Chew treats. You’ve probably given dozens of them to your dog and they love them. They clean their teeth and keep them occupied for hours. Its a perfectly harmless canine treat right? Wrong. Chew treats can harm or even kill your dog. If you are concerned about your dogs health read on.
Why are chew treats dangerous?
The two most popular kind of edible chew treats are those made of rawhide and those made from compressed vegetable protein. When your dog chews these treats, they may swallow large pieces of them. These pieces of chew treat cannot be digested by your pet and they can become lodged in their intestines. Intestinal blockages can kill your dog in hours. They can cause a condition called intestinal strangulation which is when blood flow is cut off to the intestines. The intestinal tissue then begins to die and rot.
How do I know if my dog has a blockage?
If your dog has a blockage, you may see some of the following symptoms. They may vomit, refuse to eat, regurgitate food, have diarrhea or abdominal pain. If your dog has any of these symptoms, you should consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. If they get a blockage, it will not clear itself. They will require surgery.
Should I stop giving my dog chew treats?
You do not have to stop giving your dog chew treats altogether. You should however monitor the use of these treats. When you can not be around your pet, take the treats away. When your dog has worn the treats down into small pieces, replace them.
Remember, as a pet owner it is your responsibility to look after your dog’s health. We all love out pets and it would be a shame to lose them over something as simple as a chew treat. So keep a watchful eye on your pet and help them live a long and happy life.
For more information visit the Dog Boarding Directory.
Tags: chew toys, chew treats, dogs, pet health, pets
Knowing how to treat dog worms is very important and is essential to the proper care of your pet. Treatment for worms should begin with heartworms as some medicines and herbal remedies for treating heartworm are also effective for hookworms, roundworms and whipworms. The only untreated worm left would be the tapeworm.
Some of the traditional medicines are Heartgard Plus, Interceptor, and ProHeart. Heartgard Plus has a combination therapy of ivermectin and pyrantel pamoate, two powerful dewormers that are usually used as stand-alone treatments for specific worms.
There is something important to consider for those who want to know how to treat dog worms: not one wormer will kill all worms.
Roundworms can be treated with pyrantel pamoate suspension (or Nemex) or Ivermectin.
Drontal Plus, Vercom Paste, and Panacur kill roundworms, and also kill hookworms and whipworms. Drontal and Vercom kill tapeworms, but Drontal cannot be given to dogs or puppies that weigh less than two pounds or are under three weeks of age. Vercom and Panacur need to be given three days in a row for full effectiveness, then repeated in two to four weeks. A stool sample needs to be taken to ensure the worms are gone.
Natural Treatments
There are certain foods that help such as
Grapefruit seeds are a natural for killing, weakening and repelling parasites. Grind up seeds from fresh grapefruits, oranges, lemons, limes, or any other citrus fruit and add to food.
Cayenne pepper is hated by parasites so adding a half capsule per 50 lbs of body weight to food daily. This can be stepped up to a half capsule per 25 lbs of body weight twice a day for one week for faster results.
Another herbal method for treating dog worms is to grind up a bunch of fresh parsley in a quarter cup of water and cook for three minutes. Strain and freeze in ice cube trays and add 1 teaspoon per 10 lbs of body weight once a day. Keep the rest in the freezer and use as needed.
Additional methods that are nutrition-based treatments
Add finely grated, raw sources of Vitamin A, such as carrots, beet greens, collard greens, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, to your dog’s diet for two to three days and then repeat every six to seven weeks Vitamins and minerals from these nutritional sources are essential to cleansing the digestive tract of roundworms.
Try grinding up pumpkin seeds and add a quarter teaspoon for each 10 - 15 lbs. of body weight daily. Do this for two weeks and then add wheat bran to the dog’s diet; soak the bran in water and add an eighth teaspoon per 10 lbs. of body weight to larger animals and just a pinch for smaller ones.
The most important thing to keep in mind when treating dog worms is to opt for methods that remove the worms safely and effectively, while maintaining your dog’s health. To learn more about natural and herbal remedies that eliminate dog parasites and worms such as Tape Worm, Heartworm and Roundworm, visit: how to treat dog worms
Pat Welch is an editor at herbal-alternative-remedies.com
For information on other natural and herbal treatments for dog worms visit: how to treat dog worms
To learn about herbal remedies for pets visit http://www.herbal-alternative-remedies.com
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Tags: cleanse parasites on dogs, deworming, dog worms, heartworms, parasites, pet health, tape wormsPet insurance is not a new concept; people have been doing it for years and saving money on health care of their pets. For some people it seems like an unnecessary expense, but it is not a wise decision to go without pet insurance. As you would never think of going without insurance of your family members, then why you should not insure your pet?
Pet insurance can vary greatly and you should choose one very carefully for your pet. Most insurance plans cover expenses like routine care and annual checkups. But some of them only cover injury or sickness. If you can handle general problems, fine then it will be better for you to consider a pet insurance that caters with serious conditions. Others only cover sickness or injury. Emergency coverage is also there but for other coverage you will have to wait for one month or so.
Coverage and costs of a pet insurance depend on pet’s age, size and breed. Good health of your pet will be a positive point when acquiring pet insurance.
Here are some reasons why you should buy a pet insurance.
1) An average of seventy five percent family pets visit veterinary clinic every year for treatment.
2) Forty percent of all vet fees come from unforeseen illnesses or accidents.
3) Only 20% of family pets are covered by pet insurance.
4) The average vet bill for attention and care needed following a road accident involving a cat or dog last year was around $1000 to $1,500.
Of course, the statistics is scary. It will seem scarier when you will come to know that only a monthly payment of $40 to $80 can do it all for you.
Some pet insurances to choose from:
Pet Accident Insurance
This pet insurance gives coverage to your pet against any accidents. But some companies do not cover the incidence of poisoning your pet, so before choosing read the fine print to clear all major and minor points.
Pet Accident and Illness Insurance
In this case you will get full coverage insurance. Your insurance company will pay you all the costs and expenses incurred in case of your pet having suffered any accident or illness.
Some important points to be consider while choosing a pet insurance:
1) Before going to apply for a pet insurance you should make a search for the best one. A simple search on Google for “pet insurance’ will give you many results. There is a long list of pet insurance companies, so compare them and choose wisely.
2) Often insurance companies start insuring pet from the age of six months but some does not give coverage to your pet if he or she is more than of eight years. Therefore search the most suitable insurance for your pet.
3) Some options are always there, when it comes to healthcare. If you do not want to take an expensive policy then you can search for discounts. Your discussion with a vet will give proper information about all discounts available.
Tyson J Stevenson writes on a wide variety of “every day” subjects,
most often with valuable news & reviews. Expect to see his name often.
A related resource is Affordable Pet Insurance
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Tag: pet insurance