Paddington Pups Blog

It is always hard to resist treating your beloved pet. You want to share your toast, your biscuit and your dinner with them plus give them a treat just because they deserve it.  Human food certainly isn’t always the best for your pet. Last issue we covered some things not to feed your dog.  Most people don’t even know that their pet is overweight because no one has ever told us how to measure a pet’s health and weight.

According to recent RSPCA studies, the number of obese pets is rising with 50% of Dogs and 40% of cats considered to be overweight. Being overweight can lead to some serious health issues such as

• Diabetes
• Pancreatitis
• Liver Disease
• Heat Intolerance
• Osteoarthritis
• Heart Problems
• Respiratory Problems
• Skin and General Allergies

So how do you tell if your dog or cat has weight issues?

There are a few simple checks you can make such as, if you are looking down at your pet from above you should be able to see narrowing at the waist between the ribs and the hind quarters.

You should be able to feel the ribs easily with only a moderate amount of fat covering them. If you find it difficult to feel your pet’s ribs or you can feel them but there is a lot of fat over them, this is a good indication that your pet may have a weight issue.   Other signs of weight issues for your pet includes if they are slow to move, have difficulty walking or they are often short of breath.

Unfortunately some breeds of dog in particular are prone to weight issues and should be carefully monitored as to their food intakes. Breeds such as Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Beagles and Cocker Spaniels are notorious for loving their food and will often take great pleasure in begging for food scraps or raiding your rubbish bin.

Sometimes the causes for an overweight or obese pet include not giving your pet all the exercise it needs, not regulating their food intake appropriately or simply your sneaky little pet steals the rest of your other pet’s food!

Some tips to monitor your pet’s weight include serving food in a smaller feeding bowl, or a slow feeding food bowl. These bowls have obstacles for your pet to eat around instead of scoffing his or her food.  You could use a measuring cup or scoop to make sure your pet is not over feed.  You can replace fatty treats with more healthy ones like carrot sticks.

Treats can always be given, just make sure it’s in moderation as we all want our pets to be healthy and a healthy pet should be neither be too fat or too thin.  If you are concerned about your pets weight you can weigh them now in store at Paddington Pups.

Your Vet is the best source of information about your pet’s health and well being. Be sure to ask your vet to regularly check your pet’s weight as maintaining an ideal weight range not only reduces health risks but also means your pet will have more energy, be healthier and live a longer life.

Saffy

Congratulations Saffy!

Saffy joins us regularly at Paddington Pups usually twice a week, sometimes more.  She is a beautiful Boxer as you can see in the photo.

Saffy is full of energy and really loves her trips to the local park, where she can really stretch out those long legs.

She has the typical boxer excitement.  Her whole body moves when she wags her tail and that tail wags a lot.

Best make sure you’re standing at a safe distance from that tail though, as I am sure she could cause some damage with it, because she is just so happy to see you.

Saffy is not a fan of strange men, which can make getting any repairs done at Paddington Pups very noisy. She is however very affectionate and loves lots and kisses and cuddles.

It is always very upsetting to hear of a dog attack particularly if it’s an attack on a dog you know and love.  In Brisbane City News recently, there have been a number of near fatal dog attacks.

One story that comes to mind is that of poor Ebony who was attacked twice within 5 days. The first was by two pit bull terriers, they were unrestrained and savaged Ebony with twenty puncture wounds. The second attack occurred on Ebony’s first walk after recovering from her wounds. She was attacked this time by a Belgian Shepherd, which is believed to be a trained security dog. Ebony is a three year old poodle and would not have stood a chance, if it wasn’t for a passer- by who hit the pit bulls with a stick until they released her from their jaws.

Dawn Pedder with Ebony, who escaped a vicious attack by other dogs. Reported City News 27 Jan 10

Stories like Ebony’s are not uncommon, it’s extremely heart breaking and devastating when something like this happens. So what can you do to limit any risk of this happening to your dog?

If your dog is left alone when you are out, it is important that they are secure within appropriate fencing. This is to ensure that they can’t escape and just as importantly to prevent other dogs entering your backyard.  It’s also a good idea to leave your dog in the backyard, opposed to the front yard, this limits the risk of your dog being let out by a stranger or a delivery person by mistake.

If you dog is not a regular to Paddington Pups and doesn’t often socialise with other dogs, it is important to really know their temperament. Make sure that if your dog is irritated easily, or doesn’t cope well with other dogs in its space, it is not advisable to take them to an off leash dog park.  Once your dog and other dogs are off their leads it is a lot harder to control their behaviour.

Make sure your Dog is desexed once it has reached an appropriate age.  By desexing your dog you reduce your dog’s the desire to wander or for wandering dogs to get into your yard.  By desexing your dog you also reduce your dogs desire to compete for dominance which in turn reduces the likelihood of a fight breaking out in the first place.

Any dog trained to be a guard dog or who has been continually ill treated has the potential to be dangerous. The following list is some of the dogs that are responsible for dog attacks in Brisbane over the last year. As you will see this list is quite varied and diverse, it includes but is not limited to Chihuahuas, Staffordshire bull terriers, Cattle dog, German shepherd, Rottweiler, Labrador, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boxer, Bull Terrier, Bull Mastiff, Border Collie, Siberian Husky and Pitbulls. “Most owners acted responsibly” “I think any breed of dog would be dangerous in the wrong hands,’’ Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of Queensland secretary Kristy Roebig

In Most Dog fights the dogs will resolve the situation quickly and often if we humans interject this can make the situation worse.  However if your dog has surrendered and is simply being attacked this tends to be the result of the attacking dog refusing to see the signs that your dog has surrendered. Suggested ways to break up any Dog fight Include, throwing water on the situation, pulling them apart, if you must pull dogs apart always do so from their back legs.  Poke or squirt water on the attacking dog near its anus this will distract and divert the dogs attention enough to discontinue the fight.  Get Help!  Always make sure your hands and children are kept clear as an aggressive dog could turn on you.

If you know anyone who might have a potential dangerous dog, check with the owner that they can’t escape from their backyard, and suggest when walking the dog that they are always kept on a tight leash.

Always avoid feeding dogs Cooked bones when bones are cooked the chance that they will splinter increases dramatically.  The last thing you ever want is for a bone you have given your dog as a treat to splinter and get stuck in their neck or worse cause internal damage. Smoked and air dried bones are alright as the process is very different to cooking and means that the bones are easier to digest and break down and do not splinter.

Left Overs – avoid giving the cat or dog anything fatty including bacon rind, fat from the ham bone etc. A sudden increase in the fat content of an animals diet can cause pancreatitis or other serious gastrointestinal side effects, resulting in server pain.

Chocolate – Most people know you can’t give your dog chocolate. It contains theobromine, which is toxic to dogs and cats. The higher the cocoa content the higher the theobromine levels. Cooking chocolate is especially bad for dogs, so avoid giving them treats such as chocolate cake, fudge, icing etc.  An acceptable substitute is Carob similar to Chocolate but friendly for Dogs.

Macadamia nuts – a compound in macadamia nuts is toxic to dogs and can cause serious health problems. All nuts in their shells are dangerous and some dogs run the risk of needing emergency surgery.

Grapes, Sultanas and Raisins- dogs that eat significant amounts of grapes, sultanas or raisins may suffer from serious problems of the liver, kidney.

Onions – contain thiosulphate, which can cause serious anaemia. One of the first signs is dark urine, as the haemoglobin of destroyed red blood cells is urinated out. If this is noticed, you should contact your vet immediately.

This summer, prevent your puppy from over -heating.  Provide plenty of shade and fresh water.

Try and avoid metal water bowls as they heat up to quickly.

Ceramic and plastic bowls are a great alternative. If you choose to leave your puppy inside, make sure there are windows open or a fan to circulate the air.

A great idea is to freeze chicken broth or vegetable soup in ice cubes trays and give it to your dog to play with. They love licking and playing with the ice block until it melts.

Paddington Pups also has a range of different toys that are specifically designed to be frozen and a range of cooling neck bandannas also designed to be frozen..

Try not to walk your dog in the middle of the day, like us dogs can get sun stroke and dehydrate very quickly. Plus walking on hot surfaces with bare paws must be tough.

You can also get pet safe sun screens available for purchase at Paddington Pups specifically designed for animals that love lying in the sun or that have very light coats.

For a fun exercise take your pet to a dog friendly beach or local creek so they can have a play in the water and cool down.