What You Need To Know About Doggie First Aid
Knowing first aid can save the life of your dog. Just like people, dogs have accidents and need medical attention sometimes. And the thing is that sometimes there is just not time to get to the vet, that is when doggie first aid is so handy to know. Knowing what should go into your animal first aid kit is the key to keeping your dog alive and well no matter what happens. If you do a lot of hiking and walking in places like parks or on trails then you should also have a kit in your car for emergencies out of the home.
Most of the items in your doggie first aid kit are similar to those you have in your regular one for the family. There are however some things that need to be specialized for the animal of your life.
Here are some of the basics that your first aid kit cannot do without:
Hydrogen peroxide
Sterile eyewash solution made specifically for pets
Roll of absorbent cotton
Some cotton balls
Clean, white cotton sock (to cover wounded paws)
Gauze pads
Tape
Small scissors with rounded tips
Tweezers
Instant ice pack
Bulb syringe for suctioning mucous from mouth or nose
Injection syringe without the needle (to give liquid medication)
Small flashlight
All of these things should fit neatly into a container that has a nice tight lid. This will help to keep everything clean and sterile no matter how long it is sitting on the shelf or in the car. It is also a good idea to have the name of the vet and his or her phone number right there on the lid so that even in a panic you will know what to do. You may even want to put the number of the local emergency animal hospital as well in case something happens early in the morning or late at night when the regular vets are all closed.
Bee stings are one of the most common of all dog injuries. It is important that you get the stinger out right away before an infection has time to set in. This will also help to minimize any pain that your dog may be in. If you have to, restrain your dog and then use the tweezers in the first aid kit to pull out the stinger. You can then wash the area with some luke warm water and baking soda. This can help to take some of the nasty stinging away and easy the pain suffered by your dog. Ice and Benadryl will also help to keep the pain and swelling to a minimum, just make sure that you ask the vet just how much Benadryl is enough for your dog. Just like kids it is important that dogs get the right dosage when they take medications.
Never rush an injured animal. While it may be your instinct to run over and start taking care of the injury, this may spook your dog and scared animals can get a little upset. You do not want to end up with an injury as well, do you? Of course not, so take your time and let the animal know that you want to help not harm.
Monday, September 3, 2007
The Diverse Dachshund Breed
The Diverse Dachshund Breed
The Dachshund is an extremely popular dog breed which has ranked in the top ten most popular dog breeds for many years. Dachshunds were ranked 6th out of 154 dog breeds registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in both 2004 and 2005. When most people think of a Dachshund, they think of a small dog with a smooth and shiny coat, long body, floppy ears and short crooked legs. However when you consider buying a Dachshund and start to research the dog breed, you find there are a diverse and wide range of sizes, coat varieties, colors and patterns.
The original Standard Dachshund was developed to hunt badgers. The breed had to be: built low to the ground, agile and muscular enough to pursue the badger through a maze of underground tunnels, and brave enough to tackle its formidable adversary. Many people poke fun at this “sausage dog”, but they don’t know how he was bred to be low, long, muscular and athletic. Dachshunds are scent hounds and track their prey by scent and not by sight. This breed is courageous and single minded in its work. Once the Dachshund had cornered its prey in a tunnel, he barked to let the hunter know where he was located under ground. Today the Dachshund still retains its hunting instinct and, if off leash, will follow a scent ignoring any previously learned commands.
Dachshunds come in two sizes – the Standard and the Miniature. Miniature Dachshunds were bred down in size by German hunters to hunt rabbits. The AKC standard says that Miniatures should weigh 11 pounds or less. Standard Dachshunds have no weight limits but usually range from 15 to 30 pounds. Apart from the size difference, both types have the same appearance.
The Dachshund breed comes in three different varieties of coat – Short-haired or Smooth, Long-haired and Wire-haired. The Shorthair is the most prevalent and has a short, dense and shiny coat that most people associate with the Dachshund. The Long-haired Dachshund has a soft and sleek coat that is well fringed on the ears, chest, under side of the body, legs and tail. The Longhair looks something like a small Irish Setter. The Wirehair has a short, dense and wiry outer coat with a dense undercoat and also has a beard, bushy eyebrows and prominent ridges over its eyes. The three coat-type varieties, while all Dachshunds, seem to have minor differences in temperament. The Longhair’s temperament seems more laid back, kinder and gentler reflecting the softer coat. This gentler demeanor doesn’t seem to impair its field trial competitiveness at all. The Wirehair’s temperament seems to be bolder and brasher than the other varieties and a little more like a terrier in demeanor. The Shorthair seems to be the most independent and stubborn of the three varieties.
Another area of diversification is the color of the Dachshund’s coat. The most common colors are red (ranging from reddish blond to deep rusty red) and a black and tan combination. The black and tan dogs are all black with tan markings on the head, chest and paws. Other two-color combinations are chocolate, blue or fawn with tan markings. Wirehairs have coats that are commonly a black and light hair mix called wild boar. The final area of diversification is the pattern of the Dachshund’s coat. There is a dapple pattern that consists of a dark base color with contrasting light areas. A double dapple pattern is varying amounts of white occurring over the body in addition to the dapple pattern. Finally there is a brindle pattern characterized by dark stripes all over the body.
Given that you can decide between the size, coat type, color and pattern - why would you want to choose a Dachshund? Dachshunds are wonderful fun loving dogs that adore their owners and want to be involved in everything that is going on. The Dachshund has a whole host of virtues such as: amiable, intelligent, brave, alert, loyal, playful, inquisitive and dignified. They also make good watchdogs. On the less positive side, the Dachshund is somewhat independent and mischievous and will follow an interesting scent to the exclusion of everything else. Both Miniature and Standard Dachshunds make good apartment dogs that are small enough to travel everywhere with their owners. It really is no surprise to see why the Dachshund is one of the most popular small dog breeds registered by the AKC. Additional information can be found on our Dachshund page.
The Dachshund is an extremely popular dog breed which has ranked in the top ten most popular dog breeds for many years. Dachshunds were ranked 6th out of 154 dog breeds registered by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in both 2004 and 2005. When most people think of a Dachshund, they think of a small dog with a smooth and shiny coat, long body, floppy ears and short crooked legs. However when you consider buying a Dachshund and start to research the dog breed, you find there are a diverse and wide range of sizes, coat varieties, colors and patterns.
The original Standard Dachshund was developed to hunt badgers. The breed had to be: built low to the ground, agile and muscular enough to pursue the badger through a maze of underground tunnels, and brave enough to tackle its formidable adversary. Many people poke fun at this “sausage dog”, but they don’t know how he was bred to be low, long, muscular and athletic. Dachshunds are scent hounds and track their prey by scent and not by sight. This breed is courageous and single minded in its work. Once the Dachshund had cornered its prey in a tunnel, he barked to let the hunter know where he was located under ground. Today the Dachshund still retains its hunting instinct and, if off leash, will follow a scent ignoring any previously learned commands.
Dachshunds come in two sizes – the Standard and the Miniature. Miniature Dachshunds were bred down in size by German hunters to hunt rabbits. The AKC standard says that Miniatures should weigh 11 pounds or less. Standard Dachshunds have no weight limits but usually range from 15 to 30 pounds. Apart from the size difference, both types have the same appearance.
The Dachshund breed comes in three different varieties of coat – Short-haired or Smooth, Long-haired and Wire-haired. The Shorthair is the most prevalent and has a short, dense and shiny coat that most people associate with the Dachshund. The Long-haired Dachshund has a soft and sleek coat that is well fringed on the ears, chest, under side of the body, legs and tail. The Longhair looks something like a small Irish Setter. The Wirehair has a short, dense and wiry outer coat with a dense undercoat and also has a beard, bushy eyebrows and prominent ridges over its eyes. The three coat-type varieties, while all Dachshunds, seem to have minor differences in temperament. The Longhair’s temperament seems more laid back, kinder and gentler reflecting the softer coat. This gentler demeanor doesn’t seem to impair its field trial competitiveness at all. The Wirehair’s temperament seems to be bolder and brasher than the other varieties and a little more like a terrier in demeanor. The Shorthair seems to be the most independent and stubborn of the three varieties.
Another area of diversification is the color of the Dachshund’s coat. The most common colors are red (ranging from reddish blond to deep rusty red) and a black and tan combination. The black and tan dogs are all black with tan markings on the head, chest and paws. Other two-color combinations are chocolate, blue or fawn with tan markings. Wirehairs have coats that are commonly a black and light hair mix called wild boar. The final area of diversification is the pattern of the Dachshund’s coat. There is a dapple pattern that consists of a dark base color with contrasting light areas. A double dapple pattern is varying amounts of white occurring over the body in addition to the dapple pattern. Finally there is a brindle pattern characterized by dark stripes all over the body.
Given that you can decide between the size, coat type, color and pattern - why would you want to choose a Dachshund? Dachshunds are wonderful fun loving dogs that adore their owners and want to be involved in everything that is going on. The Dachshund has a whole host of virtues such as: amiable, intelligent, brave, alert, loyal, playful, inquisitive and dignified. They also make good watchdogs. On the less positive side, the Dachshund is somewhat independent and mischievous and will follow an interesting scent to the exclusion of everything else. Both Miniature and Standard Dachshunds make good apartment dogs that are small enough to travel everywhere with their owners. It really is no surprise to see why the Dachshund is one of the most popular small dog breeds registered by the AKC. Additional information can be found on our Dachshund page.
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