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3 Ways To Keep Your Dog From Getting Diabetes

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:24 +0000

There are essentially three ways that you can help prevent your dog from getting diabetes. This disease is one that you want your dog to avoid so that he lives as long and healthy as possible. And although it’s rare, there are many dogs whose diabetes go into remission just by having their diet, supplementation, and exercise all in good order.

1. Lower the carbohydrates. Most dog foods sold in pet stores contain ingredients that are as high as 98% carbohydrates. By reducing the amount of carbs in your dog’s daily meals, this moderate carbohydrate level can go a long way towards diabetes prevention.

Diet is especially important for dogs that are genetically at risk for diabetes. It is critical that you study up on your dog breed and make sure that he is getting the right nutrients so that the gene which can store diabetes will not be triggered off.

Golden retrievers are among the most popular pets that dog owners have in the United States. Unfortunately, many of these retrievers get diabetes because their owners did not do enough research for their breed type in order to get their diet correct from puppy hood.

2. Seek out the nearest holistic veterinarian in your area. Ask the vet about natural supplementation for the immune system. Many dog owners miss this very important diabetes prevention step. Supplementing with organic products such as antioxidants and herbs for the immune system can make a huge impact on preventing diabetes, especially for the dog breed types which are genetically at risk for this disease.

Along the same lines as natural prevention, it is important to avoid your dog from being over-vaccinated. This can cause toxins to build up in the animal’s system which can trigger diabetes.

Flea medications and tick insecticides can also trigger diabetes from the toxic state produced in the body. By keeping your dog clean of these chemicals and toxins you are helping his immune system stay healthy.

3. Exercise! It is sad to see so many dogs out there who develop diabetes that should never have in the first place had they been active and not become overweight. This of course is the direct responsibility of you, the dog owner. If your dog is inactive and gains weight, he can develop diabetes even if he is not a breed that is genetically at risk.

It doesn’t take much. 20 minutes of brisk walking two to three times per day is all your dog needs for optimum health and to keep him in good shape. If you can go jogging with your dog then that is even better. Having your dog swim is also a great option for exercise.

Dog Breeding Is Not For Amateurs Part 1

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:00:34 +0000

Are you tempted to start breeding your dogs in the hopes of adding a couple of new puppies to the family and/or making a few extra dollars by selling the other pups? I think everyone who owns a dog has thought about it at some time or another. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to breeding your dogs that you may not feel comfortable with.

Dog breeding is considered to be a “way of life” for those professionals that are passionate about their animals. These people live, eat, and breathe dog breeding. However, the same is not true for 99% of the other people out there that just decided to have puppies for the fun of it or for the possibility of smalltime profits.

Here are a few reasons why you might want to reconsider dog breeding unless you are 100% committed to the process and to the health of the new puppies:

1. Breeding can be a bit expensive. For starters, the costs that you will have to absorb can get a little pricey with veterinarian checkups and care for all of the puppies, which include prevention of heartworms, fleas, and regular worms. In addition, you need to budget enough money to advertise the new puppies once they are born. For most people that are not professional breeders, you may barely make enough money back to cover your investment.

2. Breeding puppies yourself can also be emotionally heartbreaking. This is one downside of breeding that most people do not expect. For example, it is not unusual for the mother to die due to whelping complications. What is even more depressing is that many times one or more puppies from the litter will pass away as well. These kind of circumstances are not something that every family can handle so please keep these possibilities in mind should you begin to breed your dogs.

3. A third downside to breeding your dogs is that the entire process is a huge responsibility. This should be quite obvious with even just the above two examples given in terms of your investment and emotional participation. Once you decide to breed your dogs and bring new life into this world, you are now entirely responsible to ensure that those puppies are given the utmost in high quality attention and health care. Breeding new puppies is not a hobby and therefore you must understand that your time and energy must be devoted to the process 100%.

How To Handle A Puppy That Barks For Attention

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 07:00:56 +0000

For any new dog owner, handling all of the loud barking of a new puppy can be quite an unnerving experience. Most new dog owners are not prepared for the intense amount of barking and yelping that young puppies start doing the minute they arrive in their new home. Although it is totally natural, some puppies do not give their owners the luxury of quieting down, especially at night.

One of the biggest phases that a puppy will go through is the fear of being alone. And I’m not talking about being alone in the sense of you leaving the house. Some puppies will go absolutely nuts even when you only leave the room for a split second. They just can’t bear to be alone because they are used to having their mommy or littermates around non-stop.

When faced with this situation, what you do? If you run to your puppy to sooth and caress him every time he cries, then you are only feeding the behavior and creating a spoiled dog. On the other hand, if you ignore him and let him bark his brains out, the rest of the family (especially your spouse) will become very annoyed with you for letting the barking go on.

It’s like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, however, we do have some tips to help you deal with your puppy barking situation:

1. The first step is to try to ignore your puppy’s barking if at all possible without yelling at him. Yelling will either scare him from wanting to come near you or will further add to his anxiety levels that and he will continue barking.

2. There is a product called a “teaching lead” which will enable your puppy to be around you at all times in the house. Use these types of tools so that your puppy can be around you while he is getting used to his independence.

3. When you leave the house, try to refrain from long and drawn out departures. Although it’s understandable to want to pet your puppy and talk sweet to her before leaving the house, it only creates more stress because she will start to associate your behavior with you leaving her side. The same advice goes when you arrive home. Avoid big and exciting welcomes after walking through the door.

4. Try using a simple training aid to get your puppy to quiet down immediately when she is barking. A water bottle that sends a quick burst of streaming spray is a perfect idea. Or you could use a small tin can filled with a few pennies in it. When you go to leave her side and she starts barking, simply throw that can in her area. It will create a startling noise while at the same time diverting her attention.