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How to Identify Canine Health Problems

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It’s a truism that our dogs can’t talk to us.  They can’t tell us how they feel or if there is something ailing them. In fact, most dogs tend to hide ailments.  Your dog may have an injury or be in pain and you might not know it for several days unless you are paying close attention to any departure from his normal behavior.

You can learn to tell if your dog has a health problem by doing the following:

1.  Pay attention to your dog’s daily routine.  Did he finish his food?  Did he follow his usual bathroom habits?  Is he drinking his normal amount of water?  More?  Less?  All of these things can tell you important information about your dog’s health.  They are often first indicators that something may be wrong with your dog.

2.  How is your dog’s overall condition?  Has he lost weight?  Gained weight?  Is his coat shiny or is it looking bad?  Again, these are important indicators that your dog may be experiencing a change in his health.  Watch them closely.  It can be easy to miss your dog gaining or losing weight since it may happen gradually, but if your dog begins losing hair or having other skin problems, these are usually very noticeable and they can be an indication of thyroid problems, allergies or other conditions.

3.  How is your dog’s energy level?  Is he as active as he usually is or does he lie around more?  Is he lethargic?  Is he hyperactive?  A change in your dog’s energy level can indicate a change for the worse in his health.  Lethargy could be an indication of anything from hypothyroidism to heart failure.

4.  Is your dog sensitive about his ears?  Ear problems are very common with dogs, especially long-eared breeds and breeds with long hair.  Ear problems can take the form of yeast and bacterial infections.  If left untreated they can even lead to hearing lost or require surgery.

These are some of the things that are easily observable.  You can also check your dog’s gums to see if they are healthy and pink.  If they are too pale that could be an indication that your dog is not processing oxygen as well as he should — perhaps a sign of hemolytic anemia or a cardiovascular problem.

If your dog is limping for more than a few hours you may need to take him to the vet to see what the problem is.  Dogs can twist or sprain a limb the same way people can, but if your dog limps for more than just a short period of time he could have a bony growth or be feeling some form of arthritis.  Your vet would need to make the diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment.

With dogs, as with humans, there are so many possible health conditions that it’s hard to say what might be wrong with your dog just by looking at him.  However, you can usually tell by looking at a dog if something is wrong, even if you don’t know exactly what it is.

You know your dog better than anyone.  If you sense that something is “off” or just not right with your dog you should trust your instincts and take your dog to the vet.  Better safe than sorry where the health of your dog is concerned.

How to Identify Canine Health Problems courtesy of Dog Articles.

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First steps in grooming

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Grooming is one of the important activities to be known well by the dog owner. If the dog owner is not aware of the grooming, then the dog may encounter many types of diseases. First steps of grooming consists of activities like maintenance of coat, nails and ears.  The maintenance of the coat mainly consists of enrichment measures like proper bathing, combing, drying of skin by dryers, and more. The animal need not be bathed daily and this helps to protect the skin’s characteristics like insulation feature.

Use conditioners and shampoos that are meant for dogs.  Combing needs to be carried out with a soft brush meant for use in case of dogs. There are varieties of brushes available and depending on the type of breeds, one can use the concerned brush.  This grooming of the coat by a comb needs to be carried out daily and the fallen hair if any needs to be placed in dust bin always.

Otherwise, when the dog owners switch on the fan, the hair will fly and may enter the nostrils of persons. Always don’t clip too much because this may lead to injuries of nail always. Similarly, you need to carry all the materials required for the clipping with you before the start of the procedure.

Use a sharp clipper designed for use in case of dogs. It is better to have the dog on the raised place and hence, the control of the animal is easier. Ear canals are to be checked up frequently and sterile cotton may be used for cleaning purposes. Grooming associated guidelines need to be followed strictly by the dog owners.

Nail-maintenance is one of the first steps of grooming activities. Live nail areas can be easily clipped away and are always light colored than the reddish area of the nail in the higher position. During the holding of your dog’s feet by you, always have a firm grip. If not, the dog will take an upper hand during the clipping and some injury may occur.

First steps in grooming courtesy of Dog Articles.

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Does My Dog Have A Yeast Infection?

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Dogs can exhibit many kinds of skin problems and infections.  Some are serious while others may be a temporary reaction to something and nothing to worry about.  When you hear the term “yeast infection,” however, you usually know that you’re dealing with something that can be significant.

Yeast infections in dogs usually manifest themselves as either recurring ear infection that are very difficult to get rid of; or they can show up as one of a couple of kinds of infections plaguing your dog’s skin. In either case the situation can be serious and your poor dog may be miserable.

If your dog has a chronic ear infection you may have been treating the problem in various ways.  You may have even been to the veterinarian with your dog.  Many vets will prescribe antibiotic ear drops for an ear infection and that’s fine, as far as it goes.  It will clear up the obvious infection.  But a yeast infection is often a secondary infection — a fungal infection — and antibiotics will not kill the yeast/fungus that lives deep in your dog’s ear.

In order to clear up your dog’s recurring ear infection you will need a medication that kills yeast.  You’ll also need to make some changes to your dog’s diet so his immune system will be more capable of fighting off yeast infections.

If your dog is experiencing a rash or itching and it turns into itching, crusty, smelly skin, he probably has a yeast infection.  The skin may thicken all over or in certain places to have an “elephant” appearance — grayish and flattened.

Yeast is always present in your dog’s gastrointestinal tract.  When your dog is healthy and his immune system is functioning properly they are not a problem.  There are plenty of good bacteria in your dog’s system to keep the yeast under control and yeast serves some positive purposes in your dog’s body. One such yeast, Candida albicans, lives in your dog’s digestive tract and eats sugar and fats.  However, yeast is considered to be an “opportunistic feeder.”  That means that when something in your dog’s body gets out of balance, such as the balance of bacteria or your dog’s immune system, the yeast will begin proliferating.  They can grow out of control and begin causing your dog’s system problems, such as itching skin.  They can also result in allergies, bladder infections and ear infections.

Yeast is also present on your dog’s skin, and on most surfaces around us.  When your dog’s immune system is compromised it produces changes in the skin which allow the yeast to run rampant.  Your dog’s skin can produce too much oil.  This often happens with allergies, which go hand-in-hand with immune system problems.

If your dog is showing signs of having a yeast infection — itching, crusty skin, a distinctive musty odor — your vet has several ways of confirming the problem.

– He can take a smear on your dog’s skin with a microscope slide

– He can use a piece of tape to collect samples from your dog’s skin

– He can do a skin scraping with a razor blade

– He can use a moistened cotton swab on your dog’s skin

– He can do a small skin biopsy

All of these methods have the same purpose.  They are intended to collect yeast from your dog’s skin and identify the Malessezia pachydermatis fungus.

There are several approaches to treating a yeast infection and they can be used in conjunction with each other.  Your vet may prescribe antibiotics if your dog has other infections along with the yeast infection, but antibiotics will not cure the yeast infection.  Instead, you will need to use a drug such as Ketoconazole or Itraconazole to treat the fungus.

There are also shampoos for the outer condition.  Benzoyl peroxide shampoos and sulfur/salicylate shampoos are usually effective and help remove the skin oils that feed the yeast.  There are also several good anti-yeast shampoos.

With yeast infections it’s very important to treat the underlying cause of the problem, otherwise the yeast will overgrow again and the infection will return.  In many cases the problem is poor nutrition.  If you are feeding a good quality food then your dog may have some kind of allergy to the food.  If the problem is not the food then your dog may have a flea bite allergy in which his body overreacts to just one or two bites from a flea and his immune system begins to work overtime.  Or, there could be some other allergy at work.  But food allergies are the usual culprit and the easiest to fix.  Some dogs have become allergic to some grains and common proteins found in many dog foods these days.  Luckily there are many brands which now offer grain-free foods and there is a wide assortment of foods with different protein sources now.  If your dog has been having yeast infections you can try some of these alternative dog foods and see if his allergic reactions improve.

The most important thing to remember about yeast infections is that they don’t have a chance of bothering dogs with strong immune systems.  Do your best to keep your dog’s immune system healthy with good food, sensible veterinary care, and lots of exercise and you will be less likely to have problems from yeast infections.

Does My Dog Have A Yeast Infection courtesy of Dog Articles.

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