Category: Senior Dogs

Its summertime again! While you chill out wearing shorts and sipping on a cooling drink under the AC, spare a thought for your pet.  Summer can be quite harsh for those breeds who are sensitive to heat like Pug and Boxer. They are highly prone to heat exhaustion.

Dogs do not have a sweating mechanism that humans have in order to cool their bodies. They need external help from us to help them cool down. While panting is their way of cooling themselves it is not enough.

To give special care to your pet this summer, you must be aware of the signs that tell that your dog is overheated. So, here is what you need to look out for:

• Heavy panting
• Pale or dry gums
• Continuous drooling
• Rapid breathing

How to protect your dog from getting overheated?

The scorching heat of summer can be quite exhausting especially for your pet. Ensure that you do not make them do any strenuous exercise during a hot summer’s day. They must have a shady spot outside your house where they can rest. Their water bowl must be always filled with clean and fresh water. It is also a good idea to keep water bowls in areas where your pet always frequents.

If your dog is showing signs to heat exhaustion then you must get them to drink sufficient water. A dog can also get overheated in a swimming pool. So, make sure they do not stay a long time in water and are present to avoid any mishaps during their swim.

One thing that a concerned pet parent must never do is to leave their dog unattended in a car. Even with open windows a car can get heated up. So, never leave your dog alone in the car as they can easily succumb to heat stroke leading to fatal consequences.

If you do notice signs of lethargy or exhaustion in your pet then you must take them to the vet for a swift medical intervention.

Though summer can be quite tiring for you and your pet, with the right kind of preparation and precaution you and your pet can enjoy the best of the season!

‘Help! My dog has an upset tummy. What do I feed him?’ This is one of the most common questions anxious pet parents ask the vet. Now we understand how unpleasant a stomach upset is and know what works best for us. You can do the same for your pet as well. All you have to do is to find out what caused the problem and if their condition is serious enough to seek medical help or is easily treatable at home by using simple home remedies.

If the symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea still persist after 24 hours, along with other symptoms like lethargy and poor appetite then you must take them to the vet. But if the stomach upset is due to changes in their diet or due to stress colitis, it can be easily treated at home.

Foods have properties which either warm the body, cool them or are neutral. When either of the balance goes haywire, diseases creep in. Most often gastrointestinal upsets are a result of too much heat in the body so you need to eat foods that cool you down.

Here are a few foods that you can feed your sick dog:

• Fasting – By not feeding your pet for 12 to 24 hours and giving them only water can help ease the situation. Once you allow their gastrointestinal tract to rest they will be able to efficiently receive and digest nutrients that are then given to them. But you need to ensure that your pet stays well hydrated by giving them water or ice chips frequently.
• Cooling proteins – Feeding you dog chicken when they have a tummy upset is not a good idea. Chicken is a protein that causes heat in body. Giving them lamb or goat is also not a good idea. Instead, introduce them to cooling proteins like turkey, eggs, cottage cheese, pork or tofu.
• Millet – Millet is a cooling food which is high in protein and rich in vitamins and minerals that will help to recuperate your pet’s ailing stomach.
• Potato – Potatoes are another cooling food that are bland, easy to digest and source of carbs that help to soothe upset stomachs and provide energy. You can boil, steam or bake the potatoes. Mash them well but remember to peel away the skin before serving it to your pet.
• Banana – Bananas are a cooling food that provide energy as well as strengthen the dehydrated digestive system. Bananas have pectin, a soluble fibre that binds water in the colon and coats the gastrointestinal tract. They are also rich in potassium that will help to quickly energise a dehydrated body.
• Peppermint or pudina – Pudina is a very valuable medicinal plant that soothes an upset stomach, relieves gas and eases indigestion. Pudina also has antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. Feeding them its fresh form in the form of chopped leaves will ensure their stomach recovers soon. You can feed ¼ teaspoon of pudina to small breeds, ½ teaspoon to medium size breeds and 1 teaspoon to large breeds.

You can try any of the above remedies. But if the symptoms still persist then you must take them to the vet for quicker medical intervention.

The world is made of two people – the dog lovers and the non-dog lovers. It is always the latter who pose a problem whenever they visit a dog lover’s home. Some squeal and shout when your pet leaps up to greet them. Others rudely ask you to lock them away. So, what can you do to stop your excited dog from enthusiastically greeting your house guests?

The famous dog whisperer, Cesar Millan, feels that dogs jump on people to state that they are the pack leader and are in charge of you. Here is what you need to do to curb this hyper dog behaviour problem:

• Firmly establish the fact that you are the pack leader – When a dog is uncertain of their pack leader they will instinctively try to fill the role which unfortunately leads to undesirable results. Nervous and agitated handling never works. So, a good pack leader will control their pet calmly and assertively.
• Do not overly show affection to your pet as soon as you come home – Excitedly greeting members of your family when you come home works well only for humans and not for dogs. The nicest thing you can do for your dog is to treat them like a dog and communicate in a way they understand that you are excited to be back with them. A gentle pat and a few treats will definitely be well received.
• Correct the jumping behaviour problem in your dog – A dog’s natural mother is the ultimate pack leader and will not tolerate bad behaviour in her pup. If she does not like what they are doing she will stop it by moving the pup out of the way calmly and assertively. Hence, the puppy will learn from its mistake and the mother’s strong leadership skills balances the pup’s submissive role in the group.
• When you have house guests, ask your pet to sit patiently – Once your pet respects you as their pack leader they will automatically follow your commands. So, remember to always be confident, calm and assertive while handling your pet. When you have guests dropping by at your place ask them to sit quietly and reward them when they do so.
• Leadership is a long-term commitment – You cannot be strict one moment and lenient at the next. Leadership is lifelong. Any inconsistencies will always lead to anxiety in your pet and will encourage a hyper dog behaviour. Keep in mind that animal pack leaders never give up their role so you must do the same!

You can always contact a behaviourist or a trainer for further professional guidance.

Dog lovers living amongst people who are allergic to dogs is often very difficult. You may think that bringing home a hypoallergenic dog is the answer to your problem. But according to a report by American researchers, they may be no such thing as a low allergy or allergy free dog. It was found that there was not much of a difference in the quantity of dog allergens found in the homes of hypoallergenic dogs and in those that are considered non-hypoallergenic.

It is not clear how certain breeds classify as hypoallergenic breeds. Various breeds, especially those that shed less hair have made it to the list of hypoallergenic candidates by the American Kennel Club, that includes Poodles, soft coated Terriers and Schnauzers.

Christine Cole Johnson, the author of the study published online in the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy states that the concept of the hypoallergenic dog has been around for a very long time and people usually associate them with hair shedding. Johnson thinks the idea of a hypoallergenic dog is just a legend.

There are breeds that shed less hair and dander as compared with others. But according to the study, it does not make much of a difference to people allergic to dogs.

This particular study aimed to find whether the breeds classified under hypoallergenic are actually shedding less of the major dog allergen, known as the Canis familiaris 1 or Can F1. The scientists collected dust samples from 173 single dog houses and discovered that 163 of them produced quite a significant level of Can F1.

To sum it all, there is no conclusive evidence that suggests that certain breeds produce less allergen than others. Allergists suggests that it is the individual dog who have a few variations in their genetics and behaviour that produce more allergens than others. A breed classification cannot accurately predict the susceptibility to allergy.

Charlie Brown is so right when he said, ‘My dog is my everything’. Yes, they are your playmate, friend, confidante and partner in crime. Literally everything! Most people will probably get offended if you call their dog as a dog. They will heatedly state – don’t call him a dog, he has a name and he is my baby!

While we proudly say that our dog is our child do they reciprocally see us as their parents or caregivers? To solve this dilemma a team of Austrian researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna conducted a study to learn more about dog behaviour especially of adult dogs and observe the way they respond to their owners.

They used a theory called the ‘secure base effect’ which is basically a theory that children function better around their environment when they are secure in the presence of their parents. This security that they feel under their parents influence help them in cognitive functioning and help them to perform better in their daily activities.

To discover if dogs also show similar behaviour with their caregivers, the researchers queued up a set of situations for the dogs. They analysed the dog’s reactions in the basis of three conditions; absent owner, encouraging owner and silent owner.

By tackling interactive toys, the dogs would earn food reward. It was observed that the dogs seemed less inclined to work for their food when their caregivers were absent than when they were present. Another interesting fact to note was that irrespective of their owners encouraging them during their work or whether they remained passive had least influence on their level of motivation. They were secure with the knowledge that their owners were around when they were busy trying to solve the puzzle to get to the food treat.

To further determine if it was the owner’s presence or just the presence of any other human increased the dog’s motivation, the researchers did a follow-up study but this time around with strangers. They observed that the dogs were not interested in interacting with the strangers and were motivated to work for their food reward only when their owners were present rather than strangers.

The findings of the research points to the fact that dogs need the presence of their owners for them to behave confidently around their environment. So, there is not much of difference between dogs and children isn’t it? Both derive comfort and security in the knowledge that their parents presence is enough for them to explore their environment in a confident manner!

Are you fed up of finding stale food hidden under your sofa? Has your pet been standing on guard over toys they have buried under the carpet? Well, your dog is definitely a hoarder! Hoarding is basically a behaviour that comes instinctively to dogs despite them being domesticated and living with humans. It becomes a problem when this instinctual behaviour collides with the modern lifestyle enjoyed by humans.

It is a different matter in the wild. Animals need to fend for themselves and there is no guarantee of the easy availability of food every day. On days that are very good for hunting, there is always surplus food and it makes sense to store some of it for those days where hunting is impossible. So, digging a hole and burying the leftovers comes naturally to dogs.

This behaviour can cause problems in modern homes. Most pet parents feed their dog well and at regular intervals. But you need to understand that dogs live for the moment and have no concept of future. So, they will not understand that they will receive a bowl of food each and every day. This is why they just grab the remaining bite of food and hide it.

Unfortunately, this creates another problem as it makes your home dirty and foul smelling. It will also invite all kinds of creepy crawlies to have a feast with all the stale leftovers. So, it is better to nip this problem at the bud before it gets worse.

Hoarding of toys can promote aggression in dogs especially when they stand guard over them. To stop this, you need to find the hidden toys and keep them out of their reach. Give them just one or two toys to play with. Once they know that they have no extra toys to play with they will automatically stop hiding them as then they will not have anything to play with.

For dogs that hoard food you need to take swift action and create a routine around their mealtime. Exercise them by playing with them or take them for a long walk which will tire them and make them work for their meal.

When you both come home hungry and tired, start preparing their meal. Make your pet sit in front of you and then place the food bowl. Do not place the bowl down until they sit obediently and calmly. As soon as they stop eating and walk away from their bowl, it means their mealtime is over. Take their bowl away and do not feed your pet again without repeating the same routine.

Once you clear their bowl they cannot come back for more food for them to put away for a rainy day! So, they will have enough food to meet their daily needs without them resorting to the need to store more for the next mealtime.

We have come across several dog parents who, for one reason or the other, strongly believe that their dogs really love to have their food. They mean human food for dogs. Some even go to the extent of overfeeding their dogs with the foods you and me eat, at their own peril. But do dogs really want your food?

Dogs recognise and respond to human social signals to conclude that your food is more desirable than theirs, Scientific American cites a recent study. “Researchers let pet dogs choose between two plates, one with a single piece of food and the other with six pieces. Unsurprisingly, the animals generally went for the larger portion. But when a human being showed a clear liking for the smaller plate, the canines likewise went for the skimpier choice. The dogs apparently recognised and responded to the humans’ social cues.”

This doesn’t mean that dogs will follow everything we do, when it comes to food, at least. “And not all cues were equally effective. When the human approached but did not touch the smaller portion, dogs ignored the attention-drawing gesture,” concluded the study.

Here is the explanation: many of the foods, such as fruits and vegetables, that we humans eat and easily digest just fine can actually have adverse effects on a dog’s body, leading to severe health problems. Some of the foods that humans consume, however, can be introduced to a dog’s diet just fine, and even provide health benefits such as joint strength, better breath, and allergy immunity, reckons American Kennel Club (AKC).

Here are the human foods that your dog can or can’t have:

Ok, fine *

• Bread
• Cashew
• Cheese
• Coconut
• Corn
• Egg
• Fish
• Ham
• Honey
• Milk
• Peanut Butter
• Peanuts (Unlike Almonds!)
• Popcorn (!!)
• Pork
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Salmon
• Shrimp
• Tuna
• Turkey
• Wheat / Grains
• Yoghurt (Different from curd)

Now comes the most important part: which human food that your dog should be kept away from.

Strict No-no

• Almonds
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Garlic
• Ice-Cream
• Macadamia Nuts (Highly poisonous to dogs)

* (All in small amounts, unless explicitly specified otherwise. Do consult your vet for further advice on what suits your dog best)

Sunlight not only keeps us warm but also keeps us healthy. Dogs are greatly benefited by exposure to sunlight as they get their daily dose of vitamin D and also to regulate the biorhythms of their body.

Dogs need to soak up raw sunlight as it has the natural spectrum of light from the infrared (IR) to the ultra-violet (UV). There are two types of UV lights of different wavelengths – UVA and UVB. UVA is not present in sunrise and gets stronger during the middle of the day and late afternoon sunlight. UVB is stronger in the middle of the day.

When does your dog need sunlight?

Your dog will get maximum benefits by sunbathing during the early sunrise light, in the middle of the day or late afternoon and during sunset. Dogs and other mammals naturally evolved by living outdoors and being exposed to sunlight all day. So, your dog not only requires sunlight daily but also needs to be exposed to the different levels of raw sunlight throughout the day to be healthy.

Sunlight that falls on your dog’s skin and gets absorbed by their eyes help to improve their metabolic functions. Especially the sunlight that hits the back of their eye in their retina and in their skin during early morning has a positive impact in regulating and controlling your pet’s circadian rhythm.

Melatonin, the sleep regulating hormone, is vital for functioning of the body’s circadian rhythm. The levels of melatonin increase during late afternoon and evening as a result of red light and darkness settling outside that makes your dog fall asleep.

Sunlight affects circadian rhythm

A healthy circadian rhythm ensures that your pet has normal brain functions, hormone production, cell regeneration and other biochemical activities throughout the day and night. A fall back or a disruption to their circadian rhythm over a period of time can lead to the onset of chronic diseases in your pet. An important thing to note is that the rhythm is very sensitive to light and is easily disturbed by the exposure to artificial light.

The early morning sunlight has no UV light, there is a distribution of blue, green and red light. So, you wake up in the morning and your energy is high and you perform your daily activities. The presence of the blue light supresses the melatonin which makes you feel active.

During the middle of there is a distribution of the full spectrum, right from the infrared to the highest level of ultra violet rays. In the evening, the light turns to red and infrared without the presence of blue. So, what you must understand is that mammals are photosensitive not only to the absence or presence of light but also to all the colours that they are exposed to everyday through light which reaches their skin or eyes.

Here are a few steps that you need to follow to ensure your pet gets exposed to healthy light everyday:

• Avoid watching TV or using mobile phones in the presence of your dog, particularly two or three hours before their bedtime. Too much exposure to artificial lights will upset their circadian rhythm.
• Make sure that the room your dog uses to sleep has dim red lights that you can switch on for them during evenings. Red lights have the least damaging impact on melatonin.
• Make sure your pet is exposed to different levels of raw sunlight throughout the day. A 30 to 60-minute exposure to sunlight throughout morning, late afternoon and evening and a minimum of 15 to 30 minutes of exposure to sunlight during the middle of the day.

You can always contact your vet for their professional advice.                    

As pet parents there are multiple things that you probably share with your pet apart from love and affection. It could be a favourite couch, bed, blanket or a snack. But the most abhorrent thing we all share with our pets are germs and infection. Your canine buddy can transmit a wide range of diseases to you in a process known as zoonosis.

With the rapid spread of animal related diseases like bird flu and swine flu, we are well aware of the seriousness of such conditions. But did you know that your pet can also fall prey to diseases passed on from you? Yes, we can make our dogs sick as well!

So, here are a few diseases you can pass on to your pet and some that you cannot.

Mumps

Mumps is a contagious viral disease in humans. Its symptoms include muscle pain, lethargy, headache, fever and a painful swelling of the salivary glands at the sides of the face. Mumps can occur at any age but can be controlled by vaccination.

Though very rare, dogs can get sick right after being exposed to an infected person. They may have fever, poor appetite and swelling of salivary glands below their ears. Take your pet to the vet immediately if you notice the above symptoms in your pet. Dogs may take at least five to ten days to recover from a mumps related infection.

Ringworm

Ringworm is a skin infection that affects not only humans but also our pets. Ringworm in not caused as a result of a parasite or a worm but is a fungal infection. Ringworms in humans usually causes itchiness and round rashes. In dogs, it may cause round patches of hair loss that may or may not cause itchiness. Ringworm can be passed on through direct contact with an infected person or through contaminated objects like brushes or towels.

Your vet will probably put your pet on antifungal medications once they are diagnosed with ringworms. So, it is best that you cover the infected area of skin to protect your pet from succumbing to the infection.

Salmonella

Salmonella is usually the culprit for food poisoning. It causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headaches and stomach cramps in dogs and humans. But dogs are more resistant to the disease as opposed to humans. It is always better to practice safe precautions if any family member is afflicted with this condition.

So, practice good hygiene to protect your pet from the disease. Ensure you keep the bathroom doors locked and dustbins away from your pet’s reach.

Common cold and flu

Humans and dogs are capable of getting symptoms of cold and flu but the chances of humans passing it on to their pets is relatively slim. Colds in both dogs and humans recede and go away on their own but if the symptoms turn worse then it needs swift medical treatment.

Flu cannot be passed from humans to animals but they can get slight symptoms which is very rare infact. So, if you feel miserable that you need to keep your distance from other members of your family, be happy that you can still cuddle your furry buddy! You probably can do the same for them as well when they are unwell.