| Caring for older dogs
How old is old? The average lifespan of a dog has increased from seven years in the 1930s to about twelve years today. Many dogs will still be frisky when they're ten, while others only want to lie by the fire at the same age.
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| Defining parvovirus
Parvovirus (PAR-vo-vie-rus) is a fairly new disease, first appearing in 1977, but it's deadly. It usually occurs in younger dogs, since the virus thrives in rapidly-dividing cells.
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| Distemper data
Distemper is a very serious disease caused by a virus. The first symptoms are those of a bad cold: coughing, sneezing, runny nose and eyes. In about half the cases, the disease then travels to the brain, where it can cause seizures and other problems with the nervous systems.
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| Exercise for your dog
One of the joys of owning a dog is the opportunity to play with it. And one of the advantages of playing with your dog is that it's great exercise. Regular exercise is an important part of maintaining your pet's health.
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| First aid for your dogs
The most important thing to remember about first aid is that it's only FIRST aid. The dog still needs to be rushed to the vet as quickly as possible.
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| Grooming your dog
If you enjoy brushing your dog as much as dogs love being brushed, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. As a rule of thumb, the longer the dog's hair, the more time you can expect to spend on grooming.
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| How to housebreak
The key to housebreaking a dog is to remember that a dog is eager to please you. When he does his business in the right place at the right time, be sure to praise him.
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| Identifying your dog's skin problem
Scratching is just one of those things that dogs naturally do. Scratching a lot, to the point where the skin becomes inflamed or even bleeds, indicates a medical problem.
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| If your dog has worms
There are lots of different types of worms that like to live in dogs. Some of them are annoying but not dangerous, but one can be deadly. Most puppies have roundworms at some point in their lives.
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| My dog has fleas
If anything good can be said about fleas, it's that they're really good jumpers. If a six-foot tall athlete had a flea's jumping ability, he could leap the length of two football fields.
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| Selecting a dog
Choosing a dog is pretty much a matter of what you want in one. Do you want companionship? Something for the kids to play with? Do you want a working dog, or one for hunting or ranching? Maybe you just want the comfortable feeling of companionship and unconditional love.
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| Should I call the vet?
Assuming that your dog is in good health, an annual checkup and vaccination is generally all that's needed to keep him healthy. Still, there are emergency situations when your pet will need immediate attention.
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| Spaying or neutering your dog
Each year, millions of healthy, friendly puppies are put to sleep because there's simply no one to care for them. If you're an animal lover, that in itself should be enough to make you do your part to prevent pet overpopulation.
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| Taking care of your dog's teeth
In the wild, dogs do a lot of gnawing on raw bones, which serve both to remove tartar and massage the gums. If you feed your dog that delicious canned food he loves so much, you may be contributing to dental problems.
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| Training your dog
It may be cute when your friendly puppy jumps up on you, but you won't like the behavior quite as much when he weighs fifty pounds or more. The time to start training is right away.
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| Traveling with your dog
The safest way to take your dog on a long trip is in a crate, or pet carrier. The enclosed space soothes the dog's natural instincts for a small, safe, den.
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| What about rabies?
Rules and regulations concerning rabies are very strict for one reason: it is a horrible, deadly disease. The cause is a virus that can be carried by any warm-blooded animal.
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| What shots does my dog need?
Here's an important word regarding shots: multivalent (mull-tee-VAY-lent). It means bundling up a lot of different vaccinations into a single shot. After all, nobody really likes getting shots, and your dog is no different.
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| Your dog's eyes and ears
Dogs are susceptible to many of the same eye diseases and conditions as humans. For the most part, if your dog gets a good diet and plenty of exercise it won't have any problems.
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