National Dog Week

National Dog Week was started in 1928 by Captain Will Judy, a noted dog judge and former publisher of Dog World Magazine. The purpose of National Dog Week is to remind everyone that owning a dog is a responsibility that we must uphold. The theme of this years’ National Dog Week is “Mans’ Best Friend” a saying we hear over and over again and I think we forget just how true that statement is. The concept that mans’ best friend is his dog, is believed to originated in the courtroom of a trial way back in 1869. Sen. George Graham Vest, of Missouri was defending a man who was seeking damages from his brother in law for killing his dog, a foxhound called Old Drum. During the closing arguments of the trial he gave a speech that is now referred to as "Tribute to the American Dog." Here is a portion of the speech.

"The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name may become traitors to their faith ... "The one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog. ... He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. ... If fortune drives the master forth, an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him. ..."

Old Drum now has his own monument in Warrensburg, Missouri with the famous speech inscribed below. Oh and they won the case by the way!

A recent story reminds me of the meaning of Mans’ Best Friend. The story of the U.S. Navy Seal Jon T. Tumilson who lost his life during service on August 6 this year,  who was mourned by his loyal dog Hawkeye.  The photo brought tears to my eyes before I even read the story.

During this upcoming week, that this year runs September 26-28, lets all remember how wonderful dogs really are and how much we owe it to them to do all we can to help them.

Don't let your dog get twisted

If you've ever seen the movie Marley and Me you will likely remember the dog got a twisted stomach and eventually died from it. Apparently that is an all to often scene played out over and over again. Bloat is the second leading cause of death for dogs, right after cancer. According to Web MD bloat is actually a term used to describe two conditions. The first is gastric dilatation, in which the stomach distends with gas and fluid. The second is volvulus, in which the distended stomach rotates on its long axis. The spleen is attached to the wall of the stomach, and therefore rotates with the stomach. Or to put it plainly, the dogs stomach fills up so full of gas that it makes the stomach start to twist inside the dog. The mortality rate for bloat is 50%  this life threatening emergency needs to be recognized and treated immediately. From the first onset of symptoms you have very little time, ranging from minutes to hours. Here are a some of the early warning signs.
Attempting to Vomit: Repeated attempts to vomit with nothing coming up but maybe some foam. Sometimes appears as though the dog is coughing. May occur every 5-30 minutes. This is the most common symptom. Normal vomiting is not a sign.
Unusual Restlessness and Anxiety: Circling, pacing, acting unusual. A fairly common sign
Swelling and Tightening of the Abdomen: The stomach skin with feel very stretched and tight. You might think this would be the first sign of bloat but often times it is not apparent or never occurs. Don't rely on this to determine if your dog has bloat.
Discolored Gums: If you read my last post you should know what color is normal for your dog. Dogs with bloat often have unusually red gums in early stages and blue gums in later stages.
Difficulty Breathing: Not a very common symptom but sometimes a dog will look straight up and open his mouth as if trying to get a breath.
Some dog breeds are more prone to bloat, below are just a few considered high risk.

Akita
Bloodhound
Collie
German Shepherd Dog
Great Dane
Irish Setter
Irish Wolfhound
Newfoundland
Rottweiler
Saint Bernard
Standard Poodle
Weimaraner
There are some preventative measures you can take. The one I found is do NOT use an elevated food dish. I always thought this was better for the dog, and maybe in some ways it is but if your dog is at risk for bloat don't use one. One study by VMD Lawrence Glickman found that using an elevated dog food bowl increased the risk of bloat by as much as 200%. You should also avoid feeding your dog a dry food only diet. It doesn't matter if the dog is given table scraps or canned dog food it all lowers the risk.
Veterinary medicine is so advanced now days and there are a lot of surgical procedures that can correct this problem and even prevent it in the future. Keep a watchful eye on your dog and remember the signs, your dog will have a much better chance if you get him to the Vet quickly.

Vital Information!

A few nights ago my dog Bo hurt his leg, not to bad, just enough to make himself limp around for a day. He's done this before, he jumps right off the side of the porch instead of going down the stairs, and I think his age is catching up to him and the landing is harder on him these days. This time however, he seemed a little more agitated than before. When we came in the house and he laid down he seemed to be breathing heavy and faster than normal. I wasn't sure if it was just the heat or if he was really in distress. I ended up calling my friend who is a vet tech and she came by and took a look at him and turns out it was just the heat, thankfully, but she suggested I learn his vitals and what is normal so I can recognize a real emergency and perhaps save myself unnecessary stress.
Dogs have such a wide range of what is considered normal vitals that it is best to take your dogs vitals before an emergency ever occurs and keep them written on a card in your emergency phone. Or do what I did and store them in your phone, I put everything in my phone!
It was pretty easy to take his vitals, I did most of it while he was sleeping. My papillon pepsi is was much harder she never sits still and wanted to know what I was doing!
Here is a list of what vitals you should take and some tips that will help.
TemperatureThis is the only vital that your dog won't like but if you have the right thermometer it will make it much easier. I used a baby rectal thermometer that takes 5 seconds to register the temp. Just put a dab of petroleum jelly on the tip and insert enough to cover the metal tip. A dogs average temp is between 100.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
PulseThis one was a bit tricky for me, you might have to try it a few times. Place your hand flat against your dogs chest, you should be able to feel your dogs heart beat. Take count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get your dog's number of beats per minute. There is another way to feel the pulse on the leg but it was easier for me to do it on the chest. I also had an easier time when he was standing than when he was laying down. If you don't feel the heartbeat slide your hand lower on his chest until you do feel it. Make sure you do this when your dog is rested so you get his true pulse and not an elevated one after exercise. A dogs heart rate can be anywhere between 60 and 180 beats per minute with larger dogs on the lower end and toy breeds at the higher end. Puppies have an even higher rate around 220 beats per minute.
Respiration Rate
Count your dogs number of breaths, one rise and fall of the rib cage, while he is awake but relaxed. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to get his respiration rate. Be sure to wait at least an hour after exercise.
Mucous-Membrane Color
Lift your dogs lip and take a look at the pink part of his gums. Some dogs have black on their gums and that is normal, just pay attention to the pink color, you may want to take a picture to compare to later if you don't think you will remember what it looked like when a problem occurs.
Capillary Refill Time
While your still in his mouth, press a finger against a pink area of the gums for a second or two. Once you remove your finger it should take less than two seconds for the area to regain color.
Skin Turgor
This is when you pull up on your dogs skin and let it go, it should snap back immediately. If it stays up still pinched together, it could be a sign of dehydration.
That about wraps it up, this should help you determine if you need to see the vet or not. If in doubt, go to the vet!