Dog Strokes

18 April 2010

A Dog Stroke has multiple causes with symptoms that range from behavioral change to difficulty moving. Diagnosis must be done by a veterinarian with treatment focused on the underlying cause of the stroke.”

Canine stroke symptoms include the following:

•Head tilt

•Turning the wrong way when called

•Eating out of one side of his food bowl

•Loss of balance

•Lethargy

•Blindness

•Loss of bladder and bowel control

•Can’t get up

•Convulsing

•Eyes fixed or rolled back

Luckily, dogs seem to recover from strokes more easily than humans.

YOU CAN help your dog get back to normal (and help yourself) by doing special things.

BUT, they will need extra care around the clock.

You can find all kind of items to help you with the care of your dog.

DON’T give up on your dog !

They DON’T have to be euthanized !

They can live many more  happy years, and give you so much more joy.

A Look At Dog Strokes

Strokes rarely occur in canines. They are brought on when blood flow to the brain is impaired. There are two types of strokes, namely hemorrhagic and schemic. Schemic strokes occur when blood flow is impeded for some reason. The hemorrhagic variety occur when a blood vessel breaks.

Causes

There are a variety of reasons why your dog can experience a stroke. Some occur because of severe trauma to the head, such as being hit by a car. This problem can also be caused by ingesting various toxins. Underlying medical conditions can also be to blame like Cushings disease in canines. Other common conditions include heart disease, diabetes, brain tumors, and dog kidney disease

Symptoms

Dogs experiencing a stroke display some of the same symptoms caused by other conditions. Constant circling, difficulty walking, and head tilting are common. Dogs may also experience loss of bowel control, behavior changes, and sudden blindness.

Diagnosis

You will need to seek medical assistance quickly if your dog displays some of these symptoms. Quick diagnosis and treatment goes a long way towards a complete recovery. Your dog will likely have a physical exam at first. If your dog has had a stroke, he will perform a CT scan or MRI to try to determine the cause. These two procedures require that your dog be anesthetized.

Treatment

Canine strokes are treated by determining the underlying medical condition and treated it if possible. Your dog shouldn’t experience anymore strokes if the underlying cause can be identified and treated. The damage done by a stroke is typically irreparable. Most dogs recover within a few weeks though. However, your dog may have certain behavioral changes after having one.

All owners should know a little something about various diseases that can affect their dog. You can read up on many different potential health problems at dog-illnesses.com.

Harmful foods to Dogs

24 September 2010

Dogs should not eat some foods which are edible for humans, and even other species of animals, can pose hazards for dogs because of their different metabolism. Some may cause only mild digestive upsets, whereas, others can cause severe illness, and even death. The following common food items should not be fed (intentionally or unintentionally) to dogs.

This is, of course, an incomplete list because we can not possibly list everything your dog should not eat.

Items to avoid  and  Reasons to avoid

Alcoholic beverages -  Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.
Avocado -    The leaves, seeds, fruit, and bark contain persin, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources – Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
Cat food – Generally too high in protein and fats.
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine – Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea,
and be toxic to the heart and nervous systems.
Citrus oil extracts – Can cause vomiting.
Fat trimmings – Can cause pancreatitis.
Fish (raw, canned or cooked) – If fed exclusively or in high amounts can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of
appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death.
Grapes, raisins and currants – Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated
with grape seed extract.
Hops – Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.
Human vitamin supplements containing iron – Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs
including the liver and kidneys.
Macadamia nuts – Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
Marijuana-  Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.
Milk and other dairy products – Some adult dogs and cats may develop diarrhea if given large amounts of dairy products.
Moldy or spoiled food, garbage – Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
Mushrooms – Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.
Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder) – Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause

anemia.
Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.
Persimmons – Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Pits from peaches and plums – Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.
Raw eggs – Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair
coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
Raw meat – May contain bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.
Rhubarb leaves – Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems.
Salt – If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
String – Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a “string foreign body.”
Sugary foods – Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.
Table scraps (in large amounts)  – Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet.
Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.
Tobacco – Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma,
and death.
Yeast dough – Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or

intestines.
Xylitol (artificial sweetener) – Can cause very low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), which can result in vomiting, weakness and collapse.
In high doses can cause liver failure.

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This is very important information that everyone needs to take the time to read.

It could save your pets life !

Toxins That Affect Dogs

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Relaxing Your Dog

11 May 2010

It’s very beneficial to your dog to brush or lightly message them. When brushing them be careful not to brush to hard or deep. You don’t want to scratch their skin.
As you are brushing or rubbing, talk to them in a gentle voice and tell them what a good dog they are, how pretty or good looking they are. When they here your voice and feel your love they will be more relaxed. This is very important for ANY dog, but especially if they have any disability.

Joint Health

3 May 2010

Always remember that older dogs and dogs that have had strokes,

will need something extra in their diet to help keep their joints strong.

To find this and more click here >  PETCO

Keep their ears clean

30 April 2010

You will need to help them with their ears because they probably won’t be able to scratch for themselves for a while. Dog ear infection causes a lot of discomfort in dogs having it. The earlier it is diagnosed, the better. It has been noted that some dog breeds stand a higher chance of getting ear infections. This is because of the position and anatomy of the ear in those breeds. Usually the agents responsible are either bacteria of Fungi that affect the external ear canal. Depending on the fungi
or bacteria causing the infection, the veterinarian may suggest treatment accordingly.

1. Ear Drops

In most of the case, ear infection is usually treated with ear drops. But first of all it is important to use a sterile gauze to clean the dog’s ear. That will prevent the infection from
worsening.

You need to take note of this. Only use ear drops if the dog’s ear drum is intact. You will need a vet to check your dog’s ear to confirm whether or not it is safe to use ear drops.

In the multitude of ear drops available it is always prudent to seek the advice of a veterinarian before purchasing one. Always read the label carefully before applying the ear drop to
your dog.

2. Topical Ointments
There are cases where the ear canal is partially closed. If that is the case then you will need to use topical ointments. They contain antibiotics or ingredients that reduces inflammation of
the ear. After the ear gets opened you can now apply the ear drops.

3. Distilled Water
It has been noted that distilled water can also be added to ear drops or topical ointments; it is helpful in cleaning the ear canal.

4. Oral Medication
In case of a much more severe infection the Doctor may suggest that you use some oral medication. He may suggest the administration of oral fungicides or antibiotics depending on
whether the infection is caused by fungi or bacteria respectively.

Corticosteroids may also be employed to reduce the swelling.

5. Surgical Procedure
There are severe cases where the ear canal closes completely. If that happen anti inflammatory medication is advised to be use hoping that the ear will reopen so that ear drops can be applied.
Sometimes even anti inflammatory medication does not work. In that case the vet has no choice but to perform surgery.

If you do care about the health of your dog and would want to get more information about how to keep your dog healthy just click on any of the other sites.

A Look At Dog Strokes

18 April 2010

A Look At Dog Strokes 

Strokes rarely occur in canines. They are brought on when blood flow to the brain is impaired. There are two types of strokes, namely hemorrhagic and schemic. Schemic strokes occur when blood flow is impeded for some reason. The hemorrhagic variety occur when a blood vessel breaks.

Causes

There are a variety of reasons why your dog can experience a stroke. Some occur because of severe trauma to the head, such as being hit by a car. This problem can also be caused by ingesting various toxins. Underlying medical conditions can also be to blame like Cushings disease in canines. Other common conditions include heart disease, diabetes, brain tumors, and dog kidney disease

Symptoms

Dogs experiencing a stroke display some of the same symptoms caused by other conditions. Constant circling, difficulty walking, and head tilting are common. Dogs may also experience loss of bowel control, behavior changes, and sudden blindness.

Diagnosis

You will need to seek medical assistance quickly if your dog displays some of these symptoms. Quick diagnosis and treatment goes a long way towards a complete recovery. Your dog will likely have a physical exam at first. If your dog has had a stroke, he will perform a CT scan or MRI to try to determine the cause. These two procedures require that your dog be anesthetized.

Treatment

Canine strokes are treated by determining the underlying medical condition and treated it if possible. Your dog shouldn’t experience anymore strokes if the underlying cause can be identified and treated. The damage done by a stroke is typically irreparable. Most dogs recover within a few weeks though. However, your dog may have certain behavioral changes after having one.

All owners should know a little something about various diseases that can affect their dog. You can read up on many different potential health problems at dog-illnesses.com.

Bladder Control

18 April 2010

Bladder Control

When your dog has a stroke, sometimes that causes them some trouble holding their urine in when they stand up from a laying position. You can get medicine to stop the leaking.

Check with your Veterinarian and they can give you a prescription and tell you how much to give them in one dose.

Also when your dog gets older, especially female, they have a harder time getting up.

There are prescriptions, and you can get doggie diapers to help with the leakage.

Hydrotherapy In Dogs

18 April 2010

Hydrotherapy in Dogs

Reduces pain,inflammation, and increasing range of motion in your dog.

Massage Therapy In Dogs

18 April 2010

Massage Therapy

Does your dog seem tense and stiff? Maybe even a little crabby? If so, consider giving him a massage. A properly performed massage can help release pent up stress and negative energy, resulting in a calm and more peaceful pet.
The sensation of simple touch of the fur (skin) to the manipulation of muscles has

shown to enhance the human animal bond, and sometimes even establish it. For the inactive and older pet, as well for the young or working pet, the owner can provide a gentle comforting touch. This helps provide security and calmness and will aid in relieving stress. Be aware that at home massage is different than the massage done by a certified massage therapist. These trained people can provide a more thorough massage, incorporating a variety of techniques. But you can massage your dogs back, and shoulders ,and back leg joints, very lightly. Do Not ever give them a deep massage ! Each time you come in contact with your dog while petting them just give them a quick little massage. It’s also good to give them one before you leave them alone.

Solar Power Dog Houses

18 April 2010

If you must keep your dog out side, you need use solar power heat in winter and a portable air-conditioner in the summer, The dog house needs to be under shade, with at least a fan blowing on them.

You will need to have the vet shave their bottom, because you will have to diaper them. The dog may not be able to get up on their own to go pottie.

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