I just did my 2 dogs, are you doing yours?

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Ear Problems

A few years ago I met a lady who owned a shop called Groomers Workshop. You would take your dog there and bath and groom him using their equipment. It was quite the place and a lot of fun. My dog had chronic ear infections and was vet treated many times. Just in an off hand how works conversation one day, the owner told me that she attended a naturpathic seminar on pet health and was doing quite a bit of studying on it. She had learned about ear problems and gave me this tip.

She said that if the right ear is chronically infected, give him a capsule of dandelion daily and if it is the left ear, give a capsule of burdock. Since it was the right ear we started on dandelion, a completely safe herb and that, along with diligent cleaning, we have had no further ear problems.

ps remember, articles on this site are not to diagnose or treat, rather, for informational purposes only

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I just read this and I have a strong urge to share this with you! It is imperative that you read this and then act on it!

A family dog bit their child in the face when the child hugged their dog. The dog was put down.

On autopsy, it was discovered that the dog had two severe ear infections. The dog simply reacted to extreme pain when the child hugged it.

This article is about ear infections…but it could also include tooth infections and tooth aches.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF YOUR DOGS/CATS HEALTH CONDITION WHERE IT CONCERNS THE EARS AND TEETH. THESE CAN BECOME SO PAINFUL THAT A PET WILL LASH OUT WHEN TOUCHED NOT OUT OF AGGRESSION, BUT BECAUSE HIS INTENSE PAIN MAKES IT AN AUTOMATIC REACTION.

This particular dog’s health-condition was unfortunately neglected by its owners. And their young child grabbed at the badly-infected ear. This dog was already in constant agony. The dog reacted purely out of instinct. The owners were responsible here, they should have seen the symptoms in their dog, and they should have recognized that their dog had ear problems. They had their dog put to sleep, and never realized it could have been totally avoided.

Most of us know the agony of an ear infection. You need to become aware HOW to recognize these infections, and what to do about them.

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There are numerous reasons why dogs get ear infections. Some breeds, like labs and Goldens are even prone to get them. Ear infections typically start out very mild, and they start in the outer part of the ear. And then they progress to agony for the dog.

Here are some reasons a dog gets ear infections:

- Wet Ears.
- A buildup of grass, dust, mites. You know how dogs love to roll in the grass.
- A bacteria infection.
- Allergies to the environment or even to their food.

Here are some of the symptoms of an ear infection:

- The most obvious, he is constantly scratching one or both ears.
- The ear stinks when you put your nose close to it.
- As soon as you let him out he rubs his ear against the fence, or falls to the ground rubbing his ear.
- He moans and groans when he is scratching his ear.

If you leave this unchecked, the pain becomes unbearable (just like it does with humans). You need to take your dog to the vet and get this infection treated. A dog can even become dizzy, off balance, and he will even vomit.

Take you dog to the vet, have their painful conditions treated. Learn about these issues in your dog, tooth and ear aches soft are horrible conditions, and, when grabbed while in agony, nature will make the pet react!

Be good to your pet, become pro-active in their health care.

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I so enjoyed this article that (with permission) decided to share it with you as a guest article writer.

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Dogs may be a best man’s friend. But here is the sad truth: humans can live up to 80 years and dogs barely 15! Humans have grown taller and live longer because of better health care, better hygiene and better eating patterns. Let’s provide the same for our pet friends and improve their health and their lifespan, so they can bring us the morning newspaper for many years to come.

So that’s one lifespan differs. Let’s quickly highlight the important dog digestion differences.

Taste and Smell Capacity of Dogs

To a dog the smell of the dog food is likely to be of more importance than the taste (if he had to choose, that is). A dog has 80-220 million smell-sensitive cells over an area about the size of a pocket handkerchief, whereas man only has 2-10 million which compares to the size of a post stamp. There are dogs that make a living out of this supreme skill. So, your dog has a better developed organ of smell than you. What else is new?

Dog Table Manners are Pretty Close to Awful, How About Yours?

Have you ever compared table manners between the two of you? For your partners’ sake, I hope you won that contest. You chew your food well since you have the typical omnivore set of teeth for the job. It’s not because of the amount of teeth that your dog doesn’t chew properly. He scores 42 to your 32. It’s because of the different qualities you both have. His teeth are designed for ripping, tearing, shearing and crushing meat and bone. Your canine companion simply cannot make the lateral movement required to grind.

Dogs are fast eaters. This typical gorging behavior we also see in wolves and wild dogs. Well, compare these numbers and you will have a better understanding: a dog has about 1700 taste buds compared to you having about 9000 of those! Perhaps this also explains why you can enjoy a nice dinner meal and spend about an hour eating one course, whereas your dog rather gobbles up his meal in as close to 5 minutes. Just be aware of this when you go and spoil him with your canine cuisine arts. It’s not to be ungrateful: he just can’t help himself!

Dog Digestion Enzymes Kick in Later

The digestion of starch starts already when you chew your food, because of the amylase enzyme present in your saliva. Your dog lacks this enzyme so carbohydrates rather stick to his teeth leading to tartar build up. However, an advantage could be that since starch is not broken down already in his mouth to sugars, his chances of developing caries are much smaller. But because of the tartar your dog should still brush his teeth (with your help of course) or chew on bones, dental sticks are large pieces of meat.

Another difference is the lysozyme in dog saliva, which destroys pathogenic bacteria. And this is not the only barrier he has! Continue reading to discover the other strategies.

Resistance to Bacteria & Less Need for Hygiene

The acid in your dog’s stomach is much stronger than in yours (pH 1-2 against yours 4-5) and is very corrosive! This explains why he doesn’t easily get sick after eating of the street. The acid kills most of the bacteria. This also explains why dogs can eat raw meat (salmonella!) and digest bones. They are simply designed to or have you ever come across a wolf carrying with him a Bunsen burner? The acid compensates for the lack of chewing and digestive enzymes tablets in dog saliva. Also dog digestion enzymes in the stomach are different from yours to be able to function in this acid.

The canine digestive tract is much shorter (20-80 cm compared to 1.5 m for you) so the food stays for a much shorter time in your dog’s system. Average passing time is only 24-48 hours, whereas it can take you up to three days. The faster dog digestion also contributes to his resistance to bacteria. You are much more vulnerable when eating of the street. Don’t compete with your furry friend on this one.

Dog Nutritional Needs

You can receive nutritional value from proteins containing 8 essential amino acids as you can create the others ones (non-essential amino acids) yourself. But your dog needs more than that! Your dog needs protein that give all 10 essential amino acids from a dog’s perspective.

Another big difference between the two of you when it comes to nutritional needs is your vitamin C need. Your dog has the upper hand in this as he is capable of synthesizing vitamin C in his liver.

Main Energy Source and Classification

You get most of your energy from carbohydrates, whereas your pooch lives mainly from protein and fats. Unlike a cat, which is a true carnivore, a dog also needs some carbohydrates. But very little amounts though, as dog bodies are not designed to process large quantities of carbs. Your body has a larger digestive tract and the right set of teeth to grind corn. Dog digestion design and energy metabolism differs. You are definitively an omnivore (and this applies also for vegetarians). Your dog is best classified as a semi-carnivore. Sure a dog can survive on a grain based diet but to thrive he definitively needs his portion of meat.

Dog Digestion Time

A question often asked is how long does it take for a dog to digest his meal. Probably this information is wanted to determine when it’s time to let the dog out for a sanitary walk or it’s just curiosity. There is no simple answer though as passage time depends on several factors. Each dog is an individual.

In general, raw dog food takes about 4 to 6 hours to move through your dog. Dry dog food takes a bit longer to digest and spends about 10 to 12 hours inside your dog.

There are many more differences of course and I cannot cover all of those here. The focus remains on the nutrient requirements of your dog, dog digestion related differences and your understanding of his needs. Though I may a sequel in the future.

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Is There a Safe, No Wheat Pet Food?

I recommend Life’s Abundance and Instinctive Choice by Trilogy’s pet products company, HealthyPetNet. I am a representative of this wonderful company.

Look for three things when you choose products for your pets.

1. Are the products and ingredients of the highest quality, with respect for the environment and for animals? (I.e., proper nutrients for the pet, no animal testing, no destroying the environment) And there are specific ingredients I absolutely under no-circumstances will feed my pet.

Read this whole article here – best dog food

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