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 […]
Front leg lameness To ascertain if there is lamness in either of the front legs, the dog needs to be trotted towards the observer as lameness is harder to detect while walking unless it is very severe. Trot the dog slowly in a straight line on a relaxed lead. If your dog scrabbles, pulls or […]
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 […]
GIVING A TABLET: Dogs are not keen on taking their medication and can be very good at hiding pills in their mouths and spitting them out when you are not looking. Rather than calling a dog to you for his medication, have it ready and wait for him to come of his own accord. You […]
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 […]
MEASURING WATER INTAKE/URINE OUTPUT Obviously, the first thing to do is collect a urine sample. Measurement of both of these provides very useful information for the vet when urinary symptom problems are suspected. To measure water intake, you must ensure that there is only one source of water available, to which your dog has CONSTANT […]
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 […]