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Video of the Week
If You Can't Scratch Your Own Back...
Get Someone Else To Do It For You!!
Paris Hilton's Dog-Food Can Fetches $305
CBS News, NY -
23 hours ago
(AP) An empty can of gourmet dog food
taken from Paris Hilton's trash fetched $305 in an eBay
auction. The sellers were from the Web site ...
Man bites dog to death
NEWS.com.au, Australia -
1 hour ago
A CHINESE man bit to death a fierce dog
that was savaging his beloved puppy. Awakened by the puppy's
yelps, a villager named Geng first tried to chase the ...
Man bites dog to death to save petShanghai Daily
Toddler dies after dog mauling
Globe and Mail, Canada -
3 Jul 2007
SMITHS FALLS, ONT. and TORONTO -- A
17-month-old girl was mauled to death by a family dog
over the long weekend. Korie-Lyn Edwards's family had gathered
at ...
Dog lover threatened with eviction
Times of India, India -
15 hours ago
But all that changed on June 11 when Debasish
Pal, another Bibek Nagar resident, was bitten by a dog.
Pal had tried to shove away the dog as it lunged at
...
Houston boy gets more than 200 stitches after dog bite
Houston
Chronicle, United States - 2 Jul 2007
Logan was visiting his mother at her northwest
Harris County home late Saturday when the dog bit him
two or three times in the face, the father said. ...
ONE MAN AND HIS DOG SAIL THAMES
thisisgloucestershire.co.uk, UK - 3 hours ago
A Tv vet and his reluctant hound set off on a
150-mile floating odyssey down the River Thames on Monday in a
giant dog bowl - and very nearly didn't make it ...
TV vet begins dog bowl challengeBBC News
Mayor backs off ban on pit bulls
Indianapolis
Star, United States - 5 hours ago
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson has delayed
any decision on banning pit bulls as part of the city's
dangerous-dog ordinance, which took effect Jan. 1.
...
Is it time to ban pit bulls?Lone Star Times
Now for this
week's tips and advice
Did You Get The Itch?
Its that time of year isn’t it?
Just watching your dog itch, scratch and bite can drive you
mad cant it – especially when it makes you start scratching
too as if you are coming out in sympathy with him!
Of course itching and scratching can have many different
causes – its not always the first thing we think of i.e.
Fleas. So I’m going to cover the 6 main reasons why your pet
may be scratching in our next 5 parts (its too much to cover
in fewer issues). I’ll cover the subject under the following 6
headings:
• Environmental – part 1
• Nutritional – part 1
• Parasitic – part 2
• Allergic – part 3
• Neurogenic – part 4
• Infectious – part 5
So, lets get started and perhaps help you identify why your
dog is keeping you up at might with his scratching. I might
reveal something you have never thought of and so help you
make your beloved dog more comfortable, because it he’s
keeping you up at night, what must it be like for him?
First off let me start by saying that just like humans, all
dogs are different, and therefore some are far more
susceptible to some conditions than others. Its also not all
about how you are keeping your dog. Some dogs can spend hours
romping through fields, digging holes, and rolling in the
grass and still have no after-effects at all. Others, kept
indoors and fed an excellent diet, may have severe skin
disorders.
Let’s see if we can make some sense of this complicated and
aggravating situation and try to answer the question “Why does
my dog itch-and-scratch-bite-and-lick?”
Lets start with Environmental Dermatitis
Dogs in this category are physically and nutritionally normal,
but they show signs of pruritus (itching), hair loss and skin
irritation. That’s is to say that you are happy that they have
a good balanced diet (more under ‘Nutritional Dermatitus’
below) and there is no obvious physical reason why they are
itching.
So the next thing that you or the Vet will consider is what
activities the dog gets up to. If the dog spends time swimming
or excavating gopher holes or romping through fields where
thistles seem prevalent this will give a clue. Many dogs are
very sensitive to simple lawn grasses. The Vet will try to
match what is visible on the patient’s skin with a probable
environmental irritant - the cause of the skin problem can be
determined and corrective measures taken. An example is Moist
Eczema, often called a "Hot Spot". These skin lesions (open
sores) often occur as a result of moisture on the skin surface
from rain, pond or lake water. Minute scratches on the skin
from, for example, a clipper blade, may trigger other cases.
Especially in dense coated dogs or dogs where there is an
accumulation of mats or shedding hair, moisture on the skin
may remain long enough to allow superficial bacteria to
reproduce (sort of like an organic soup) and create an
infection. Some cases of Moist Eczema will spread very rapidly
and require rather aggressive treatment to correct. Even
contact with plastics can create ”Environmental Dermatitis”.
If you think that your dog may be affected I’m afraid that you
will have to visit the vet so that he can use his knowledge of
such problems to start to discover what the actual problem
comes from.
Then there’s Nutritional Dermatitis.
Correction of these cases should be a “no brainer”, but even
today, many veterinarians and pet owners really believe the
“Complete and Balanced” statement on pet food labels.
Unfortunately, many dogs and cats live their entire lives in
less than optimum health because their owner feeds the least
expensive food they can find… and feels secure in doing so
because of that “Complete and Balanced” statement – that’s the
power of advertising for you!
I have an acquaintance who is a vet who says they have seen
hundreds of dogs and cats whose lives changed dramatically
with real balanced nutrition, and where the pet’s owners were
shocked and surprised at the remarkable difference in their
pets, by the simple act of providing the pet with a high
quality, meat-based diet. I have no time for food fads
directed at pets because they are not the same as humans,
their needs are different and their ancestors always ate meat
– and sometimes very little else. So to me, meat is not an
optional extra its an essential.
The only other thing I want to say on the subject is that as
in any food product, you get what you pay for. Cheap meat
based feeds can be full of harmful additives etc so if you
really want your dog to enjoy the best health he can, be
prepared to pay a bit extra for his food. My own dog’s feed is
quite expensive because I have to make sure he doesn’t get
these artificial additives as they affect his behavior – he
stays on a hypoallergenic meat based meal plus a taster of
fresh chicken and he is in wonderful condition for a 12+ year
old dog.
Without proper nourishment a dog’s entire body, not just its
skin and coat, will be continuously in a state of stress. High
quality, (more expensive) meat-based dog foods seldom, if
ever, create the kind of skin and coat problems that my friend
sees. If you feed dry commercial dog food, be certain that the
first ingredient listed is meat such as beef, poultry, lamb or
fish.
Will supplements help? Absolutely. But if the diet is a high
quality, meat-based brand, the need for supplements is much
less critical. It has been my experience that supplements such
a Omega Fatty Acids, Vitamins and table scraps will always
help a dog that is eating a generic, commercial dry dog food;
and on occasion, supplements may even show positive benefits
in a dog eating a high quality diet. Many types of
dermatological problems are avoided if the dog or cat is
consuming an optimum diet. In some cases, adding a supplement
such as a popular Omega Fatty Acid supplement with a number of
beneficial ingredients, is the key factor in avoiding repeated
episodes of Hot Spots and other skin afflictions. If your dog
or cat seems to lack good coat and skin health, consider
upgrading the diet to a meat-based ingredient formula and
adding a supplement. If you are not sure what supplement would
be best, consult your Vet or if you have a good pet shop
locally with experienced staff they may be able to help you.
Believe me, keeping your dogs skin and coat in great condition
by proper feeding is far less expensive in the long run that
paying the vet to treat a bad, and probably recurring, skin
condition.
Next issue we will be covering Parasitic dermatitis.
