Since our animals cannot speak to us in words, this is part three of our series on items you need to check each month to keep your pet healthy.

These steps will help you to know when your ailing dog needs to be taken to the vet and when you can take care of him at home.

This week we are focusing on eye health.

They say that dogs’ eyes are the windows to their soul. If you know your dog you can tell by looking into their eyes how they are feeling. The eyes should be bright and clear, with no swelling, redness, heavy tearing or runny discharge.

An unusual amount of discharge in the corners of the eyes or a reddish or “meaty” appearance of the conjunctiva are signs of conjunctivitis (inflammation of the membrane that lines the eyelid, the conjunctiva).

• If you notice constant rubbing or pawing at the eye area, something is there
• Wipe away dried matter from the corners of your dog’s eyes using a moistened cotton ball… no soap!
• Redness, Tearing or Discharge can be caused by something in the environment, it is especially common in dogs that ride with their heads stuck out of car windows or spend a lot of time outdoors in windy, dusty weather. This can also be a sign of Allergy.
• Eye problems that don’t clear up within 24 hours should be treated by a veterinarian
• Excessive tearing (usually caused by allergies, infections, injuries, or irritation)
• Tear stains beneath the eyes may indicate a problem.

If you see your dog continually pawing at his eyes or squinting, they may have a foreign body in the eye. Examine the eyes in a well-lit room. To get a good look, pull down on the lower lid and up on the upper lid. If only one eye appears to be affected, compare it to the other eye to see how they differ. If you can’t find anything or if you can’t remove the object, take your dog to the vet for treatment. You can also keep “Natural Tears” around the house for those red eye days or to flush the eye.

* H I N T * To help keep stains under control, wash the area under the eyes frequently using warm water and a cotton ball. Do not use soap near a dog’s eyes. Soap in the eye can cause a corneal ulcer.

Utilize this advice and have a healthier, happier dog! We will continue this series for many more weeks so stay tuned in!

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This information has been provided by Susan Hartlzer of AlphaDogPR.  They are based in Los Angeles and a chosen resource for editors, producers, writers and reporters.  Alpha Dog PR is dedicated to providing the media with the most up-to-the-minute information about the rapidly growing pet industry. For more information, please visit www.alphadogpr.com or call (818) 998-6299.

Question:

“My lab has been on Solid Gold – Holistique Blendz for about 6 months. She does some scratching which may be related to the food – I”m not sure. However, she has developed arthritis in both elbows. I was told from a pet store owner that grains irritate arthritis and that I should change to Barking at the Moon. Please advise. I can”t find in my internet searches anything about grains and arthritis.”

Answer:

“Thanks for your inquiry. Sounds like you have two different questions. One is whether or not your dog’s scratching is related to the Solid Gold dog food. Please read my article http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/food_allergies_in_pets.html that discusses food allergies in detail. In general, food allergies are not terribly common and there are many more common things that can cause scratching especially at this time of year (fleas, inhaled allergies, etc).

Arthritis is a common joint problem in dogs and is estimated to affect 20% of dogs older than one year of age. Many times their symptoms don’t show up until later in life, although the arthritis changes have been present for many years. Read my article http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/dog-arthritis.html for a thorough discussion of arthritis in dogs. What the pet store owner may have been referring to (that grains irritate arthritis) has been documented in people who are gluten-intolerant. Whole grains contain gluten and other compounds (including lectins, phytates, high omega-6 : omega-3 ratios) that can aggravate or cause inflammation. There have been many reports of arthritis signs resolving completely in gluten-intolerant people that go on a gluten-free diet. This really doesn’t apply to dogs and cats as gluten-sensitivity and gluten-intolerance is exceedingly RARE. Although the pet store owner is “up” on his grain knowledge…it really applies only to people.”

Hope this helps.
Dr. Donna Spector

Question:

“My dog, Inuki, has always eaten many foods without any issues or allergies. We have been searching for the “perfect” healthy premium dog food. He has been on Flint River Ranch, Nutro, Innova, Dogswell, and raw diet (we stopped that) then home cooked with veggies, meat, grains, and multi vitamins, then the Honest Kitchen because it was too much to cook myself. I actually will go back to home cooking if I have the right recipes, but I had a very hard time understanding how much to feed and of what. I read dr strombecks Home Cooked Diets For Cats and Dogs. Now, for the last month my dog and 2 cats have been on the Honest Kitchen’’s Prowl and Force. My cats love their Prowl and do great on it, but my dog, while he likes the food, his pooping has increased big time. He used to have maybe one to 2 poops a day and they were small and firm, now he poops 3 to 4 times and the poop is large and soft, but not runny. I just really would like to find a food that he can stick with that will keep him very healthy for years and years to come.”

Answer:

“Tianna,
Thanks for writing in. Sounds like you have been dabbling in the (sometimes) frustrating world of dog nutrition for quite some time! I think the first thing you need to decide on is whether you want to cook for your dog or if you are looking for a commercially available diet.

If you are selecting a commercially available diet, select one that is “natural” or “organic”. By definition and AAFCO regulation, a “natural” pet food may have ingredients from ONLY plant, animal or mined sources. These foods cannot be highly processed or contain chemically synthetic ingredients, such as artificial flavors, preservatives or colorings.

Look for foods that do not contain inferior by-products or meals. Meat meals are made through a process of rendering. Any product that has been rendered is considered unfit for human consumption…so in my mind, that means unfit for our beloved pets as well. Look for RECOGNIZABLE ingredients on the label. You should be able to identify meats, grains, vegetables and not just chemical additives.

If you are choosing to home-cook, you absolutely need to work with a veterinary nutritionist to get recipes that are balanced for your dog and his daily requirements. There are many websites you can use, including www.petdiets.com and www.balanceit.com. I would recommend that you request a consultation specific to Inuki so he isn’t lacking anything.”

Good Luck.
Dr. Donna Spector

Name: Dianne Pasternack
Pets species and breed: dog -mixed breed
Pets age and weight: 15 years, 34 lbs
Pets health status: okay
Are they spayed or neutered? Yes

Brand of food: wellness
Animal owned for: 11 years

“My dog is allergic to chicken. Will dry dog food that contains chicken fat cause the allergic reaction? I notice that some dry dog foods state that the chicken fat has the chicken protein removed. How does that affect chicken allergies?”

The Answer:

“Thanks for your question.  Food allergic pets usually react most adversely to the whole protein (for example, chicken meat protein), however, they may react to any component of chicken (for example, chicken fat).  Think of a person with peanut allergies; they react badly to eating peanuts, but also may have a problem with peanut oil.  Same situation.

A bit more about food allergies.  The adverse reactions many pets have are often not true allergies to a specific type of meat.  Many pets have reactions to inferior ingredients, additives and preservatives within a food.  Most tests that are available for diagnosing food allergy (blood tests, skin tests, etc) are not accurate and can lead to many false diagnoses of true food allergy.

Therefore, if a pet is exhibiting adverse reactions to food, my first recommendation is to place them on a natural premium dog food diet without added preservatives, chemicals and artificial colors to make sure it is not just the inferior ingredients that may be the problem.”

Hope that helps.