Care

Statistically, dog bites are the number one health problem for children in this country, outpacing measles, mumps, and whooping cough combined, according to Jeffrey Sacks, MD, of the National Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia. The CDC estimates that some 4.7 million persons were bitten by dogs in 1996. Of these, approximately 830,000 of the bites required medical attention, up from 585,000 in 1986. Children are the most common dog bite victims, due to their size, vulnerability, and tendency to move quickly and make strange noises, especially when excited or frightened.

In regard to Anita Vreeland's quest to find a used mobility cart for her new (and paralyzed) Dachshund (Letters, February 1999): When I no longer needed my cart, (for a three-legged Basset Hound), I contacted K-9 Carts and they said they keep a list of people who are trying to find a new home for their used carts. I don't know how much people want for the used carts, but I am quite willing to give mine to someone who can use it. K-9 carts said they can make the necessary changes if I find a 65 lb. Basset who has four legs. That would be quite a savings for that dog owner. Mine cost more than $300 when it was new.

People fear Rottweilers for a variety of reasons, and only a few of those reasons are due to the media. Some Rottie owners deliberately foster the intimidating look, fastening huge Gothic collars on their dogs and encouraging their dogs to be aggressive. Many Rottweilers are used for guard and protection work, a task they were bred for and excel at. And, face it, whether you want to blame nature or nurture (poor breeding or wrong-headed training), there are a certain number of aggressive, unpredictable, dangerous Rottweilers in the world.

of the Pawnee Tribe:

"In the beginning of all things

The people in the industry who are producing products for dogs are really listening to what you say – see the new Fosters and Smith catalogue that says, next to its premium dog bed, “As seen in the Whole Dog Journal.” Please get the message to them that they need to combine an ORTHOPEDIC dog bed with one that is WATERPROOF for incontinent pets. Fosters and Smith have another kind of dog bed in their catalogue that is waterproof (the only one I’ve ever seen), but it is not orthopedic!

I have two nine-month-old puppies, brothers from the same litter, who have received all the usually recommended vaccinations, on exactly the same schedules (I have taken them to the veterinarians at the same time for all their maintenance visits). Recently, after being boarded at a large facility, one of them began to exhibit symptoms of parvovirus. After receiving IV fluids and antibiotics, he recovered, but I am shaken up. Why should a well-vaccinated puppy contract the disease? And why should my other pup, who has been exposed to all the same things, be fine?

located in Big Sky

potential carriers of infection

It’s really a safe and simple procedure; one that most dog owners can easily learn to perform on their dogs. I have done it to my own dogs since I was a little kid. So it never ceases to amaze me when I ask my training classes how many owners clip their own dogs’ toenails and an average of only one out of eight raise their hands. That means the other seven either neglect this important procedure, or spend hundreds of dollars over a dog’s lifetime to pay someone else to do it.

When our grandparents (or perhaps great-grandparents) were children, it was not uncommon for people to have big families – say, eight or 10 or more kids – but to have only a few survive due to childhood diseases, a lack of modern medical care, and, sometimes, poor nutrition. This is a story of Dusty, a dog with just such a background; he is the sole survivor from a litter of 11 puppies. But despite being born in modern times, superior medical care and technology failed to save Dusty’s siblings.

We love our Labrador Retriever, Bailey, very much. We rescued her when she was six weeks old. She is now almost two years old. We believe that a dog is part of the family and therefore should live inside the house with the rest of the family. However, we were warned about Labs and their desire to chew and need for a lot of exercise. We were prepared for the worst. We limited Bailey’s living quarters to the kitchen and family room.

Calendula Officinalis (also known as the Marigold plant, but usually called calendula) and hypericum (also known as Saint John's Wort), are very safe, yet incredibly effective at cleaning the site of an injury and encouraging the body to heal. Homeopathic and herbal preparations of calendula and hypericum have proved invaluable in modern-day holistic dog care. In fact, it's difficult to find an herbal wound preparation that does not contain some form of one or both of these potent plants.