Fleas And Ticks

When looking for information as to what are fleas and ticks, you need to understand that they are annoying and hard to get rid of once they infest your dog and home. Preventing fleas and ticks is always better than trying to rid your home and dog of them after they settle in. Fleas usually invade the dog’s hair on the belly and around the eyes. They jump around more than they do anything. If they fall off unto the floor, you home will become infested and need special care as well as the dog.

Ticks burrow under the skin and go undetected because of the dog’s hair and you usually do not see the tiny bumps they make after entering the skin. Ticks can cause Lyme disease in dogs as well as human. This can be fatal if left untreated. Prevention is best provided by a recommended medication. Since fleas and ticks are not healthy for the dog, you will want a treatment that protects against both of these annoying pests.

Fleas are the size of a pinhead with a brownish color. On dark hair dogs, they are harder to detect. If you see your dog itching and biting at their bellies, chances are, they have fleas. If this turns out to be true, you need to use a medication to kill the fleas and then treat your home as well to kill the fleas hiding in beds, under furniture and on rugs. It is a long and tedious task; therefore, prevention is the best policy.

If your dog has fleas, all the animals he or she comes in contact with, will undoubtedly become infested as well. Fleas can bite people, but they just leave a tiny mark that usually itches for a time before subsiding. You need to prevent fleas and ticks before serious problems result. If left untreated, flea can continue to suck the blood of dogs and cause severe health problems. Many dogs become anemic when a flea infestation becomes overwhelming.

You may feel your yard is free of fleas, but the truth is, rabbits, squirrels and other wild animals that come into your yard can bring with them fleas that use your dog to travel into the home and infect other animals. If you have a flea problem in your yard, a pesticide must be used to kill them before letting your dog back outside.

Dachshund Breed

The Dachshund is small breed of dog. Their appearance is long and low to the ground. The Dachshund has a long pointed nose, floppy ears and very short legs that support their long bodies. Dachshunds come in many different colors, different hair length and different sizes. The two sizes refer to standard and miniature Dachshunds. And they can be smooth hair, long haired and wirehaired. All Dachshund breeds are beautiful and intelligent dogs.

The average weight of a miniature Dachshund is about 11 pounds and the weight of a standard Dachshund is about 30 pounds.

Because of the height and physical appearances of the Dachshunds, they make great hunters. They were used for underground hunting dating back as early as the 15th century England. This would account for their name Dachshund which in German means badger dog.

Dachshunds make great pets. They need to be trained properly to avoid temperamental issues that can arise with poor training. Dachshunds are all muscle and will throw their weight around. Raising Dachshunds around small children needs to be watched, as with any breed of dog. They do adapt to other dogs and cats.

A Healthy Dog Has A Healthy Diet

Learn About A Healthy Dogs Diet

A healthy dog’s diet means just that, they need to eat the proper food and have the right amount of food. You can buy inexpensive dog food that might not have all the necessary and recommended daily allowances needed for a nutritional diet. Some people feel that feeding a dog people food is acceptable, but they are completely wrong. A dog needs the nutrition’s found in dog food to stay healthy.

The diet can affect the inner health of the dog and the outer health. If you feed your dog an improper diet, the hair can become dull and fall out at a faster rate than a dog that has a proper diet. The vital organs of your dog require certain nutrition’s to remain operational and sustain good health. You cannot just feed your dog people food. Although they seem to prefer what you eat, you need to limit the intake of these foods and make them eat their own food.

Whether you buy the dog food already made or you choose to make it yourself, you need the right nutritional values per serving. Many people including myself have tried making the dog food from recipes found at the veterinarian’s office or online. Keep in mind that not all dogs can eat the same foods as others. I had to stop because it cause intestinal upset and the results were not healthy. The traditional store bought dog food was the best for my dogs.

If you find yourself using the wrong dog food because it is cheaper in price, you need to compare the ingredients between a recommended dog food and your brand. If the nutritional values are the same, you will be giving your dog exactly what they need to grow and stay healthy. If not, you may have to supplement their diet with vitamins, which is not easy to trick them into taking them.

The overall health of your dog is vital for healthy bones and organs as well as hair and teeth. Dogs do need to have a proper diet and exercise to live longer and happier. Never over feed your dog, some dogs will eat all the food given at one time, therefore, regulate how much they get and how many times a day.

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Exercise And Your Dog

If you have a dog or two, you know that exercise is important. If you live in a small apartment with no yard, you know the importance of getting out and walking for yourself, but do you take your dog along with you. You should know that taking your dog for walk is just as important as you needing to take a walk to stay healthy. Dogs are lazy most of the time and we need to have a little push now and then to get up and go.

Dogs that lay around the house all day tend to become overweight and depressed. Yes your can have depression without enough exercise. Walking is an important routine that should be established when they are young. Once in the morning and then again for a short walk at night should help keep them active and healthy. Different breeds of dog have different needs as far as walking and you need to know how far your dog can walk before taking the long walk.

My Pekinese and Pekinese/Shih-Tzu have such small legs that they only need to go around the block once. This of course is a small block. Bigger dog breeds can go for longer walks without any problems at all. Although all breeds need to exercise, the amount of exercise depends on the breed of dog. My German Shepherd, Missy, who died at the age of sixteen, loved to go for walks and we could walk for miles without any worries.

If we take the time to walk our dogs and play with them at local dog parks, they will have all the exercise they need to stay healthy and live longer. Missy was sixteen when she died, but the normal life expectancy is eight to ten years old. She was happy and healthy; therefore, she outlived all her brothers and sisters. We all want our beloved dogs to stay healthy and livelonger, and walking will surely help them stay fit and young feeling.

Whether chasing a ball, fetching a stick or taking a walk, your dog will have some form of exercise that keeps them in shape and does not allow them to become overweight and lazy from being cooped up in a house all day.