Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog

Dakin takes in 20 rescues from Alabama hoarder
SPRINGFIELD — One might expect dogs that were owned by an animal hoarder to be withdrawn, frightened and have other behavioral problems.

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U.K. Army Dog May Have Died From Broken Heart
The jovial British soldier and his irrepressible dog worked and played together for months, and died on the same day. On Thursday they came home, flown back to Britain in a somber repatriation ceremony for the soldier remembered for his empathy with animals and the companion he loved.

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Like any other pet, dogs, if not properly cared for and maintained, can get diseases. Here are some parasites that cause dog diseases.

- Heartworm. Mosquito bites cause heartworm to exist in a dog and will reside in your pet\’s heart and nearby blood vessels. A dog infected by heartworms looks dull and may even have a chronic cough. If possible, ask your veterinarian if your dog could be given a heartworm medication when it is the season of mosquitoes.

- Hookworm. Hookworms can be given by the mother dog to a puppy during the nursing period or even before birth. Hookworms cause dog anemia and appetite loss.

- Roundworm. The transmittal of roundworms is very much like how hookworms get transmitted in a dog. An infected dog usually has a potbelly. Roundworms cause pneumonia, diarrhea, dehydration, stunted growth, and vomiting.

- Tapeworm. A dog gets tapeworms if it swallows fleas that are larvae-laden. Much of the symptoms that are obvious rarely show, but in the dog\’s feces, you could see deposits of a rice-like appearance.  – Whipworm. A dog infected with whipworms may have diarrhea and other ailments like, stool mucus, and serious bowel inflammation. Extreme weight loss is also a symptom caused by whipworms.

- Fleas. Fleas, the commonest among external parasites, cause the dog to continuously scratch various parts of the body. This results to fur loss. Ask your veterinarian on a good flea-control program, since fleas could become resistant to some products over time.

- Lice. Lice can infect less common compared with fleas. Plus, they can be controlled easier.

- Ticks. Ticks can pose more serious problems than fleas because diseases like Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or Lyme disease, can be contracted with ticks. Tweezers can be used to remove ticks one by one. If you do not know how to remove ticks properly and carefully, ask your vet first. If you do know how, ticks should be placed in a can with soap and water.      Treating dog diseases

Some ways of treating dog diseases that your vet might use:

- Pills

- Liquid medicine

- Eye drops and ointment

- Ear drops and ointment

With proper care and prevention, your pet dog will be generally free and safe from various diseases. If you notice something\’s wrong with your dog or he is acting strangly, immediately consult with your vet.

PLEASE READ!!!According to the American Canine Temperament Testing Association, American pit bulls — or their purebred cousins, American Staffordshire terriers– pass a strict temperament test 95 percent of the time. The association lists the pit bull as the fourth-best canine out of 122 breeds tested in the study, in terms of temperament.In fact, the so-called vicious breed was ranked higher than some of the world’s most popular dogs, including the golden retriever and the black Labrador retriever.

www.guidedogs.com – Baby Golden Retriever and Labrador Retriever puppies play in Guide Dogs for the Blind’s play yard.

“Back to the Lab” from MC Esoteric’s “Saving Seamus Ryan” album. Dedicated to the Labrador Retriever & all dogs. www.esoterichiphop.com LYRICS: BACK TO THE LAB women come and go but a dog stays always all days, hanging by the couch or the hallways the simple sound of me jingling my keys will generate a look that could bring me to my knees he’s the type of friend that you can’t stay mad around even when you hear that shatter sound, it don’t matter now ‘cuz them eyes say it all and the face’ll kill ya it’s great to have a face so familiar he don’t change a bit, he gon’ stay he gon’ sit my currency is green his currency is a stick i spend less time wildin’ in hoods more time in the woods ‘cuz of this guy it’s all good, i got a lab, the love’s essential i saw myself as garbage he saw the potential and when i can’t grin or lift my chin there’s nobody, more happy to see me than him yes i’ll never turn my “back to the lab” and i’m always goin’ “back to the lab” (verse 2) that’s right that’s you so happy, so honest, so loyal, so true you got my back, got my front, got my middle how you give so much and expect so little in return? trainers say that you must learn but i think we the ones that’s living out of turn we should take a tip, take a lesson, take something from yall we need a mansion and a yacht to be happy, you need a ball big jewelry, you ain’t on it just something simple ’round your neck with your name on it you showed me sunsets i never took in and shades of green i …

Barking is a normal conduct for dogs, but it can get very exasperating for you and people around you if it turns extreme. The only thing you can do is to get large dog training collars or citronella dog training collars. Dogs own an innate impulse to bark, out of the need to notify peril or to communicate with their master and other dogs around them.

When barking becomes too much, it is necessary to retrain your dog. It is possible to do this quite easily by using citronella dog training collars. Such large dog training collars bring into play a very simple principle of psychological conditioning. This essentially means that the dog associates the undesired behavior of barking with the unpleasant effect of the citronella training collars.

Sound or vibration turn on citronella dog training collars, but because of accidental jet release due to external noise, the most reliable large dog training collars are those that use both sound and vibration to determine when the dog is barking.

There are several types of training collars, but some are very controversial. There is a possibility of using a shock collar to train a dog, but people frequently look at this method as a cruel one. Although the collar does no physical damage, as the electric current it produces is small, the real debate is about the psychological damage it can produce to your pet. The controversy and painful aspect of shock training collars have determined pet owners to get the harmless citronella training collars.

These small and large dog training collars emit a harmless jet of spray near the dog’s face that startles it, because it is cold, unexpected and fast. The spray can be odorless or have a citronella, mustard or lemon scent that is unpleasant to the dog.

Other kinds of large dog training collars include collars that aim the jet or spray onto the dog’s neck or training collars that restrict the dog’s movements only to a specific area. You can have an invisible fence around places you do not want your dog to get into, such as flowerbeds or your swimming pool.

Training your dog to stop barking or to stay only in certain areas of your yard is not at all difficult if you use small or large dog training collars. These are harmless to your dog and help it make a connection between the undesired behavior and an unpleasant sensation. The dog will soon understand that barking will cause a jet of water or unpleasant scent to burst on its face or neck.

If you want the behavior of your dog corrected, but nothing has worked, you should consider investing in a citronella dog-training collar. The price will be worth your piece of mind. You will no longer get funny looks while walking your non-stop-barking dog and the neighbors will stop complaining that your pet barks all night long without any good reason. You will be a lot happier and less stressed out and you will be able to enjoy the company of man’s best friend a lot more.

You can also use small or large dog training collars to control the movements of your dog and to stop it from digging up your flowers or vegetable patch. See all the benefits of citronella dog training collars online with our online shop that describes various kinds of small and large dog training collars.

Ear infections can be extremely uncomfortable for dogs. Many, if not most dogs will suffer from an ear infection at some point in their lives. The majority of these will clear up with some basic veterinary treatment such as an antibacterial ointment, but a proportion will not clear up properly or will seem to clear up and then later recur.

The dogs ear is composed of 3 different parts; inner, middle and outer. The ear drum separates the middle ear from the outer ear. Problems with the inner and middle ear often present with neurological signs such as a loss of balance, circling or a head tilt. In this article we focus on the more common problems associated with the external ear, known as otitis externa.

What makes some dogs more susceptible to ear infections than others?

1. Breed. Ear infections may occur in any breed, but Cocker Spaniels, Shar Peis, Poodles and other floppy eared dogs are the most susceptible. Cocker Spaniels are predisposed to ear infections because they have more secretory glands than other breeds. Sharpeis are predisposed because of the conformation of their ear canal. Poodles are more prone to ear infections because of excessive hair in the ear canal, trapping moisture.

2. Allergies. Many pets with multiple allergies will sometimes have flare ups of eyes, ears and skin at the same time. 25% of food allergic dogs have ear disease as their only symptom.

3. Ear shape. Pets with floppy ears are more prone to ear infections because the air does not dry the ears naturally, as it does for pets with erect ears.

4. Hair. Hair in the ear canals can keep the moisture trapped in the ear canal, which leads to infections. Hair in the ear canals should be removed regularly by your pets groomer or veterinarian.

5. Swimming. Dogs that spend time in water, such as Labrador Retrievers, are more susceptible to ear infections as microorganisms love moist environments.

How can I tell if my dog has an ear infection?

Most ear infections are obvious as there is a pungent odor and waxy discharge in the affected ear. However, sometimes an ear will look perfectly normal from the outside but will be intensely itchy for the dog. Either way, it is best to have a vet examine in the ear to ensure that there are no foreign bodies such as a grass seed stuck in the ear canal. Common signs of an ear infection are:

1. Scratching at the affected ear.

2. Head shaking.

3. Rubbing the affected ear along the floor or against a vertical object such as the sofa.

4. Reddening of the inside of the ear flap and the ear canals.

5. Discharge from the ear canals. This can vary from brown wax to pus.

6. A pungent smell coming from the ear region.

7. Tenderness or irritability when the ear is touched.

My dog has an ear infection, is there any way I can treat it at home without going to the vets?

You are taking a risk if you do not seek veterinary help. Many ear infections are easy to nip in the bud with antibiotic ointment if caught early, but if left to develop can be stubborn to treat. Bear in mind also that if there is something like a grass seed in the ear canal, nothing you can do will provide relief for this, it would need removing under sedation or full general anesthetic. Your vet can look into the canal with an otoscope to visualize the problem and check that the ear drum has nor perforated, and dispense medication that you cannot buy anywhere other than from a vet or with a prescription from a vet. Your vet will also be able to identify any underlying or predisposing factor which can be eradicated, such as allergies, by conducting a full physical examination.

Having said all that, very mild infections can sometimes be cured with home treatment. Firstly, remove any clumps of hair growing in the ear canal by plucking them. This looks painful but actually, there are no nerve endings around the follicles of these hairs so it is not painful to the dog. This will ventilate the ear much better and make it a less attractive environment for bacteria to multiply in. Then, squirt some dog ear cleaner into the canal. Remember that the opening to the ear canal is the furthest hole to the outside. If you do not have any dog ear cleaner then use olive oil as this too will help loosen any wax. Having put some cleaner or olive oil into the canal, massage the ear and pinch the canal until you hear a squelching noise. This means the liquid is being spread around the entire canal, dislodging as much debris as possible. Then, take a ball of dry cotton wool and wipe the opening to the ear canal and inside of the ear flap, in a twisting motion.

The above paragraph describes how to clean your dogs ears effectively. This procedure should be done on a regular basis (e.g. monthly) regardless of whether your dog suffers from ear infections or not; it is a sensible measure to prevent ear infections occurring.

Giving the ears a really thorough clean in this way may in some cases be sufficient to cure a mild ear infection, but if a colony of bacteria or yeast have taken residence in your pets ear canal, you will need treatment to eradicate them. As mentioned before, this is best obtained through your local vet, who will provide you with an antibacterial, antifungal and/or antiparasitic ointment to cover all possible infectious causes. If you are determined to attempt home treatment, then mix 1 part white vinegar with 10 parts cooled boiled water, and flush the ear with a syringe. This needs to be done daily for about 2 weeks, then weekly for about a month. It can only be done on a clean ear as otherwise the wax acts as a shield for the bacteria. The logic behind this treatment is that you are acidifying the ear canal, making the pH unfavorable for bacterial growth.

A minority of ear infections are incredibly difficult to eradicate. Owners and vets often become increasingly frustrated when ear infections do not respond to treatment or keep recurring, with owners questioning the vets treatment protocol and vets wondering whether the owner has been giving the treatment properly. The truth is that some ear infections need radical and aggressive treatment to cure them, such as surgery to remove part of or all of the ear canal or weekly flushing out the ear under general anesthetic. The fact that some dogs are euthanased because of their ear problem means ear infections must be taken seriously by both owner and vet.

Hi everybody,that’s Sandys’ first clip…have a good time with “Love of my life”

Fairfield dog rescued from river in Iowa City
Kim Conrad’s yellow Labrador retriever is back to his boisterous self after a close call Friday afternoon.

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