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Canine Lyme Disease Can Be Deadly

September 27th, 2008 . by admin

Cases of Lyme disease are usually thought of only in humans, but lyme disease symptoms in dogs are also very common, depending on where they live, and their lifestyle.

Lyme disease was named for the town Lyme in Connecticut, where it was first discovered several years ago. It is caused by being bitten by a black legged tick, or sometimes refer to as the deer tick.

The entire northeast region of the country, plus New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, continues to be a heavy Lyme disease area for dogs. Over seventy thousand cases of canine Lyme disease in dogs have been reported so far.

People are familiar with the signs of Lyme disease in humans, such as flu-like symptoms, a bull’s-eye rash at the bite site, migraine headache, and joint pain, and if left untreated neurological and cardiac problems.

Unfortunately if a dog gets bitten, and contracts Lyme disease, the early warning symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs usually goes unnoticed until the later stages set in. By then it can be difficult, expensive, and painful for your dog, to try and cure.

Some of the usual symptoms of a dog with Lyme disease would be, a dog that is quite sick, with a fever. They are usually listless, not eating, and basically have no interest in doing anything that they once did.

The best way to handle canine Lyme disease is to prevent it before it happens. One way is to have your dog vaccinated against Lyme disease. The cost is typically about fifty dollars.

This is really the best option if you live in a high risk area, since symptoms of Lyme disease in dogs is very hard to notice until it is quite advanced.

You can also use a repellant that is applied to your dog several times a year to help prevent ticks. These repellants are very good, but generally not as good as the vaccine.

If your dog spends time in wooded areas when ticks are prevalent, they should be vaccinated, because tick-killing products are never 100% effective. Check with your vet for his opinion.

Dogs cannot transmit Lyme disease to humans. However since dogs and their masters often go to the same places together, and often share the same space, it is common for both to get the disease.

If you don’t live in any of the areas mentioned you probably don’t need to be concerned, unless you are planning a trip with your dog to one of these areas, although I have heard that the disease is slowly making its way into other states.

If your pooch is an inside house dog and rarely goes outside, you probably don’t need to be too concerned.

Cats very rarely get Lyme disease. No one knows why, but it is thought they may be more resistant to the disease, or less attractive to ticks.

Dogs are just the opposite and seem to attract ticks like a magnet. It is most likely some chemical attraction for ticks and fleas or a scent emitted by the dog that attracts them, and makes them very prone to the canine Lyme disease. No one is really sure.

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Summer Time Tips For Your Pet

April 29th, 2008 . by admin

Summer is fast approaching, so here are a few tips to keep your Golden Retriever happy and healthy. Never leave your pet alone in a vehicle. Even with the windows open, they can be overcome by extreme heat in a matter of minutes.

Have a shady protected area for your dog if they spend time outdoors. Never leave them in the midday heat without water and shade.

The mosquitoes that spread heartworm are just waiting to infect the unprotected pet. Flea and tick control is very important to keep your pet healthy. Make sure your dog is tested for heartworm, and takes the flea and tick medication that will help him avoid this debilitating and fatal disease.

With the arrival of the warm weather you will probably be opening your windows to let the summer breezes in. Each year thousands of pets are injured or killed from falling out of upper floor windows. Window guards or heavy duty screens can help prevent this tragedy.

Many plants, fertilizers and insecticides will poison your pet if ingested. Be careful to keep your pet from eating outdoor plants, and contact your veterinarian immediately if your dog licks up any fertilizer or pesticides.

If your Golden Retriever becomes hot to the touch, his gums, tongue or ears are pale with a greyish tinge, he pants heavily, or shows other signs of distress, cool him down gradually by spraying him with cool water.

If your pets suffering continues without relief, take him to a veterinarian as quickly as possible, because he may be suffering from heat exhaustion, or heat stroke.

Keeping an eye on your pet when the weather gets hot, and following these tips, will help to ensure a safe summer for your dog.

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Have a Golden Day
Glenn Downer


It’s The Season For Heartworm Disease

April 28th, 2008 . by admin

The summer season is the worst time for the pesty flea, tick, and mosquito. These little buggers can make a dog’s life miserable, and can cause serious health problems, sometimes leading to death.

The flea if left untreated can cause serious skin problems for your dog. It is easy to treat with over the counter medications, or prescription from your veterinarian, and your dog will thank you for it.

The mosquito can carry the larvae that causes heartworm in dogs. If your dog gets heartworm it is very expensive to treat, and if left untreated they can die.

For more information visit: www.the-golden-retriever.com/heartworm.htm

The best way to avoid this is to get a prescription from your veterinarian. There are several different types of medications to prevent heartworm, but usually one pill a month prevents the disease from ever starting. For more information visit: www.the-golden-retriever.com/flea.htm

Lyme disease can also be a problem depending on what part of the country you live in. If you have never heard of it, then chances are you may not have to worry about it.

It is a disease that ticks carry in certain parts of the country. It affects both humans and dogs, as well as several other animals.

If a person or a dog is bitten by a tick that carries the lyme disease, and it is not treated, it can become very debilitating. The best way to avoid this is to have your dog vaccinated against it.

Ask your veterinarian if lyme disease is a problem in your part of the country. Lyme disease was named for the town Lyme, in the state of Connecticut, where it was first discovered.

Preventing the above diseases, with simple to use medications, is much easier and cheaper, than trying to cure a dog that contracts one of these diseases. That can be a long expensive and painful journey.

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Have A Golden Day
Glenn Downer


The Golden Retriever Is Not For Everyone

September 30th, 2007 . by admin

The Golden Retriever is a beautiful, sturdy, well proportioned dog, that is a pleasure to look at, as well as watch work and play. They are loveable, well mannered, intelligent dogs, that are easily trained, and great with children.

They do not make great guard dogs or attack dogs because of their nature, but they make good watchdogs, and will signal loudly if a stranger approaches.

The Golden Retriever breed really needs to be around people. They love contact with humans, and become quite upset and mischievous if isolated. They will do all right in an apartment as long as they get daily exercise, but will do best with at least a medium sized yard.

The Golden Retriever has always been known as a great gun dog for hunting. This is what the breed was originally created for in Scotland back in the early 1900s. The breed has since become a guide for the blind, a therapy dog, to help people just feel better, a service dog for the disabled, a narcotics dog for law enforcement, and a great pet for the home.

Golden Retrievers make great companions for children because of their natural nurturing instincts and very gentle nature. The Golden loves to retrieve so you can keep them amused easily by throwing balls or sticks, especially if there is water involved, because they love to swim.

If you are considering a Golden Retriever Puppy, and it’s needs fit into your life style, then it can be a great choice, but I suggest you take your time and do some research, because all Golden Retrievers are not necessarily created equal, and they are definitely not for everyone. To learn more, Click Here


Puppy Training Is Easy If You Follow The Basics

September 16th, 2007 . by admin

Puppy Training Is Easy If You Follow The Basics

Training your Golden Retriever is not as hard as you may think. These are very intelligent dogs, and eager to learn. They want to please you, and hate to be scowled.

The first thing to remember is that puppies will be puppies, so don’t expect too much too soon. You can start to bathroom train right away, but if there is anything around you care about within the puppies grasp like shoes, or your favorite slippers, I would put them away, because your puppy’s going to chew them if he gets them.

Give your puppy something of his own to chew. They are teething, and want to naturally chew things because their gums hurt. Make it clear early on that he or she is to chew what you gave them, and nothing else.

If you expect your Golden to respond to your commands, then you want to avoid confusing him. It’s easy to forget that they do not understand the English language.

They respond to certain sounds, or words, based on your body language, and tone of voice. The trick to making the training as simple as possible is to use a few basic words and stick with them.

If you want your Golden to get out of the trash, and you say “no” one time, and “stop” the next time, and then “hey” the next time, they never really get what you are telling them.

The six words that I have found over the years that work best are “NO” “SIT” “DOWN” “COME” “HEEL” and “STAY”. I find they work best if said without the dogs name. These are discipline words, and are better left by themselves.

It’s important that you show your Golden Retriever that you are the boss. You must establish that you are the leader to be successful with his training.

If you give one of your commands, and he does not comply, reinforce the command with a little different tone of voice until he complies.

If that still doesn’t work, don’t just walk away. That will send a bad message. Stick with it until you get the desired results. It will happen.

Never yell at your pet or hit them, or raise your hand in a gesture to do so. You also never want to use anything like a rolled up newspaper, or a belt, or any object of this type to discipline them.

This will only scare and confuse them, and loose their trust, which will make it much harder to achieve the results you are looking for.

If you use the word “No” Firmly, to stop him from what he is doing, or gently show him you want him to “Sit” or lay “Down”, or use the word “Come” when you want him to come to you, or say “Out” when it is time for her to go outside - I think you will be very surprised at how fast he or she learns.

Whatever words work for you are fine, as long as you keep them simple, and stay with the same words all the time I think you will get surprising results.

And don’t forget the most important word of all, GOOD. Using that word combined with boy or girl, or the dog’s name such as “Good Sammy”, can work wonders.

They learn to like that real fast. Saying Good Boy, or Good Girl, or What a Good Girl, with the right tone in your voice, combined with a pat on the head, a biscuit, or a rubbing of their belly, will practically send a Golden Retriever into orbit.

They are beautiful animals. Just be patient, and you will have a great friend for many years.


How To Crate Train A Dog

September 3rd, 2007 . by admin

Learning how to crate train a dog is actually quite easy, if you just follow a few simple steps. It is also in my opinion the very best and safest way for you and your pet. It allows you to put your pet in a safe place when you don’t have time to watch him or her. Or when your away for the day, and prevents unwanted damage to your home.

It also gives your pet a quite place of their own to rest, which you will find they will do on their own within a few days of getting familiar with their crate.

To start with, you want to purchase a crate that is large enough for your dog to stand up and turn around in until he is at least six to nine months old. If there is a question, go bigger, rather than smaller.

Place the crate in an area of your home, that is not in a high traffic area but still makes your dog feel like he is part of the family when he is in his crate. It is usually a good idea when learning to crate train your dog, to keep it near a door to the outside if possible, so he can be brought out quickly for bathroom breaks.

Make the crate as inviting as possible, with some fresh paper on the bottom of the crate and a few toys. The paper will make it easier to clean the crate when your friend has an accident which is bound to happen.

To read the remainder of this article on how to crate train a dog, and read more dog training tips just Click Here