Fear of Nail Cutting

Swimming, particularly in warm water, can help your dog relax and also drain her energy. If you have a small dog, you don’t even need a pool. You can use a small tub of water. Simply hold the dog by the sides and let her paddle. If your dog is uncertain about the water, start by holding her on an incline, just let her bottom half touch the water. Wait until your dog begins to paddle with his front legs, and then you can slowly lower her front half into the water. If the dog begins to splash around and panic, calmly return the dog to the inclined position again – with the back half of the dog touching the water. Then once the dog relaxes and begins paddling with the front legs again, send her back in! Continue this until she becomes comfortable with the water.

Once your dog has reached the lowest level of energy, begin by holding a paw and presenting the nail clipper to it without cutting anything. Then send her right back into the water to drain even more energy. At the same time, you are softening her nails, so they will actually be easier to trim. Then, after another round of swimming, you present the nail clippers again. This time cut a little bit, just to let her experience it and see her reaction. If she panics, send her right back in for more water therapy, but if the dog remains calm, do the whole foot – and then send her back into the water! This way, you’re not giving the dog time to focus on the nail clipping, instead she is focusing on the water. We are exchanging one challenge for another! Your dog can learn to associate the nail trimmings with the time in between swims that she gets to relax and collect herself.

Keep repeating this process – allow your dog to swim, trim the nails, and put her right back in – until you’ve trimmed all four paws.

I encourage you to visualize the scenario going well before attempting it. Don’t panic or feel sorry if your dog is stressed. Instead, make your dog feel safe by maintaining the calm and assertive energy of a pack leader.

How to Get a Dog or Cat to Drink Water

You would think drinking water would just come naturally for living beings–but not necessarily. Certain humans have to be coaxed into partaking of the H2O (some would almost rather have root canal than drink eight glasses a day)–and certain dogs and cats are the same way. But being that it is sort of essential to life–here are some ways to get your pooch or kitty to drink their water

Instructions

1. • If you feel your pet isn’t drinking enough water, add warm water to your pet’s dry or canned dog food (or home diet), enough to where it’s soupy. You can also add chicken or vegetable broth to the food.

   • Some cats and dogs prefer flowing water to water that just sits stagnant in a bowl. In this case you can try letting your cat drink out of a running faucet, your dog drink from a garden hose or as you pour it out of the bottle. But of course, these methods may not always be feasible (if you don’t want to leave the faucet running constantly, you don’t have a garden hose or can’t be around pouring 24/7). In this case you may consider investing in a pet drinking fountain

• Add a couple of ice cubes to your pet’s bowl. Dogs and cats often prefer colder water, which is why they may head for the toilet bowl. Some cats and dogs also like to chase after ice cubes and end up drinking water in the process.

• Using an elevated bowl may encourage your dog to drink more water and is also more comfortable for senior dogs and dogs with arthritis or muscle/joint problems. Changing up the material, shape or size of a bowl may encourage a cat to drink more water.

• Sometimes after heavy activity, a pet may just forget to drink water. You might “refresh” their memory by holding the water bowl up to them and swishing a couple of your fingers in it to pique their interest.

• Maybe your pet simply doesn’t like the taste of tap water (it can be pretty unpleasant depending on where you live). How about filtered water? If you already drink it yourself, it would be nothing to pour some extra for your pet. And if you don’t drink filtered, it’s a relatively inexpensive investment (under $30 for a Brita or like brand and three filters–then you would just need to replace the filter every so often). Not to mention that filtered water is healthier.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4595450_dog-cat-drink-water.html#ixzz2ba12xpmG

How to Clean and Care for a Dog’s Incision

Has your dog just been neutered or spayed? Did your dog undergo another type of surgery? Proper care for a dog after surgery is vital to promote healing and prevent infection. Surgery after care for a dog must include cleaning the incision, but many owners are unsure of how to properly clean and care for the dog’s stitches and incision. Keep reading for tips on how to clean and care for a dog’s incision after surgery!

Instructions

1. • SOFTEN THE DRIED FLUID AROUND THE DOG’S INCISION: Saturate a washcloth with some very warm water. Hold it over the dog’s surgical incision for about 5-10 minutes. This will soften the dried fluid, making it easy to remove. This is usually only necessary for the first day or two after the surgery or injury. If you are seeing significant discharge from the dog’s incision or wound after the first 36-48 hours, there is a very good chance the dog has developed an infection in the surgical incision or wound – cause for a visit to the veterinarian.

   • REMOVE THE DRIED FLUID THAT’S FORMED AROUND THE DOG’S INCISION/WOUND AND STITCHES: Dampen a Q-tip with hot water and gently clean the dried fluids that have formed near the incision. The dried blood and dried fluids around the dog’s surgical incision should come right off; if not, reapply the warm washcloth for a few more minutes and then reattempt to clean the area around the incision.

     APPLY BETA-DINE ONTO THE INCISION OR WOUND: Clean the dog’s incision using a generous amount of beta-dine. The beta-dine can be applied to the incision by simply pouring a little bit onto the incision or wound. Dog owners can also apply a generous amount of beta-dine to a sterile gauze pad and dab the antiseptic onto the dog’s wound. Dabbing (rather than rubbing or wiping) is best when stitches are present. Beta-dine should be applied to the dog’s wound or incision, and to the area within a one-inch perimeter of the site to prevent infection.

     • ALLOW THE BETA-DINE TO AIR DRY: Allow the beta-dine to air dry. Do not blow on the incision or wound to dry the beta-dine; this will only transfer bacteria to the site.

     • REPEAT THIS WOUND OR INCISION CLEANING PROCESS FOR THE DOG 2-3 TIMES A DAY: Frequent cleanings are necessary to keep the dog’s surgical incision or sutured wound clean and free of infection. Monitor the dog’s incision or wound closely. The dog’s stitches should not appear taught; the edges of the wound or incision should not pull apart; the dog’s wound or incision should not increase in terms of swelling, redness or discharge after the first 24 hours. If you see any of these signs, it suggests that the dog’s incision or wound is infected.

     Tips & Warnings

     •  Always keep an e-collar on your dog until the healing process is complete. E-collars are also known as “lampshades” or “cones.” Pain can trigger licking; itchy skin later in the healing process can cause the dog to bite at the stitches, resulting in premature removal of the stitches.
     • Muzzle your dog during the first couple days when cleaning the dog’s surgical incision or wound with stitches. The wound will be tender and painful during the first couple of days and this can cause even a very loving, friendly dog to nip or bite.
     • NEVER USE HYDROGEN PEROXIDE TO CLEAN AN INCISION OR WOUND! Hydrogen peroxide will damage the tissue; this will extend the healing period for the dog’s incision or sutured wound. Hydrogen peroxide may be used full-strength for the first 24 hours of cleaning; after that, it must be used at 50% strength (mixed with water.) Hydrogen peroxide should not be used unless absolutely necessary; it is much less effective than betadine, an orange-red fluid that’s used to disinfect a patient’s surgical site prior to surgery.

     Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4728639_clean-care-dogs-incision.html#ixzz2baHoPQzf