by Roy Faulkner DVM | Mar 23, 2014 | Behavioral
Pet Dog Training in a Few Easy To Understand Steps
There are numerous benefits to teaching your pet dog. Having fewer behavioral problems because your dog will be developing improved manners. This will in addition will offer you a more rewarding relationship with your buddy. Your pet will connect better with other people and youngsters. You will have the ability to take your animal with you to more places.
Digging
To stop an animal from digging in your backyard you will have to learn the cause. Some pets simply dig naturally; however, other pet dogs dig because they’re lonesome or want a cool place to lay down when it’s hot outdoors. If you let your animal stay in the backyard for hours with little attention, no interactivity, void of exercise or no cool place to avoid of the sun, you may be contributing to the problem.
Proper Environment
Develop an environment that is learning-friendly for training sessions. Get rid of interruptions such as kids, tv or anything else that can draw attention away from you. Kids enjoy to assist; nevertheless, they can be your greatest barrier while trying to train your canine. When distractions are eliminated you will not need to constantly refocus your animal to pay attention, and this leads to quicker and simpler training.
Much better Socialization
Socializing is an essential part of any canine training. You must attempt beneficial reinforcement when presenting your dog to brand-new people or children. Have the individual feed your canine a special treat when the visitor shows up. This is likewise reliable when greeting individuals in unfamiliar environments. In time, the your canine will connect satisfying new individuals with a positive experience.
Get your pet accustomed to being petted everywhere by touching all areas of your dog’s body. Make certain to include the toes, feet, belly, inside the mouth, ears, snout as well as the tail. Desensitizing your pet dog to being touched everywhere makes it simpler to condition your animal so it doesn’t assault a visitor who touches your canine in a place that your animal is not used to being touched.
Learning Tricks
If there is a technique you’d like your animal to be able to do on command, make certain you praise your canine whenever she or he does the behavior. This works well for behaviors that you are actively teaching, along with actions that your dog might do typically. For instance, if you think it would be enjoyable to teach your animal to “talk” whenever you ask, merely say, “talk,” and give a treat to your animal whenever the dog does the trick. Ultimately, he or she will discover the association between the phrase “talk” and the action of barking, and the advantage.
Repeating is important when you are trying to train your canine to follow a command. When she or he effectively follows your command, practice the command numerous times a day and be sure to provide your pet dog praise and a treat. Repeating will guarantee that your animal will follow the command and remember it in the future.
Get rid of the Hormonal Influences
Spaying or neutering your pet can avoid unwanted habits from ever beginning. Territorial marking, inappropriate soiling, in addition to hostility can be an outcome of sexual maturation. By neutering or spaying your pets, you can stop your pet dog, as well as cats, from wandering if they ever get out of your home by mistake. Neutering and spaying is reasonably painless with contemporary veterinary medicine anesthesia and pain management. Your animal will likewise profit from the wellness elements of spaying or neutering for life.
Conclusion
Behavioral training is vital for a well-mannered, positive, friendly, and mellow pet … and their owner! There are lots of and different pointers on pet dog training offered. You will discover some that work for you. So put a few of these pointers into practice and go have a good time with your pet!
Bell Shoals Animal Hospital
1401 Bell Shoals Road
Brandon, FL 33511
1.813.654.6600
Looking for a veterinarian and animal hospital in the Brandon FL area with professional and compassionate pet careo?
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by Roy Faulkner DVM | Feb 27, 2014 | Diseases, Prevention
Lyme Disease Vaccination in Dogs – Veterinarians Don’t Agree
The argument continues whether to immunize or not vaccinate for Lyme disease. If veterinarians can not agree, how does a client choose. Anytime a veterinarian chooses to make use of a vaccine, Lyme disease or other, the vet has to weigh the risks and advantages for the client. So what are some of the factors to think about.
Where does your pet live?
Living in an endemic location for Lyme disease needs to be thought about. In humans, 95 % of Lyme disease cases are discovered in 12 endemic states in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Upper Midwest. In a few of these areas, 70 % to 90 % of the healthy pet dogs have actually been exposed to Lyme disease. An essential element for avoidance in the areas is good tick control, which can decrease the risk for condition. Vaccination must be considered more frequently in a native to the island area.
Exactly how fantastic is the danger of severe disease, as soon as a pet is contaminated?
Typically, the threat of extreme disease, once the pet is infected, is low. It has actually been stated that less than 2 % of exposed dogs develop the more significant ailment, Lyme nephritis (kidney swelling). Likewise, co-infection (infection with more than one representative) appears to lead to even more significant health problem. There also could be a hereditary predisposition to the degree of inflammation produced from the illness. Retrievers and soft-coated wheaten terriers appear to a genetic sensitivity. In studies, less than 5 % of favorable dogs had arthritis, the most common ailment. These cases usually respond quickly to common and affordable antibiotics.
Exactly how effective is the vaccine?
Definitely not as efficient as various other vaccines. The vaccine appears to prevent infection in 60 % -86 % of the dogs vaccinated. Protection is not long lasting and booster vaccinations are given every 6 months or at least yearly.
Is the vaccine safe?
The vaccine does not seem as safe as the more common vaccines utilized today for various other illness. In a 1.2 million research of immunized pets, the Lyme vaccine produced even more after vaccination negative reactions within 3 days, than other vaccine. These reactions were judged as moderate. The responses were associated with swelling. In a research, 30 % of the pets with Lyme nephritis had actually been given the Lyme vaccine 2 weeks to 15 months prior to ailment. This also raises the concern whether to immunize retrievers and soft-coated wheaten terriers. They most likely SHOULD NOT be immunized.
Conclusions:
1. Tick control is necessary is helping to prevent the illness.
2. The majority of pets tested positive for Lyme disease are nonclinical.
3. Large bulk of confirmed cases can be treated with common and economical prescription antibiotics.
4. A lot of pets do not show signs of Lyme disease after vaccination, but the exact same holds true for naturally exposed pet dogs.
5. Lyme disease vaccine have a short period and trigger even more post vaccination unfavorable events.
6. The canines most vulnerable to Lyme disease (hereditary predisposition), which need the most security, should not be vaccinated.
Hopefully this offers some helpful details in making a decision to immunize for Lyme disease or not.
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by Roy Faulkner DVM | Jan 26, 2014 | Informational, Microchipping
Many pet owners love their pets as a member of the family. They would be devastated and heartbroken if their pet ran away or somehow got lost. Having a microchip implanted in your pet is a great way to assure that, in the event that your pet does run away or get lost, he will be returned.
Problems with Dog Tags that a Pet Microchipping Eleiminates
It is often required that pet owners have tags put on their dogs with the address and contact information for the pet’s home. The idea is so that if the dog is lost, anyone who finds it can contact the owner. There are quite a few problems with this idea. First, the dog might not have their collar on. If the tags have been removed for any reason, anyone who finds the dog cannot see the owner’s information. Secondly, with an increase in dog attacks, people who do not know a dog are less likely to get close enough to check the tags on a dog. They are much more likely to call the local humane society or pound.
Microchipping
The brilliant idea of placing a microchip into the skin of a beloved pet has been a routine practice for many years. A vet simply can inject a microchip, which is about as small as a grain of rice, into the pet’s skin. The microchip is then matched with the owner’s name, address, and phone number. In a way, the pet is linked to the owner with permanent tags.
How Does A Pet Microchip Help?
When a pet is lost, it often ends up in the pound. Most pounds or humane societies are equipped with a machine that can read the microchip beneath the skin. This allows for the pound to contact the owner. Many times lost pets can get mixed in with those to be euthanized, and, with no way to contact an owner, this can be the sad fate for many pets.
Microchipping allows for the pound or veterinary hospital to get in contact with the owner and to let them know they can come pick their pet up. This can be a great relief for the owner as well as the pet.
Things to Consider for Microchipping Your Pet
Well, with any advancement in a field, there are problems. There are pets that end up in rescues and are adopted into a new home. When they are adopted into a new home, the new owner might not be aware of the pet’s history. The pet might be linked to its previous owner, and when the pet is lost, the pound would then get in contact with that previous owner.
The good news is that you can update the new owner’s information and link it to the microchip. Many companies who do this, do it for free to owners who adopt through a rescue.
When deciding to own a pet, there are many things to consider. Microchipping is a wise decision that will insure that your pet remains a part of your family. It is the simplest and most efficient way to keep track of your pet and make sure he returns to you in the event he is lost. Do your pet a favor, get him microchipped. The quick, easy, and painless procedure could be the difference between reuniting with your pet, or losing him forever.
Bell Shoals Animal Hospital
1401 Bell Shoals Road
Brandon, FL 33511
1.813.654.6600
Looking for a veterinarian and animal hospital in the Brandon FL area with professional and compassionate pet careo?
Call us for the best the veterinary pet healthcare in Brandon.
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by Roy Faulkner DVM | Dec 24, 2013 | Pet Poisons, Prevention
The holiday season is a time of year when people decorate their homes of Christmas trees and have busy holiday plans. It is a time for cooking and baking desserts many of which include chocolate.
Ingestion of seasonal plants
We know that there are a lot of concerns around the holidays, especially certain potential intoxications such as chocolate and the ingestion of those seasonal plants. The three common plants that one finds around the holidays are poinsettias, holly and mistletoe.
Fortunately, none of these plants are particularly dangerous except that they can cause significant gastro-intestinal upset which would include vomiting and diarrhea. If a pet consumes one of these plants you should call your veterinarian right away and talk to them about it.
Ingestion of chocolate
A lot of people know that chocolate is potentially toxic to dogs but what we need to recognize is that there are different kinds of chocolate. The two toxic components in chocolate are caffeine and theobromine. It is the theobromine in chocolate which causes most of the symptoms in a pet. Theobromine affects the pet’s intestinal system, nervous system (brain), cardiovascular system and the kidneys. The main one that could be lethal produces cardiac arrhythmias, which causes the heart not to beat the way that it normally should.
Milk chocolate is one that could potentially be toxic but is usually a threat to small dogs. However, baker’s chocolate actually has ten times the amount of the toxin, theobromine, than milk chocolate. The risk of a true toxicity is much higher with baker’s chocolate then with milk chocolate.
How much is this too much? Veterinarians get a lot of questions of people calling about a pet getting into a Hershey’s bar or kisses. Now, it really depends on two things. First, one must consider the size of the pet. For example, a big dog is going to be much less likely to be intoxicated than a very small dog.
The second factor is how much and what kind of chocolate was consumed. If your pet gets into chocolate products, it is really important to find out how much theobromine that product contains.
“Let’s look at how much theobromine is in certain types of chocolate, and then we can best know if you need to be concerned about chocolate poisoning in your pet. A 5oz milk chocolate bar contains 250mg of theobromine, a dark chocolate bar contains 600 mg. Unsweetened baking chocolate contains 400mg theobromine per square, Semisweet chocolate chips (30 chips), 250mg. Dry cocoa powder contains 700 mg of theobromine per ounce.
The toxic and potentially fatal dose of chocolate is 60mg/kg- so a 10lb dog only needs to consume 300mg of chocolate. Clinical Signs can be seen as low as 20mg/kg- meaning a small 10lb dog only needs to consume 100mg to have problems. Severe signs are seen at 40mg/kg- or consuming 200mg of chocolate.
A poodle weighing 10lbs can be fatally poisoned by as little as one milk chocolate bar containing 250mg of theobromine. A 75lb larger breed dog, such as a Golden Retriever, would need to eat to eat 8 milk chocolate bars to become seriously ill. On the other hand, the dark chocolate and baker’s chocolate are far more toxic; the 75lb Golden only needs to consume 3 of the dark chocolate bars to be fatally poisoned.”
One can either look on the of the label of the rapper of the product. Many companies, such as the Hershey’s company, have a website you can go to and provides useful information about how much of theobromine is in that particular product.
Also, another option would be calling the National Animal Poison Control Center. If you just go to their website there are some very useful articles on different types of products and potential hazards within the home that you might want to be aware of.
Got a Pet Poison Emergency? Call (888) 426-4435
One thing, you can always call your regular veterinarian and ask for his or her advice on what to do.
Ingestion of macadamia nuts
A lot of people aren’t aware of the fact that macadamia nuts are potentially toxic.
We don’t know what the poisonous agent is but animals consuming macadamia nuts can actually have depression, hallucinations and hind limb weakness.
“Macadamia Nuts
Although macadamia nut toxicosis is unlikely to be fatal in dogs, it can cause very uncomfortable symptoms that may persist for up to 48 hours. Affected dogs develop weakness in their rear legs, appear to be in pain, may have tremors and may develop a low grade fever. Fortunately, these signs will gradually subside over 48 hours, but dogs experiencing more than mild symptoms can benefit from veterinary care, which may include intravenous fluid therapy and pain control.”
What to do if you think your pet ingested something poisonous
It’s really important, if you think your dog or your cat has gotten into something that’s potentially toxic, to call your vet and follow their directions. It is best to get your dog or cat to them, so they can evaluate your pet and start treatment, if necessary.
The first thing that your veterinary hospital is going to ask you is… what is the particular compound, product or food that your pet ingested? Next, they’re going to ask how much do you think your pet consumed and third, they’re going to ask, how long has it been since your pet consumed the particular product, substance or food.
What are some other potential recommendations that your veterinarian is likely to make, if your pet has gotten into omething that’s potentially poisonous?
One, they may recommend that you induce vomiting with hydrogen peroxide. Please never do this unless you’ve consulted with your veterinarian first.
Second, they may ask that you bring your pet immediately into the animal hospital for examination, possible laboratory tests and supportive care, such as fluids and administer products to help reduce the absorption of the toxin. Also, they may try to reduce the amount of the ingested substance by nducing vomiting, if that has not been done.
There are numerous potential toxic sources during this time of the year, but the ingestion of chocolate products is still the most common problem encountered by veterinarians during the holidays.
Bell Shoals Animal Hospital
1401 Bell Shoals Road
Brandon, FL 33511
1.813.654.6600
Looking for a veterinarian and animal hospital in the Brandon FL area with professional and compassionate pet careo?
Call us for the best the veterinary pet healthcare in Brandon.
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by Roy Faulkner DVM | Nov 11, 2013 | Fleas
Most often when you have a pet, flea infestation would be a big problem difficult to avoid. Pets are an easy attraction of fleas and once your pet has them it very likely that they will attack your home, yard, or house. The best way to get rid of flea infestation is to keep your pet clean and healthy then treat your environment. But if you are already attacked, all is not lost, there are several majors you can follow to fight off the infestation.
There are many ways you can approach this and there are many varying opinions however it is of paramount importance to treat both your pet and the environment for fleas. Doing either will make your efforts futile.
Common Methods To Get Rid Of Flea Infestation In Pets
The following are different approaches used in an attempt to rid your pet of fleas.
- Flea shampoos
- Flea dips
- Flea collars
- Flea combs
- Flea powders and sprays
- Spot-on treatments
- Oral medications
- Healthy Nutrition
The above may or may not work depending on the degree of infestation and the age of the fleas. For example oral medications rarely kill adult fleas, so it important to know the severity of the situation to use the appropriate approach.
Other Ways To Get Rid Of Flea Infestation In The Environment
It is necessary to treat the environment because some of the fleas will drop on the ground, attach to clothing, bedding, carpet, etc. If they are left for prolonged periods they will end up laying eggs producing even more. So it is important to disturb this cycle by;
- Daily vacuuming
- Doing laundry on regular basis
- Spraying insecticides
Below is a step-by-step process you can follow to get rid of flea infestation
- Oral Medication – give all your pets Capstar Flea Tablets for Pets. These pills can kill almost all adult fleas within four hours of ingestion. Capstar pills can be obtained from your local veterinarian.
- Next, give them Lufenuron veterinary flea control medication Program – Lufenuron, the active ingredient of PROGRAM, is an insect development inhibitor. Female fleas feeding on treated animals will produce eggs out of which no larvae will hatch. The interruption of the flea life cycle results in a long-term, very effective flea control on the animal as well as in the environment. The effectiveness of this program may last for a month and must be combined with a daily use of a flea comb.
- Next the yard must be sprayed with Cedarcide. Cedarcide contains cedar oil, which is a natural pest killer and deterrent. This ingredient is non-toxic and safe for humans, pets and the environment. Cedarcide is effective on building a barrier of entry on the perimeter of the property, so bugs stay out of the yard, which means they stay out of your home. It kills fleas and eggs in the environment. here some people prefer foggers whose drawback is they are toxic and not advisable to use.
- Next, sprinkle diatomaceous earth (DE). Diatomaceous Earth (often referred to as “DE”) is an off white talc-like powder. When sprinkled on fleas it compromises their waxy coating so that their innards turn into teeny tiny bug jerky. But it doesn’t hurt mammals including humans. It’s in lots of grain based foods because lots of grains are stored with diatomaceous earth to keep bugs from eating the grain!
- It is necessary to repeat the above process after 7-14 days because nothing kills the pupa stage of the fleas and some might have survived the first round. Some fleas might have even hatched from the pupa stage.
- As you carry out these actions, the house (carpets, etc) must be vacuumed everyday. The vacuum bag or the vacuum cannister must be emptied into a garbage bad and disposed of safely out of the house to avoid any fleas crawling back into the house.
- All bedding, towels and anything that comes into contact with the pets must be washed every 2-3 days to make sure that the living cycles of the pets are effectively disturbed.
- Augment all of the above with flea traps. The idea of flea traps is to monitor how effective the elimination of the fleas is but not necessarily as a direct flea control mechanism. The flea traps will be used to see how much or quickly they fill with fleas and a good indication that the battle is being won is by trapping less and less fleas everyday.
- Capstar and Lufenuron program will not be suitable for use on young pets. So young pets must be bathed in mild soap every day accompanied with the use of flea comb. This must be coupled with promotion of a healthy coat by feeding your pet healthy nutritious food. Fleas like flaking, raw, itchy skin. To produce a flea-resistant coat in your pet, add flaxseed oil and calcium ascorbate powder (buffered vitamin C) to the animal’s food. B-complex vitamins are also extremely helpful to the condition of the skin. Garlic is a natural flea repellant when added to your animal’s food, and black walnut capsules given as a supplement repel fleas as well. Additionally, a diet rich in fresh, whole foods and low in processed foods and additives will also contribute to the health of your animal’s coat.
Trying the above approach to fight flea infestation might prove fruitful and find you enjoying a flea free home!
John Ligori, DVM
Bell Shoals Animal Hospital in Brandon FL
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