News on Dakota fho surgery pre and post op: tips to keep your dog healthy

Thursday, November 13, 2008

tips to keep your dog healthy

Today, I'd like to share 5 habits to keep your dog healthy. Let's get right to it.

1. Regular Physical Exams . Visit your veterinarian frequently for a routine exam. Since dogs age so much faster than us, yearly exams can help identify problems early. Be prepared to tell your vet about any changes in your dog's stamina, appetite or behavior, when it began and what might have triggered it.

2. Groom Your Dog Often . Bathe and groom him at least once a week. Brushing removes dead hair and helps to stimulate blood flow to the skin. As you brush him, take note of any bumps, skin lesions or unusual hair loss and report abnormalities to your veterinarian.

3. Brush your dog's teeth daily . Tooth brushing staves off tooth decay and helps prevent gum disease and tooth loss. Brushing regularly will also allow you to notice mouth and tongue ulcers early on. Note any increase in "doggy breath." Dogs have their natural smells and dog food can linger on their breath, but a change in breath to the point that it becomes strong or offensive can signal various illnesses.

4. Encourage Exercise . Exercise helps your dog maintain muscle tone, keeps his heart and digestion healthy and even improves his attitude. Walk or play with your dog at least twice daily.

5. Provide Good Nutrition. Feed your dog a good quality food formulated for his life stage. Stick with a good quality premium food and feed that amount that maintains an ideal weight. Always provide fresh, cool water.

Monitor your dog. Watch his urine and bowel movements for abnormalities. Be aware of any changes in his attitude or habits to identify problems early.

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I have links,videos,information on fho surgery both pre and postop on my golden retriever Dakota. There's also links to other sites both informational and fun.

dr on video explaining who gets hip dysplasia,what is hip dysplasia,symptoms of hip dysplasia and the diagnosis of hip dysplasia

I'm not sure how your dog is doing right now, but I want to let you know that if he is clumsy,has a wobbly gait which means that he has a swish to his walk, walks with his head down alot (because he is walking on his front half)which my Dakota did. He had great muscle mass in the front half of him because of this,but very little in the back. Won't even attempt to jump up on your furniture, which is good but at the same time can show you that he doesn't want to use them back limbs.Goes to move your hand with his nose if you are trying to rub those back limbs in the hip joint area (because he is sore,so he is protecting them).sometimes they will literally stumble going up stairs etc.. Now I am not saying that this is definately hip dysplasia in your animal because i am no doctor but those are the things that went on with him and he had severe hip dysplasia.Just ideas,things to watch for and ask your vet about if you are noticing any of this in your animal... These are things that I noticed when we had Dakota. Now, it was a little different with him because he had just been neutered so we weren't sure if things were going on with that at first or something else was going on until a few weeks had passed by and he just wasn't healing like we thought he should be so we made him a vet appointment thank goodness. If you are here, I am assuming that the reason has to do with a possible surgery coming up and you want to learn more and make the right decision. I am so glad that you are doing this!! First of all make sure that you read on the choices of surgeries if you haven't talked to your vet on that yet. I am still worried that maybe the complete hip surgery may have been the way to go for him instead of the fho surgery. He is out of pain which was my goal of course and it will never come back so I am told. But, he has such a swish still when he walks and pretty clumsy still. I know it is early yet and hopefullly these things will still take care of themselves with time and muscle growth. Just something to think about if you have a larger dog like I do. Research,Research,Research you have one chance. Make sure that you make the right one for you and your loved pet.