Dog-Health

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Let's face it, we love our pets. Sometimes that love can lead pet owners to pamper their pets just a little too much when it comes to food and treats. This over indulgence has the same effects on our pets as it does on us when we over eat or snack a little too often, we get fat. If you add in not getting enough exercise, then it is a problem compounded.

Yes, pets too can suffer from being obese. Statistics show that one in four pets weigh in the overweight or obese category. It is a problem which carries a lot of health risks to our four legged loved ones, and it is a problem that we as owners must handle. As a Pit Bull owner, I know first hand how good it makes your pet feel to get those special treats, and how hard it is to not give them when it results in getting the loving look that only your Pit Bull can give. I also know as a Pit Bull owner that this particular breed needs a lot of regular exercise. Pit Bulls are very athletic and energetic by their very nature, and if they do not get enough exercise they are not happy. The dog also runs the risk of being overweight, which puts him at risk.

I realize that some Pit Bull owners would ask, "What's the worst that a little weight could do?" Well the answer is that a little weight would do no harm, but if left unchecked the weight gain could quickly put your Pit Bull into the obese category. Some of the common ailments brought on by canine obesity are heart problems, arthritis and even diabetes. An overweight pet is also more susceptible to a hip condition known as dysplasia, as well as problems with the back and joints.

By now you're probably glancing over to your Pit Bull trying to quickly gauge if your pet is within acceptable weight limits. Glancing isn't going to give you an accurate answer, but if you'd like to do a quick home pet obesity test, then here's how to do it.

First, get your Pit Bull to stand in front of you, and look at him from above. Your Pit Bull should have the shape more of an hour glass than say, an ocean liner. A dog with rounded out sides is certainly getting into the obese range. You should also be able to feel your dog's ribs easily. Don't press hard on your beloved pet; we don't want to hurt him.

Keep regular vet appointments for your Pit Bull, as your veterinarian will also be checking your pet's weight. Your veterinarian can also advise you on how you can get your pet back into optimum shape should he weigh in a bit too much.

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To learn all about finding a pitbull for sale and training a Pit Bull, visit http://www.pitbullsrevealed.com/ today.

Written by: Tim Amherst

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Feed him a balanced diet.

Additional tips from owners include:

Give an occasional yogurt treat
- Ask your vet about giving Boxers calcium tablets as they could have some problems later on in life!

- Keep him comfortable so his immune system can remain strong.

- Boxers are shorthaired and sensitive to extreme elements of the weather and thus must be kept a housedog. His shortened muzzle also makes hot and humid weather uncomfortable for him.

- Give Boxers lots of exercise and regularly.

- Remember that he is a big and strong breed and requires physical outlets for his boundless energy and high play/prey drive.

- Walk them three times a day or have play sessions. Provide plenty of space for them to bounce around. You want to keep their spirit up and not break it or they won´t be the dogs you fall in love with in the first place. Healthy and happy Boxers are a joy to live with.

- Make a breeder your friend.

- Keep in touch with the breeder who sold you the Boxer. The breeder can advise you about care and health matters that are unique to the breed. Any Boxer breeder, for that matter, can be an invaluable ally to you throughout your Boxer's life.

- Guard your Boxer from fleas.

- Your Boxer has fleas if you find black specks in the fur or fleabite marks on the skin. A tip given by an owner is to give your Boxer garlic daily to prevent fleas.

- Boxers catch fleas from other animals. It is an every day problem that, at some time or another, you can expect to encounter in your Boxer.

- The fleas only go to the Boxer to feed on its blood.

- Fleas mostly live and multiply in your home. The comfortable living - central heating, double-glazing and, best of all, the fitted carpet - we create for ourselves and our Boxers also work best for the fleas.

- De-worm your puppy every month and your adult Boxer, every six months.

Worms is another everyday problem in Boxers but the puppy is more likely to get sick from worms than the grown up Boxer.

The sick one would lose weight and become weak, suffer from upset stomach, poor growth, listlessness or even lung trouble.

They may impede your puppy´s growth and cause him to have a potbelly or be thin and have a shoddy-looking coat.
Your grown Boxer may not be showing any sign of worms but he could spread them more than the sick puppy, through large amount of larvae or eggs passed out in the feces.

If your Boxer has tapeworms, he has fleas too because part of the tapeworm life cycle occurs in flea as the host. As such, treatments against flea and tapeworm are normally prescribed together.

Some, like the roundworm, that infect dogs can also get passed on to children.

In more serious cases, your dog will catch cough, pneumonia and develop lung problems.

There are different types of worms that infect dogs such as tapeworm, roundworm, ringworm and heartworm. De-worm your Boxer puppy every month and your grown Boxer, every 6 months.
Puppies get sick from worms, more so than dogs.

But your infected grown Boxers help spread the worms more through their droppings that would contain large number of larvae and/or eggs.

Released into the surrounding, these larvae and eggs could infect other animals and even children.

The tapeworms have a flat, segmented body.
You see them as single segments or chains that resemble segments of rice in the droppings of infected canine.
Part of the tapeworm´s life cycle occurs in the flea as the host.

Therefore, if your Boxer has tapeworms, it has fleas too and the treatments for both are usually prescribed together by the vet.
The roundworms (toxocara) live and produce hundreds of eggs in the intestine.

They cause digestive upset in puppies, poor growth, and thin or out-of-conditioned coat.
The infected puppies may become listless, have a potbelly or tucked in appearance.

Once the roundworms migrated from the gut to the lungs, your Boxer can suffer lung damage, cough and pneumonia.

The roundworm eggs in the dog droppings get passed out and about.
These are very hardy eggs, resistant to heat and cold, and can survive up to 7 years in the soil. The eggs can pass on to children through ingestion and cause them to fall sick as well.
As precautions, you can toilet train your Boxer puppy to use a place where you can easily clean up and dispose of the droppings into the sewer. Have your children wash their hands every time after they handle the puppies and discourage your puppies from licking people hands or faces.

About the Author

For more information about keeping your dog healthy visit: http://www.dog-owner.net

Written by: Amy Howells

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