Lovely Dog Supply

Archive for July, 2009

Shock is caused by insufficient blood flow and oxygen to meet the body’s needs. Adequate blood flow requires effective heart pumping, open, intact blood vessels, and sufficient blood volume to maintain flow and pressure. Adequate oxygenation requires an open respiratory tract and enough energy to breathe. Any condition that adversely affects the circulatory or respiratory systems can cause shock.
The cardiovascular system of an animal in shock will try to compensate for inadequate oxygen and blood flow by increasing the heart and respiratory rates, constricting the skin’s blood vessels, and maintaining fluid in the circulation by reducing urinary output. This requires additional energy at a time when the vital organs aren’t getting enough oxygen to carry out normal activities.
After a time, shock becomes self-perpetuating. Untreated, it results in death. Common causes of shock are hemorrhage, heart failure, anaphylactic (allergic) reactions, dehydration (heat stroke, vomiting, diarrhea), poisoning, and toxic shock associated with sepsis and peritonitis.
Signs of early shock include panting, rapid heart rate, bounding pulses, and a bright red color to the mucous membranes of the lips, gums, and tongue.

Many of these signs will be missed or considered mild—perhaps regarded as signs of a dog who overexerted himself. The later signs are when most owners notice and respond to their dog’s condition. Signs of late shock (the ones seen most often) are pale skin and mucous membranes, a drop in body temperature, cold feet and legs, a slow respiratory rate, apathy and depression, unconsciousness, and a weak or absent pulse.

Treatment: First, evaluate. Is the dog breathing? Is there a heartbeat? What is the extent of the injuries? Is the dog in shock?
If so, proceed as follows:

1. If the dog is not breathing, administer artificial respiration.
2. If there is no heartbeat or pulse, administer CPR.
3. If the dog is unconscious, check to be sure that the airway is open. Clear secretions from the mouth with your fingers and a piece of cloth.
4. Pull the tip of the tongue foreword beyond the front teeth to make it easier for the dog to breathe. Keep the dog’s head lower than his body by placing a blanket beneath his hindquarters.
5. Control bleeding as described under Wounds.
6. Wrap the dog in a coat or blanket to provide warmth and protect injured extremities.
7. Transport the dog to a veterinary hospital.

To avoid aggravating the shock:

• Calm the dog and speak soothingly.
• Allow the dog to assume the most comfortable position in which breathing is easiest. An animal will naturally adopt the position of least pain.
• When possible, splint or support any broken bones before moving the dog.
• All dogs who are unconscious or found lying down after an accident must be considered to have spinal cord injuries and should be handled accordingly.
• Transport large dogs on a flat surface or in a hammock stretcher. Carry small dogs in a blanket with the injured parts protected.
• Avoid using a muzzle except for short periods, such as when moving the dog from the scene of the accident into a car, or from a car into the veterinary clinic. Muzzling can interfere with breathing in some situations.

CRP is a combination of artificial respiration and heart massage. If a dog needs heart massage, he also needs artificial respiration. On the other hand, if the dog resists your attempts to perform CPR, he probably does not need it!

For puppies and small dogs under 30 pounds (13.6 kg)

1. Place the dog on a flat surface, right side down.
2. Place your cupped hands on either side of the rib cage over the heart, immediately behind the point of the elbow. (For puppies, use yourthumb on one side of the chest and the rest of your fingers on the other.)
3. Compress the chest 1 inch to 11?2 inches (2.5 to 4 cm—that should be onequarter to one-third the width of the chest). Squeeze for a count of 1, then release for a count of 1. Continue at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
4. With one-person CPR, administer a breath after every five compressions. With two-person CPR, administer a breath after every two to three compressions.

For medium and large dogs

1. Place the dog on a flat surface, right side down. Position your self behind the dog’s back.
2. Place the heel of one hand over the widest portion of the rib cage, not over the heart. Place the heel of your other hand on top of the first.
3. Keep both elbows straight and push down firmly on the rib cage. Compress the chest one-quarter to one-third of its width. Compress for a count of 1, then release for a count of 1. Continue at a rate of 80 compressions per minute.
4. With one-person CPR, administer a breath after every five compressions. With two-person CPR, administer a breath after every two to three compressions.

Continue CPR until the dog breathes on his own and has a steady pulse. If vital signs do not return after 10 minutes of CPR, the likelihood of success is remote. Consider stopping CPR.
Note that CPR has the potential to cause complications, including broken ribs and pneumothorax. Also, never practice artificial respiration or heart massage on a healthy dog; you can seriously injure the dog.

Lay the dog on a flat surface with his right side down. Open his mouth and pull his tongue forward as far as you can. Clear any secretions with a cloth or handkerchief. Check for a foreign body. If present, remove it if possible. If it is impossible to dislodge, perform the Heimlich Maneuver.

For puppies and small dogs under 30 pounds (13.6 kg)

1. Pull the tongue forward so it is even with the canine teeth. Close the dog’s mouth.
2. Place your mouth over the dog’s nose. Blow gently into the dog’s nostrils. The chest will expand.
3. Release your mouth to let the air return. Excess air will escape through the dog’s lips, preventing overinflation of the lungs and overdistension of the stomach.
4. If the chest does not rise and fall, blow more forcefully or seal the lips.
5. Continue at a rate of 20 to 30 breaths per minute (one breath every two to three seconds).
6. Continue until the dog breathes on his own, or as long as the heart beats.

For medium and large dogs

1. Proceed as for small dogs, but seal the lips by placing a hand around the dog’s muzzle to prevent the escape of air.
2. If the chest does not rise and fall, blow more forcefully.
3. The breathing rate is 20 breaths per minute (one breath every threeseconds).

No, there is no need to hire someone to do the housetraining—just get some inputs from the experts. Have a chat with the breeder. If you have zeroed in on a responsible breeder he or she will be willing to give you suggestions. The breeder would also tell you how he has been housetraining the puppy and at what intervals you would need to take the dog out. The breeder would also know of some of the quirks and body signals that are indicative of the fact that it’s time to go.
Alternatively, you can also speak to a vet, whom you trust enough to advise you. The vet would tell you what exactly to do with the whole picture in mind. That is, the vet is the perfect person to advise you on the diet of the dog, which impacts the elimination process. After all, what a dog eats, and how much he eats would determine the calls of nature.
This would help the vet advise you on how to schedule the potty times.

Now that your dog is fed and has done his job—you need to introduce him to the crate—but you have about 25 minutes to do that because 30 minutes after a meal, your dog is likely to have a bowel movement! So get started by:

• Hold your dog close and move toward the crate. Sit down near the crate with your dog in your lap and put a toy inside the crate. Pilot your dog towards the crate and see if he goes towards the toy.
• Alternatively, you can put in a doggie treat (but not right after a meal—as that would be overfeeding) and let your dog go inside to retrieve the treat.
• Make sure that the crate looks welcoming with a soft blanket and a towel. Also make sure that there is just enough room for the dog to sleep in and that the extra space is blocked off with a box or something. If the crate is too big, he might end up eliminating in the extra space.
• Do not force the dog to enter, but do try and encourage him. Have the family sit around and show him how wonderfully cozy his den and add a few toys that are safe enough for your dog to playwith. If he goes in—that’s great. If he doesn’t, do not push him in.