Heartworm is a disease that could take you by surprise. Before starting any treatment for heartworm you should first know how the disease acts. If your dog gets the disease it is in great danger as the worm is known to be fatal in most untreated cases. In dogs, it takes about six months before the heartworm turns into an adult worm that may threaten your pet’s heart. As these worms get inside the body of your pet, they could reproduce, situation you must avoid.
A couple of treatments have been developed to cure this deadly disease. The disease is not too well known among common pet owners. As the disease can infect humans too, people should be better informed about the disease and how it should be treated in case the pet is already infected.
Let’s start with an overview of the disease. The heartworm is a roundworm which is transferred from host to host with the help of mosquito. Mostly it infects dogs, but can also infect cats, foxes, wolves and humans as well. It is very important for your dog’s health that you know as many as you can about the heartworm disease. The disease gets its name from the fact that when the worm is an adult it establishes in the pulmonary artery of the host where it can survive for several years.
A good treatment it’s mandatory as the infection could cause a serious disease that could endanger the life of your pet, even death if untreated.
The worm gets through several life stages until it develops into an adult worm and lives on the heart of the pet. The worm then produces thousands of microfilariae each day, and then it would circulate in the dog’s bloodstream. When the dog is bitten again by a mosquito, even by an uninfected mosquito, it transmits the disease to the mosquito. Now the mosquito will transmit the disease to another host.
Diagnosis is the most important step in helping treat heartworm infection. Dogs infected with heartworm do not reveal any signs until the worms have reached maturity or at least after a 6 month period. You must pay attention to any mood change or other signs and symptoms. After this period, the animal will show a sedentary lifestyle. This is the most common symptom for the heartworm disease. Other symptoms like cough and exhaustion and in cases of advanced stages of infection weight loss, coughing up blood, fainting, and heart failure may occur.
Before starting a treatment for heartworm, your pet must go through an evaluation of organs like heart, kidney and liver function to see if any risks are involved. After this check up, adult worms are treated with an arsenic-based compound. There are several approved drugs on the market that help treat heartworm infection.
After and during the treatment the dog must then rest for a few weeks just enough time to enable it to recover from the treatment. The microfilariae are treated with a different and separate form of treatment.

The post Heartworms in Dogs General Overview first appeared on Puppy Blog.

To communicate with each other, dogs use body language and guttural sounds, such as barks and growls. When they first meet, dogs use their body language to assess where each ranks in the pack order. Signs of dominance and confidence are a stiff body, head and ears up, hackles up and tail up. Signs of submission and respect are a lowering of the body, the head, the ears and the tail.

Because dogs instinctively know and understand these body signals, it only makes sense that we humans would be able to communicate with them better if we can learn how to imitate the ways in which they communicate with each other.

For example, dogs do not instinctively know the words that come most naturally to us. If two dogs meet and neither shows respect to the other, they will issue warning growls. This again is a language that dogs already understand. They do not instinctively know “Spot, don’t come any closer.”

That’s why experts say behavioral training is so important-and that lasting training isn’t about treats and physical punishment. It’s about understanding the way your dog thinks and communicates in a way that establishes the owner as “top dog.”

“Dogs are pack animals,” stated Liam Crowe, Bark Busters’ president, CEO and master trainer. “They have a specific way of interacting, which includes an instinctual manner of communication. Learning how to communicate effectively with your dog in a language he understands is the first step toward establishing leadership and control.”

So, while Spot and Rover might learn the meaning of a few words, they will learn more quickly if we communicate using their language. Once we communicate clearly with them by using a language they already know, then we can start to teach them some of our own language.

Learning canine is not hard. It takes practice, however, because it is not instinctive for us. If you watch Rover and Spot talk to their friends and then to strangers, you will begin to see certain patterns of communication. We learn how they meet each other, how they greet each other, and how they call one another to follow. We see how they let each other know when they are uncomfortable with someone getting into their space.

Using a dog’s own language to communicate with them is the quickest, most effective way of getting through to him. Thus, when we are trying to train our dogs, it just makes common sense to teach them in a language they already understand.

The post Speak Your Dog’s Language For Better Communication first appeared on Puppy Blog.

A constipated dog is unable to empty his bowels by normal means and can experience uncomfortable side effects. The condition is fairly easy to diagnose as the dog will likely take longer than normal to defecate and most will show signs of straining or difficulty achieving results. Their stools are commonly small, dry, hard and round. If a dog’s bowels have not moved for two days or more, they are generally considered to be constipated.

Though a constipated dog is not usually a sign of serious problems, the issue should definitely be addressed in order to avoid more serious complications. Failure of a dog to empty the bowels causes toxins to build up in the body and can result in loss of appetite, sluggishness, abdominal pain, bloating and even difficulty walking. Constipation that is accompanied by vomiting or other severe symptoms could be a sign of serious problems such as intestinal blockage, parasites or internal issues.

There are many possible causes of a constipated dog and most can be avoided by a healthy, active lifestyle with conscientious health care. Among the most common causes are water deficiencies, insufficient exercise and the lack of a healthy diet high in fiber. Water aids in the elimination process by hydrating the body and providing the ability to flush the intestinal tract. Daily exercise in the form of a medium paced walk, a brisk jog or time spent romping and playing fetch will help to stimulate and regulate the bowels. High quality dog foods provide the proper nutrients and fiber necessary to maintain a healthy diet, whereas cheaper brands may contribute to slow moving bowels.

While correcting and stabilizing the issues of a constipated dog, it might be helpful to add small amounts of cooked pumpkin, sweet potato, or green beans to the dog’s food for quick and natural results. Freshly cooked and canned are both acceptable, just be sure there are no additives, seasonings or sugars. Use only 1-2 teaspoons per meal for small dogs, 1-2 tablespoons for medium and 2-5 tablespoons for large dogs. Maintaining a healthy diet with plenty of fresh water and exercise should keep your dog regular and happy.

The post Understanding The Signs of a Constipated Dog first appeared on Puppy Blog.

The key to having a dog pet that is enjoyable and fun is proper dog training. Most people think that dog training is teaching it how to do dumb tricks and competition exercises. Dog obedience training is teaching a dog to understand and do what it is told to do. The most critical aspect in nurturing a dog-human relationship is training a dog to be obedient. Training a dog to conduct itself in an acceptable manner both at home and outside is also the best way to detect, prevent and get rid of any behavioral problems that most dog owners face. Make your doggy happy and well balanced socially by following these simple Dog obedience training tips.

Tip 1: Set the training rules and make sure that you repeat them frequent and long enough for the dog to comprehend. The greatest characteristic of a dog trainer is repetition. You should therefore not tell him a rule only once and expect him to grasp it automatically.

Tip 2: You are the boss at all times and you must make sure that the dog knows that. By nature, a dog will try to train you to accept its behavior and communication, the key to successfully train a dog is making it understand that it is the students and you the trainer not the other way round.

Tip 3: Give clear and consistent communication signs throughout its training. Make it clear which of its behaviors are acceptable and which are not tolerable. Doing this will set very distinct guidelines for him.

Tip 4: Constantly evaluate your progress to make sure that you are impacting positively on the dog’s obedience. If you find some stubbornness, investigate and find the root cause of it and the proper way to handle it.

Tip 5: Reward the dog only at the right times during the training. If you reward the dog at the wrong time, it will understand the actions preceding the reward as the acceptable conduct which is not the case. If a dog takes an instruction and learns something new, you can choose to reward him either by playing with it its favorite game or giving it something it likes.

Tip 6: There should be only one trainer at a time during a training period. Having more than one trainer at a time will send confusing instructions and lessons to the dog. However, after the training session, different people can test the dog’s grasp.

Tip 7: Patience when training a dog is a very vital virtue. If you are training a dog and it doesn’t seem to respond, do not get angry or try underhand shortcut tactics because his will only worsen the situation. All dogs can learn it is just that each dog, just like humans, have different ways to understand things.

There are different flavors of dog obedience programs, ranging from basic “Sit” and “fetch” instructions to complex dog show behavior training. Dog obedience is not a science that should be left exclusively to the professionals. Follow these simple dog obedience training tips to train your dog well and not only will it strengthen your relationship, it will also be a lot of fun spending time with it.

The post Dog Obedience Training Tips first appeared on Puppy Blog.