Dog Video - How to Brush Your Dog's Teeth

Posted by Clare Bristow

February is dog dental awareness month in the United States; a few months ago I explained how to brush your dog's teeth, and how to select dental products for your dog.

It's often easier to see how to do things rather than read about them so today I've posted a video in which Stanley Coren shows you how to get your dog used to having his teeth brushed - the key is to take it in small steps and have some great tasting toothpaste to hand!

At the end of the video Stanley Coren says you only need to brush your dog's teeth once or twice a week in order to keep his teeth healthy. Whilst this is better than not brushing at all, ideally you should aim for a daily brushing to remove the plaque and remove the risk of your dog suffering periodontal disease.

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Keywords: dog dental care, Dog Health, how to clean your dogs teeth, periodontal disease

Filed Under Dog Health, Blog

Stem Cell Therapy for Dogs

Posted by Clare Bristow

yorkshire-terrier-with-stick

A company called Vet-Stem, which is based in San Diego, California, has started offering stem cell therapy treatment for dogs with arthritis or tendon and ligament injuries.

The company claims to have successfully treated 3,000 horses with tendon and ligament injuries since 2004, and is now offering a similar treatment for dogs via veterinary surgeons trained by Vet-Stem.

The stem cell therapy treatment takes place as follows:

your dog is anesthetized and two tablespoons of fat are taken, usually from his abdomen or around the shoulder blade;
the fat cells are sent to a Vet-Stem laboratory where the stem and regenerative cells are isolated;
these isolated cells are returned to your dog's vet in ready-to-inject syringes; and
your dog is treated by a course of injections.

Studies by clinics using this procedure on dogs with osteoarthritis and orthopedic soft tissue injuries show the benefit of each injection to last from several months to over a year.

According to Robert Harman DVM and founder of Vet-Stem, the treatment works because stem cells do more than just morph into the required body tissue - they provide growth factors and chemicals that help the injury heal by, amongst other things, reducing inflammation and preventing scar tissue from forming.

This sounds good, but as with all new therapy treatments the long term effects are as yet unknown.

The treatment is costly - according to a Live Science article it ranges from US$2,000 to $3,000 - but may be worth considering as a treatment option if you have an arthritic dog who's in severe pain and has difficulty moving around.

The Vet-Stem web site has more information about stem cell therapy for dogs and lists the vet's it has trained to apply the treatment.

Keywords: arthritis treatment, dog health, ligament treatment for dogs, stem cell therpay for dogs

Filed Under Dog Health, Blog

Tips for Buying Prescription Dog Medication Online

Posted by Clare Bristow

dog-at-computer

Discount Pet Drugs - No Prescription Required.

Enticing as this message sounds, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning that buying prescription dog medicines from online suppliers who promote this and similar messages could be putting your dog's health at risk.

Research by the FDA has identified web sites that are selling medicines which are,amongst other things, counterfeit, out of date, or not FDA approved.

Whilst these web sites are in the minority, they do good business by promising prescription medicines at low cost.

Unfortunately I can't find a list of the web sites identified by the FDA, but if you are looking to buy prescription pet medicines online here are a few tips on how to ensure you are buying quality medicines for your dog:

Use a web site that is based in the country you live in;

Use a web site that will send you the medication only after you supply with them with a prescription from your vet;

Ask your vet for a recommendation. Whilst most vets prefer you to buy your medications through them they should be able to recommend an online supplier; and

Avoid web sites that offer to evaluate your dog's condition with an online/telephone conversation and then prescribe a drug based on the outcome of the discussion. A vet needs to physically examine your dog before any medication is prescribed.

Keywords: dog health, prescription dog medication

Filed Under Dog Health, Blog