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UrDogsBestFriend is based in North Strand/Fairview and covers the city Centre, Dublin 3 and the surrounding northside areas.
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This site supports the idea of caring responsibly for animals and contributes 15% of all profits to animal charities.
You can help too...
Pet Poems
Billie
If a dog could have it, she had style
And the power to make a person smile
So stately and so dignified
If a dog could have it, she had pride...
Read more...
Sign My Guestbook
UrDogsBestFriend is based in North Strand/Fairview and covers the city Centre, Dublin 3 and the surrounding northside areas.
Learn more about what we offer...
Donations to Charity
This site supports the idea of caring responsibly for animals and contributes 15% of all profits to animal charities.
You can help too...
Pet Poems
Billie
If a dog could have it, she had style
And the power to make a person smile
So stately and so dignified
If a dog could have it, she had pride...
Read more...
Sign My Guestbook
If you are what you eat, then so is your dog
Just as humans come in all shapes and sizes, so do dogs and just as humans have their exercise and dietary needs, so do dogs. Why not be your dog's best friend and make sure that those needs are responsibly fulfilled?
Many people who consider themselves animal lovers unwittingly treat their dogs in ways not good for them. Some human dog companions absent mindedly feed chocolates to their friend, just because they are bingeing themselves. They are not aware that the chocolate is not only making their mutley mate fat but may actually be poisoning his/her system. There are many people who will argue that this is not the case but it has been shown that the cocoa bean which is used to produce chocolate contains an active ingredient called theobromine and that ingredient in large amounts is toxic for dogs. Dogs will often vomit after eating quantities of chocolate as their system tries to eject the poison, and they can be off colour for up to three days afterwards.
The darker the chocolate the more toxic to the dog as dark chocolate has a higher content of theobromine. A small amount of dark chocolate can cause stress to the animal's system, (see what our vet at Anicare.ie says) but it would take a larger amount of milk chocolate to do the same thing. The size and weight of the dog would also come into play here.
White chocolate contains the least amount of theobromine but anything that contains cocoa powder contains theobromine. Many dog drops also contain a small amount of cocoa powder and therefore theobromine, and I have noticed that some do not list the ingredients included. It is entirely up to each individual owner but my own personal view would be not to give a dog any chocolate all. This is not to say that I haven't done so in the past with no obvious problems. However, now I would certainly think twice.
A Battista said 'A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk'. However, despite having a dog to walk, some people, although they may be full of good intentions don't. Maybe after a hard day's work they feel they deserve to sit down and rest. Or they may have other family duties to attend to. Or there is something on TV that they just have to see! They forget that this is where the video recorder can help them out! In favour of these things, poor Poochie's walk goes to the bottom of the list. Sometimes people forget that they need exercise too and the walk will not only benefit their canine companion but themselves as well. If this is the case with you, why not appoint me as your dogwalker!
Remember, dogs need a good diet and moderate exercise just like we do!
POOCHIE PROBLEMS and PET PEEVES - answers courtesy of vet Fintan Browne at Anicare.ie İFintan Browne
I have an eight month old collie cross who has developed a very embaressing problem. For the past few weeks he has taken to eating his own poo when he is out in the back garden! So far this doesn't seem to have caused him any obvious problems, but I am worried that he could pick up an infection.
Coprophagia (eating faeces) is a habit which is disgusting to the owner but usually causes no real problems for the dog. Many different theories have been put foreward as to why dogs eat faeces, ranging from complex behavioural issues to the "they like the taste so they eat it" theory. Firstly it is important to establish whether there is any medical or dietary problem underlying the dog's behaviour. Many medical conditions can cause coprophagia, but most of these conditions will be accompanied by other clinical signs (eg. diarrhoea, weight loss). Also excessive feeding of fatty foods can encourage a dog to eat its own faeces, so I would encourage you to feed your dog a premium quality complete dry dog food.
In a young and otherwise healthy dog coprophagia is usually a primary behavioural problem, and the various treatment options are aimed at discouraging this unpleasant behaviour. One of the most popular recommendations is to put something on the faeces to make it taste worse. You may find it hard to imagine something that tastes worse than dog poo, so let me suggest hot mustard or Tabasco sauce. To make this treatment effective you have to treat 100% of the dog's faeces in order for him to associate the bad taste with it. Just treating some of the faeces does not work.
I find that a more effective approach is to pick up the faeces as soon as you can. In severe cases you may need to muzzle the dog to prevent him from eating his own faeces, and to be vigilant on walks to prevent him from eating other animal's faeces. Excluding access to faeces will usually help break this embarassing cycle of behaviour.
Coprophagia can have health implications for your dog. If he only eats his own faeces then he will not be exposed to any new infections or parasites, but if he eats the droppings of other animals he may be at risk. Canine hepatitis and parvovirus are two viruses that can be contracted in this way, but vaccinated dogs are well protected. However internal parasites are a real risk, so your dog should be prevented from eating the faeces of other animals as much as possible, and he should be wormed regularly.
To finish on a positive note this is often a behaviour that is associated with younger dogs, and many will simply grow out of it.
My dog is a Cocker Spaniel and has suffered from itchy skin for years now. The vet I attend has given me shampoos and cortisone tablets which improve things temporarily but the scratching starts as soon as as the treatment stops. My vet says it may be an allergy. Is there any way to check what my dog could be allergic to?
The first thing to establish would be that your dog is free of external parasites which can cause dogs to scratch. The most common skin parasite in Ireland is the flea, and we recommend treating all animals against fleas with a preventative product such as Advantage or Stronghold. Other parasites include lice and mites. Your vet may have already ruled out parasites as a cause of the scratching.
If your dog's problems are caused by an allergy then the type of allergy can be investigated. Food allergies are common in dogs and often cause itchy skin (they can be associated with vomiting and diarrhoea also). The most effective way to investigate a food allergy is to put the dog on an exclusion diet trial - a special hypoallergenic diet is fed exclusively for 2-3 months to see if the itch resolves.
You have to be 100% strict with the diet for this investigation to be worthwhile.
Many dogs can be allergic to allergens that they inhale - e.g. pollens, dust, etc. Many seasonal allergies, where the dog scratches more during the warmer months of the year, are caused by pollen allergies. Tests are available to identify what specific inhalant allergies cause your dog to scratch (both a blood test and an "intradermal" skin test). If the offending allergens are identified you may be able to limit your dog's exposure to them, but this is often difficult with dust and some other common allergens. There is a desensitisation treatment available for some allergens; it is a prolonged treatment which has a success rate somewhere around 50% but it may be worth considering.
Contact allergies affect the skin that comes into direct contact with the allergen. These can be difficult to identify; if they are suspected the vet may recommend keeping the dog in a novel environment with minmal chance of exposure to allergens - some dermatologists will recommend that a dog is kept in a room with lino flooring which has not been cleaned with any chemical cleaners and possibly covered with newspaper. These restrictive conditions are often not practical for many owners.
Skin problems present a diagnostic challenge for vets and can be quite frustrating and expensive for owners, often involving skin scrapings, biopsies, fungal and bacterial cultures, allergy tests, diet trials, etc. You need to discuss a diagnostic and treatment plan with your vet.
Copyright Fintan Browne Anicare.ie
Just as humans come in all shapes and sizes, so do dogs and just as humans have their exercise and dietary needs, so do dogs. Why not be your dog's best friend and make sure that those needs are responsibly fulfilled?
Many people who consider themselves animal lovers unwittingly treat their dogs in ways not good for them. Some human dog companions absent mindedly feed chocolates to their friend, just because they are bingeing themselves. They are not aware that the chocolate is not only making their mutley mate fat but may actually be poisoning his/her system. There are many people who will argue that this is not the case but it has been shown that the cocoa bean which is used to produce chocolate contains an active ingredient called theobromine and that ingredient in large amounts is toxic for dogs. Dogs will often vomit after eating quantities of chocolate as their system tries to eject the poison, and they can be off colour for up to three days afterwards.
The darker the chocolate the more toxic to the dog as dark chocolate has a higher content of theobromine. A small amount of dark chocolate can cause stress to the animal's system, (see what our vet at Anicare.ie says) but it would take a larger amount of milk chocolate to do the same thing. The size and weight of the dog would also come into play here.
White chocolate contains the least amount of theobromine but anything that contains cocoa powder contains theobromine. Many dog drops also contain a small amount of cocoa powder and therefore theobromine, and I have noticed that some do not list the ingredients included. It is entirely up to each individual owner but my own personal view would be not to give a dog any chocolate all. This is not to say that I haven't done so in the past with no obvious problems. However, now I would certainly think twice.
A Battista said 'A dog is one of the remaining reasons why some people can be persuaded to go for a walk'. However, despite having a dog to walk, some people, although they may be full of good intentions don't. Maybe after a hard day's work they feel they deserve to sit down and rest. Or they may have other family duties to attend to. Or there is something on TV that they just have to see! They forget that this is where the video recorder can help them out! In favour of these things, poor Poochie's walk goes to the bottom of the list. Sometimes people forget that they need exercise too and the walk will not only benefit their canine companion but themselves as well. If this is the case with you, why not appoint me as your dogwalker!
Remember, dogs need a good diet and moderate exercise just like we do!
POOCHIE PROBLEMS and PET PEEVES - answers courtesy of vet Fintan Browne at Anicare.ie İFintan Browne
I have an eight month old collie cross who has developed a very embaressing problem. For the past few weeks he has taken to eating his own poo when he is out in the back garden! So far this doesn't seem to have caused him any obvious problems, but I am worried that he could pick up an infection.
Coprophagia (eating faeces) is a habit which is disgusting to the owner but usually causes no real problems for the dog. Many different theories have been put foreward as to why dogs eat faeces, ranging from complex behavioural issues to the "they like the taste so they eat it" theory. Firstly it is important to establish whether there is any medical or dietary problem underlying the dog's behaviour. Many medical conditions can cause coprophagia, but most of these conditions will be accompanied by other clinical signs (eg. diarrhoea, weight loss). Also excessive feeding of fatty foods can encourage a dog to eat its own faeces, so I would encourage you to feed your dog a premium quality complete dry dog food.
In a young and otherwise healthy dog coprophagia is usually a primary behavioural problem, and the various treatment options are aimed at discouraging this unpleasant behaviour. One of the most popular recommendations is to put something on the faeces to make it taste worse. You may find it hard to imagine something that tastes worse than dog poo, so let me suggest hot mustard or Tabasco sauce. To make this treatment effective you have to treat 100% of the dog's faeces in order for him to associate the bad taste with it. Just treating some of the faeces does not work.
I find that a more effective approach is to pick up the faeces as soon as you can. In severe cases you may need to muzzle the dog to prevent him from eating his own faeces, and to be vigilant on walks to prevent him from eating other animal's faeces. Excluding access to faeces will usually help break this embarassing cycle of behaviour.
Coprophagia can have health implications for your dog. If he only eats his own faeces then he will not be exposed to any new infections or parasites, but if he eats the droppings of other animals he may be at risk. Canine hepatitis and parvovirus are two viruses that can be contracted in this way, but vaccinated dogs are well protected. However internal parasites are a real risk, so your dog should be prevented from eating the faeces of other animals as much as possible, and he should be wormed regularly.
To finish on a positive note this is often a behaviour that is associated with younger dogs, and many will simply grow out of it.
My dog is a Cocker Spaniel and has suffered from itchy skin for years now. The vet I attend has given me shampoos and cortisone tablets which improve things temporarily but the scratching starts as soon as as the treatment stops. My vet says it may be an allergy. Is there any way to check what my dog could be allergic to?
The first thing to establish would be that your dog is free of external parasites which can cause dogs to scratch. The most common skin parasite in Ireland is the flea, and we recommend treating all animals against fleas with a preventative product such as Advantage or Stronghold. Other parasites include lice and mites. Your vet may have already ruled out parasites as a cause of the scratching.
If your dog's problems are caused by an allergy then the type of allergy can be investigated. Food allergies are common in dogs and often cause itchy skin (they can be associated with vomiting and diarrhoea also). The most effective way to investigate a food allergy is to put the dog on an exclusion diet trial - a special hypoallergenic diet is fed exclusively for 2-3 months to see if the itch resolves.
You have to be 100% strict with the diet for this investigation to be worthwhile.
Many dogs can be allergic to allergens that they inhale - e.g. pollens, dust, etc. Many seasonal allergies, where the dog scratches more during the warmer months of the year, are caused by pollen allergies. Tests are available to identify what specific inhalant allergies cause your dog to scratch (both a blood test and an "intradermal" skin test). If the offending allergens are identified you may be able to limit your dog's exposure to them, but this is often difficult with dust and some other common allergens. There is a desensitisation treatment available for some allergens; it is a prolonged treatment which has a success rate somewhere around 50% but it may be worth considering.
Contact allergies affect the skin that comes into direct contact with the allergen. These can be difficult to identify; if they are suspected the vet may recommend keeping the dog in a novel environment with minmal chance of exposure to allergens - some dermatologists will recommend that a dog is kept in a room with lino flooring which has not been cleaned with any chemical cleaners and possibly covered with newspaper. These restrictive conditions are often not practical for many owners.
Skin problems present a diagnostic challenge for vets and can be quite frustrating and expensive for owners, often involving skin scrapings, biopsies, fungal and bacterial cultures, allergy tests, diet trials, etc. You need to discuss a diagnostic and treatment plan with your vet.
Copyright Fintan Browne Anicare.ie