Are you aware of the importance of oral hygiene to your dog’s overall health?

Periodontal disease is the most common oral problem that dogs face. Adversely affecting the tissues that support and surround the teeth, periodontal disease is usually the result of excessive plaque buildup. As plaque accumulates on the teeth, it gradually hardens into tartar.

The build up of plaque provides an perfect environment for bacterial growth. This bacteria results in irritation to the gums, causing them to swell and eventually bleed. As the inflammation worsens, additional bacteria are produced. This leads to the gums receding and the exposure of the root. Ultimately the teeth become loose in their sockets and they fall out if the disease is left untreated.

The symptoms of periodontal disease include brown or yellow stains on the teeth, consistently bad breath, reddened gums and exposed tooth roots. In addition if your dog seems to have difficulty chewing, excessive drooling, a reluctance to eat or mouth pain (as evidenced by pawing at his mouth or rubbing his face on the ground) the problem may be periodontal disease.

Periodontal disease is quite painful and may result in tooth loss. However, the condition can cause additional, even more serious, health problems. The accumulation of bacteria may result in bacteria entering the blood steam. Once in the blood it can migrate to the urinary tract, heart valves, and other systems of the body. This chain reaction, starting innocently enough as a result of inadequate oral hygiene can ultimately lead to life-threatening complications.

All breeds of dogs are at risk of developing periodontal disease. However significant oral problems are most commonly found in dogs with short muzzles and flat faces. Dogs who are fed soft dog food are also more at risk than those who are fed primarily dry dog food. Also, older dogs are also at increased risk since plaque has had a long time to develop.

Treatment of periodontal disease is dependent upon the degree to which the disease has progressed. Brushing your dog’s teeth on a regular basis may resolve the problem. For more advanced cases the dog’s teeth may require descaling – usually performed by the veterinarian with the dog under general anesthesia. When the disease has progressed to a very late stage, a specialist may be required to perform advanced dental surgery.

As always, prevention and early detection are critical. Routine brushing of your dog’s teeth will help fight the buildup of plaque. In addition, regular visits to your veterinarian for a routine check-up can identify any hidden damage to the teeth before a problem grows more serious.

Help your dog maintain overall health by regularly providing veterinary check-ups, feeding him a healthy diet, routinely brushing your dog’s teeth, and giving him the occasional chew toy. He will certainly appreciate your efforts to keep him from getting “long in the tooth”.

Jim Navary has been a freelance writer and researcher for over thirty years encompassing a broad range of topics. He has also been enamored with dogs for longer than he’d care to remember. Check out his DogBurg web site for canine friends at www.DogBurg.com. Once there, sign up for his newsletter for dog lovers and receive the free ebook, “Pamper Your Dog: 130 Recipes for Your Canine Friend.”

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Is your pooch pudgy? Should he go on a diet? Many owners don’t really notice that their canine friends are gaining too much weight. Being with them every day, we may not really notice the changes that are taking place.

Veterinary nutritionists generally agree that 25 to 40 percent of pet dogs in the United States are overweight (defined as more than 20 percent heavier than their ideal weight). As with people, the more excess weight a dog has, the higher the health risk. Some of these risks include diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, spinal degradation and difficulty breathing.

How can you determine if your dog has put on too much weight? There are some very basic observations you can make. When standing over your dog do you see an hourglass shape? If so, then he’s probably doing okay. However, if you notice his sides protruding, then its likely that your dog needs to shed some weight.

Run your hand along your dog’s ribs. If you can easily felt then he’s probably not dangerously overweight. However, if you have to press hard to feel his ribs then he needs to slim down.

Its always best to take your dog to your veterinarian before making any significant changes to his diet. Consult with the vet so that you can make sure that your diet plan will still include nutrients the dog needs.

One thing is certain: eliminating high calorie treats and table scraps is an important first step.

Daily exercise such as taking your dog for regular walks and setting aside time for play and exercise will help both you and your dog.

Eliminating high calorie goodies and substituting lower calorie treats isn’t hard to do. A few healthy snacks include apples, carrots, green beans, cottage cheese and broccoli. And yes, in most cases, your dog will eagerly devour these healthier choices. How about preparing your own healthy homemade dog treats? (see below)

Adult dogs, like adult humans, don’t lose weight easily or quickly. A proper low calorie, healthy diet will result in a very gradual weight loss.

For puppies, it is very important that you keep a close eye on your pups food intake. We all know that it’s hard to resist those puppy dog eyes. However, in the long term, its one of the wisest things you can do for your pooch.

Veterinary nutritionists generally agree that puppies should be fed only dog food that is formulated specifically for puppies. For the first three months, they should be fed four times a day.Then, for the next three weeks, reduce feedings to three times a day. After six months, reduce feedings to twice a day and then to once daily feeding when he is one year old. At one year of age you should switch to adult dog food and monitor his weight regularly.

Dogs that are at the proper weight are usually happier and more energetic. At times, we may simply fail to pay attention and don’t realize the impact that our decisions about what we feed out dogs can have on their overall health and longevity.

Jim Navary has been a freelance writer and researcher for over thirty years covering a wide range of topics. He has also been fascinated with dogs for longer than he’d care to remember. Check out his DogBurg web site for canine friends at http://www.dogburg.com. Once there, sign up for his newsletter for dog lovers and receive the free ebook, “Pamper Your Dog: 130 Recipes for Your Canine Friend.”

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Is your dog too fat? Does he need to go on a diet? Many owners are blissfully unaware that their dog has gained too much weight. Since we see them every day, we may not really notice that they need to shed a few pounds.

Experts estimate that 25 to 40 percent of dogs in North America are overweight (more than 20 percent heavier than their ideal weight). The more excess weight a dog carries, the higher the risk to his health. Some of these dangers include high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, heart and liver ailments, spinal problems and breathing difficulties.

How can you tell if your dog is overweight? There are some very basic observations you can make. When standing over your dog do you see an hourglass shape? If so, then he probably doesn’t have a weight problem. However, if you see his sides protruding, then its likely that your dog needs to lose some weight.

When petting your dog, run your hand along your dog’s ribs. If they can be easily felt then he’s probably not overweight. However, if you have to press hard to feel the ribs then your dog needs a lifestyle change.

Its a good idea to take your dog to your veterinarian before making any major changes to his diet. Consult with the vet for additional tips and to ensure that your diet plan will still include essential nutrients the dog needs.

One thing is certain: no matter how much he might beg, you should stop giving him high calorie treats and table scraps.

Taking your dog for daily walks and providing regular play and exercise will help both you and your dog.

Eliminating high calorie goodies and substituting lower calorie treats isn’t hard to do. A few healthy snacks include apples, carrots, green beans, cottage cheese and broccoli. And yes, in most cases, your dog will eagerly devour these healthier choices. How about preparing your own healthy homemade dog treats? (see below)

Adult dogs, like adult humans, don’t lose weight easily or quickly. When done properly, the weight loss will be gradual.

When it comes to puppies, it is very important that you monitor your pups food intake. Undeniably, it’s hard to resist those puppy dog eyes, but, over the long haul, its one of the best things you can do for your pup.

Veterinary nutritionists generally agree that puppies should be fed only dog food that is formulated specifically for puppies. For the first three months, they should be fed four times a day.Then, for the next three weeks, reduce feedings to three times a day. After six months, reduce feedings to twice a day and then to once daily feeding when he is one year old. At one year of age you should switch to adult dog food and monitor his weight regularly.

Dogs who are at the proper weight are happier and more energetic. Sometimes we simply fail to pay attention or don’t realize how much impact that our decisions about what we feed out dogs has on their overall health and longevity.

Jim Navary has been a freelance writer and researcher for over thirty years covering a wide range of topics. He has also been enamored with dogs for longer than he’d care to remember. Check out his DogBurg web site for canine friends at http://www.dogburg.com. Once there, why not sign up for his newsletter for dog lovers and receive the free ebook, “Pamper Your Dog: 130 Recipes for Your Canine Friend.”

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If you have a dog, it’s likely that he knows a lot more about you than you know about him. He has been closely monitoring your daily habits.

If you doubt that, tell me how he knows that when you grab your car keys and your wallet you are about to go for a ride.

Dogs also learn quickly how to discover if you are sad or cranky or ready to play with them. They learn the time and place for family meals and the time and place when its bed time.

He’s learned much about you but have you spent any time learning about him? More than likely his behaviors are still mostly a mystery to you. Yet it’s fairly easy to learn if you put your mind to it.

Dogs’ barking serves many different purposes. A bark can be used to repel others and another to attract. Some barking styles mean “get outta here!” while others might mean “Hey, I’m over here. Where the heck are you?”. All but the most inexperienced dog watchers will notice that dogs have a number of different types of barking ranging from a muted woof of appreciation, to the high-pitched yelp of alarm, to the loud string of angry barks that mean he’s prepared to fight.

I think it was Sir John Lubbock, 19th century British behaviorist, who noted that a dogs bark is an effort to copy the human voice. Wild dogs, he pointed out, do not bark. Neither do their cousins the wolves, nor does any member of the canine family that has not heard humans speak or the barking of domestic dogs.

There is all the difference in the world between a bark and a growl. When a dog barks he flings his head high, leaving the throat exposed. It is definitely not a war cry. But when he growls he lowers his head in order to protect the vulnerable throat area, preparing for an impending attack.

When you walk up the path to a house and the family dog comes barking to meet you, you are in no immediate danger. But if he advances toward you, growling and with his head lowered and his tail as stiff as a ramrod, then look out for trouble.

If you stand absolutely still with your hands on your chest not one barking dog in ten will actually bite. However, if you make threatening gestures, or if you turn and run, your chances of one or more bites are extremely high. A strange dogs growl should never be disregarded by anyone who values his skin.

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You’ve weighed the pros and cons and have come to the conclusion that you want to bring a new canine friend into your home. But should it be a young puppy or, perhaps, an older dog?

Undoubtedly it can be lots of fun having a playful puppy in the house. However, adopting a puppy is a major decision requiring a major time commitment. For the first couple of weeks, both you and your new pup will have to adjust to your new living arrangements. There may be a few sleepless nights in store for both of you. In addition, new puppies must be supervised closely and properly taught what is and is not acceptable behavior. And don’t forget housetraining! In some cases this can be a difficult time with numerous “accidents” to clean up. Your patience while housetraining a puppy may be stretched to the limit. Also, young pups love to chew on things. Keep in mind that it may take at least six to eight months for your little buddy to outgrow his chewing phase and another 12 months until he’s fully mature.

It’s very important to carefully consider whether or not your lifestyle can be adapted in order to deal with the challenges that a new puppy will present. Should you determine that you really can’t provide the time and attention that a puppy requires you may find that adopting a mature dog can be an excellent alternative.

With longer attention spans than excitable puppies, an adult dog is generally easier to train. Adult dogs that lived with another family are likely already housetrained. There may still be a few accidents at first but it won’t take long for an adult dog to adapt to your rules. You may find that they have already learned some basic commands and/or cute tricks. Since an adult dog may have lived with other children in their previous home, they may adapt to children in your home much more easily. Also when playing with a puppy you’ll undoubtedly discover that they have needle-sharp baby teeth that can accidentally injure a young child.

Another option to consider is the adoption of a canine “senior citizen”. All too often, older dogs in shelters are considered unadoptable even though they can still have many more good years to offer to a loving family. Rescuing an older dog from an untimely demise can be a reward all its own.

When choosing between an adult dog or a new puppy, try to consider every aspect of your pet’s, and your own, needs. Adopting a dog should be great fun, but it also requires a major commitment on your part to ensure a healthy, long lasting partnership between you and your new best friend.

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