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- Tips to getting any supplement for your dog
- Early detection of liver disease
- Tips on vaccinating your dog
- Help Animals Today!
- Having Trouble Medicating Fido?
- What Every Dog Owner Should Know About Antibiotics
- Housebreaking Trouble? Sweat No More!
- I Love Singapore!
- Singapore National Dog Walk Day
- Important tips on feeding your dog
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Dec
26
Tips to getting any supplement for your dog
December 26, 2007 | 2 Comments
1) Supplements should be made for dogs
Due to dosage requirement esp. for multi-vitamins and mineral supplementation, it is advisible to purchase supplementations made for dogs. Though human supplements may be similar, e.g. glucosamine, the dosage is different for pets compared with humans. I tried hunting for a human supplementation for my Casper due to his ACL injury, I need to put him on glucosamine medication for a long time. After hunting several human health food stores, I still fail to find one with dosage similar to what my dog would need (from Vet’s advice). As such, I kept to the brand that my vet is giving me till today. However, supplements such as omega oils (e.g. flaxseed oil), you could still go for human blends as they are of whole foods. Just ensure the amount given is suitable for your dog’s weight based on guideline provided for pets.
2) Whole Real Foods as Supplementation
As a naturalist, I go for whole foods supplements for my dogs and even for myself.(e.g. barley, wheat grass, green foods etc) This way, the vitamins and minerals that you give to your pet is in their natural state and your pet is sure to acquire and assimilate better then processed, synthetic vitamins.
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Nov
20
Early detection of liver disease
November 20, 2007 | 1 Comment
Here are some early signs of detection we all should note to avoid
endangering our pets if treatment for liver conditions are treated
on time.
1) Swollen Belly - A sign of liver or heart problem
2) Depression - When dog is feeling lethargy and not behaving
normally.
3) Jaundice - Watch the eye and gums, if they appear yellowish,
possible sign of liver disease
4) Weight loss - Irregardless of food intake, the dog is loosing
weight, a sign of wasting away.
Do bring Fido to the vet immediately for proper medical check up
and tests performed so treatment can be administered early if a
liver condition surfaces
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Oct
18
Tips on vaccinating your dog
October 18, 2007 | 2 Comments
Since I ensure my dogs are taken care naturally and avoid as much medication and vaccinations. Both my dogs have undergone basic vaccination when they are puppies and stopped when they reached adulthood. Vaccination serves to stimulate our pet’s immune system but it comes with the negative side effects.
Here are some tips on ensuring you give the best natural care for your dog without over vaccinating them.
- Puppies need 2 vaccinations. one at 8 weeks and the next one at 12 weeks. You want want to avoid the 3rd booster as most natural vets do not advice for the 3rd shot (choice is yours).
- Avoid bringing your puppies to the parks or public places before they are fully vaccinated as they might be exposed to other sick pets or their excreation might cause them to be sick as well.
- You may continue to vaccinate your pet once every 3 years until the age of 10 years old as natural vets generally feels that the yearly vaccination is not really necessary
- Bring your pet to annual examination yearly by your vet
- If you notice that your pet might be sick, DO NOT vaccinate her until she is well as her immune system is already compromised.
To ensure you build your pet’s immune system well, give lots of fresh foods, fatty acids supplements, exercise and a warm, loving environment. This is a sure bet for a healthy, happy dog for life!
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Sep
20
Help Animals Today!
September 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Dear friends, I hope everyone of us will help our animal friends today.
Click on these sites and do our part to make this world a better place for our furry pals.
The Animal Rescue Site
HSUS - Stop the dog meat trade
Thank you for your kind support….
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Sep
4
Having Trouble Medicating Fido?
September 4, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Have you ever experience this? When opening Fido’s medicine box, Fido is no where to be seen? Hiding somewhere hoping you can’t find her?
This is really common experience for most dog owners. Dogs simply hate medication! Some do not mind though, e.g. My dog casper just swallow anything I feed him, treats or medication alike. I’m so amused and blessed. But he is just one of the many dogs I owned that is easy on medication! The rest absolutely hate medicating!!
Here’s some tips when medicating Fido.
Place tablets in tasty treats they love. Something that he loves so much it is unlikely that he would spit it out. e.g. Cooked pork or beef liver, you can wrap the liver around the tablet. Remember, not to give liver treats regularly. Just when you need to medicate her so she looks forward to the awesome rare liver treats. This works mostly if they swallow the treats. If they start to chew, they will get to the tablets and the yacky taste will cause them to spilt out the treat & medicine.
If that won’t work for your dog, you need to learn this technique. Tilt Fido’s head slightly back, open her mouth and place the pill at the back near her throat and in the middle of the tongue, then close the mouth, gently stroke the throat. Release only when you know he swallows. If not, Fido might just spit it out.
For liquid medication, this is a bit more tricky. You need to make sure you squirk in the medication into his mouth and not outside since Fido might be struggling. Do this by tilting the head back (same as tablet style), place the tip of the syringe in the pouch of the cheek. Then close Fido’s mouth till she swallows. SYRINGE WITHOUT THE NEEDLES! :o)
These methods works for me all the time for my dog Mitzi which I have no other way of tricking her into taking her medication. Of course, after the “ordeal”, I treat her….she knows to expect something good after having fed her medication. Just be confident and quick in your action, your dog wont mind it if it’s fast. Gota be quick, else, she will start to struggle off.
Remember to reward Fido after giving her medication. Who knows, she might not mind it in future since she is getting something good in return!
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Aug
22
What Every Dog Owner Should Know About Antibiotics
August 22, 2007 | 3 Comments
Many conventional vets are giving our pets antibiotics for many health conditions. I remembered when Mitzi was a puppy, for most of the problems she has, e.g. diarrhoea, skin rash, mange. I am also certain her vet will prescribe antibiotics for her. I ask myself, this surely cant be the only solution? She is so young and already on so many doses of antibiotics, this can’t be all that I can do for her! Her organs (e.g. liver and kidney) will degenerate over time (esp. when she had mange) especially if she is dependent on it for long periods. We humans are avoiding antibiotics and our doctors are adviced against prescribing antibiotics for us unless it is absolutely necessary. Surely, long term usage of drugs will also be detrimental to our dog’s health and also loose it’s effectiveness over time too!
I did my readings before I got mitzi on long term antibiotics for her mange and found out many side effects of antibiotics. Some includes:
- Allergic reaction (skin rash)
- Destroy of the intestinal good bacteria
- Bacterial resistance
- Dryness of eye, skin and coat
- Vomitting
- Yeast Infection
- Fever
- Organ diseases such as Liver, kidney, gastrointestinal
As such, to avoid unnecessary reaction from long term usage of antibiotics, I turn to natural means to ensure my dogs are in optimum health instead of depending on drugs. Many antibiotics today have lost it’s effectiveness on our pets when it is overused.
Of course, if Fido has a situation at hand that requires immediate antibiotics prescription, pls go with your vet’s recommendation and prescription. However, choose a vet that is thorough and will guide you on other ways to ensure a balance and no overuse of conventional drugs.
For a long term skin condition, if a vet continues to prescribe antibiotics without assisting you in searching out the root cause of Fido’s skin condition, this should raise an alarm.
Skin scraping is a basic check if the skin condition is due to mange, ringworm/fungal condition. Blood tests is done to check for thyroid disorder which is a common cause for chronic skin condition and lastly skin biopsies to test for diseases and food allergy trials to eliminate food allergies. All these must be done systematically by a vet to determine the actual cause of skin condition before administering any drugs to control the situation.
If you feel that your vet is not helping Fido in her chronic skin condition in at least a few of the ways I have mentioned, pls get recommendation for another vet that can perform more tests for Fido.
Do also note that antibiotics can use to treat bacterial skin conditions but not conditions such as ringworm, most mange conditions and uncomplicated skin allergies.
I am not against antibiotics, but I feel the use of it should be managed and not overuse for fear Fido no longer have any reaction to it especially when she needs it. E.g. after a surgery to prevent infection, etc. Talk to your holistic vet about this if you are concerned.
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Aug
14
Housebreaking Trouble? Sweat No More!
August 14, 2007 | 1 Comment
Housebreaking can be a nightmare for many new pet owners especially if they are not aware of how they can start the training process. Successful house breaking your pet will ease up your initial pet ownership anxiety.
To begin, here are some guidelines that worked for me so far and also assisting some of my friends in toilet training their pet. So, if you are still struggling with housebreaking your dog, use this as a guide immediately and be CONSISTENT!
Housebreaking your dog is one of the most important training to start. Avoid allowing your new dog to run freely when you bring him home, likely, he is going to start to mark (if it’s a boy) your home as his “territory”. Also, you will also want your new dog to get used to the area when he will spend most of his time until he is housebroken. Bring him straight to his “den” when you reach home and do not let him roam around without supervision as it will make it more difficult to housebreak.
• Confine your dog to an area (e.g. kitchen if it’s where you want to housebreak) when you bring him home as his “den”. Do not let him roam around the house as chances are he is going to do his poop and pee anywhere he likes to mark his territory. You may wish to keep him there for few days to 2 weeks to let him get used to his “den”. Only when your new dog is housebroken, then only should you allow him free roaming in the house. Ensure that his den is free from hazardous materials or household cleaning agents that he can reach out. Dogs that are bored can start to get into their mischief when alone at home, so make sure the “den” area is sheltered and safe for him to be left alone there.
• Place newspapers in the area where you want your dog should eliminate.
• Each time he does it in the right place, praise him like crazy and give him treats if you wish.
• If he does it anywhere else, and if you caught him in the act, say NO and show him the place he is supposed to pee. Soak up the urine in a tissue and place the tissue on the newspapers or the area where he is supposed to eliminate. If you do not correct the dog immediately after the offence, correcting him even 5 minutes after the act is of little use as he cannot relate his “crime” with your unhappiness.
• When you notice he is about to eliminate wrongly, distract him so he stop his action and scoop him up to place him on the papers. Ensure he is confined there until he completed his business and praise him like his is the smartest doggie in the world. This is the quickest way to housetrain but you have to be very attentive to his actions and know the right time to scoop him up before it’s too late. If it’s too late, take the opportunity to train him in the act and clean up after the mess is done.
• To help your dog learn faster. Lay more area with papers during housebreaking training and reduce the paper spread when your dog gets it better.
• If eliminating at home on papers is not an option for the family, then set up a routine to walk the dog at least 2-3 times a day. Dogs do not usually soil their own den (i.e. your home), so if the walks are frequent enough, they will hold it till their time to walk and fertilizing nature. Puppies need their toilet break more frequently usually immediately after their meal. Be prepared to bring him out for toilet breaks after every meal or after every 2 hours or so. Place papers just outside the house if need be to train them to eliminate outdoors.
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Aug
8
I Love Singapore!
August 8, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Tomorrow is Singapore’s National Day! And I have great news to share with everyone on this special day….
The AVA (Agr-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore) has passed a new law for all new dog owners from 1st Sept 2007. The good news is….drum roll pls…..
MANDATORY microchipping of ALL newly licensed dogs, Click to read more about it!
You know, this is a dream come true for me! I have toyed with this idea all along but I am in no position to influence the laws in Singapore. Today, someone working in AVA must have loved dogs to push for this new rule. I’m soooo happy!!
Thank you thank you thank you to that someone…..we will see less abandonment and loss of pets today with this new rule.
Happy Birthday Singapore!
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Aug
6
Singapore National Dog Walk Day
August 6, 2007 | 1 Comment
Bought my 2 lovely babies to the national dog walk at west coast dog run yesterday. While happily walking, I suddenly felt a dog attacked mine. It was a corgi and he went for casper so quickly and it was so fast I didn’t realise it until I saw casper hide away. Luckily the corgi’s owner was able to stop his dog from going on. I checked casper and he seems fine and I enjoyed spending the rest of the evening with my dogs and friends. Btw, the corgi is going for every dog that comes near him. Too bad my dogs are with me else I will have a good talk with the owner on training their dog.
In the dog park, there are about 1000 dogs and their owners. the park is swamped with dogs and their humans!! All these are for charity, the Noah’s Ark, a dog santuary for abandoned and unwanted animals.
The crowd is just amazing and It let me to think how deprived we are in Singapore of dog related events and when there is one, we are all there to support!! And the best part is, it’s for a good cause. Imagine the no. of dogs that would be helped with the money collected from this event.
I bought some homemade lamb pies at the event and they loved it. Of course I did not feed them at the park les it create another unnecessarily dog fight. Not all dogs at the park are well socialised so do not take chances in events like this.
Spent a good 2 hours at the event and had so much fun seeing many lovely doggies and their owners. Went home really tired, saw a slight wound on casper’s eye, must be the scratch by the corgi that attacked him. Put some of my homemade medication on him and he looks better today.
I learnt 3 lessons….
1) Support all charity doggie event
2) Never take for granted all dogs are well socialised in big event like this, keep a close eye on your dog when he/she socialises with others.
3) Be Grateful no matter what happened! I am grateful my casper’s eye was not chomped off!
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Aug
6
Important tips on feeding your dog
August 6, 2007 | Leave a Comment
What goes into your dog will determine their long term health condition. If we feed healthy natural meals, it will go a long way to help you save on medical expenses in the long run and most importantly, your dog will likely live up to good old age healthily. Never underestimate the need to feed your dog right foods as we have seen from our experience many illnesses improve for the better with just a diet change and supplementation.
Care must be taken to ensure that when you change the diet, it is planned, managed and implemented gradually. Most dogs have sensitive stomach and do not take drastic change in diet well and may react with tummy upset. Introduce new foods gradually to avoid diarrhea or vomiting. When changing to another type of dog food, ensure that only 1/5 of the new food is introduced. Gradually increase the ratio of new and old food over the course of few weeks. Observe the stool daily and do not increase the ratio if the stool is still soft.
Select A Good Doggie Bowl
1) Stainless steel is easy to clean and will not harvest bacteria as it can be sterilize with hot water. Alternatively, heavy ceramic bowls can be considered but must be handled properly as it may crack and if not found in time may cut the tongue during feeding.
2) Avoid plastic bowls as it is more difficult to wash off oil and grease and they are also good breeding ground for bacteria.
3) Long eared dogs like basset hounds, cocker spaniel should look out for deep dish to avoid messing up their ears with water/food.
Feeding Frequency
Puppies that are seven to twelve weeks old need to eat about four times a day. Once they are four months to six months old, feeding can be reduced to three times a day. When puppies are six months old, they only need food two times a day.
Adult dogs need only be fed once a day. However, if you feel that they are not taking one meal a day well (e.g. vomiting bile), to avoid putting on unnecessary weight, spilt one day meal into 2 meals a day. Alternatively, a good option would be to feed them one main meal in the morning and in the evening, feed them raw fruits like apple, papaya, pear, strawberries and bananas. Basically, you can share your fruits with them but take note not to give them grapes citrus fruits and night shades vegetables.
Fasting your dog
Fasting your dog for a day once in a while is beneficial for his digestive system as you are allowing their body to rest, rejuvenate and detox during fasting. In the wild it is not uncommon for a dog to go on for few days without food.
Do not be alarm if your dog refused his food especially when he is not feeling well or just stop eating for a day. It is alright for him not to eat for a day, in fact it is good for him. Just make sure he has fresh clean water at all times and feed him some healthy broth during his meal time instead. A healthy dog will not go without food for a long time. So observe, if she refuse food for more than 2 days, she might be unwell. A vet visit is necessary.
Selecting Dog Food
Feeding the right dog food entails us human to think long term to weigh the importance of long term health verses convenience. If your work requires you to travel a lot and your dog has to be looked after by a dog care taker or placed at boarding, ensure that your regular dog car taker is willing to adhere to your feeding style. We cannot change their diet overnight as it may cause stomach upset. Consideration on this must be given when making your choice of feed for the dog. Also, handling raw food may not be acceptable to some people and due to inexperience, they may mishandle the food thus causing ill heath or other problems. So make sure your dog care taker is committed to handle your dog feed when you are away.
Preparation for home cooked meals for your dog is simple and need not be a pain at all. I have switched from commercialized pet food to home cooked meals 6 months back after two young lovely dogs died of cancer suddenly. These dogs were on premium pet food all their life and both of them died at a young age of 6 and 7. After this traumatic episode, I put aside my initial struggle and started cooking home made meals for my dogs.
We cannot change their diet overnight as it may cause stomach upset. Start gradually and mixing their feed gradually until they are completed switched to home cooked food.
Read a good book on how to cook for your pet.
For convenience, cook up to one week supply (or more) depending on your choice. Freeze the rest in daily portions separately for convenience.
Just remember to place following day food supply from the freezer to chiller compartment of your refrigerator.
Raw Food (BARF)
Care must be taken during preparation, freezing and serving the food. Should you travel and need a caretaker to look after your dog, guide to ensure your care taker is confident in handling their meals. A lot of information can be found in the internet including basic recipes for BARF diet. Take your time to read and decide what is best for your dog.
From the pet food recall event, we know that dogs today get sick from cancer, diabetes, liver and kidney diseases at a young age and most died suffering from the onset of the illness due to the diet. This incident has created an awareness worldwide that the diet contributes a major role in their health condition today.
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