Shih Tzu - Useful Over The Counter Medications

Posted by admin on August 25th, 2008 filed in health.thedogsmart.com

Some over-the-counter medications can be used for emergencies in select situations. Always ask your vet before giving any over-the-counter medicines to your injured or ill shih tzu.

3% hydrogen peroxide: Can be used to induce vomiting and for general wound cleaning. Dosage is: 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.

Syrup of ipecac: Can be used to induce vomiting. Dosage is: 1 teaspoon per 20 pounds of body weight.

Bismuth subsalicylate: Can be used for vomiting and mild diarrhea. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight. 1 tablet per 40 pounds of body weight (doubt your shih tzu will be taking a full tablet!)

Kaolin-pectin: Use for mild diarrhea. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.

Buffered aspirin: Use for fever and inflammation, mild to moderate pain, arthritis, before giving vaccinations. Dosage: 1 adult table (5 grains) per 40 pounds). Ask your vet the correct dosage for your shih tzu.

Diphenhydramine: Use for mild cough, allergies, allergic reactions. Dosage: 1 milligram per pound of body weight.

Vegetable oil: Use for constipation. Dosage: 1 teaspoon per 5 pounds mixed in food.

Epsom salts: Use for constipation, as a soak to reduce swelling and inflammation. Dosage: For constipation, 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight, dissolved in water and given orally; same dilution for soaks.

Milk of magnesia: Use for vomiting, constipation, deactivate poisons. Dosage: 2 teaspoons per 10 pounds of body weight.

Activated charcoal: Use to deactivate poisons. Dosage: 1/2 gram per pound of body weight.

Petroleum jelly: Use for constipation. Dosage: 1/2 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight.

Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts on shih tzu puppies are offered to subscribers. Weekly updates of available puppies. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

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Is My Female Shih Tzu Pregnant

Posted by admin on August 21st, 2008 filed in health.thedogsmart.com

The earliest sign of pregnancy in a Shih Tzu is often behavioral changes. She may demand extra attention or she may become depressed, lethargic and withdrawn. In these cases, try to give her as much emotional support as possible to help her retain the pregnancy. Gestation last about 63 days.

Other changes you may observe might be in the way she walks or carries herself. She may appear to move differently once bred. Her appetite can change rapidly, sometimes within a few hours of breeding and conceiving. She can show either an increase or a decrease in appetite as signs of pregnancy. She may even suddenly become very picky about what she eats.

The vet can perform a variety of tests to determine whether or not a female has become pregnant. Puppies can usually be felt by palpation by 21 days past conception. Puppies will feel round and enlarged like eggs. In some of my dogs I have been able to feel movement as the pregnancy progresses. Ultrasound is a successful method of determining pregnancy. The best test is that of “time.”

Once conceived, it is possible for a matron to “withdraw” her pregnancy by either a spontaneous abortion or absorption of the fetuses during the early stage of development. Females can also show all the signs of pregnancy and it actually be a “false pregnancy.”

In most cases, however, pregnancy does occur when bred, and goes along quite normally.

The pregnant matron requires a higher volume of food intake. As she progresses toward the end of her pregnancy term, she will usually demand to eat more and more. I use HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance All Natural Premium Dog Food. The quality of the food given to a Shih Tzu during pregnancy is much more critical than at any other time in her life. You must use the highest quality of dog food you can find. I have found this kind of quality in the Life’s Abundance food. I say this not as a gimmick to sell the food, as I am a distributor as well, but it is true, Life’s Abundance has produced healthier moms during pregnancy, whelping and nursing and healthier puppies for me. Mom’s skin and coat does not suffer, and I did have this problem especially during times of nursing with other dog foods I fed. I do not recommend raw meat for any Shih Tzu at any time in its life. Hard boiled eggs is a good treat most Shih Tzu enjoy during this time. After the litter is whelped, I like to give a very special treat to my females. Most of them like cottage cheese with rice or hard boiled eggs. Feed soft, mushy types of food for the first 2 days after whelping. My dogs also like Pedigree Canned Puppy food right after whelping. After the first 2 days, I begin to mix back in the Life’s Abundance with the Pedigree Puppy Canned food.

Do not allow your pregnant Shih Tzu to become overweight. Overweight matrons may have more difficulty delivering puppies. Do try to exercise your pregnant Shih Tzu. If she is reluctant to run and play on her own during this time, take time to walk her on a leash. Exercise can help her to maintain energy and good muscle tone during whelping. Inertia (just plain shutting down from fatique) is one of the greatest cause of sillborn puppies. Moderate exercise during pregnancy is very important.

I don’t feed anything more than HealthyPetNet Life’s Abundance and the Daily Supplement to my pregnant Shih Tzu. I feed no other supplements during this time.

As long as your pregnant Shih Tzu’s appetite is good, don’t be alarmed if she does become a little depressed or withdrawn. Most usually the behaviors are from hormonal changes rather than something going wrong with her or the pregnancy.

Most pregnancies progress along normally and without adverse incidents. Most Shih Tzu are free whelpers.

Connie Limon publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Coupons for shih tzu puppies and other products are offered to subscribers. Updates of available puppies. Sign up at http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

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Improve Your Dog’s Health With a Natural Diet

Posted by admin on August 19th, 2008 filed in health.thedogsmart.com

It goes without saying that your dog needs suitable nutrition to remain healthy. Vets and pet food manufacturers often have differing views on appropriate nutrition for your dog. Although commercial pet food manufacturers are motivated in large part by profits, commercially prepared foods are routinely recommended as part of an adequate, or good, diet for your dog. Sometimes your vet or dog breeder may approve of commercially prepared foods as your dog’s sole diet. Many experts, however, tend to prefer a largely natural diet which for dogs is invariably comprised of meat and bones. Raw is preferable to cooked, as some of the minerals are definitely lost in the cooking process.

The reason why the commercially prepared pet food is so often fed to our dogs, is because, apart from the convenience, it can (depending upon the quality) actually contain many of the nutrients which are essential to your dog’s wellbeing. The key word here is quality. There are in fact very, very few commercial manufacturers which produce nutrient-rich food. And they’re not the brands you find in your supermarket, or even in most pet stores or vetinarians.

Raw bones with a little dry food as well as occasional rice or pasta, and perhaps the odd quality food scrap from your table, will generally contain most of the nutrients which your dog needs.

All dogs must obtain reasonable nutrition from their food to maintain excellent health and performance. The main nutrients required by your dog are water, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Vitamin or mineral deficiency in dogs fed a commercially manufactured diet today is not widely publicised. But then again, the slosh and dried formulae which are readily available from your vet or the local supermarket are not your dog’s natural diet. If your dog was left to fend for itself in the wild (assuming it could manage to adapt, that is), would choose raw meat. And one of the reasons why meat, and especially bones, are so good, is the chewing action and the teeth cleaning function which the bones perform. Of course, there are also commercially prepared substitutes which can also effectively clean your dog’s teeth and satisfy his/her need to chew.

A lesser known fact is that to feed your dog only meat (with no bones and no cereals or other carbohydrate source) can cause severe deficiencies: your dog is likely to become lethargic, sick, and even death has been known to occur from an all meat diet. But what about dogs in the wild, I hear you ask? Isn’t meat a dog’s natural diet? Isn’t that what you just said, Brigitte? Well, yes and no: in the wild dogs eat the whole of their prey, not simply muscle meat - they thus obtain vegetable matter from the digestive tract of their prey, and calcium from the bones. As well, wild dogs occasionally, but routinely, add to their diet with plants, fruit and berries.

Most dogs relish some raw fruit and vegetables in their diet, so long as that’s what they’re used to. A dog who has been fed commercially prepared dog food all of its life won’t be used to the taste of fresh food, so may well turn up his/her nose if you introduce such healthy food later in life. But persevere - try hand feeding pieces of carrot or apple to begin with. And if your dog is still very young, all the better. Start as you mean to go on and feed him/her some raw fruit and vegetables from time to time. Your dog’s health will benefit!

(c) 2004, Brigitte Smith, Healthy Happy Dogs

Brigitte Smith is a dog lover with a special interest in natural health for dogs. For your free special report, as well as weekly tips, information, strategies and resources for a healthier happier dog, go to http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com and submit your name and email address. Take a look around the site - http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com - while you’re there - you’ll find lots of useful information.

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