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By jnavary, July 13, 2011

Periodontal Disease can affect your pet’s health and can even be life threatening. Dr. Lauren has a few things you can do to keep your mouth healthy.

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By jnavary, May 28, 2011

How to Trim Dog Nails – Painless – Effortless – Stressless
by Mary Beth Close

Feeling apprehensive about grabbing the guillotine and lopping off your dog’s long nails? Does your dog hide at the sight of the clippers and struggle, cry and writhe as you try to pare the nails down without hitting the dreaded quick and causing a bloodbath?

You are not alone. Most dog parents are uncomfortable about cutting dog nails. And… most dogs are uncomfortable about the process too – for good reason. Our own nail beds – just like a dog’s – are alive with a blood source and nerves. Pinch your nail bed with pliers and feel the pain.

If you use a scissor or guillotine style nail clipper the device applies a significant amount of pressure on the nail before it cuts through – particularly if the blades are not razor sharp. The pressure squeezes the quick – it’s no wonder that many dogs resist the experience and those that have been taught to obediently sit still are enduring pain and discomfort.

Puppy's Proper Pedicure

The quick is actually a vein inside the nail. We’ve heard the warnings – cut off too much nail and blood spurts – more pain and more stress for both you and your dog.
Your dog is unhappy but the nails must be trimmed regularly. The nails can grow overly long, causing distortion of the foot, the gait, discomfort and the ever present possibility of a ripped or cracked nail which may well require surgical repair.

There is a better, easier, painless and stress less method for perfect dog pedicures – the grinding tool. (Commonly referred to as a Dremel tool developed for carpenters). Many dogs are touch sensitive to a varying degree and some dogs are finicky about their ears, tails and other body parts, particularly feet.

Before you achieve the perfect pedicure, start slow and desensitize your dog to both the sound of the tool and the ensuing vibration. Armed with your dog’s favorite treats, start with gentle foot handling, followed with a treat and a ‘good dog.’ Increase the foot rubs and continue treats and soothing verbal rewards. When you feel your dog is comfortable with the foot messages, raise the bar a bit and turn the grinder on for a few seconds (do not touch the dog with the tool) shut it off and give the dog a treat. Soon, the dog will link the sound of the grinder and the foot handling with treats and verbal rewards.

When the dog is more interested in the treat than the foot handling and the sound of the grinder it’s time to gently place the tool to the very tip of the nail – more treats – and move onto the next nail if the dog does not fuss. If your dog appears uncomfortable – just move back to the point in desensitizing where the dog is comfortable. Stay at that level for a bit more time. Dogs have different comfort levels and some dogs take a little bit more time to desensitize. Go slowly – take small steps.

Once your dog has been desensitized, grind away a small amount of nail every few weeks until the nail is at a manageable length. Move from nail to nail to prevent friction heat. If your dog has long hair take care that the grinding tool does not catch the hair. A piece of cheese cloth slipped onto the foot with just the nail protruding will keep the hair out of the way (Use a snood if your dog has plumy ears).

If you are still uncomfortable about nail grinding, ask someone for help – a groomer, a vet, or a dog handler – experienced with dog nail care and grinding.

Training is a continuous process — keep the treats coming – especially when your dog least expects one.

About the Author:

Mary Beth Close founded For the Love of Dogs, Inc., the holding company for Canine Kingdom in 1999.  Her vision is to end the unnecessary and unintentional abuse pet dogs suffer because we do not understand them. Canine Kingdom researches, organizes, develops, and validates information, methods and products regarding dog communication, training, and care needs. Canine Kingdom is an independent corporation and is not affiliated with any other pet related company, professional, or organization

Canine Kingdom researches, organizes, develops, and validates information, methods and products regarding Dog Care, Dog Safety and Dog Myths needs. Canine Kingdom is an independent corporation and is not affiliated with any other pet related company, professional, or organization

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By jnavary, April 19, 2011

Periodontal disease is the most common oral problem that dogs face. Affecting the tissues that support and surround the teeth, periodontal disease is usually the result of excessive plaque buildup. As plaque accumulates on the teeth, it gradually hardens into tartar.

When plaque builds up it provides an ideal environment for the growth of bacteria. This bacteria causes irritation to the gums causing them to swell and eventually bleed. As the dog’s gums become more inflamed additional bacteria is produced, causing the gums to recede and exposing the root. Eventually the teeth become loose in their sockets and, if left untreated, the teeth ultimately fall out.

The symptoms of periodontal disease include brown or yellow stains on the teeth, consistently bad breath, reddened gums and exposed tooth roots. In addition if your dog seems to have difficulty chewing, excessive drooling, a reluctance to eat or mouth pain (as evidenced by rubbing his face on the ground or pawing at his mouth) the cause may be periodontal disease.

Although periodontal disease is very painful and may result in tooth loss, the condition can cause additional, even more serious, health issues. Continued bacterial growth may result in bacteria entering the blood steam and then migrating to the urinary tract, heart valves, and other systems of the body.. This chain reaction that starts innocently enough with inadequate oral hygiene can ultimately lead to very serious illness and even death.

All breeds of dogs are at risk; however oral problems are more commonly found in dogs with short muzzles and flat faces. In addition, older dogs are also at increased risk. Dogs who are fed soft dog food are also more at risk than those who are fed primarily dry dog food.

Treatment of periodontal disease is dependent upon the degree to which the disease has progressed. Brushing your dog’s teeth on a regular basis may resolve the problem. For more advanced cases the dogs teeth may require descaling – usually performed by the veterinarian with the dog under general anesthesia. When the disease has progressed to a very late stage, a specialist may be required to perform advanced dental surgery.

As always, prevention and early detection are critical. Routine brushing of your dog’s teeth will help fight the buildup of plaque. In addition, regular visits to your veterinarian for a routine check-up can identify any hidden damage to the teeth before a problem grows more serious.

Help your dog maintain overall health by regularly visiting your veterinarian, feeding him a healthy diet, routine brushing of your dog’s teeth, and giving him the occasional chew toy. He’ll appreciate your efforts to keep him from getting “long in the tooth”.

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By jnavary, December 13, 2010

Humans have daily personal hygiene rituals. We wake up and brush our teeth, wash our face, shower. We shampoo, condition, brush and style our hair daily. We have far less hair than a dog does and we spend a significant amount of time on it. Imagine if you had hair all over your body and imagine if it got knotted and matted and tangled. How happy would you be? Not very, right?

It’s not hard to understand why a dog would be unhappy with matted hair. New arrivals at dog shelters are often covered in tangles and sometimes even family pets are as well. Some owners aren’t very conscientious about their pet’s grooming needs. Don’t be one of those owners.

Tangled fur is an excellent spot for parasites such as fleas, ticks and mites to thrive. Dandruff can build up in the coat and a dog can develop a nasty smell from a coat not well taken care of.

Obviously, having an ungroomed coat isn’t comfortable for the dog, nor is it healthy, but what’s the best way to take care of it?

- Check out the extent of the problem. How far into the hair is the knotting? Is it all the way to the roots? Is it in small isolated clumps or all over? Is it dirty too or just tangled?

- If the problem is really extreme, your best solution may just be to shave the animal and allow new hair to grow. (Be sure when hair does grow back to take good care of it, wash it and brush it regularly to prevent this problem from happening again.)

- If the matting is just near the ends of the hair and not all over, the problem isn’t quite so bad. Get the animal to lay down on a table or where you can work on him. Get a small pair of trimming scissors and a large pair. Use the large pair of scissors to cut out big knots and mats on the animal’s body. When you’re finished with that, use the small pair of scissors to work on the delicate areas of the dog: the face, the paws and the ears.

- Use a dog brush to brush the rest of the dog’s coat out to get rid of any small tangles.

- Be sure to check for parasite infestations and treat them if applicable.

Sometimes, a big problem with animals‘ coats matting is just being generally dirty. Having a dirty coat can cause a lot of tangles. After snipping out large tangles from the dog’s coat, wash him thoroughly with some dog shampoo and conditioner.

Preventative measures are the best way to battle a matted coat. Be sure to bathe your dog often, use preventative flea/tick medicine if necessary and to brush him when you can. Take care of your dog’s coat like you would take care of your hair (minus that styling part) and your dog will appreciate it greatly.