robee.info

If you have a puppy or a grown-up dog which you had purchased from the pet shop and it has bouts of constant coughing at regular times. It is highly possible that the new pet is suffering from the kennel cough.

The symptoms of kennel cough shall be bouts of severe persistent coughing which can end up in vomiting. You might feel that these coughing spasms are too much for your dog to bear, but the fact is that the dog is not affected much by the kennel cough. It shall seem to have enough energy and might look alert and cheerful even after an intense coughing attack.

The Kennel cough is known to be very contagious and is considered to be a mixture of various mycoplasma, viruses and bacteria. Its medical term is “infectious tracheobronchitis”. Here, the respiratory system malfunction and is common among the dogs that have been holed up at the pet shops with other pets and dogs. Thus, if you see the signs of intense coughing bouts, you should consider the possibility of the dog having contracted kennel cough.

The most common sign of the dog having kennel cough is when it coughs in a dry manner and a rough rumbling sounding cough which seems to come from the windpipe. Your dog might choke or retch in order to clear its air pipes.

The Kennel Cough is almost like the ours common cold which we suffer from time to time and can last between five to ten days. The dog might get relief from the kennel cough after a period of 5-10 days which can always return to infect your dog again just as humans get common cold again and again.

There a few things you can do to aid your dog while it is suffering. Just as we visit a doctor when unwell, you need to take the dog to the veterinarian whenever it begins to cough constantly. The veterinarian shall examine the dog, check out the extent and seriousness of the symptoms and give you guidance and solutions to assist your dog out.

The veterinarian might advise the use of cough suppressants as a remedy and can also administer antibiotics according to severity of the coughing. At times, kennel cough can be an indicator of a more serious health problem, for instance pneumonia which itself is painful and can be fatal. Pneumonia is a condition caused whenever the bacteria enter the air sacs of the dog (or human).

You can make use of preventive measures so that your dog does not fall prey to Kennel Cough. Whenever, the dog needs to be kept in a kennel for sometime, it is recommended to give intranasal vaccines which are more effective and provide better immunity than the vaccines given through injections. It is so as the intranasal vaccines actually stimulate the airways (both upper and lower ones) and help the airways develop immunity. The next time, you notice your dog having a bad cough, suspect kennel cough to be the cause of its cough.

Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - check for current specials on chew toys online.

Social ranking, superiority and inferiority, domination and submission are common traits of human race. However, they do exist in animals and birds too. It is a common sight to see some dogs/wolves leading in a pack with others following meekly with their tails in-between their legs. It does make one wonder why do the meek animals accept the aggression so meekly.

It is simply an instinctive and evolutionary way of survival. The meek do so for their benefit. They know when they are in no position to go against the powerful, stronger and confident members of the group; the better option is to play along with the pack. They accept what they need to, for the sake of survival even if it means to be bullied and pushed around.

It isn’t that they can’t fight nor are cowards. They do have feelings and self-respect and the thought of being sub-ordinate doesn’t appeal to them. However, they know that either they submit or get involved in violence and be killed. It doesn’t make sense to go against the mighty, if you aren’t ready. Hence, in reality the meek are simply waiting for their time; to come up to that position wherein they can challenge the dominating members.

If each were to fight, then packs shall not exist and the wolves/dogs shall not survive. Staying together in a pack is essential for their survival. Hence, the inferior ones accept the social ranking for peace and survival, and for their own benefits. Social ranking works for the meek. However, it doesn’t mean that they are cowards or peaceful creatures. They are being wise and know that the time isn’t ripe for them to rise against the mighty.

Hence, the meek coexists with the mighty in packs, forever alert to signs of aggressions or violence which they quickly diffuse and submit to the domineering demands so that they can stay on with the pack. They have the insight, strength, and capacity to neglect their own driving force to rise against the mighty. They shall rise only when the time is ripe and it is advantageous for them. Till then, they shall keep their heads down and put their tails in-between the legs. ? It is better to stay with the pack than starve.

Hence, you can see the power of the submission strategy as compared to aggression especially when it isn’t in your benefits. They say either have the strength and courage to change what you can or have the serenity and wisdom to accept what you can’t. This is exactly what the inferior wolves/dogs do. They have understood the means and rules of survival.

Moreover, it also explains why not all animals are pets? One prefers a dog to a raccoon, just because, dogs have mastered the art and skill of submission. They carefully nurtured and practiced it, and passed this on for generations.

Learn more of your dog forefathers from the Humane Society, or refer to books, articles and documentaries at libraries and/or internet.

Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - check for current specials on chew toys online.

Around the 13th and 14th centuries, the breed Vizsla is considered to have come in Central Europe. It is Hungary’s national dog. They are hunting dogs. They have been used by the hunters to hunt birds.

The height of the breed from the shoulder varies from twenty-one inches to a maximum of twenty-four inches. Their weight varies from forty-five pounds to sixty pounds. They have a short coat which is suitable for warmer climates such as Southern Hungary. Their coat needs brushing regularly due to the frequent shedding of the hair and is of a bright rust color. It lacks an undercoat and should not be left for long in a kennel or left outside to avoid catching a cold. Lacking an undercoat has an advantage of not likely to cause the dog allergies to which many people are prone to. They are self-cleaners and require to five to six times bathing yearly. Hence, they do not have the dog smell.

They make excellent pets as they are happy, playful, loyal, affectionate, caring, and devoted animals, and like to be close physically to humans. Hence, Hungarian Vizsla is considered as a Velcro. Being clean and not able to cause allergies, they are acceptable to those against the idea of keeping a dog for a pet. They are a quiet breed and bark only when provoked. Moreover, they are active, alert, attentive and very energetic. They are always ready to hunt.

Hungarian Vizsla personality is a cross between the Pointer and the Spaniel. Hence, they are sensitive and stubborn which makes training them a challenge. While training them, you need to be careful not to be harsh and yet be firm or else it shall get turned off and refuse to be trained. Besides that, it has a strong scent by which it is easily distracted if it ever catches a scent and will not respond to the training session. Moreover, it needs to be given socialization training for it is a shy animal and gets scared on meeting anyone new.

Being shy animals, they can be at times tough to house train. They need to be potty trained firmly, yet not harshly. They are shy and do not do anything purposely and need to be given time to learn. They are hyperactive due their abundance energy. Hence, they need obedience training via the command Come as early as possible which shall help to keep them under control or else it can become restless and destructive. This training shall be tough and time-consuming, one should be patient, firm and not harsh or else it will never learn. Besides that, exercise is mandatory for them. It requires an enclosed or fenced area for its activities to prevent unintentional injuries or destruction.

Their diet should have five cupfuls of wholesome dog food (dry). It can also be of one and half to maximum two and half cans of good quality meat with equal parts of biscuits added. Good diet leads to healthier pets and every household deserves to have that.

Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - check for current specials on chew toys online.

The descent of both the Shar Pei and the Chow Chow is supposed to be the same, because they both have black-blue tongue. They are also famous for their wrinkles. If you take the history of these dogs, it is said that, these dogs were used as guards in Chinese empires and after that they were used to fight. Because of this fighting character they were popularly called as Chinese Fighting Dogs. Shar Pei means Sand Skin, because their coat is very rough and short. The Shar Pei puppy looks very cute with a lot wrinkles on it, but when they begin to grow, the wrinkles smoothen out and become skin.

Their ears are small and have a very unique triangular shape. They have a feature which looks just like a hippo. Their weight is around 40 to 45 pounds and their height is around 18 to 20 inches. You will find the Shar Pei in different types of coats; they have the horse, brush and the bear coat. The proximate coat to the maiden Shar Pei coat is the horse coat, because it is very thorny and rough. Do not try petting this dog in the opposite direction of the fur, because you will get yourself hurt. But, if the dog has the brush coat, then nothing to worry, because its texture would be very soft and smooth, the length of the hair is also a bit longer. Just regular brushing will do for these kinds of dogs. And they have a wide variety of colors like the chocolate, cream, black, reddish brown and cream.

Again their wrinkle pattern differs, and they are of two kinds. One kind is where the wrinkles appear only on the face of the dog and not on the body. The skin is pretty tight on the body. Whereas the other kind has wrinkles all over the body, even when they become adults it remains. It looks very good, when the wrinkles falls as folds on their body.

The food to be given to this breed is usually 1.5 cups of meat or around 3 cups of dog food, which is available at pet stores. But when you buy them, make sure that the food contains all the necessary minerals and vitamins in them.

Good training has to be provided to this breed of dogs, as they become very furtive when it comes to strangers. Over the years, this breed has proved to be very dedicated and affectionate family dog. Even though they are considered to be very self-governing sometimes they stay aloof. These dogs have to be trained from the time they are puppies, if this is not done at the right time, they can become very restricted and hostile. By nature these dogs are perfect watch dogs. They will keep a watch on the strangers, when their masters are not around and act as excellent protectors of the family.

While training is provided to these dogs, you should make sure they are not spoiled. This breed of dogs, tend to get bored very easily, therefore, the trainer has to try different techniques to teach the dog.

Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - check for current specials on chew toys online.

Britain truly is a nation of animal lovers, spending in excess of £520 million each year on new pets, and shelling out billions for their upkeep. We all love the zoo-oriented shows on television, but how many of us are willing to take the extra step of volunteering with animals and helping them in their own environments?

Home and Away

It’s encouraging that about a quarter of cats that become pets in Britain now come from rescue centres. Working with animals that have been abused or abandoned can be difficult: they will be anxious, and you have to feed them, settle them into the new environment of your home, and nurture them back to confidence. It can be a trying time for the pet and owner alike – and messy too. Now from that little kitten scale things up to the size of a lion cub. This is the kind of task that goes on in the African version of animal rescue centres.

The Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre in South Africa opens its gates not just to sick and injured wildlife, but also to a host of volunteers from abroad keen to work with the animals there. This is the kind of place where you might find yourself helping to bottle feed an orphaned lion cub. A growing number of graduates and young professionals are coming here for volunteer placements, exchanging the grind of working life for the rewards of wildlife.

Working with animals

Moholoholo is one of many opportunities to get ‘hands on’. There are a number of holiday packages and long-term volunteering opportunities out there. Game reserves will take in volunteers to help with park maintenance. This could include checking the electric fences and clearing trails, as well as monitoring animal migrations. Wildlife capture & care is an exciting concept, conjuring images of the kind of work with animals where you are chasing after them in jeep, or trying to track them at a distance.

There are similar projects in India and Sri Lanka too, and volunteering with animals is not restricted to the countryside either. In Jaipur, the Animal Rescue and Care project seeks out mistreated animals in the busy city, and tries to promote community awareness of their plight. The beauty of all the projects is that most require no veterinary experience, only a motivation to work with animals and make a difference.

It’s no wonder that these wildlife conservation projects are becoming more popular. Since the early years of ‘Save the Whale’, the concept of nature conservation has risen dramatically in our society’s consciousness. Animal charities have always earned a generous bite of our annual donations, but as concerns about global warming spread, so does the awareness of the animals that depend on endangered habitat. Not long ago you were unlikely to hear of the phrase “endangered habitat” unless it came from the mouth of David Attenborough. Now anyone with a few weeks to spare can emulate Attenborough by volunteering to work with animals up close for a rewarding and life-changing experience abroad.

Mark Bottell is the General Manager for Worldwide Experience, an online tour operator offering extended breaks working with animals, and gap years for grown-ups.

You might have noticed that whenever dogs meet; they seem to study each other gestures, signs or body language before doing any action. If you observe, you might be able to recognize and distinguish the friendly and hostile meetings. Their body language speaks a lot and is their way of communicating their feelings or social standing. In fact, it shall be seen that these behavioral patterns have passed on through generations and have helped in avoiding a lot of unpleasant situations. They have learnt the art of communication through heir bodies. It seems that they exhibit similar actions to human beings, as they growl or bare teeth if they don’t know someone, while they shall jump and lick all over, wag their tail furiously if they like someone.

Among the wolf subspecies, is the dog. Through out the history of humans, to be more precise on the basis of scientific evidence and DNA, since 15,000 years, dogs have been a popular, common domesticated pet and companion. Around 400 million dogs of varying breeds (can be hundreds) are present today. The dogs and wolves bark to warn others of any danger or intruders. They also have similar behavioral characteristics. They display various emotions using their bodies like anger (baring their teeth), superiority (walking erect), or fear (whining), or surrender (pawning).

Over the time, dogs/wolves learnt by experience that visual signals or actions could convey a lot such as baring teeth and fangs can avoid a fight if the other dog/wolf does not wish to. They can avoid the stronger ones and seek out the weaker ones for fighting as the meek ones cringe and avoid direct gaze in their presence. Earlier, these signs were accidental and were slowly used to communicate effectively. Gradually, they become a part and parcel of the communication through the evolutionary process. These gestures have been picked up, polished and passed on through generations (including dogs) unlike other animals which lacked the intellectual to improve their communication skills.

If the dog/wolf stares at another and bares its teeth, it is ready to bite or attack. If it is scared or wishes to avoid any confrontation, it will walk along the side or even crawl along, with ears down and tail between the legs. It will pawn, whine or exhibit puppy behavior. Thus a dominant dog/wolf would stand tall with its tail erect; its hairs of stiff and legs placed on both sides of the dog/wolf they wish to dominate or impress. Hence, unconsciously the dominant try to look big while the meek try to look small by crouching, pawning or whining. This is a part of the evolutionary process among the vertebrate.

It shall be observed that gestures are often for dominance (superiority or threat) or submission (meekness or surrender) purpose. The dominant gestures include the baring of teeth or fangs, direct gaze, pricking of ears, and hairs and confident posture. The submissive gestures include pawning, lying on its back with their stomach upwards (passive surrender). They also avoid direct gaze, approach sideways with bent ears, and keep their tail tightly tucked between the legs.

Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - check for current specials on chew toys online.