5 Tips for Helping your Blind Dog
Hi, Joey here. No question this week but I do have an article I want to share with you. As an "elderly" gentleman, I am having some trouble losing my hearing and eyesight. So I asked Momma to write an article about how pet parents can help their dogs who are blind.
5 Tips for Helping your Blind Dog
Often as our canine companions age, their eyesight diminishes. Sometimes it can happen at any age due to illness or injury. Just as newly blind people adjust, dogs can too. There are things we can do to help them in their transition.
1 -Have strangers speak to him and avoid physical contact until your dog is comfortable with them and approaches them. Sudden touches from people who's voices and smell are unfamiliar, can be very frightening to a dog who can not see.
2 -Keep him safe by putting up fences and barriers around dangers such as stairs, pools, ponds, and balconies. This is vital for a dog who's vision has diminished.
3 -Keep him on a leash and close to you in public. You don't want to take the chance of him wandering off and losing you or becoming startled and running out in traffic.
4 -Keep furniture in the same place and don't move things around as it will confuse him. He will become accustomed to where everything is and become quite adept at finding his way around the house.
5 -Keep his personal items (food and water bowls, bed and toys) close together. The fewer areas he has to wander around to find things, the better. It will be less confusing and more comforting.
Bonus Tip-Help him develop his other senses by talking to him and petting him often, give him squeeky toys and scented toys, give him things that are fun to chew on. By stimulating his other senses, you will help him to develop them faster and make his adjustment much easier.
Ask Joey-Does my dog have Epilepsy
Dear Joey,
I'm in 5th grade and my sister Cara is in 7th. We finally got a dog from the dog pound after begging for one forever. Today while playing with Pebbles, She started shaking really bad and foaming at the mouth. After a few minutes, she stopped.
My sister saw it too and said she has Epilepsy. She says she knows cos a kid in her class has it and acts the same way. She said not to tell my parents cos they might make us take the Pebble back to the pound. What should I do?
Randy E.
Dear Randy,
Epilepsy in dogs is something I am quite familiar with since I have it myself! The symptoms you describe do sound like Epilepsy but to be sure, Pebbles really needs to be checked out by a veterinarian. It is really important for he to be seen by a doctor so they can figure out what is causing her seizures and help her to control them.
If it is Epilepsy, it may or may not need medication, depending on how often she has the seizures and how severe they are. Really bad seizures can cause brain damage.
I am lucky in that my sezures only happen 3-4 times a year so I don't need to be on medication. My momma's friend has a little Beagle named Livvie who has to have medicine every day or she will have a seizure.
Here's a good article Momma found about Epilepsy in dogs: http://www.dogpro.com/canine-epilepsy.html
So please tell your parents so they can take Pebbles to a vet to get checked out. Let them know how much you and your sister love Pebbles and how she needs your family's help now. Good Luck!
Ask Joey: My 2 puppies are trouble!
My Puppies Are Trouble!
Dear Joey,
My husband and I just adopted 2 adorable puppies from the pound. They were litter mates and seem very close to eachother. They don't listen to us at all. Our biggest problem is trying to potty train them. Whenever we take them outside, all they want to do is play with each other instead of "doing their business." Any suggestions?
Millie C.
Moyock, NC
Dear Millie,
Hey you don't live too far away from us! Your puppies have bonded with each other instead of you. It's only natural since they have known each other since they were born and have been together through the scary time of being separated from their mother and getting put in a cage at the pound.
You want them to bond with you! First of all, I suggest you and your husband each take a puppy through a puppy obedience training class. Also, both of you should try to spend some time every day alone with each puppy. Play with them, take them for a walk, cuddle with them, just do it without the other puppy present. This will give them a chance to bond with you.
As for the potty training, take each puppy out by themselves. Take them to the spot (away from where they may hear or see the other puppy) you want them to pee and poop. Tell them to "go potty" or whatever keyword you use. Then stand quietly while they sniff around and look for the perfect spot. After they do their business, praise them, play with them for a few minutes and then take them inside and repeat the process with the other puppy. After both have pottied, bring them both outside and let them play together, and better still, try to engage them into playing with you. Throw a ball for them maybe.
Yes, this may sound like alot of work but once they are house trained, you can try taking them both out at the same time again and see how they do together. Eventually, they should be fine together and it will be much easier.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Ask Joey-We can't control the dog hair!
Dog Hair Everywhere!
Dear Joey,
We own 2 big, hairy dogs and the fur in our house is getting uncontrollable. It seems to be everywhere! On our furniture, all over our floors and even on our clothes. I cant even have a meal without finding a dog hair in it! Gross. We bathe the dogs often. Should we be doing something else?
Elisa
Dear Elisa,
Bathing isn't really going to control the hair. There are other things you can do to help. You didn't say what kind of coats your dogs have. Are they short hair or long hair? Curly or smooth coat?
The very basics are to brush your dog everyday. A dog comb can take the burrs and tangles out.
If your dog has a short coat, you can "pet" him with a grooming or shedding glove.
If your dog's coat is longer, I suggest a Shedding Tool. Two good brands are FURminator and FurBuster.
If your dog has a very thick, dense undercoat, you should get an undercoat rake.
Now of course, you don't have to get all of these things. Just get what's best for the type of coat your dog has. Consistency is the key. You have to groom your dog every day to keep the hair at a manageable level.
Ask Joey-How many dogs are too many?
Ask Joey-How many dogs is too many? Mr. Bean's Holiday release
Dear Joey,
How many dogs are too many? My family has always had one or two dogs but ever since my 2 brothers and I have moved out, my mother has been collecting dogs. She is up to 8. Do you think she may have a problem?
Richard R.
Dear Richard,
Some people keep a large number of dogs and do just fine. But then there are some who become hoarders. They can't stop adopting dogs.
Your mom may be suffering from "Empty Nest Syndrome" since all her human kids have left home. That is probably what triggered this. Is your dad still around? What does he think about all these dogs?
I would be concerned about the dogs too. Have they been spayed and neutered? Are they receiving the medical care, food, grooming, love and attention they need? Is your mother able to still keep the house relatively sanitary?
Something else to be aware of is that most areas have a limit on the number of dogs that you can own. In our area it's 6 dogs.
Try to talk to your mom about all of this and share your concerns. You may need to enlist the aid of your brothers, father or other family members. If all this fails, discuss the situation with your mom's doctor.
Good luck and keep us updated.
Ask Joey-Are my dog's lumps cancer?
Lumpy Dog
Dear Joey,
I'm a little worried. My dog is 10 years old and I'm starting to feel lumps on her. They don't seem to bother her but they sure bother me. I'm worried she may have cancer. Should I take her to the vet?
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Dear Sharon,
I can't tell you with 100 % assurance that it isn't cancer but it probably isn't. Older dogs tend to get fatty tumors (hey I have lots of them myself). They aren't dangerous and they aren't painful. Usually the only time for medical intervention with them is when they are in an odd spot that is uncomfortable for the dog.
You didn't say whether the lumps are soft and squishy which is another sign it is a fatty tumor or hard. If it's hard, it may be a cyst. A cyst can easily be removed and may or may not be cancerous. So if it does feel hard, you should get it checked out by your dog's vet. If not, just mention the lumps to your vet at your dog's next appointment.
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Ask Joey-We need Dog Questions!
Hey Guys!
Joey here and I have run out of questions! If you have any dog related question for a future "Ask Joey" post, please send it to me! Just type it into the box below and hit submit. Or leave it in the comments.
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Ask Joey-Dog Panting and Wet Noses
Wet Dog Noses and Why Dogs Pant
Hi Joey,
I'm 8 years old and my mom and I like to read your blog, specially on Mondays when you write. I don't have a problem. I was just wondering. Why do dogs pant? And why do they have wet noses?
Thanks,
Brandon R.
The Big Bounce movie Dear Brandon,
Thanks Dude! So glad you like my column. And I'm glad you don't have any dog problems.
Ok, to answer your questions. Dogs pant because that is their way of keeping cool. Humans sweat as a way to keeping cool but dogs cannot sweat. So we were made to pant instead.
Castle in the Desert psp As for wet noses, we have glands inside our noses that keep them wet. It's believed it helps us to smell better. Some people believe if a dog's nose is dry, than he must not be healthy. But that may or may not be true. If it's dry occasionally, then he's probably healthy. Also when a dog is sleeping, his nose gets dry so it may take a while to get moist again after waking. If the nose is constantly dry for several days, you may want to be on the look out to see if your dog is feeling ok. Call your vet if you think he may be getting sick.
Til next week,
Ask Joey-Dog Ear Problems
Ear Problems
I hope you all had a Happy Easter. I guess I did. My ear was only hurting a little bit. I tend to get ear infections a few times a year and Momma and the doggy doctor have tried many different things to stop them over the years. But they still come every Spring and every Fall.
This year, it just hit me all of a sudden and the pain was so bad, all I could do was cry. Momma and my human brother Ryan were so scared, they rushed me to the doggy doctor and he put me on all these pills. I don't mind though. Momma hides them in cheese so I'll eat them. Anytime I get more cheese, I'm a happy pup
Never Back Down movie download We didn't get any questions this week so I decided to tell you all about how to keep your dog's ears healthy. But Sandy Moyer from Bella Online wrote such a great article about it, I decided to just give you the link here to it. Yes, that may make me sound lazy but I'm sick remember? Give me a break! I promise I'll be back on my game next Monday. And I need some more questions from readers! Please leave me a comment with your dog question.
Have a great week!
Ask Joey:Help-My dog is limping
Help-My dog's has a Hurt Leg..I Think
Dear Joey,
Sophie is not using her right hind leg sometimes, but doesn't seem to be in any pain with her leg whatsoever. That's what is so weird about it. Sometimes when I see her not using it, I'll go immediately and press it up and down and it doesn't bother her at all. And the vet spent about 20 minutes going carefully over every centimeter of that leg.
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My vet wants to take x-rays but if the problem is bones or something, why wouldn't she avoid using that leg ALL the time? We hate to spend lots of money just to have a vet say that they can't find the problem, and the poor dog can't tell us. I do wonder if other owners have encountered this kind of situation. Would love to know what you find out!
If she seemed in any pain or discomfort, I'd take her back to the vet yesterday! But she's not and it's so intermittent; she'll go days using all 4 legs normally and then suddenly won't. Very strange.
Donna,
Atlanta, GA
Dear Donna,
Of course you know that Sophie is one of our very favorite dogs in the world! My momma loves her like she is her own pup. Momma says she first noticed Sophie limping a little when she came for a visit in February. It seemed to happen after she had been resting some, but you are right. She didn't seem to be in any pain.
We did a little investigating to try to find out what is going on. There were several possibilities but no real good answers. In researching, we found that Bichons are prone to a few leg problems.
Patellar Luxation. The patella is the knee of the dog, that point at which the rear leg bends. Luxation refers to the shifting position of the knee due to looseness of the ligaments that hold the knee stable. When the dog is active, he is quite likely to stretch these weakened ligaments to the extent that they tear.
In our research, the author of Dog Adoption and Training Guide.com states, "Several of my dogs have had this problem and all I've done is reach down, massage the knee a little until they drop their leg, and we are good to go for another 3 or 4 months."
Spinal Disk Degeneration. is more likely to occur in heavier dogs, (Sophie isn't heavy) a strong reason for watching their weight. The tendency to disk degeneration is considered genetic. A sign that may alert you to developing degenerative disk would be weakness in the rear of the body, indicating that muscle strength is not sufficient to support his or her rear legs. This happens when there is pressure on nerves connected to those muscles, possibly affecting their performance. Vascular and chemical changes will lead to paralysis if not treated. These signs of an impending problem can occur months earlier and may be ignored by both owner and veterinarian.
Legg-Calve-Perthes usually shows up early in life, starting around 4 months in some and almost certainly will be symptomatic by the end of the first year. (Sophie was a young adult when we noticed this so this probably isn't the problem).There is lameness, pain and increasing disability due to poor vascular (blood) supply to the bone.
Hip Dysplasia occurs when the bony head of the femur does not fit properly in the hip socket, whereas the bone dies in LCP, described above. Hip dysplasia is a developmental problem, considered a genetic inheritance issue, where the hip socket is badly formed. Because the hip is not properly formed, the head of the femur cannot fit snugly in the socket. Surgery may result in better life for the affected dog but it is important to distinguish between this and Legg-Calve-Perthes as they are similar.
I hope that this has given you a few more possibilities you can ask your vet about. If anyone else out there has had this problem and has any advice for Sophie and her mom, please leave a comment!
