Irish Wolfhound Health Care Tips

Health Care Tips

ALWAYS SEEK HELP FROM YOUR VETERINARIAN FIRST

Some of this information may help in an emergency while you wait for your vet to arrive,

or it may be that you have to get your dog to the vet, either way, remember, your vet knows best!!

From the moment you get your puppy home, the most important person in both your lives becomes your veterinarian. This is why is it so important to choose your vet carefully, and ahead of time, to ensure he is familiar with the breed. His professional advice and treatment will ensure the good health of your pet. He is the first person to call when illness or accidents occur. Do NOT try to be your own vet or apply human remedies to canine diseases. However, just as you would keep a first aid kit within reach for minor injuries sustained by members of your family at home, you should keep a similar kit ready for your pet. (See "Puppies" page for first aid kit recommendations from the AKC - American Kennel Club)

Bandaging a minor cut on the paw pad is one of many basic

first-aid techniques that the dog owner should learn.

Thoroughly clean the injury with peroxide. Then place the injured pad

in sterile gauze, secure with first-aid tape, and replace daily.

First aid for your dog would consist of stopping any bleeding, cleaning the wound and preventing infection. Thus your kit might contain medicated powder, gauze bandages, and adhesive tape to be used in case of cuts. If the cut is deep and bleeding profusely, the bandage should be applied very tightly to help in the formation of a clot. A tight bandage should NOT be kept in place longer than necessary, so take your dog to the vet IMMEDIATELY.

Walking or running on a cut pad prevents the cut from healing. Proper suturing of the cut and regular changing of the bandages should have your pet's wound healed in a week to ten days. A minor cut should be covered with a light bandage, as you want as much air as possible to reach the wound. Do not apply wads of cotton to a wound, as they will stick to the area and may cause contamination.

I have to admit I should probably have my own chair waiting for me at my vet, as I visit regularly with any problems I see arise, sometimes unnecessarily, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

You should also keep some hydrogen peroxide available, as it is useful in cleaning wounds and is also one of the best and simplest emetics know. Cotton applicator swabs are useful for applying ointment or removing debris from the eyes. A pair of tweezers should also be kept handy for removing foreign bodies from the dog's neck, head or body, such as ticks.

Nearly everything a dog might contract in the way of sickness has basically the same set of symptoms: loss of appetite, diarrhea, dull eyes, dull coat, warm and/or runny nose, and a high temperature. Although a warm nose does not always mean your pet is ill, so use your common sense and be aware. Once you get to know your puppy/dog you should recognize the signs when he's feeling unwell.

It is important to take his temperature at the first sign of illness. To do this, you will need a thermometer lubricated with petroleum jelly. I use a digital thermometer which has a beeper sound which tells you when the temperature is read.

You can also buy the more expensive kind that are placed in the dogs ear. I would suggest asking your vet to show you the correct technique for using a rectal thermometer to prevent any dangers, as the rectal thermometers must be held firmly.

The normal temperature for a dog is between 101� and 102.5�F. If your pet is seriously ill or injured in an accident, your veterinarian will advise you what to do before he arrives.

Swallowing foreign objects

Most of us have had experience with a child swallowing a foreign object. Usually it is a small coin; occasionally something more dangerous. Dogs, as a general rule, will not swallow anything which isn't edible. There are, however, many dogs that swallow pebbles or small shiny objects such as pins, coins, and bits of cloth and plastic. This is especially true of dogs that are offered so-called "chew toys".

Chew toys are available in many sizes, shapes, colors and materials. Some even have whistles which sound when the dog's owner plays with it or when the dog chomps on it quickly. Most dogs attack the whistle first, doing everything possible to make it stop squeaking. Obviously, if the whistle is made of metal, a dog could injure its mouth, teeth, or tongue. Therefore, NEVER buy a "squeak toy" made with a metal whistle.

Old shoes should not be included in the dog's toy box.

Such items are dangerous to a puppy and an adult dog.

Other chew toys are made of vinyl, a cheap plastic which is soft to the touch and pliable. Most of the cute little toys that are figures of animals or people are made of this cheap plastic. They are sometimes hand painted in countries where the cost of such labor is low. Not only is the paint used dangerous to dogs, because of the lead content, but the vinyl tears easily and is usually destroyed by the dog during the first hour. Small bits of vinyl may be ingested and cause blockage of the intestines. You are, therefore, reminded of these things before you buy anything vinyl for your dog!

Natural chew bones can splinter and become lodged in a dog's throat.

Nylon and polyurethane bones are safer for canine use.

Very inexpensive dog toys, usually found in supermarkets and other low-price venues, may be made of polyethylene. These are to be avoided completely, as this cheap plastic is, for some odd reason, attractive to dogs. Dogs destroy the toy in minutes and sometimes swallow the indigestible bits and pieces that come off. Most pet shops carry only safe toys.

What Toys are Safe for Dogs?

Hard Rubber Toys made of hard rubber are usually safe for dogs, providing the toy is made of 100% hard rubber and not a compound of rubber and other materials. The rubber must be "virgin" and not re-ground from old tires, tubes, and other scrap rubber products. The main problem with rubber, even 100% virgin rubber, is that it oxidizes quickly, especially when subjected to the ultraviolet rays of the sun and a dog's saliva. The rubber then tends to be brittle, to crack, to dust off, and to be extremely dangerous to dogs that like swallowing things.

A frozen carrot is a great pacifier for a teething pup (under supervision). Adults love them also.

Nylon Toys Toys made of nylon could well be the safest of all toys, providing the nylon is annealed. Nylon that is not annealed is very fragile, and if you smash it against a hard surface, it might shatter like glass. The same is true when the weather is cold and the nylon drops below freezing. Thus far there is only one line of dog toys that is made of annealed virgin nylon - Nylabone�. These toys not only are annealed but they are flavored and scented. The flavors and scents, such as hambone, are undetectable by humans, but dogs seem to find them attractive.

Some nylon bones have the flavor sprayed on them or molded into them. These cheaper bones are easy to detect - just smell them. If you discern an odor, you know they are poorly made. The Nylabone� is designed for the most aggressive chewers. Even so, owners should be wary that some dogs may have jaws strong enough to chomp off a piece of Nylabone�, but this is extremely rare. (One of the great characteristics of nylon bones is that they can be boiled and sterilized - you could even do this using some unsalted chicken or beef broth)

Polyurethane Toys Because polyurethane bones such as the Gumabone� are constructed of the strongest flexible materials known, some dogs (and their owners) actually prefer them to the traditional nylon bones. There are several brands on the market: ignore the ones which have scents that you can detect. Again, look for the better quality polyurethane toy. It is not as strong as Nylabone�, but many dogs prefer it because it is soft. The most popular of the Gumabone� products made in polyurethane are the tug toys, knots, balls and Frisbee� flying discs. These items are almost clear in color, have the decided advantage of lasting along time, and are useful in providing exercise for both a dog and his master. Be careful if using a tug toy with a puppy, you should never apply more pressure than the pup can give.

If your pet swallows poison Save this number, it could save your pets life: Animal Poison Hotline 888 232 8870 (Please be advised there is a per incident fee)

If your dog has swallowed an acid, alkali, gasoline, or kerosene, do not induce vomiting. Give milk to dilute the poison and rush him to the vet. Take the bottle or information about the poison he has swallowed. Check also to see if there is a recommended antidote. To be completely safe, call the above number before administering any treatment yourself.

Danger in the home There are numerous household products that can prove fatal if ingested by your pet. These include rat poison, antifreeze, boric acid, hand soap, detergents, insecticides, mothballs, household cleansers, bleaches, de-icers, polishes and disinfectants, paint and varnish removers, acetone, turpentine, and even health and beauty aids if ingested in large enough quantities. A word to the wise should be sufficient: what you would keep locked away from your two-year-old child should also be kept hidden from your pet.

There is another danger lurking within the home among the household plants, which are almost all poisonous, even if swallowed in small quantities. There are hundreds of poisonous plants around us, among which are: ivy leaves, cyclamen, lily of the valley, rhododendrons, tulip bulbs, azalea, wisteria, poinsettia leaves, mistletoe, daffodils, jimson weed - we cannot name them all. Rhubarb leaves, for example, either raw or cooked, can cause death or violent convulsions. Chocolate in large quantities can kill.

Also, sharp objects like pins, needles. Plastic bags. Unplug, remove, or cover electrical cords or wires near your dog. Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure: keep all potentially dangerous objects out of your pet's reach.

Antifreeze that contains ethylene glycol has a sweet taste that attracts animals but is deadly if consumed in even small quantities; one teaspoon can kill a seven-pound cat. The HSUS recommends pet owners use a safe antifreeze in their vehicles. Look for antifreeze that contains propylene glycol, which is safe for animals if ingested in small amounts.
Chemicals used on lawns and gardens, such as fertilizer and plant food, can be easily accessible and fatal to a pet allowed in the yard unsupervised.
Chocolate is poisonous to dogs, cats, and ferrets.
De-icing salts used to melt snow and ice are paw irritants that can be poisonous if licked off. Paws should be washed and dried as soon as the animal comes in from the snow. Other options include doggie boots with Velcro straps to protect Fido's feet.
Insect control products, such as the insecticides used in many over-the-counter flea and tick remedies, may be toxic to companion animals. Prescription flea and tick control products are much safer and more effective. Pet owners should never use any product without first consulting a veterinarian.
Human medications such as pain killers (including aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen), cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, anti-depressants, vitamins, and diet pills can all be toxic to animals. Keep medication containers and tubes of ointments and creams away from pets who could chew through them, and be vigilant about finding and disposing of any dropped pills.
Leftovers such as chicken bones easily shatter and can choke a cat or dog. Other human foods to keep away from pets include onions and onion powder; alcoholic beverages; yeast dough; coffee grounds and beans; salt; macadamia nuts; tomato, and rhubarb leaves and stems; and anything with mold growing on it.
Poisonous household plants include azalea, geraniums, dieffenbachia (dumb cane), lilies, mistletoe, philodendron, and poinsettia among others.
Rawhide doggie chews may be contaminated with salmonella, which can infect pets and humans who come in contact with the chews. These kinds of chews should only be offered to a pet with supervision, as they can pose a choking hazard as well.
String, yarn, rubber bands, and even dental floss are easy to swallow and can cause intestinal blockages or strangulation.
Toys with removable parts�like squeaky toys or stuffed animals with plastic eyes�can pose a choking hazard to animals. Take the same precautions with pets as you would with a small child.

Foods Poisonous to Your Dog

Chocolate
It is not chocolate itself that is poisonous to dogs, it is the theobromine, a naturally occurring compound found in chocolate. Theobromine causes different reactions to different dogs: dogs with health problems, especially epilepsy, are more affected by theobromine than healthy dogs. Theobromine can trigger epileptic seizures in dogs prone to or at risk of epilepsy. The size of the dog will also be a major factor: the smaller the dog, the more affected it is by the same amount than a larger dog. Therefore, toxicity is described on a mg/Kg basis. Furthermore, theobromine can cause cardiac irregularity, especially if the dog becomes excited. Cardiac arythmia can precipitate a myocardial infarct which can kill the dog. Theobromine also irritates the GI tract and in some dogs can cause internal bleeding, which in some cases kills them a day or so later.

Theobromine is also present in differing amounts in different kinds of chocolate. Milk chocolate has 44-66 mg/oz, dark chocolate 450 mg/oz and baking/bitter chocolate or cocoa powder varies as much as 150-600 mg/oz. How much chocolate a dog can survive depends on its weight (and other unknown circumstances). Under 200 mg theobromine per kg body weight no deaths have been observed.

Theobromine will stay in the bloodstream between 14 and 20 hours. It goes back into the bloodstream through the stomach lining and takes a long time for the liver to filter out. Within two hours of ingestion, try inducing vomiting unless your dog is markedly stimulated, comatose, or has lost the gag reflex. If your dog has eaten a considerable amount of chocolate, or displays any of the above symptoms, take it to the vet without delay. In the absence of major symptoms, administer activated charcoal. The unabsorbed theobromine will chemically bond to this and be eliminated in the feces. In pinch, burnt (as in thoroughly burnt, crumbling in hand) toast will do.

Walnuts are poisonous to dogs and should be avoided. Many nuts are not good for dogs in general; their high phosporus content is said to possibly lead to bladder stones.

Onions, especially raw onions, have been shown to trigger hemolytic anemia in dogs. (Stephen J Ettinger, D.V.M and Edward C. Fieldman, D.V.M. 's book: Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine vol. 2 pg 1884.)

Potato poisonings among people and dogs have occurred. Solanum alkaloids can be found in green sprouts and green potato skins, which occurs when the tubers are exposed to sunlight during growth or after harvest. The relatively rare occurrence of actual poisoning is due to several factors: solanine is poorly absorbed; it is mostly hydrolyzed into less toxic solanidinel; and the metabolites are quickly eliminated. Note that cooked, mashed potatoes are fine for dogs, actually quite nutritious and digestible.

Turkey skin is currently thought to cause acute pancreatis in dogs.

Vehicle Travel Safety

A dog should never be left alone in a car. Heat builds up in just a few minutes in the summer, and drops to freezing in the winter. Train your dog to behave when in a car or truck, and undisciplined dog can be deadly in a moving vehicle. Allowing your dog to stick its head out of the window is unwise, he could easily get something throw up into his eye, or worse still, try to jump out.

Traveling with your dog in the back of an open pick-up truck is an unacceptable notion and dangerous to all involved.

10 Minutes to Disaster

Hot Dogs in Automobiles

If it's hot, your pet may be in trouble! During warm weather pet guardians must take precautions against the danger of heat exhaustion and heatstroke for their pets. The temperature in a parked car, even in the shade with the windows partly open, can rapidly reach a level that will seriously harm or even kill your pet.

Dogs (and cats) cool themselves by panting and by releasing heat through their paws. On summer days the air and upholstery in your vehicle can heat up to high temperatures that make it impossible for pets to cool themselves. Your dog will be more comfortable if left at home.

Heatstroke symptoms include:

Exaggerated panting (or the sudden stopping of panting), rapid or erratic pulse; salivation; anxious or staring expression; weakness and muscle tremors; lack of coordination; tongue and lips red (which may eventually turn bluish in color); convulsions or vomiting; collapse, coma and death.

Emergency Treatment

If your dog shows symptoms of heatstroke follow these instructions:

Immediately move the animal to a cool, shady place.
Wet the dog with cool water.
Fan vigorously to promote evaporation. This process will cool the blood, which reduces the dog�s core temperature.
Do not apply ice. This constricts blood flow which will inhibit cooling.
Allow the dog to drink some cool water (or to lick ice cream if no water is available).
Take the dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible for further treatment.

Veterinarians may apply supportive measures such as intravenous fluids to rehydrate the animal and oxygen to prevent brain damage.

Protect yourself first

In almost all first aid situations, the dog is in pain. He may indeed be in shock and not appear to be suffering until you try to move him. Then he may bite. So if you want to help your dog, help yourself first by tying his mouth closed. To do this, use a piece of strong cloth four inches wide and three feet long, depending on the size of the dog. Make a loop in the middle of the strip and slip it over his nose with the knot under his chin and over the bony part of his nose. Pull it tight and bring the ends back around his head behind the ears and tie it tightly, ending with a bow knot for quick, easy release. Now you can handle your dog safely.

Dogs perspire through their tongue, never leave an "emergency muzzle" on any

longer than necessary!!

First Aid, in the ideal sense, is the temporary care of an animal or person until professional

help can be found. Recognizing the urgency in any given circumstance is the primary

concern. Moving an injured animal with utmost care usually requires two or more persons

and a clean blanket.

Before attempting to transport an injured dog, be very careful to inspect for apparent

wounds, burns or breaks while disturbing the animal as little as possible.

Laying the dog in a flat position will make the carrying easier to manage.

REMEMBER:

It is the smooth, efficient execution of first-aid technique that saves lives. Costly mistakes

happen when haste and frenzy take over. When moving an injured dog, keep

calm and be focused on the situation at hand. Act swiftly and maintain control

at all times.

Preventive Dental Care

All dogs need to chew

Puppies and young dogs need something with resistance to chew on while their teeth and jaws are developing - to cut the puppy teeth, to induce growth of the permanent teeth under the puppy teeth, to assist in getting rid of the puppy teeth on time, to help the permanent teeth through the gums, to assure normal jaw development and to settle the permanent teeth solidly in the jaws.

The adult dog's desire to chew stems from the instinct for tooth cleaning, gum massage, and jaw exercise. Plus the need to vent periodic doggie tensions...... basically a pacifier.

Dental caries, as they affect humans, are virtually unknown in dogs; but tartar (calculus) accumulates on the teeth of dogs, particularly at the gum line, more rapidly than on the teeth of humans. These accumulations, if not removed, bring irritation and then infection, which erode the tooth enamel and ultimately destroy the teeth at the roots. Have your veterinarian do periodic dental examinations.

Tooth and jaw development will normally continue until the dog is more than one year old, but sometimes much longer, depending upon the dog, its chewing exercise, rate of calcium utilization and many other factors which affect the development of individual dogs.

An owner should inspect their dog's mouth regularly to check all is well

This is why dogs, especially puppies and young dogs, will often destroy valuable property when their chewing instinct is not diverted from their owners' possessions, particularly during the widely varying critical period for young dogs. Make sure what your provide for chewing is desirable from the doggie point of view, having the necessary functional qualities, and, above all, safe.

Strong natural bones, such as 4-8 inch lengths of round shin bone from mature beef may serve your dog's teething needs. Do not be tempted to give him smaller bones at any time, he may break one and swallow a piece and die painfully before you realize what is wrong.

All hard natural bones are highly abrasive, if your dog is an avid chewer, natural bones may wear away his teeth prematurely; hence, they should be taken away from your dog when the teething purposes are met. Badly worn, and painful teeth of mature dogs can be traced to excessive chewing on animal bones.

Contrary to popular belief, knuckle bones that can be chewed up and swallowed by the dog provide little, if any, useable calcium or other nutrients. They do, however, disturb the digestion of most dogs and might cause them to vomit the nourishing food they really need.

Rawhide Chews
WE SAY NO!!

The most popular material from which dog chews are made is from the hide of cows, horses, and other animals. Most of these chews are made in foreign countries where the quality of the hide is not good enough for making leather. These foreign hides may contain lead, antibiotics, arsenic, or insecticides which might be detrimental to the health of your dog...or even your children. It is not impossible that a small child will start chewing on a piece of rawhide meant for the dog! Rawhide chews do not serve the primary chewing functions very well. They are also a bit messy when wet from mouthing, and most dogs chew them up rather rapidly. They have been considered safe for dogs until recently.

Rawhide is flavorful to dogs. They like it. Currently, some veterinarians have been attributing cases of acute constipation to large pieces of incompletely digested rawhide in the intestine. Basically it is good for them to chew on, but dogs think rawhide is food. They do not play with it nor do they use it as a pacifier to relieve doggie tension. They eat it as they would any other food. This is dangerous, for the hide is very difficult for dogs to digest and swallow, and many dogs choke on large particles of rawhide that become stuck in their throats.

Before you offer your dog rawhide chews, consult your veterinarian.

Vets have a lot of experience with canine chewing devices; ask them what they recommend.

Try GREENIES - More than a treat, it's like a toothbrush in every nutritious bone!

BACK HOME