Tips and Hints To Keep Your Dog In Prime Condition

Dietary Suggestions

• If a change of diet is needed, always implement this gradually over 1-2 weeks, adding progressively more of the new diet, and depleting the old, starting with a ratio of 25% new to 75% of old diet, gradually reversing the percentage until the new diet is fully in place. Look to your intuition to feel if diet may be playing a part within your dog’s problem. Whatever the size and type of dog, dairy products are best avoided, as dogs often do not after a very young age, have the physical ability to assimilate such; this can add to an already present problem. Note also, wheat as a food content needs to be observed, as again many dogs of all types can be allergic or intolerant to wheat.
• It is a good general practice to ensure your dog has the “chill” taken off his drinking water, as not doing so can cause stomach pain, and prevention is always more desirable than “cure”, or in causing your dog potential pain.
• If your dog practices Coprophagia (eating his own droppings), a small amount of fresh pineapple in his feed once daily will prevent this occurrence. Continue only as long as he is still practicing this habit. This undesirable happening is always part of a deeper rooted problem, which will be rebalanced as the correct restructuring programme, is put into place.

Skin Problems

• For general skin irritation, bath the dog in ti-tree shampoo (as pure as you can buy), putting 15-20 drops of Ti-tree oil in the final rinse water.
• For sore, irritated skin, Ti-tree oil can be applied as an ointment by mixing several drops with a small amount of Vaseline or similar carrier cream, ensuring that the ointment is made fresh each time of use, and is mixed with a non-metal utensil to ensure no toxicity is introduced.
• A good general preventative of itching, is to keep a block of sulphur in your dog’s drinking water on a permanent basis; the size of this will be determined by the size and numbers of dogs partaking of the drinking receptacle; i.e. a larger piece would be needed for the vessel used by a number of dogs, than that used by a single dog.
• The sulphur should be washed clean on a daily basis when freshening the dog’s water, and replaced when it appears to look porous, and/or presents a greenish tinge.
• Always of course, the source and deeper cause of the itching needs to be ascertained and worked with, therefore always consult your veterinary surgeon if you are in any way concerned about your dog’s health.

 

Grooming

• It is a good (even essential) practice to groom all dogs daily, as it allows one to check for cuts, grazes, lumps, bumps etc, as well as stimulating blood vessels, and energising in general, and of course from a pride in appearance angle, (for dogs have this too). Always make sure that brushes, combs, or any other grooming equipment is suitable for both the type and breed of dog in question, for dogs, like humans, have a wide variety of needs.
• It is important also to ensure that your grooming equipment is kept regularly cleaned, (weekly is a good average time to give it a wash and overhaul), and is replaced when it becomes too worn to do the job it was intended for.

 

NB care must be taken when grooming a sick or recovering dog, as the process can be exhausting whilst their Energy and body regenerates and heals, apart from the obvious care needed if a dog is physically sore from an illness or injury.