Dog Kidney Problems

If you are considering adopting out your puppies, or you would like to invite one into your home. What age should you wait for them to be? Many experts agree the least stressful time for them would be around 50 days.

“I would love to bring Oscar home with us, but I can’t stop wondering how much he’ll eat.” A common rule of thumb is one pound of dry dogfood for every 30 pounds of dog.

In a typical small town, without high sound barriors, a dogs bark can be heard by 175 neighbors!

A stray dog wanders into your neighborhood. No one can get close enough to catch/rescue him. What do we do? If the stray befriends another dog. They will often trust that dogs owner.

If a dog tolerates you handling it’s feet, it will more than likely be good with children.

Dog Years?? A dog is capable of reproducing when it is only one year old. It is considered full grown when it is 2 years old. In our perspective, the 1st year would be 15 years, the 2nd as 10 years, and each after that as 5 years.

Foods your dog should not eat:

Baby food. Some baby foods contain onion powder, which is very toxic to cats and dogs. Of course, large amounts would leave them lacking proper nutrition.

Bones especially small ones from fish and poultry will cause obstruction or laceration of the dogs stomach.

Dough with yeast expands in the stomach resulting in pain and possible tearing of the stomach.

Nicotine interrupts the digestive and nervous systems. It causes rapid heart beat, convulsions, coma and death.

Caffeine contains a toxic substance that affects the heart and nervous systems.

Citrus oil causes vomiting.

Dairy products. Some adult dogs and cats become lactose intollerent as they age often resulting in diarrhea.

Excessive amounts of:

*liver is toxic and effects muscles/bones. *Raw fish can lead to loss of appetite and seizures. *Salt leads to electrolyte imbalances. *Mold causes vomiting/diarrhea and can also effect other vital organs. *Cat food in large amounts would leave them lacking proper nutrition. Cat food is often higher in protein and fats. *Table scraps. To maintain a balance, table scraps should only make up 10% their diet. *Fat opens the possibilities to pancreatitis.

Grapes or raisins contain toxins that damage the kidneys.

Hops (from brewing) causes uncontrollable fever, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures and death.

Human vitamins containing iron will damage the stomach, liver and kidneys.

Mushrooms can cause multiple system failures and lead to death.

Nuts. Especially macadamia nuts interrupts the digestive and nervous systems/muscle.

Persimmons. The seeds cause stomach irratations and enteritis.

Sugar. Foods with sugar cause obesity, dental problems, mellitus and diabetes.

Raw eggs often contain the harmful salmonella bacteria and an enzyme that decreases the absorption of vitamin B leading to skin and coat problems.

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The Basenji breed is a between 15 and 18 inches high. With a distinctive face that is wrinkled around the forehead. Here we see a short muzzle, smaller than the skull, which is flat. The ears are small, erect, and face forward. The eyes are brown and oval in appearance. You see a lovely straight-line back. The legs are straight and in proportion to the dog. The tail is set elevated and can curl to either side. Their coat is shiny and short, with fine fur. The colours we see are pure copper, black, red and chestnut red. They have a lovely range of tri colours and these are black, tan and white, or black, brindle and white. For the AKC standard, the dog needs to have white on the chest, feet, and the tip of the tail. This dog can as an option have white legs, blaze and collar. This dog doesn’t bark. Now before you decide it’s the one for you, this doesn’t mean it makes no noise, it does, they can howl, crow, growl and are known for their yodel noises. So therefore they are still vocal, and it will depend on the dog’s mood what you may hear.

History: The Basenji is first seen, or recorded in the Egyptian tombs and Egyptian hieroglyphics. We see from this that the breed has a long history, which goes back four to five thousand years. It has since spread around the globe, being introduced to England in 1937 it was developed as the breed we see today. The first dog used on the African continent was used by the locals for pointing and retrieving game. They were also used to warn if dangerous animals came near. The Basenji was first brought to the USA in 1944. Another name for this dog is Congo Dog.

Temperament: Due to the Basenji dogs natural instincts and energy they need to know who the boss is. You have to show good leadership at all times and socialize the puppy well, to gain the best from this breed. It is wonderfully energetic and intelligent and so does well with training. It is fast and doesn’t get tired at play. This dog needs good handling from a young age to gain the best. It has a great desire to please, which allows good training to happen. They are cat like in the cleaning of themselves. This breed can do well with children providing the child can show leadership towards the dog, so unsuitable for really young children or toddlers. Due to its natural hunting abilities it is not to be trusted with other non-canine pets. They love to chew and thought has to go into a selection of chew toys, so this need can be met. Here is a breed that can, and will, climb, so chain wire fencing in a garden is not a problem for them to climb over. As with most dogs that have come from the working breeds, this dog will need to have plenty of exercise for both mind and body.

Health issues: The Basenji dog breed is known to get kidney problems, which must be treated the moment you think there could be a problem. They are also vulnerable to eye problems and intestinal problems as well. Another problem is progressive retinal atrophy.

Grooming: The Basenji dog washes like a cat, so next to no grooming is required from the owner. It sheds very little fur.

Living conditions: The Basenji breed is fine in an apartment but only if you are good and regular with their exercise both for the body and for the mind. Its walks need to be long.

Do you know that 20 percent of the 60 million American dogs we own as pets suffer from arthritis? It is a very common condition in our senior canine friends. If you notice something is off with your dog, but aren’t exactly sure what might be the cause, here are some common signs of animal joint pain:* Reluctance to walk, climb stairs, jump or play* Limping* Lagging behind on walks* Difficulty rising from a resting position* Yelping in pain when touched & resisting being touched* A personality change because of the pain

Over the counter drugs such as aspirin may dampen pain, but do nothing to treat your pet’s arthritis. Possible side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, and cramps. Traditional veterinarians might recommend steroidal medicine prescriptions. However, due to the many potential side effects of these drugs, including liver and kidney problems, vomiting, ulcers and excessive urination, more and more pet owners are turning to natural dog joint care. Studies show that natural remedies can be as effective as prescription drugs in alleviating joint and muscle pain, without the potential adverse reactions of these chemical-based drugs.

The natural remedy, FlexPet with CM8, has been proven to correct the problems and eliminate pet joint pain by reducing the inflammation while lubricating the effected joints. This is mainly because of the main ingredient,
To read more stories like this visit the FlexPet Blog for pet health advice, stories from customers and even FlexPet special offers.

To read more stories like this visit the FlexPet Blog for pet health advice, stories from customers and even FlexPet special offers.

Is your dog urinating while sleeping or urinating during the day when they are awake?  It could be a bladder infection or canine urinary incontinence.  If left untreated a bladder infection can damage the bladder so that the dog can not hold urine when needed.  In most cases of urinary problems in dogs, they are unaware of dribbling or urine leakage.  If the cause is due to a bladder infection, the dog is aware of the urination, usually because of pain, but unable to control the urge to urinate.

Young or middle aged dogs may not have incontinence, so you must have the vet rule out other urinary problems in dogs such as bladder or UTI infections or other ailments that can cause urine leakage such as bladder stones, kidney failure, neurologic disorders, hormonal disorders and diseases that increase urine output, such as diabetes.  A urine sample, a culture and other lab tests will determine the cause of the urinary problem.  There are various treatments for canine urinary incontinence which can help to control the dilemma.  Neurologic and hormonal disorders are the most common causes of incontinence in dogs. If the tests come back negative for infection or disease the vet will inquire and investigate the following issues.

1.  Maybe the dog urinates because he can’t get outside2.  Other medications the dog is using can cause incontinence3.  Is the dog drinking more water and urinating more4.  Neurologic disorders affecting the nerve supply to the bladder can cause incontinence5.  Behavioral causes such as stress or excitement can lead to incontinence

If none of the above issues seem to be the source of the problem the vet will more than likely want to place the dog on either a decongestant or hormones.  A common therapy for urinary problems in dogs (both male and female) is a decongestant that works by causing the sphincter muscle from the bladder to tighten.  Phenylpropanolamine (PPA) or (Proin) works best for dogs that have an occasional problem with canine urinary incontinence. If your pet experiences restlessness, increased heart rate, weakness, pale gums, seizures, or difficulty urinating while being treated with Phenylpropanolamine call your vet immediately.  This drug should not be given to dogs with high blood pressure or heart disease as there have been reports of serious fatal side effects. 

Another treatment, DES (diethylstilbestrol), a synthetic form of estrogen, can be used to treat canine urinary incontinence in spayed females. Estrogen supplements are considered fairly safe, but in rare cases they can cause bone marrow suppression leading to anemia that does not go away when the treatment is stopped. Natural estrogen supplements are available for treating spay incontinence, as are ovarian glandular products. 

For dogs that do not respond to other medications PPA is sometimes combined with DES but only to control difficult cases. Imipramine (Tofranil) is an antidepressant that causes urine retention in some patients, is also occasionally combined with PPA for dogs that do not respond to other medications.

There is help for an alternative to prescription medicine if it is not working for you and your dog.  While prescription hormones and decongestants work to treat the symptoms of canine urinary incontinence, natural medicine strives to create balance in the body to support complete health, relieve ailments, and help prevent future disease. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the natural ingredients in alternative remedies support overall health and functioning and have had great success with stabilizing and preventing canine incontinence.

Pets are prone to many illnesses. Hence, they should be taken care of very well and also monitored regularly for any symptom of ill health to keep their well being. A pet can be a happy companion to human being only if it is healthy.Some of the symptoms of pet diseases causing ill health: Loss of appetite, excessive gain or loss of weight, excess water consumption, abnormal discharges of the nose, eyes etc., abnormal, difficult, uncontrolled waste elimination, lethargy, abnormal behavior, sudden viciousness, limping, abnormal lumps, finding difficult to get up or lie down, dandruff, open sores, dull coat or ragged coat, excessive head shaking, scratching, biting or licking any particular part of the body, tartar on the teeth, foul breath etc.Common pet diseases: Lyme disease: This is an infectious disease spread by a tick, which is not larger than the head of the pin in size. It is caused by a bacterium called spirochete transmitted to the pets and humans by the tick bite. If not treated properly it may lead to heart diseases or neurological complications or joint damages and kidney related problems in the pets.Infestation due to internal parasites:  Internal parasites like the hookworms, tapeworms, heartworms and roundworms rob the pets of important nutrients, causing fatigue, loss of appetite, anemia and even death. Especially puppies and kittens are very much susceptible to these kinds of infestations. This can be very well controlled and prevented.Infestations due to external parasites:  Pets are affected by external parasites like the lice, mites, fleas and ticks. They are found everywhere and can cause extreme irritation to the pet leading to skin disorders and skin diseases. Ear mites can cause severe diseases and annoyance in the pet commonly in cats and dogs. Hence, it needs to be treated well by taking the pets to the veterinarian.Rabies:  Rabies is one of the deadly pet diseases caused by a virus which attacks the pet’s nervous system. Normally rabies is transmitted by the bite from a rabid animal. It is not necessary that all rabid animals appear mad and foam at the mouth. Many infected pets can be very tame and calm. Rabies affects only mammals. It does not affect reptiles, birds, fish or amphibians. Types of cancer in pets: Cancer is a common pet disease and it accounts for almost 50% of the deaths of the pets over 10 years of age. Some cancer types like the breast cancer can be prevented to a large extent with early spaying, whereas other types of cancers are very difficult to be prevented since the causes are not known properly.Commonly found cancer types are skin tumors -  More common among older dogs, but lesser among cats, breast tumors are seen both in dogs and cats. Early spaying can reduce their incidence. Head and neck cancer – The common disease is the mouth cancer more in dogs and lesser in the cats. Cancer in the nose also seen in dogs and cats, lymphoma is found in cats and dogs with an enlargement of one or more lymph nodes of the body, testicular tumors are seen in the dogs and rarely in cats and bone tumors are common among large breed dogs and rarely seen in the cats.