Archives for June, 2010

How To Stop Dog Vomiting

Dog vomiting is annoying and messy, and in some cases also damaging for the dog’s health. So how do we stop it? This article considers how to deal with a dog throwing up, and prevent it from happening again.

Many things can cause a dog to vomit. It may be something that they have eaten, and in that case it will probably just happen once. It your dog is vomiting repeatedly, it could be a sign of another disease. This could include distemper, allergies, parvovirus, worms, or something more serious like hepatitis or kidney disease. If you are not sure why your dog is having this problem, it would be wise to take a trip to the veterinarian’s office.

Like diarrhea, repeated dog vomiting can lead to dehydration. In some cases this can be fatal. If the vomiting continues and especially if it is accompanied by diarrhea, see the veterinarian for treatment to prevent dehydration. A small dose of Pepto Bismol works on many dogs but you should only give medications with your veterinarian’s approval.

Some dogs just seem to have a delicate digestion that makes them throw up occasionally. It is likely to happen any time they eat too much or get a little over excited after a meal. Kids often do the same thing. If your dog is like this, try feeding them a little less, with more frequent meals. Do not feed them anything but regular dog food or something very bland like plain boiled rice.

Vomiting in dogs is often caused by eating too fast. This often happens when you have more than one dog in the household. They finish their food as fast as possible so the other dogs cannot compete for it. If this is happening in your house, try feeding each dog in a different part of the house.

You can also watch out for signs that the dog is about to vomit so you can cover floors or furniture. Many dogs will salivate a lot, lick their lips and swallow excessively when they are feeling nauseous. They will then start to heave right before the stomach contents come up.

Stop dog vomiting after the first episode by keeping the dog calm. Help him to rest and relax by speaking to him calmly. Do not show any anger or fear about what he has done. In hot weather, try to keep him cool by encouraging him to stay in a cool place or switching on air conditioning. Remove all food and edible toys from his environment for a few hours, and do not exercise him. If he needs to go outside for potty, keep him on a leash, even in the backyard.

After a couple of hours you can offer ice and see if he wants to lick it. If that does not cause a problem, he will probably be ready for some water after 4-6 hours and a small portion of his regular food after 8-12 hours. This will usually prevent a recurrence of dog vomiting.

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Why Is My Dog Sneezing?

Seeing a dog sneezing can be funny when it just happens once or twice, but if your pet is starting to sneeze a lot, you may begin to wonder why. Is it just a normal part of a dog’s life, or could it be a sign of something more serious?

Like humans, when animals sneeze it is because their nasal passages are irritated or inflamed. This may be caused by something getting into the nose, like pepper, or it could be a symptom of a viral infection that is causing inflammation. If your dog also has a runny nose it is likely that he is going down with some kind of virus.

An infection of the sinuses is another possible cause of repeated sneezing. Sometimes this can be caused by a tooth infection. An abscess in the upper jaw can easily spread to the sinuses. In this situation you will probably realize that the dog is in pain and needs treatment.

More rarely, a cyst or polyp in the nose might cause a dog to sneeze. If this happens, the dog sneezing could gradually become more and more frequent and you might not even notice that your pet’s habits had changed for a while.

Of course, sometimes dog sneezing may be one symptom of a more serious problem. In this case there will usually be other symptoms too. Consult with your veterinarian as soon as possible if your pet is panting, coughing or wheezing, or appears to have breathing difficulties.

It is also a good idea to see the vet if any viral infection lasts for longer than a couple of days, or if the dog is very tired and lethargic, or is running a fever. Some viruses are more serious than others and may require treatment.

Another sign that means a trip to the vet’s office is if your pet has nosebleeds along with the sneezing. It’s not unusual to have a few drops of blood when a sneeze causes a small capillary to burst, but a flow of blood could be a sign of mites, exposure to rat poison or even a tumor in the sinuses.

Of course, a canine sneeze from time to time is usually nothing to worry about. Dogs like to poke their noses and sniff in all kinds of places, so it is not surprising if sometimes they pick up something that irritates. This could be pollen from a plant, smoke, dust or a small foreign object.

Occasionally, they will get something larger stuck in the nose. If the sneezing continues and the dog is also pawing at its nose or shaking its head, it is probably trying to dislodge something. Most times, the dog sneezing will get rid of the irritant but if the problem continues, see your vet because there may be something there that needs to be removed.

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Why Is My Dog Not Eating?

A dog not eating can be worrying. Clearly, a dog who does not want any food is not the healthiest of animals. But what is wrong? In this article we look at some of the possible causes of a dog not eating and what you should do.

Like children, dogs often lose their appetite when they are sick. This actually helps the body to recover because it can concentrate all of its resources on the illness without having to handle digestion of food at the same time. Any kind of minor bacterial or viral infection may cause this to happen.

If the dog is also coughing, it may have infectious bronchitis, also known as kennel cough. This is a very common mixture of viral and bacterial infection that is easily passed from dog to dog. The symptoms are a lot like flu in humans, including fever and lethargy or depression, but may last for up to a month.

There is no complete treatment for kennel cough and in most cases you just have to keep the dog home and let it rest. However, you might want to have it checked by a vet. Sometimes antibiotics are necessary to prevent pneumonia. As with flu in humans, kennel cough can sometimes be serious or fatal, especially in old dogs or those with impaired immune systems.

Lyme disease is a more serious infection that is passed on to dogs from ticks. A dog with Lyme disease will often have painful joints and may limp. It will probably also have a fever and bad breath. Lyme disease must be treated as soon as possible to prevent serious complications from developing.

A puppy not eating may be suffering from red or demodectic mange. This is a parasite that lives on virtually all dogs and many humans, but only causes problems in puppies up to one year old or adult dogs with depressed immunity. The skin becomes itchy, reddened or scaly and the puppy loses hair in circular patches.

Another possible cause of a dog not eating is that the dog has an abdominal obstruction. This means that they have swallowed something that is causing a blockage somewhere in the digestive system and will not pass out. It could be a bone or anything that they swallowed that is indigestible. These obstructions can cause serious problems and you should see the vet with your dog to check this out. Surgery is sometimes required to remove the obstruction.

More rarely, loss of appetite in a dog may be caused by rabies, heart disease or heartworms. Of course, these are serious conditions that will have other symptoms too.

In summary, there may be many different reasons for your dog’s loss of appetite. It would not be possible to be sure what is wrong without seeing the dog. However, you can be sure there is something. Dogs do not stop eating for no reason at all. Therefore, it is important to take your pet along to the vet’s office so that the problem can be investigated and the vet can discover the cause of the dog not eating.

Comments: 0 | Categories: Dog Health