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What Does It Mean To Be A Responsible Dog Owner?

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Responsible dog ownership is very important for anyone who plans to own a dog. Most elements of responsible dog ownership are common sense but they always bear repeating.

1.  Before you get a dog ask yourself if you have enough time to properly take care of him or her.  Do you have the time to housebreak and train a puppy?  Can you afford good veterinary care and good dog food?  Can you make the commitment necessary to care for a dog?  Is everyone in your home able to make the same commitment?

2.  When choosing a dog, make sure that you choose the right dog for you.  This means considering your lifestyle and circumstances.  Do you like grooming?  Do you have time to groom?  If you don’t, then don’t get a longhaired dog that requires a lot of weekly or even daily grooming.  Do you live in a small apartment?  Then you shouldn’t get a very active dog that needs lots of room to run.  (But remember that size isn’t always an indication of how active a dog is.  Some very large dogs are quite happy to sleep all day while some small dogs can be extremely active.)  Do you have children?  By all means choose a breed that’s known for being great with kids.  In other words, think before you get a dog.  Don’t choose a dog impulsively.

3.  Once you bring your new puppy or dog home be sure to take him or her to the vet for a check-up.  This is the most responsible thing you can do for several reasons:  a) You need to confirm that the seller has given you a healthy puppy or dog; b) You need to be certain that the dog will not pass on any illness to other pets; c) You should be sure that your new puppy or dog is current on vaccinations for his or her own protection and for yours.  Most cities and states require dogs to be vaccinated, at least for rabies.  Check with your city or with your vet to find out about the vaccination requirements in your area.

4.  Be sure that you provide your dog with fresh water at all times and with healthy dog food.  Educate yourself about the ingredients in dog food.  Learn what makes a good food and what your dog needs in his diet.  Not all dog foods are created equal.  Some dogs are full of cheap fillers and other foods are made of expensive organic ingredients.  Find out what your dog actually needs so you can make an informed choice about his food.

5.  Keep your dog responsibly contained and do not let him wander the neighborhood.  Virtually every city and town in North America has leash laws of some kind that require dogs to be kept leashed or on their owner’s property.  A good fence or a leash when you are walking your dog will keep your dog from roaming.  Dogs that are allowed to roam and wander may become lost or hit by cars.  If picked up they can go to animal shelters where they may be put to sleep.  Keep your dog safely contained for his own protection.

6.  If you do not intend to responsibly breed your dog you should consider having him or her neutered or spayed.  Neutering and spaying prevents unwanted pet pregnancies and saves you from having to find homes for unexpected puppies.  Responsible breeding is not easy.  It entails health testing the parents, researching pedigrees, planning and overseeing matings and researching homes for puppies.  Unless you plan to undertake these activities most pets are better off being spayed and neutered unless you have reason to believe that your dog would have a health problem with such surgery.

7.  Do the right thing for your dog even when it’s difficult.  This means that when your dog has reached the end of his days and there is no more that the vet can do for him, you will have to make the difficult decision to say goodbye.  Stay with your dog and comfort him till the end.

Being a responsible pet owner is a big job.  It means that you have to think of everything for your dog from the time before you get him until the end of your days together.  But, in return, your dog will give you all the love in his heart and soul.  It’s a good trade.

What Does It Mean To Be A Responsible Dog Owner courtesy of Dog Articles.

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Preparing Proper Nutrition For The Senior Dog

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It is only common sense that our pet dogs should be put on a steady diet of high quality dog nutrition.  Many dog owners seem to think that just because they are animals and not people, that “anything goes” when it comes to feeding them.   These dog owners are missing the importance of solid healthy dog nutrition.

Practicing such poor dog nutrition habits for your lovably pet can have serious effects on his health, energy, stamina, and overall sense of alertness.  This is especially true of older dogs who have hit their “senior citizen” years and are in need of better, more targeted dog nutrition.

As your dog is getting older and the rapid aging changes are taking place, it is time to start adjusting his diet.  It is always wise to consult your veterinarian before making any sharp changes in your pet’s dog nutrition.  In addition, you should take a part in as much thorough research as possible on the subject of older dog nutrition.

To get you started with some basic information of dog nutrition as your dog gets older, we will give you some practices to look forward to.  For example, you will be gradually changing up the amount of food that you are feeding your older dog.  You will also be changing up the number of times that feeding will take place.

There are many instances where dogs that have hit their aging years will develop a poor appetite.  Their digestion will be a lot less capable of operating smoothly.  One good habit  you should start immediately with dog nutrition is to start feeding them very small meals throughout the day.  This will help stimulate your dog’s appetite as well as ease digestion.

When it comes to dog nutrition for the aging dog, many leading experts in this area recommend that you invest into a dry food that is specially formulated for older dogs.  Do not worry about having to search high and low for such a product because most pet food stores carry brands that cater to this dog nutrition need.  If you do have trouble then check with your veterinarian.  She will have some suggestions for you to shop at.

Last but not least, you must pay attention to the fact that your dog’s absorption of vitamins and minerals will decrease with age.  In this case, there are vitamin and mineral supplements that are specially formulated for your dog nutrition needs.  Your veterinarian should be able to suggest the best supplement for your dog when it comes to these vitamins and minerals.  They may include zinc, vitamin B, and calcium.

Preparing Proper Nutrition For The Senior Dog courtesy of Dog Articles.

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Puppy Rescue

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There are many puppies in rescue centers. You may want to get your pet from a rescue center. You will find mixed breeds and pure bred pets that need adoption. The reason so many puppies and dogs are at rescue centers is that a lot of people take them there after the newness and cuteness wears off or they move and decide not to take the pet with them, especially if they are moving out of town.

Just where are many of these puppies rescued from when someone doesn’t bring them in when they are tired of them? Well, puppies are found along the roadside, in garbage bags and boxes, in parks, and some are taken from puppy mills. Some people take them to the woods and dump them in which case they don’t usually make it to a rescue center.

Many times people tell someone at the rescue center about a puppy mill or that a bunch of puppies were dumped in a park or somewhere else and the volunteers at the rescue center go get them. The veterinarian examines the pet when it is brought in; he will treat the puppies wounds and treat him for parasites. When the vet is finished one of the rescue team members bathes the pet. After the puppy is treated and bathed, he’ll be placed in a clean kennel until someone adopts him and he is their pet.

When you want to adopt a pet from a rescue center, you’ll have to follow their rules of adoption. These rules are enforced so that puppies go to good homes. The rules may vary some from one pet rescue center to another, but will be similar and be for the welfare of the pet.

The rules at your local pet rescue center may include these stipulations: They may ask for the name of a vet, which you’ll use. This is so that they can check with the vet about your pet. They may require an interview before letting you adopt the puppy. They might require a home visit. They might have a testing period, which is temporary, to confirm the pet has a good home, good living conditions, and is happy there.

If you adopt a pet from a rescue center or a shelter you are helping to stop the puppy mill business. You will benefit too by getting a puppy that is healthier, happier, and groomed well. If you are adopting a pure bred puppy, you’ll know what size it will be when full grown. Determine the size of pet you want. If it is a mixed breed try to determine how big it will be later.

If you have a small house and yard, you may prefer a puppy that  will be a smaller grown dog. Do you want a dog with a short coat or a long coat? Would you like a dog that likes to swim and catch freebies? Consider your activities and lifestyle, when choosing your pet.

Puppy Rescue courtesy of Dog Articles.

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Raw Food Or Kibble? Who’s Right?

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If you have a dog you’ve probably heard these debates:  should I feed my dog raw food or should I feed my dog kibble?  Which one is better?  Who’s right?  Who knows?  Who can say?  They both claim to be right but then you hear good and bad about both sides.  There is so much confusing information.  Who knows what you should do?

The truth is that people who feed both kibble and raw food diets can have healthy, happy dogs but making sure your dog is getting the proper nutrition on either diet can take a little effort.

Feeding dry food or canned food may seem like an easy solution but there are so many different kinds of foods these days that it can be difficult to choose wisely for your dog.  You can buy every kind of dog food from gourmet to food made from the cheapest filler ingredients.  Your dog’s health can have a direct relation to the ingredients in the food you feed.

The best way to judge if what you are feeding your dog is good for him is by your dog’s health and appearance.  Does your dog look good?  Is he a good weight or is he too fat or too thin?  Is his coat shiny and healthy-looking?  Does he have greasy-looking coat or bald patches?  Does he have dandruff?  Does he itch and scratch or otherwise seem to have allergies?  Does he have ear infections?  Are his eyes clear?  Does he have good energy for his age?

If you have any concerns about any aspect of your dog’s health or appearance you should look at what you’re feeding your dog.  If you’re feeding a kibble (dry food) you should read the label.  Check the ingredient list.  What are the first five ingredients?  Do you see named sources of protein among the first several ingredients?  Protein sources like chicken meal, lamb meal, fish meal, and eggs are good sources of protein for dogs.  Since they are named protein sources you know exactly what your dog is eating and your dog can digest these protein sources easily, getting maximum nutrition from them.  Other protein sources, such as “animal meal” and “animal digest” are sketchy and can include many undesirable parts of unnamed animals.  Corn is often used as an inexpensive protein source but it is not as easy for dogs to digest.  Dogs can only digest about 54 percent of the nutrition in corn.  The rest passes through them to be deposited as waste in your yard.

Many people have become interested in feeding raw since the pet food recalls in 2007.  They like having the feeling that they are controlling what their dogs are eating and that they are fixing the food themselves.  They can assure themselves that the food comes straight from a butcher or from the meat counter of their own supermarket — the same places where they buy their own food.

On the other hand, feeding dogs a raw diet does require some extra effort.  In order to keep costs down it’s often necessary to buy in bulk.  This means, for many people, that they need to purchase a small extra freezer to store meat.  Feeding raw also means that you may need to purchase a meat grinder to grind meaty bones for your dogs.  You may have to make some investment in these appliances if you wish to continue to feed your dogs a raw diet.

In order to make sure your dog is having all of his nutritional needs met you will also need to provide supplements to his diet.  Your dog can’t live on protein and the calcium in bones alone.  He’ll also need vitamins and minerals.

As you can see, there is no one right way to feed your dog.  Your dog can receive good nutrition from both a kibble diet and from feeding raw if you are prepared to go some research and make the effort.

Raw Food or Kibble? Who’s Right? courtesy of Dog Articles

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Dogs and Diabetes

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It may surprise you to learn, but dogs can develop diabetes just as people can.  Diabetes is a life-threatening illness so you will need to closely monitor your dog’s blood sugar and provide him with the correct medication. You will also need to carefully manage his diet.

As with people there are two types of diabetes in dogs:  diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus.  Diabetes mellitus is also divided into two types, Type I diabetes which can occur in the early years of a dog’s life and which is also called juvenile dog diabetes.  And Type II diabetes.  This kind of diabetes usually appears in elderly dogs.  It is most often characterized by the dog’s dependence of insulin.

With diabetes mellitus dogs typically have an insulin deficiency.  The dog’s body is unable to metabolize sugar very well.  This is the more common and the more dangerous kind of diabetes in dogs.

With diabetes insipidus there is a lack of vasopressin.  This is an anti-diuretic hormone that controls the kidney’s absorption of water.

As dogs age they are more prone to acquiring diabetes.  Larger dogs are also more likely to get diabetes.  Overweight female dogs are also very prone to diabetes.  Diabetes will depend on the dog’s pancreas secreting the correct level of insulin to use all of the glucose produced by the body.  If the pancreas doesn’t produce the right amount, then the diabetic problem occurs.

Symptoms of diabetes can include:

Drinking more, urinating more, weight loss, increased appetite, dehydration, and sudden cataract formation

Diabetes is an endocrine disease and it is also influenced by heredity.  Being controlled by the endocrine system, it is also considered an autoimmune system disease and when diabetes occurs it can lead to other autoimmune system problems.  Early diagnosis is very important.  Your vet will need to perform a sugar blood test to get a diagnosis.  Once diagnosed, you will need to continue to monitor your dog to make sure he stays in stable condition.

You will need to talk to your vet about medications and your dog’s diet.  He or she can tell you what foods will be good for your dog and which kinds of food to avoid.  You will need to make regular visits to your vet so he or she can monitor your dog’s health.

Depending on your dog’s case, medication may be needed to help with the diabetes.  Insulin injections may be needed.  They can often help a dog live a normal life and extend his life for many years.

Diabetes can sometimes lead to other diseases, such as heart problems.  There can be circulatory problems.  You should watch your dog for signs that he could be developing other health problems, but with the proper diet and medication he should be able to live a reasonably normal life.

Dogs and Diabetes courtesy of Dog Articles

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Diet And Exercise Is Important For Any Dog

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When you own a dog it is your responsibility to look out for the care and health of your dog. An important part of your dog’s health is his exercise and diet. If these are not monitored very closely and he is not given a proper nutritionally balanced diet and exercise, your dog can become hyper and destructive (which can lead to giving up ownership because the dog is no longer manageable) or it can become lazy and obese which is very dangerous to any dog because weight issues compound much faster on a dog than it does for a human. Obesity in dogs can greatly reduce the dogs lifespan and shorten the time you have to spend with your best friend.

It is our job to control the amount and what he/she eats to be sure that it is a healthy amount of a good, well balanced diet. Some dogs know no limit to the amount to eat and will make themselves extremely sick and obese if we don’t do our part to keep them healthy. Every food is different varying greatly as far as the recommended amount to feed and not all food bag suggestions are accurate for every dog. Your vet would be the best person to consult for more assistance in diet recommendations. Giving your dog table scraps can not only create an ill behaved beggar but can contribute to obesity and other health problems.

A dog should be kept lean and trim, he should not be all ribs and bony, neither should he be roly poly. When a dog is much heavier than he should be, or obese, he should be given more exercise and less fat intake and fillers and more protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. He should not be allowed to freely graze but rather given a set amount of time to eat what he needs and then the food should be removed until the next meal time. All table scraps should be discontinued as they lack any nutritional value and contribute to weight gain. Your dog should be sent away and kept away from your table when you are eating so that he is discouraged from begging.

You can help him get used to this change by feeding him first in another room. Not all dog foods are healthy. It is necessary to research the food before giving it to him to be sure that it contains a balance of the necessary proteins, grains, vitamins, vegetables fiber and minerals and a strict amount of food should be supplied for him at a set time. Some fats are necessary in a dogs diet, the objective is to pay close attention to which ones you are providing him or her with and the amount you giving him. Human foods and sugary foods can convert to fat in a dog’s digestive systemleading to additional weight gain. A senior dog should be kept on a low calorie, high fiber diet. An older dog that refuses to eat or is disinterested in food, may be encouraged to eat by first moistening his food, then if that hasn’t worked, try an all natural gravy supplement or as I’ve found to be tried and true, (only if you are sure that your dog is not lactose intolerant) very small amounts of cheese, scrambled eggs (minus the butter) or peanut butter.

When a dog is too skinny, he may be given extra food that is nutritionally balanced and by supplementing with an all natural gravy diet supplement, you can help him reach his recommended target weight. Once he reaches this goal, you can return to regular recommended feedings. Maintaining a healthy weight for your dog is a series of constant slight adjustments through his lifetime. When he is too skinny or underweight, feed him a little more and when he is overweight, cut back. By paying close attention to this and making these adjustments you will keep your dog healthy and have your best friend around a whole lot longer.

Walking or jogging with your dog or playing with him and throwing balls or Frisbees to make him run and chase them are great ways to help your dog burn calories and aid in weight loss. Letting your dog play with other well behaved, vaccinated canine playmates is another great activity that will help him as well.

Diet and Exercise is Important For Any Dog courtesy of Dog Articles

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