It's Spring!!!!
Are you out enjoying the weather with your pet? If your dog or cat has gained a little weight or extra substance around the waistline, perhaps a little reassessment of your pet's diet and activity level should be performed! To help figure out what shape your animal should be in, try checking his or her Body Condition, and give it a score! Review the following list and descriptions and see whether Fido is an emaciated 1 out of 5 (1/5) or a robust 5 out of 5 (5/5), or somwhere in between. An ideal body condition score is a 3/5 for cats and dogs, and really other animals too. Dog Body Condition Scoring System
Determine if your dog is overweight by reading the clues of his body structure.Ellyce Rothrock, courtesy of Dogchannel.com 1. Very Thin Ribs: Easily felt with no fat cover. Tail Base: Bones are raised with no tissue between the skin and bone. Side View: Severe abdominal tuck. Overhead View: Accentuated hourglass shape. 2. Underweight Ribs: Easily felt with little fat cover. Tail Base: Bones are raised with minimal tissue between the skin and bone. Side View: Abdominal tuck. Overhead View: Marked hour-glass shape. 3. Ideal Ribs: Easily felt with slight fat cover. Tail Base: Smooth contour, but bones can be felt under a thin layer of fat. Side View: Abdominal tuck Overhead View: Well-proportioned lumbar waist. 4. Overweight Ribs: Difficult to feel with moderate fat cover. Tail Base: Some thickening, but bones can be felt under a moderate layer of fat. Side View; No abdominal tuck or waist. Overhead View: Back is slightly broadened. 5. Obese Ribs: Difficult to feel under thick fat cover. Tail Base: Thickened and difficult to feel under a prominent layer of fat. Side View: Fat hangs from the abdominal and there is no waist. Overhead View: Markedly broadened. Take a peak at www.oocities.com/fatdogsite/images/FatBCS-2008.png |
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Keep the New Year happy by avoiding some common household toxins. Even though humans tend to be good at deciphering safe edibles from unsafe poisons, dogs, cats, ferrets, and other pets don't always have such a discerning character. Besides the usual risks to our furry friends' gastorintestinal tracts (ie, major belly aches) and risks of pancreatitis, drugs meant for humans, household cleaners, and garage chemicals all pose lethal risks. |
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Does your pouty pooch ever look up at you with those big brown eyes, drawing all of your love from deep within you, so that you HAVE to give him a treat? Do you fall for it? Now that the winter holidays are in full swing we need to be extra careful of everything that our pets sample. Every rich snack that Rover receives is another opportunity for pancreatitis. The pancreas is a glandular organ involved in digestion of proteins and fats. Whenever a meal is ingested, the pancreas secretes enzymes to help break down the components of the food into smaller molecules. If the meal is rich and fatty, it triggers the pancreas to secrete more enzymes, and sometimes it goes into overdrive, even to the degree of causing a nasty cycle of self-digestion. This inflamation of the pancreas that results (a.k.a. pancreatitis) can cause severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and inappetance. What results is often a severely dehydrated dog (or cat) whose life could be in danger. Treatment involves intravenous fluids and medications, and often an extended hospital stay. So PLEASE, when Fido floods you with affection, return the love with hugs and attention, and, if a treat MUST be given, make it a nonfatty veggie instead (please remember, no onions, grapes, or raisins!) |
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Is your dog or horse limping, generally acting painful, or just plain "not right"? He or she may have Lyme disease. Lyme disease is an infection that is becoming more and more common along the eastern seaboard, and is being diagnosed in increasing numbers right here in central Maine. The Lyme disease organism (Borrelia burgorferi) is passed on to dogs, horses, and humans via bites from the Deer tick (Ixodes scapularis), a tiny creature that can land on animals whether they have short hair or extremely thick and long fur coats. Even if the yard where your animals spend time is primarily short grass, these tiny ticks can land on them by being blown through the air from trees or taller grasses on a breezy day. |
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To further quench your thirst for accurate veterinary information, please check out some of these links (we will add more over time): |
