instead keep things handy so that the process doesn’t take much time. If possible spread a mat or a large towel on the floor of the tub to prevent slippage.

2. Brush your dog properly before applying water. Also, avoid brushing the coat immediately after shower. This may lead to a lot of unnecessary breakage.

3. Take care of his eyes and ears. Insert cotton balls into his ears to prevent seepage and if possible put a drop or two of sterile mineral oil so that he doesn’t experience pain if traces of shampoo or soap enter his eyes. The more comfortable you make him, the better it is for him.

4. If your dog is frightened of water don’t fill the tub up to the brim. You can also make him do a couple of practice runs.

5. You can seek a friend’s help if you can’t manage him alone. Some dogs tend to escape from the tub frequently. So, you can ask your friend to hold him while you apply soap or shampoo. Once it’s over dry him naturally. Avoid hair dryers as they can be detrimental to your pet’s fur.

If your pet is averse to bathing, don’t reprimand him. Instead follow the above guidelines and get amazing results.

The color of your pet’s gum could be a very important indicator of his overall health. But due to lack of awareness and knowledge we hardly take note of this. As responsible dog parents we should make it a point to lift their lips from time to time and examine the color of their gum. It might happen that your otherwise healthy looking pet is actually suffering from a serious illness.

However, gum discoloration, dryness or paleness does not indicate any one type of abnormality. Different colors have varied implications.

Check out the ailments associated with altered color of the gum:

Pale gum – Lack of redness generally stems from anemia caused by a decreased number of red blood cells (RBC). But this thwarted production of RBC could be an indication of  underlying illnesses like internal bleeding, low blood pressure or more serious complications.

Brick red gum – If gum becomes brick red in color it means there is an overproduction of red blood cells and augmented circulation of blood in your pet’s body. This occurs when the blood becomes thickened due to dehydration and sunstroke.

Yellowish gum – Gum turns yellow when there is an excess of bilirubin in the blood. This condition results in jaundice which occurs due to liver failure or a blockage of bile ducts.

Blue gum – When there is a lack of oxygen in the blood gum appears blue. This condition is known as cyanosis. Your dog could also be suffering from a lung disease or hypoxia — a pathological condition in which the whole or a part of the body is deprived of adequate supply of oxygen.

Dry gum – When there is an adequate amount of fluids in the body gum appears wet and shiny. But when there is a lack of it (dehydration), they appear dry to the touch.

However, there is a point to be noted. Sometimes you might notice dark pigmentation on his gum or tongue. Let me tell you there is no need to press the panic button because this is quite a natural occurrence. So, only if you come across abnormal conditions like bleeding around the teeth, swelling, discoloration, bleeding and redness of the gum, particularly surrounding the teeth, you should immediately consult the vet.

With the growing need of blood transfusion among dogs, blood banks are steadily increasing. Earlier, owners were not fully aware of the necessity of blood donation, but with a spurt in canine diseases, they are slowly taking stock of the situation. A number of blood bank programs are also being initiated to support the need to supply life saving blood components. But now, the most pertinent question here is who is a prospective donor? Also, do you know what are the precautions one must take before taking his/her pet to a donation camp?

Only a healthy vaccinated dog is eligible for blood donation. However, before the donation process gets underway the dog has to undergo a comprehensive physical examination, including a complete blood count and blood chemistry profile. He would be tested for other possible conditions like Brucellosis, Rocky Mountain, Spotted Fever, Lyme Disease, and several other ailments. A dog who has received blood transfusion earlier is not eligible for donation. A potential donor also cannot be under any medication and should be protected against heartworm diseases.

There are basically 2 types of programs —  “Full Pints Program” and also “Half-Pints Program”. To be able to qualify for the full-pint program, a dog must be at least 1 year old and weigh 50 pounds or more. But for half-pint programs, donors must be at least 1 year old and weigh 35 pounds or more. The potential donor must be a nice, easy going dog with a universal blood group.

The process of blood donation, however, is rather simple. The donor is placed on an elevated platform and blood is extracted from a large vein from the neck. It is not carried out under anesthesia and takes about half an hour. After the process is accomplished the dog is treated to a nutritious meal and given water.

Do you know that flaxseed oil has immense nutritional benefits for dogs? Yes, because it contains a substance called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that seems to hold great promise in keeping arthritis and cardiovascular diseases at bay. Moreover, it also keeps their coat shiny and glossy. Nowadays, dogs seem to suffer from a deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids since the foods they consume lack this important nutrient. Research, however, shows that in earlier days dogs mostly fed on the flesh of wild animals that were high in their fatty acids content.

I have summarized some of the potential benefits of flaxseed for my readers.

Here’s a quick look:

Keeps the coat glossy – Surprisingly enough both dry and greasy coat can be an indication of fatty acid deficiency. If there is a lack of this vital nutrient in your dog’s body, his skin can turn dry and flaky. But if there is an excessive amount of oil in his coat, chances are that he is suffering from a similar deficiency. Fatty acid insufficiency can also lead to ear infections and other skin problems. So, if your dog is suffering from any of these problems, you can supplement his diet with flaxseed oil in consultation with his vet.

Prevents Arthritis – Just like humans, arthritis too can affect dogs. It is indeed  distressing to see our buddies groan with pain. As we are very often unaware of the cause there is very little we can actually do to ameliorate the situation. The joint pain stems from a deficiency of Omega-3 fatty acids in their diet. In the absence of this nutrient, inflammatory prostaglandins, hormone-like substances produced from wrong kinds of fat can attack the joints, resulting in pain and inflammation. So, what we can do is treat them to a flaxseed meal which tends to lower the inflammatory response. This in turn reduces swelling and in turn, arthritis pain.

Prevents cardiovascular diseases – Flaxseed has multifarious benefits on the cardiac health of dogs. Its thinning properties help in preventing blood clots. Flaxseed also lowers blood cholesterol and high blood pressure by improving the elasticity of blood vessels. Flaxseed has been found to be useful for other conditions, like allergies, irritable bowel syndrome and cancer.

Flaxseed oil is available both in liquid form and also as chunks. However, for appropriate  guidelines you should consult his vet.

Not many of you have heard of onion toxicity I am sure for it is a condition that only afflicts dogs. It is caused by thiosulphate, a natural substance present in onion and garlic. In humans, thiosulphate is efficiently burnt by the digestive system. But in case of dogs, it doesn’t happen that way. Thus, the unburnt amounts of thiosulphate that remain in the body results in toxicity.

This medical condition also causes red blood cells to rupture thereby leading to a compromised immune system. This situation may further compound into hemolytic anemia.

Some of the symptoms of onion toxicity may include general debilitation, diarrhea, difficulty in breathing, pale or bluish gums, blood in urine, jaundice, fever, loss of  appetite and increased heart rate. If any of these symptoms come to your notice, you should immediately rush him to a doctor who will first decontaminate his body and then administer intravenous fluids. Sometimes, in case of acute anemia, blood transfusion may be necessary.

However, having said all this, I would like to add that onion toxicity is very much preventable. What you only have to do is completely cut down on his consumption of food items stuffed with onion like pizza, hamburger, sandwich meats, canned spaghetti, gravies, and spicy meals. Finally, keep an eye on whether he is consuming left over food or not. So, by exercising these precautions you can actually minimize the risk of onion toxicity in dogs.

Canine Infectious Hepatitis (CIH) is a deadly disease that can affect dogs of any breed. The risk, however, increases manifold if the dog has a compromised immune system. It is a canine adenovirus-induced disease and every dog would be exposed to the virus during its lifetime at least once. It spreads through direct contact with the infected dog. But it can also be transmitted by direct contact with the virus through urine, feces, saliva, bites from mosquitoes, fleas and ticks. The liver, lymphoid system and blood vessel walls are affected.

The symptoms of canine infectious hepatitis may vary from minor to severe like inappetance, fever, pale feces, coughing, ocular and nasal discharge, temporary corneal opacity, abdominal pain, long lasting bouts of diarrhea, abnormal accumulation of fluid in the head and neck, vomiting, and jaundice.

The treatment consists of controlling the secondary illnesses. However, if the disease aggravates, vets may resort to antibiotics and liver treatment.

Unfortunately the virus cannot be eradicated but you can of course safeguard your pooch by vaccinating him at 6 weeks of age, and re-vaccinating every 3-4 weeks until 16 months old. Once he grows up, you should get him vaccinated every year.

Sometimes, the virus may remain in your dog’s system up to a year even after the infection has receded. So, a regular monitoring by the vet is absolutely necessary.

I’ve spoken about aggressive, unruly dogs in some of my previous posts and also about ways of tackling them. But have we ever spared a thought about the shy, timid and less confident ones? Some of us believe that looking after a shy dog can be a cakewalk. The actual picture, however, is completely different because this fear of strangers stems from lack of early socialization or some unpleasant experience in the past. Moreover, some dogs can be genetically predisposed. They usually have 3 ways of reacting to an unwarranted situation. If they are overcome with fear, they would either freeze in order to impress upon others that they are non-existent, or they would escape from that place or in extreme cases may get embroiled in a fight.

But being a responsible owner if you think your dog is less confident you must try out these simple steps to help your pooch overcome his fear of strangers.

1. Accompany your dog to a quiet place like a park bereft of too many people, or outside a library from where he can see movements of people at a distance without feeling threatened. In case he shows signs of nervousness, neither comfort  him nor chide him. Instead behave with him as normally as possible. You can either read out a story to him or sing a song, recite a poetry or simply play with him. If any stranger tries to come close to your pooch explain to him that he is under training. But despite that if he still looks stressed out increase the distance till he is at complete ease. Continue doing this for over a week till you are confident that he is totally relaxed. Then try moving closer to the traffic.
2. Observe how your dog reacts to strangers passing by. If he looks relaxed reward him with a treat and shower praises. Repeat this every time he reacts positively to a stranger. But if he shows even the slightest signs of apprehension stop giving him treats. Continue this over a period of 2 weeks till he feels totally at ease. But if he looks completely distressed, move way from the traffic to a place where he feels safe.
3. Next, ask people your dog is not familiar with to drop treats as they go by.  However, they should neither look at him nor speak to him. This would slowly instill in him a feeling that strangers are not to be frightened of.
4. If he accepts this, ask willing participants to come closer and pretend to talk to you holding a treat in their hands. But ask them not to look at the dog even for a split second. If the dog grabs the treat don’t pay too much attention. The strangers should in fact continue talking to you as normally as possible. Repeat this with several other strangers till he learns to associate strangers with pleasant things.
5. You can repeat the same activity at home when your friends or relatives drop by for a chat. Seeing a stranger, your dog will definitely retire to a safe corner. You give your friend a treat and ask him to place it on the floor from where your pooch can see it. But make sure that your acquaintance doesn’t pay attention to the dog and continue talking to you as usual. If the dog laps it up, don’t look at him. Instead continue with the conversation. But in case your dog doesn’t grab the treat don’t reprimand him. Keep repeating the act till you achieve success. If he accepts the treat this time ask your friend to hold another in his hand while chatting with you. However, he should keep the demeanor intact. If the dog accepts the treat, repeat this over and over again till you are confident that he has been able to overcome his fear.

Always remember that your aim here is to help him overcome his shyness so that he is able to live more happily. Don’t expect him to start admiring strangers right away. Give him some time. However, he may not like everybody and I think you should be fine with that.

Rearing a pet could be even more difficult than bringing up a child. Some of us go for adoption without sparing a thought and very soon find ourselves in the midst of trouble. This becomes all the more conspicuous in case of onset of a sudden medical condition. Unable to handle the situation we get too distressed and worked up. But these situations can be handled in a much better manner only if we look out for the symptoms.

We should in fact make a directory of the common illnesses affecting dogs and their clinical signs. Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one such illness. It occurs quite frequently in dogs because most of them abide by schedules set by their masters. Therefore they don’t have the liberty to relieve themselves as and when they wish to. Some of the clinical signs of UTI may include presence of blood in the urine, weight loss, anorexia, vomiting, difficulty while urinating and abdominal pain.

This situation calls for immediate medical attention because if left untreated it can even lead to cancer. X-ray and ultrasound are some of the most common methods employed in detecting the disease.

The course of treatment, however, would finally depend upon the severity of the illness. In extreme cases, surgery may be required, but if it’s less severe a change in the dog’s diet along with some antibiotics would do.

But as we all know prevention is better than cure we must try to take all the precautionary measures. We can do so by following certain simple guidelines.

What are the foods you should avoid giving him?

• Foods high in salt
• Foods containing too much preservatives.

What foods should you give him?

• Dog meals and pet foods that are especially formulated to treat UTI
• Citrus juices
• Distilled water
• Fresh meals

By regularizing their food habits and allowing them to relieve at regular intervals we can definitely decrease the incidence of UTIs among dogs.

Aggression is a very common trait associated with dogs. Different circumstances spark temperamental swings leading to aggressive behavior on their part. Dogs manifest their anger or disapproval through common signs that may include continuous barking, howling and lunging. But sometimes blocking the way, jumping in the air and pouncing on the owner may also indicate restless behavior.

As a dog grows in years, he starts getting impatient. His level of tolerance slowly weans away paving the way for violent behavior. But this abrupt change usually throws the whole house into a tizzy. We are completely at our wits’ end unable to decide how to cope with these unforeseen circumstances. But we shouldn’t worry too much and instead try to delve deep into the matter.

First and foremost we should reflect on the situations that induced aggressive behavior on our dogs’ part in the past. There could be several causes right from challenge posed by a younger dog to a sudden onset of illness like arthritis, hyperthyroidism or possible brain tumors. The former sounds a little weird. But this is true because sometimes due to old age a senior dog may not be able to match up to the energy level of his younger counterparts, leading to a sense of frustration and despondency. Medical conditions, however, could be a potential cause of misdemeanor. Pain and stiffness from arthiritis rob them off their ability to move about unhindered. Hyperthyroidism and brain tumors although rare occurrences may lead to excruciatingly painful conditions. These keep them tensed all the time. But the medical problems can be resolved by consulting his vet.

Dogs usually tend to be well disciplined if we inculcate good values in them. But if they suddenly start behaving abnormally we should immediately investigate the causes and take proper measures to abate them.