Care for your dog's ears.Written by Ruth Bird
Regular ear care for your dog Routine ear care is very important to health of your dog. Perform regular checks and cleaning between visits to your veterinarian, it will help keep your dog’s ears healthy and pain free. This is extremely important to do. I have had Goldens and Black Labs for many years, and they are well known for ear conditions. But remember, no matter how efficient you are in caring for your dog’s ears, serious conditions may still arise. Also, beware when your dog flaps its ears too much. This can cause a hematoma, which I will discuss a little further on. My Golden had to be operated for this. Regular inspection of your dog’s Ears By performing ear inspections you will be able to detect problems early. Use both your eyes and your nose. A small flashlight will assist you in seeing problems. I have “smelled out” more serious problems using my nose. This method can detect ear infections early. Normally a dog’s ears shouldn’t smell foul in any way. A dark waxy discharge this may be a sign of ear mites. A pus-like discharge along with a foul smell this is a sign of a bacterial infection. Allergies are also known to cause a foul smell in your dog’s ears. My Golden had very sensitive ears. If something feels wrong, make sure you have your Veterinarian check it right away. Have your Vet show you what to look for, and how to look for potential problems! My Vet is an amazing teacher and he is always willing to show me things. What dogs are more susceptible to ear problems? Dogs with floppy ears, like spaniels and bloodhounds, are very prone to ear infections because very little air flows into their ear canals. There are also breeds, like Lhasa Apso, that have a heavy growth of hair inside their ears. Dogs that frequently swim are more susceptible to ear problems. And, Goldens can be very susceptible to ear problems. If you suspect that excess ear hair is a problem, you may need to remove hair that grows inside your dog’s ears. This is not very difficult and if you have a problem, find a good groomer to do it for you. How to clean your dog’s ears: Your dog’s eardrum is better protected than a human’s, but you should still proceed with caution when cleaning ear canal. Do not insert anything into your dog’s ear. Use only small square cleaning pads, or cotton balls. Use anything that is very soft, but has no tips. Ask your groomer or Vet to show you best way to clean YOUR dog’s ears... Checking your dog’s ears only takes a few minutes so make it a part of your dog grooming routine. And when your dog’s ears need a cleaning don’t put it off. Remember regular cleanings can prevent many common ear problems. If you think a problem may be developing that is beyond scope of your home dog ear care routine, take your dog to vet for a check up immediately. An infection, if left untreated, can be very painful.
| | Basic Discus Fish CareWritten by Rob Clarke
Are you thinking about getting some discus then and want to know a little about them. Have you been to aquatics and seen some lovely colourful discus in there show tanks. A lot of people will tell you that discus are only for advanced fish keepers but in my experience they are easy to keep as long as you follow some basic rules.First of all, discus require clean water free of chlorine and heavy metals. You may be best to invest in a water purifying unit. Make sure water is on soft and acidic side. pH between 6.0 and 7.5 with a general hardness between 5 and 15. Now is you want to been them these will have to be lower. The water should be well filtered but slow moving and be heated at around 82 – 86F. Another point to cover is that discus are best suited to large deep aquariums as they commonly grow to around 6 or 7 inch. They prefer to be in shoals of no less than 6 when they are growing up.
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