Vaccinations Archives - Edie MacKenzie

10 Tips For Dog Owners With Disabilities

May 30, 2011 by admin Leave a Comment

If caring for your dog has become difficult because of weakness, here are some suggestions for strengthening your physical resources:

1. When it comes time for your dog to visit the veterinarian, investigate mobile veterinarians who will come to your house to see your pet. Mobile veterinarians are especially helpful if you have large dogs or several pets. The mobile veterinarian can check on all of the pets at one time and give each one his annual vaccinations in one visit. Check the Yellow Pages of your telephone directory under Veterinarians for listings.

2. If you must have your dog groomed, contact a groomer who operates a mobile facility and, like mobile veterinarians, will come to your home to conduct the necessary grooming.

3. If you need help giving your dog medicine, fluids, or shots, ask your veterinarian if he or she knows of anyone who will make home visits. If not, contact local pet-sitters to find ones who will assist you. Many pet-sitters are trained to perform these functions for the sick pet for owners who cannot perform them for themselves or for owners when they are away.

4. When feeding and watering your dog, use large bowls so that you don’t have to refill them as often.

5. Ask a friend or neighbor to divide your dog’s food into smaller containers so that you can lift what you need more easily.

6. To play with your dog, use flashlights or laser pointers. Dogs love chasing the light, and you won’t have to make a move.

7. If you have difficulty performing basic functions for yourself, investigate the use of a service or assistance dog. Assistance dogs are trained to help people with physical limitations perform their everyday functions. Assistance dogs are accepted in public places just as guide dogs and hearing dogs are.

8. If you are planning to get a dog, find one with an activity level that is less than yours. Dogs do a great job forcing their owners to get exercise and fresh air each day, but an overly active dog can be a handful when your energy hits bottom. Before adopting or purchasing a dog, investigate the breed characteristics and think twice about bringing home one of the more active breeds.

9. A dog, even a small one, may be able to pull the leash out of your hand or even pull you to the ground if you suffer from weakness. Walking your dog in ice or snow may be completely out of the question. As an alternative, use a radio collar as a virtual leash when your dog needs to go outside to potty In time and with practice, you may not have to activate the radio collar because your dog will know the spatial boundaries you have set.

Common Golden Retriever Health Problems

October 10, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

Golden Retriever Health

There are many common health problems that your Golden Retriever will experience from time to time. Most of these ailments are nothing serious, providing you know how they should be treated and prevented. Below, we will take a look at the most common ailments, and tell you how to prevent your Golden from getting them.

Distemper virus
The distemper virus is an airborne disease that poses a high risk. This virus can be prevented by getting your Golden 3 different vaccinations when he is between 6 and 16 weeks of age, along with his regular annual booster shot. The symptoms from this virus include fever, cough, diarrhea, and vomiting. If your Golden Retriever has these symptoms, you should immediately take him to see the vet.

Heartworms
Heartworms are among the most common ailment with all dog breeds. They can reach lengths of up to 12 inches in the heart and the lung arteries, leading to heart failure, a decrease in blood circulation, and even death in some cases. The symptoms with heartworms may not appear until it is too late, so you are better off preventing them with the correct heartworm medicines.

Heatstroke
During the summer months or hot days, your Golden Retriever can get a heatstroke. You can prevent this from happening by giving your dog plenty of water, and never leaving him in direct sunlight. If you are playing together on a hot day, you should give him plenty of time to rest so he doesn’t overdo it. The symptoms indicating a heatstroke include a lot of panting or drooling, dark gums, a glazed expression, rapid pulse, and even vomiting. If your dog starts to show any of these symptoms, you should immediately take him to the vet.

Rabies
Rabies is one of the more serious ailments that your Golden Retriever can get, as it has an adverse affect on your dog’s nervous system. Normally, dogs get rabies through a bite of another animal that is infected with the disease. There are rabies shots that helps to prevent the disease, and your dog should get them at least once a year. The symptoms of rabies include seizures, aggression, and foaming at the mouth. If you suspect your Golden has rabies, you should call the vet immediately.

Tapeworms
Tapeworms are normally caused by fleas, and affect your dog’s stomach. The symptoms for tapeworms include a loss in weight, diarrhea, and even biting of the rectal area. You can easily prevent your Golden from tapeworms by using a rigid flea control. If your Golden Retriever exhibits symptoms for tapeworms, you should take him to the vet immediately. If the vet catches them in time, he may be able to kill the tapeworms with an oral medicine.

Hookworms
Hookworms result from your Golden coming in contact with feces, his mother, or the worm simply burrowing under exposed skin. You can prevent your dog from getting hookworms by cleaning his living area and keeping his skin clean. The symptoms that accompany hookworms include a dry coat, weight loss, weakness, and blood in the stool. As with all other ailments, you should immediately contact your vet if your Golden Retriever starts to show any of these symptoms.

Although these are just some of the most common ailments for Golden Retrievers, there are other ailments and health problems that your dog can get. If your Golden starts to show any signs of ailment, disease, or health problem, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact your vet and set up an appointment. Some of these diseases and ailments can be pretty serious – although they can be treated if you catch them in time.

How To Use Your Power In Finding The Right Veterinarian (3)

September 25, 2010 by admin Leave a Comment

The Right Veterinarian – Part 3

You may have heard that finding the best veterinarian means you may have to work a little. I’m not talking about hard work, rather, I mean putting in a little effort to get to know the doctor and to start asking the right questions, both for the veterinarian and yourself.

You can, of course, pick the closest veterinarian that has an office in your area, do whatever he or she tells you to do after taking your dog or puppy for visits, and just hope for the best (which is the case with most dog owners who fail to realize the importance of changing their roles with the typical doctor/patient expectations).

Part of this partnership-building process requires you to be clear about what matters most to you. Let’s look at a hypothetical self-analysis, which might go something like this (ask yourself the following questions):

1) Is my dog an important companion and an essential part of my life, or does he occupy a different role (wedged somewhere in between raising the children, working hard to pay the mortgage, and the other animals that are running around the house)?

2) Do I have a negative opinion about annual vaccinations for my dog, that they are a waste of time and money? Do I feel the same about yearly heartworm testing? Veterinarians differ in their degree of “belief” regarding matters of necessary and appropriate care – be sure that your own beliefs and your veterinarian are in perfect harmony.

3) Do I need lots of time with my veterinarian? Does the clinic have 15-minute appointments or 20-minute appointments? Will I be able to see the same vet each time I bring my pet in?Does the office staff schedule the veterinarian to spend all of that time with me, or will a technician conduct the bulk of the visit?

(Cultivating a relationship with a good technician is a great idea. Technicians can be better communicators and educators than veterinarians, and clients are more often comfortable voicing their concerns to the technician than the veterinarian.

4) If and when I have an old or infirm dog, will I feel that any suggestion to diagnose or treat is guilt-inducing pressure to do so? What do I consider “heroic” medicine, and how do I feel about it?

All of these questions are designed to help you really start thinking about what you need to consider when forming a relationship with the right veterinarian. They are just guides, and more can be added to the list, but all are important so that you can better understand how to communicate with your veterinarian while at the same time helping the vet communicate better with you as well.

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Puppy Socialization: Introduce Your Dog To The World!

June 5, 2009 by admin Leave a Comment

New puppies soak up information and experiences like a sponge – especially those between the ages of 8 to 12 weeks. This is the ideal time to get your pup out into the open and absorbing positive experiences to help with his socialization.

Say Hello To The Neighbors

Your neighbors and friends are all dying to meet your new precocious pooch. By all means, take your puppy for a walk around the neighborhood. He’ll learn to walk on a loose leash and run into new people and situations. The faster you can introduce your puppy to leash walking the better. That way they see the world on their own four paws, so to speak.

Ask people to meet to gently pet and feed a treat to your pup. Limit interactions to cordial children, good-natured dogs, and responsible adults. It teaches the pup that strangers are good people.

Be careful, though. Until your pup’s immune system has been cranked up by his third set of vaccinations (at 16 to 20 weeks) he’ll be vulnerable to diseases, some potentially deadly.

Another great way to expand your puppy’s circle of friends without making a big scene is to invite a few select dog-savvy adults and children over to greet your puppy. Keep everything low-key and nurturing ? no running, squealing, teasing, tussling or poking. Provide treats liberally.

Field Trips Are Great

From the time you get your puppy until he’s about 16 weeks old, socialization is a high priority. Socialization simply means introducing your puppy to new people, places, experiences and other dogs in a positive way. Well-socialized pups grow up to be happy, well-mannered adults.

Keep in mind that your pup’s sociability and outlook depend on a lot of factors. For instance, recent worming or vaccinations, cutting teeth and a recent, long airplane flight can make your pup tired and grumpy. Exposing your pup to too much at these times can cause him to be overwhelmed and taxed rather than enriched by the experience.

Take your puppy to places where dogs are welcome (don’t forget to bring your cleanup supplies). Try to do five to seven new things each week, like experience stairs, bicycles, people with facial hair or glasses, garbage cans, loud noises, new walking surfaces and work trucks, etc. It’s also a great time to introduce your pup to a grooming routine.

And even when your puppy is older than 16 weeks, it’s still a good idea to continue to actively socialize him until he reaches 12 months of age.

Golden Retriever Health

The Right Veterinarian – Part 3

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