Choosing the right dog food for dogs with bladder stones can be quite a difficult task.

Almost all the commercial dog food manufacturers today boast that their kibble is the best of the best. Apart from this, you can also find different types of organic kibble on the market today. With this being the case, choosing the right kind of food for your dog can be quite confusing.

For a healthy dog, any AAFCO approved dog food, which is the dog food manufacturers certification group, is more than fine and recommended by most veterinarians. The thing to be aware of is that there are two levels of certification. The preferred and recommended level is “tested and found to be adequate.” Even lower cost foods found at leading national chains are fine as long as they meet his requirement. Avoid the lower level rating which states that the dog food is just “formulated to meet AAFCO standards.” If a major ingredient is listed such as beef, and the food is AAFCO certified, than you can assume the food has industry acceptable levels of the ingredient. Other descriptive phrases are often more marketing, than anything that will have a meaningful impact on your dog’s health.

Short of having a veterinary nutritionist design a diet with 40 needed nutrients in there proper balance, the AAFCO approach to food selection is fine. Of course the advantage of a home cooked meal, is that fillers, artificial ingredients and other foods you wouldn’t feed yourself, will also not be fed to your dog.

If a dog is susceptible to stone formation, then a dog food for bladder stones may need to be a prescription diet. Here there are two types. One that is formulated to help dissolve stones, which is recommended is your dog has what is called a struvite stone. The other common type, oxalate, cannot be dissolved with diet. Once the canine bladder stone problem as been resolved, there is a Prescription Diet that can help avoid future stone formation such as Hill’s Prescription Diet s/d.

If a dog’s urine is acidic, bacteria will not be able to multiply in that environment. This greatly reduces the risk of bacterial infections and bladder stones. So, the food you give your dog should not make its urine alkaline or neutral. Urine content is a function of diet, so you can see the role this plays in a dog’s health.

You should also give dogs plenty of clean water to drink. If your dog drinks lots of water, it will be able to flush out bacteria and small crystals present in its bladder by urinating frequently. This greatly reduces the risks of infections and bladder stones. Take your dog on 1 extra walk per day as well. Increased urination is the way nature cleans the urinary system.

Consider adding a berry based juice such as cranberry to your dog’s water. Berries have properties which keep bacteria from clinging to the walls of the bladder. Infection causes inflammation, which constricts the urinary passages, causes calculi to accumulate, the building blocks of bladder stones.

To lower the risks of bladder stones, you can give your dog a small amount of natural herbal supplements every day. Herbs like cantharis and berberis vulg are known for their anti inflammatory and anti immunosuppressive properties. They boost your dog’s immune system, strengthen its urinary bladder, and support urogenital health. So, a small dose of these supplements can make a big difference to your dog’s health in the long run.

By giving the right kind of dog food for bladder stones, you can not only treat bladder stones effectively, but can also prevent them. So, feed a dog right and he or she will be healthy and active for a long time

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Dogs in northern climates need their warm winter coats when the temperatures drop to the freezing mark and below. The density and luster of their topcoat and undercoat makes a significant difference in how your dog will enjoy and survive the winter. A Dog’s coat is responsible for protecting him, maintaining body temperature while also serving as the outward manifestation of the dog’s inner health.

The northern breeds are going to have much more dense, rich-looking coats, thus they are inherently more capable of defending themselves from winter chill. But even if the Labrador or Husky spends a lot of time indoors in the early part of the winter they will not build the kind of topcoat and undercoat needed to stay warm during harsh weather. They need the cold to stimulate hair growth.

Domestic dog’s coats vary dramatically from their wolf ancestors. There are so many different hair textures and environmental influences that will cause coat variations. Short haired, or close-coated dogs, like Boxers or German Shorthairs are not able to keep themselves warm without help from their human friend. Wirehaired breeds are well adapted to the cold because they have a high number of “guard” hairs to protect and insulate them from cold. Longhaired dogs obviously have an advantage in inclement weather.

Taking into account the many variations of texture, layers, lengths and density of coat, a dog’s hair growth is cyclic. There are periods where it is actively growing, then a stage of transition, followed by a resting phase. The heavy periods of shedding usually occur during the spring when the heavier winter coat is not needed, and again in the fall when the shorter summer hair must be replaced with the thicker, warmer winter coat. During the winter, the topcoat and most of the soft undercoat hair is in its resting phase so that the dog is well protected. Many things can affect this natural cycle of hair growth, resting, and replacement such as: ambient temperature, hours of daylight, hormones, diet, breeding/genetics, stress, thyroid imbalance, and pituitary gland problems.

If your dog’s coat is looking and feeling particularly dry, patchy, thin or scruffy, please consult your holistic veterinarian to be sure there are no thyroid, pituitary, dietary or hormone issues that need conventional medical attention. If your dog’s coat seems to lack the luster you want to see in him, or the density that will protect him, or you just want to give him a winter “tune-up,” use the acupressure treatment below.

To improve the overall well-being and health of your dog, stimulate the following acupoints:

- GV 14

- LI 11

- LI 4

- St 36

The acupressure points identified in this article will enhance your dog’s ability to protect him from cold and keep him healthy during the winter. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, winter is the time when Yang energy must be conserved and used to keep the body warm. We must pay special attention to keep the Kidney Meridian balanced so that Kidney Chi stays strong and flowing evenly during this season. The Lung Meridian controls body hair and the surface of the body, which serves to protect your dog from external pathogens such as cold, wind, and wet from entering his body. Now you can take your dog out for a brisk walk or frolic in the snow.

A WARM WINTER COAT

By Amy Snow & Nancy Zidonis

Authors of The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure

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Knowing when to take your dog to the vet and when to let him “self-regulate” is a pretty tricky business – how do you tell when he needs to see a professional? After all, it’s not as if you can rely on your dog to let you know.

Nobody likes forking out $80 for a needless visit to the vet, but then again no conscientious dog-owner can bear to contemplate their dog’s suffering, either! Frankly, it’s a bit of a quandary.

I’ve owned dogs on and off my whole life, and this is still something that I’ve never been 100% comfortable with: of course, I’d always rather be safe than sorry (a viewpoint which has resulted in many, many unnecessary trips to the vet over the years, just to set my mind at rest) … but I’ve also always wished for the kind of solid grounding in canine medical basics which would enable me to confidently decide for myself when my dog needs to see the vet – and when I can save both him and myself the hassle!

Stress-Free Dog Care

You can imagine the relief I felt when I happened across The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health (by Malcolm Fields – dog-care professional) on the Internet. It was uncanny: this guide is exactly what I was looking for. It’s complete and detailed, covering all the common health problems (both serious and not) that dogs suffer from; the overall focus is on being prepared and taking preventative action; it teaches you how to accurately self-diagnose (with the assistance of step-by-step flowcharts which tell you whether he’ll be fine by himself, whether he needs to see the vet, and how urgently the vet should be seen); and, while it’s packed with knowledge and advice from veterinarians and trained dog-care specialists, it’s easy on the eye and reader-friendly … you can actually understand what they’re trying to say!

In a nutshell, it’s detailed (but not dauntingly so), comprehensive (covering all the common ailments and illnesses), knowledgeable (while retaining a conversational, easy-to-understand tone) and it gives you the kind of introduction to canine healthcare that’ll allow you to take good care of your dog – without spending unnecessary time and effort trying to absorb the jargon of a veterinary textbook!

What’s Actually Covered?

The book deals with all the common problems and ailments suffered by dogs. It covers issues like toothache and dental trouble, ear infections, skin rashes and chafing, eye irritations, worming issues, and lameness; chronic problems like vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, asthma, breathing trouble, and liver problems; more severe issues like arthritis and cancer; and symptomatic “alerts” like hair loss, lethargy, and behavioral changes.

On top of that, you also learn how to pick up early warning signs by identifying and accurately interpreting your dog’s body language; how to groom your dog quickly and effectively; how to take good care of his teeth and gums; how to administer medicine safely and easily; and how to recognize the early warning signs of health trouble through behavioral and physical changes.

All this information is fully supplemented by full-color diagrams, photographs, and illustrations.

My Favorite Part

While it’s great to learn about canine anatomy and medical problems, the thing that I wanted to know more than anything else was: How can I tell how serious the problem is, and when do I need to take my dog to the vet?

So I was particularly happy to note the presence of the many and detailed symptom charts, which were designed especially to help owners make solid decisions about their dog’s health-care. Each chart starts from the specific symptoms of a particular ailment (you just follow the “branches” of the flowchart, depending on the symptoms that your dog has) and tells you the recommended path of treatment for each one, as well as advising whether veterinary care should be sought – and if so, how urgently. Pure genius!

Something for Nothing

In addition to the fully-illustrated, 240-page guide itself, you also get a handful of tempting freebies: specifically, four bonus books.

There’s “The Ultimate Guide to Dog First Aid”, which is an incredibly useful resource for those situations requiring an immediate response (including how to perform the canine Heimlich maneuver and doggie CPR); “180 Gourmet Recipes for Your Dog”, which really teaches you how to indulge your pooch’s taste buds; “101 Ways to Spoil Your Dog for Under $10″, detailing all kinds of luxuries-on-a-budget and activities for you and your dog to enjoy together; and “20 Super-Healthy Recipes for Your Dog” – which proves that doggie health-food is as delicious as anything else! These books have a combined value of over $80 – not a bad freebie!

The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health: Summed Up

All in all, I couldn’t be happier with this product. It’s exactly what I was looking for – and even if I hadn’t spent the last decade or so wishing for a book just like it, I think I’d still snap it up in a second: it’s that useful.

This is an information resource that every responsible dog owner should have access to. Not only does it enable you to make good decisions about the more serious health issues commonly suffered by dogs, but you learn a lot about the minor, day-to-day ailments and afflictions that almost every dog will encounter from time to time, as well as a host of useful facts on preventative care.

This comprehensive guide to dog health will help you to spot little problems before they become big ones: truly indispensable.

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It can be a frustrating experience having a sick dog with no ideas on how to make him better. Without the confidence to treat minor dog health issues, you wind up taking your pet to the vet for seemingly common health problems.

Over time, all the veterinary trips can definitely add up to a lot of money out of your pocket. There’s got to be a better way to help your dog feel better fast without losing your shirt every time. Let’s face it, these days we can all benefit from saving money wherever possible.

If you’re looking to save money on your dog’s health care, this article will definitely steer you in the right direction. Although, I’m all for conventional veterinary medicine, there are many common dog health problems you can resolve safely at home without having to shell out cash from your wallet.

Dog health problems like diarrhea, constipation, hip problems, itchy skin, fleas, sores, vomiting, broken nails, diet questions and so much more can easily be fixed once you have access to a reputable dog health book.

Dog Health Books are essentially reference guides that show you step by step how to cure your dog from common ailments like the ones mentioned above. They’re a vital tool for every dog owner to have at home.

For me, owning a dog health guide took the worry and anxiety out of a lot of the common symptoms my dog had from time to time. When my dog had bouts of diarrhea, I knew EXACTLY how to clear it up within a day. When my dog went through a period of dandruff, I found out EXACLTY what to do to give him relief as quickly as possible.

One time I went on vacation and had to put one of my dog’s in a kennel. I came back to find that he had come down with a bad case of “kennel cough”. Kennel Cough is a common sickness many kennel dogs can spread. I immediately turned to page 54 of my dog health book and learned step by step how to treat it.

So, you see, owning a Dog Health Book is more than just a preventative measure. You really do apply the tips in the manual throughout your dog’s life. I can say with certainty that I’ve added years to ALL my dog’s lives by nipping small dog health problems in the bud before they escalated into major ones that required veterinary intervention.

The most important thing is not to pick up just any old Dog Health Guide off the shelf at a bookstore. You want to find one that has step by step solutions to the most common dog ailments. You want to find one that has colorful illustrated diagram. You want one that has an acclaimed reputation.

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Dogs can’t point to where it hurts. And even though they are perfectly capable of crying when they want to, many choose to remain quiet and stoic when they are ill or in pain. For many dog owners, identifying and dealing with dog health problems is a real challenge. But it doesn’t have to be…

If a dog is bleeding profusely in the mouth, then Quieten the animal with a sedative like Diazepan, Apply cold compresses on the tongue, If the bleeding site can be located, press it with cotton dipped in ice-cold water,If the bleeding is severe, take the animal to a vet. He will give Haemostyptic Injections (Revici, Siochrome) to control the bleeding and if the blood loss is excessive, he will give I.V. fluids.

suppose if you want give medicine to a dog? here are two tips for that.

1. If you are using Pills: Open your dog mouth and drop the pill down, as far as back as you can , on top of and in the center of the tongue. Close the mouth and hold it shut while stroking the throat until your dog swallows. If it licks its nose the chances are that it has swallowed the pill.

2. If it is Liquid: Tilt the chin up at 45* and place the neck of the bottle into the cheek pouch, between the molar teeth and the cheek.Seal the lips around it with your fingers and pour in the liquid.Bottle syringes and eye-droppers can be used.

Or maybe you just want to learn more about the best friend you could have on four legs – but you want a source that doesn’t read like a canine physiology textbook?

Whatever the case may be, We have got your answer…

The Ultimate Guide to Dog Health will be a small investment for a lasting return of health and happiness for your beloved pet, who is, after all, a member of your family. When it comes to dog health care, even though there is no substitute for reliable veterinary attention, there is also no excuse for being totally unprepared, and for not doing the everyday things you can be doing to prevent the majority of problems that arise.

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