Caring For Your Dog's Feet

Dog Health Care Article:

How To Care For Your Dog's Feet
And Save On Vet Bills Down The Line

Even though it may be an obvious fact, dogs have four feet. These four feet
have no protection. As the caregivers for our companions, we need to take
special care of our pets feet to ensure their pads do not become over calloused
or tender.

Be careful not to overexercise your pet, ensuring that they do not get
blisters or split pads. Exercise should start slowly and increase gradually.
It is not a wise idea to exercise your dog by forcing it to run alongside a
bicycle or car, as you cannot readily check for exhaustion or foot problems.
Your exercise program should end by checking the condition of your pets feet.

Grooming is an essential part of the care of our pets feet. Ensure your dog
gets it's nails clipped regularly. Overgrown nails will curl into the dogs pads.
Nails can also split if not clipped. Long nails can also cause a dog's feet to
spread or splay. Trimming the hair around the pads can also reduce the
amount debris that can get lodged between the pads which will cause injury.

After walks or exercise run your fingers over and between the pads checking
for stuck materials such as rocks, gum, thorns, glass, impacted snow/ice, etc.
Also check for sore spots. As you get to know your dog, check for spreading or
splaying. In older dogs conditions such as arthritis may cause splaying.

At certain times of the year there may be bio-hazards on the ground from
people using fertilizers, weed killers, or chemicals used for ice or snow removal.
It may be wise to wash your dogs feet with warm water and baking soda
regularly after your walk or exercise period.

If your pets feet are sore, reduce exercise and bathe the feet.
If the condition persists consult your veterinarian as soon as possible.
Your pets feet are their means of mobility.


Reprinted with permission by Terrie Simpson. Terrie has been involved
in the dog world for over 28 years and has achieved numerous awards
with her Springer Spaniels in tracking and obedience. Over that time,
she has amassed a good amount of knowledge about how to keep a
dog healthy. She is now happy to give back by sharing her experience
with other dog owners.

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#1 Reason Pets Health Will Be Jeopardized

Pet lovers wouldn't think of purposely risking their pet's safety or health. Yet it happens once or twice everyday for pets everywhere. Read on to see if you are guilty of this #1 Reason Pets Health Will Be Jeopardized.

Disease is typically not something that "just happens." It is not just genetics or something that "strikes us." It is by and large what we do to ourselves and our pets. We do not have to be victims, we can take control.

Consider this, domestic animals suffer from an overabundance of illnesses and diseases that are virtually absent in wild canine/feline populations. Obesity, dental problems, cancer, organ disease, arthritis, autoimmunities, diabetes, and heart and vascular diseases are virtually absent in the wild. But pets with these conditions fill veterinary offices.

The cause, therefore, must be something unique to modernity. It must be something that we force upon pets that is not normal to their natural living circumstance.

The starkest contrast between wild and domestic animals is in the foods consumed. Wild canines/felines subsist on a number of food sources in their raw unadulterated state. Domestic canines/felines are made to consume heat degraded processed pet foods meal after meal. These foods bare little resemblance to the foods they are genetically designed to consume.

These foods may have the approval of regulators and are called "complete and balanced," but clearly they are not.

You can change that starting today by selecting processed foods that are as close to nature as possible, rotating the diet, and supplementing with raw meats, bones, organs and other whole fresh foods as we will teach you in these Truths.

Wysong Pet Food

Thought for the day: "I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contained, I stand and look at them long and long." Walt Whitman

Word for the day: inulin- a group of naturally occurring plant polysaccharides that exert the prebiotic effect of enhancing the growth of beneficial (probiotic) intestinal microorganisms.