Tip – 25 – Bonding with your dog through touch – Touching and stroking your dog

SYSTEMATIC STROKING TO STRENGTHEN THE BOND BETWEEN A DOG AND ITS OWNER:

Touching has a powerful emotional effect on many dogs. It is part of the bonding process between the owner and the dog. Furthermore, the dog must be willing …

Getting a dog from a shelter – Pet tip 131

When most people think about getting a dog, they are looking forward to choosing a squirming little puppy from a litter of Labradors (or Poodles, etc) that are tumbling and playing beside their watchful mother. Many people buy their dogs …

Grapes Raisins and Kidney Failure in Dogs

You have a healthy, happy young dog. All of a sudden you notice that your dog feels really sick and is urinating a lot. You rush to the veterinary clinic, looking for an answer. Your veterinarian starts asking questions to get a good history, and starts running tests. Blood work and analysis of urine seems to indicate that your dog is in acute kidney failure. How did that happen? Your veterinarian asks questions- is there any chance your dog got into anti-freeze? No. Lilies? No. Grapes? Yes.

There are a number of different toxins that can cause acute kidney failure in an otherwise healthy dog. Many drugs can predispose dogs to this condition.

Cataract Surgery in Dogs

Have you ever wondered how cataract surgery is actually performed? If so, read on as it really is a very interesting procedure! Cataract surgery is formally known as phacoemulsification. “Phaco” stands for lens, and to ‘emulsify’ means to break down. This is a great name for this procedure, because this is exactly what it is!

Normally the lens in the eye is a clear soft structure that allows light to easily pass through it. If there is any opacity on the lens, it is known as a cataract. A cataract occurs when proteins in the eye leak into the lens, and start to harden. A general rule of thumb is that if you cannot see into an animal’s eyes clearly, then it can’t see out at you clearly! Thus in a cataract, if the entire lens is opaque due to the protein that has leaked out, then the animal’s vision is reduced.

Cataract surgery involves two main tools; one to break up the cataract into smaller pieces, and the other to vacuum the pieces out of the eye. To begin, the animal is placed under general anesthesia so that it is completely unconscious during the procedure.

Torn Cruciate Ligaments in Dogs

Scenario 1: You’re out for a walk with your young large-breed dog. To use an example, we will say it’s a one year old Rottweiler. Your dog is very active, gets lots of exercise, and loves going for long runs …

Oatmeal Peach Cookies

Dog treat recipe – Oatmeal Peach Cookies – From Better Food for Dogs

NB:This recipe is for doggie treats. It should not constitute the primary diet of your dog, and is not suitable for cats.

Oatmeal Peach Cookies

Makes about …

Feather Plucking

What is feather-plucking? Feather-plucking, also known as feather-picking, is when a bird damages or removes its feathers. It is usually seen in captive birds, most commonly in African Greys and Cockatoos. Most often the bird plucks at its chest, but …

Tip – 7- Dog boredom and inappropriate chewing

These days many of us are busier than ever and leave our dogs completely alone for long periods of time, sometimes for 12 hours or more. Then we come home to find that the dog has been chewing on all …

E. Cuniculi in Rabbits

You’ve been noticing it for a few months now. Your bunny just hasn’t been acting like itself. You can’t quite put a finger on it, but it just seems ‘off’ somehow. Then you see a bit of a head tilt, which grows worse with time. Sometimes you catch your bunny stargazing. Then you realize it seems just a bit weaker than usual on its hind legs. It’s not jumping as high and isn’t running to the door to greet you as usual. A few months later it’s practically holding its head to the floor. What could possibly be wrong with it? Is it a brain tumour or some rare bacterial infection?

Getting a New Kitten – Cat

Bringing Home the New Kitten

There are few things more exciting than bringing a new addition into your family. When the new addition is a kitten, there are a few things to be considered before the big day. These things …