Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

Though not formally recognized as a breed of dog, Cockapoos, a cross between a Cocker Spaniel and a Poodle, have been bred since the 1950s. Breeders have taken the best traits of Cocker Spaniels and Poodles and breed them into the Cockapoo. From the Poodle side, the Cockapoo takes intelligence, relatively little dander and an almost non-shedding coat that comes in many colors. From the Cocker side, it takes a sturdy build and friendly and loyal personality.

A crossbreed like the Cockapoo is also less likely to have many of the genetic problems that purebred breeds do (something called hybrid vigor). In fact, other than the normal care for a dog (grooming, cleaning ears, safety, exercise) Cockapoos have no particular health concerns, though it should be noted that without consistent care and cleaning of the ears, Cockapoos can develop ear infections, thanks to long floppy ears from the Cocker Spaniel side.

Cockapoos can live 18-22 years and come in different types: Teacup Toy (height less than 10 inches and weight under 6 pounds), Toy (height 11 to 14 inches, weight under 12 pounds) and Standard (height over 15 inches and weight over 12 pounds).

Since the Cockapoo is a mixed breed dog and there is currently no breed standard, there are variations in the build of the dog ranging from slim to stocky. The Cockapoo can also be bred with three different coats: a tight curly coat, a medium curl and a flat coat. Though different in style and color, all of the coats are less likely to shed, making them a consideration for allergy sufferers. However, Cockapoos, like all dogs, will have dander (though considerably less than other breeds of dog), a potential allergen. The longhaired coat should be trimmed regularly to prevent matting.

Cockapoos enjoy being around people and their intelligence makes them easy to train. Though active dogs, Cockapoos do not require large outdoor spaces to run around in and are good in apartment settings, provided they are walked at least once a day. It is the friendly personality – as well as forgiving nature and loyalty – that makes it an ideal family pet for those with children and other animals. Even when left alone for extended periods of time, Cockapoos are generally not destructive, though can become anxious so crating is recommend if leaving a Cockapoo alone for more than four hors at a time.

There is a website that has great information on Cockapoos and most other breeds of dogs. It has details that pertain to a dog breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url:

http://www.dogandcatfacts.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter, or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

Washing our dog is quite important, but it’s not that important like people think. Healthy doggies need not be washed often, but we humans prefer to do so such that they get an appealing appearance and smell. Doggie’s bathing time is a very good time to share with it. Although many don’t like to get washed, they will surely appreciate the attention and contact which they would receive during a bath. It’s the perfect time to do some other needed “dog maintenance” like cleaning their ears, checking for fleas and ticks, and brushing their teeth. Since most of the dogs don’t like to sit idle for such activities, it’s a very good idea for doing all of them at the same time.

Brushing

Brushing our dog’s teeth is a good hygiene. Most professional vets recommend it being done twice a week, at least to ensure that our dog has healthy gums and teeth. If you people haven’t been doing these things (and, unfortunately, many don’t) it’s not too late to begin. The dog must have a toothbrush of its own and a special paste which is designed for them. Make it sure you do brush their back teeth in circles, the exact way by which you would do your own, and do brush top and bottom of the size of the pointing canine teeth. The Dog toothpaste will have a very pleasing taste (folks! It’s for the dogs, don’t try it) which should make it willing to let us to perform this kind of activity.

Checking for Fleas & Ticks

Ticks are very nasty little arachnids (they have eight legs (like spiders), and hence aren’t insects) which will latch over the skin of your dog and will make its blood as their meal’s ticket. They are very common in woody places, but your dog must be checked for these arachnids regularly as they carry a variety of diseases. The correct place for finding these bugs is under the collar of the dog or on its underbelly, buried in fur. If seen they must be removed with the help of tweezers.

Fleas would be found in similar places, under its fur. Their presence can be felt by the sight of their droppings over the dog’s fur coat. They look like pepper flecks. The fleas look as bits of brown rice. They will be about a 1\8 inch long. They can not simply be picked, like ticks but finding them would let you know that its time to begin a program for controlling and eliminating the insects from the dog.

Ear Cleaning

Pet stores sell some special solutions for cleaning a dog’s ear. Dogs will easily acquire ear mites, little insects which will live in the ear and would feed on the waxy secretions present there. Over the time the bodies of these creatures build a black, very dirty substance. By using a swab of cotton dipped in a bit of this solution, clean the inner part of the ear. It might be difficult for holding your dog idle for this procedure, but this doesn’t take much time. And the result is that your dog will have clean ears and the earaches and potential infections will be extinguished.

Did you know that a dog might suffer from a number of diseases at an early age. Being attentive of these illnesses and the proper approach to treat them can assist you greatly in caring for your dog better. Dogs must be vaccinated and given annual boosters to keep them safe. Your dog can be vaccinated against hepatitis, distemper, rabies, corona, leptospirosis, kennel cough and parvo. At some point, he could suffer from domestic or external parasites and there are several types of infections which a dog owner should know about.

Pet insurance might be worth thinking about if you have one or more pets. Investing in vaccinations and caring well for your pet usually cost much less than running the risk of an infection and having to pay hundreds of dollars to treat them later.

The Parvo virus is the most common and deadliest dog infection. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and eventually death.

Distemper is another form viral infection. Symptoms may include fever, loss of appetite, nasal and eye discharges.

Note that Canine hepatitis may cause like symptoms as Distemper and should be treated with IV fluid therapy, nutritional and antibiotics support(consult your vet before giving medication).

Rabies is usually spread by the bite of another animal. If your dog has rabies, he will behave oddly. A dog can be vaccinated against Rabies from 4 months of age. There aren’t any cures at this moment, vaccination is key to protect your dog.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial virus infection which often attacks the dog’s kidneys and liver. Consuming contaminated water or infected urine from another animal can cause this. High Fevers, yellow gums, sadness, depression and blood in the urine might mean Leptospirosis and should be checked.

Bordatella, or Kennel cough, is a respiratory tract disease. Kennel cough symptoms include a loud and coarse cough nasal and eye discharges. Treatment for Bordatella are usually cough suppressants, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication.

Coronavirus is one of the more contagious viral illness. Vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss are possible warning signs and should be looked into. IV fluids and Antibiotics are the usual medications in treating Corona.

Infections inside or surrounding a dog’s ears is a highly common dog infection. You can often spot a ear infection if a dog is constantly pawing at its ears and shaking its head persistently. You should examine your dog’s ears every 2 weeks and take him to your local vet for treatment if any signs are spotted, as soon as possible. Even common ear infections like blood clots may cause deafness and even lead to severe blindness if not treated appropriately.

Heat, swelling and sluggishness are a few more evident signs of an infection. Appearing to be in hurt or pain, nervousness or listlessness are also some more evident signs.

If the infection is intense, then the dog might have a high temperature and be swollen around it’s neck. Be sure to also look under his armpits and groin area for swollenness. However, if you cannot get to a vet immediately, you should always keep the dog lying down to avoid any physical exertion that might lead to the infection spreading more quickly.

Dogs with infections might reject food and water so it is important to seek your vet’s advice.

Infections can pose a serious hazard anywhere in a dog’s body but especially if the infections are around the body’s exposed regions like the mouth, nose and eyes as they could spread quicker to the blood stream. The key thing to know is that you must get your dog immunized as soon as he is old enough. Also be sure to follow up with a yearly injected booster.

If your dog does seem to be ill or have some kind of infection, call the vet to schedule an appointment at soonest. Dogs aren’t like human beings, infections in dogs can become extreme very quickly and it is not a good idea to wait and see if the infection or illness heals itself.

Some of the ingredients that end up in commercial pet foods are truly shocking. What’s more, many of these will not appear on the label and others are hidden under umbrella terms such as ‘meat meal’ and ‘meat by-products’. How can this happen? The pet food industry is highly unregulated. As Ann Martin, author of Foods Pets Die For, writes in her article The Pet Food Industry and its Questionable Practices, ‘Governments in the USA and Canada regulate the labeling of the food, the name and address of the company, the weight of the product, and whether it is made for a dog or cat – nothing more.’

The meats used in pet food can be extremely low grade and unfit for human consumption. Summarized as the ‘4 D’s’ (dead, diseased, disabled and dying), these can include roadkill, zoo animals and infected and cancerous meats.

At the rendering plants ingredients are highly heated and processed, destroying nutrients and enzymes, with strong preservatives added which do not appear on the labels. These include fat stabilizers such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytolulene), both of which are known to cause liver and kidney dysfunction and Ethoxyquin, a suspected cancer-causing agent. Semi-moist dog foods may also contain propylene glycol, a relation to ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), which can destroy red blood cells.

Pets in your pet food

Though reportedly not the case today, it is well recorded that dogs and cats have ended up in dog and cat food. In his 1990 article How Dogs and Cats Get Recycled Into Pet Food, John Eckhouse, an investigative reporter, wrote: ‘Each year, millions of dead American dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished products — tallow and meat meals — serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.’

Doctor of weterianry medicine Wendell Belfield in Foods Not Fit For a Pet (Earth Island Journal, 1996), reports that ‘federal and state agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration and medical groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the California Veterinary Medical Association, confirm that pets, on a routine basis, are rendered after they die in animal shelters or are disposed of by health authorities, and the end product frequently finds its way into pet food.’

Toxic Grains

The very use of grains in pet food is questionable as grains are ill-suited to the digestive physiology of carnivores. This is especially so for cats who are obligatory carnivores and meet their glucose requirements through amino acids in their diet. Further, the grains used in dog and cat foods may contain mycotoxins, fungi that can cause chronic conditions and even death in both humans and animals. As the grains used in pet food are low grade, they are dealt with last in the handling process and because of this are often left in storage where insects, mites and mycotoxic molds can grow.

The consumption of dead mites can cause skin allergies. If your pet has skin allergies, change their diet first before turning to steroids which can be seriously detrimental to your pets health.

Alfatoxin poisoning, a common mycotoxin that grows on corn as well as other foods, has been reported for over 50 years. Vomotoxin is another mycotoxin found in wheat products. Where large doses of mycotoxins can cause cancer and even rapid death, small continuous amounts may suppress the immune system and damage organs over time, leading to long-term chronic health conditions.

Just recently at the end of 2005, over 100 dogs were killed in the United States because of alfatoxin found in pet food, with some 19 brands of Diamond dog food being recalled. It is likely there were many more deaths than those reported, and as alfatoxin attacks the liver it is likely surviving dogs may develop chronic liver disease or liver cancer in the future.

Toxic Chemicals

The toxin sodium pentobarbital, a chemical is used to euthanize animals and pets, has been found in commercial pet foods. The US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine performed two studies (1998 and 2000) to test for pentobarbital. Of the 74 samples analysed, over half were found to contain pentobarbital. What’s more, none of the 43 brands and product lines that tested positive warned of its presence on their labels.

The FDA researchers also tested the food for the presence of dogs or cats but reported none present. It was believed the pentobarbital residues were entering pet foods from euthanized, rendered cattle or even horses.

The FDA say the small amounts of the drug found in these foods were harmless, but not all veterinarians agree. Long-term continual doses, even at small levels may be increase the onset of chronic and degenerative diseases.

Aside from the toxins and base ingredients of commercial pet foods, these harshly processed and high-carbohydrate products in no way match the natural diets dogs and cats would have eaten in the wild. They are species-inappropriate and ill-suited to canine and feline physiology. I recommend healthy, homemade, raw diets or optimum natural, holistic alternatives for the health and well-being of your dog and cat. Before embarking on a raw food diet (otherwise known as BARF – ‘biologically adequate raw food’), thoroughly research the area first as nutritional balance is essential.