Archive for the ‘Dog Health’ Category

Dogs can’t tell the difference between a luxury dog toy and a dollar store dog toy. All they know is that it’s given with love and that it’s theirs. The following are ten simple dog toy ideas that will give your service dog hours of stimulation without breaking the bank!

Show everyone that the rights of your service dog should be respected. Get your service dog registered below.

Bouncy Sock

This DIY is a great way to use those socks who have lost their other half. It also satisfies your dog’s needs to run around with your socks—except this one is clean. 

What You Need: – One tennis ball– One sock

Instructions: Push a tennis ball into a sock. Make sure the tennis ball gets all the way to the toe area. Knot the sock near the tennis ball area. Throw the sock ball and watch your dog enjoy the bouncing sock.

Food Finder

Dogs love food, and they also love a challenge. Hiding snacks in a tennis ball turns it into a fun snack dispenser.

What You Need: – One tennis ball– Doggy snacks– A knife or box cutter

Instructions: Choose a seam on the tennis ball and cut a small slit along the seam. Stuff the dog snacks into the slit. Throw the ball towards your dog and let the fun begin. 

A tennis ball and food can make a great DYI toy for your service dog. Treat Bottle

What You Need:– One empty plastic bottle– Doggy snacks – Denim strips

Instructions: Unscrew the lid from the bottle’s neck and discard the lid. Push the dog treats and denim into the bottle. Watch your dog puzzle over this delicious toy. 

Chew Toy from Denim 

What You Need: – Old denim jeans– Scissors 

Instructions: For this project, make sure to use thick denim. Don’t use stretch denim or chambray cloth, or your dog will tear the toy to shreds in no time. Cut the denim into long strips. Gather the trips together and knot one end very tightly. Then braid the pieces together. Knot at the other end when complete. When done, you should have a braided chew toy that will occupy your dog for hours. 

Iceberg Treats 

What You Need: – Small dog toys– A plastic bowl or container– Water – Your freezer 

Instructions: Take your dog’s favorite small dog toys, place them in the container. Then add water into the container and fill it to the top. Once the container is filled, freeze the container overnight. When the contents are fully frozen, slide the entire amount out. It’s best to do this treat outside in warm weather for a cool summer day treat. Note: If you feel exceptionally creative, you can use broth to freeze the toys instead of water. You can also freeze fruit pieces or dog treats! 

Floppy Stuffed Animal

What You Need: – A clean stuffed animal– Scissors– Needle and thread– Fabric strips (optional)

Instructions: If you have an old stuffed animal lying around, you’ve got yourself a dog toy. Simply remove the stuffing and sew the (un-stuffed) animal back up. You’ve got a floppy toy for your dog! If you’re feeling extra adventurous, stuff the animal halfway with thick fabric strips for an extra treat when your dog finally chews it open. Just be aware of the confetti-like celebration your dog will leave in their wake! 

An old stuffed animal can be turned into a great DYI. Frozen Hand

What You Need: – A clean old, thick glove– Broth or water– Dog treats – Your freezer

Instructions: Place the dog treats at the end of each finger, and knot the fingers of the glove. The knot prevents the treats from slipping out. Soak the glove in broth and freeze. Give to your dog after it’s frozen. Just like the Iceberg treats, this is a perfect sunny day toy for a dog. 

Simple Peanut Jar

What You Need: – A plastic jar– Peanut butter

Instructions:This dog toy DIY is simplest when you’re at the end of a peanut butter jar. Instead of scraping the sides clean, just hand it over to the dog to do the dirty work. If you don’t have an almost empty peanut butter jar, any durable plastic jar will do. You can smear peanut butter onto the insides of the jar. If you’d like, you can mix in crumbled doggy treats into the peanut butter. Freezing the jar and peanut butter also gives an extra treat for those warm days.

The Rope Throw

What You Need: – A piece of old rope– One tennis ball

Instructions: You can cut or drill a hole in each side of the ball. Make the holes large enough to slide the piece of rope through. Slide the ball into the middle of the rope. Form tight knots on either side of the ball to keep the ball in place. This creates a toy to play fetch with. 

Dog Feeder 

What You Need: – One foot PVC pipe– 2 PVC pipe caps– Doggy treats 

Instructions:This DIY takes a little for elbow grease than the others, but it’s worth the effort. Mainly for large dogs, this PVC pipe dog feeder will last through multiple playtimes. Carefully drill holes throughout the pipe. Sand the rough edges of the holes down with the sandpaper. Wash the pipe with soap and water and let dry. When dry, insert the dog treats and cap the ends. Your dog will love trying to get the treats out of this simple and sturdy toy! 

Keep Your Dog Safe

For all of these DIY toys, as with any dog toy, supervise your dog when they’re playing. Make sure that the dog toys and snacks are the appropriate sizes for your dog. Have fun making these doggy diversions. Your dog will thank you for them! 

Like all canines, Service Dogs will need to be vaccinated. In fact, they may need these immunity-building aids even more so than the average pet. Find out why and other relevant information on vaccines and Service Dogs within this article.

The Service Dog

Under the definition stated by the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), Service Dogs are canines that provide a specific service to an individual with a physical disability. 

Service Dogs are no longer just for people with sight or hearing impairments. They are now employed for several different conditions ranging from mobility to seizure alerting to picking up dropped items.

Service Dogs play a vital role in providing disabled people with the freedoms others often take for granted.

Where Can Service Dogs Go?

People who need Service Dogs are afforded the freedom of bringing them everywhere they go. These areas include public places (malls, grocery stores, libraries, doctor’s clinics, etc.), as well as the cabin of an aircraft, and no-pets policy housing.

Legitimate Service Dogs cannot be turned away unless they are deemed a threat to the people they will come in contact with; however, this is rare as Service Dogs are chosen for their docile temperaments, as well as their trainability to commands and task-orientated work. 

What Do Vaccinations Do?

Vaccinations are injected just under your dog’s skin. They work by introducing a small amount of the infectious organism into your dog’s system. As your dog’s immune system recognizes the organism as “foreign,” it begins to fight them, which in turn builds up antibodies. 

Each time your dog is exposed to this “infectious” substance, (ie. through a vaccination) it will be better able to identify those agents, releasing antibodies more quickly. So if your Service Dog were to encounter an infected dog (or other animals) with the disease it has been vaccinated for, it would not be affected. 

A healthy Service Dog is a good Service Dog Vaccinations and Service Dogs

All dogs should be vaccinated against the primary illness common to the canine. They involve “core” vaccinations (given to prevent common diseases), and “non-core” vaccinations for dogs that are at a higher risk of these ailments.

Core vaccinations are: Canine distemper Canine parvovirus Canine adenovirus 1 infection Rabies Non-core vaccinations include: Leptospirosis Lyme disease (caused by ticks) Canine cough complex Canine influenza

Both core and non-core vaccinations are beneficial for Service Dogs to prevent illness or infections. As a Service Dog will be out in the general public visiting various places, they need a higher level of disease protection and prevention.

Vaccinated dogs will be more readily accepted onto aircrafts, into public places, and into different states and countries.

A Service Dog traveling in foreign land What Are My Service Dog’s Health Risks?

The risk of your dog contracting specific diseases dramatically depends on the area you live in and where you are taking your Service Dog. Core vaccinations should always be administered to ensure your dog is safe-guarded against the main dog diseases.

However, you may want to discuss the non-core vaccine options with your veterinarian. He or she will help you determine if your Service Dog is at a high, medium or low risk for the following conditions;

Leptospirosis – dogs are at a higher risk when exposed to wildlife environments (ponds or rural settings). Lyme disease – transmitted by deer ticks, commonly found on the whitetail deer. Although exposure and infection don’t always occur when frequenting an area with a deer population, this vaccine should be considered.  Canine Cough – includes bordetella and parainfluenza, which are respiratory infections spread between dogs. Places like boarding facilities, dog shows, dog classes, and dog parks are all high-risk areas.  Canine influenza – a relatively new vaccine. The disease is similar to human influenza with similar symptoms (coughing, sneezing, discharge, fever, etc.). It should be administered yearly for dogs considered at a higher risk. How to remove ticks from my dog (click for larger view) Service Dogs and Vaccinations

All dogs, including Service Dogs, should be examined by a veterinarian at least once-a-year to determine their overall health and the risks of disease. This will assure that your Service Dog remains healthy, is appropriately vaccinated for both core and non-core conditions, and can perform the tasks needed without interruptions.

Have you recently gotten a pet or are pondering the idea of adding one to your life? Then you’ll want to have a good veterinarian to look after your new bundle of furry-fun. But finding the right pet doctor for your new addition may not be as simple as looking through a directory and calling the first number that pops up. You’ll want to do some research first. In this post we’ll be covering some tips to follow and some questions to ask of your pet’s potential doctor. Here’s how to find the right veterinarian.

Get Pet Parent Opinions

Whether it be from family, friends, co-workers or the place/person you get your new pet from, ask if they know of any good vets. Pet parents are usually quick to share both good and bad experiences, so don’t be shy when you’re searching for your own pet professional.

Friendly and Open

You’ll want all the people you deal with at the veterinarian’s office (from front desk to vet techs and the doctor him/herself) to be open and friendly. Look for a calm nature and one that is at-ease with your pet. Also be sure to observe how your pet responds to the veterinarian. Yes, your animal may be nervous, but a good veterinarian will try to have a good rapport with your animal before doing anything invasive or “scary.”

Busy is Good

It may be frustrating to be denied the appointment date you wanted, then not be able to find a parking place when you do finally get to the office or an available seat to wait for the vet; however, this is a good thing. Busy veterinarian’s are tied-up for a reason…they’re good! Take this as a clear sign that this pet doctor has more going for him/her than just a fancy ad or web site.

Ask About the Cost

When your pet becomes seriously ill is not the time to find out about the cost and payment methods your potential vet has in place. Inquire about this when you are in the first stages of searching for a veterinarian to avoid a shock at the front desk.

After Hours & Emergency Policies

Another upfront inquiry you will want to make is about the office’s hours of operation and what their emergency policies are. If a vet only works a few days a week, or has no emergency contingency plan, then you may want to move on in your search for the right vet.

Location

Having your veterinarian “right around the corner” is convenient, especially if you have an emergency situation. However, don’t base your decision on the right vet just because he/she is close by.

Questions to Ask a Potential Veterinarian

You most likely wouldn’t let a surgeon operate on you without asking some important questions first, so do the same when you’re looking for the right veterinarian. Remember, you are your pet’s voice, so ask these questions before you make your final decision;

Is the vet accredited through the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) or the equivalent in your country? What type of equipment does the veterinarian have and will they keep up-to-date on the newest technologies when they become available? Who (if anyone) monitors the overnight patients? How are they treated/housed etc.? How does the veterinarian assess a pet before an operation in regards to anesthesia and post-op care? What do they regard as pain-management? Will this vet refer you to a specialist if your pet needs one? If you have an exotic pet, be sure to ask the potential vet if he/she has experience dealing with that type of species.

This is a good start of important questions to ask a potential veterinarian and they should be eager to answer any and all questions you may have in addition. If the pet doctor you are speaking with is reluctant to answer your questions or gets evasive or rude, move on. This person could be a problem down-the-road.

Finding the Right Veterinarian – Do Your Research

Take the time to follow these helpful suggestions to find the right vet for you and your animal-baby. When you’re pet parenting having the right doctor by your side can make all the difference in having a good pet and having a great pet!