Kennel Cough……
Kennel cough is an infectious disease that in the past has been associated with a recently confinement in a boarding kennel. This is a harsh, persistent cough, also known as tracheo-bronchitis and more recently “infectious bronchitis”. Initially it occurred more often in the summer months and particularly when dogs have been in kennels. Today however, it occurs throughout the yearand often times is unrelated to boarding kennels. This signs of kennel cough is recognized by a harsh dry cough and can be followed by bouts of retching. It is a cough followed by a cough that sounds like something is stuck in the throat. There are several viruses involved with this condition. The incubation period runs between five and seven days and usually runs its course in 2-3 weeks. Some dogs may not begin coughing for several days after being boarded, or exposed to this bacteria.
Suggestions:
Rumex Crisp
Bryonia
Aconite
Other Alternatives:
Vaporizers can be effective either a cold-mist vaporizer or by placing the dog in the bathroom and running a hot shower or tub. Herbal cough syrups are also useful. These usually contain wild cherry bark, licorice, comfrey root, coltsfoot, mullein, slippery elm and horehound. Increasing the intake of vitamin C and vitamin E are also helpful.
Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats!
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1/2 cup oats (optional if your dog is on a grain free diet, sub an extra 1/4 cup grain free flour)
3 cups whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, or gluten free flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In small bowl, stir together the flour, oats, and cinnamon
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin and peanut butter until combined. Stir wet ingredients into dry. Pour onto a floured surface and roll dough out to 1/2 thick. Cut out using cookie cutter. The dough will be a little sticky, a dusting of flour for your hands and the rolling pin will help! Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Place on cooling racks and let cool thoroughly. They will harden as they cool.
Sweet Potato Dog Biscuits
Ingredients:
1 cup of canned sweet potato (you can sub fresh if you want)
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour, brown rice flour, or gluten free flour
1 egg (beaten)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir ingredients together in a large bowl until dough forms. Roll dough into small balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Press dough down slightly so the biscuits are about 1/4 inch thick. Bake until golden brown and let cool on a wire rack.
Yield: About 2 dozen biscuits Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30-40 minutes
Boarding
There is always one very important rule to remember when you are considering putting your dog a boarding establishment: LOOK BEFORE YOUR BOOK. If you don’t like what you see, don’t expect that it will improve by the time your dog arrives. All boarding establishments for animals must be licensed by the local authority, but having a licence is not an indication of quality. The standards laid down by each individual authority are always minimum standards, and as long as the kennels adhere to the minimum, they are granted a licence. Unfortunately, in many cased, the minimum is not fit to keep any animal in, let alone a dog that has probably spent all of its previous existence having its every whim being pandered to in the comfort of a modern home. There is boarding kennels near my home, and over the years I have beard so many detrimental comments from dogs and cat owners about the place that I contacted the local authority and and asked them why they continued to grant a licence.
A Dog Is A Dog Is A Wolf
The answer to ‘why does my dog….?’ is usually very easily answered — ‘because it’s a dog.’ Much of what we regard as problem behaviour is quite often, as I explained in the Introduction, just normal dog behaviour exhibited in the wrong place and at the wrong time.
My dog has just bitten somebody! Well, Dogs bite, don’t they? My dog barks constantly! Well, dogs bark, don’t they? My dog growls at me if I go near his food! Well, dogs growl, don’t they? They also guard food.
All these behaviours, although totally unacceptable, are the thins dogs do. If you persist in being aggressive towards your do, the chances are that at some point it will become annoyed enough to bite you. What else can it do—send you a solicitor’s letter?
Basic Essential Oil Chemistry
The thought of organic chemistry can be daunting, but some knowledge of the basic chemical groups of which essential oils are composed is necessary in order to understand which oils are safe and gentle, and which are stronger or irritating. Since the chemistry of essential oils is a more advanced topic, I am keeping this as simple as possible. Further reading on the subject can be found in the books of Kurt Schnaubelt and Marcel Lavabre. Every essential oil is represented by dominant chemical groups that determine its effects.
Eye Infections
You can make a good guess about what’s causing eye infections by looking to see if one of both eyes are infected. If just one eye is swollen of has a green or yellow discharge, it’s probably a result of an injury from a poke with a stick, a fight with another animal, or even an embedded grass seed. If both eyes are infected, it’s probably because of a virus. Eye infections are easy to treat, but they can cause blindness if they aren’t treated quickly and correctly. See a veterinarian as soon as you notice symptoms.
WHY CATS NEED MASSAGE
On the surface, massage may seem like a frivolous idea, but the fact is that massage has so many physical and psychological benefits for your cat that you could almost call it an essential of health care, like grooming, feeding, exercise, etc. In fact, I might go so far as to say that, for certain reasons (which I will go into later), pets benefit more from massage than human beings do.
Supplements…..
At the risk of gibing away my age, I remember when pharmacies didn’t offer much more than the filling of a prescription from my doctor. There were always a few sundry items on the shelves by not like today! And health food stores? Those usually offered some mysterious supplements while incense burned and sitar music played in the background.
Today, supplements have become mainstream and new ones seem to pop up almost weekly. We find them in our supermarkets ans pharmacies ans are overwhelmed by them at the health food stores. Every company has something ‘better’ or ‘new and improved’. It can be a difficult to make sense of any of it at the best of times. Even more confusing is the information that we try to gather when, in fact, not very much is known about some of these items.
Urinary Tract Infections and Kidney Disease
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Urinary bladder infections, known as cystitis, are the number one killer of cats. In cats the infection is known as FUS (Feline Urologic Syndrome). In dogs, it is both less usual and far less serious. It is caused by magnesium and phosphorus crystals on the urine that irritate the bladder and urethra. The first symptoms are of frequency, running back and forth to the litter box or in and out of the house. The animal strains and may void a few drops, but it is itching and burning, rather than fullness, that makes her think she needs to go. There may be traces of blood in the urine. A pet who suddenly starts wetting indoors or missing the litter box, likely has a urinary-tract infection and should be checked immediately.
