Since our animals cannot speak to us in words, this is part four 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.
—————————————————————————
Ears: Your dog’s ears are delicate, sensitive, finely tuned instruments allowing them to pick up sounds far out of the range of human hearing. Infections or foreign bodies can be seriously damaging. By just taking a few moments to examine and clean your dog’s ears, you can keep them safe and sound. The ears should be dry, light pink inside with no discharge, or bad smell. It sounds strange, but an unpleasant odor in the ear is a sign of an infection that may be out of sight in the ear canal.
Look for redness,discharge, an odor or foreign object
If you notice constant rubbing or pawing around the ear, something is there
If your dog constantly shakes its head, it may be the sign of an inner ear problem such as mites
If the ears are really hot, that can be a sign of a fever!
MORE ON EAR INFECTIONS:
Ear problems are not-so-uncommon for dogs. Most infections of this type are caused by lack of air circulation and occur most commonly in breeds with floppy or furry ears. The moist, warm, dark environment is the perfect place for bacteria and yeast to flourish. By catching the early signs, you’ll be getting your dog’s developing ear infection under control sooner, preventing more serious complications that can lead to hearing loss.
SO THEN, HOW CAN WE AS LOVING PET OWNERS HELP PREVENT THIS?…
To give your dog’s ears a complete cleaning, moisten a cotton ball with mineral oil, olive oil, or witch hazel, and gently wipe the inside of the ears. Don’t use a cotton swab; it’s easy to accidentally damage the delicate mechanisms of the inner ear. Certain breeds have hair growing inside the ear that must be plucked to prevent wax and dirt from collecting. Ask a groomer or breeder to show you how to pluck the hair. The tips of your dog’s ears are like a “Zen” place. In times of stress rub the tips of the ear and you will have a calm relaxed pup.
———————————————————————————
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.
Name: Joan Ingle
Pets species and breed: Lab
Pets age and weight: 71/2 61 lbs.
Pets health status: Good, but has arthritis
Are they spayed or neutered? Yes
Brand of food: Solid Gold – holistique blendz
Animal owned for: 6 years
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.”
