Dog Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie.

WWW.UWASHDOGGIE.COM   Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca. 800-738-9274

Most pet owners think of the most common dog emergencies as severe traumas. However, the fact is that the most common emergencies are frequent problems and it just happens to be after-hours when regular vets are closed leaving emergency rooms as the only available option.

Here are the three most common DOG emergencies:

1. The most common emergency is vomiting. Hands down. There are lots of causes for vomiting, ranging from serious metabolic diseases to dietary indiscretions. You can help prevent vomiting in your dog by consistently feeding a good quality diet with no table scraps. Don’t feed bones and make any dietary changes gradually. Prevent exposure to trash and objects that your dog may swallow. 

2. The second most common emergency in dogs is diarrhea. Parasites, dietary changes or indiscretions, and other metabolic diseases can cause diarrhea. The best way to prevent diarrhea in dogs is to prevent exposure to trash, keep your dog confined to a fenced-in yard or on a leash (again to prevent him from getting into and eating things he shouldn’t), and consistently feeding a good quality food. Don’t feed bones. Make any dietary changes gradually.

3. The third most common dog emergency is “not eating“. The lack of an appetite is a common symptom and can be caused by just about every problem a dog can get. It can be a symptom of something simple or serious.  Because there are so many possible causes (from infections, trauma, diabetes and various other diseases), it is hard to “prevent”. The best thing you can do is to keep your dog safe and prevent exposure to problem items such as trash, medications and toxins.

These three problems are very common and unfortunately they are likely to affect your pet at one time or another. These costs can add up – especially as it may require more than one visit or one day to make your pet feel better or to determine the underlying causes.

These costs can be understandably difficult for some pet owners to afford. If you are in that situation, and you do not have pet insurance, you should be saving money for your dog on a regular basis so you can be prepared for a major veterinary expense.  If you are not good at saving every month (most of us are not), then consider pet insurance .  They have a number of different plans to fit different budgets.  To get a quote and see if there is plan that is right for you Go to: petinsurance.com.

One last thing, many emergencies of this type are caused by exposure to toxins, owners feeding their pets table scraps and pets getting access to trash. Please be very careful with what you feed your dog. Also, do not give any medications unless instructed by your veterinarian.

P.S. If your dog has any problem, always call your vet or veterinary emergency clinic. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

P.P.S. Unfortunately, pets can be expensive and veterinary care can be a substantial expense for some pet owners. If you don’t have pet insurance, how often can you afford to do this? How many times could you afford to cover pet emergencies out of pocket like this?  How about even more costly emergencies than the ones I’ve mentioned here? Have you looked into pet insurance yet? If you have not done so, please take a minute and find out how pet insurance can save you money. Go to petinsurance.com.

WWW.UWASHDOGGIE.COM   Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca. 800-738-9274

Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie.

WWW.UWASHDOGGIE.COM   Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca. 800-738-9274

Most pet owners think of the most common dog emergencies as severe traumas. However, the fact is that the most common emergencies are frequent problems and it just happens to be after-hours when regular vets are closed leaving emergency rooms as the only available option.

Here are the three most common DOG emergencies:

1. The most common emergency is vomiting. Hands down. There are lots of causes for vomiting, ranging from serious metabolic diseases to dietary indiscretions. You can help prevent vomiting in your dog by consistently feeding a good quality diet with no table scraps. Don’t feed bones and make any dietary changes gradually. Prevent exposure to trash and objects that your dog may swallow. 

2. The second most common emergency in dogs is diarrhea. Parasites, dietary changes or indiscretions, and other metabolic diseases can cause diarrhea. The best way to prevent diarrhea in dogs is to prevent exposure to trash, keep your dog confined to a fenced-in yard or on a leash (again to prevent him from getting into and eating things he shouldn’t), and consistently feeding a good quality food. Don’t feed bones. Make any dietary changes gradually.

3. The third most common dog emergency is “not eating“. The lack of an appetite is a common symptom and can be caused by just about every problem a dog can get. It can be a symptom of something simple or serious.  Because there are so many possible causes (from infections, trauma, diabetes and various other diseases), it is hard to “prevent”. The best thing you can do is to keep your dog safe and prevent exposure to problem items such as trash, medications and toxins.

These three problems are very common and unfortunately they are likely to affect your pet at one time or another. These costs can add up – especially as it may require more than one visit or one day to make your pet feel better or to determine the underlying causes.

These costs can be understandably difficult for some pet owners to afford. If you are in that situation, and you do not have pet insurance, you should be saving money for your dog on a regular basis so you can be prepared for a major veterinary expense.  If you are not good at saving every month (most of us are not), then consider pet insurance .  They have a number of different plans to fit different budgets.  To get a quote and see if there is plan that is right for you Go to: petinsurance.com.

One last thing, many emergencies of this type are caused by exposure to toxins, owners feeding their pets table scraps and pets getting access to trash. Please be very careful with what you feed your dog. Also, do not give any medications unless instructed by your veterinarian.

P.S. If your dog has any problem, always call your vet or veterinary emergency clinic. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

P.P.S. Unfortunately, pets can be expensive and veterinary care can be a substantial expense for some pet owners. If you don’t have pet insurance, how often can you afford to do this? How many times could you afford to cover pet emergencies out of pocket like this?  How about even more costly emergencies than the ones I’ve mentioned here? Have you looked into pet insurance yet? If you have not done so, please take a minute and find out how pet insurance can save you money. Go to petinsurance.com.

WWW.UWASHDOGGIE.COM   Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca. 800-738-9274

Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie.

www.uwashdoggie.com  Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash, Santa Clarita, Ca. 800-738-9274

Having your dog diagnosed with cancer has got to be one of the most frightening things. This may be a remote thought for many of you who have happy and healthy dogs, but canine cancer is more common than you might think.

Did you know that the National Canine Cancer Foundation estimates that 1 in 3 dogs will suffer from cancer.  As a matter of fact, cancer accounts for almost half of all deaths in pets over 10 years of age.
 
My goal is to educate all of my Pet Place subscribers about how to keep your dog healthy and how to spot the warning signs of canine cancer.

Cancer can occur in or under the skin, and it can affect just about any location or organ in the body. Various types of cancer can result in different areas of the body, and the signs of cancer vary with the location and type of cancer. The aggressiveness of the cancer will depend on the type of cancer, the location and the individual pet.

The earlier you seek treatment the better, so it is important that you know the common warning signs of cancer so you can act quickly.

We have created a special article to help you identify the signs you should be looking for. Please take a few minutes to educate yourself by reading this valuable information.

Signs of Canine Cancer

Dogs get many of the same types of cancer as humans, and frequent physical exams and diagnostic tests help detect cancer before it is too late for treatment. Some common signs of cancer in dogs are:

• Any lump or mass that appears to be increasing in size
• Any sore that does not heal
• Change in bowel or bladder habits
• Difficulty urinating or defecating
• Unexplained bleeding or discharge from any body opening
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent lameness or stiffness
• Offensive odor
• Difficulty eating or swallowing

As always, monitor your dog on a regular basis and alert your vet to any changes or abnormalities.

Until next time,

Dr. Jon

P.S.  Treating a dog with cancer can be expensive. How can you make sure that you can provide the very best care for your dog should this happen? I recommend that you get pet insurance while your dog is still under 6 years of age and in relatively good health. A small pet insurance premium is much more affordable than large veterinary bills. 

Take a few minutes to learn about the benefits of pet insurance and how it can give you peace of mind knowing you can care for your dog in the event he gets cancer or some other major disease.

To learn more, go to: petinsurance.com

www.uwashdoggie.com   Professional Pet Grooming and elf Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca.  800-738-9274

Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie

WWW.UWASHDOGGIE.COM   Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca.

1-800-738-9274 

Just as important as what you feed your dog are the things you should NOT feed your dog.

Following is a list of 5 foods that you should NOT feed your dog.

1. Alcoholic Beverages. Ethanol is the component in alcoholic beverages that can be toxic when an excessive amount is ingested. Pets are much smaller than us and can be highly affected by small amounts of alcohol. Exercise caution when drinks and pets are together. Toxicity can cause a wide variety of signs and symptoms, and may result in death. Signs may include odor of alcohol on the animal’s breath, staggering, behavioral changes, excitement, depression, increased urination, slowed respiratory rate or cardiac arrest and death.

2. Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Peaches and Plums. Ingestion of large amounts of stems, seeds and leaves of these fruits can be toxic. They contain a cyanide type compound and signs of toxicity include apprehension, dilated pupils, difficulty breathing, hyperventilation and shock.

3. Avocados . The leaves, fruit, bark and seeds of avocados have all been reported to be toxic. The toxic component in the avocado is “persin,” which is a fatty acid derivative. Symptoms of toxicity include difficulty breathing, abdominal enlargement and abnormal fluid accumulations in the chest, abdomen and sac around the heart. The amount that needs to be ingested to cause symptoms is unknown. Do not feed your pet any component of the avocado.

4. Baking Powder and Baking Soda . Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents. A leavening agent is a common ingredient in baked goods that produces a gas causing batter and dough to rise. Baking soda is simply sodium bicarbonate. Baking powder consists of baking soda and an acid, usually cream of tartar, calcium acid phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate or a mixture of the three. Ingestion of large amounts of baking soda or baking powder can lead to electrolyte abnormalities (low potassium, low calcium and/or high sodium), congestive heart failure or muscle spasms.

5. Chocolate . Chocolate, in addition to having a high fat content, contains caffeine and theobromine. These two compounds are nervous system stimulants and can be toxic to your dog in high amounts. The levels of caffeine and theobromine vary between different types of chocolate. For example, white chocolate has the lowest concentration of stimulants and baking chocolate or cacao beans have the highest concentration. Depending on the type of chocolate ingested and the amount eaten, various problems can occur.

If your dog should happen to eat any of these foods and show symptoms of a problem, seek treatment immediately. You never know when an emergency situation will arise, so it’s best to be prepared.  These types of emergencies could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars to treat.  If this type of expense would be a hardship, I urge you to look into pet insurance.  It is a good way to help cover the costs of your dog’s veterinary care – even well care. And it’s more affordable than you might think

So to keep your dog healthy avoid the bad stuff and feed your dog a superior diet.

www.uwashdoggie.com  Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, CA. 1-800-738-9274

pet grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie

WWW.UWASHDOGGIE.COM    Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash.         Santa Clarita, California   1-800-738-9274

Does your dog do anything strange during a full moon? Hmm… makes you think, doesn’t it?

If you know anyone that works in the emergency room – either a human ER or an animal emergency room – they will swear to you that things are different whenever there is a full moon. Strange things happen.

This is a true story. I was eating at Outback Steakhouse a few weeks ago. At the table next to me a woman was talking to herself. At the table to my right was a man who appeared to be having problems hitting his mouth with his food – food was ALL over the floor.  (By the way – isn’t it nice to be somewhere that makes you feel VERY normal?  Ha!)

Anyway, the waiter came over and were started chatting and he said, “Wow – what a group tonight.” I smiled and he said, “You should come back tomorrow – this is nothing. Tomorrow is a full moon.”  I have to admit, I was tempted but I stayed home the next night.
www.uwashd oggie.com  Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash.

Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie

www.uwashdoggie.com  Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita, Ca.

Nick Names for Common Breeds By: Debra Primovic Share this

 Many people that have been around something for a long time come up with nick names for those “things” around them. Telephone is a phone. Television is a TV. Newspaper is a paper.

 Many people shorten the names of several breeds. This is something that many of us in the pet business see this as a language that we take for granted.

This came to the surface recently when a customer overheard a technician talk about a “Golden in back”. The customer asked – a golden what (who knows if they were thinking we held the golden egg)? What the technician was referring to was a Golden Retriever.

So what other breed names are commonly shortend or have nick names?

Here is our list:

1. Labrador Retriever = Lab

2. Yorkshire Terrier = Yorkie

3. German Shepherd Dogs = GShep (Gee-shep) or commonly written as GSD

4. Retrievers (Golden) = Golden

5. Rotweilers = Rott or Rottie

6. Scottish Terrier = Scottie

7. Dachshund = Doxie

www.uwashdoggie.com  Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash, Santa Clarita, Ca.

Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie

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I recently read this story that I thought I’d share with you today. Once more it goes to show you just never know what will happen.

The story is about a Chihuahua vs. a Great Horned Owl. This is a true story taken from an insurance claim submitted to Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI).

As you may know, the Chihuahua is many things: pet, actor, mascot and even fashion accessory. If it hadn’t been for the quick actions last month of a pet owner in Crystal Lake, Ill., however, “snack” very well could have been added to that list.

“It was around 1:30 in the morning,” Dana Kalomiris said, “and my husband George had taken our 3 year-old Chihuahua, Chico, outside for a bathroom break. They hadn’t gone very far outside before George heard whimpering and then Chico made a sharp cry. When George turned around, he couldn’t believe his eyes. A Great Horned Owl had silently swooped down and snatched Chico in its talons!”

With Chico secured to his dog leash, it was a game of tug of war between George and a determined bird with a five-foot wingspan. The owl tried to fly off with Chico but, having become tangled in the leash, it instead dragged Chico through the snow. “George was eye to eye with this owl,” Dana said, “and he’s screaming and lunging and just trying to do everything to get Chico free.” George frightened the large owl enough so that it let go of Chico and flew away. George inspected the startled and battered Chico and discovered that one of the owl’s talons had caused a small puncture wound just behind the right foreleg.

Dana and George rushed the Chihuahua to an emergency veterinary hospital near their home. Chico had been very lucky. Although one of the owl’s talons managed to puncture Chico’s side, the winter jacket the dog had been wearing during his walk acted as a sort of bulletproof vest and blocked a second talon from causing a far more serious wound. “The veterinarian said that if that talon had made it through the vest and into Chico, it would have killed him,” Dana said. X-rays revealed a shallow puncture wound on Chico’s side, and the dog was sent home with antibiotics and pain medication.

Dana said that Chico’s injury has healed remarkably well, and that the unexpected nature of the owl attack left everyone in the family feeling protective of Chico. “The first time we took him outside again,” Dana said, “four of us stood around him in a circle so that nothing could get to him.”

The Kalomiris’ claim for Chico’s owl attack was one of more than 80,000 claims received in the month of January by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co., the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance. The Kalomiris’claim was considered along with other uncommon medical claims submitted in January and selected by VPI as the most unusual of the bunch.

So again, you just never know what will happen and when. Pet insurance is a great way to know you can do the best for your pet without worrying about money. If you haven’t already, consider pet insurance. Get a free quick quote.

Until next time,

Dr. Jon                          www.uwashdoggie.com       Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash. Santa Clarita,Ca

Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie

www.uwashdoggie.com   Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Pet Wash in Santa Clarita, Ca.

I recently received a press release identifying the most common problems treated in dogs. – I think this list is accurate. This list was compiled from more than 485,000 pets insured by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI).

According to VPI, in 2010 their policyholders spent nearly $43 million treating the 10 most common medical conditions afflicting their pets. So they sorted their database of more than 485,000 insured pets to determine the top 10 pet medical conditions from the previous year.

Below are the results for the most common medical problems treated in dogs:

1. Ear Infection
2. Skin Allergy
3. Skin Infection/Hot Spots
4. Gastritis/Vomiting
5. Enteritis/Diarrhea
6. Arthritis
7. Bladder Infection
8. Soft Tissue Trauma
9. Non-cancerous Tumor
10. Hypothyroidism
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Pet Grooming SCV. U-Wash Doggie

 U-Wash Doggie, Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash.  Santa Clarita California

 As you may know, more than 25 percent and as many as 50 percent of American dogs are overweight. 
Dogs with obesity are more prone to a variety of health problems, just like people.  In addition to diabetes, asthma and hip and joint problems, I think overweight dogs can also have some depression issues.
Losing weight can help overweight dogs become healthier and happier.  It can also help them to live longer. 
Here are some things you can do tomorrow that can help your dog start losing weight:your dog’s food. There are several diets formulated for weight loss and they are very easy and effective way to help control your dog’s weight.  You get pre-measured meals and biscuits in two sizes to help your dog reach his weight goal.  How easy is that?  This has been very effective in helping dogs lose weight.  If your dog is overweight, check out this plan.  Discuss it with your veterinarian.  Portion control is a BIG issue.  www.uwashdoggie.com

1. Cut the treats in half. If you must feed treats, cut them in half or give half as many in a day.  This can help cut calories.

2. Exercise.  Ask your vet if your pet is healthy enough to tolerate more exercise.  If you play with your dog every day, play a few minutes longer.  If you go on a walk, go a little farther.  This helps burn calories.

3. Talk to your vet about your dog’s diet.

Lower the amount of calories your dog consumes each day by changing

 

Professional Pet Grooming scv. U-Wash Doggie

• Gently grasp your dog’s head using your non-dominant hand. If you are right-handed, use your left hand. Place your hand on top of the muzzle with your thumb on one side and your fingers on the other.

Avoid holding the lower jaw, and do not hold it so tight that it is uncomfortable or the dog cannot swallow. You may need someone to help hold the front legs and chest of the dog to hold him/her still. Wrapping the dog in a towel or blanket is a good restraint technique.

Once his head is held in place, raise his nose to point toward the ceiling and firmly squeeze in just behind the upper canine teeth. The mouth should then open.

Use your other hand to administer the pill. Place the pill between your thumb and forefinger. Use your little finger, ring finger or middle finger to lower the jaw by applying pressure to the teeth between the lower canine teeth.

After the mouth is fully open, place the pill as far back in the mouth as possible. Avoid placing your hand too far into your dog’s mouth. You may stimulate the “gag reflex” and this will make the experience unpleasant and make future medication administration attempts more difficult.

Close your dog’s mouth and hold it closed. Gently and briefly rub your dog’s nose or blow lightly on the nose. This should stimulate him to swallow.

The quicker you perform this procedure, the more cooperative your dog will be.

Always remember to praise your dog and offer a treat after receiving medication. This will help make future medicine times easier. www.uwashdoggie.com  Professional Pet Grooming and Self Service Dog Wash  CALL 1-800-PET WASH

Santa Clarita and Studio City, California