Think diabetes is just for us people? Think again. Canine diabetes mellitus (also known as sugar diabetes) is on the rise. Whether the numbers are due to an increase in dog obesity or better screening is up for debate. What’s clear is that this disease is fairly common. But the good news is, it’s also treatable and manageable.
As with humans, diabetes means the body isn’t producing enough insulin. Insulin is critical to allow glucose–a simple sugar from food–to pass into the body’s blood cells, where it’s used as fuel for metabolism. Too little glucose in the blood cells is obviously a problem. The average age when dogs get diabetes is in the six-to-nine year range. Some breeds, such as German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, Poodles, Keeshonds and Miniature Pinschers are more vulnerable to the disease, although all breeds can get it. Females are three times more likely than males to develop diabetes. Diabetes can be serious. If left untreated, it can lead to cataracts, liver and bladder problems, weakness, and coma. It’s important to be aware of the symptoms and have your dog tested if you suspect diabetes. Congenital and Developmental Renal Diseases in Cats Congenital (existing at birth) and developmental kidney diseases are part of a group of diseases in which the kidney may be abnormal in its ability to function normally, or may be abnormal in appearance, or both. These diseases result from inherited or genetic problems or disease processes that affect the development and growth of the kidney before or shortly after birth. Most patients are less than five years of age at the time of diagnosis.
Every year when you bring your pet in for a check-up, your veterinarian likely talks to you about vaccines and gives Fluffy or Fido a good look over. They may draw blood, or recommend preventative care routines, like a dental cleaning or grooming. But what are some of the most common serious ailments for cats and dogs that your veterinarian wants to help you prevent and control? "What should dogs eat" is the most important question we should ask to ourselves. I want to say something very important to you. Dogs can live 27 years! Yes, dogs can live 27 years! However, I want to ask you something. Have you ever seen a dog living that much? Actually, it is almost impossible to see a 27-year-old dog in today's world. Why? Because we do not feed them with healthy food. I have a dog named Atom. He is two years old, and I don't want to loose him too early. I want to tell you how you should feed them with excellent recipes. What is healthy, what is not and how you can prepare healthy homemade dog food. A titre test is a small blood sample collected and sent to a lab to check a dog’s level of immune defenses. This test will help determine whether a dog requires annual vaccinations. The term “titre” refers to the strength or concentration of a substance in a solution. When testing is done for titre, the blood is checked for the presence and strength of the dog’s immunological response to a viral disease. If the pet has satisfactory levels of vaccine titre, the pet is considered sufficiently immune to diseases or possesses good immunologic memory and does not need vaccination for that year. Dog intelligence is "...the resultant of the process of acquiring, storing in memory, retrieving, combining, comparing, and using in new contexts information and conceptual skills" as it applies to dogs.
Studies have shown that dogs display many behaviors associated with intelligence. They have advanced memory skills. For example, a border collie, "Chaser", learned the names of over 1,000 objects and retrieved them by verbal command. Dogs can use such memory skill to make inferences. For example, another border collie Rico, learned the labels of over 200 items and then inferred the names of novel items by exclusion. That is, he identified and retrieved those novel items immediately and also 4 weeks after the initial exposure. Dogs are able to read and react appropriately to human body language such as gesturing and pointing, and to understand human voice commands. Dogs demonstrate a theory of mind by engaging in deception. Centuries ago, scientists discovered that our self-image and our place in universe reflect also how we treat the animals. Our behavior towards animals copy the way we treat humans too. For most of us, having an animal is like a therapy and even contributes to a better understanding of ourselves.
Having a pet represents more than satisfying a simple need. Other writers described the archeology proofs left 12.000 years ago by a tribe of hunters from Israel, proofs that include the bones of a puppy buried together with his owner that put his arm around the dog. |
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