Did you know … Dogs have three eyelids. The third lid, called a nictitating membrane or “haw,” keeps the eye lubricated and protected. and Did you know … A dog’s shoulder blades are unattached to the rest of the skeleton to allow greater flexibility for running
Does my dog have cateracts? Many dog owners of older dogs think their pet has developed cataracts because they notice that the lens of the eye has taken on a greyish bluish colour at its centre. Any such changes in the eye should ALWAYS be checked out by the Vet but, in fact, in the […]
Is Eating Grass Normal? . . Three times recently I have been directly asked or overheard a conversation about this issue and then, totally by chance, I read a really interesting little snippet which sums it up beautifully. This little chapter comes from Andrew Gardiner’s First Aid for Dogs book – An Owner’s Veterinary Guide […]
Rhodes 2 Safety Quiz Q4: Your dog squeezes himself through a tiny gap between a fence and the side of a garage while “investigating”. He catches his foreleg on a sharp edge sticking out from the fence and puts a degloved injury in his leg (a degloved injury is one in which the flesh […]
Rhodes 2 Safety Quiz Question 3 (Q3) It’s a warm summer’s evening in August. You’ve had the back door open and the dogs have been able to trot in and out as they like. You look at your dog about 9pm and notice that he looks a little odd. His eyes have begun to puff […]
Today’s Question is:- It’s February. Your dog gets into difficulty in the water. He manages to pull himself onto the bank but then seems unresponsive. What do you do? Im looking for at least 5 actions you would take in this situation. * For small breed dogs, hold him upside down just above the […]
This week is Quiz Week – I did this a few months ago and it went down very well so thought we’d have another go at it this week. Ill pop a question each day for you to think about and the following day will put up the appropriate answers. Today’s Rhodes 2 Safety Q1 […]
Pulse Rates – Whenever your dog is sick, we always suggest that you take his pulse to get an idea of how sick he really may be. There are 2 things about this that are worth mentioning: Firstly, do you know WHERE to find your dog’s pulse? The easiest place is directly over the heart, […]
BLOAT – Also known as Torsion or GDV – A condition most frequent in, but not restricted to, large and giant breeds. The stomach fills with gas and rather than expelling it as normal, the gut twists and flips over on itself cutting off the blood supply and results in the tissue dying, often with fatal […]
Meningitis In Dogs Today’s blog comes out of a situation experienced by a good friend of mine and her dog over the past six months. I say six months because this is how long it has taken for a fair few very experienced veterinary professionals to finally get to the bottom of this problem and […]
An enlarged prostate is something that usually occurs in middle to older aged male dogs. An enlarged prostate is the result of altered hormone levels and has many of the same symptoms as urinary obstruction due to blockages such as stones etc. An internal examination by your vet will usually diagnose an enlarged prostate […]
Urinary obstruction is an emergency situation requiring prompt veterinary care so it is important to ensure that you are able to spot the signs. It is seen most often in male dogs, when a small, urinary stone has become lodged in the urethra. The signs to look out for are:- * Agitation * Abdominal pain * […]
Kennel Cough is a highly infectious disease. It is caused by a mixture of bacteria/viruses all at the same time. It can be picked up from anywhere dogs congretate such as dog shows, training classes, grooming parlours and even vet surgeries and not merely in boarding/rescue kennels as the name would imply. The disease is transmitted […]
List of essential items to include in First Aid Kits for dogs, & the uses of each item. Essential Items Use of the item Bandage (small) * To hold a gauze and/or sterile dressing in place while covering a small injury. The bandage should be applied and secured with tape* A small bandage can also be […]
Treatment for wounds and bleeding – before you treat any type of bleed/wound, you should always go through the SEEP checklist, to ensure you take all the right steps in the correct order. Treating a bleed relies heavily on things like the application of pressure, and the positioning of the animal’s injured limb as bleeding […]
Recognising different categories of wounds and bleeding . . Although its not at all important for the average dog owner to know the medical terminology for the various categories of wounds and bleeds, knowing how to differentiate between the the different types of wounds will help you decide how best to dress/treat a wound. For instance with […]
If the dog is NOT breathing but DOES have a pulse, you need to perform artificial respiration. Artificial respiration is NOT the same as CPR (CPR is compressions on the heart AND breaths), artificial respiration is just breathing for a dog who still has a heartbeat as follows: 1) Lay the dog on his right side with […]
C = Cardio (heart) P = Pulmonary (breathing/lungs) R = Resuscitation (the act of beating the heart and breathing for a third party to revive them) . . CPR is ONLY performed when the animal is neither breathing nor has a heart beat. . If he DOES have a heart beat but is NOT breathing, perform Artificial Respiration […]
Cold Weather Warnings – I’ve been asked today to put a few tips together regarding the cold weather and dangers this presents so here’s a few thoughts on the subject: Grit/Salt on the roads When its icy and snowy the ground becomes very dangerous and to combat that our local councils tend to scatter grit/salt […]
Canine Acne you say?? Really?? Yes, dogs do get “zits”!!!!! – This condition causes abnormalities in the hair follicles especially around the chin and muzzle. Larger, short coated breeds are affected most often eg Great Dane, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boxer, Doberman, Rottweiler etc. Acne is seen first in young adult animals. (BOTH my Ridgebacks suffered mildly […]