Health Tips and Warnings

"Garbage IN, Garbage OUT" (August 2004)
Some dogs may have food allergies which can cause dry, itchy skin. Usually it is an allergy to soy. If your dog is having this problem try a soy-free dog food.
I also found a Vet-sponsored Web Page that has some facts and an excellent chart (about halfway down the page) that compares some of the ingredients (or lack of), in some of the leading brands. Check it out.
I noticed that a couple of the brands actually contain food dyes. Since dogs are color blind, the only reason they would add food coloring to a dog food is to make it look more pleasing to you ! That says a lot about what they think about you. Also, read carefully the information about "animal by-products" that most of the brands contain and you may be almost horrified when you find out what this really is !
I bought a 20 pound bag of one of the premium brands and noticed several improvements after about three weeks:
1. More energy.
2. Eyes cleared up.
3. Stool firm but not hard. (I once took my dog to my vet and spent $80 to find out that she was constipated !).
4. No "scooting" (butt-dragging).
5. Coat softer and shinier. No dandruff.
6. Breath improvement. Their back teeth looked cleaner.
7. Better appetite.
8. Much, much less frequent yakking on my carpet (which used to be a problem).
As a taste experiment, I tried a little piece of the Flint River Ranch® kibble to see what it was like. After all, why would you feed your dog something that you wouldn't eat yourself? There was no greasy taste and very little aftertaste at all ! When the Flint River Ranch® ran out, I decided to try the best that the local Petco® store had to offer, so that I could get it more conveniently when I needed more. I bought the the Nutro® "Natural Choice". The Nutro comes in all sorts of flavors. I chose the adult "Chicken, Rice, & Oatmeal formula", which costs about a dollar a pound. I liked this brand because it contains Glucosamine & Chondroitin, which has been proven to be good for joint cartilage (my dog is over 10 years young), and the oatmeal was advertised as being easy on the stomach. No corn or animal by-products. I saw a continued improvement in their health and habits after I made the second switch to Nutro®. I am sure that if you will try one of these premium brands you will see the changes that I have. It is really not more expensive for premium when you figure in all the benefits. Your dog would thank you if it could !
I am not a paid endorser for any of these brands and I am only praising them because I believe in their quality and the improvement you will see in the quality of life for your best friend(s).
Reference Links
Flint River Ranch.
Life's Abundance.

Creature of Habit
Take your dog for a 10-15 minute walk every day that you can. Follow the same circuitous route, stop at the same crossings, take the same turns every day. See how long it takes before your dog knows the route and starts walking you. You will have trained your friend to do something without any effort at all. You start to realize how quickly a dog learns by a consistent repitition of a routine. You start to bond and trust each other as you share time together. The sky is the limit as to what you can learn together.
And the excercise will be good for both of you. Happy trails.

Top of Page

Life, Death and the "Swiffer WetJet"
(June 2004)
...there may be a cleaning product out there called a "Swiffer WetJet" that may be very hazardous to your dog's health. The product may contain toxic chemicals.....
WHOA ! "Swiffer WetJet" Update !!
(Nov 2005)
This warning that has been going around is a hoax, according to this site. We would all be better off if we would just check out Hoaxbusters before we pass along bad information, like I did with this warning. Apparently, the WetJet does contain a small amount of ethylene glycol, but not enough to kill a dog or a cat.
Personally, I wouldn't buy anything with any amount of antifreeze in it.

Pound Puppies
If you decide to check out your local dog pound for a possible adoption of a dog, here is one tip that may help you in your selection:
The dog that follows your movement and is attentive to you as you move back and forth in front of its kennel is probably a dog that responds well to people and likes to be with people and will be the most easily trainable. The pound should have private "visiting rooms" where you can take the next step of visiting with the dog. Handle the animal's feet, tail, and all over to make sure there are no bad reactions to any touching. There should be an area where you can take the dog for a walk to see how it acts when on a leash. Remember that the dog will probably be a little stressed or scared by its situation. It might be possible to find out why the animal was turned in. Often families have just gotten into circumstances where they felt they had to turn the dog in to a shelter, even though there were other options.

In the News
Recently there was a story in our local TV news about a person who paid $750 to a dog breeder who promised in return a healthy 11-week old Westie puppy. What they got shipped to them was a 6-month old dog with hip problems (a limp, maybe from laying in a kennel most of the time), and mange ,( a skin disease), and respiratory problems. How do you send back a sick puppy to a breeder like that! They rely on your compassion for the poor dog once you have it!
An example of a different breeder of the type that I might have suspicions about (and I am just using this as an unrelated example, let me make this clear!) is this one. They are breeding fifteen different breeds of dogs. There are no pedigrees, eye clearances, hip x-rays, nothing going on there. Some of the puppies noses or eyes look runny. Some of the adults shown look to be way off of breed standards and not looking very healthy and strong. Associates degrees in Agricultural Business and Production Agriculture? I hope I'm wrong, but it sounds like they are breeding and selling dogs as they would livestock. They talk a good game on their home page. Who wouldn't? And this is probably one of the better ones as far a "puppy mill" type operations go. I am just using this as an example of some of the things going on where you might want to look more closely before buying.
If you buy from a breeder who specializes in one or two breeds, shows their dogs, and is proud of their results, then a few hundred dollars more at the beginning would probably save you tenfold in the long run with a healthy dog.

Can you say "Auto-Immune mediated Hemolytic Anemia"? (May 2004)
Thankfully, Aussies are not generally susceptible to AIHA, but the disease can occur in any breed so I want to share this recent experience with you. My father's miniature dachshund, a red male who was almost 8 years old, was stricken suddenly with this terrible affliction. West Highland White terriers, English Springer spaniels, Alaskan Malamutes, Poodles, and Beagle breeds are said to be congenitally predisposed to this condition. Mixed breed dogs are anybody's guess on susceptibility.
If your dog becomes lethargic and starts vomiting frequently, and will not eat, but may become very thirsty, the thing you need to check carefully is the whites of it's eyes for jaundice (yellowing). The disease's pathology is described very well at this Website called "Meisha's Hope". Basically the immune system suddenly starts attacking and destroying the animals own red blood cells. The jaundice is caused by a build-up of bilirubin. My dad's dog came down with this suddenly and devastatingly on May 5th. On the morining of May 7th he was gone, despite blood transfusions and everything the vet could do. All his skin, in his ears, his mouth, and especially the whites of his eyes became yellow. There are some dogs that have lived a number of years with steroid and other treatments to supress the immune response, and special care. There are four main causative factors of autoimmune diseases. Those factors are: genetic predisposition, hormonal influences, infections, especially of viruses and stress. There are some theories about immune responses to vaccinations being a cause of this. The thing is, when adopting a pet from a breeder, be aware that there is a statistically better chance of this occurring in the above mentioned breeds, and I think that it doesn't hurt to be aware of this, and also to know how to look out for the symptoms.

Back to main page