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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Nosebleeds When dogs have nosebleeds, they usually occur as a result of trauma while running/playing or can sometimes happen after violent sneezing or even if they have got something lodged up a nostril. Dogs can have nose bleeds just like we do. The best action is to try to keep the dog as quiet as possible […]
Sarcoptic Mange (Scabies) As per a request, today’s and tomorrow’s info is about mange (and can I just say that typing this for you all is making me itch like a good ‘un!!!) Sarcoptic mange (scabies) is caused by a tiny, microscopic mite, which lives permanently within the top layers of the skin. * It causes […]
Arthritis We use the term a lot, but what exactly is arthritis? Well the first thing to say is that it is not a single disease – it is a term that covers over 100 medical conditions. If you have trouble moving around or feel pain and stiffness in your body, you could have arthritis and the […]
Hip Dysplasia Symptoms vary depending on severity – usually in young dogs in which bones are still growing (up to about a year old) or in older dogs which have developed signs of arthritis in the hip joints. The older dogs have always had HD but the condition has remained “silent” until arthritis eventually begins […]
Dislocations occur at a joint when the angle of the connection is displaced causing the usual function of the joint to be disrupted. You may see a lump or bump where the bones are incorrectly aligned, notice that the dog is unable to use the limb or maybe it just looks plane wrong! As in […]
STRAINS & SPRAINS – As with humans, a strain or sprain (for example as the result of a twisted ankle after a trip or fall, or shoulder muscle strain due to landing badly when jumping and playing) needs rest. The little memory technique for treating a strain or sprain is RICE R= REST Crate rest […]
Hind Leg Lameness: To try to ascertain if there is hind leg lameness, the dog should be trotted slowly away from the observer. The dog favours the sore leg by taking less weight on it. The impression given is that the hindquarter on the GOOD side moves down more – the dog seems to fall […]
Lameness Lameness is usually caused by pain but non-painful lameness may also occur. Two examples of non-painful lamenesses are “mechanical lameness” where limb movement is restricted but pain-free, and neurological lameness which usually means paralaysis of a limb or part of a limb. Apart from non-painful lameness, anything which hurts the dog will cause it […]
Liquid Medication – Some dogs, no matter how hard you try, just refuse to take their medication in tablet form. If this is the case, you may be able to crush up the pill, mix it with sugar water and syringe it sideways into the mouth. Melted icecream and sugar water to help raise blood […]
Symptoms of urinary obstruction – this is an emergency situation and should you feel that your dog is experiencing any/some of the following symptoms, please do not hesitate to ring your emergency vet and tell him you are on your way. The symptoms we would associate with POSSIBLE urinary obstruction are:- * Abdominal pain, agitation […]
Important urine observations to help the vet * Is the urine being passed more or less frequently than normal? * Is the amount normal, incereased or reduced? * Does the dog strain to pass urine? * Does the dog cry/whimper when passing urine? * Is a steady stream of urine produced? * Is there any […]
Tumours, Lumps & Bumps – When you notice a lump on your dog, it’s very scary. You instantly start thinking the worst as to what it could be, how long has it been there and whether you should have noticed it sooner. The important thing is that now you HAVE noticed it, you need to keep […]
Rhodes 2 Safety would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas & a Safe and Happy New Year for 2013. All our love from Axl and the whole R2S Team. xxx