Common questions about vaccinations are to be understood by the dog owners, as a priority. One of the common questions is whether the dog needs to be given vaccination on the first week of age or not. 

The dogs need not be vaccinated within five to six weeks of age.  But, if they did not receive vaccinations, then the vaccination against the parvoviral infections used to kill viral vaccines and measles disease may be given.

Another common question is whether dog is to be given bordetella disease vaccine and lyme disease vaccine. No, these vaccines are only optional.  Can the parvoviral vaccine can be used in first week of life? No. This will interfere with maternal antibody levels.

Can a pregnant animal be vaccinated? Yes. Two to three weeks earlier to pregnancy activity that is expected, the pregnant animal may be vaccinated against viral diseases. This helps to provide maternal antibodies to the young one to be given birth. Is there any need to give rabies vaccine to dogs? Yes.  It is a must to go for the anti rabies vaccine for dogs.

When this anti-rabies vaccine is given to the dogs, what precaution does one need to undertake in this regard? Rabies vaccine is given at age of thirteen to fifteen weeks of age and should to be repeated in fifteen months and then once in three years.  It is important that the dog is given this vaccine.

However, this depends on the risk area. Is there any need for canine distemper vaccination in case of dogs? Yes. There is a specific requirement in the case of dogs for the vaccination against the canine distemper.  This disease is more prevalent in most of the countries. 

Is there any vaccination against leptospirosis and at what age, the dog is to be vaccinated?   This is to be given at age of at six to eight weeks of age, again at tenth to twelfth weeks, and again at thirteenth to sixteenth weeks of age.

The common questions about heart worm are often related to the species affected by heart worms in addition to the dogs. Oneshould know that in addition to dogs, the cat, fox, wolf, horse, sea lion etc. are also affected. Can this be cured or not? Yes. This can be treated.

What is the drug used often for the prevention of heart worm in dogs? Ivermectin is the drug used often to have preventive actions for these heart worms. Dogs affected reveal constant coughing, panting and dullness in many occasions.

What will be the size of the worms? In the case of the females, it is about twenty-seven centimeters and in the case of males, it is about seventeen centimeters in length.

Is there any vector involve in the transmission of the disease? Yes. Mosquitoes often get associated as vectors in which the early development of larvae of heart worms occur in them.

Is the prophylaxis meant only for heart worms or others also? The prophylaxis is meant not only for the heart worms but also for the hook worms, whip worms, and round worms. What is the infective type of larvae that is associated with the transmission of these heart worms? The third stage larva that is transmitted by the mosquito bites.

This occurs through out the world. In some areas, the incidences are less in colder months in which the mosquito breeding will not be there and may be dormant during these periods.

What is the name of the drug used for therapy and prevention? Ivermectin and milbemycin oxime may be used for both purposes. Ivermectin is available in injection form and oral form.

Additionally, the forms for external application are also available. The cost factor needs to be worked out for all these treatments. What is the frequency of drug used for prophylaxis?

One month before the mosquito season and up to two months after the mosquito season, ivermectin or milbemycin oxime may be given once monthly for the prophylaxis. Diethylcarbamazine may be used for therapy purpose.

Boredom and variety are always inter connected in case of dog misbehaving. Yes. This is true. Many a times, boredom can be managed with variety of materials that will distract the animals to a greater extent.  Hence, the dog may not do the abnormal or unwanted activity arising out of the boredom experienced by it.

Boredom experienced dogs may have different types of behavioral patterns.  For example, some dogs will be seen barking continuously and some may be engaged always in some digging activities.

There are many ways to get your dog out of its boredom activities. Many toys are available which simulated duck, dog, rodent etc.

These may be kept inside the crate and in particular, puppies love these items.  A buster cube with multiple treats may be placed in the dog’s shelter and the animal soon understands on how to roll the buster cube to get the treats it prefers.

A Buster Cube is an ingenious toy use for simulating and activating your dog during play and feed time.  Instead of placing the food monotonously in one place, change the place of feeding suddenly.

Such actions will be helpful for removing the boredom like activity in your dog. Activities pertaining to boredom need to be redefined well by the dog owners.  This will help them to a greater extent to drive away the unwanted behavior patterns in their pet dogs.

For example, some dogs may often have destructive biting characters and will be seen biting chair, cloth, mats, and everything that can see. After ruling out the teething problem if it is a puppy, provide  it with some large sized balls, mineral mixture based bone materials, etc. Such variety of materials help to reduce the boredom related activities.

Bathing a dog needs to be given more emphasis. This is because of the fact that if you are careless in bathing, the animal may end up having some infections. 

For example, if you don’t close the ears with large cotton ball, the water may enter into ear canals and may cause some ear infections with signs like constant discharge from the ears and shaking of head.

Frequency of bathing actually depends on the breed of the dog. If the dog is of a hairy type like the cocker spaniel, then the bathing is to be carried out once in six to eight weeks. If these breeds are bathed too frequently, then the skin and coat loose the protective characters. 

However, when the dog has defecated on the skin due to the frequent digestive upsets leading to diarrhea, to avoid the bad smell, the dog may be subjected to frequent bathing some times by the owners.

Take more care in avoiding some irritant soaps or human soaps. The soap materials used for human beings are not suitable for dogs. 

Similarly, many human shampoo products are having some ingredients that are not suitable in the proportions that are to be used in case of dogs.

Hence, always try to use the shampoo products that are mentioned mainly for use in dogs. Take more care in using any new product. 

Always have good time and patience for products required for bathing in one place with availability of water source.  Dogs love the sprinkling of water, river, and oceans. 

Even when you are using bathtub, have everything in one place and then start bathing of the dog. Try to have a leash, conditioner, towel, and shampoo in the bath place.

Conditioner is of helpful to make the combing activity easier later. Bathing should be a convenient activity to both the dog and the owner. This should not be a burden.

Many dog owners generally think of clipping as only a mechanical activity. Few understand that clipping a dog is an art.

Clipping a coat or nail needs to be carried out in a careful manner to avoid the injuries to the skin or nail.

Clipping of the coat is to be taken care of as per the breed characteristics. If the coat is not properly clipped, this may lead to the dust accumulation in the coat and the animal may start showing signs of skin diseases. This is true especially when the grooming activities are not done in a proper manner.

Clipping of coat helps to get rid of the parasitic burden to a greater extent and also, the clipping of your dog is of more useful to expose on the type of parasitic problem that the dog is likely to suffer.

Many pet health parlors are available wherein the clipping of dog will be carried out in a more systematic manner.

Always make use of a sharp clipper and in the winter regions, avoid the close clipping. This is due to the fact that the closer clipping in the winter seasons may expose the dog to the environmental stresses like the cold climate.

Hence, the dog may become more vulnerable to the frostbite. Avoid the close clipping of coat or nail because this may cause injury to the underlying tissues and may cause bleeding in the concerned animal.

Many pet owners need to avoid any clipping activity when the animal is not in healthy status. Clipping instruments are available to a greater extent in many pet shops.

Avoid the blunt instruments because they may not clip well and hence, repetition is required often. Always use modern equipments for clipping activities.

Bathing a dog needs to be given more emphasis. This is because of the fact that if you are careless in bathing, the animal may end up having some infections. For example, if you don’t close the ears with large cotton ball, the water may enter into ear canals and may cause some ear infections with signs like constant discharge from the ears and shaking of head.

Frequency of bathing actually depends on the breed of the dog. If the dog is of a hairy type like the cocker spaniel, then the bathing is to be carried out once in six to eight weeks. If these breeds are bathed too frequently, then the skin and coat loose the protective characters.

However, when the dog has defecated on the skin due to the frequent digestive upsets leading to diarrhea, to avoid the bad smell, the dog may be subjected to frequent bathing some times by the owners.

Take more care in avoiding some irritant soaps or human soaps. The soap materials used for human beings are not suitable for dogs. Similarly, many human shampoo products are having some ingredients that are not suitable in the proportions that are to be used in case of dogs. Hence, always try to use the shampoo products that are mentioned mainly for use in dogs. Take more care in using any new product.

Always have good time and patience for products required for bathing in one place with availability of water source. Dogs love the sprinkling of water, river, and oceans. Even when you are using bathtub, have everything in one place and then start bathing of the dog. Try to have a leash, conditioner, towel, and shampoo in the bath place.

Conditioner is of helpful to make the combing activity easier later. Bathing should be a convenient activity to both the dog and the owner. This should not be a burden.

by Annette Masse

For The Love Of DogZ

Chewing is a normal behavior for dogs. But it is unacceptable to let your dog chew the furniture, shoes, stuffed animals, and remote controls. I once new of a dog that actually chewed a hole in a house large enough for him to get out of it. That same dog also ate a computer mouse and several remote controls.

First of all we must understand why dogs chew.

Puppies usually chew because they are teething. Just like a baby child, when they teeth they begin to put everything in there mouth to make the discomfort go away. As far as adult dogs usually chew because of boredom or separation anxiety. Some dogs begin the chew as part of the play ritual, or just because something tastes good. But all in all most chewing by adult dogs is just a bad habit.

Lets cover all of these destructive behaviors in more depth.

• Teething


• Mouthing


• Boredom


• Fear


• Play


• Attention Seeking


• Just tastes Good


• Habitual Chewing

Teething - If your puppy is teething it is just a stage of development. As you may know there are topical gels for parents of human babies to rub on the gums to get rid of some of the discomfort in the child. Some veterinarians have used this same topical gel on puppies. Since the teething is just a temporary stage it is best to just help the pup get through it. There are also hard rubber and plastic toys made for puppies who are teething. Another good tip is to give the pup ice cubes to play with or to take a wash cloth, tie it in a knot and freeze it. Let the pup play with that when he seems uncomfortable. Sometimes the frozen cloth technique can only be used for very small dogs. You also don't want to confuse the dog into what is "his and what is yours." One of my favorites is a to give a teething dog a frozen bagel. This way he has to work at it and then gets to eat it to. I buy the big bag of very small bagels. It seems to work well.

Mouthing - It is normal for pups even 8 weeks old to have little sharp teeth. When they get excited and playful they tend to bite. This mouthy behavior should be discouraged. This is how puppies communicate with each other. Some owners like to rough up there pups and have them return with a small bite. This type of behavior should not be enforced it should be discouraged.

Boredom - If you leave your dog alone for long periods of time, he may become bored and will look for something to do. Chewing will pass the time. The best thing to do is to get your dog more exercise. One thing to remember is that walking some dogs relaxes them and makes them tired, but walking other dogs can make them energized, and pumped up. What works best is to walk your dog and then you both take some down time to relax together. This will bring a bond between you and reinforce your relationship. Again the frozen bagels or frozen cooked pizza dough is a good chew toy for him as well.

Play - If your dog bites and chews during play time, it usually means he needs more training. Some dogs simply have more energy than others. These dogs usually require a strong exercise program in addition to the training. Play time should be structured, such as practicing jumping, or playing fetch. During exercise and play, practice multiple "down stays" both inside and outside.


Just Tastes Good - If something tastes good a dog will want to chew it. Certain things are palatable to dogs. This means the dog enjoys the feel of it in their mouth. Shoes, stuffed animals and wooden or leather furniture are a few examples. While the puppy is in the chewing stage, it is best to dog proof your house and not leave these types of things around your dog.

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Annette Masse, better known as Betty Bulldog has been loving and respecting dogs for 25 years. For more information about this topic and much more please take her complimentary "LoveYourDogZ." mini course. A course for you and your dog.

http://ForTheLoveOfDogZ.com

Originally published on SearchWarp.com for Annette Masse Monday, July 28, 2008

Article Source: Destructive Behaviors In Dogs. Chewing Is a Big One. How To Stop Your Dog From Chewing and Why Does He Chew?

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