Dog-Health

Welcome to Dog-Health

Dog Health Insurance Pet Article

Sure, you may be a master of human First Aid. But do you know what to do in a dog health emergency?

Approaching Dog Health Emergencies: Two Steps

1. In any dog health emergency, stay calm and think.

2. Approach the dog cautiously. The dog may become aggressive because of fear or pain. You can’t help the dog if you’re hurt yourself.

Dog Emergency 1: Traffic Accident:

1. If possible, do not move the dog.

2. Call the nearest Humane Society or ASPCA office.

3. If the animal workers can’t or won’t come and you must move the dog, slide a blanket under the animal. Lift the animal to safety with the help of another person.

4. Check for a heartbeat and bleeding. Try to stop the excessive loss of blood by holding a clean cloth or pad over the wound and securing it tightly with a makeshift bandage.

5. Take the dog to the nearest vet, calling ahead to prepare them for the emergency.

Dog Heathcare Emergency 2: Burns

1. Immerse the burned body part in cold running water for as long as possible.

2. If the burn is from a caustic substance, wash it off.

3. Call the vet.

Canine Health Emergency 3: Heat stroke

Warning signs: The dog is overheated and without sufficient air. The dog might be panting, vomiting, frothing at the mouth, or already collapsed.

1. Remove the froth,

2. Place or douse the dog with cold water to lower body temperature.

3. Take the dog immediately to the veterinarian for treatment. Treatment usually consists of more cold water, drugs and observation.

Emergency 4: Dog Poisoning

Warning signs: Look for muscular twitching, vomiting, bleeding, convulsion or collapse.

1. Don't wait to see what happens. While it may be nothing, you have to take action immediately in case it is poisoning. Any delay could be fatal.

2. Call the vet. (Don't know the vet's number by heart? Right now, make sure you have put the vet's number by every telephone in your house, and in your mobile phone contacts.)

3. Follow the vet's advice. Different poisoning cases sometimes have to be treated differently.

4. If you know what the poison is, take some of it with you to the vet’s office.

5. If you cannot reach the vet, call the ASPCA's animal poison control center: 1-888-4ANIHELP (1-888-426-4435). Put this number by your home telephones and in your mobile phone contacts right now. A $50 fee per incident applies for this nonprofit service--it's worth it. If you don't have a credit card, they can charge the fee to your telephone bill.

Emergency 5: Dog Choking

1. Open the dog’s mouth carefully and try to see what is causing the problem. It could be anything: a small ball, bone, stick, meat wrapping.

2. Pump the chest by pressing down on the ribs and releasing immediately at 5-second intervals.

3. If this doesn’t dislodge the object within a few moments, rush the dog to the nearest animal hospital to have the foreign object removed under anesthetic.

Dog Emergency 6: Drowning

1. Remove the dog from the water.

2. Try to get the water out of the dog's lungs as soon as possible by pumping the chest as for choking (see above).

3. Take the dog to the vet to be checked out.

Hopefully, you will never have to handle any of these emergencies. But if you do, you have the dog health advice that you need.

About the Author

Joel Walsh suggests you start here to find more information on protecting dog health: http://i-love-dogs.com?%20dog%20health>http://i-love-dogs.com?%20dog%20health [Web publication requirement: create live link for the URL/web address using "dog health" as visible link text/anchor text.]

Written by: Joel Walsh

---

More Info

Dog Health Insurance Pet Article

Fleas belong to the insect order Siphonaptera. They are common pests and may attack many mammals, including man. They can be a year round problem because they infest not only pets but also the home of the owner. Because of this, treatment of the pet alone may only temporarily solve a flea infestation.

Although many species of fleas feed primarily on one type of animal, the common cat and dog flea will readily take blood from a variety of animals, including man. Flea infestations of pets and their homes will most likely involve the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis and occasionally the dog flea, C. canis.

Fleas are small (2 to 4 mm in length), brownish to black insects which are characteristically flattened from side to side. Adults are wingless and capable of jumping relatively long distances. Adults feed exclusively on blood with their piercing-sucking mouthparts. When not actively feeding, adult fleas often hide in locations frequented by the host animal such as your dog bedding, sofas, or carpeted areas.

The common cat and dog fleas breed throughout the year. After feeding and mating, the female deposits her eggs, usually on the host. Several eggs are laid daily and up to several hundred over a lifetime. Eggs normally fall off the host into bedding material or similar areas and hatch within two weeks.

Flea eggs accumulate in areas where the host spends most of its time. In addition, adult fleas defecate small pellets of digested blood which also drop off into the environment. A flea comb will often gather this fecal matter at the base of the tines providing a good sign of flea infestation. The combination of white flea eggs and black dried blood specks may appear as a sprinkling of salt and pepper where an infested animal has slept.

Fleas undergo complete metamorphosis, that is, they pass through four developmental stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Immature fleas do not resemble adults at all.

Flea larvae are tiny, light colored, and, worm-like, without legs. They feed primarily on various debris and organic material including the droppings of the adults which contains digested blood. Flea larvae occur indoors and outdoors, wherever the eggs have fallen off the host. In houses, flea larvae live in carpeting, furniture, animal bedding and other protected areas with high humidity. Flea larvae also live outdoors in areas where animals spend time such as under porches in and around dog houses, etc.

Because flea larvae depend on the adult’s fecal pellets of dried blood as a food source, they cannot live in lawns or other outdoor areas unless the pet visits those areas enough to provide this food.

Depending on the species of flea and environmental conditions the larvae will pupate in one week to several months. The pupa is contained within a loose silken cocoon which is often covered by bits of debris. Under average conditions, the life cycle of the flea normally requires between 30 and 75 days but may take much longer. Adult fleas inside the cocoon, called pre-emerged fleas, will stay in that condition for weeks to months if no external cues from a host is available.

However, when disturbed by the presence of a host such as vibrations or carbon dioxide from exhaled breath, the fleas emerge simultaneously and attack the host. This is why it is possible to return to a house or apartment that has been empty for months and find it full of fleas.

When the normal host is available, fleas may feed several times a day but they are capable of surviving extended periods of starvation. In household situations, the normal host is a cat or dog. However, if the normal host is removed, starved fleas will readily seek other sources of blood and more often than not, man is the alternate host. In severe infestations, fleas will attack humans even though the normal host is present.

Certain species of fleas have been known to transmit such diseases as bubonic plague and murine typhus. These have never been a major problem. The major problems with fleas is as a nuisance pest of pets. The irritation and itching from flea bites results in scratching and potential secondary infection. Fleas may also transmit the double-pored dog tapeworm to dogs and cats.

Finally, persistent attacks from fleas can cause severe allergic responses in some people and pets. Once sensitized, a single flea bite may produce symptoms including hair loss, usually around the base of the tail, dermatitis, and intense itching. In worse cases, puppies and young kittens can also died from serious fleas infestations.

With proper flea management knowledge, flea problems will not be a big issue and can be battle and win over easily.

About the Author

Moses Chia is a dog lover and owner of DogsObedienceTraining.com – The dog training resource site for a happier and healthier dog. You are welcome to reprint this article if you keep the content and live link intact.

Written by: Moses Chia

---

Dog Health Insurance Pet Best products

---

Dog Health Insurance Pet News items