Health

Important Considerations for Dog Breeding

Some dog owners extend their love for animals into an interest in breeding their dog. Breeding is more of a responsibility than a passing interest, and as such, there are a few things to consider before immersing yourself and your dog in the process. This short checklist identifies some helpful pointers which will increase the odds of a successful breeding experience.

Consider your dog’s age, breed, and health status. To begin with, veterinarians recommend not breeding dogs that are less than eighteen months old. This allows you as an owner the opportunity to schedule tests that rule out any genetic defects or conditions they could pass on to their offspring. It also makes sure that your female is physically mature enough to carry a litter of puppies.

There are also health issues which can affect your decision to breed your dog. These health concerns can be general, as in the case of brucellosis (a bacterial infection spread among breeding dogs that can contribute to infertility, abortion, or stillborn puppies), or a male dog may simply not be fertile.

Alternatively, they can be specific to certain breeds. Dachshunds and Basset Hounds have long spines and short legs, for instance, making them prone to back problems as they age. Retrievers, Shepherds, and Great Danes frequently develop hip dysplasia, easily confirmed by x-rays. Collies are predisposed to two eye disorders, Collie Eye Anomaly and Progressive Retinal Atrophy.

Testing your dog before breeding will let you know if he is carrying any of these conditions. If he is, then he’s not a good candidate for parenthood.

Regular treatment for heartworm, intestinal worms and fleas, as well as standard vaccinations to protect against the most common viruses (parvovirus, parainfluenza, distemper, hepatitis, and leptospirosis) are essential to keep your animal in good health for breeding. In addition, good nutrition and regular exercise are important in increasing the chances of producing healthy puppies.
Pay a visit to your veterinarian to make sure there aren’t any potential problems that need to be addressed before deciding to breed your dog.

Finally, you should carefully consider the reasons behind your decision to breed a dog. If money from the sale of purebred puppies is the sole source of inspiration, consider the expenses involved from beginning to end.

Stud fees, genetic testing, veterinary care, a possible cesarean delivery, and the cost of feeding, worming, and vaccinating puppies will quickly eat into any profits you may earn. Unless you’ve spent considerable time and effort researching such a venture, you must be prepared for these costs, and be prepared to make a financial loss from a litter.

Another poor reason for breeding is to obtain a dog just like the one you already have. This isn’t likely to happen, because your pups are just as likely to resemble the other parent, or have characteristics that are a mixture of both parents.

A more sensible approach to dog breeding relies on selecting characteristics that you hope to pass on to future generations of the breed. Each breeding should be carefully planned to result in puppies that are an improvement on the generation before. This is how dog breeds are continually improved.

Breeding dogs is a rewarding pastime, but make sure your motives are honorable, and you have the health and well being of your dog and its breed foremost in your mind.

Benefits of Neutering and Spaying Dogs

Dogs that aren’t being bred should be spayed or neutered, for many reasons. The health and behavioral benefits alone can prolong your dog’s life and reduce the risk of certain diseases and infections. Neutering also avoids accidental pregnancy, and reduces the potential burden on local shelters that are forced to euthanize millions of unwanted and unplanned animals each year.

For female dogs, spaying before her first heat virtually eliminates the risk for developing breast cancer later in life. After four heat periods, spaying offers no protection from breast cancer, so unless you’re going to breed your girl, spay her at 6 months of age.

A female dog who has many heat periods is at risk of developing a potentially fatal uterine infection called pyometron. In this condition, the uterus fills with pus and the dog becomes seriously ill. She must be spayed urgently, but due to her illness, there are more risks associated with a general anesthesia. Neutering male dogs completely eliminates the risk of testicular cancer.

Spayed and neutered dogs are less aggressive, and if they spend any time outdoors, they will be less likely to roam or get into altercations with other dogs. Male dogs who are neutered as a youngster are less likely to mark their territory by urinating on every upright object.
A puppy may be sterilized as young as eight weeks of age, but most veterinarians will wait until they are around six months old. They are spayed and neutered under anesthesia, and using sterile equipment. Post-operatively, they may stay overnight, to allow them to completely recover from the anesthetic, and to make sure they don’t pull at their sutures.

Spaying a female involves removing the uterus and the ovaries, so after they are spayed, the female will no longer produce eggs or have heat periods. This is a more involved procedure than neutering a male, and the abdominal surgery requires a recovery period where the dog must remain quiet.

Neutering a male dog involves removing both testicles, and because there is no abdominal surgery involved, he has a shorter recovery time. For those people who don’t care for the sight of a neutered male, there are silicone implants called Neuticles that can be implanted after surgery. That way, the male dog still looks like he has testicles.

Some male dogs have testicles that haven’t descended into the scrotum. These must be removed as they can become cancerous later in life. The veterinarian will have to look inside the abdomen to find these testicles, so recovery is longer, as with a female dog spay.

As with any elective surgery, there are risks and potential complications from spaying and neutering. Dogs can have adverse reactions to suture material and anesthesia, and some incisions are slow to heal properly. There is also modern research that suggests that sterilization alters a dog’s appearance by slowing the closure of the growth areas of the legs. This means that dogs who are neutered as youngsters tend to be taller and leggier than their entire counterparts.

Hormone changes in spayed and neutered dogs can contribute to a slower metabolism and weight gain in some cases. This means that owners need to watch closely the food intake of their neutered dog, and make sure they get plenty of exercise, to keep their waistline trim.

Caring for Newborn Puppies

Once your puppies have been born, the real work begins – making sure they receive the proper care from their mother, and keeping them warm and well-fed in order to maintain their growth and development.

The first thing new puppies need is a warm environment. Their first few weeks should be spent in a confined area that stays around 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If the area around the whelping box isn’t warm enough, you can place a heating pad or hot water bottle in one corner, to allow the pups to find a temperature they prefer. Alternatively, move the pups and their mom to a warmer part of your home.

The puppies are completely helpless when they are born. They are blind and deaf, their bodies cannot regulate their own temperature, and they need to be stimulated to learn how to urinate and defecate on their own. Their body temperature will gradually increase over the first three weeks of life to a normal adult temperature of 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s so important that the babies get the first milk, or colostrum, from their mother. This milk contains antibodies that can only be absorbed during their first twenty-four hours of life, and they help to protect the newborns from disease during their first few weeks. If your pups are tiny or weak, they may need your help to latch on to the nipple.

The mom will do her best to keep them clean in the beginning, but as the pups grow, you’ll need to change the newspapers in the whelping box more regularly.

The pups need to be monitored closely and weighed regularly to ensure they are getting enough nutrition. In some cases, the mother may need to receive medication from a veterinarian to increase their milk production, or you may need to supplement their diet with formula. After four weeks, they will be ready to start nibbling on soft food like puppy porridge or mince.

The puppies will need to be wormed every two weeks for the first twelve weeks of life, and these babies will also need their first vaccinations when they are between six and eight weeks old. This protects them from viral diseases like Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and Distemper. Your veterinarian can recommend a vaccination program for your pups, depending on where you live and the disease risk in your area.

After three or four weeks, the puppies can be handled gently by people to get them used to human contact. At around five weeks of age their teeth will start coming through the gums, and at this point, their mom will start to wean them. Most pups will still nurse from mom until they are seven and eight weeks old. It is important to keep litter mates and the mother together until then, so the puppies learn how to communicate and interact with other dogs. Pups who are taken from their litter mates too early may develop antisocial behaviors because they haven’t had this opportunity to learn dog body language.

Sometimes humans are required to act as surrogate mothers for newborn puppies, so it helps to understand their needs and what the mother does to help them grow and thrive. If the bitch neglects or abandons a puppy, you are its only hope for survival. You’ll need to not only feed them regularly with formula and keep them warm, but you’ll need to gently wipe their bottom with a moist cotton ball to stimulate them to go to the toilet. Raising orphan puppies is a lot of work, and very tiring but it’s so worthwhile.

Pregnancy in Dogs: Signs and Special Considerations

What are the signs of canine pregnancy and what special considerations should be made for pregnant dogs? Here are a few things to consider when caring for your pregnant dog.

The early signs of pregnancy in a dog are vague and non-specific, and include a change in normal behavior, a loss in appetite, weight gain, possibly some vomiting, and perhaps a noticeable increase in the size of her nipples. Your dog may also become more clingy and affectionate. These changes take place during the first few weeks of pregnancy

If you want to know for sure, you’ll need to visit your veterinarian. A pregnancy test can be performed as early as twenty-six days after a bitch (female dog) has been bred. Your vet will perform a simple blood test to look for a hormone called relaxin, which remains in the bloodstream of pregnant dogs throughout pregnancy and up to two weeks after whelping.

Your vet can often feel puppies in your bitch’s abdomen after five weeks, and an ultrasound can determine whether your dog is pregnant after only three weeks. After seven weeks, the doctor will be able to see how many puppies are there and check their size, to make sure you’re both prepared for any potential delivery complications.

A dog’s pregnancy lasts between sixty-three and sixty-five days. During this time, she may prefer smaller, more frequent meals, since the puppies will be taking up space in her abdomen and there’s less room for her stomach. A balanced diet is important for pregnant dogs, and calcium supplements should be avoided to eliminate the risk of eclampsia while she’s feeding her babies. If you supplement calcium during pregnancy,you switch off her body’s natural calcium regulation system. So, when she needs extra calcium to produce milk, her body can’t meet the demand straight away. This results in trembling and seizures, and can be fatal.

The size of the litter and the size of your bitch will determine how firm or distended her abdomen looks and feels. As the weeks go by, she will gain weight and her abdomen can become quite pendulous. You can often feel the puppies moving during the last couple of weeks of her pregnancy. Her nipples may leak a little milk as she gets closer to her delivery date.

Exercise is important during pregnancy, but it should be gentle and not too strenuous, similar to that for human mothers approaching the final stages of their pregnancy. If any bleeding or vaginal discharge develops, or if your dog stops eating or becomes very lethargic, it may be time to call a veterinarian for advice.

In the final days before delivery, your bitch will become restless and begin her nesting behavior. That’s an indication that it’s time to provide her with a proper whelping box for the birthing process. Towards the end of her pregnancy, your dog’s temperature will drop from a normal 101 to 102 degrees Fahrenheit to between 97 and 99 degrees. This is a sure sign that she will deliver her pups within 24 hours.

Caring for a Mother Dog After Whelping

After a mother dog (bitch) successfully whelps her puppies, there are specific things you as an owner want to look for to make sure both the newborns and their mother are doing well. Here are some tips on what to expect and what you should do to care for the new family.

Within twenty-four hours of birth, have the pups and mother checked by a veterinarian. The doctor will check for signs of congenital defects in the pups, such as cleft palates or limb deformities. He will also make sure the bitch’s mammary glands are producing enough milk for her babies.

He may administer an injection of oxytocin to start the uterus contracting and shrinking back to pre-pregnancy size. This will also reduce any bleeding from where the placentas were attached, and help expel any remaining material from the uterus. Mom may continue to have some discharge for up to eight weeks after birthing babies, but as long as it doesn’t smell or look foul, there is no cause for alarm.

Keep an eye on the new mother to make sure that she is caring for all her puppies and knows what to do with them. In some cases, bitches that give birth for the first time become aggressive or confused over their role, and she may lie on her puppies, accidentally crushing them.
New mothers will also need good nutrition to feed her pups, so small, frequent meals are a great idea. Her milk production will reach its peak at around three weeks after birth. She will be especially hungry at this time, so feed her puppy food for a few weeks. It has more energy per ounce than regular adult dog food so she can get plenty of nutrients without over filling her stomach. You will also need to weight the newborn puppies regularly to confirm they are growing and getting enough milk.

Watch for any signs of mastitis. Red, swollen, or painful mammary glands are the classic signs, but mom may also be very lethargic, feverish and off her food. Another potentially dangerous condition is metritis, an infection and inflammation of the uterus usually caused by a long or especially difficult labor.

If the mother starts to pant, tremble, or have seizures, she may be suffering from a calcium deficiency called eclampsia, which is a serious condition that needs immediate attention and treatment. It’s more common in smaller breeds of dogs, and tends to occur when pups are two to five weeks of age. This is when they’re growing fast, and drinking lots of milk. Mom puts lots of calcium into her milk, which leaves her deficient.

A vet must treat eclampsia quickly because it can be fatal. Treatment is intravenous calcium supplement, and mom may also need sedation to stop the seizures. If your bitch develops eclampsia it’s usually a good idea to wean the pups and hand raise them.

In the majority of cases, moms and pups do just fine and don’t need human intervention. Even so, be sure to keep a good eye on them so if a problem develops, you can get on top of it straight away. This will ensure the best outcome for mom and babies.

Whelping: Everything You Need to Know

The whelping process will be easier for both you and your bitch if you know what to expect and plan ahead for any potential problems. Your bitch will indicate to you that she’s approaching labor. The more obvious signs of laboring behavior are restlessness, panting or shivering, and preparing a nesting area.

It’s a good idea to provide a proper whelping box to keep mom and her babies warm and clean. A sturdy cardboard box lined with clean newspaper is an inexpensive solution, and is easy to dispose of after the pups are weaned. When your bitch starts to shred the newspaper and arrange her nesting area, delivery is only a few days away. It is a good idea to have supplies such as tissues, paper towels, clean towels and garbage bags set out ahead of time to prepare for whelping.

Just before whelping, your bitch may lose her appetite and become very clingy. Her temperature will drop in that last day before birth, from a normal rectal temperature of between 101 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit to around 98.5 degrees. She may also begin to leak milk from her nipples.

The birthing process has three distinct stages. During the first stage, regular uterine contractions begin, and become more frequent as her delivery gets closer. Your dog may vomit and she may begin to discharge clear, mucoid fluid from her vagina.

The second stage begins when the bitch’s abdomen starts contracting hard, and pushing the puppies out. She will either lie down or squat to deliver her pups. Normal deliveries usually begin within ten to sixty minutes of the onset of hard contractions.

The puppies may be born in their amniotic sac, and your bitch will immediately begin to break the bag, clean her babies and chew through the umbilical cord. If she doesn’t, you will need to step in to make sure the puppies are freed from the sac and breathing properly. Once the babies are dried off, the cord can be carefully tied off and snipped so the mother can continue to care for her new babies.

The final stage of whelping involves delivery of the placenta, or afterbirth, for each puppy. The placenta may or may not still be attached to the pup. The bitch may attempt to eat her placenta, which sounds gross but is quite normal behavior. If she doesn’t want to eat it, that’s fine too, there’s no specific nutritional value in it.

Newborns may attempt to suckle their mother during her delivery. This is a good thing, because it stimulates the production of oxytocin. This hormone helps the uterus to contract, and speeds up delivery of any remaining pups. Keep a close watch on your bitch, so she doesn’t accidentally lie on her newborns as she delivers the remainder of her litter.

This is what happens in a normal delivery. If complications arise, don’t hesitate to call your veterinarian. If your bitch has a fresh bloody discharge from the vagina, a rise in rectal temperature beyond 102 degrees, or hard contractions that don’t produce a puppy for more than thirty minutes, contact your veterinarian immediately.

If your bitch becomes depressed or exhausts herself to the point where she stops delivering, she may need a cesarean section to deliver her litter.

The birthing process can be long and arduous for both dog and owner. By being prepared for any eventuality before your bitch gives birth will help make the process as stress free as possible.

Whip Worms

Treating your dog for “whipworms”

When it comes to making sure that your loving dog is healthy, both inside and out, then it is important to understand how dangerous dog parasites can be. And in order to understand this topic of being a dog owner, then you must be educated in the many different types of parasites that are out there just waiting to use your dog as a host for its feeding.

Today’s article we are going to cover a particular parasite that you may not have heard of, but one that is definitely a danger to your pet dogs. They are called “whipworms”. Whipworms are such hearty organisms that they can survive outdoors for very long stretches at a time. The reason why they are called whipworms is because they actually resemble a whip in that they are thin on one end and thicker on the other end.

Like other internal worm feeders, they get into the dog’s body when the dog ingests the eggs or the immature form of the whipworm. The whipworm then reaches maturity as it moves through your dog’s digestive system.

The adult worms will fasten themselves and draw blood from the cecum, which is a pocket between the small and large intestines. The mature female lays her eggs inside of the host. The eggs are then excreted through the feces.

Typical symptoms that your dog may show signs of if being a host to whipworms include loose and bloody stool, a dull coat, severe weight loss, vomiting yellow-green, and anemia.

Treatment for your dog to get rid of whipworms should always start at your veterinarian’s office. Your veterinarian will be able to determine the presence of whipworms by examining your dog’s stool specimens. Of course several attempts may be necessary because whipworms are sometimes very difficult to detect.

Afterwards, your veterinarian will administer a potent deworming agent. Also, since you may be combating worms around the house then ask your vet for a product that will help you aid in these household whipworm problems

As a preventative measure against whipworms, if your dog is an outdoor dog, then be sure to keep him in dry quarters that are regularly exposed to the sun. The reason for this is because whipworms require moisture in order to survive.

Balanoposthitis In Your Older Dog

Understanding Balanoposthitis In Your Older Dog

Certain disorders are rather common occurrences in many older dogs and are potentially life threatening. In the female dog, conditions such as mammary gland tumors and pyometra, as well as the less serious false pregnancy and mis-mating, can be prevented to varying degrees by ovariohysterectomy. If your mature dog has already had such surgery you have removed the sources of several major threats to her continuing good health.

Although castration of the male will similarly prevent at least two reproductive disorders related to aging, side effects are more extensive and such surgery is rarely recommended for preventive reasons. The treatment of existing reproductive disease may, however, require such an operation.

Balanoposthitis: This inflammation of the penis and prepuce (sheath) is seen with variable frequency in dogs of all ages, even young puppies, but is more common in aging males. Small amounts of yellow or grayish discharge at the opening of the prepuce are apparent although the dog’s licking at the area may clean most of it away.

In several cases, the amount of discharge is quite large and will be greenish and pus-like, often matting the surrounding abdominal hair in long-coated dogs. The surface of the penis and the lining of the prepuce develop multiple little bumps, called lymphoid follicles, and bacteria actively begin to grow in the secretions. Should your dog have this problem, you will often find some of the discharge on the various surfaces that he lies on for any length of time.

You can usually clear up mild cases yourself by gently flushing out the sheath twice daily with hydrogen peroxide solution for a week or ten days. Using a rubber human ear syringe to hold the peroxide, insert its tip into the sheath opening, at the same time pulling the sheath gently toward the syringe.

This will avoid the syringe tip touching the penis. Holding the sheath opening firmly around the syringe tip, slowly instill the peroxide until the prepuce distends slightly. Remove the syringe, keeping the prepuce opening closed, and gently massage the fluid back and forth within the sheath. Release the opening, let the fluid drain out, and carefully clean the surrounding area.

More severe cases should be treated by your veterinarian and may require the application of irritating medications to these delicate tissues. This would, of course, be done under anesthesia and probably followed with soothing antibiotic ointments which you would continue at home as instructed.

Your older dog may be recurrently bothered by this condition. Regular flushing with peroxide or the application of an antibiotic ointment or both, done once or twice weekly should keep the discharge under control and avoid the more serious problems.

Parasitic Disease

Behavioral Problems Associated With Parasitic Disease

Some of the problem behaviors in dogs are a result of an infection from parasite. These include internal parasites such as roundworm and tapeworm, flea infestation, ear mites, and Hypermetria.

Many dog owners are not aware that most parasite infection such as roundworm infestation is a condition that requires immediate veterinary attention. The fact is that it is important for all puppies to be dewormed as well as vaccinated against distemper and hepatitis.

Most problems related to internal parasitism involve owners who do not know about the adverse effects of digestive malfunction, but still expect a young dog to control his loose stools, be able to housetrain successfully, and learn all the more complicated lessons of being an ideal household pet.

When the puppy does not respond well to the training, the owner sometimes reacts by isolating, punishing or rejecting the pet socially. The resulting confusion and mismanagement of the pet often produce a wide spectrum of behavioral maladjustments.

The following problems are often shown in dogs with internal parasites: Chewing; Digging; Barking; Whining; Unruliness (due to being isolated as punishment); and
Stool eating which is possibly due to a fecal fixation resulting from excessive punishment associated with stools.

Flea infestation has led to rejection by some dog owners. Most of them will only try to get rid of fleas on the dog. They buy a flea collar or flea spray, but usually do nothing about the fleas infesting the dog’s regular sleeping and resting areas.

The result of this is that the dog continues to be infested and is eventually moved to the yard. The problems associated with such social isolation then may evolve.

Ear mite infestation led to isolation-based problems involving destructive chewing. Often, the dog’s constant scratching drives his owner crazy and will eventually result from the dog being shut away.

Some dog owners neglect the rather obvious ear odor commonly associated with ear mites, and refuse to handle the behavioral problem until the ear problem clears up. Consult your vet when you notice a foul odor coming from your dog’s ear. Your vet will prescribe treatment for the scratching problem which in turn will lead to subsequent behavioral corrections.

It is amazing that most animals displaying signs of hypermetria had histories of heavy roundworm or tapeworm infections as puppies. In cases of Hypermetria, the dogs tend to bump into objects, usually submerge their noses when drinking, and display an exaggerated fore-throw of the front limbs when walking.

Some cases of dogs suffering from this condition are abnormally hostile and seemed to be devoid of long-term memory. These dogs had to be re-taught simple lessons every day.

Parasitic Disease

Constipation And Flatulence

Constipation And Flatulence

As your dog grows older, the muscles of the colon and rectum may lose some of their ability to propel and expel feces adequately during a bowel movement. Reduction in stomach and intestinal digestive secretions can produce a bulkier, firmer stool as can diets very high in dry food content if there is insufficient water intake. Your dog will squat and strain to force the fecal mass slowly out. She may cry from the discomfort.

Prostatic disease can mechanically cause constipation as the prostate gland enlarges and presses up against the floor of the rectum. Similarly, tumors in the rectum or on the anus can interfere with the passage of feces.

Any dog may have an isolated difficult bowel movement on occasion. This should be no cause for alarm if he is otherwise in good health and there is no bleeding or excessive pain.

Repeated bouts of constipation can slowly stretch the rectal muscles, causing permanent dilatation and resulting in chronic constipation. Once this occurs, your dog will need frequent enemas as well as fecal softeners to help him eliminate.

The increased time the stool remains in the colon and rectum will allow bacteria that normally live there to act on the stool, causing putrefaction and excessive gas production.

Constipation And Flatulence