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Agility is Fun
Dr. Kevin Nunley
USE THE MEDIA--marketing help for biz.
"Do News Releases Work?"
Invariably, when I talk with business people on-line, someone asks that question. Many of us have sent out a press release only to...
Boxer's and Heartworms
Boxer and Heartworms By: je Dunn It is surprising how many people are still confused about heartworms and the effects that a heartworm can have on your Boxer. First lets look at what heartworms are and how your dog can become infected. ...
Dogs and Heartworms
It is surprising how many people are still confused about heartworms and the effects that a heartworm can have on your dog. First lets look at what heartworms are and how your dog can become infected. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes...
Nikki and Benny, My Therapy Visiting Dogs.
My two therapy dogs, Nikki and Benny, bring joy to our friends. Here is short report of our visit. First, let me tell you just a little bit about my two dogs, a short little Bio on each. There are pictures on my dog therapy page....
Tips for house training your new puppy
House training a puppy is one of the first, and one of the most
important things, that any new dog owner must do. It is easy to
get frustrated if you do not understand the basics of this
important process, so we have put together a few tips to...
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Can You Handle These Four Common Skin Problems In Dogs?
Dogs are susceptible to various skin problems -- which can be frustrating for owners who want to see Fido comfortable and happy. Does your dog have a skin problem, and if so, how do you fix it?
That depends on the symptoms you see. Of course, the most common sign of a possible skin problem in your dog is constant, excessive itching. Other symptoms include fur loss, either localized in a certain location or spread across the dog’s entire body. More severe cases may involve redness in the skin, changes in skin pigmentation or even open sores that your dog constantly licks.
No particular symptom necessarily proves your four-footed friend has a certain type of skin disorder, and you’ll need to investigate other areas before you draw conclusions. While it’s common and helpful for veterinarians to diagnose skin problems, it’s also essential for dog owners like you to familiarize yourself with typical canine skin problems, so you can react quickly and keep his discomfort to a minimum.
Fleas, Lice and Ticks
One of the most common problems in dogs is the presence of fleas, lice and ticks, which are parasites that live on the surface of the skin and feed on the dog’s blood. These parasites’ saliva causes skin irritation and results in intense scratching.
Lice and ticks can be detected visually when you check your dog’s fur, while fleas are hard to spot with the naked eye. However, fleas cause red pimple marks on the skin and also can be spotted through the black, gritty trail of “dirt” they leave on a dog’s belly.
While you can remove ticks and lice with tweezers -- applying alcohol to relax the tick’s grip before doing so -- you can also adopt more general methods. For instance, you can give your dog a dip with special tick shampoo to eliminate ticks. Flea sprays or flea powder can also be applied to the dog to kill parasites. But all these require persistence and it may be a while before you see results.
One of the best methods to keep your dog comfortable is to prevent ticks from living off your dog in the first place through the use of a spot-on product, such as FrontLine or BioSpot. To apply these chemicals, you drip a small amount onto the back of your dog’s neck once a month. The chemical spreads throughout the dog’s skin and kills parasites -- including the eggs and larvae. When regularly treated, your dog becomes an unattractive
The Authors Who Made My 'Day To Day'
As a correspondent for <em>Day to Day</em>, Karen Grigsby Bates often reported on books and their writers. She offers an essay musing on her time with the show, including some of her best moments with brilliant authors. Karen Grigsby Bates
Goodbyes From Listeners: Amy Ignatow
Amy Ignatow has had her share of economic woes this year, but she's coming out on top. This week, she gets to say goodbye to her crummy old apartment and hello to a new life.
host.
Mange
Mange is a skin problem caused by mites that burrow underneath the dog’s skin, causing intense and even agonizing itching. Bald spots or inflamed red skin are common symptoms of mange. Two types of mange exist in dogs: sarcoptic mange and demodectic mange, depending on the kind of mite involved.
Most dogs carry the mites involved in demodectic mange or demodex. However, these mites usually do not cause itching except when they suddenly multiply into huge numbers. This may happen in young puppies, or in dogs with decreased natural body defenses, sometimes from stress.
On the other hand, Sacroptic mange or scabies causes intense itching in the dog as the mites burrow under the skin and even lay their eggs there. This causes large red spots on the dog’s skin, and sometimes fur loss on the ears and elbows. Scabies can infect humans as well and cause itchiness, although infection in humans usually disappears by itself after a while. However, it is still important for people to seek treatment if they get infected.
Treatment for mange requires patience and time, as eliminating them or lowering the mite population takes a while to take effect. The best way to kill the mites is to soak your dog in a lime and sulfur medicated dip for 10 to 15 minutes a few times in a week. The dip should not be washed off, but left to dry on your dog’s skin and fur. During this time, it’s best to watch your dog closely and prevent him from licking himself dry. As a further precaution, you can feed him a raw egg to line his stomach before dipping him in the solution. This way, even if he does lick himself, the solution won’t be absorbed on an empty stomach.
When fighting mange, it’s also important to support your dog with the highest quality diet you can find, to improve his immune system. Healing from mange will take a lot of his internal resources. You might consider looking into the raw diet for dogs and avoiding any corn or rice-based products for the time being.
About the Author: Blake Kritzberg is proprietor of Poodle-oo: Fashion for Toy Dogs. Stop by for toy dog couture and home decor, free toy dog postcards and the Toy Dog Blog.
http://www.poodle-oo.com/
Source: www.isnare.com
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