Posts Tagged ‘life’
For The Love Of Dogs
Posted on: January 29, 2011
By Miss Debra Rae
Dogs and humans have been together for centuries. Why are we such pals? Dogs dig, bark, lick, steal burgers from the grill, get fleas, worms, ticks. Dogs have to be trained to do their business outside and then it has to be cleaned up. They have to be fed, bathed, brushed, walked, played with and watered. Dogs need attention, a veterinarian and must be cared for when you go on vacation or away for the night or a weekend.
Through all this, the human/dog bond is stronger than ever. Its estimated people are spending over $2 billion a year on their family pets and this number increases yearly. Some say within the next 5 years people will spend in excess of $8 billion a year on their furry family members without blinking an eye. Those that pamper their pets are an example to all of how to say “thank you” to man’s best friend.
A well cared for dog will do anything to protect their human pack. Recently, a Chihuahua took on a rattlesnake to protect one of its family members and nearly lost its little canine life. Dogs are among the heroes after a disaster such as the twin towers or an avalanche. Dogs find the dead for a proper burial and the living who are covered with so much rubble or snow that no human could ever find them without the super sniffer of the dog. The stories about canine heroes are in the thousands and occur every day. How many people would not be alive today without the wonderful dog? Our lives are richer, happier, and so much better with our pal the dog.
Dogs have been guiding the blind and deaf for decades. These canine kings and queens create a quality of life and a safety net not found with any other animal. Dogs help people with Cerebral palsy and severe anxiety. Dogs calm children and adults with autism, bi-polar disorders and other challenges. It’s stated that by simply petting a dog, a human becomes more relaxed and blood pressure drops. Dogs warn us when someone is at the door or when an intruder has entered the house. Dogs sniff out bombs and drugs. Dogs seem to know when someone has ill intent. Dogs are looking out for us at all times. Always on alert. Dogs are the ultimate protectors. Dog is indeed man’s best friend and brings out the best in people. The love for a dog brings tears to the eyes of the most jaded & hardened people. This love can also drive a hard-core military man to break every rule in the book to protect a stray dog who has become a family member. Dogs are exceptional.
Dogs are more a family member than ever before instead of the old way of the pet who lives outside. People sleep with their dogs, cuddle with their dogs and take them on vacation. People pamper their dogs, dress their dogs and buy them only the best dog food available or make it at home. We thank our dogs every day for their love, companionship and individual personality. We have safety belts for our dogs and dog hammocks for the car. We adore our dogs and they in turn adore us.
This exchange of pure love is why we humans spend billions of dollars on dog supplies, food, and all around spoiling. Our canine family member will die for us, warn us of danger and lead us home if we’re lost. It’s a fair trade to clean up the dog poop, deflea, deworm, detick, walk, water, play, brush, train and fill up the holes they dig.
About the Author: Miss Rae has had animals her entire life & writes continually about them & how they make us better. Dog training, nutrition, supplies, etc.; here at goodpoopy.com.
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=174307&ca=Pets
Should Dogs Take Supplements?
Posted on: January 29, 2011
By Lori Matthews
It’s no mystery why we take supplements. The body is a complicated mechanism that fights every day to preserve its own well-being. Therefore, the body needs plenty of nutritional support that foods can’t always adequately provide. Because of high starch content, bleaching and over processing, many foods don’t contain enough minerals to adequately support the body. A deficiency of just one or more nutrients can leave the body vulnerable to disease. Furthermore, we must acknowledge that we each have biochemical individuality, so our bodies require different things depending on our age, environment, activity level and genetic makeup. The same goes for our pets. Every dog and cat is unique and requires specific increases in nutrients for many reasons.
Also, our pets’ demand for certain nutrients fluctuates. Vitamin B is great support to the body during stressful periods and additional zinc is a helpful nutrient for many breeds; such as, huskies. No matter how well a diet is formulated, there are always nutrients, which are not in the diet. The body knows what it needs and it has its ways of communicating these things to us. It is up to us to pay attention to our animals’ behavior as well as their appearance to make sure they’re getting all the nutrients they need. For instance, is your cat sleeping more than usual these days? Or does your dog have less of an appetite? Perhaps they need supplements. It doesn’t hurt to try supplements to see how your pets respond to them. You may see a drastic change in their mannerisms or their appearance. When we give our pets supplements in conjunction with healthy well-balanced meals, their bodies intelligently draw what they need from the supplements and allocate them properly. Rather than taking a specific vitamin or mineral in calculated amounts, herbs deliver many nutrients in various amounts to the parts of the body that require it.
Chose a dog supplement that contains the rather unusual Ester C (Calcium Ascorbate), which is non-acidic, rich in calcium and other minerals and better absorbed than regular Vitamin C. It is usually not added to dog foods because it was once thought that dogs don’t require C because they manufacture it in their liver.
This way of thinking about dogs is archaic because we must now consider the way dogs’ eating habits have evolved from years of domestication. Out in the wild, dogs ate prey that had intestines filled with grasses that contained C. Now at home, they eat the foods we give them and they occasionally take a bite out of the neighbor’s lawn. Now, it seems as if dogs aren’t getting enough C. Vitamin C, considered a vital antioxidant, supports the bone, teeth and gums, blood vessels and the immune system. Nutritionists consider it a “conditionally essential” nutrient, meaning that it is needed in higher amounts during certain times in the animal’s life such as sickness, separation anxiety, stress from shows, visits to vets and confinement due to long distance trips.
Just like humans, it is recommended all supplements be taken along with plenty of exercise and proper diet.
About the Author: Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. Enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit Lifes Abundance Dog Food for more information.
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=56770&ca=Pets
CPR For Dogs
Posted on: January 29, 2011
By Kirsten Hawkins
Anyone who has been to a CPR class is familiar with the basics of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. First you’ll check to be sure the patient has a clear airway, then check to see if the patient is breathing, check whether the patient has a heartbeat and, if the patient awakens during the process, be careful that you don’t get bitten by the patient.
The American Red Cross has been instructing people in CPR for pets for quite some time now and has classes that include all manner of first aid, including mouth-to-snout resuscitation. You read that correctly; mouth-to-snout.
The procedure is similar to traditional mouth-to-mouth resuscitation between humans, the chief difference being that the person performing the procedure will close the dog’s mouth and instead provide breaths into the dog’s nose. The process sounds humorous in theory, but it works and knowing how to perform mouth-to-snout resuscitation on your pet could literally save its life.
According to a March 2002 story from The Scoop, a website that reports on dogs in the news (you know the theory – “DOG BITES MAN” is not news while “MAN BITES DOG” is), a dog in Walla Walla, Washington that was accidentally choked nearly to death was saved by a quick-acting Good Samaritan who was trained in mouth-to-snout.
After being revived, the dog was treated at the Walla Walla Associated Veterinary Clinic and released.
In addition to the mouth-to-snout procedure, dogs can have chest compressions performed in an emergency where the heart stops. Learning and knowing these techniques can save the life of a dog in distress and let him live to chase rabbits or play fetch another day.
The concept of pet CPR is gaining much notoriety and is starting to be taught by organizations all over the country that formerly provided traditional CPR training and certification. If you’re interested in taking these classes yourself, contact your local Red Cross. The life you save may be your dog’s.
About the Author: Kirsten Hawkins is a dog lover and animal expert from Nashville, TN. Visit http://www.doghealth411.com/ for more information on dog health, the care of dogs, and dog travel.
Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=11852&ca=Pets
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