My Dog Has Fleas and They Are Out Of Control
Every time warm weather approaches, veterinarians are once again overflowed with complaints and questions from worried dog and cat owners, who are waging the recurrent battle against external parasites, particularly fleas and ticks.
The problem of parasites and the complications they cause is an extensive and serious one, but one that has been faced by nearly every pet owner at one time or another. In an effort to spare your pet a great deal of suffering this coming summer, we would like to answer two questions that are most commonly asked by pet owners about those annoying parasites; fleas and ticks.
What Exactly Are Fleas & Ticks?
Fleas are tiny insects that, as adults, must suck blood from another creature to sustain their own lives. Fleas are wingless, six-legged parasites, capable of jumping with surprising speed and may infest your pet alone by the thousands. The flea is a dark, reddish-brown color, similar to dried blood and is a common external parasite found in most parts of the United States.
The tick, a friend in misery to the flea, is generally dark in color, several times larger than the flea and when on your pet does not move about but rather attaches itself to your pet’s skin and remains at that spot until it has satisfied its hunger for blood.
The female tick, engorged with blood, may look like a large, grayish-white, puffy pea-sized object, which on closer inspection, is attached by its tiny mouth to the animal’s skin. Often in close proximity to the underbelly of the female lies another smaller tick, a male waiting to complete the breeding cycle.
How Will I Know If My Pet Has Fleas Or Ticks?
The most common reaction of an animal infested with external parasites is an insatiable desire to scratch or chew at its skin. Frequent periodic checks of your pet’s skin and coat are advisable, especially during warm spring and summer months when the parasite problem reaches its peak performance. Fleas are frequently spotted leaping from place to place across the animal’s body.
If no fleas are readily apparent, part the animal’s fur close to the skin and check for flea excrement, which are specks of black, pepper-like dirt that, when wet, regain the color of the blood ingested by the flea. This discovery is a very good guarantee that fleas are present in your pet. On longhaired animals, checking the lower abdomen, genitals and other areas of sparser hair growth will sometimes give clues when all else fails.
Ticks are more easily identified since they are easily seen by the naked eye. If long hair is in the way, a thorough stroking of the animal’s skin from head to toe will usually reveal the whereabouts of ticks by the feel of their tiny, hard-shelled bodies close to the skin.
Engorged female ticks are generally quite obvious because of their greatly enlarged size and distinctive appearance. Ticks frequently go unnoticed when lodged in ears, around the anus, on the tail and in between paw pads, so be sure not to neglect those areas.
Avocados: A Surprisingly Healthy Fruit For All Dogs Part 2
Most dogs love avocados. They taste good and they are an excellent source of fat. Fat is responsible for providing dogs with an extra amount of energy and gives them healthy skin as well as an extra glow in their coat.
Strangely enough, it was the dogs themselves who led us to the idea of using the avocado as a supplement to the canine diet. It seems that avocado growers’ pet dogs were competing with the growers for any fallen fruit. The growers became curious and decided to compare the nutrients that this amazing fruit contained with those needed by canines.
According to a Veterinary professor at Iowa State University, this fruit enhances hair quality as well as skin tone. Avocado growers have reported this improvement in their dogs is most likely due to the amount of linoleic acid of the fruit when added to the dog’s diet.
Of course, this fruit alone could not be recommended as the only nutrient source for dogs. An avocado, in small quantities as a supplement, might be helpful if adequate amounts of fat were not available from other sources.
A dog’s requirement of fat depends mostly on the amount of activity he engages in. For instance, an active working dog needs up to twenty percent fat in his diet, while the average household dog that walks a few blocks everyday, needs only five to eight percent of fat in his diet. The very thin dog should get a diet rich in fat until his weight and health improve. The pregnant and nursing female dog also needs greater amounts of fat in her diet.
The majority of canine canned foods contain adequate fat to satisfy the need of an average household dog. However, if the dog is fed a diet strictly of dry meal, it might be moistened with additional sources of fat.
Avocados are an excellent source of fat for this purpose. For canines that get most of their fat from canned foods, this tasty fruit also serves as an occasional treat. Avocados might be alternated with other occasional food supplements to add variety to the dog’s regular diet. Simply put, dogs love avocados and they are good for them!
Word Of Warning: Documented evidence suggests that some dogs, as well as other domestic animals like cats and cattle, can be severely harmed and prove fatal when they eat the avocado pit, skin, leaves and bark of the avocado tree. Therefore, when supplementing your dog’s diet with avocados, make sure to only give him the meat of the fruit.
Avocados Are A Surprisingly Healthy Fruit For All Dogs
If you feed your dog a diet consisting of only lean meat, chances are it could have severe nutritional problems. While a dog is a carnivore, it cannot live on protein alone. Just like its owner, a dog needs a balanced diet including fats, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
Few of us could afford a predominantly steak diet for our dogs, but even if we could, they would be a lot healthier with a cheaper cut of meat. Less expensive meats are better for dogs because they have a higher fat content.
Fats provide dogs with energy and heat and help keep their skin healthy. Not enough fat in a dog’s diet can cause scaly, dry skin. its coat may become coarse and lifeless. A diet low in fat may also cause a dog to become highly nervous and more susceptible to many types of illness.
There are three fatty acids that a dog needs. These are: linolenic, linoleic and arachidonic. Linoleic acid can be found in meat products, suet, butter and corn oil. It can also be found in avocados.
The Avocado
Avocados are one of the few fruits that most dogs love. One reason for this is that these fruits add palatability and texture to food, especially dry meal. It is also a nutritious supplement of fats to the canine diet. This pear-shaped fruit contains sixteen percent of rare oil seldom found in fruits, as well as an unusual amount of protein.
One medium avocado contains about 35 grams of fat, mostly monounsaturated. This fruit also has more potassium than bananas. Avocados are also rich in vitamin E, vitamin K and the B vitamins.
When the nutritional requirements of adult dogs were compared with the composition of avocados, particularly Californian avocados, this fruit proved to be a good source of vitamins and minerals. One half of a medium avocado provides a mature dog with all his daily requirements for magnesium, potassium and niacin. About half of his requirements for thiamin, manganese and vitamin A, are also provided with this awesome fruit.
Compare what the avocado offers a dog nutritionally, to some of the other foods often added to a dog’s diet to improve his skin tone and coat. Half an avocado supplies thirteen grams of fat. There is one gram of linoleic acid in half of the fruit.
An egg has half the amount of fat grams and only a trace of linoleic acid. One half cup of cottage cheese only offers five grams of fat and a trace of linoleic acid, while one tablespoon of corn oil has fourteen grams of fat and seven grams of linoleic acid, but none of the vitamins and minerals that the avocado offers.
Knowing Your American Water Spaniel
The exact origins of the American Water Spaniel was never officially recorded. But most experts agree that a combination of the Irish Water Spaniel, Tweed Water Spaniel, English Water Spaniel and the Curly Coated Retriever all had a part to play in the equation. This theory is based largely on the breed’s appearance.
Another theory is that the American Water Spaniel was created by American Indians who had tribes located in the Great Lakes regions. Whatever the origins of this dog are, it is irrefutable that the breed became hugely popular and established as a reliable hunting companion in the Midwestern section of the United States.
The American Water Spaniel is a small dog that has a waterproof coat and an amazingly keen nose, allowing it to hunt through rough terrain and retrieve a variety of game from both land and water. It is no wonder that this breed became a sought after hunting companion in America.
It wasn’t until after the year 1940, at which time it was officially recognized by the AKC, that the American Water Spaniel started to become the target of breeding enthusiasts. Before then, no one really had considered breeding American Water Spaniels for any other reason besides hunting.
Personality
As you can tell by its name, American Water Spaniels absolutely love water and have a natural ability to swim and hunt. This dog is a highly skilled retriever and is able to hunt a variety of animals.
At the same time, these Spaniels make great family companions. They are lovable and always willing to please. Some of them can be quite timid, yet other American Water Spaniels may be aggressive towards strange dogs. They are also known to bark loudly.
Taking Care Of Your American Water Spaniel
Like all dogs whose prime desire is to hunt and retrieve, American Water Spaniels must have a vigorous amount of exercise on a daily basis. Two or three long walks on the leash each day will suffice, but running outside in a safe area is best.
As far as living arrangements are concerned, American Water Spaniels should have access to the outside but remain indoors at night with the rest of the family. Grooming requirements tend to be a bit more work than other breeds, largely due to its long oily coat. Weekly brushing is a must and the hair may need to be clipped around the feet, ears and the topknot.
Health Information
The average lifespan of a healthy American Water Spaniel is between 10 and 13 years. The only major health concern that may come up is mitral valve disease. Minor issues include CHD, PDA and pulmonic stenosis. A few of these Spaniels may show signs of PRA and patellar luxation, but these occurrences are rare.
Have You Puppy Proofed Your Home Lately?
If you have an adorable little puppy running around the house, the last thing you want to see is an accident. Accidents do happen and you should be prepared. It is best if you practice safety prevention, rather than waiting for something to happen to your puppy.
It takes one thing to go unnoticed and can cause a great deal of pain to your puppy. These little animals are full curiosity. Everything they see and smell looks like a great adventure and from their point of view, it’s all open territory. They see no danger and move forward to check things out. This is why you want to take the following safety prevention measures to “puppy-proof” your house.
1. The first thing you should do is look around every room of your home and dispose of small items that your puppy may swallow. Puppies tend to try and swallow anything that they can get a hold of.
Unfortunately, not all small items will safely pass through the dog’s intestines which can prove to be fatal. Other times, your puppy’s system will try to gag and cough up the object, which can go on for a long period of time. If your dog does not get the object out, then the intestine becomes blocked and can rupture.
2. The second important home safety precaution is to hide or elevate your electrical cords and wires. Every home has wires and cords that must be in each room, but if left hanging there, dangling like a treat, your puppy is guaranteed to be tempted to play with it.
If it chews on these electrical items, your puppy is going to get hurt. The damage caused by gnawing through to the inside wiring of these cords can cause a mild shock or worse, third-degree burns. In many cases, the electrocution can be so severe that it may cause your puppy to die from the shock. It is best to elevate all of the wiring that you can and use heavy-duty tape to cover up the other cords that have to be on the floor area
3. Last but not least, keep your home free from dangerous poisons and toxins that your puppy can ingest. Remember, our pets use their mouth’s for virtually all investigations and because they are extremely curious, toxic items can be easily ingested with one lick. Such household poisons can include anti-freeze, rat poison, garbage, lead and even chocolate.
