How to Tackle Common Health Problems

Before you begin to heal your dog here are three things that you should know that would prove a dog to be in the pink state of health:

• The normal temperature should be between 101-102º F

• The respiratory rate should be 15-20 breaths per minute,

• The heart rate of the dog should be 80-120 beats per minute.

• When you push on the gums, they should turn pale but back into pink right away

• The dog should be odor free in the ears as well as the skin

• The eyes should be clear, alert and shining

• The skin should be supple so that when you pull the skin on the back of the neck, it snap back to normal and not stick together—if it does, then that’s a sign of dehydration.
  
   

While some dogs are healthier than others, all breeds fall prey to some common ailments. These are not just diseases but other problems of the stomach and the feet that get in the way of their normal day-to-day life. Here’s a rundown on some of these ailments and how to be prepared to tackle them:

What do you do when your dog gets Gastric Bloat or Torsion?

Take your dog to the vet. A simple kind of gastric problem can be cured with a belch or vomiting but torsion and bloat is a different problem altogether. What happens is that the stomach’s ends flips over and block the food from entering. That’s why the esophagus is closed off and the dog cannot belch or throw up. Sometimes even the spleen gets trapped and its blood supply is cut off—as a result of which the dog can’t eat and dies.

When a dog eats too fast and too much of dry dog food, after which it drinks in a lot of water, the food swells up, the stomach expands and the result is a lot of pain. That’s because the stomach twists and the gas is trapped inside. Some things you can do to prevent bloat or torsion from occurring is to:

• Slow down your dog’s eating by adding a large rock in the bowl of food, so that he has to stop to move it aside to get the grub. Wash the rock well though!

• Do not exercise or hold any training sessions after a dog’s meal.

• Make the dog rest for a while. Let him go to the potty area and put him back in the crate to get some rest.

What do you do with a dog that has Panosteitis?

This disease occurs in young dogs and the experts call it wandering or transient lameness. It suddenly makes a dog lame. Often the causes are said to be stress and too much activity because the vets still haven’t been able to pinpoint the causes and thus do not know the cure. Panosteitis is not to be confused with "elbow displasia" and "hip displasia". It is not curable by surgery and is seen to pass once the dog is two years old. But very often vets misdiagnose and schedule the dog for a surgery. So wait for the dog to outgrow it and rest assured that once he does, there will be no continuing problems.

What happens with Panosteitis is that the dog doesn’t put any weight on the painful leg and thus limps. Panosteitis has to be treated with:

• Medicines like aspirin or cortisone—whichever is more effective.

• Avoid exercise till you can see that the dog is not in pain.

• Keep the weight of the dog normal with diet, as extra weight would cause more pain on the leg.

• Get the dog to have plenty of rest.

What do you do if your dog vomits?

Good thing is that vomiting by itself is not a disease. It’s a sign that alls not well with your dog. In fact if it happens to your dog once in a while—don’t worry because it is also a natural way of the body healing itself of overeating, or eating something wrong. It is only when there is a vomiting with lethargy, blood, diarrhea, constipation etc that it is dangerous. This is because vomiting can cause dehydration. If your dog is very sick and is vomiting more than the usual, stop food and water for 12 to 24 hours and see if stopping the food is stopping the vomiting. Later introduce him slowly to ice cubes or a bit of chicken broth. After a day, give the dog a bland diet of pureed chicken or turkey three to four times but less amount so that he can digest the food. On the third day you can give him some brown rice but again in less quantity but more frequent gaps.

What do you do with a dog that has Arthritis? 

A lot of breeds get arthritis, though some are more prone to it like Basset Hounds. The only way to beat arthritis is to prevent it from happening. Regular exercise is a must to strengthen bones, muscles and keep joints flexible. A lack of exercise will only serve to stiffen the bones and joints and hasten the onset of arthritis. Here are a few things that you can do with to prevent arthritis:

• Walking is the best exercise for both man and dog. Go for a walk with your dog, and get the blood circulation going. Not only will the dog’s heart, lung and muscle function improve, but also his weight will be controlled and his bones and joints will get the exercise they need. You could make the walk interesting by varying the rout and challenging your dog to take a hike with you. It would increase stamina and keep the bones in order.

• Play fetch! Throw a stick or a ball and get your dog to move. The game would be fun and get him the required exercise. If it’s raining, roll a ball indoors and get your dog to bring it back to you.

Aim to add more activities in your dog’s life to get him or her the required physical flexibility and stamina. It will go a long way to keep your dog free from arthritis. If your dog does suffer from arthritis:

• Do not engage him in exercises like climbing steps or jumping.

• Do not overfeed him and constantly monitor his diet.

If you suspect your dog to have the beginnings of Arthritis, you can always start a dog pain treatment. These are proving very successful with many dogs that suffer arthritis.

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