photo credit: brykmantraWhat is your pup’s skin type? Does your dog have oily skin with scales and perhaps crust? Or does he have dry skin that’s flaky? You’ll want answers to these questions before you begin looking for a brand new dog shampoo.

When you head over to the store, you’re likely to uncover a lot of selections for dog shampoos. They’ll range in price from fairly affordable to quite costly. Just before you go and put down $15 on a dog shampoo, you ought to know what your needs are.

If your dog has very sensitive skin, there are specific things you want to keep away from. Try to avoid fragrant shampoos and conditioners because these can inflame your pet’s skin. If your pet’s skin is already inflamed, some good ingredients to use are aloe vera and oatmeal. I’ve used these ingredients with my pet with good results. If you find that soon after using the aloe vera and oatmeal shampoo or conditioner, your pup’s skin continues to be inflamed, you may want to try out some hydrocortisone to see if that will help. For canines with very sensitive skin it is usually a good idea to stay clear of shampoos and conditioners with synthetic ingredients. These are typically omitted from shampoos created for pets with sensitive skin.

If your dog has excess oils or scales on his skin, you can try a shampoo with sulfur and salicylic acid. These ingredients will work together for a synergistic effect and help remove the crust and scales from your dog’s skin. Once this is done, they will also help reduce scale production in the future. These ingredients provide an antibacterial and antifungal agent and help reduce itching.

It is always important to make sure that you thoroughly rinse your dog when you are done washing them. You always want to avoid getting the dog shampoo in the dog’s ears, eyes, and mouth. Used properly, a medicated dog shampoo can be a wonderful experience for your dog and they will really appreciate the relief.

Synergy Groomer’s Blend Oatmeal Protein Shampoo, 17.3 Ounce
$4.25

FURminator deShedding Shampoo for Dogs and Cats, 16 Ounces
$8.99

Crazy Dog Baby Dog Shampoo
$4.39

FURminator Waterless deShedding Shampoo and Conditioner for Dogs and Cats, 8 Ounces
$9.13

Sergeant’s Fur-So-Fresh 21.8Ounce Medicated Dog Shampoo with Tea Tree Oil
$6.99

Hartz UltraGuard Rid Flea & Tick Shampoo for Dogs 18oz (Citrus)
$3.44

photo credit: Melody.loves.youJust like humans itch every now and then, dogs do too. But if your dog has been scratching incessantly of late, there must be some reason behind it. Treating such itching problems is sometimes as easy as changing their food or shampoos, however, it’s important that the underlying cause be determined, to ensure that your dog’s not suffering from a serious health problem. Food and flea allergies are two of the most common dog itching causes.

Flea Allergy Dermatitis

Dogs suffering with Flea Allergy Dermatitis, experience loss of fur in the area near the base of their tails, and behind the hind legs. Along with these symptoms, reddish bumps will appear in the patches where the dog is losing fur. It’s obvious that he/she has an allergy to fleas. The saliva of fleas is what causes FAD, and even a single flea bite can cause a problem in dogs that are prone to this type of condition. The obvious way of treating this condition, is to rid the dog of fleas. There are many dog products available in the market for combating fleas, and also to soothe any skin irritation your pet may be experiencing.

K9 Advantix Flea Control for Dogs, 6 Applications
$62.57

Merial Frontline Plus Flea and Tick Control for Dogs and Puppies, 6 Doses, For Dogs 89 to 132 Pounds
$69.90

Advantage Flea Control For Dogs Blue over 55 lbs 4 mth sply
$40.20

Food Allergy Dermatitis

Food allergies are another common cause for dog itching. In general, food allergy symptoms are seen early on when the dog is a pup; however, sometimes symptoms may only present themselves in a dog’s adulthood. You may be wondering how you can determine whether your canine has this sort of allergy. Well, if he/she is suffering from diarrhea and a stomach upset, it is likely to be food intolerance. On the other hand, if your dog is suffering from excessive itching and hot spots, then it surely is a food allergy. For this, all you need to do is replace its existing food with a diet that agrees with him/her.

It is not necessary for your beloved pooch to suffer from such skin conditions. To free your pet from dog allergies, you can easily find some good dog food recipes, and learn how to get rid of fleas. By doing any one of these two things, you and your pooch will be able to live a happy and healthy life!

Glucosamine for dogs is an amino sugar complex that is often used to release bone and joint pain in older dogs. Dogs suffering from arthritis are often prescribed glucosamine to reduce inflammation and pain. However, as with any other medication, there can be side effects. Some pet owners report a glucosamine rash on dogs taking the medication regularly.

Glucosamine helps arthritic dogs by healing painful joints. When taken correctly, this amino sugar stimulates protein production in the joints. This helps to build and repair the connective tissues of tendons and ligaments. Though dogs’ bodies produce it naturally, over time the body can begin producing less or stop all together. This can lead to the painful joints of osteoarthritis.

The glucosamine for dogs that is given as a supplement is a sulfate drug. It is often derived from shellfish, where chitin is available. Though glucosamine is not an allergen by itself, if is it poorly prepared from the shellfish it can cause a reaction. Also, some animals cannot handle sulfur medications well. Negative side effects such as a glucosamine dog rash, nausea, fever, and diarrhea have all been reported.

It is important that a dog who is taking glucosamine and displaying any of the negative side effects be taken off of the medication immediately. Though it is possible for these side effects to be caused by other illnesses, only a veterinarian can safely diagnose the cause. For dogs who are dealing with side effects from the glucosamine, there are vegetarian and non-sulfate versions of the supplement available.

Dogs who are suffering from joint pain due to osteoarthritis can greatly benefit from taking a glucosamine supplement. Many owners have reported marked improvement in their dogs pain and movement after taking this medication. Side effects can occur, however, and owners should be aware of this.

I’ll admit it, I’m guilty. Like many other people, I didn’t realize my dog was suffering from allergies. Unfortunately, our pets are not able to tell us when they are miserable and we need to be aware of the symptoms of dog allergies.

When you realize that your dog has allergies, you will probably want to know what type of dog allergies treatment to use. This will vary upon the type of allergy. These are in order of commonality, dog flea allergies, dog inhalant allergies, and dog food allergies.

You have to pay close attention. because the symptoms can sometimes be similar. Most of them will start with more scratching and licking to deal with the itchiness of the inflamed areas. In the case of a flea allergy, these itchy areas may be located where the dog has been bitten. On the other hand, with an inhalant or food allergy, the symptoms may be throughout the body. If they are not stopped, these dog allergies can lead to other symptoms. I’ve seen cases where they may get chronic ear infections or hot spots that initially started with a dog allergy.

It is always important if your dog is showing any sign of having an allergy, to get them to a vet as soon as possible. A veterinarian can help you determine the type of allergy as well as a proper course of treatment. In some cases they may choose to use a steroid or antihistamine to provide some immediate relief.

It’s important to know that just because you get your dog is so quick help, the battle is not over. You still need to find the underlying cause of the allergy. This will take time and research but it is worth it because it will save your dog great deal of misery in the long term.

There are lots of brands of heartworm medicine available, but some of them are out of people’s price ranges. We all want the best for our pets yet we do not want to have to pay more than we can reasonably afford. Heartguard plus is the most well known brand and is extremely effective.

Generic heartgard plus is now available and this means that we can now treat for a very low price and generic heartgard for Dogs is a great way to get a very cheap heartworm medicine. The most popular generic is called Valuheart. Many people worry about the effectiveness of these generics but there really is no need to be concerned.

What you will find is that any generic will be just as good as a more well known name. They all have the exact same active ingredients and work in just the same way. You will find that they are a great way to make massive savings on your pets meds and get the same results as a better known brand. With Valuheart we are getting the same dose of Ivermectin as we would in Heartgard, just as a much lower price. This makes it the perfect choice for anyone who wishes to treat their Dog for a very low price, and if you have multiple animals to treat then this is the most cost effective way to do so.

Generics are simply available cheaper as after a number of years the company that originally brought the medication to the market loses its exclusive rights. This means others can then sell the product under another name. It makes no difference at all to how effective the treatment will be so if you are on a budget you may like to try a cheap heartworm medicine like Valuheart to protect you pet from the dangers of heartworms.

How do you get cheap pet insurance coverage for dogs? Pet owners will be glad to know that there are many things that you can do to help obtain a cheaper policy to protect your dog.

One of the first things that I would highly recommend to all pet owners is to shop around when buying a cheap pet insurance policy and try to purchase one that suits your particular needs and circumstances. There are lots of incentives and online discounts to be had, which will help make that deal to cover your pet even better. The cheapest priced policy will not always offer the best kind of protection for your dog, so you’ll need to look carefully at the policy’s features and benefits. When you are comparing policies it’s always a good idea to compare like for like features and excess, just so you’ll get back policies that are all similar.

You’ll also find that some insurance companies offer a multi-pet discount for pet owners that have more than one pet. This is another great way of reducing the costs. In some cases, for every extra pet ,you could receive up to a 5% discount.

When you have decided on which pet insurance policy you want, it will be time to pay for it and this is where a lot of pet owners can falter. Paying for a policy with a one off annual payment is the cheapest way to pay for your policy, but if you want to pay by monthly installments spreading the costs by direct debit payment, you’ll be charged an interest charge by the insurer for using this facility. The problem here is if you don’t choose the right payment method you could end up making your cheap priced policy even more expensive and you don’t want to do that when you’ve been spending a lot of time comparing many policies to try to get a cheap quote. Be sure to figure out your total costs for each payment plan before making any commitments. Also, as with any insurance purchase, be certain to read the fine print so that you have a full understanding of what is and is not covered in the case of an illness or injury to your beloved pet.

Most pet owners know that a dog’s teeth really need to stay clean to keep them healthy.  Bad breath in a dog is an indication that all is not well.  Plaque build up provides a great home for the bacteria that release the bad smells and once they are at home they get straight to work damaging the surfaces of the mouth.  Gum disease will cause pain, discomfort and eventually tooth loss.  Tooth decay does the same.  So if your dog has bad breath things need looking into.

But, as much as we might like to clean our dog¡s teeth, many owners find the whole experience really difficult.  Unless you have used a toothbrush on your pet from a very young age, or you are extremely lucky you are likely to find that Fido really does not want to play along with the new oral hygiene regime.  Well, here are two alternatives that can make cleaning your dog’s teeth a whole lot easier.

The first choice is to use a product such as Proden Plaqueoff.  This product is based primarily on natural seaweed harvested off the coast of Scandinavia.  Once digested the componants of the seaweed are shown to significantly reduce the build up of ‘bio-film’ in the mouth.  It is this film that coats all the surfaces in the mouth that makes it easy for bacteria and plaque to build up.  So eliminating this will in the long-term reduce the potential for plaque.  It is also believed to slowly reduce the amount of plaque already present.  Although not an overnight cure, used regularly and from a young age it can really reduce the potential for tooth decay and gum disease in our pets.

The second choice is to instead feed your dog the occasional raw meaty bone or dental chew.  Both allow the dog’s own natural behavior to scrape away plaque build up in the mouth.  Raw meaty bones are extremely good as they also provide a rich source of nutrients and are great doggy entertainment.  There are a few provisos, firstly the bones must be raw and secondly chicken legs should be avoided, or the dangerous pin bone removed first.

If you have tried and failed to clean your dog¡s teeth with a toothbrush do not fear as you can still ensure their pearly whites remain as healthy as they should do by using one of the methods above.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, we may be forced to give our dog a food that they are not accustomed to eating. Many dogs make the change without any problem at all. Some dogs though, are sensitive to certain ingredients and will not respond well. Here is an example of what happened with a pet who had dog food allergies.

James was reclining on the couch resting when his phone rang. He made Thunder, his Labrador Retriever get off of his lap so he could get the phone. It was James’ boss. They talked for a while and James learned he had to fly out the next morning to go to Memphis to take care of a client’s issue.

The next moment James realized that his mother, who lived near him, would not be available to watch Thunder since she was at his aunt’s house. James quickly went through people that might take him and thought of Brad, a neighbor that had a friendly mutt named Sandy. Thunder and Sandy got along well enough and James was in a pinch, so he called Brad.

Brad said he would be happy to do it, so James dropped Thunder, his food and instructions off the next morning before leaving town.

James’ trip that was only supposed to last 4 days ended up taking three weeks. When James spoke with Brad, James was assured that it was not a problem and that everything would be fine.

When James finally returned, he found Thunder in a lot different shape than he left him. His normally carefree pup was scratching at different areas of his body and had lost some of his coat in those areas. James at first thought Thunder had gotten fleas, but after a thorough inspection, he did not find any. Before leaving, James asked Brad how long Thunder had been like this, while trying really hard not to offend his friend. Brad said the scratching had only happened a few days ago. With further questioning, James learned that Thunder had run out of his regular food and James had given him the same food that Sandy ate.

James quickly realized that Sandy’s food had wheat and corn in it, to which Thunder was allergic. Thunder had been placed on a special food a few years before after having problems with dog food allergies. James explained the situation to Brad, and Brad felt terrible. Sandy had eaten the food for years, but never had a problem.

If you believe your dog has a dog food allergy, it is important to get them to a vet to be properly diagnosed. A non-seasonal itchiness could be caused by a dog food allergy, but could also be due to fleas. Your vet will be able to help determine the cause.

There is something attractive about having a purebred dog, bonafide with papers and everything.  You know exactly how the dog will look once it reaches maturity, its physical attributes, size coloring and temperament.  Some breeds have developed certain physical traits that were achieves by many generations of active breeding and even inbreeding.  Such structured breeding has produced the results that were intended, however there will always be side effects when the gene pool becomes limited.  If you are considering owning a purebred dog, it is important for you to know that each breed has its own defects that may or may not show up in every member of that breed.  In general, skeletal problems arise in both the very large breeds and the very small breeds, which have been selected and bred for their size and appearance, not for their longevity.

In the largest breeds such as the Great Pyranees, Great Dane and Newfoundland, the major skeletal problems are in the hip and shoulder joints.  These dogs have been bred over time to grow to an abnormally large size and put on a lot of muscle.  Unfortunately, the dogs that were selected to be bred through several generations were simply the biggest, strongest and most attractive, not necessarily the most healthy and structurally sound.  The shoulder and hip joints support all of the massive weight of these large animals and they tend to wear out prematurely, leaving the dog in a state of lessened mobility and a great deal of chronic pain.

In the smallest breed such as the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier and Toy Poodle, there are two major issues: the knees and necks.  These dogs were bred to be companions and so those selected to breed were the most attractive and smallest.  These small dogs tend to have very thin, weak necks with very little musculature for support and are prone to a condition where the trachea collapses and makes breathing difficult.  A collapsed trachea usually happens as a result of prolonged tugging at a collar, or a hard jerk from a choke chain.  This is why it is advisable to avoid using a choke chain or a traditional collar with small lap dogs.  Instead, a Y or H harness is a much safer alternative.  Small breeds also tend to have knee joint problems, and they must never be allowed to jump from high tables or chairs, since the muscles and tendons surrounding the joint are also small and not very supportive of the joint.

There are now more than ten different heartworm treatments available for Dog owners and the number is growing all the time. It can be difficult to know just which medication is the best one to choose and which is the most cost effective as well.

If you have done any research in to the matter then you may actually have ended up more confused than when you began. Here are a few reasons why Heartgard Plus for Dogs may be your best choice:

• Heartgard plus heartworm medicine is very safe for Dogs
• It is extremely effective and fast acting
• It comes in chewable treat form making it easy to administer
• It is inexpensive
• It has the best reputation
• It will also treat for intestinal worms

And these are just a few of the reasons why you may like to consider using heartgard plus as your treatment of choice.
How To Use
Heartgard should be given on a monthly basis. This means giving the pill or chewie every month when mosquitoes may pose a risk to your animals health. It will then ensure that the small worms that your pet may have been infected with will never grow and become a problem.

What you will also find is that because it is a relatively inexpensive option is that many owners are now deciding to give it on a monthly basis for the entire year. This has a number of obvious benefits to our pets as well as for us:

• We do not need expensive check up as we do if we only treat for part of the year
• There is zero risk of our Dogs developing adult heartworms
• It works out cheaper
• We are less likely to treat in the peak season

These are all things to consider but there is no doubt that for effective protection against heartworms in Dogs it is Heartgard plus that is the most effective treatment that we can give.