The disease does not affect the ticks but affects other mammals like dogs due to the toxin secreted by the ticks. What happens, is that a tick bite can produce a flaccid paralysis, which leaves your dog with no muscular tone, feeling weak.

Not all dogs and mammals suffer from this kind of a paralysis on being bitten by ticks as only some of them bear the brunt, while some others only experience weakness in their hind legs. Since the side effects can vary, some mammals can easily fall into a criticalSay as their muscles become unable to move, especially their respiratory muscles, therefore making it difficult for the animal to breathe.

Therefore, you should always know how to distinguish the signs of paralysis caused by ticks, so that you can get the symptoms under control and remove the ticks before things turn worse.

Read on to discover how you can easily prevent a deadly situation for your pooch…

Symptoms

You will startnoticing signs of paralysis only after 5 to 7 days after your dog has been bitten by ticks and it usually takes quite a few bites delivered at a time for paralysis to take place.

You may notice that your dog suddenly seems weaker and has poor coordination with his/her hind legs, which are the very first clues that your dog has been bit by a tick. Your pet dog may also show difficulty in breathing, chewing or even swallowing, though he may not have any fever or other symptoms.

Due to these problems like difficulty in breathing, respiratory malfunction can occur causing the death of your pet and it is thus imperative for you to take cognisance of these symptoms and take remedial action at the earliest.

Findings

Paralysis is normally diagnosed depending on the symptoms and the condition of the dog at that time. Paralysis has been known to be dependent on particular seasons, but your pet will recover quickly you may feel that you’ll be able to detect any symptoms of paralysis from his behavior.

Cures

There is a simple treatment for the issue, and that consists of removing any and all ticks. {You may have a hard time finding all of the ticks, or the tick, if your dog has a lot of fur, because ticks normally burrow into the skin, which means you may have to shave your dog for the time being, before they cause serious harm to your pooch.| It may be difficult for you to identify all the ticks especially if they’re hidden in the thick fur of your pet’s body and you may have tocompletelyshave your pet to get at them.| Picking up all the ticks on the pet’s body may be fraught with difficulty especially if your pet is very hairy and in that case you may need to shave your pet to ensure all ticks are effectively removed.|

Once the tick is removed, most dogs will quickly the ticks that are affected but the dogs. What happens, is that a tick bite can produce a flaccid paralysis, which leaves your dog with no muscular tone, feeling weak.

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Winter time is swiftly approaching and while the winter months can be lots of fun for you and your dog, there are a few precautions you should take to make sure that your dog is healthy and happy all winter long. Here are some[ recommendedprecautions.

• Increase Fido’s caloric intake. It is wise to increase your pup’s protein intake during the winter months. This helps your dog maintain a thick, warm coat.
• Don’t shave your dog’s coat. It might sound like common sense, but it is worth stating. Do not shave your buddy down to the skin. Fido needs a winter coat too.
• Don’t let your dog air dry. Common sense again, but just for the record, if you wash your dog, dry him or herabsolutelybefore you go outside. Also, when you get home from your walk in snowy or icy conditions, be sure tototally dry your pup’s feet and legs. This isn’t only for their comfort but also to prevent them from ingesting excess salt and harmful anti-freeze type chemicals. Left alone, wet feet can also chap, crack and bleed.
• Make sure their bed is warm and insulated. Check their sleeping area for drafts. Give them a warm blanket and pillow to make sure their nights are comfy and cozy. You can also leave them a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel (to prevent burning). Your dog will love it.
• Get Fido some duds. Sweaters and coats are a good addition in very cold weather. It’s not a Paris Hilton thing; it will truly improve your pup’s quality of life. If you own a short-haired breed consider getting a turtle neck that extends the length of their body, all the way to the tail. They will appreciate it (and look stylin’!)
• Don’t leave your best friend outside for prolonged periods. It’s cold out there and they’ll suffer. It also increases their chances of getting sick. Keep your dog inside as much as possible, and when they do go outside, go with them. If you’re too cold, changes are so are they.
• Keep your buddy on the leash. When the ground is frozen, it becomes easy for a dog to lose their scent, and thus easier for a dog to get lost. Because of this, more dogs go missing in the winter months so make sure they always have their tags on. This is a perilous time of year for your pup to go on a walk-about. This is especially true if you live near a pond or lake.
• Don’t leave your dog alone in the car. Just like the summer months, your automobile becomes a hostile environment in extreme weather. Dogs can freeze to death in a closed, frigid environment. Don’t take that chance.
• Be careful with your puppy or elderly dog. Puppies cannot tolerate cold the way a full-grown dog can. Same goes for very elderly or sickly dogs. If it is quite cold out, you may need to use a puppy pads for house training and wait till spring tobegin moving them outside. Older dogs can go outside to relieve themselves if necessary but during extreme cold a puppy training pads is a great backup plan. Keep in mind that the cold can aggravate arthritis, so keeping an elderly dog inside can significantly improve their comfort.
• Get a winter veterinary checkup. It’s a great time to make an appointment with your vet and check and see how your buddy’s health is. This will help ensure everything is tip-top or make you aware of any conditions that might be intensified by the cold.
• Seek medical attention if your dog gets ill. Frostbite and hypothermia are the most common serious conditions your pup might contract in extremely cold temperatures. If you get the slightest suspicion that your dog is experiencing symptoms of either of these ailments, see a veterinary hospital immediately. Frostbite occurs when a part of the dog (usually paws, ears, or tail) get so cold that the tissue literally forms internal ice crystals. This can be very painful and cause permanent damage. It is also hard to spot right away so the best course of action is avoiding frost-bite educing situation. Signs of hypothermia are more apparent. Look for shivering, depression, lethargy, and weakness. The dog’s muscles will eventually stiffen and their heart rate will drop. They may even become catatonic. Obviously, this is a scary and perilous ailment; seek out hospitalization right away.

The winter months can be a lot of fun for you and your pet if you take the proper precautions. Have fun and be safe!

Tips for keeping your dog happy and healthy this winter.

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Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease (LCP Disease) is a congenital (present at birth) degeneration of the bone end. LCP disease of the hip joint that results in abnormal deformity of the ball of the hip joint, caused by the disruption of the blood supply to the head of the femur (the round bone which fits into the hip socket). Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease have different names but refers to the same disease: Calve-Perthes disease, Legg-Perthes disease, Avascular necrosis of the femoral head, Coxa plana or Osteochondritis juvenilis. Legg-Calve-Perthes results when the blood supply to the femoral head is interrupted, resulting in the death of bone cells. This is usually followed by a period of revascularization, where the femoral head is subject to remodeling and/or collapse, creating an irregular fit into the hip socket. This process of bone cells dying and chipping followed by new bone growth and the remodeling of the femoral head and neck, leads to stiffness and pain in the rear leg or legs.

Legg-Calve-Perthes diseaseis usual in miniature, toy breeds and many other small breed dogs and affects the hip joints of dogs in the ages of 4 to 12 months old. Poodles, Yorkies, Lakeland terriers, west Highland white terriers, Jack Russell terriers and miniature pinchers just to name a few of mostly affected by this syndrome. Sometimes easily mistaken for hip dysplasia is Legg Calv Perthes disease. The immediate cause of bone death is loss of blood supply. Both sexes are affected, but males suffer 4 times more often than females. This is an avascular (pertaining to inadequate blood supply), aseptic (not infected), developmental osteonecrosis (dying of bone tissue) of the femoral head and neck, found nearly entirely in toy or other small breeds. It can be described as a localized tissue anemia. On radiographs, it often looks as if the bone is rotting away, and lameness with variable pain is the major or only symptom. A young dog affected with this disease will gradually develop pain and lameness in 1 hind leg, which slowly worsens over 3 or 4 weeks. The pain will become quite severe, and there’s usually muscle shrinkage (atrophy) in the affected leg. In the rare cases where both hips are affected, the dog will sometimes “bunny-hop”. As the disease progresses, the dog may suspend the affected limb in the air, and may or may not exhibit pain when the leg is flexed. In very mild cases, often no symptoms are apparent, while in severe cases; the dog can be in great pain and become very irritable.

Diagnosis is accomplished through radiographs (X-rays) of the hips, often done under light anesthesia. Depending on how far the disease has progressed, there may be muscle wasting (atrophy) in the affected limb. Radiographs will show whether your dog has the characteristic features of this disease, and also if there are other bony degenerative changes to the hip. Diagnosis is confirmed with a bone biopsy. Radiographic (X ray) signs of Legg Perthes are usually gross and discouraging, as many cases are not referred to the vet or the specialist for diagnosis until the dog has been limping for a long time or the disease has progressed to the point that it becomes a more real problem to the owner. These small dogs put so Littleweight on their little hip joints that they nearly can compensate for angish by walking on their forelimbs instead of their four limbs.

There are two approaches in treating this disease: conservative therapy and surgical operation. Conservative treatment with strict cage rest and physical therapy could be successful only if the femoral head is still has its normal shape and is is tightly seated in the socket; monthly radiographs should be made until the pet is 1 year of age. The animal is carried to and from the cage and kept on a leash during evacuation. Strict adherence to this form of treatment results in a dog with almost normal femoral head (bone end) and complete return of pain-free motion and a normal gait. It takes 4 to 6 months before the femoral head heals sufficiently to permit normal movement.

Surgical Operation. Many dogs have advanced cases of this disease by the time they are examined by a veterinarian and medical treatment is not likely to work. In these dogs, excision of the femoral head (ball portion of the hip joint) is often beneficial. Removal of this section of the bone diminishes painful bony contact in the hip joint. Recovery from this surgery can be slow with recovery periods of up to one year sometimes occurring before good use of the affected leg returns. If muscle atrophy is not present at the time of surgery the recovery time is usually much less. Pain relief and anti-inflammatory medications may be beneficial. Femoral head and neck excision is the treatment of choice if the radiographs show deformity of the femoral head or looseness of the hip joint; this surgery involves removing the femoral head and neck.

Usually excellent, and within several months, the dog can again walk and run. In some cases, the affected leg may remain slightly shorter and the muscles may be somewhat atrophied. Some veterinarians feel there may be an increased risk of arthritis as the dog ages.

Legg-Calve-Perthes results when the blood supply to the femoral head is interrupted, resulting in the death of bone cells of the affected dog. Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is commonin miniature, toy breeds and many other small breed dogs and affects the hip joints of dogs in the ages of 4 to 12 months old.

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Pet Flea Control is important if you do not want your pet itching and scratching himself insane or for that matter, you yourself. If you own a pet flea control is a must. Fleas and ticks can spread undesirable diseases such as the dreaded Lyme disease and, as such pet flea control is something that should be taken in all seriousness.

If your pet spends time both indoors and outdoors fleas are inevitable. There are over 2400 different types of fleas and thankfully only a small portion of that population is bothersome to you and your pet. Reason being as there are numerous individuals that have reported their pets experiencing adverse reactions. Don’t panic and poison yourself or your pet. Tapeworm infections are usually diagnosed by finding the segments on the pet. Prevention for both pets and humans Clean up all feces immediately in the yard, home and on walks. Keeping your pets on Interceptor, a heart worm preventative, is an excellent way of preventing heart worms and intestinal parasites. First, take a fecal sample and your pet to a veterinary clinic for a fecal exam. Your pet will need to beanalyzed and weighed by the vet to receive medication. Wesuggest this because your pet could also have other types of worms or other organisms that you don’t see. Most intestinal parasites can only be seen by a microscopic exam so your pet may have parasites that you’ve never seen. Putting your pet on Interceptor will prevent hookworms, whip worms and roundworms, as well as heart worms.

Flea control is a very important step in preventing tapeworms. Fleas and ticks can spread undesirable diseases such as the dreaded Lyme disease and, as such pet flea control is something that should be taken in all seriousness. Fleas are the most important external parasite of dogs and cats world-wide. The ideal type of flea control for your dog is not a flea collar – despite all the marketing hype to the contrary. The ideal chemical flea control method is the monthly application of the ointment – the most respected is the Frontline ™ brand. Genuinely effective flea control includes ridding your home of them as well. The more comprehensive approach you take towards flea control the better- because fleas can live for months without food, and can lay as many as 50 eggs a day. The chemicals recommendedby veterinarians most often for flea control are Advantage flea control, Revolution flea prevention and Frontline flea control. Combined with the effective control of adult fleas, this is the latest and most effective method for flea control available. Controlling flea infestations will help eliminate tapeworms. pet vaccines, pet dewormer, pet flea control, pet allergy remedies, pet heart worm medicine, pet supplies and supplements such as pet vitamins all play an important part in healthy pet regimens. Pet Flea Control is important if you don’t want your pet itching and scratching himself insane or for that matter, you yourself. Many pets and humans are allergic to flea bites making pet flea control an important step in a healthy pet regimen. Breaking the cycle by killing adult fleas and preventing them from laying eggs is the foremost reason for using pet flea control ointments and sprays on a regular basis. ? Come summer and pollen, ragweed, grass allergens, dust mites, fleas can cause allergies and are now common ailments that pets suffer from. With numerous pet medicines for pet arthritis, pet dewormers such as pet heart worm medicine, pet flea control, pet vaccines, pet allergy remedy on the market, your pet need not suffer at all. In addition to just being a nuisance, fleas are responsible for flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) in dogs and cats, which is estimated to account for over 50% of all the dermatological cases reported to veterinarians. Repeated flea bites cause discomfort to pets and humans. Worms, especially Dipylidium caninum, also known as tapeworm in dogs and cats, can be transmitted by fleas. Symptoms of fleas include scratching and general discomfort of the animal. Checking for Fleas The ideal way to check whether your animal has been in recent contact with fleas is to check for the presence of flea feces. If you kill the fleas, your pets cannot get tapeworms. When fleas bite, they consume a small amount of the host’s blood. But a heavy infestation of fleas can remove enough blood to kill a small puppy or kitten. The most common species of flea on both cats and dogs is the Cat Flea. Cat Fleas will not live on humans, but they certainly will bite us. When your pet gets fleas, eggs fall off the animal, wherever it goes in your house. It takes between 5-14 days for fleas to develop inside the cocoon, after which they’re triggered to hatch in response to vibration or the carbon dioxide exhaled by a passing host. Important Flea Facts For one animal to catch fleas from another requires that the two animals are in prolonged, stationary contact. Your pet is therefore very unlikely to catch fleas from casual contact with an infested animal, like in a park. If you find fleas on your pet, the most likely reason is that it has visited another household with fleas, or a visiting cat or dog has brought them into your home. If you’ve more than one cat or dog living in the same household, they must all be treated against fleas at the same time. Just one untreated pet can act as a ‘safe haven’ for fleas, thereby triggering a new infestation, or preventing you from clearing an existing one. Adult fleas spend most of their time on an animal, but the eggs, larvae, and pupae are found in Largenumbers in the environment in carpet, rugs, bedding, furniture, and grass. To control the flea population, you need to remove fleas from the indoor environment, the outdoor environment, and your pet. Cat fleas can infest over 50 species of animals worldwide.

Pet Flea Control is important if you do not want your pet itching and scratching himself insane or for that matter, you yourself. If you own a pet flea control is a must.

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