If you watch him or her for dog health symptoms you might notice that there is more head shaking than is typically normal for your pet. Maybe he or she is doing more scratching than you recall in and around the ears. While all mammals, humans alike will from time to time find the urge to scratch the ears. When it becomes more than normal then you should look into the causes.

It could be an dogs ear infection or it could be some form of parasitic infestation like mites or even something as mundane as having some severely dirty ears. But the only way that you are going to find out this dog health symptoms is to investigate and once you do it is fairly easy to get to the root of the issue and to come up with a combat plan to end the problem for your pet.

Dog health information is everywhere and will help you to identify the culprit and find the appropriate solution should you decide to handle it yourself rather than visiting the vet. The bottom-line on an ear problem, whether it is an infection or an infestation is that it needs to be dealt with swiftly and decisively because the longer you take getting it taken care of the longer the dog is going to suffer and ultimately the more it is going to cost you to end it.

A dogs ear infection is something that is going to be best dealt with by using some form of medications. You really should bite the bullet here and take the canine to the vet. They are properly equipped to diagnose and handle the problem and they are the ones that will be able to make sure that it is completely taken care of so it does not reappear. Either way you need to be well informed and make sure that you take the dog health information as seriously as if it were your own personal health.

Just like us humans dogs have an outer, middle and an inner ear and there are different types of dog ear infections that can be present in those various places. This is yet another of the reasons that a vet is your best option. You will notice or find that the dogs that are most susceptible to this type of issue are ones like the cocker spaniel and other dogs that tend to have floppy droop over ears.

Check for this dog health symptoms. They tend to also be the hardest to treat because the ear continually covers the area and getting it to stay clean during treatment can be a difficult task.

It is best to start trimming your puppy’s nails at a very early age. When they are young and small it will be much easier to hold them while you trim their nails.

You will need a good dog nail clipper that you can purchase at any pet store. As your dog matures their nails can become quite hard so make sure your clippers are kept sharp.

You can also use a grinder to do your dog’s nail. This definitely has to be started at a very early age since the sound of the grinder alone can frighten them. You can however teach your older dog to get used to the grinder but it will take a lot of time and patience.

If your dog’s nails are white then you can easily see the quick in the nail. When you trim their nails you do not want to cut the quick. Cutting the quick will cause bleeding and the next time you go to trim nails your dog is probably going to fight you. This makes it even harder then to properly cut their nails without doing damage.

I remember one dog we had who absolutely hated having her nails cut. It took the two of us to hold her and trim her nails. She still managed to get a good couple of kicks into my stomach.

Dogs with black nails, I would say for the novice are harder to trim since you can’t see the quick. You can usually tell by the way the nail curves as to where the quick starts. If you are unsure then you should just trim off the points at the end of the nails.

I, myself, prefer to grind our dogs nails. They were both started very young so they are quite used to it. With grinding you don’t have to worry as much about cutting into the quick and making them bleed. You still can hit the quick though if you grind in too far.

You should try and trim your dog’s nails every week. By doing their nails every week they become used to it and their nails don’t grow out of control.

Dogs that are walked on pavement a lot may not need their nails trimmed that often as the pavement will wear the nails down.

The best way to tell if your dog’s nails are too long is if you can hear them clicking on the floor.

When you first start trimming your puppy’s nails try to make it a good experience. Talk to them in a very soothing voice. If they are really fighting with you don’t give up. Don’t worry about cutting enough off at first just snip the ends so you won’t accidentally cut into the quick.  You want to make this a good experience and as they get used to it and calm down then you can trim more off. If you happen to cut the quick and they start to bleed stick the bleeding nail into some cornstarch. This will help stop the bleeding.

Our male Doberman was a handful when we first started trimming his nails. He would kick and pull his paw away. It took the both of us to trim his nails. Now one of us can do his nails as he just quietly lays there while his nails are being trimmed. He always knows when that last nail is done. Then he is quickly on his feet looking for his cookie.

So as always remember patience is the key. With time and patience you’ll have nail trimming down pat in no time.

Until next time

Maureen Brownell