Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

Hip dysphasia is a crippling and painful disease seen most often in larger purebred dogs, such as Golden Retrievers, German Shepherd, St.Bernard's, and Labrador Retrievers. The occurrence in German Shepherds alone is almost 80%.

Classified as an arthritic condition, it is usually hereditary and presents itself in one or both hip joints. The cartilage lining of the hip joints wear down due to a partial and sometimes complete dislocation of the hip joints.

Signs of hip dysphasia may appear as early as 4 weeks of age, with most appearing around 8 to 12 months. Early warning signs are posterior pain, difficulty rising from a prone position, and a general hesitance to move or exercise. A definite diagnosis can only be made by an x-ray from you veterinarian.

Surgical techniques have been developed to help relieve the pain and lameness caused by the disease. In severe cases hip or joint reconstruction and or replacement has been done, with the best results seen in smaller, younger animals. Since hip dysphasia is an inherited disease, infected dogs should be neutered to prevent spreading to further generations.

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Finidng pet insurance for your dog is a lot like finding a good life insurance quote. You have to find a package that is comfortable for you and suits your needs. I haven't shopped around for pet insurance but from what I have read you can get your dog insurance for as low as $10 a month. Plans will differ from company to company but you should be able to find one that will cover your regular or annual vet visits. Before you decide to buy any insurance plan you should take the information to your vet and ask them if they accept it first of all, if they think it's a good plan, how much your deductible is going to be and if they will cover an pre-existing conditions your dog might have.

This past weekend was our annual spring bath our labrador retriever weekend. We bath our dog about once or maybe twice a year. Bathing a labrador retriever too often will destroy their natural oils they have in their fur that help protect them. Bathing too often will only lead to drying out their skin which you don't want to do. I have read many times that people bath their labrador retriever once a month. This is way too often. The only thing I can say is that if they do get into manure or something totally foul smelling then you have no option. Otherwise, once or twice a year is fine. If your labrador is like ours he enjoys swimming all summer long so this helps keep him clean and fresh as well. It in only in the Spring after he has been rolling around in the much and in the fall that we bath him.

I am not sure about you but make sure you clear the track after that bath. I was wishing we had some nice discount furniture around the house after the bath was over. It was butt tucking go wild time. He ran from room to room, off of furniture and basically tore up the house. I guess he liked his bath too.

I was online the other day looking at of all things Lortone rock tumblers. I have always found this hobby to in interesting but it reminded me of when Cooper was a puppy and how he liked to chew rocks. The phase didn't last long but all the same it is dangerous.

If your dog is chewing or trying to eat rocks please put a stop to it as soon as you can. The main problem that rock chewing can cause is intestinal damage. If your dog swallows a rock it could cause a blockage and this could mean surgery. If you have suspected your dog has swallowed a rock watch for signs such as they are no longer eating or drinking, they have stopped going to the bathroom or are vomitting. Rocks aren't the only object this can occur with. Anything small enough for them to swallow can do damage. My friends beagle has done it with two small kids toys twice.

I have read a number of articles that suggest why dogs eat rocks and most agree that it is out of boredom or a nervous condition. Just make sure your dog has lots of dog toys to play with and you keep her or him exercised and you can break the habit.

You need to keep your dog active indoors, for one thing, so he or she will stay calmer indoors. But during long winter months when playing outside in certain parts of the country is not an option this is the only way to make sure your dog stays physically fit. Just like humans, a dog can gain weight and have heart problems if not allowed to have enough exercise.

These 5 dog activities are ones that we do in our house from time to time.

• Fetching a ball is one of my dog's favorite activities. We have stairs and one of us throws the ball down the stairs and she runs down and retrieves the ball. This gives her such good exercise. A tennis ball is perfect for this activity.

• Sometimes, my dog loves to play keep away from us with one of her toys. She will grab one of her toys in her mouth and we try to get it from her. She actually runs away from us! It is a hoot.

• Other times she loves to just have us chase her. We get exercise this way too!

• We have a good (made for a dog) tug of war rope that she loves to do. We hold one end and sometimes she holds so tight that we can lift her off the ground. (She only weighs 22 pounds though.)

• If you have an open enough space in part of your house you could get a Frisbee and have your dog catch it when you throw it.

Walking Your Dog

When the weather permits, though, it is always great to take your dog for a walk. It is a bonding experience for you and your dog. It also makes both of you healthier. All dogs also need to learn to walk on a leash with today's leash laws too.

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I think I have blogged about this before but I have read a couple of more stories on the internet about labrador retriever owners concerned about their dogs eating things and becoming sick. When I read some of the stories it sounds like it's the dogs fault for getting into things but the way I look at these type of situations it's up to us as owners to make sure our dogs don't have unsafe items to get into. I was looking around my workshop area the other day and noticed I had lots of things laying out like small tools, bearings and boxes of screws and nails. I quickly realized that this was an accident waiting to happen and put them out of harms way.

Make sure the areas your dog has access to is free of items stored at low areas that they can get into. If they can't reach them, they can't get into them. If you think your dog has swallowed something they shouldn't phone your vet right away. It's better to be safe than sorry.

The other day I saw a commercial on television with Erin Brockovich. It was about health cases involving Mesothelioma which is a type of cancer related to asbestos exposure. It reminded me that I should blog about what happened to Cooper last week. He is getting a little older but still likes to rough house it a bit. He jumped off of the front porch and into the snow bank last Sunday afternoon. Well later on in the day it became apparent to us that maybe he pulled something because he was having a hard time getting up and down stairs and onto the couch.

Dogs are a lot like us, they can get minor and major sprains and strains from doing vigorous activity. We didn’t panic and rush him to the vet but instead just gave home TLC and made sure he didn’t over extend himself for a couple of days. It took him a few days but now he is back to normal and the crazy labrador retriever he is. Even these seemingly industructable dogs can get hurt so you have to keep your eye on them.

I was googling around tonight as I do most nights and I ran across on old story about weight loss supplements for dogs. While I guess there might be situations where this could help your dog who has extreme medical issues I don't think you have to go to such extremes.

Winter is here and today was -31 for most of the day. Pretty hard to get out and get your dog some proper exercise. If you have a  yard you can at least let your dog out for small periods of time so he or she can burn off some steam. Be very careful though their paws can very cold and very quickly. They will know enough to come in from the cold. You can also take some extra time for "play time" in the house. Play with your rope toys or other toys like a good game of fetch in the basement or other open areas. Just make sure you are giving them a bit of activity regarless of the weather outside.

We were at one of the box stores yesterday buying some plumbing supplies and I noticed how many displays there were for environmentally friendly items. There was everything from mold killers, to cleaning products and even moth traps for around the house. It was refreshing to see. Now we don't have to subject ourselves and our pets to so many pesticides and chemicals as we have had to in the past. That's good news for our four legged friends and our families. Keeping both safe and healthy is obvioulsy a priority for all of us. If we don't have to use chemicals and pesticides we no longer have to. Next time you are in a store check out their green items and see if you can replace something you are using in the home such as laundry detergent or garden sprays.

Whether your Labrador Retriever is out in the field working or just right beside you enjoying the dog show, chances of contracting parvovirus exist. Parvovirus is a contagious virus affecting dogs, more frequently puppies. Canine Parvovirus or CPV is a highly infectious disease and is spread from dog to dog with physical contact and contact with infected feces. The virus is not capable of reproducing on its own because of the fact that they contain only DNA or RNA. They invade the cell, reproduce inside it and kills the cells causing dogs and puppies not to be able to absorb nutrients or liquids.

CPV has two forms: intestinal and cardiac. The less common is the cardiac form in which the virus attacks the heart muscle and the dog dies suddenly because of heart failure. Some infected dogs will show no symptoms. But some infected dogs show symptoms such as lethargy, vomiting, high fever, diarrhea, depression and lack of appetite. In severe cases, stool can be very watery, foul smelling, yellow in color and usually bloody. Abdominal pain is also present as well as pain when eating. The possibility of dehydration exist because of severe dehydration and vomiting and the fact that he is not able to replace the nutrients and fluids lost.

To diagnose the presence of parvovirus, positive diagnostic test is done. Canine parvovirus disease requires aggressive or intense treatment. There is no specific cure for this disease. Your vet can only treat the symptoms to keep the pet alive. Measures should be taken to prevent diarrhea, loss of proteins and to replace fluids lost through vomiting and diarrhea. These measures include giving of fluids, regulating electrolyte levels, controlling body temperature and giving blood transfusions when needed. Antibiotic therapy may be needed to control secondary bacterial infections.

To ensure that you're beloved Labrador Retriever will not suffer this kind of health problem, you should adhere to the required or recommended vaccination. Vaccine against parvovirus is usually administered to puppies six to eight weeks of age and should only be allowed to mingle with other dogs two weeks after their last vaccination. There is no use vaccinating new born puppies since they are still protected by maternal antibodies. However, these antibodies wear off before the puppy's system became mature enough to fight parvovirus.

CPV cannot be treated at home so consult your vet immediately if you see signs of the existence of this disease.

About the Author: Richard Cussons writes information articles on different breed of dog such as Labrador Retriever. For more tips on training Labradors, check out labradorsavvy.com.