3 Tips To Help You Find The Best Veterinarian
Choosing a Veterinarian
Since you do not have much time to spend researching for the ideal veterinarian once you have your dog, it is a good idea to do your search ahead of time, before you bring the puppy home.
But before you reach over for your phone book, check out for other resources and find out what you can get “through the grapevine”.
First, see if your breeder can recommend you to his or her Veterinarian. Also ask for recommendations from other dog owners that you can trust. You can learn a lot from their experiences, but use your own judgment because their opinions are going to be subjective and may not necessarily be accurate.
If you do not know anyone who owns a dog, your next bet is to go to the Yellow Pages or go to the Internet and look for vets in your area.
Below are 3 factors to consider when choosing the right Veterinarian.
1. Is the Veterinarian close to your home? Try to find an office as close to your home as possible, preferably within a 10 minute driving distance. It’s very important to know that help is just a few miles away, especially during an emergency.
2. If your dog is suffering from a specific type of health problem, such as cancer or some kind of behavioral problem, look for a Veterinarian who specializes in that type of field.
3. Similar to human health care, veterinary care is either done in a small practice (where you are able to see the same vet on every visit throughout your dog’s life), or a large practice (where you get to see the first available vet on duty). In a small practice, your Veterinarian will be able to get to know your pet on a more personal level. This will help him with his diagnosis and keep track of your dog’s health better in the long run.
On the other hand, it may be more practical to choose a Veterinarian that belongs to a large practice because it is quicker to get an appointment in an office where there are more doctors available.
This having a Veterinarian to contact is crucial, especially during an emergency.
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Dog Health – Are You Avoiding Veterinary Check-Ups For The Family Dog?
Dog Health – Vet Visits
Recently, waiting to welcome a friend at the airport, I witnessed many departures and arrivals. The one I liked best involved a young couple returning from some far-off island who couldn’t wait to see their “son.”
“How is he?”
“Did he sleep?”
“Did he eat alright?”
“Where is he?”
When the “son” was brought forward and turned out to be a tiny, quite excited Pomeranian, we wondered why we weren’t more surprised. Then we remembered that it is not at all uncommon for dog owners to regard their pets as children. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with such a situation; neither owner nor dog appears any worse for it.
The trouble is that it often doesn’t go far enough. Right now, for instance, with Jack Frost waiting in the wings, many of us are telling one another to get down to the doctor’s office for a flu shot, and while we’re there, we’ll have our annual check-up.
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For Optimal Dog Health Dogs Require Check-Ups Too
But what about the tiny Pomeranians and all their canine brothers and sisters? They require an annual check-up too.
Indeed, according to no less an authority than thousands of professional veterinarians, a yearly check-up is five to seven times more important to a dog than it is to an owner, because dogs mature five to seven times faster than humans. From a dog health perspective, a dog ages as much in its first year as his owner does in twenty!
Many dog owners put off taking their family pet to a veterinarian until they notice something wrong. The dog won’t eat, or he sleeps all the time, or he’s biting everybody on the block. Perhaps, had he been checked by a veterinarian long ago, none of these conditions would prevail.
Also, it is well to remember that dogs are subject to many hidden hazards, just as we are. Dogs get arthritis, they suffer from tumors, heart trouble, kidney ailments, etc. Caught in time, a lot of pain can be avoided.
What does a visit to the veterinarian involve? Some owners we’ve talked to think it’s an all-day affair, costing a fortune. Not so. The cost is moderate and the time consumed is seldom more than an hour. Most often, it’s a matter of minutes.
The doctor will use a stethoscope, an otoscope, and an ophthalmoscope, the last two instruments for the ears and eyes. He will have a good look at the dog’s teeth and gums (dogs can get pyorrhea), he’ll check the dog’s coat, weight, pulse, and temperature.
Most dogs learn to enjoy their visits to the veterinarian. Incidentally, it’s a very good idea to take the dog to the same doctor each visit, just as you would yourself.
When it comes to dog health, in their own way, some dogs even demand it!
Dog Health – Proper Nutrition For Your Working Dog
Dogs that lead a very active lifestyle demand a more comprehensive diet than average dogs require to ensure proper dog health.
Examples of these hard-working dogs are those that participate in agility competitions as well as those that team up with law enforcement on a search-and-rescue mission.
For the best possible dog health, these dogs require nutritional needs that are different from an average household pet.
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Most of these sporting and working dogs participate in intermediate activities as well.
These are activities that require low to moderate duration and intensity. Examples include: Competition or agility, service, search and rescue, tracking or hunting, police or guarding, detection, and even managing livestock.
Essential Nutrients For Dog Health And Your Busy Canine Athlete
Because your dog is always on the go, you need to provide him with larger doses of food and certain types of nutrients.
This is especially important in times when they are most active. A typical working dog would need about 2 – 5 times more calories than a sedentary dog.
These extra calories are converted into energy that helps your dog health and canine athlete perform better.
Four Key Nutrients For Busy Dogs and Dog Health
1. Carbohydrate: Once your dog reaches adulthood, he has no need for carbohydrates in his diet, although he is able to absorb this nutrient if eaten. Less carbohydrates in the adult dog’s diet creates better performance. Therefore, minimum amount of carbohydrates is required for the working dog or any dog that participates in any kind of activity that lasts for more than two minutes.
2. Protein: Protein contains amino acids, which are the building blocks for hormones, tissues, and enzymes. This nutrient provides energy and helps develop muscle mass for extra size and strength. Keep in mind, however, that too much protein in your dog’s diet can lead to excessive protein breakdown. A busy dog should have a diet that includes high-quality protein, enough to provide for muscle and structural repair.
3. Fats: The main source of energy for intermediate athletic dogs comes from fats. This nutrient contains about twice as much energy as carbohydrates and protein provides. Adding more fat to your dog’s diet is the best way to increase his energy and strength. A diet high in fat is more appealing to your dog while at the same time providing him with better endurance. Therefore, it is very important to supply him with adequate amount of essential fatty acids along with saturated and unsaturated fats.
4. Water: A hard-working dog normally loses more water during laborious activity so it is very important to provide him with an ample supply of water to keep him hydrated.
This is even more important for dog health when your dog is under extreme temperatures (both hot and cold weather).
Leash Training 101 – Do You Have The Right Mindset
Leash training your dog is much more than actually following a few steps and guidelines.
It’s the actual mindset of the owner that is the single most important element.
Success or failure, joy or frustration – all depend on how you approach your dog’s leash training sessions.
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Start your leash training off on the right paw, so to speak. If you have a puppy that is unaccustomed to a leash and collar, let it first adjust to the feel of a buckle collar only.
Once it is comfortable wearing the collar, snap on a short, light line and watch while it drags that around. Leave the line on for 10-minute leash training sessions a couple of times a day until your puppy no longer pays attention to it.
For an older puppy or adult dog that you have had fitted for a head collar or prong collar, again, let it have time to adapt to the feel of this new device before snapping on a leash.
Do not leave specialty collars on an unsupervised dog. Because both prong and head collars tighten with pressure, a dog can suffer serious injury if the collar catches on an object. Pay close attention to your dog during these get-comfortable sessions.
It’s important that you approach training with the right attitude, because teaching leash manners requires absolute consistency on your part. Every walk becomes a training session, whether you plan on it or not. There is no such thing as “We train when we walk after work, but all the other walks are just walks”.
This is a difficult concept for people, as we are impatient, hurried, and often doing something other than paying attention to our dog as it walks.
While your dog is learning, there should be no rushed walks, no stops to chat with neighbors, no using the time to make a call on your cell phone, etc.
You can’t expect your dog to become mindful of you during a leash training session if you consistently ignore it.
Likewise, recognize that your dog doesn’t pull on the leash to aggravate, annoy, punish or get back at you – it’s simply a matter of cause and effect. The dog is thinking: I pull, you follow, and therefore, I get to where I want to go.
You must reshape this thought process. Put emotions aside when leash training, view your lessons as an opportunity to forge a new relationship and decide that from this day forward you and your dog will learn how to enjoy your walking time together!
Leash Training – Equipment To Avoid With Your Puppy
Leash training is mandatory when puppies are young!
What could be more adorable than a tiny 10-week-old German Retriever walking down the street with its owner, pulling during leash training as it excitedly greets anyone who walks by?
These little puppies put so much effort into seeing what’s going on and are almost always greeted with a pat on the head and a smile from passing strangers.
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This is all cute and adoring, until the dog reaches a body weight of 50 to 60 pounds and is literally dragging its owner down the street on the leash.
The once happily smiling owner is now gritting her teeth and doing all she can to keep the dog from pulling her down the sidewalk.
As strangers pass by it takes all of the owner’s muscle and might just to hold the dog back from getting its dirty paws all over these people. Eventually, these types of dogs who have no leash control end up spending all of their time in the backyard without ever being walked.
Leash Training Should Begin Immediately
Many dog owners who purchase a new puppy totally underestimate just how vital it is to invest time into leash training, and from as early an age as possible, especially when they have a pup that will grow 6 to 10 times it’s puppy size. They do not realize that training begins the instant their new dog comes home.
Any and all behaviors a puppy practices will become a learned subconscious activity even what you teach them while leash training.
In time the dog will not think twice about what it is doing, even though it may be a wrong action that you disapprove of.
In all fairness to the puppy, what do you expect if you ignore sound leash training principles early in its life?
What choice does the dog have?
The Importance Of Having The Proper Leash
Having the right type of equipment can make or break dog training. Using the proper tools can either make your training experience pleasant and productive, or a complete waste of time.
What is the best leash for training purposes?
Fortunately, when it comes to leash equipment, you can’t go wrong with most of them. However, there is one type of leash that is not recommended for training purposes and that is the retractable kind.
Retractable leashes are available in all sizes and extend at different lengths. These leash devices are simply a plastic casing that fits into your hand which has a control trigger that either releases the leash to extend up to a certain length and can then be locked at the specific distance you choose.
Yes these types of leashes can definitely be a benefit for many situations, but for training a new puppy or even an adult dog, you need to have a leash that can provide constant tension on the dog’s neck.
You also need to keep a very short distance between you and your dog, which is very hard to do when using a retractable leash. With too much distance, your dog will have no concept that you are even walking with him.
Lastly, you must have consistent leash pressure and release moments in order for the dog to understand the commands you are teaching him, such as heeling.
With a retractable leash, it can extend at different distances and be locked inconsistently.
Your puppy may become frustrated as it perceives unfair and irregular corrections each time you vary the length and lock it in place while leash training.