Think Before Giving Your Dog A Bone!!

Everybody used to feed dog bones. Then veterinarians deemed them dangerous. Now, there's disagreement: Some veterinarians warn against bones, others claim they're essential.

Bones improves dental health:

When your dog chews on bones, the chewing action scrapes away plaque, controls tartar buildup, and helps stimulate gums. This diminishes bad breath, keeps teeth whiter, and reduces the risk of potentially serious dental problems.

While all our bones offer dental benefits, Dental bones are specially designed to promote clean, healthy teeth and gums in even the most aggressive chewer. They're also often flavored to prevent bad breath.

Prevents negative chewing behavior:

Bones satisfy your dog's innate urge to chew. They also help to relieve teething pain, giving your puppy a beneficial (and acceptable) item to chew on when teething. If you encourage your dog to chew on bones from puppyhood on, chances are he'll choose a bone over your shoes, books, television remote, and so on. Offer a variety of bones to maintain your dog's interest.

"low-calorie" bone:

Healthy Edibles dog chews and Booda Velvet Chews are all good choices for dogs on weight-loss plans. These all-natural, low-calorie chews are made from healthy ingredients and taste great.

The Good Choice:

• Try beef tails and ribs, or necks from lamb, chicken, turkey, and beef.
• Select bones with meat attached and most fat removed.
• Choose bones too large for your dog to swallow hole.

The Bad Choice:

• Sharply angled, sawed bones.
• Bones cut in small pieces or without much meat.
• Heavy leg marrowbones.
• Bones from baked, broiled, or barbecued meat.

Tips To Safer Chewing :

If you think your dog would benefit from chewing bones:

• Supervise all bone chewing.
• Teach your dog to release objects willingly so you can safely take the bone away if necessary.
• Discard after two days; raw bones spoil quickly.
• Bones for older dogs
  Provided that your older dog has healthy teeth, bones are extremely appropriate. Bones provide entertainment and mental stimulation that can be very beneficial to older dogs - especially those who are not extremely active.

Raw vs Cooked :

Cooked bones are harder to digest and give rise to increased risk of obstruction or penetration of the bowel.

If you prefer to give your dog cooked bones, boil them rather than roasting; dry heat makes bones more brittle.

For your own safety, be aware that raw meat and bones can harbor salmonella and E.coli; pregnant women who handle them risk exposure to toxoplasmosis, an organism that can cause miscarriage.

Dogs face less bacterial risk than people do.Dogs usually recover on their own, but see your veterinarian of your dog experiences diarrhea for more than 24 hours, bloody diarrhea, or diarrhea and vomiting.

Nylon - safe for dogs:

Nylon is a harmless plastic used in dog bones for its strength. If your dog ingests small pieces of nylon, it simply passes through the digestive system and is eliminated in the stool.

Pet care

Grooming

Regular brushing, bathing, and nail care are essential. Protect your pet's eyes and ears when bathing, and don't allow the pet to become chilled after bathing.

Pet food:

Table Scraps -Dangerous to pets:

Some people think a food that they eat is good for their pets. Not true. Some human foods, in fact, may be dangerous to pets. "Most pet owners simply do not know that small amounts of chocolate, onions, macadamia nuts and bread dough can be fatal if ingested by a dog," says Steve Hansen, D.V.M., senior vice president of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center. "And cats, in particular, have a body chemistry quite different from ours," and so are susceptible to poisoning from a number of human foods. Also because of their different body chemistry and nutritional requirements, cats should not be fed dog food, says Burkholder.

Keeping Pet Food Fresh

Always keep canned pet food refrigerated after opening.If you store dry pet food in a container other than its original bag, be sure to wash the empty container with soap and water before adding food from a new bag. The residual fat that settles on the bottom of the container can become rancid beyond its shelf life (the date stamped on the bag). This spoiled fat may contaminate fresh food added to the container, causing vomiting or diarrhea when fed to your pet.

Think before adopting pet:

Before adopting or purchasing any pet, talk to all family members, discuss expectations and responsibilities, and take a realistic look at your family's lifestyle. Consider asking yourselves these key questions before making the leap into pet ownership:

How much care will the pet require?

What role will each family member play in the pet's care?

who will feed the pet?

Who will bathe it?

Who will clean its living space?

Who will take it for a walk it?

What kind of medical care will the pet need?

How big will the pet grow to be?

Do you have enough space in your home for the pet to live?

If you're thinking about getting a dog, do you have a yard, preferably a fenced one? (Cats, birds, rabbits, and other small animals can generally adapt to any space, but dogs need lots of room to run and jump.)

Do you have another pet? How do you think it will get along with a new pet?

Who will care for the pet when you or your family aren't home?

Does anyone in your family have a history of allergies or asthma? If so, talk to your doctor about the possibility of pet allergy tests to determine ahead of time whether anyone might be allergic to certain animals

Teach Your kids to handle Pet:

• Teach kids how to handle and pick up pets — to never squeeze them too tight, drop them, fall on them, or pick them up too fast.
• Teach kids never to tease animals or pull their tails or ears.
• Teach kids never to bother animals while they're eating, sleeping, or tending to their young.
• Teach kids never to take a toy or bone away from a dog.
• Teach kids never to pet or try to play with an animal they don't know, even if it's someone's family pet.
• Closely supervise pets and kids. Never leave an infant or toddler alone with a pet.
• Don't put pets into scary situations. For example, if you know your cat gets nervous around too many people, then put the kitty in another room during parties.
• Teach kids to wash their hands with soap and water after handling pets.
• Don't keep undomesticated animals as house pets.

Tips for Preventing Pet Behavior Problems

• Set rules immediately and stick to them.
• Avoid situations that promote inappropriate behavior.
• Observe the pet and provide what it needs to be cared for and attended to.
• Supervise the new pet diligently through undivided individual attention and training, and restrict the pet's access to a limited area of the house until training is complete.
• Encourage good behavior with praise and attention.
• Correct bad behaviors by providing positive alternatives. (A toy for a slipper, scratching post for the sofa.)
• Never physically punish or force compliance to commands. This may lead to fear biting or aggression.
• Don't play rough or encourage aggression or play biting.
• Expose pets to people, animals, and environments where you want them to live.

Rabies

Rabies (Latin, rabies, "madness, rage,fury") is a viral zoonotic disease that causes acute encephalitis (brain swelling) in mammals. In non-vaccinated humans, rabies is almost invariably fatal after neurological symptoms have developed, but prompt post-exposure vaccination may prevent the virus from progressing.

The virus is usually transmitted by a bite from a rabid animal.

Prompt and appropriate treatment, after being bitten and before the disease develops, can stop the infection and prevent the disease in people.

Not all rabid animals foam at the mouth and appear mad. Infected animals can be very calm and tame.

Only mammals get rabies. Birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians do not.

Humans

Improved rabies vaccination and animal control programs and better treatment for people who have been bitten can reduce the number of human rabies cases .

Dogs are still a significant source of rabies in many countries. Most cases of rabies occur in wild animals, mainly skunks, raccoons, bats and foxes

Controlling Rabies

Have your veterinarian vaccinate your cats, dogs, ferrets, and selected livestock. Keep the vaccinations up-to-date. Your veterinarian will advise you on the recommended or required frequency of vaccination in your locality.

Reduce the possibility of exposure to rabies by keeping your animals on your property. Don't let pets roam free. Don't leave garbage or pet food outside because it may attract wild or stray animals.

Wild animals should not be kept as pets. They are a potential rabies threat to their owners and to others. Observe all wild animals from a distance, even if they seem friendly.

A rabid wild animal may act tame. Don't go near it. If you see a wild animal acting strangely, report it to the city or county animal control department.

What to do - If You Have Been Bitten

Don't panic — but don't ignore the bite either. Wash the wound thoroughly and vigorously with soap and lots of water.

If possible, capture the animal under a large box or can, or at least try to identify it before it runs away. Don't try to pick the animal up. Call the local animal control authorities to come and get the animal.

If it is a wild animal, try to capture it if you can do so safely without being bitten again. If the animal cannot be captured and it must be killed to prevent its escape, don't damage the head. The brain will be needed to test for rabies.

Call your physician immediately. Explain how you were bitten and follow the physician's advice.

Report the bite to the local health department.

What to do -If Your Pet Has Been Bitten

Immediately consult your veterinarian.

Report the bite to the local animal control authorities.

Dogs, cats and ferrets that are currently vaccinated should be revaccinated immediately, kept under the owner's control, and observed for a period as specified by state law or local ordinances (normally 45 days or more).

Animals with expired vaccinations will need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Unvaccinated dogs, cats and ferrets exposed to a rabid animal may need to be euthanatized immediately. Alternatively, the animal should be checked and immediately placed in strict isolation for 6 months and vaccinated 1 month before being released.

If bitten by a rabid animal, other animals should be euthanatized immediately.

What to do - If Your Pet Has Bitten Someone

Urge the victim to see a physician immediately and to follow the physician's recommendations.

Report the bite to the local health department and animal control authorities. If your pet is a cat, dog or ferret, the officials will confine the animal and watch it closely for 10 days. Home confinement may be allowed. Immediately report any illness or unusual behavior with your pet to your local health department and veterinarian. Don't let your pet stray, and don't give your pet away. The animal must be available for observation by public health authorities or a veterinarian.

Check with your veterinarian to be sure your pet's vaccinations are up-to-date.

After the recommended observation period, have your pet vaccinated for rabies if it does not have a current rabies vaccination.

Avoiding Dog Bites:

Never approach a strange dog, especially one who's tied up or confined behind a fence or in a car.

Don't pet a dog, even your own, without letting him or her see and sniff you first.

Never turn your back to a dog and run away. A dog's natural instinct is to chase and catch fleeing prey.

Don't disturb a dog while he or she is sleeping, eating, chewing on a toy, or caring for puppies.

Be cautious around strange dogs. Always assume that a dog who doesn't know you may see you as an intruder or as a threat.

When dog try to attack you:

Never scream and run. Remain motionless, hands at your sides, and avoid eye contact with the dog.

Remain motionless with your hands at your sides until the dog loses interest in you, then slowly back away until he or she is out of site.

If the dog does attack, "feed" him or her your jacket, purse, or anything that you can put between yourself and the dog.

If you fall or are knocked to the ground, curl into a ball with your hands over your ears and remain motionless. Try not to scream or roll around.