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<h3>Being The Best Dog Owner In Town: Tips And Tricks</h3>



Are you looking for advice on being a better pet owner? Could you use a few tips on how to provide for your dog? You're in the perfect place. This article is bursting at the seams with tips, tricks, and suggestions, all of which will help you do right by your pet.


If the cost of your dog's high-quality food is a burden for your family, team up with another one and buy in bulk. The big-name pet store chains offer top rated names in pet cuisine at a significant discount when bought in the larger quantities. You can minimize the cost for you and some friends while still providing your dogs with fresh and wholesome meals.


Get your dog neutered. Research has shown that by doing this you can be sure your pet can have a longer life and not be at risk for things like cancer. In addition, dogs that are spayed or neutered do not have as strong of a desire to wander from their home, meaning that they are less likely to get lost or hit by a car.


When training your puppy or dog, keep the sessions short! Experts say that a dog has the attention span of a small child, sometimes less, and that longer sessions will actually cause him to forget everything you've learned together. Use positive reinforcement and limit your training sessions to no more than 15 minutes.


Be careful around Christmas time with a dog in your home; it's the busiest time of year at 24/7 animal clinics! Things like hanging and tree lights pose a danger to your dog, as they could become tangled or gnaw their way down to raw wires. The loveliest of Christmas plants are also hazardous to a dog's health, so take extra care during holidays.


Lift english shepherd and australian shepherd mix . If you have a little dog or puppy, place your one hand under their chest and use your other hand for supporting their rump and hind legs. If you're lifting a big dog, lift them from their underside supporting their chest using your one arm and using your other arm to support their rear end. Never lift a dog by their back legs, tail, or the nape of their neck.


If you're on a tight budget at home, think carefully before getting a dog. They actually cost hundreds of dollars annually, but many people don't realize this until they've actually forked over the money. Depending on the size and regular maintenance requirements of your new dog, you could be getting in way over your head and forced to part with him later so make sure beforehand.


Feed your dog dry, premium-quality dog food. This kind of dog food helps to make sure your dog gets all of their vital nutrients. Making sure that they get proper nutrition helps them live a longer life and reduces their chances of obesity, malnutrition, skeletal problems, muscular problems, and many more conditions.


Control your voice to control your dog. When he is a good boy, speak in a high-pitched voice and shower him with praise. When he misbehaves, use a very low and gruff voice to indicate your displeasure. Being consistent with this will help him learn faster, making training him much easier on you and him.


When you own a dog, you typically understand the general costs of ownership, such as food, vet visits, and grooming. A generally overlooked cost is emergency situations. Although it may not happen frequently, you should have a bit of money set aside for any emergency that may arise. It's better to be prepared for an emergency vet visit than to wonder how you are going to pay for it.


Your dog's nails should be trimmed regularly. If they get too long and start to curl, the result could be painful injuries to the nail beds and your dog's paws. It is easy to purchase a pair of clippers and attend to these yourself. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, you can take him to the groomers and have them done for very little money.


Make time for your dog. You are probably aware that your dog always has time for you, so it's time to return the favor. You might take the dog out for some exercise, or you might just set some time aside to rub his belly. Remember to spend a bit of special time with your dog, and he'll appreciate it.


When the weather outdoors become hotter, you need to search for ticks and fleas on your dog each day. Try to get rid of any fleas by using what is called a flea comb. There are many products out there that can help you control your dog's ticks and fleas. Speak with your vet about which choices are best.


When choosing an animal to cohabitate with an existing one, try to arrange an introduction before deciding. Dogs are social animals and may or may not get along. If you find two dogs that can get along, you'll save yourself some trouble.


Make sure that you spend adequate time on each thing that you try to teach your dog. Even though your dog might catch on to something, for example the &quot;sit&quot; command, it may not be mastered. You'll want to make sure that the command is done every time that you ask no matter what situation you are in before you move onto a new command.


Bring your dog to the vet for an annual check-up. This allows the vet to catch any diseases in the early stages before they can cause enough damage for you to even notice. This can save you money if you catch a serious illness before it becomes worse. It may also save the life of your dog.


Never give your dog away for free, no matter how desperate you might feel to get rid of it quickly. Even if you can not care for the animal, it is still your responsibility to be sure that it will have a good life to come. Instead, take the time to investigate the person that you will give it to and charge a re-homing fee to ensure that they are serious about caring for the animal.

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Dogs love the outdoors. For the most part, dogs really enjoy being outside and being able to stretch their legs. Remember this when choosing the right dog for your family. If you live in an apartment, it is not really fair go look at a dog that needs lots of exercise, unless you are planning on jogging with your dog twice a day.


It is great to have a cute little puppy. However, when you consider that your puppy will grow and need the proper care, you need to know the right things to keep your dog well. The tips in this article can help you to do the right things, so that you can both be happy.

<blockquote cite="https://championofmyheart.com/2021/08/05/dogs-with-skin-issues/">
<h3>Best Advice for Dogs with Skin Issues</h3>

<p>I still need to publish a real post about Mr. Stix's full backstory, but this feels more pressing. For nearly 18 months, Mr. Stix's permanent nakey spot (from unknown injuries before he was rescued, including 15 fractures and this big patch of coat missing) has featured several inflamed, peeling areas. Initially I tried to fix it myself at home with things like aloe vera, vaseline, a veterinary ointment called animax that the shelter had give us while we fostered him most of 2019, etc. It's sort of a combination of steroids, antibacterial, and antifungal stuff. I took him to see our main veterinarian in spring 2020, when there was a 2-month wait to get into see a board-certified veterinary dermatologist. It has been quite a journey since then, and it's nowhere near over. Here's my best advice for dogs with skin issues. </p>

<h2>Before I tell the ongoing saga with Mr. Stix's skin. Here is my best advice for dogs with skin problems.</h2>

<p> See a board-certified veterinary dermatologist as soon as you can. Yes, your main veterinarian can probably help, but it's honestly best to go right to the top experts. </p>


<p> Agree to whatever skin scrapings / cytology the veterinary dermatologist recommends. This provides information about what types of secondary infections currently grow on your dog's damaged skin. </p>


<p> Do NOT assume every skin issue is allergies. It often is some sort of allergic process, but NOT always and assuming so (and acting accordingly may only delay real solutions and subject your dog to all kinds of quack advice and home remedies).</p>


<p> Buy the best quality fish oil and Vitamin E supplements you can afford, if it's recommended for your particular case of a dog with skin issues. </p>


<p> When necessary, agree to the skin biopsies (yes, like minor surgery) and have them reviewed by a veterinary pathologist that specializes in dogs with skin issues. The one we used is at Texas A&amp;M.</p>

<img width="486" src="https://images.wagwalkingweb.com/media/care/can-dogs-get-hairballs/can-dogs-get-hairballs.jpg" />


<p> Follow your veterinary dermatologist's advice and plans, and keep the faith. These dogs with skin problems often don't improve quickly. (I need to take my own advise. See below.)</p>

<h2>Mr. Stix's Story as a Dog with Skin Problems</h2>

<p>This is what Mr. Stix's nakey spot looks like when it's normal. Photo from May 2019 soon after his hip surgery. The bald patch is permanent. That's not the issue. </p>

<p>This is how bad the red / peeling areas got in mid-2020 when we saw our main veterinarian, who added a low-dose of oral Vitamin E and some topical too and told me to keep using the animax. </p>

<p>This is how it looked when Mr. Stix first saw the board-certified veterinary dermatologist in early August 2020, but the specialist had me STOP the animax and instead use a prescription anti-bacterial ointment (mupirocin) ... as well as add a better quality oral fish oil and continue both topical and oral Vitamin E (but at a higher dose twice a day). We knew from the skin scrapings / cytology they did onsite that Mr. Stix had a bacterial infection. </p>

<p>But, without the daily topical steroids (which long term are a bad idea), Mr. Stix's skin got much, much worse -- even breaking open and scabbing over.</p>

<p>Our veterinary dermatologist had recommended doing the skin biopsies right away in August 2020, and I *almost agreed to it then, but I was VERY worried about the cuts resulting in skin that would NOT heal. And, I figured it was at least worth a try to use the prescription antibiotic ointment and other supplements and stuff. </p>


<p>But, by around Thanksgiving, it was clear we had to do the biopsy. That photo is kind of gruesome, so you can see it here, if you want. I wish I had done the biopsy sooner. I feel like I wasted time from August through November. </p>

<h2>Post-Biopsy Diagnosis</h2>

<p>As I expected, despite all the know-it-alls trying to tell me it was an allergic issue, it turns out that Mr. Stix instead has an autoimmune condition called erythema multiforme. They believe it was triggered by the trauma of his earlier injuries. They don't think it is life-threatening. They don't think it will spread to other areas of his skin. Just the already damaged, permanent nakey spot. </p>


<p>With that information in hand, we updated the treatment plan to include a topical, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory ointment (tacrolimus -- often pricey, but we used a Good RX coupon at Costco to get the cost down). They use a version of this medication orally for people who have had various kinds of transplants. It's the smallest / safest option for treatment, and that's where we started. </p>


<p>I was so hopeful it would work at the once-daily application, but the skin still didn't heal completely. </p>


<p>So, in early 2021, we started applying it twice daily on the advice of our veterinary dermatologist.</p>


<p>But, it still hasn't healed completely. It often improves a lot and then comes roaring back, so we had another appointment to see the specialist last week. We had to try something new. </p>

<h2>Enter the Big Immune-Suppressing Drug</h2>

<p>Despite my concerns and form of veterinary PTSD about major immune suppression drugs (after our experiences with Lilly), I agreed last week to add oral cyclosporine, which is also a drug that people get after various transplants. Mr. Stix would need to take it daily for life. </p>


<p>It smells like it's made from skunk butts, so each gel-cap pill is individually packaged, and you keep them in the freezer because that can help with nausea it can cause (since it's recommended you give on an empty stomach). </p>


<p>I found some good info on this med, and our veterinary dermatologist assured me that it has been safely used in veterinary medicine for like 20+ years, etc.</p>


<p>The med only comes in doses of 25 mg, 50 mg, and 100 mg, and at his size Mr. Stix's ideal dose is around 88 mg once a day. So we went with 75 mg (25+50) to err on the lower side. </p>

<img width="431" src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/obDThNs8fCU/maxresdefault.jpg" />


<p>It takes like 3-7 days for the med to build up in the blood to therapeutic levels, but it takes more like 4-6 weeks to know if it's going to help the skin (or not). </p>


<p>We made it to day 4, then the barfing started. </p>

<h2>Anxiety</h2>

<p>I wish I could say that this is all going to be fine, but I just don't know. I feel like I just have to accept that the skin will never fully heal, even though seeing his raw spots up close while applying the topical med twice a day and topical Vitamin E once a day causes me so much angst and anxiety. </p>


<p>I supposed to check in with our veterinary dermatology team next week to confirm that Mr. Stix's weirdness and apparent suffering has improved. </p>


<p>It took a lot of convincing to get Mr. Champion of My Heart to agree to try the cyclosporine, so even if the specialist comes back and recommends maybe a lower dose, I doubt we'll want to risk it ... because Mr. Stix sure seemed to be having some neurologist issues to me, and after the Lilly situation, I just cannot do that again. </p>


<p>He is only 3 years old. I don't want to make anything worse. It honestly felt like I'd poisoned him.</p>


<p>The good news is that most of the time his skin doesn't seem to hurt or itch or anything -- though I do have pain meds, if he needs them. It mostly just looks bad, and he has to wear a no-lick collar for about 20 minutes after I apply his meds so that he doesn't lick it off. </p>


<p>His nakey spot is prone to sunburn anyway, and the topical tacrolimus increases the risk of burning, so I used his earlier sun-reflecting coat (which started to look ragged) as a pattern and sewed him a new / light sun protection coat. He looks very cute in it. </p>
<p><strong></strong> https://championofmyheart.com/2021/08/05/dogs-with-skin-issues/ </p>
</blockquote>

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