Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (1)

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Finding The Right Veterinarian

There is only one person responsible for your dog’s health: You. And a major part of this responsibility is getting the appropriate veterinary care and attention, which can only be accomplished by forming an honest, open relationship with the vet of your choice.

However most dog owners (of which you may also be guilty of doing) only look to the veterinarian as a solution to a health problem, never for prevention. But your responsibility is to take things one step further and understand your vet’s role with your role, and to form a successful relationship.

What Then Is The Job Of A Veterinarian?

It is to be your partner, to assist you in keeping your dog as healthy as possible for as long as possible. And your job is to remind the veterinarian of what you need and to be the best partner you can.

Ideally, you and your veterinarian will see to it that you are educated, that you seek assistance when and where needed, that you help your dog be a good patient, and that you are given all the information you need to make wise decisions. In the end, however, the final responsibility rests with you, and you have the more difficult task.

Keep in mind that this is a change from the way doctors, be they physicians or a veterinarian, have traditionally viewed their role. The old ways had veterinarians stand on authority, but a pedestal is a very narrow base on which to build a partnership.

What veterinary schools should now be most interested in teaching their future veterinarians is in actually teaching us dog owners, the real caretakers, to do the best with what we have in order to achieve the goal of maximum health for our companion animals.

There are still a lot of doctors who, despite being kind and sympathetic people, believe that what they think about your dog is more important than what you think. These sage are relics of the old model, one in which doctors reigned supreme. However, led by human medicine, things are changing.

Clients are increasingly less accepting of that old model, and a veterinarias can come along willingly or be dragged into the new world. It is in both parties’ interests that the change goes smoothly. As in any relationship, being understanding and sympathetic of the other party’s strengths and failings enhances the possibility of forging and maintaining a strong relationship with your veterinarian.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home
health remedies, Click Here.

3 Tips To Help You Find The Best Veterinarian

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Choosing a Veterinarian

Since you do not have much time to spend researching for the ideal veterinarian once you have your dog, it is a good idea to do your search ahead of time, before you bring the puppy home.

But before you reach over for your phone book, check out for other resources and find out what you can get “through the grapevine”.

First, see if your breeder can recommend you to his or her Veterinarian. Also ask for recommendations from other dog owners that you can trust. You can learn a lot from their experiences, but use your own judgment because their opinions are going to be subjective and may not necessarily be accurate.

If you do not know anyone who owns a dog, your next bet is to go to the Yellow Pages or go to the Internet and look for vets in your area.

Below are 3 factors to consider when choosing the right Veterinarian.

1. Is the Veterinarian close to your home? Try to find an office as close to your home as possible, preferably within a 10 minute driving distance.  It’s very important to know that help is just a few miles away, especially during an emergency.

2. If your dog is suffering from a specific type of health problem, such as cancer or some kind of behavioral problem, look for a Veterinarian who specializes in that type of field.

3. Similar to human health care, veterinary care is either done in a small practice (where you are able to see the same vet on every visit  throughout your dog’s life), or a large practice (where you get to see the first available vet on duty). In a small practice, your Veterinarian will be able to get to know your pet on a more personal level. This will help him with his diagnosis and keep track of your dog’s health better in the long run.

On the other hand, it may be more practical to choose a Veterinarian that belongs to a large practice because it is quicker to get an appointment in an office where there are more doctors available.

This having a Veterinarian to contact is crucial, especially during an emergency.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home
health remedies, Click Here.

Dog Health – Are You Avoiding Veterinary Check-Ups For The Family Dog?

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Dog Health – Vet Visits

Recently, waiting to welcome a friend at the airport, I witnessed many departures and arrivals. The one I liked best involved a young couple returning from some far-off island who couldn’t wait to see their “son.”

“How is he?”

“Did he sleep?”

“Did he eat alright?”

“Where is he?”

When the “son” was brought forward and turned out to be a tiny, quite excited Pomeranian, we wondered why we weren’t more surprised. Then we remembered that it is not at all uncommon for dog owners to regard their pets as children. There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with such a situation; neither owner nor dog appears any worse for it.

The trouble is that it often doesn’t go far enough. Right now, for instance, with Jack Frost waiting in the wings, many of us are telling one another to get down to the doctor’s office for a flu shot, and while we’re there, we’ll have our annual check-up.

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Here’s Dog Trainer Chet Womach On How To Save Money By  Handling
Basic Vet Issues At Home

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To discover how to treat your dog at home with over 1000 at-home
health remedies, Click Here.

For Optimal Dog Health Dogs Require Check-Ups Too

But what about the tiny Pomeranians and all their canine brothers and sisters? They require an annual check-up too.

Indeed, according to no less an authority than thousands of professional veterinarians, a yearly check-up is five to seven times more important to a dog than it is to an owner, because dogs mature five to seven times faster than humans. From a dog health perspective, a dog ages as much in its first year as his owner does in twenty!

Many dog owners put off taking their family pet to a veterinarian until they notice something wrong. The dog won’t eat, or he sleeps all the time, or he’s biting everybody on the block. Perhaps, had he been checked by a veterinarian long ago, none of these conditions would prevail.

Also, it is well to remember that dogs are subject to many hidden hazards, just as we are. Dogs get arthritis, they suffer from tumors, heart trouble, kidney ailments, etc. Caught in time, a lot of pain can be avoided.

What does a visit to the veterinarian involve? Some owners we’ve talked to think it’s an all-day affair, costing a fortune. Not so. The cost is moderate and the time consumed is seldom more than an hour. Most often, it’s a matter of minutes.

The doctor will use a stethoscope, an otoscope, and an ophthalmoscope, the last two instruments for the ears and eyes. He will have a good look at the dog’s teeth and gums (dogs can get pyorrhea), he’ll check the dog’s coat, weight, pulse, and temperature.

Most dogs learn to enjoy their visits to the veterinarian. Incidentally, it’s a very good idea to take the dog to the same doctor each visit, just as you would yourself.

When it comes to dog health, in their own way, some dogs even demand it!

Leash Training – Equipment To Avoid With Your Puppy

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Leash training is mandatory when puppies are young!

What could be more adorable than a tiny 10-week-old German Retriever walking down the street with its owner, pulling during leash training as it excitedly greets anyone who walks by?

These little puppies put so much effort into seeing what’s going on and are almost always greeted with a pat on the head and a smile from passing strangers.

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The Hands Off Dog Training Method

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This is all cute and adoring, until the dog reaches a body weight of 50 to 60 pounds and is literally dragging its owner down the street on the leash.

The once happily smiling owner is now gritting her teeth and doing all she can to keep the dog from pulling her down the sidewalk.

As strangers pass by it takes all of the owner’s muscle and might just to hold the dog back from getting its dirty paws all over these people. Eventually, these types of dogs who have no leash control end up spending all of their time in the backyard without ever being walked.

Leash Training Should Begin Immediately

Many dog owners who purchase a new puppy totally underestimate just how vital it is to invest time into leash training, and from as early an age as possible, especially when they have a pup that will grow 6 to 10 times it’s puppy size. They do not realize that training begins the instant their new dog comes home.

Any and all behaviors a puppy practices will become a learned subconscious activity even what you teach them while leash training.

In time the dog will not think twice about what it is doing, even though it may be a wrong action that you disapprove of.

In all fairness to the puppy, what do you expect if you ignore sound leash training principles early in its life?

What choice does the dog have?

The Importance Of Having The Proper Leash

Having the right type of equipment can make or break dog training. Using the proper tools can either make your training experience pleasant and productive, or a complete waste of time.

What is the best leash for training purposes?

Fortunately, when it comes to leash equipment, you can’t go wrong with most of them.  However, there is one type of leash that is not recommended for training purposes and that is the retractable kind.

Retractable leashes are available in all sizes and extend at different lengths. These leash devices are simply a plastic casing that fits into your hand which has a control trigger that either releases the leash to extend up to a certain length and can then be locked at the specific distance you choose.

Yes these types of leashes can definitely be a benefit for many situations, but for training a new puppy or even an adult dog, you need to have a leash that can provide constant tension on the dog’s neck.

You also need to keep a very short distance between you and your dog, which is very hard to do when using a retractable leash. With too much distance, your dog will have no concept that you are even walking with him.

Lastly, you must have consistent leash pressure and release moments in order for the dog to understand the commands you are teaching him, such as heeling.

With a retractable leash, it can extend at different distances and be locked inconsistently.

Your puppy may become frustrated as it perceives unfair and irregular corrections each time you vary the length and lock it in place while leash training.

Dog Health – The Importance Of Fat In Your Dog’s Diet

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An important nutrient for dog health and one that is responsible for furnishing energy in their body are fats.

Fats supply energy for the body to use. It also has a small role in building strong cells and promoting the absorption of nutrients.

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Dog Health Secrets You Need To Know!

“In This Shocking FREE Video Report You Discover Why 87% of Dogs Die Too Early & 3 Easy Things You Can Do Today To Stop It Happening to Your Dog”

Dog Food Secrets

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However, similar to the essential amino acids, a dog’s body isn’t able to produce these essential fatty acids, and therefore has to come from an outside source, from the food they eat.

Dogs do not usually develop a deficiency in fatty acids because their basic diet normally provides them with sufficient amount of energy from fat.

In fact, a small amount of extra fats benefit dog health and their body in several ways.

It protects them from the cold; it provides cushion to their body; and it serves as a protective layer of covering around different organs in their body.

Actually, dogs are very efficient in using their stored fats because their bodies have the ability to easily turn these fats into energy when needed.

Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing regarding dog health

Fats are very beneficial, but it can become a concern when the dog eats too much of it.

Too much fuel in the dog’s body, regardless of where it came from, is converted into body fat, which is then stored in the body.

Too much fat in the body results in obesity and other conditions that effect dog health and are related to obesity such as diabetes, canine osteoarthritis, and heart disease.

There is only a limited amount of fat that is used for protection against cold, cushion, covering, and extra energy.

But when the maximum amount of stored fat is reached and applied for these purposes, the dog still continues to stock up fat and does so to the same degree that is equivalent to the excess energy that it consumes.

For instance, every 3,500 calories that a dog eats in excess to what his body requires will be turned into 1 pound of body fat.

It is important for all dog owners to know that the only way for their dogs to get fat is if they take in more calories than their bodies use.

Similarly, the only way for the dog to lose weight and get rid of the excess fat is by taking in less calories than what their body requires to sustain proper dog health.

Nutrition And Dog Health

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When dogs were wild, or at least still hunted for their food, hunger may have been an occasional concern, but rarely were deficiencies or imbalances ever a problem when pertaining to dog health.

Dogs killed and ate almost all of their prey’s carcass including the entrails, skin, and even bones.

Domesticated and dependent upon their owners for food, today’s dogs are amply fed, right to the point of obesity, yet they often develop bad overall dog health due to a number of deficiencies from their improperly balanced diets.

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Dog Health Secrets You Need To Know!

“In This Shocking FREE Video Report You Discover Why 87% of Dogs Die Too Early & 3 Easy Things You Can Do Today To Stop It Happening to Your Dog”

Dog Food Secrets

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The advent over the past decade of nutritionally “complete” or “balanced” commercial dog foods, and their increasing acceptance by dog owners and veterinarians alike, has drastically reduced the incidence of dietary deficiencies. Today such nutritional problems are seen mostly in dogs who are fed homemade diets or a diet of table scraps and leftovers.

Poor nutrition, whether from dietary deficiencies or excesses, has a significantly negative effect on your dog’s ability to remain in good health. Resistance to infection is lowered, as is the production of antibodies, allowing infectious agents to multiply rapidly and spread.

The resulting fever, diarrhea, or other manifestations of illness, more than likely will make your dog less interested in eating, thus increasing the state of malnutrition and is concerning to dog health.

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