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Secondhand Smoke Effects on Dogs

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How Cigarette Smoke Affects Dogs

Secondhand Smoke
Robert Herhold/iStock

It’s 2016 and I’m still shocked at the number of people who actually still smoke cigarettes. Smoking is deadly and it stinks. Now, there’s also significant evidence that smoking is deadly to your dog (cats, small animals and even birds included). Let’s chat about this latest research; I think we need to continue talking about it because dogs (all pets) are defenseless when their pet owners light up a cigarette. Please stop smoking. If not for yourself, then at least for your dog.

Secondhand Smoke Effects on Dogs

Breathing It In

Look, we’re all very familiar with the effects of smoking on humans. Smoking causes chronic breathing issues, cancer and death. Well, research is finally catching up and it seems there’s significant evidence proving secondhand smoke causes chronic breathing issues, nasal cancer and lung cancer in dogs. It seems smoking is even more harmful to cats. Check out this article for further details.

If you must smoke, please don’t smoke around your pets. Walk outside and leave your dog indoors. When outside smoking, stay clear of your dog. Smoking is an addiction. I’m quite aware of the struggle, but take precautions to keep others safe from your habit.

Ingesting Cigarette Butts

So you think discarded cigarette butts lying in an ashtray are harmless? Think again. It only takes the consumption of two butts for a puppy to die in a relatively short time, according to Breathe New Hampshire Fact Sheet, which is an organization dedicated to helping fellow citizens quit smoking. It’s not only cigarette butts that can kill your dog, but also the consumption of a single cigarette.

Electronic Cigarettes Aren’t Any Better

While there’s little data on the effects of e-cigarette smoking and your dog’s health, I would use common sense and say there’s definitely a risk. Any time a dog (cat, bird, small animal, child or person) is regularly exposed to any type of smoke, it will cause issues. As an asthmatic, I can personally attest to the effects of e-cigarette smoke and it will trigger an attack.

However, it’s not only smoke that’s harmful. It seems there’s been a sudden increase in nicotine poisoning as well (Pet Poison Hotline). Dog are ingesting e-cigarette cartridges. Pet Poison Hotline further explains “the aroma of liquid nicotine in e-cigarettes can be alluring to dogs, and flavored e-cigarettes could be even more enticing. The issue is the amount of nicotine in each cartridge, which is between 6 mg and 24 mg.” Sounds like another good reason to quit smoking today.

Here’s the deal. I’m all about free thinking, moving through life and making your own decisions. When your decisions fatally affect others, it’s time to make changes.

Dog Tear Stains: New Home Treatment That Works

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Dog Tear Stain Home Remedy

Dog Tear Stains
tapanuth/iStock

Brown tear staining, especially around white-coated dogs’ eyes, can be annoying and become a health issue. Several years ago, many dog tear stain removers went on the market, promising to remove dog tear staining forever and pet owners saw promising results with continued use. Well, it seems these dog products contained low levels of antibiotics and we all know continued use of antibiotics will most certainly lead to antibiotic resistance. There’s some good news now for dog tear stains and it doesn’t contain antibiotics. It’s actually the opposite; it’s probiotics!

What Causes Dog Tear Stains?

Dog tear staining is usually most noticeable on white-coated dogs. It leaves a reddish brown stain on the inner corners of some dogs’ eyes. All dogs, regardless of color, are susceptible to tear staining. Though there are certain breeds that are more susceptible than others, such as Cocker Spaniels and Poodles. To make things even more confusing, tear staining can be caused by poor diet, allergies, eye irregularities (blocked tear ducts), entropion (inverted lashes that rub against the eye), eye disease and even genetics.

Usually, dog tear stains are an issue when dogs have an eye infection or the skin near the eye becomes irritated due to constant moisture from excessive tear staining. Always have a complete veterinary exam to rule out any eye disease or infections. Foul smelling brown tear stains may indicate a bacterial or yeast infection.

RELATED: Causes of Lick Granuloma

Power of Probiotics

Many dog owners are seeing a dramatic reduction in tear staining after using probiotics. If you choose probiotics, you still need to clean the tear stained area several times a week, keep hair trimmed short (prevents buildup), throw away your dog’s plastic food and water bowl (replace with glass or stainless steel) and, of course, feed your dog a high quality diet. Adding a good quality probiotic, made especially for dogs, is just as effective as Angel Eyes and other products containing antibiotics without the terrible side effects.

Choosing a probiotic made for dogs is always a bit overwhelming, but I do know most veterinary dermatologists recommend Prostora MAX by Iams. A recent study on dog tear stains showed tremendous results from Prostora. However, the price might just scare you a bit. If you choose Prostora, be prepared to pay $38 for 15 tabs (13-day supply). As with anything, if your dog needs it, then it’s worth every penny. I tried to find the actual study’s results, but this was the closest research I could find. Also, if you view Prostora’s reviews on Amazon, you’ll find testimonials describing dramatic tear stain reduction.

For the most part, I think continued use of any great probiotic (made for dogs) would work. Check out my recommendations here. Most pet owners notice a difference after one to two months of daily use, so be patient and remember probitioics are just as good for your dog as they are for us. 🙂

If probiotics have helped your dog’s tear stains, please share your results below!

What Exactly is High Quality Dog Food?

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High Quality Dog Food: What Does This Really Mean?

High Quality Dog Food
HannamariaH/iStock

You hear it everywhere: pet owners should feed their dogs a high quality dog food, but what makes food high quality? Interestingly, this is a bit subjective, meaning everyone has a different opinion on which dog food is best. Some pet owners tout grain-free food is best for all dogs while others are convinced certain brands of dog kibble are better than others. Others say only raw diets are appropriate for dogs.

With that said, here are a few tips on choosing the best dog food for your dog. Thankfully, dog foods have really improved over the last decade. Dog food ingredients are important, but your dog’s reaction to his dog food is really important too!

Don’t Believe the Hype

Personally, I don’t believe a specific category or brand of dog food works for all dogs. It’s impossible. Yes, dog food commercials will try to convince you their brand is best, but remember that’s just marketing. Don’t believe all the hype. Also, raw food doesn’t work for all dogs either. Trust me, I’ve been there; check out my personal experience on why not all dogs can eat raw dog food.

How to Choose a High Quality Dog Food

Specific Type of Meat Listed as First Ingredient

Before choosing a brand of dog food, flip over the bag and take a good look at the ingredients listed. Dog food ingredients are listed by weight, so a specific type of meat meal should be listed first to indicate a dog food is mostly meat.

Now, choosing a dog food with a specific type of meal means the type of animal meat is listed. It’s not just a mystery meat combination, which could easily contain a mixture of animal meats, including horse or even dog meat. Choose a dog food that has chicken, beef, turkey, lamb or even boar meal listed as the first ingredient.

No Harmful Preservatives

This is a big one because many preservatives hidden in dog food have proven to cause cancer in many studies. Meat-rich dog foods need some type of preservative to keep meat and fat from becoming rancid, so read the entire dog food ingredient list before purchasing and feeding to your dog.

Stay away from dog food listing BHA, BHT, ethoxyquin, propylene glycol (used to preserve moisture in semi-moist dog food), propyl gallate (used to preserve fat) and TBHQ (fat preservative). Even if these preservatives are listed at the bottom of the dog food ingredient list, put it back on the shelf. There are much safer preservatives out there.

Look for natural preservatives, such as Vitamin E (sometimes listed as tocopherol) or Vitamin C (sometimes listed as ascorbate). Both vitamins do an excellent job preserving meat-rich dog food, so choose naturally preserved foods over artificially or chemically preserved dog food.

RELATED: How to Stop Your Dog From Eating Cat Poop

Small Output (Meaning Poop)

Yup, this means you need to view your dog’s output. 🙂 When a dog is eating a dog food that works best for him, he produces small firm fecal matter daily. This means he’s absorbing all ingredients.

Large sloppy stool means your dog is unable to digest certain ingredients, which can be caused by unnecessary added fillers or allergies. When changing dog foods, you should do so slowly and over a 10-day period. If your dog still has large cow pie-like stools after two weeks, try a different food and look for natural ingredients, such as chicken, vegetables, fruits and whole grains (i.e. oatmeal, whole white or brown rice, barley, millet).

No Doggy Odor

You know that smell. It’s a musty sour smell that worsens when your dog is wet. Well, dogs eating a well-tolerated food should not smell like this. They should have a sweet or fresh smell instead. If your dog smells funky, switch your dog’s food slowly over 10 days. Feed 1/3 new to old food for 3 days, ½ new and old food for 3 days, ¾ new to ¼ old food for 3 days, and finally new food going forward.

Allergy Free

Dogs eating a well-tolerated food do not scratch, bite, chew or rub their skin. They should be free of red itchy skin, watery eyes, ear infections and yeast infections. Now, I’m not saying a high quality dog food will cure these things, but they should not inflame these conditions by any means.

RELATED: Hot Spots on Dogs: Causes and Treatments

Gleaming Skin & Coat

Dogs eating a high quality dog food have a gleaming coat free of dandruff and, believe it or not, shed less too. A healthy combination of the right dog food ingredients and protein percentages will most certainly reduce shedding. Some dog foods have fish or vegetable oil that really helps shedding and improve your dog’s coat too!

If your dog is not thriving on his dog food, keep researching until you find the right one. It’s worth all the extra effort!

6 Tips to Help Your Dog Lose Weight

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How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight

How to Help Your Dog Lose Weight
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It’s a new year, so many of us are focused on slimming our waistlines a bit. How about your dog? Is he carrying a few extra pounds? We all know diet is half the diet challenge; eating less is important, but it’s hard and it’s frustrating for your dog. While you’re focused on health, give these dog diet tips a try. You’ll soon see your dog’s waistline shrinking just like your own!

How Much Should Your Dog Really Eat?

Flip over your dog’s bag of dog food and look at the weight chart. This chart is a pretty accurate guide on your dog’s daily calorie intake. While 1-2 cups may not seem like a lot of food for a 30-pound dog, it just means your dog’s kibble is packed with calories. Personally, I think 1,500 calories for a grown woman is ridiculous too, but it’s how to lose weight.

Take a deep breath and portion out your dog’s recommended daily portion over several meals per day. Make sure your dog isn’t starving or blinking his pitiful eyes while you’re trying to enjoy a kale salad.

6 Dog Diet Tips

Watch Your Dog’s Waistline

You can tell a lot by watching your dog’s waistline (space behind the ribs and in front of your dog’s rear legs). After a bit of weight loss, a dog’s waist should tuck up a bit when viewed from the side. When standing over your dog, look straight down and you should notice a bit of an hourglass shape. Feeling your dog’s ribs can also be a great idea, but it’s so subjective. Here’s a great guide that’ll help explain it a bit more.

Now, watch your dog’s waistline over the next two weeks. If your dog isn’t losing weight, then you may need to lessen his kibble even further. If your dog is losing weight too fast, then slowly increase his kibble by ¼ cup per day.

More Fiber Please

Calorie control is key, but decreasing your dog’s calorie intake quickly usually results in an increase of begging behavior or food stealing habits. Look, I would too! When you’re gazing lovingly into the refrigerator, that’s how your dog pretty much feels when watching you eat dinner. Dieting is hard work.

Increasing your dog’s fiber while transitioning to lower calorie meals will most certainly help during those painful days. Add canned green beans (rinse to remove excessive sodium) or pumpkin to each meal. Extra fiber will leave your dog fuller while keeping calories low.

Feeding Amounts:

  • Smaller dogs (less than 10 pounds), add a teaspoon per meal.
  • Medium-sized dogs, add ½ cup per meal.
  • Larger dogs (over 70 pounds), add 1 cup per meal.

Give Low Calorie Treats Sparingly

We love giving our dogs treats. I mean their little eyes just light up, right?! Well, instead of tossing calorie-rich store-bought dog treats, reward your dog with dried fruit (stay away from raisins, grapes and cherries). My dogs love dried pineapple and peaches!

Cheerios make great treats too! They’re low in fat and full of fiber. Keep plastic bags of Cheerios near your backdoor for quick rewards for coming when called. 🙂

Small Meals Throughout the Day

No one likes an empty and growling tummy–not even your dog. Feeding your dog small meals throughout the day will keep him fulfilled, yet keep his calorie intake to a minimum. I’m not saying to dump his daily food portion into a bowl in the morning and assume he will snack throughout the day; that won’t happen. Instead, dump your dog’s daily portion into a Tupperware bowl and divide your dog’s daily meal into four snacks and feed every 4-5 hours.

If multiple family members feed  your dog throughout the day, they should only feed what’s in the Tupperware dish, as it has already been pre-measured for your dog that day. If you’re not home during the day, check out the next tip, which will make your dog’s meals last much longer and make him burn calories.

Work for Your Food

Stuff your dog’s meals into a food dispensing toy and let him at it. He must paw, push and toss the toy to reach the treats inside. This makes meal times a 15-minute activity where your dog is moving around, burning calories, staying mentally engaged and eating food at a slower rate. Check out my favorite food dispensing toy here. My dogs eat out of these every day.

As with any diet, persistence is key. Soon, your dog will be ready for summer too!

New Dog Anxiety Medication for 2016

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Dog Anxiety Supplement: New For 2016

Dog Anxiety Medication
W1zzard/iStock

Dog anxiety is exhausting not only for the dog, but for his pet owner as well. As someone who works directly with anxious and fearful dogs daily, I’m always looking for a new way to reduce anxiety in dogs every day. Well, as luck would have it, I share my home with an anxious dog too, and our holistic veterinarian recently recommended a newer supplement with promising results.

I’ve kept up with every type of supplement out there promising to reduce anxiety–I sampled and read the latest research. As with anything, some work, some don’t and others work well with prescribed medications. Learning that there was another option in the dog anxiety supplement category, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Now, this supplement is not necessarily new, but it just fell under my radar. I’ll admit, so far I’ve witnessed amazing results.

Kemin Resources Anxiety & Stress

Kemin Resources Anxiety & Stress contains a combination of herbs and melatonin in a chewable tablet form, and can be easily purchased through your veterinarian or online (Amazon has best prices). I’ve tried melatonin on its own, which works well, but there’s something about Kemin’s combination that seems to reduce anxiety quicker and longer.

Ingredients

Besides a healthy dose of melatonin, this dog supplement also contains herb powerhouses that are proven to reduce anxiety on their own. Lately, I’ve dabbled into the power of herbs and so far I’ve seen some really good results. I’ll write more about this in 2016, so stay tuned!

Oyster Shell

Made from the interior and exterior of oyster shells, this supplement causes relaxation within the brain, and has been known to decrease gastric ulcers. Dogs sensitive to shellfish may have a reaction.

Chamomile

Most commonly used in tea, chamomile settles upset tummies and relaxes the body to promote sound sleep. This little herb works wonders. When I was living in Germany, many German veterinarians recommended soaking wounds in strong chamomile tea twice a day every day. The results were simply amazing; they healed quickly with little scarring.

Ginkgo Biloba

Ginkgo biloba is used to improve cognitive performance by improving memory and stabling the mood, which increases positive social interactions. Plus, several studies have found ginkgo biloba to reduce anxiety. Check out this interesting article here.

Dan Shen

Also known as “red sage,” Dan Shen is known to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Interestingly, anti-inflammatories have shown to reduce anxiety and depression in many recent studies hence the increase of turmeric as an anti-depressant.

Magnesium Aspartate

Supplemental magnesium has been a lifesaver for me. Not only does it relax stressed muscles, but it has also been proven to lower high blood pressure. Usually, I take magnesium before bed because it promotes relaxation without tranquilizing the body. Now, magnesium can certainly cause a reaction if your dog is taking other medications, so always ask your vet first.

Usages

Kemin Anxiety & Stress Calming supplement is recommended to reduce canine anxiety. Plus, it works well when dogs are exposed to stressful situations (i.e. car rides and veterinary visits). Now, this supplement isn’t a fix-all. It’s best used in combination with prescribed medications or supplements, and only administered under a veterinarian’s guidance.

What to Expect

Sobek, my Rottweiler, gets anxious during car rides so much so he whines continuously. About 20 minutes after taking this dog anxiety medication, his vocalization stops. He’s able to lie down and relax instead of pace and whine. Now, this supplement doesn’t knock him out like Dramamine; he is still awake, takes treats and responds to cues. Rather he’s much calmer with relaxed body language. After taking Kemin Anxiety & Stress Calming supplement at home, he remains active, but has the ability to self-settle quickly and reserve a calm demeanor.

Dosage Recommendations

Always follow your veterinarian’s recommendations. Fortunately, Kemin’s supplement provides dosage recommendations by weight. Just to be safe, serve this supplement with a small meal.

Be your dog’s voice!

Dog Training Nation is a dog training blog for pet owners and dog lovers. We cover a range of topics from puppy socialization tips to dog aggression to dog health. It is our hope you share our content to make the world a better place for dogs.

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