Dogs & Cats Health - Digestion and Absorption of Nutrients

Digestion and absorption of nutrients actually begin in the mouth, with the mastication (chewing) of food and its mixture with saliva. Digestion continues throughout the gastrointestinal system and ends with the excretion of waste products and undigested food in the feces.

For an animal to survive, water is the single most important nutrient for the body. Water within the cells is necessary for most metabolic processes and chemical reactions, is important for temperature regulation, and is an essential component of normal digestion. Pets obtain water from food, metabolic water, and obviously by drinking water. If the water content of food is increased or decreased, most pets are naturally able to achieve water balance by increasing or decreasing their intake of drinking water.
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Canine Seizures - Three Things To Know And Do When Your Dog Takes A Seizure

From long experience of a fitting dog, I’m less anguished during a seizure now than when my Boxer dog Gregory took his first fit more than three years ago. In the early days I worried his legs would break as they thrashed about violently, I thought he might swallow his tongue, or even die during a fit.

In short time I realised Gregory’s fits were predictable, in frequency, duration, and pattern. And I learned how to cope with worst case scenarios.

From day one I kept a diary of his fits, which occurred every 14 days or so, almost to the day. Invariably there’d be three separate fits, extending overall to half an hour or so followed by a couple of hours of Gregory pacing the floor, panting, drinking, and eating everything in sight.
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Keep Your Dog Safe From Being Infected With Yeasts

Dogs are generally susceptible to yeast infection inside their ears and in between their paws. This infection spreads rapidly to all other areas where a dog licks after licking the affected part. So, if there is indeed a yeast infection in your pet take urgent measures before it spreads like wild fire all over the body.

Just as in case of human beings, a yeast infection needs to be attacked on two fronts - there has to be a change in diet together with some local skin applications.

The most preferred medicine to fight yeast infection is Miconosol 1% lotion. This needs to be applied to all the affected areas and is also safe to apply inside the ears which happen to be the most vulnerable zone for dogs. You may also try out age old grandmother’s remedy of applying diluted apple cider vinegar all over your pet’s body and especially within the ears - at times it works wonders. The other layman’s remedy is to bathe your dog with a mild anti-dandruff shampoo. The yeast infection may just vanish without a trace and your pet will no longer scratch itself continuously.
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What to Do If Your Dog Has A Seizure (video)

See this video and learn what should you do if Your Dog Has A Seizure

Dog and Cat Osteoarthritis - What You Need To Know

Just like people, arthritis also affects our pets, sometimes because of a genetic predisposition, but there are other factors that increase the susceptibility to osteoarthritis.

25-30% of our canine and feline family members will show the effects of osteoarthritis, and up to 70% of dogs in specific breeds such as German Shepard, Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever. Dog arthritis comes with age and it mostly affects large size dogs.

If your dog or cat is overweight, it will accelerate the arthritic disease process and symptoms by placing additional pressure on joints. On average, obese dogs are likely to develop osteoarthritis three years earlier than lean dogs. If you can’t feel the animal’s ribs anymore, your dog is becoming overweight. Gentle exercise is helpful for any pet; swimming, if possible, is ideal.

Osteoarthritis in dogs and cats is caused by the deterioration of the cartilage surrounding the joint and progresses slowly over a long period of time. This condition can be brought on by an earlier injury or genetic disease such as hip dysphasia, more common in the large dog breeds. Very active and working dogs are involved with physically demanding activities which put repeated stress on their joints, making them more susceptible to osteoarthritis.
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Know more About Anal Glands

What is anal glands ? it produce a strong smelling secretion which is deposited when the pet defecates. Most wild carnivores can empty these glands voluntarily for scent marking or in self defense, like a skunk might do.

Dogs and cats have largely lost their ability to empty these sacs voluntarily and defecation serves to empty the glands.

Some animals become unable to empty their glands on their own at all. The anal glands become impacted and uncomfortable.

to know more please see this video

How To Detect Ear Infection In Your Dogs And Treat It?

If you notice your dog has been shaking his head a bit too often and scratching its ears with its paws or even trying to rub its ears on the ground, your dog may have some form of ear infections. In some severe cases, they may even not walk properly if the ear infection has gone into its ear canals and affected its sense of balance.

This is likely to happen for dogs with long drooping ears as the inside of the ears is not well ventilated or aired. Another possibility is that water could have gone inside the ears when you were bathing your dog and the dampness provided an ideal environment for ear infection to happen.

Firstly, try to have a look at the ears of the dog and use a cotton bud to clean the ears but do not push the cotton bud too far in the ear. You may see some ear wax and they may be dark brown or black in color. In worse case, this wax may have already appeared on the outside of the ears and you can see it immediately.
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my-pet-medicine.com Vet’s ( Question and Answer ) -Saint Bernard Skin Problems

Visitor Question :

My Saint Bernard has scally skin. He looks like he has dandruff when we brush him. He doesn’t itch it so it must not itch. He is losing his hair more and more. What could this be? I don’t know what to do

Scaly skin and hair loss are common symptoms of many different diseases and you do not provide enough information for me to be very helpful. It would be good to know:
- age and sex (neutered or not) of the dog
- duration of the problem
- progression of the disease (getting worse quickly, same since birth …)
- precise location on the body
- last anti-flea treatment used
- any other health concerns
- any vet visit?

However, the fact that the dog is not itchy is an important information. Non itchy skin disorders may include:
- hormonal skin disorders such as hypothyroidism
- congenital skin disorders such as itchtyosis
- a parasite called demodex
….

I recommend that you give more info and I will try to give you more help.

Best regards, julien

vetstoria.co.uk

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