Top 10 Paw Care Tips For Dogs

Your dog’s feet sure are made for walking, but did you know they are also made for protecting? Pads provide extra cushioning to help protect bones and joints from shock, provide insulation against extreme weather, aid walking on rough ground and help protect tissue deep within the paw. With all that work to do, it’s no wonder your pooch’s paws often take a bit of a beating. Keep a spring in your pet’s step with our top 10 paw care tips:

Pamper With Pedicures: Your dog's nails should just about touch the ground when she walks. If her nails are clicking or getting snagged on the floor, it's time for a pedicure. Ask your veterinarian or a groomer for advice about what types of nail trimmers are best for your dog and how to use them properly.
Snip and Trim: Trim paw hair regularly to avoid painful matting. Simply comb hair out, especially from between the toes, and trim even with the pads.

Clean In Between: Foreign objects can become lodged in your dog’s pads. Check regularly between toes for foxtails, pebbles, small bits of broken glass and other debris. These pesky items can usually be removed with a pair of tweezers.

Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize: A dog’s pads can become cracked and dry. Ask your veterinarian for a good pad moisturizer and use as directed. Avoid human hand moisturizer, as this can soften the pads and lead to injury.

Deep Paw Massage: Similar to giving a human hand massage, a paw massage will relax your dog and promote better circulation. Start by rubbing between the pads on the bottom of the paw, and then rub between each toe. Your dog will be forever grateful for the extra TLC!

Slow and Steady: If you’re about to begin a new exercise program with your dog, start off slow. Paws may become sensitive, chaffed or cracked, particularly when starting your dog out on hikes and runs.

Apply First Aid: It's not unusual for dogs to suffer cuts or other wounds from accidentally stepping on glass, debris or other objects. Wounds that are smaller than a half inch in diameter can be cleaned with an antibacterial wash and wrapped with a light bandage. For deeper paw cuts, see the vet for treatment.

Summertime Sores: Imagine stepping barefoot onto hot pavement. Ouch! It is important to remember your dog’s paws feel heat extremes, too. To prevent burns and blisters, avoid walking your dog on hot pavement or sand. Signs include blisters, loose flaps of skin and red, ulcerated patches. For minor burns, apply antibacterial wash and cover the paw with a loose bandage. For serious burns, visit your vet immediately.

Wintertime Blues: Winter is hard on everyone’s skin, even your dog’s! Bitter cold can cause chapping and cracking. Rock salt and chemical ice melters can cause sores, infection and blistering. Toxic chemicals can also be ingested by your dog when he licks his paws. After outdoor walks, wash your dog’s paws in warm water to rinse away salt and chemicals. You may wish to apply Vaseline, a great salt barrier, to the foot pads before each walk—or make sure your dog wears doggie booties.

Practice Prevention: To reduce the risk of injury, keep your home and yard clear of pointy bits and pieces. Be conscious to avoid hazards such as broken glass and other debris when walking your dog. And keep this simple tip in mind—if you wouldn’t like to walk on it barefoot, neither will your dog!

Dog Paws Healthy:Tips

Dog paws play several roles in a dog's health. Dogs sweat through their paws. Dog paws offer shock absorption and traction on slippery surfaces. Dog paws have to serve a dog in cold and warm weather. And dog paws have to allow for running, walking and digging. Given these many functions, dog paws require their own kind of care to keep your dog healthy. Here are the tips to healthy dog paws.

Healthy Dog Paws are Rough

Dog paws need to be rough to offer insulation from heat and cold, as well as good traction for running or digging. For this reason, there is no need to apply moisturizers to dog paws if they feel rough. However cracked dog paws can occur when paws are exposed to extreme heat or cold. This can expose soft tissue underneath or even cut blood vessels, and therefore can be painful. Applying anti-bacterial ointment on dog paws before the dog goes to sleep can help promote healing. If a dog owner sees that his dog's paws are apt to crack in extreme weather, it is advisable to get the dog booties for protection. (You can read more about how to buy dog booties that stay on.)

FEEDING DOGS A RAW DIET

Practical Answers to Practical Questions

This is a page dedicated to helping people get a better idea of the raw diet according to the prey model found in nature. It is highly recommended that you become a member of the Yahoo! Raw feeding group, as this will provide you with access to lots of information on the raw diet as well as a support network to help you along your way and answer questions. In addition to using the information on these pages, I encourage you to go through the Raw Diet FAQ on the Raw Learning webpage.
This page covers the following subjects:

1. Why prey-model and not BARF?
2. What do I feed?
3. How/in what form do I feed RMBs?
4. Where do I feed?
5. How often do I feed?
6. How much do I feed?

WHY PREY-MODEL AND NOT BARF?

Make sure to look through the omnivore and stomach contents myth pages. These contain valuable, documented information that help dispel some of the misconceptions surrounding dogs and their dietary needs. Also, please read through the Prey Model vs. BARF page for greater detail.

Dogs RAW FEEDING 101

I get questions all the time about how to begin feeding their dog a raw diet. I can only give what worked for me in the past with my dogs.

What is raw feeding and how do I know what to feed my dog?

My mantra about raw feeding is to look to nature. What would my dog eat if he was living in the wild? The answer to that is he would eat any animal he could catch and kill. So the answer to what to feed is raw meat, bones, and organs from a variety of animals. Feed mostly meat, some bone, and some organs. The exact ratio isn't critical.

What about fruits & veggies?

A lot of people feed their dogs veggies but if you look to nature, you will see that your dog wouldn't eat veggies in any measurable amounts. He might eat a few berries or maybe some grass but certainly not zucchini, carrots, potatoes or any of the veggies that many people feed. Also you must know that all the cells in all vegetable matter is covered by a think layer of cellulose.

Dogs : raw guide

A Starter Guide

People new to raw feeding all have the same questions: “how do I start”, “what exactly do I feed?”, “how much do I feed?” All too often, people are not given the information or confidence they need to begin and this is an unfortunate barrier to getting their dog off kibble, especially if their vet is against raw feeding.  This is the guide that we give to all our dog adopters at K9 Rescue.

As you will learn, there really are only a few hard and fast rules in canine nutrition.  No one has all the answers, not the pet food manufacturers, not the vets and not even the canine nutritionists. Yet what you will also learn, as you see the health of your dog improve and your dog start to glisten with health and vitality is that it doesn’t matter. Just as we ourselves do not scientifically analyse what we eat, nor do we need to do it for our dogs.

i)                    RAW FEEDING GUIDELINES

The key points to remember with a raw diet are:

·         Balance over time – one meal could have more bone content, another more meat or organ.  The approximate ratio to aim for overall is:

80% meat, sinew, ligaments, fat
10% edible bone
5% liver
5% other organ meat

·         Meats are high in phosphorus, bones are high in calcium. When meat is fed with 10% bone you have the exact ratios of calcium to phosphorus required by a dog.  Whole prey, fish, eggs and tripe have a balanced ratio.

Dog Food Calculator

This Dog Food Calculator can help you estimate the proper serving size for your pet. It’s based upon a scientific study1 published by a respected veterinary research institute.

The dog food calculator’s formula2 uses a dog’s metabolic weight and suggests an appropriate serving size.
To use the calculator you’ll need to know…

• Your dog’s Ideal weight (what he should weigh)
• Your dog’s activity level
• Your dog food’s calorie content

A Dog Food Calculator for Adults Only

The Dog Food Calculator was designed to be used for adult dogs only… not for puppies. And it should never be used for pregnant or lactating females.

Small to medium breeds may be considered adults after about six months of age.
But large and giant breeds shouldn’t be fed as adults until they reach somewhere around one to two years (depending upon the breed).

50 experiences that every dog should have in its lifetime

Here are the 50 experiences that every dog should have in its lifetime:

50 things every dog should do before it dies
1. Flop down in front of a morning fire
2. Go for a swim in the sea
3. Go mad in the snow
4. Dig up a flower bed
5. Do the 'Beethoven' shake and soak everyone around you
6. Have your own spot on the sofa
7. Accompany your owner on a run/cycle ride
8. Attend a family picnic
9. Help your owner bad a date
10. Cheer your owner up when they are down

11. Visit a different continent
12. Roll around in a really stinky, muddy puddle
13. Ruin a pair or slippers or shoes
14. Sleep in your owners bed
15. Wake your owner with a big wet sloppy kiss
16. Chase a cat during a dream
17. Learn the word for 'sit' in another language
18. Join in a football game in the park
19. Meet a famous dog
20. Try your paws at dancing
21. Convince your owner you can howl English words
22. Get filthy within 30 minutes of a bath
23. Howl along with your favourite song
24. Ride in an open top car
25. Learn to skateboard
26. Have a personalised Christmas stocking
27. Show the postman who's boss
28. Be a ring bearer at a wedding
29. Try to follow a squirrel up a tree
30. Go to work with your owner
31. Have your own social media page
32. Bound through a forest
33. Have a personalised kennel
34. Go on a boat and get your sea legs
35. Play frisbee on the beach
36. Receive your own birthday card
37. Steal someone's lunch when they're not looking
38. Watch an entire episode of 'The Washing Machine'
39. Eat doggy ice cream
40. Create a diversion and steal another dog's dinner
41. Rug a doggy marathon
42. Receive a doggy birthday cake
43. Rip the stuffing out of a pillow or cushion
44. Unwrap birthday presents
45. Watch Lassie on TV
46. Be in a family portrait
47. Have a stand off with your own reflection
48. Have a favourite local pub
49. Star in a YouTube video
50. Sleep in a boutique dog hotel

The Pit Bull dog Problem?

The Pit Bull Problem How Can You Help?
We need your help if we are to succeed in our mission to help the American Pit Bull Terrier survive into the future.

People power is how we can overcome many of the pitfalls the breed is facing today.

When I'm asked by someone, "How can I help the breed?" My answer is, by getting involved on any level you can.

You don't have to rescue a dog, you don't need to donate hundreds of dollars, and you don't have make it a point to educate every person you see about the APBT. A great way you can help the breed overcome it's current problems is by not adding to them.

20 Ways to Help Dogs in Need

There is a well-known quote by Gandhi that says, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” So many of us are dismayed when we hear stories about dogs in need. We want to help, but how best to do that can be daunting. I’d like to share some ideas with you. The offerings in this post are fairly concrete and straightforward. In a future post I’ll offer more creative ideas.

Shelter:
1. Volunteer at your local shelter. If you don’t want to be in the shelter environment, you can still participate in community adoption days.

2. Donate blankets, food, or crates to your local shelter or rescue group. Check the organization’s website to see what they need. You could even spearhead a blanket drive in your community.

3. Take it a step further: Ask if you can post the organization’s wish list to your website, and/or make signs for local pet supply stores. Collect the goods and deliver them.

Top Ten Ways to Help Your Local Shelter

You don’t have to be an animal expert to help out at your community’s shelter. You just need to have the time and desire to lend a helping hand. And it doesn’t have to be a lot of time, either. In fact, whatever you do for a living, you’re bound to have skills and talents that your local shelter can use.

1. Go To School!
Dog school, that is. Grab a handful of tasty treats, find a suitable canine and get to class. Helping teach shelter dogs to sit, stay, walk calmly on a leash or shake paws will make them infinitely more adoptable. The Humane Society and SPCA of Austin, TX, for example, boasts a team of volunteers who spend their time playing with puppies and taking adolescent dogs to obedience classes. Other helpers pursue more advanced training and learn how to evaluate temperaments and match adopters with suitable dogs.

2. Get Your Shelter Online
Can you give your community’s homeless animals the “cybershelter” advantage? This is a wonderful way for teens who aren’t yet old enough to become volunteers to get involved. They can take photos and write descriptions of the animals with staff assistance, and help keep current the shelter’s online list of available animals. Animals’ photos and descriptions can also be posted in public areas at work, school and around town.

3. Adopt ASPCA’s Meet Your Match®
Ask your shelter to adopt ASPCA’s Meet Your Match®, a program expertly designed to help adopters select the right pet for them. The program's Adopter Survey and Canine-ality™, Puppy-ality™, or Feline-ality™ Assessment and fun color-coding system fit together like the pieces of a puzzle, creating picture-perfect adoptions for shelter animals and their new owners.

4. Let’s Make It Legal!
Shelters always seem to be in need of volunteers with professional legal skills. Dixie Dixon, a corporate lawyer who joined the board of the Pennsylvania SPCA, got started by reviewing copyright notices of a video about euthanasia, and she’s since joined the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

5. Work It, Baby!
Designate a day for co-workers to donate spare change or pool their tips for the benefit of the shelter. Make it an event! Publicize it with flyers and signs, and remind everyone about the important work that the shelter does. A restaurant might ask local celebs to volunteer as wait staff for the evening—with regular staff assisting. A hair salon might time their event to coordinate with the shelter’s “dog wash” benefit to promote well-coifed pets and owners. Or your company, for example, might sponsor a Saturday car wash.

6. Cats Up Close and Purrsonal
You may want to satisfy your need for feline contact by spending time socializing shelter cats. “Our volunteers are dedicated to making the cats purr,” explains Connie Barker, a volunteer with Friends of San Clemente Animals in California. “They spend time each day playing with the cats, getting to know them, grooming them and generally keeping them as happy as they can be, given the inherent stress of being in a shelter.” And based on input from “feline socializers,” adoptions counselors can make better placements.

7. Do You Have the Write Stuff?
Then write or start a newsletter! It’s a great way to keep members, supporters, adopters and the public informed about what the shelter does and what it needs. Many shelters rely on volunteers to write articles, and some newsletters are produced entirely by volunteers. If you’re not so verbally inclined, you might prefer the designing and publishing end of it, or work on creating or updating the mailing list. Be sure to include heartwarming stories and a donation envelope!

8. Throw a Party!
Organize an event for all your friends, and donate the proceeds to the shelter. Any kind of social event—a clam bake, a Super Bowl party, a jazz brunch or a dog walk—is a great way to make new friends and raise money. Each year, as the word gets out, more people are bound to attend, and before you know it, your group will have a major fund-raising event.

9. If You Had a Hammer…
If you’re handy, you’re hired! The Sea Bees, a naval reserve group in Frankfort, NY, volunteered their manpower to the Herkimer County Humane Society in Mohawk, NY. They took down walls and expanded the shelter, built an isolation ward and constructed a much-needed storage area. More modest projects might include a jungle-gym-style cattery, complete with tree branches or carpeted columns for climbing.

10. The Numbers Game
Shelters on a shoestring can reap enormous benefits from the guidance of a caring accountant. To operate smoothly, any non-profit must keep good records, but if you add animal control contracts and the reports for state and local departments, it can all seem overwhelming—except to an accountant!