How to Ensure Joint Health for Dogs
Similar to a human’s joints, a dog’s joints are vital parts of their body. A dog’s joints, whether it’s the ball and socket joints, the hinge joints or the gliding joints are all imperative to their mobility. Without joints a dog would be unable to go since they provide flexibility which enables their legs to bend, their hips to go, etc. If a dog owner wishes to see their pet living a healthy, mobile life, it’s essential to do everything possible to ensure joint health for dogs.
Many dogs unfortunately develop arthritis. Really there are several conditions dogs develop which are often listed under arthritis. These conditions include degenerative joint disease, hip dysplasia, inflammatory joint disease and osteoarthritis. These are the names pet owners will often hear regarding joint problems with their dogs. Each of these conditions can cause severe pain for a dog. Each of these conditions involves a dog’s joints and so it is vital for dog owners to take the necessary steps to ensure joint health for their dogs.
As a dog owner, how do you ensure joint health for your dog? First of all it’s vital that dogs have regular examinations by a licensed veterinarian. Veterinarians are trained to recognize specific signs and symptoms related to dog arthritis and joint disease. There are certain breeds that are prone to poor joint health and since a vet would be aware of this, they could monitor the dog. If problems with joint health are caught early enough they can be treated and the dog will likely delight in a long life without much difficulty.
Because you, the owner spend the most time with your dog, it’s imperative that you do your part to ensure your dog’s joint health. Besides taking them to the vet you must make sure they receive regular exercise to keep their joints in excellent working order. Activity will make sure the dog’s joints are being used. Like a piece of machinery, if unused a dog’s joints may eventually stop working properly.
Your dog’s diet is very vital to ensure joint health. There are special diets designed specifically for aging dogs to guard against joint problems. There are foods designed for dogs with arthritis. These foods contain necessary ingredients to prevent and/or help joint problems caused by arthritis.
Dogs right from birth require plenty of TLC. They also need certain vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy body. It is recommended that dog owners should add a multivitamin supplement to their dog’s daily diet. Of course the amount, dose and type of multivitamin would depend on the dog’s age and size. As dogs grow older they are at a greater risk of developing joint disease. For this reason special attention should be paid to the dog’s diet including vitamin supplements. Chondroitin and glucosamine are believed to be beneficial in treating and relieving symptoms of dog arthritis and joint problems. These are just two of the recommended supplements for aging dogs. There are many other vitamin and multivitamin supplements on the market today which can help ensure joint health for dogs.
Although pet owner’s like their dogs and assume their efforts are enough to protect their health, often they aren’t. A dog owner might buy what they reckon is the perfect food while in fact the food may not contain anything useful to their dog. It’s vital that a dog owner, especially as the dog ages, research and question questions about necessary changes required for aging dogs. Nobody wants to see their dog in anguish and pain. Since dogs aren’t verbally capable of sharing their feelings, often they may be suffering silently. At times even the dog may not know there are problems with their joints. For example the cartilage that protects the joints can deteriorate. Because cartilage has small or no nerves, degeneration can take place without the dog feeling anything. This cartilage degeneration can be going on for a long time before it is really learned.
Learning details such as these are vital for any dog owner. It puts them in a better position regarding taking preventative steps. To ensure joint health for dogs owners should always do their utmost to find preventative measures. Owning a dog is so much more than feeding them and giving them a warm place to sleep. Owning a dog is a major responsibility. These innocent pets depend on their owners to ensure they lead the best life possible. Because they are incapable of caring for themselves, they trust their owners to make the right decisions regarding their health. If you are a pet owner, this information regarding joint health for your dog may be groundbreaking new. Not everyone is aware of potential risks and risk factors for dogs. Maybe today you’ll commit to learning all you about the health of a dog and start to take steps to ensure joint health for your dog.
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Identifying the Secret Signs and Symptoms of Dog Heartworm
In the United States, one common canine disease is dog heartworm. Dog heartworm was first learned in 1856. Heartworms in dogs are often found residing in the dog’s heart and the major blood vessels.
The heartworms in dogs can seriously prevent a dog’s heart from functioning properly. In worst cases, dog heartworms can cause blockage in the blood vessels. Dogs with heartworms tend to lose weight, have chronic coughing, be small of breath, develop chronic heart failure, have problems with their vision and eventually die.
Early Signs of Dog Heartworm
The signs or symptoms of dog heartworm are not the same for every dog, so the best coming to do is to take your dog to a veterinarian for proper diagnosis. Be aware that most dogs with heartworm problems tend to exhibit visible symptoms of the disease only when it is too late for it to be cured. Thus, when it comes to heartworms in dogs, early detection is vital so that treatment for dog heartworms can be administered quickly.
Below are some of the early signs of dog heartworm. If your dog shows any of these dog heartworm symptoms, don’t hesitate to take him to your veterinarian.
* Your dog tends to get tired quickly and easily.
* Your dog often has to gasp for breath.
* Your dog starts coughing more often.
* Your dog, if it is a hunting dog, can’t keep up with the chases anymore and often falls from exhaustion.
* Your dog develops jaundice, experiences convulsions and have vision problems.
* Your dog becomes emaciated, a serious symptom of dog heartworm that is often followed by death.
What Dogs Can Become Infected by Dog Heartworms?
Years ago, it was believed that small-haired dogs were more prone to becoming infected by dog heartworms. The long-hair dogs were thought to be resistant to dog heartworms since the worm-carrying mosquitoes had a much more hard time penetrating through their hair. But, this belief has been disproved. Both long-haired and small-haired dogs can become infected by dog heartworms since mosquitoes attack on a dog’s abdominal area. Both long-haired and small-haired dogs tend to have lesser hair in the abdominal area. In addition, the muzzle and ears are other areas where the infection can start.
Treatment for Dog Heartworms
If detected early enough, dog heartworm can be treated using chemical therapy. Heartworm treatment is usually administered over a period of time. The heartworms are not killed in one fell swoop as the dead worms would end up being deposited into the lungs and kill the dog. In addition, the chemicals used to kill the heartworms in dogs can also be lethal to dogs. This is why any treatment for dog heartworms that involves the use of chemicals should only be administered by a veterinarian.
Apart from chemical therapy, surgery is also a treatment option for dog heartworm. But, surgery is only done if the veterinarian warrants this need and if it is the only option for curing the dog heartworm infection.
You can also prevent your dog from developing dog heartworms through medication. There are dog pills specifically designed to ruin the heartworms inside your dog’s body so that the worms do not grow into full-blown heartworm adults. But, dog heartworm medications will not keep your dog 100% heartworm-free. Your dog can still become infected with dog heartworm during mosquito season so you would still need to keep a close eye on your dog and watch out for the early signs of dog heartworms.
Heartworm medications, but, can cause complications if your dog is already infected with heartworms. Basically, the drugs won’t do your dog any excellent if the heartworm infection is already serious. In this case, your best and only option is to take your dog to a veterinarian who can prescribe the right medications for your dog as well as take some blood tests.
Preventing Dog Heartworms
Be aware that mosquitoes are the carriers of heartworms. Keep your dog from being bitten by mosquitoes, particularly if you live in a hotter region with a higher humidity level or if it’s mosquito season. Keep your dog’s sleeping area clean and screened. You can also use repellent sprays. Talk to your veterinarian and question him if he can prescribe any preventative medication or heartworm medicine for dogs. If necessary, take your dog for regular blood tests to make sure that he does not have dog heartworm.
You need to be especially vigilant as the symptoms of dog heartworms are not easily and quickly visible. It is recommended that you take your dog to the veterinarian for a full check up once a year.
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Caucasian Mountain Dog: Dog With the Uncanny Resemblance to the Bear
The Caucasian Mountain Dog also known as the Caucasian Ovtcharka is an ancient breed that for centuries was small known outside the remote regions from which it hails, namely the Caucasus which incorporate: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Dagestan, Iran and Turkey. The Caucasian Mountain Dog or Ovtcharka (in Russian Ovtcharka means shepherd or sheepdog) is a member of the working group of dog breed and despite its appellation of sheepdog/shepherd this dog was never a livestock herder but rather a guardian or protector which goes a long way in explaining its not inconsiderable size! The Caucasian Mountain dog was bred to protect livestock against wolves, bears and other predators; in fact the Caucasian Ovtcharka has an uncanny resemblance to a bear!
Considered until honestly recently by many to be a descendent of the Tibetan Mastiff, updated archeological evidence suggests that its ancestry originated from ancient dogs that lived in the woody hills of Iraq and Mesopotamia. It is believed that assorted dog types that accompanied nomadic tribes that settled in the Caucasus regions, with small intervention and interference from outside influences, eventually evolved into the Caucasian Mountain Dog.
Up until the 1930s, the Caucasian Ovtcharka was small known outside its home range until it started appearing in European dog shows in Germany. Around 1952 the Caucasian Mountain Dog was sub-divided into two distinct breeds: the Transcaucasian Ovtcharka which is typically the heavier-boned, massive dog that hails from the mountainous regions; and the Caucasian Ovtcharka, the less heavily built type that originates from the steppe regions.
In 1976 the two sub-breeds were consolidated and reclassified as one breed, and these days the Caucasian Mountain Dog is expected to conform to a single standard. Be that as it may but, the various sub-breeds can still be differentiated regionally from the various territories of the former USSR and nowadays one of the most coveted type of Caucasian Mountain Dog is the so-called Georgia sub-breed which is characteristically a thick-coated, heavy-boned, massive dog that most closely resembles a bear.
The potential of the Caucasian Mountain Dog as much more than a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD) was quickly realized by the now defunct Soviet Army and soon enough this dog breed was employed both during peace and war time as auxiliary military “personnel” within the expanse of the Soviet Union. In the late 1960s the Caucasian Ovcharka was widely introduced to East Germany specifically for border patrol duty, fore mostly to patrol the infamous Berlin Wall. When the Berlin Wall came toppling down in 1989, the by-then, at least 7000-strong unit of Caucasian Mountain Dogs employed to patrol the Wall’s perimeter was disbanded and many of those dogs found new homes within the newly emancipated civilian population! Temperament
This dog breed was developed to guard flocks and livestock and hence has a strong inherent guardian/protector trait. Much as a Border Collie family dog will tend to herd its family as a substitute flock of sheep, the Caucasian Mountain Dog will have the tendency to be somewhat protective of its immediate family, a characteristic that has obvious benefits but perhaps less obvious consequences. The Caucasian Ovcharka is a strong-willed (some might say stubborn) breed of dog that requires a firmer hand for proper socialization and training. The so-called stubborn nature of this dog type is not surprising when one considers that it was bred over hundreds of years for these exact qualities.
This dog was bred to largely exist independent of humans (except for its shepherd) and was bred to co-exist with the livestock it was guarding; thus the Caucasian Mountain dog breed is inherently wary of strangers be they people or animals. Unsurprisingly, the Caucasian Ovtcharka is most active at night (livestock predators tend to hunt under the cover of night) and though it may give the impression that it’s a huge bone idle dozing dog, at the slightest hint of intruders the Caucasian Mountain Dog will nimbly get to its feet, sound the alarm (barking) and immediately go to confront the threat!
The Caucasian Ovcharka takes the protection of its territory (these days consider that the family yard) very seriously and will consider any encroachment by a weirder as a threat. Despite its formidable size this dog is characterized by the use of minimal force to dissuade any threat. Such minimal force may likely take the form of confronting the predator and barking and growling aggressively; usually that is enough to change the minds of most intruders because much like its wild Canid counterparts, this ancient dog breed still retains the mindset that physical (or deadly) force should be a last resort since it tends to be counter productive (i.e., injury to either party). Any Excellent With Kids?
As previously noted this dog breed tends to substitute its immediate family for the livestock it was selectively bred to protect; in other words this dog is strongly protective of members of its family. Hence it is vital to know that this dog could perceive rambunctious or rough child’s play between a family member and a friend (as is the tendency with boys) to be a threat and its hardwired protect-the-flock genetics will immediately kick in!
Thus it is vitally imperative to properly socialize this dog breed and also clarify to your kids that just because they know that “Shaggy” would never hurt them, they should know that the same may not go for their friends unless the dog knows them well (i.e., has accepted them as an extension of its flock). Obviously with a dog this size all activity around small children should be supervised, because though the family pet may not intend harm, it’s a huge dog that during the heat of play may easily forget its formidable strength and size and could accidentally hurt a young child!The Question Of Apartment Dwelling?
By and large the Caucasian Mountain Dog does not make the ideal apartment dweller. Although like most huge dogs its energy level is somewhat low this dog breed is inherently nocturnal and was bred to alert and warn of, and off intruders. In other words your like for your Caucasian Mountain Dog could well translate into hatred from your neighbors because your Caucasian Ovcharka is driving them crazy with its nightly cacophony (barking…which is especially right if your neighbors are creatures of the night aka party animals).Interactivity With Other Dogs
From a genetic view point the Caucasian Mountain Dog was never bred to be overly friendly with other canids be they dogs or wolves, because as a flock guardian it would have been expected to ward off all potential predators which naturally would have included feral dogs. But as with most any breed of dog timely and proper socialization usually overcomes any unfriendliness towards other dogs or animals in this breed!Caucasian Mountain Dog Breed Standard
Currently there appear to be conflicting breed standards which could be in part clarified by the different sub-breeds and the late acceptance of this breed into the AKC; as of now this dog breed has no AKC ranking. Only recently has the AKC went to officially recognize this dog breed (May 2007) even though the Caucasian Ovcharka has been on record with the FSS (Foundation Stock Services) since 1996. From January of 2008 the Caucasian Mountain Dog will be allowed to formally compete in the AKC Companion Events.Size Requirements:
The following height measurements are for the mature dog and are measured up to the shoulder bone.Height of Males: 25.5 – 30 inches (64cm – 70cm)Height Females: 24.5 and upwardsWeight of Males: 100lbs + (45kg – 70 kg)Weight Females: 80lbs + (37kg – upwards)
It should be noted but that for the Kavkazskaya Ovcharka Breed (the Georgian Caucasian Mountain Dog sub-breed that most closely resembles a bear) the requisite dimensions differ considerably:Height of Male: 28.3 – 29.5 inches (72cm – 75cm; minimum is 68cm or 26.8 inches)Female Height: 26.0 – 27.2 inches (66cm – 69cm; minimum is 64 cm or 25.2 inches)
Naturally the weight of the Kavkazskaya Ovcharka Breed will tend to be somewhat heavier and it is not unusual for males to top 180lbs!
The Caucasian Mountain Dog falls under the category of Working Dogs as a Livestock Guardian Dog (LGD).Caucasian Mountain Dog
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