Euro Puppy BLOG

Rosie Brown is a veterinarian with 20 years' experience in small animal practice. Her passion is preventative health care for our dogs; what can we do to keep them well and reduce the chances of them getting sick?

Rosie has written a short report on how to give your dog a checkup, following the steps she uses in her clinic. It is just under 20 pages long and has full color photos. It explains such things as why we look at a dog's gums and press on them when we're doing an examination, how to check a dog's pulse, and more. Her aim is to encourage dog owners to become familiar with their dog, so they can quickly notice any changes and have them treated straight away. They then have a better chance of a good outcome, and early treatment may not cost them as much in veterinary fees.

The 20 pages ebook is priced at a very reasonable $4.95, to get it into the hands of as many dog owners as possible.

Save money on vet bills, do the basic health check yourself.

Buy Now!

Fighting Kennel Cough? Here is a great resource to help!

Kennel Cough Help was created to increase knowledge and awareness of identifying, treating, and preventing kennel cough.

Made up from personal experiences and extensive research, it serves as the top online resource for kennel cough symptoms, and kennel cough treatment.

Every dog is different and requires a different type of treatment. Kennel cough remedies that work for one dog may not work for another but the main thing is identifying it early. For more information on identifying kennel cough symptoms, and how to care for your best friend, please visit www.kennelcoughhelp.com.

Why do dogs love water so much? Well, scientists have discovered one intriguing possibility. It might be because, unlike humans, dogs can actually taste water.

They do so via the receptors at the tip of their tongue, which they use for lapping up liquids.
Interestingly, a dog's ability to taste water increases the more salt it eats. This is because salt heightens the sensitivity of the taste buds.
It's little wonder then that the dog takes in so much water. An average do drinks no less than nine times a day. But it doesn't only get its supply of H2O from its water bowl. Half of the water a dog takes in daily comes from the food it ingests.

There is a more practical reason why dogs need so much water, however.
Dogs produce different types of saliva, some of which are very watery while others are richer in mucus. Scientists think the salivas perform different functions. The mucus, for instance, is better at breaking down meat while the watery saliva is more suited to digesting vegetables. So the chances are the more meat your dog eats, the less water he will drink. And vice versa.

Many dog owners are - understandably - concerned about the fast-developing swine fever emergency. The most common question being asked is - can my dog catch it? The answer is probably not.

The fact that no definitive answers are yet available is not surprising given the fast-moving events. The H1N1 strain of flu that has emerged from Mexico is a complex virus and may well mutate and develop as it travels around the world. This makes it very difficult for medical scientists to give any absolute answers. What is known, however, is that, while dogs can develop influenza via a Type A H3N8 virus there is no evidence of th e illness passing between them and humans or vice versa.
America’s Governmental health organisation, the CDC, which is overseeing the outbreak has this to say about dogs:
"To date, there is no evidence of transmission of canine influenza virus from dogs to people and there has not been a single reported case of human infection with the canine influenza virus. However, human infections with new influenza viruses (against which the human population has little immunity) would be concerning if they occurred. Influenza viruses are constantly changing and it is possible for a virus to change so that it could infect humans and spread easily between humans."

One piece of information that might be worth bearing in mind as we all respond to the threat of swine flu relates to birds which the CDC believes may play an important part in spreading illnesses amongst animals. "Wild birds are the primary natural reservoir for all subtypes of influenza A viruses and are thought to be the source of influenza A viruses in all other animals,” it says."

Keeping our dogs away from wild birds is one simple precautionary step we can all take at this time.
The next few weeks and months are going to be challenging but the key is to keep up-to-date with developments and to monitor your dog’s health - as well as your own. As always, if you see something that concerns you, contact your vet immediately. Keep a guide to canine medical health to hand too. (We've suggested one below.) In the meantime, we will do our best to keep you informed of any important developments. Vet Confidential: An Insider's Guide to Protecting Your Pet's Health

Humans have been living with dogs for around 15,000 years now. It was in prehistoric times that wolves began spending time with our ancient relatives. They provided superior hunting and security skills. We provided food, warmth - and pleasant company. It is only recently, however, that we have understood that our dog’s behaviour is linked to their ancient past.

Scientists have come to see that, just like wolves, domestic dogs are hard wired to be pack animals. You can take the wolf out of the wolf pack but you can't take the wolf pack out of the dog. The reason so many dog owners run into problems with their dogs is that they don’t realise this simple truth.

By grasping this fact they could transform their lives with their dogs.

The fact is that, while they are instinctively pack members, the vast majority of dogs don’t want to be pack leaders. What most dogs do want however is to understand their place in the domestic pack. This is where all obedience training needs to begin. Once a dog understands the pack structure within its home, it will be a happy and contented canine.

Establishing leadership of your domestic pack is something that any owner can achieve. There are many products out there that can show you how to do this. Best-selling books by people such as The Dog Listener and The Dog Whisperer Cesar Milan
are extremely popular and helpful. One of the most complete training systems around, however, is run by the respected American trainer Ed Frawley and the Leerburg Video organisation. Leerburg's 4 hour DVDs take you through every step on the road to establishing leadership. They have a range of DVDs to suit all families. They might be the best investment you make as a dog owner.

$40.00

$40.00

Many "to-be-dog-owners" ask temperament questions and how early can they take the puppy home. We say and believe that puppies should not be separated from their mother before 8 weeks of age.



Here are just a few facts that you may not know:
• At birth puppies are deaf, blind, and have almost no sense of smell. They stay near their mother and siblings because of the warmth.

• Puppy’s eyes do not open until they are 10 to 15 days old. Their vision is usually not complete until they are about 4 weeks old.

• Puppies should remain with their mother until they are at least eight weeks old. During this time, she will teach them not to bite, and how to get along with other dogs.

• Dogs are submissive to those they feel have higher pack status.

• The most confident puppy in a litter often makes the worst pet because he sees himself as the pack leader.

• Dogs that are not around people before they reach the age of three months seldom turn out to be good pets.

The last point answers a common misbelief: "Dogs older than 3 months will not be able to adjust to the new family." This is NOT true.
You may adopt your new dog at any age as long as it was around people before. In other words a 4 months old dog or even a year old dog will adjust to your family and make a great companion if he was a loved and cared for dog in his past home or since his birth. Early age socialization with humans and other animals (dogs) are equally very important!

These days, the number of vaccinations given to dogs is enormous. Vaccinations exist for just about every contingency possible. And they're not restricted to one time pokes. Most of these vaccinations are yearly. But it's all worth it right?

The Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has come to the conclusion that we might just be overvaccinating our dogs by our persistence in injecting them with 16 different shots a year. Evidence shows that this treatment can lead to a wide variety of side effects including skin rashes, allergies and something called an auto immune disease.



No one is suggesting that we should get rid of vaccines. Rather, the article urges readers to rethink the necessity of vaccinating dogs yearly for non life threatening diseases as most vaccines confer protection of longer periods of time - in many cases upto seven years.

So when you take your pooch for his or her next shots, think about what is necessary - and what isn't.

When was the last time you told yourself you needed exercise? When was the last time you thought your dog needed exercise? If you can't see where I'm going with this, let me spell it out for you - go jogging with your dog!



Seriously though, it's a great way to give yourself and you dog some much needed exercise. It can also promote a stronger bond between the two of you as you cruise down the jogging track. There are some tips however. Consider getting your dog to run on grass if you can. This will prevent their paws from getting bruised on concrete or too hot (the surface can really heat up). Also, make sure there is enough water to go around.

Also, take care that you're not overstretching old dogs or those who are out of shape. You need to be sensitive to whether they are exhausting themselves. Start of small and light, and it should be good fun for the both of you!

If you're a dog owner with multiple dogs in the house, you know that they will inevitably fight. This doesn't have to imply any deep enmity. Animals are after all animals and there will be outbursts of temper. Of course, there may be deep enmity between two dogs and then it's always dangerous to let them into the same room together.



The situation is much more complex if you have multiple dogs. I once stayed in a house with 10 dogs and when they started to fight, it required many people to break it up. Most of the time, the fight is so fast and furious that you can't get close enough without being accidentally bitten.

However, if there are just two dogs, then what you can do is to pounce on the stronger one and with a heavy heave, pull them off the weaker one. If you do this early in the fight, there is a chance that the stronger dog wouldn't have got his teeth into the weaker one. Don't lift the dog off the ground, as this will tempt the other dog to bite the lifted dog where he or she can't defend themselves - or you lift them up so high that they can't be reached.

Sometimes, you can bring out something that your dogs are afraid of like a stick (provided they are afraid of it) and this breaks up the fight. Generally anything that can distract their attention.

Many dog owners ask whether or not they should cut their dog's toenails (or paw nails). It's true that cutting the nails of dogs is very common though it requires a little bit of judgment as to how much to cut as it is very easy to cut a bit too deep and cause a lot of pain to your dog.



In my experience, dogs that get a lot of exercise on rough surfaces like a terrace or a road will not have claws that need trimming at all. This is because the nails naturally trim down due to rough usage. It makes sense if you think about it - after all, who cuts their nails in the wild? (You may ask the same thing about brushing their teeth as well, but that's slightly different).

However, if you feel that your dog's nails do need cutting, you can achieve this with a pair of clippers that you use for gardening. Also, you might want to trim your puppy's nails from the beginning otherwise they will be not too pleased to have it done to them later on, and keeping them still while you perform this delicate operation isn't easy.