Pet Gazette

Let’s clear up some myths about spaying and neutering your dog, before you make a final decision.

Fact: Sterilizing your dog makes him or her better behaved and much healthier pet, which will save you money in the long run.

Myth: Many dog owners, the majority of them males, have a tough time getting their dogs sterilized, because they imagine what it would do to them and reflect that on the dog.

Fact: Your dog will not feel as if he was less of a “man” or “woman” after being sterilized. He or she will not suffer an identity crisis or grief the loss of their reproductive capability. Your dog will simply have one less need to take care of. Instead of being lived by his hormones and the constant thought and urge to breed, he will be able to concentrate on you, the owner, and be more receptive to what you want from him.

Fact: Un-neutered males not able to mate experience a high level of frustration which could lead to aggression. Un-spayed female dogs attract unwanted attention twice a year.

Myth:Spaying and neutering cause weight gain.

Fact: Dogs do not get fat by just being sterilized. Like people, pets gain weight when they eat too much and exercise too little. Most dog owners however continue feeding a high energy diet to a dog that now has less need for energy after he grew up to be an adult.

Fact: Dogs do not grief about their lost capability to reproduce. They reproduce only to ensure the survival of their species. They don’t plan to raise a puppy for eighteen years and they certainly do not dream of their puppy’s wedding.

The mother dogs nurse for a few weeks, teach their puppies about rules and boundaries, and limitations, then send them off to find their place in the pack. The Daddy dogs are not like our human fathers; they don’t even recognize their puppies as their own.

Fact: Neutered and spayed dogs are easier to balance pets. Be a part of the solution. Spay or neuter your pet today!

Dog Breeds in Groups

In this article you will find the majority of dog breeds that are recognized around the world. The dog breeds are categorized by groups:

The Working Group Breed

Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Bernese Mountain Dog, Boxer, Bullmastiff, Doberman Pinscher, Field Spaniel, Finnish Spitz, Flat-Coated Retriever, Fox Terrier, French Bulldog, German Shepherd, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Komondor, Kuvasz, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Newfoundland, Portuguese Water Dog, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Siberian Husky, Standard Schnauzer, Tibetan Mastiff.

The Toy Group Breed

Affenpinscher, Brussels Griffon, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Chihuahua,Chinese Crested, English Toy Spaniel, Havanese, Italian Greyhound, Maltese, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Pinscher, Papillon, Pekingese, Pomeranian, Poodle, Pug, Shih Tzu, Silky Terrier, Toy Fox Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier.

The Terrier Group Breed

Airedale Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Terrier, Bedlington Terrier, Border Terrier, Bull Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Fox Terrier, Irish Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Kerry Blue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Bull Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Norfolk Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Skye Terrier, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier, Welsh Terrier, West Highland White Terrier.

The Sporting Group Breeds

American Water Spaniel, Brittany, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Clumber Spaniel, Cocker Spaniel, Curly-Coated Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, English Springer Spaniel, English Toy Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Flat-Coated Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Golden Retriever, Gordon Setter, Irish Setter, Irish Water Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Pointer, Spinone Italiano, Sussex Spaniel, Vizsla, Weimaraner, Welsh Springer Spaniel, Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.

The Non-Sporting Group Breeds

American Eskimo Dog, Bichon Frise, Border Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bulldog, Chinese Shar-Pei, Chow Chow, Dalmatian, Finnish Spitz, French Bulldog, Keeshond, Lhasa Apso, Poodle, Schipperke, Shiba Inu, Tibetan Spaniel, Tibetan Terrier.

The Hound Group Breeds

Afghan Hound, American Foxhound, Basenji, Basset Hound, Beagle, Black-and-Tan Coonhound, Bloodhound, Borzoi, Dachshund, English Foxhound, Greyhound, Harrier, Ibizan Hound, Irish Wolfhound, Italian Greyhound, Norwegian Elkhound, Otter Hound, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, Pharaoh Hound, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Saluki, Scottish Deerhound, Whippet.

The Herding Group Breeds

Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, Bearded Collie, Belgian Sheepdog, Border Collie, Bouvier des Flandres, Briard, Canaan Dog, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Collie, Dachshund, Dalmatian, Dandie Dinmont Terrier, Doberman Pinscher, Dogue de Bordeaux, Dogo Argentino, German Shepherd, Old English Sheepdog, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Polish Owczarek Nizinny, Puli, Shetland Sheepdog.

Vaccinations are a crucial part of pet care, for two reasons they protect the dog from disease like distemper, and they protect humans and the dogs from diseases such as rabies that can be passed from dog to human.

However vaccinations are not necessarily as routine as they once were

Recent studies have begun to show that when a dog has been vaccinated they have protection for longer than was previously thought. In addition, we now understood that the procedure is not as innocuous as it was once thought to be. Immunologist, infectious disease experts have drawn up a new set of guidelines so that veterinarians can review the risk of disease more accurately and then make the vaccination programme more effective.

Nowadays it is recognised that all dogs are different and the decisions have to take into account the age, breed, environment and travel requirements for each individual dog. Fortunately the modern view is coming around to the idea that all vaccinations have an inherent risk and dogs have a right not to be vaccinated against something they are never likely to encounter in their lives.

Accordingly vaccines have been split into the essential and non essential

The core vaccines recommended for all dogs whatever the type age or other factors are adenovirus, distemper, parvovirus and rabies. Despite the risk of a dog having a reaction to these vaccines, the risk of the dog contracting the disease is higher. Kennel cough, leptospirosis and Lyme disease vaccination are regarded as non essential and it is up to the owner to take advice on the risk.

Guidelines recommend that the distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus core vaccines be given once every three years. Rabies vaccinations does depend on local area health requirements and may be anywhere between one a year to once every four years. If you are showing your dog, or it is placed in a kennel environment then it has a real risk of contracting kennel cough, in these cases it is recommended twice a year. If you a dog is less at risk then the vaccine may be given annually.

However because vaccinations may be less rare but it is important not to neglect medical care for dogs taking the dog to a veterinarian for an annual check up is only the same as a once in seven year check up for a human. Titers or effective blood checks to test exactly how much protection your dog has against certain diseases is becoming more common and although they are now still controversial in time they will help to give a fuller picture.

Canine influenza is a new type of flu strain first reported in Florida in 2005 by the University Of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine.

They found that many dogs in humane societies, dog shelters and

Veterinary hospitals in that state had serious respiratory failure. They isolated the strain of the disease as coming from equine influenza virus or horse flu.  The first thing to clarify is that although the disease is a mutation it has no affect on human (or bird) populations.

Canine influenza is a contagious respiratory disease that requires medical treatment and the symptoms are sneezing, coughing, and fever. Approximately a fifth of all infected dogs have no symptoms at all. The other eighty percent have either a mild or a serious grade of the flu nut its mortality rate is less than eight percent.

Mild cases of canine flu normally means the dog has a low-grade fever and a persistent cough that may last weeks. There is often a nasal discharge. When dog flu is more serious the fever is higher and the symptoms are worse the dog has sever breathing problems as well as other symptoms more commonly associated with pneumonia. As the disease is a new strain, no dogs have had time to develop immunity.

Antibiotics are usually prescribed so that they can deal with any secondary bacterial infections. In general, dogs respond in the same way that human’s do they need plenty of fluids and rest while the disease takes its course. If the case is severe then the dogs may need intravenous fluids to prevent dehydration.  

It is still too new disease to be absolutely sure of all the facts but it does appear to be an airborne virus and dogs catch it from the droplets of the coughs and sneezes of other infected dogs. New infections seem to take between three and five days to take a hold. Once dogs have the infection then they are capable of spreading the disease from the point of symptoms for about ten days. However tour dog can catch the disease from an infected surface they never need to actually see another dog with the disease

At present  no vaccine is available however you should be alert to the disease and if your dog has to go into kennels choose one that you know.

There are many reasons why dogs cough canine cough or kennel cough, is caused by bacteria, or parainfluenza is a viral infection of the respiratory tract that is normally mild. Dog flu was first found in the greyhound population, but it was not spread by greyhounds it was coincidental that greyhounds were being studied for other purposes when the disease was discovered.

Traveling By Air with Your Dog

In the past when a dog traveled by air it was common to place the dog in the hold as baggage. This was traumatic and dangerous for dogs. There is no protection in the hold against the extremes of temperature and once in the hold they were trapped. Certainly, on long haul flights, they were not fed or watered and the owners were left chewing their nails worrying. Nowadays many airlines allow dogs to travel as carry on luggage , of course this does apply to small and medium dogs, it would be difficult for a mastiff.

They are normally carried in a pet carrier. Dog owners can then be aware if the dog is airsick or has any type of distress whilst flying. Despite the fact that pets are transported by air more often than they were thirty years ago, most airlines do ask for advance notice, as they still tend to restrict the number of animals on any one flight. The policy does alter with different airlines some restrict dogs during peak flights. In some cases when the dog has to be checked into the hold the airline does require advance notice as they have to be aware that the cargo is compatible.

Some things are not safe to be carried at the same times as animals, dry ice is one example it will kill dogs. It is also a good idea to place the dog in a container with hard sides to protect the dog from accidents. Obviously, there should be sufficient room for the dog to sit, stand and lie down with ventilation from at least two sides. The carrier may well slide during a flight and it can get jammed up against something else.

Whilst putting a dog In the hold does not actually require a notice to say “this end up!”, it should be clearly marked that the luggage does contain a live animal and an arrow pointing upwards would be helpful. Baggage is handled by its very definition; is thrown about and abused. Many European carriers will not take an animal that does not have feeding instructions and a copy of the health certificates taped to the side of the carrier. This makes sense as a precaution in case the flight is delayed.

Many vets refuse to sedate animals when traveling and this has a sound scientific base a sedated animal has slower reaction times and they may not be able to maintain their balance when moved. In addition, the altitude means that they increase the likelihood of developing respiratory problems when they have been sedated.

You can make traveling by air safer for a dog if you make certain that someone will collect the dog on time. Statistically airlines report that when their accidents involving animals it is nearly always as a result of an animal traveling on a flight that is not direct. Make sure that a direct flight is used if at all possible.

Dogs like humans suffer from dust allergies or an allergy to pollen. The condition as in humans is often hereditary and they can have a reaction to grasses, mould or pollen. However dogs do not exhibit the same reaction as humans they tend not to sneeze, but the condition of their coat suffers.

If your dog has begun to scratch, bite, or lick himself then he may well be suffering from hay fever.   

When dogs do this constantly, the action of the tongue can create secondary problems, such as infections or even other sores. The treatment varies depending upon how serious the condition is. Some dogs respond to a medicated shampoo.

When the condition is more serious then the veterinarian can do an allergy test to pinpoint exactly what the dog is showing an allergic reaction towards.  Oral cortisone or antihistamines can help to bring the scratching under control. Your dog can have injections prior to Spring to increase his tolerance to whatever is giving him an allergic reaction.  

Demodectic Mange

Demodectic mange is caused by Demodex canis, a tiny mite that cannot be seen without the aid of a microscope. This mange strikes puppies from three to 12 months old.

The demodex mite is commonly present in the pores of puppy skin and usually does not cause symptoms, and it not at all certain what causes them to activate. The mites can produce a substance that lowers the dog's resistance to them and make use of an opportunity to multiply. This mange may correct itself within three months or may require treatment.

Cheyletiella mange

Cheyletiella mange is also known as walking dandruff. It affects puppies and is caused by a large reddish mite that can be seen under a magnifying glass. This mange is identified by the dandruff dusting that occurs over the dog's head, neck, and back.

Walking dandruff is highly contagious but short-lived. It causes mild itching. The mite that causes the mange dies a short time after leaving the host.

Sarcoptic mange

Sarcoptic mange, also known as scabies, is caused by a microscopic mite. The female mite causes the characteristic intense itching as they burrow under the skin to lay their eggs. The eggs hatch in a few days, develop into adults, and begin laying their own eggs in less than three weeks.

Dogs with scabies dig and bite at themselves with great ferocity. Their skin reacts with oozing sores, and secondary infection may set in, requiring treatment with an antibiotic in addition to treatment for the mites. Unfortunately, the sarcoptic mange mite can be difficult to find in skin scrapings, and unless the veterinarian parts the hair and carefully examines the bare skin for the characteristic pin-point bite marks, diagnosis is difficult. Furthermore, the presence of a secondary skin infection can hamper the search for the mite bite marks.

Sarcoptic mange is contagious to canines and humans. If the dogs share sleeping places or if the infected dog sleeps on beds or furniture, everyone will begin scratching. It is not unheard of for the family dog to infest the kids, the kids to infest their playmates, and the playmates to infest their pets and parents with scabies. Fortunately scabies in humans is self-limiting, that is the mite can burrow under the skin and cause itching, but cannot complete its life cycle on humans and dies within a few weeks.

Treatment

Veterinarians now use Ivermectin in two doses, two weeks apart, to kill the mites. They may also prescribe steroids for short-term use to relieve the itching until the mites begin to die off and give the dog some relief. Itching usually begins to subside within a few days of the first dose of Ivermectin.

Canine skin damaged by sarcoptic mange and secondary skin infections can take weeks or months to recover, depending on the scope of the problems. Frequent medicated baths may be necessary to soothe irritated skin.

Mange damage can mimic that caused by other skin conditions, including autoimmune diseases, bacterial infections secondary to flea allergies, and contact dermatitis, making it impossible for the pet owner to diagnose with any success. If your dog suffers from irritated, itchy skin, make an appointment with the veterinarian. Early diagnosis of any of these problems will give you a head start on a cure and will be less uncomfortable for the dog and your wallet.

Dogs communicate through body language and energy. The leader of the pack is always filled with a calm and assertive energy. Pack leaders never project nervousness, panic, or tension. In other words, the pack leader is a calm and assertive presence that gives balance to the pack. He controls everything and leaves nothing open to debate or discussion. He will also not say thank you for waiting or following.

The gender of the pack leader is irrelevant and not an issue. Both males and females can be equal pack leaders.

People make the mistake by treating dogs like humans. Every species has its own psychology if we understand its psychology we can control the behavior because we know how to relate to them.

Newborn puppies have to find a place or status within the pack. They do not get a name like we do, because personality is something humans create and only exists in our world. In the animal world there are two roles - the leader and the follower.

Dogs are animal first, then a breed second. For instance:  people think all Labradors Act a certain way. A Labrador Is just the breed; a cultural background in the doggy world.

A mixed breed can develop the same negative side effects as a Labrador. Don’t focus on the breed, but instead, focus on the behavior. The breed is about the skills or the looks of the dog. Underneath those coats they are all just dogs.

Of course there are physical differences between breeds. A Husky can travel for miles and miles a day and is not well suited to live in an urban apartment. If you already have a frustrated Husky, his physical energy will only intensify the unbalanced behavior.

This is why it is important to allow every dog the opportunity to work out his physical energy. Take him for a walk or bike ride every day to exercise his body and his mind. Include him in your life.

House training a puppy for the first time can be a immensely frustrating task. Like babies puppy have no idea where or how they are suppose to go unless they are taught. Unlike babies bad behaviors left uncorrected can continue throughout adulthood.

Generally it takes several weeks to house train a pup and bizarrely some of the smaller breeds are known to be incredible stubborn when trying to drill a new behavior into them.

Puppy less than half a year old tend to have trouble controlling their bladder for more than a couple of hours at a time. If you are unable to supervise a Puppy at these kind of regular intervals, it may not be the right time in life to take on a commitment like this. If in the first month the puppy is allowed to get into bad behaviors, you may find that you will never be able to fully re-teach them.

Some things you can do are:

• While your puppy is eliminating, try use some common word that the puppy can associate with going to the loo. This way you can encourage them to do it just by using these phrases. Remember the tone of voice used is just as important as the actual words.

• Reward the puppy once he has eliminated correctly. If you fuss them and play with them after good behavior it will just reinforce these. With the opposite is true, make sure the puppy understand you are cross when they eliminate in the wrong place.

• When the puppy has soiled in the wrong place. Take the rag you have used to tidy up and store them in the place you want the puppy go in future, this will help them identify the appropriate spot.

Good Luck.