Diarrhoea will resolve quicker if food is maintained but it must be bland, easy to digest and given little and often.
Diarrhoea is generally slow to resolve but should gradually improve and cleared in five days. If the Diarrhoea is on going, watery, or their is blood present, the dog should always be seen by a Vet.
When it comes to your animal’s health, you want to follow facts, not fears. It’s easy for rumors and misinformation to arise, and thanks to the Internet these rumors can grow and spread fast. One of the things that have come under attack recently is garlic. You’ve probably heard on the one hand that garlic is a safe and healthy herb for your animals, only to read somewhere next day that it’s dangerously toxic and should be avoided. Which is correct?
The onion connection
The confusion surrounding garlic arises primarily from its close ties to the onion family. Onions have a high concentration of thiosulphate, a substance that can trigger hemolytic or Heinz body anemia in dogs, a condition where circulating red blood cells burst. When it comes to onions, a single generous serving can cause this reaction.
“Onions are only one of the substances which can cause Heinz body anemia,” adds Wendy Wallner, DVM. “Other substances such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and benzocaine-containing topical preparations can also cause Heinz body anemia in the dog.” Benzocaine probably accounts for many cases of the illness because it is prevalent in creams often recommended for allergy-suffering animals. It is absorbed through the skin and builds up in the bloodstream. In fact, this substance is often likely to have been involved in cases where garlic was suspect.
Garlic itself simply does not contain the same concentration of thiosulphate as onions do. In fact, it is barely traceable in garlic, and is readily excreted from the body. Despite this, garlic is falling victim to mass hysteria. There are 51,174 websites devoted to warnings about the toxicity of garlic. Yet there is little scientific data to back this claim other than those small amounts of thiosulphate. There are still over 400,000 sites proclaiming the benefits of garlic, many from reputable holistic veterinarians who have widely used it in their practice for many years.
Garlic’s health benefits
As long as humans have been using herbs, garlic has been a primary remedy. And as long as people have been using garlic, they have also been feeding it to their animals. Its properties have proven far-reaching and safe to use.
In the past 50 years, during the rebirth of holistic medicine in the United States, garlic has been in the forefront. Every text I have researched on herbal health care for animals has recommended it, especially for its incredible anti-parasitic and antiseptic properties.
In my own experience, garlic has also benefited animals with cancer, diabetes, liver, heart and kidney disease, uncontrollable staph infections and a host of other conditions. It is a staple in my recommended preventative protocols, and has been widely used in hundreds of thousands of animals with no reported negative side effects (except on breath!).
In other words, it’s fine to use garlic in reasonable doses. Trust history over hysteria!
What form is best?
Raw garlic fed daily may be hard on the GI tract and cause digestive upset or diarrhea. This means your animal can’t really eat enough to get true therapeutic dosages. Dehydrated powder or cooked garlic has gone through a heat process that destroys much of its benefits, so the best form to use is a purified extract, often fed in a gel cap. This form can easily get into the intestines in concentrated amounts, benefiting the animal without digestive upset. Dosage is approximately 1/2 capsule for a small dog and up to 2 capsules for a large dog.
by LISA S. NEWMAN, ND, PH.D.
Perfect for Dog Walks as it is safe to let your dog off the lead as long as you consider other Trail users. It is also quite sheltered. Which is helpful when the weather isn’t so great!
The North Dorset Trailway is a multi use bridleway using the route of the old Somerset and Dorset railway line that closed in 1966. The old railway line is a particularly good route as it naturally links up many of the towns and villages across North Dorset.
There are currently 5 sections of Trailway open to the public, the longest being Blandford to Sturminster Newton at over 9 miles (14 Km) long. It is hoped that other sections of the Old Railway Line currently in private ownership will become useable sections of Trailway in the future.
Directions: Off the A354 Blandford Forum bypass, head towards the Tesco superstore, then turn off left towards the free car park beside the Brewery.
Sponsor hearing dog puppy Zara from just £3 a month. In return you’ll receive a fantastic welcome pack. Then, over the next 18 months you’ll receive four printed updates showing Zara’s journey, and bonus, exclusive updates in our Puppy Pen blog.
Date of Birth: 26 october 2015
Sex: Female
Breed: Labrador
Colour: Dark yellow
Meet Zara, our happy, playful pup
Zara is the sweetest yellow Labrador pup you could imagine. She has quite dark colouring which makes her bright, brown eyes sparkle when they catch the sunlight.
She just lives for fun. Grab her favourite snake toy and she’ll happily join in a tug of war. She doesn’t really mind whether she wins or loses, just so long as she has fun. Take her outside and she’ll run around catching leaves. Again, she doesn’t mind whether she actually catches them, so long as she has fun. To a small puppy, the world can be a scary place. But not to Zara. It’s all fun, fun, fun!
And when the fun ends? Well when she lived with her ten (yes, ten!) brothers and sisters, she would sleep soundly with them all, their little puppy sides breathing in, out, in, out. Now she’s living with a volunteer puppy socialiser she’ll curl up on an available knee, or snooze soundly in a box.
Lots of fun, and places to snooze. That’s all she asks.
Training progress: fun, fun, fun!
Zara finds training fun, which is really how it should be. The more a hearing dog thinks it’s playing a game, the more they learn. Being a Labrador, she will also do anything for food. This is a great way to teach a young pup the basics from a very early age. Plenty of praise and puppy treats!
So, food and fun are combining well to make her a fast learner. Zara’s already reacting well to basic obedience commands such as ‘sits’ and ‘downs’, but she needs to focus. We’re sure this will come. It just needs time – and treats.
Zara’s already doing really well but will she learn to focus? Will her love of fun actually help her to learn? And will she ever stop eating? Sponsor her today and find out!
Sponsor Zara for…
£3
£5
£10
or £ per month or a one off payment.
Donate £3 a month and receive a welcome pack including a sponsorship certificate, fun collection kennel and other goodies plus regular photo-updates on your puppy’s progress through their training.
£5 Sponsorship welcome pack medium
Donate £5 a month and you’ll also receive a cute cuddly toy dog and Royal Canin pet food voucher.
£10 Sponsorship welcome pack premium
Donate £10 a month and you’ll also receive a beautiful framed photo of your puppy.
Call 01844 348100 to sponsor by phone. Our phoneline is available between 9am–5pm Mon–Fri.
E info@hearingdogs.org.uk W www.hearingdogs.org.uk.
Four Paws Cats, Zebbie and Flo Flo cosied up together in an under bed drawer.
Flo Flo is just out of sight. That’s one way to keep warm and cosy!
POOLE police officers are warning pet owners about Alabama Rot following reports of dogs falling ill after walking on heathland near the town centre.
In a post on the Rossmore Safer Neighbourhood Team Facebook page, they said that there have been unconfirmed reports of the animals becoming unwell after being walked on the Bourne Valley Nature Reserve, behind Berkeley Avenue.
It continues: “If anyone is concerned by their dog’s health, please visit a vets straight asap. If they suspect Alabama Rot, they will refer you to a specialist vets Anderson Moores in Winchester.”
This comes following unconfirmed reports from Poole residents of up to 27 dogs falling ill up to 48-hours after walking on the heath. Some have later died, residents have claimed, with all dogs alleged to show similar symptoms including loss of appetite and renal failure.
Sue Bridal, who lives just a short distance from the nature reserve, said: “My dog died in February last year. He went from ill to death in 36-hours.
“My friend’s dog had to be put down two days before Christmas. His dog was 13, but she was an agile 13-year-old.
“We are talking about a lot of dogs becoming ill in one area.”
Fellow resident, Steve Grant, said: “It’s a serious epidemic. What if children go there? There’s something seriously wrong.”
A member of staff from Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists said that they had not received any reports of Alabama Rot in Dorset.
James Norman, regulatory team manager at Borough of Poole, said: “We have been informed of three dogs that have died, two of which died on the week beginning January 11, and a third in February last year. These dogs were showing symptoms that could be caused by a variety of illnesses.
“We have visited the Nature Reserve and found no visual contamination. Wessex Water have carried out tests in the area and found no evidence of sewage contamination. We have also contacted local vets and they reported that they haven’t seen a significant increase in mortality of dogs in the area.”
He added that they will continue to monitor the situation and urged any dogs owners with information to contact Borough of Poole’s Environmental Health team on 01202 261700.
In the New Forest, dog owners are being urged not to panic after a six-year-old whippet named Spartacus had to be put down after being exercised in Lyndhurst and other parts of Hampshire.
Her owner, marathon runner Robin Ward, 37, of Waterlooville, said: “I took her everywhere and I couldn’t say where she might have picked it up.
“I had her put down because it was the right thing to do, but I loved her very much and it broke my heart.”
Most of the dogs struck down by Alabama Rot after being exercised in the Forest have been treated by Anderson Moores, a specialist veterinary practice based at Hursley, near Winchester.
David Walker, the practice’s head of medicine, confirmed that Mr Ward’s dog developed skin lesions, followed by kidney failure, and had to be destroyed.
The Forest has so far seen at least 17 cases of Alabama Rot but Mr Walker said instances of the disease were extremely low compared with the hundreds of dogs that were walked in the area every day.
He added: “It’s also important to stress that the disease is not invariably fatal. Some dogs do survive.”
Highlighting the problems involved in trying to find a cure he warned: “The difficulty with the disease is that although we suspect an environmental trigger we don’t know for sure.”
A district council spokesman urged dog owners to remain vigilant.
He said they should contact a vet if they noticed a lesion or blister on their dog’s leg or face within seven days of the animal being exercised in the Forest or elsewhere.
“This may be hard to spot but you may notice your dog licking itself more than usual,” he said.
Alabama Rot was first identified in greyhounds in the United States in the 1980s and appears to have reached the UK at the end of 2012.
Many of the cases have occurred in Hampshire and Dorset but several other counties have also been affected including Cornwall, Worcestershire and Durham.
Some experts believe it may be caused by bacteria found in wooded areas, which could explain why the Forest is one of the hotspots.
Here is Max having a wonderful time on our dog walk today.
I have found a new walk for Max to avoid the flooded path alongside the River Allen which is part of our regular walk.
Hearing Dogs Sponsored. Meet our adorable new sponsor puppies – Victor and Zara. You can sponsor them from just £3 a month. 18 months of updates | Fantastic photos | Makes a great gift!
1. Choose a puppy to sponsor:
Victor is a black, get-up-and-go Cocker Spaniel pup with white paws that look like he’s been dipped in paint.
Zara is a beautiful dark yellow Labrador puppy with bright, brown eyes that catch the sunlight.
2. Choose a monthly amount:
£3, £5, £10, or £ Prefer a one-off donation? What we’ll send you.
£3 Sponsorship welcome pack.
Donate £3 a month and receive a welcome pack including a sponsorship certificate, fun collection kennel and other goodies plus regular photo-updates on your puppy’s progress through their training.
£5 Sponsorship welcome pack medium.
Donate £5 a month and you’ll also receive a cute cuddly toy dog and Royal Canin pet food voucher.
£10 Sponsorship welcome pack premium.
Donate £10 a month and you’ll also receive a beautiful framed photo of your puppy.
Call 01844 348100 to sponsor by phone. Our phoneline is available between 9am–5pm Mon–Fri.
E info@hearingdogs.org.uk W www.hearingdogs.org.uk
Four Paws Dog Archie used to be a bit of a monkey while he was being towelled dry as a puppy, but now at nearly a year old Archie is very good! Doesn’t he look adorable!
If you do it after every walk even if your dog/puppy isn’t wet or muddy they very quickly get use to it and stand still happily. It is also a good opportunity to check there is nothing caught in their paws.
