Dog Wellness

As a rule, smaller dogs tend to live longer than larger ones. A compact chihuahua can live to be 16, while giant breeds like bull mastiffs usually live to be about eight years old. And somewhere in the middle, the average, All-American mixed breed pooch has a lifespan of about 12 to 14 years

Most packaged treats contain lots of sugar and fat, which can pack on the pounds. Some dogs like cottage cheese, cooked egg and vegetables, but they shouldn't make up more than ten percent of his total daily intake.

A badly infested dog really needs to be bathed so use your favorite dog shampoo. Rinse the dog off very thoroughly and in the final rinse add a couple of drops of Tea Tree Oil or Lavender oil. An alternative is to make your own herbal flea dip which will also work on ticks.

Some house plants can be quite harmful if ingested by an animal. The ingestion of azalea, oleander, castor bean, sago palm, Easter lily or yew plant material by an animal can be fatal.

Tail chasing is actually normal behaviour among dogs. In fact, behaviourists feel it is an integral part of a dog's play repertoire. It only becomes a problem when the tail chasing becomes excessive.

There are several reasons why dogs chase their tails. There could be a medical problem involving the central nervous system. Tail chasing can be a form of psychomotor epilepsy, resulting in "sub-epileptic" behaviour from time to time (i.e. not a full-blown seizure, but only a partial one, affecting primarily behaviour). This type of problem often responds well to drug therapy.