Is your dog facing the possibility of having one of its limbs amputated due to an accident or a disease? This surgery is not uncommon, especially when dog owners have pets that experience a terrible car accident or bone cancer, which calls for an amputation.

We call these amputated canines ‘tripods’ which is a lovable description known by all dog lovers for the animals that have to live with three limbs. It is understandable if you feel upset and confused about making such a big decision for your dog, but do not be worried.

It is also quite understandable to feel at a loss when facing a decision that will clearly change your dog’s life forever. The good news is that your pet will be okay (depending on the reason of course) once the surgery is over.

Your Vet Will Help You With The Decision

The first thing your vet will advise you, is whether to have your dog amputated at the leg, shoulder, or the hip. This of course depends on a few factors, such as the reason for the surgery or whether or not the dog will have a prosthetic limb mounted to replace the missing one.

Does Your Dog Have Cancer?

If your dog has cancer, which is cause for the amputation, it is best to remove the entire leg. However, if there is no medical reason for the surgery and you have the choice of leaving a stump, then this would be the ideal situation for a prosthetic. A stump will help the prosthetic to remain secured tightly.

Having a stump will make attaching the prosthetic replacement limb much easier. If the amputation is done below the knee, a prosthetic will allow your dog to have full function of the leg. The bottom of the stump must be healthy. The surgeon may even add a pad to the bottom, or pull excess muscle from the bone to place at the end of the stump. This is for protection, as well as to further aid in the attachment of the prosthetic leg.

If your dog needs to have the leg completely amputated, as with many bone cancer cases, there really is no proper way to have a prosthetic installed.Forced replacement would be extremely rigid and quite uncomfortable for your dog. The only option is to leave it alone and allow the animal to get used to life with three limbs, which all dogs can accomplish quite easily and without pain.

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.

Animal air travel is not always dangerous for your pet. Dog enthusiasts and breeders routinely fly their dogs without having any trouble at all. The airlines make every claim possible that dogs that travel on-board will be perfectly safe. The same claim is held by the Transportation Association of America.

The American Kennel Club feels differently. But the organization’s leading spokesperson does add that air travel may be safe provided that the owners take specific precautionary measures.

The number one suggestion to all pet owners is to completely avoid sending your dog traveling in an airplane unless it is absolutely necessary. Many veterinarians and humane organizations are constantly reporting about dog injuries from air travel, due to dogs that desperately attempt to claw their way out of the crate in order to escape. Some of them actually do escape and become injured in the cargo bay.

It is much safer to bring your dog inside your car or SUV when traveling inside the country. You can take breaks as needed, so that your dog can stretch its legs, use the bathroom and remain free of stress and anxiety. Your dog will also be surrounded by its family which helps provide comfort and security during the long trip.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Of course there are a large number of successful trips made by dogs on airplanes, but every now again a true horror story emerges. One of the most important things you can do is to have your dog thoroughly checked by your veterinarian for any medical issues.

This check-up should be scheduled approximately 9 to 10 days before the trip begins. Many dog owners have no idea that there pets may have a pre-existing condition that could become a problem during the flight.

A perfect example is older dogs. They could be at the beginning stages of kidney disease and you would never know because early in this condition, the dog compensates by drinking tons of water. If an older dog in this condition sets foot on an airplane without water to drink, it may experience renal failure.

Just because thousands and thousands of pets are safely transferred from one destination to another via the airlines, it does not mean that dog owners are without responsible precautionary measures to ensure the safety of their family pet.

After reading through the following guidelines that should be taken before boarding your dog on a plane, you will realize just how important it is.

Listen To Your Instincts In Regards To Your Dog’s Personality

Just because they are animals, it doesn’t mean that all dogs can easily cope with the experience of being locked up in a crate during an airplane ride. Every dog owner knows what his or her dog’s personality is like. Trust your gut instincts on whether or not you think your dog can handle the flight. If it doesn’t feel right, then your instincts are trying to tell you something about your dog’s separation anxiety.

Separation anxiety is a real condition that should not be overlooked. It is estimated that almost 20% of all dogs suffer at some level from separation anxiety. These personality types make very poor candidates for airplane travel. Such dogs should not be left alone and when their condition reaches elevated levels, it is not uncommon for a dog to literally chew through a metal cage in trying to escape, causing severe injuries that can cause the dog to bleed to death.

Minimize Anxiety By Preparing Your Dog For The Experience Of Flying

It is never acceptable to force your dog to experience flying if it is deemed to have separation anxiety problems. However, there is always the possibility that you can condition it to fly without having any problems.

This can be accomplished by getting your dog accustomed to the travel carrier that it will be flying in. Simply have one located in your house and keep your dog inside as often as possible. This can be done during meals, sleep time and while driving around in the car. Eventually, it will be totally comfortable inside the crate and this will aid in making the dog feel more secure during the plane ride.

Your Dog May Get Lost When Accidentally Transferred To A Different Airplane

One of our previous tips for dog owners and air travel was to only select direct flights. Many times, passengers and their luggage may have to transfer to two or more different airplanes before reaching their final destination. It is during these times when some dogs become lost, never to be found again. They accidentally get transferred to the wrong airplane.

To minimize the chances of your dog not making its way back to you, the best thing you can do is ensure proper identification. Have a permanent ID securely attached to your pet that has your phone number, home address and any contact information about the place you are traveling to. Microchips and tattoos are also options that can be taken. They may seem extreme, but when it comes to your dog and the possibility of it getting lost during air travel, it’s definitely worth it, wouldn’t you agree?

An alarming number of dogs and other pets become injured, lost, or even die on board an airplane when traveling. Compared to the number of successful animals transported from one location to another via the airlines, this number is low, however, it only takes one incident to change your life forever when your dog becomes seriously injured, or dies because of a lack of preparation on your part.

The most important precautionary measure to take for the safety of your dog, is to take him to the vet for a complete checkup to avoid complicating a pre-existing medical condition. Please add the following additional tips to your list:

Select The Quickest Airline Route

Researching for the flight that will make the trip for your dog go by the fastest is easy, but one that many dog owners do not think about. Take some time and research all of the options available and ask the airline which flight time is the fastest.

Additionally, avoid flights that do not fly directly to your destination. It does not happen often, but some dogs get transferred to the wrong airplane, arrive in a totally different location than the intended destination and worse yet – never make it back to its owner.

Choose Flight Times During The Morning Or Evening

As far as comfort for your dog, do your best to select a flight that is either during the early morning hours or early evening time. These are the best times during the day in which your dog will experience the most comfortable of temperatures. Avoid flying your pet during extreme weather in climates that are too hot or too cold. Remember, it will be stuffed down in the cargo area.

To understand the various reasons why your dog may come down with a serious eye problem, you need to know some important information on the genetic make-up of these animals. The normal dog has eyelashes on the upper lid only. They are in three to four rows, so close together that they appear as one single row. They are directed away from the cornea.

In abnormal conditions, several eyelashes may be misplaced. These hairs are located so that they are directed toward the very sensitive cornea. The initial irritant may not be associated with these hairs, but will act as the exciting mechanism of a vicious circle.

The irritant causes the animal discomfort and produces blinking. The blinking produces increased pressure by the lids on the cornea, leading to further irritation induced by the eyelashes.

This irritation further aggravates the blinking and spasms of the muscles occur, completing the cycle. The end result is severe corneal irritation, which requires veterinarian attention.

The Goal Of Veterinarian Treatment

The object of treatment is to interrupt this vicious circle by determining and removing the initial irritant if still present. The defect that is present is treated also. The usual method used to eliminate the aberrant hairs is “electrolysis,” in which the hairs are destroyed by electronically produced heat. Our preference is to remove surgically the entire row of abnormal hairs.

Professional help is strongly recommended to treat this problem. The use of home remedies and pet store drugs may be the most devastating mistake the dog owner can make. All medications used for eye diseases should be discarded when therapy has been completed. Many medications that are used routinely are extremely toxic when ingested and therefore the well being of our children and pets should be a prime concern.

Excess Tearing

A condition of great concern to fanciers of the Poodle, Maltese, Shih Tzu and other small, light colored dogs is “epiphora”, or excess tearing. It is a problem primarily in the lighter colored dogs. However, we see it also in dark colored dogs, but it’s simply not as noticeable.

Many things may be responsible for this very distressing problem. Among them are:

• Misplaced eyelashes (as discussed above).

• The tear duct, which drains the tears from the eye, may be abnormally positioned.

• A small island of hair, which may grow from the corner of the eye next to the nose, may act as a wick and tears will then overflow.

• There may be an overproduction of tears without apparent irritation.

• There may be an abnormal position of the inner corner of the eyelids next to the nose referred to as “medical entropion”.

• There is recent evidence of a potential metabolic defect associated with porphyrin metabolism.

When one reviews all of the possible causes, it becomes apparent that there is no single treatment that can cure this condition.

Some authorities recommend low levels of oxytetracyclines in the food daily and others recommend surgical removal of the gland in the third eyelid. However, it is the opinion of many veterinarians that thorough evaluation of the entire condition is necessary in order to arrive at a definitive diagnosis and a specific treatment.

In summary, there is no therapeutic panacea for abnormal tearing and much more research is necessary to elucidate all the mechanisms predisposing to it, as well as treatments that will prove effective in the majority of cases.

Cataract Formation

Another problem facing some breeders is cataract formation. It is wise to review some of the aspects involved with this particular disease. The lens is a refractive structure within the eye. In a healthy condition, it is optically clear. It continuously grows through life, but it does so in such a way that the center becomes more compact. A normal change with age, then, is a condition called “lenticular sclerosis”.

The condition of lenticular sclerosis should not be confused with an actual cataract. It is a senile alteration of lens fibers resulting in absorption of some of the wavelengths in the visible spectrum. The dog’s vision is not changed significantly.

In contradistinction to lenticular sclerosis, a cataract is an apparent opacity within the lens that will not allow the passage of light. Many false concepts have occurred due to nomenclature. Cataracts can be classified according to types. In general, most authorities agree on the following chronological classifications:

• Congenital – born with.
• Juvenile – occurring in a young dog under five years of age.
• Senile – occurring in an older dog over five years of age.

The cause of canine cataracts – whether hereditary or acquired – may be influenced by many factors including the effects of inflammations, toxins, metabolic defects, trauma, radiation and many more.

It becomes obvious that the term juvenile cataracts only means that a young dog has cataracts and the condition could be either acquired or hereditary. Much work is necessary to elucidate the potential hereditary mechanism, which may be present. Medical therapy is of no avail and surgery is necessary if restoration of vision is to be accomplished.

Collie Eye

Collie eye is also a problem of genetic predisposition. The genetic mode of inheritance has been determined. It is a simple recessive autosomal gene. The syndrome has been “graded” unfortunately and this is one of the worst mistakes that can be made in eliminating such a disease.

We presently diagnose dogs as affected or unaffected, regardless of the variation of eye lesions present. We have demonstrated that all the lesions are related to one another and that the presence of any lesions incriminates genotypes. Because of the recessive gene, a mating of dogs with normal eyes may certainly produce affective offspring.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy

Progressive retinal atrophy is a disease, which is manifested in dogs usually four years old or older. It has been reported in dogs as young as seven months. It is seen in English Setters, Springer Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers, Poodles, Elkhounds, Cocker Spaniels, Beagles and others. It is transmitted as a simple recessive autosomal gene.

The first clinical sign, which may be observed, is a widely dilated pupil, which becomes unresponsive to any light. The dog will soon show signs of decreased vision during twilight. The dog’s vision progressively decreases until it is completely blind. Nothing is effective in the prevention of inevitable blindness, but there is some evidence that vitamin A therapy may delay the end stage blindness; but this is controversial.

Hair loss in dogs can really be a problem; in many cases, hair loss in dogs starts at the tail and then works its way into the body creating some ugly bald patches. The bald patches on the dogs body would usually turn black and the skin on it will become rough and hard to hold. In some cases, hair loss in dogs could affect their entire body making them appear sick.

What Causes Hair Loss in Dogs?

There are many reasons for hair loss in dogs. One of the most common reasons is the incessant scathing that they usually do in response to some itching. Usually, dogs that have lice, fleas and ticks running under their hair and biting onto their skin would resort to strenuous scratching. The more the dog scratches the spots that have been bitten by the ticks, lice of fleas, and the more hair would come off. Moreover, bites from lice, ticks and fleas, would eventually swell and the hair their in would start falling off as a result. Eventually, there will be some bald spots in the coat of the dog resulting from the scratching.

Another reason for hair loss in dogs is hormonal abnormalities. There are some breeds of dogs, which are prone to hormonal abnormalities like the dachshunds. If you have a dachshund as a pet, make sure that you bring your dog to the veterinarian when you notice some bald spots in your dog so that it can be treated accordingly.

Some hair loss in dogs is caused by allergies. Food allergies are one of the most common reasons. If your dog has eaten a new type of dog food and it starts scratching itself, it would be a good idea to stop feeding it with that type of dog food. There is a big possibility that your dog could be allergic to some of the ingredients of that dog food.

If you are thinking about getting a specific pure bred puppy, the best route is to go to a professional breeder. If you want to make sure that the purebred puppy is in great health, has a sound temperament, and one that will match your personality and lifestyle, then you need to find an honest and knowledgeable breeder, one that will help you find that perfect puppy.

The Importance Of Finding The Right Breeder

Nowadays, finding a reputable breeder is not as easy as it used to be. Many self-proclaimed breeders are nothing more than regular dog owners practicing “backyard breeding”. Many of these backyard breeders lack proper knowledge, history and understanding of the breed, other than the one that they own.

Therefore, you need to thoroughly research and find a legitimate breeder, one who is honest and well educated about a specific dog breed. A reputable breeder should be able to give you pertinent information about his/her puppies, as well as answer questions you may have regarding the breed, even after you have purchased the puppy. Most importantly, a reputable breeder should have a genuine interest and love for his/her dogs.

One advantage of going to breeders is that they have first-hand experience and knowledge of raising that specific dog breed. These are two important factors that they can pass down to you which will help you raise a healthy and happy dog. Reliable breeders are concerned about many aspects of their dogs, with health being number one.

Health

A reputable breeder’s top priority is to make sure that his/her puppies are free of genetic diseases that are common and dangerous to that specific breed. For instance, a breeder of Labrador retrievers should test their puppies for diseases and disorders that are common with the breed, such as developmental diseases of the bone and joint, retinal dysplasia and tricuspid dysplasia.

That breeder should have an updated certificate for eye evaluation obtained from the Canine Eye Registration Foundation, that ensures the puppy does not have genetic eye disease. The results of the eye evaluation should be registered at the Canine Health Information Center, where potential buyers and owners can go and check the results.