Is your Dog Malnourished?

Americans are more concerned about health than ever before, so we should also have an equal amount of concern for our pets ... particularly with regard to ingredients in their food. We would want ingredients in our pets' food to be acceptable for human consumption. After all, If byproducts are not tolerated in our food, why should they be tolerated in our pets' food? We're also starting to realize that our dogs and cats need daily supplements same way that we do, in order to take care of their bodies for inevitable ravages of aging. In span of an animal's life, an early start at good health ensures less vulnerability to degenerative diseases, joints that are less likely to creak with pain and a healthier heart. Naturally we want our dogs and cats to live with us for as long as possible. Renowned holistic veternarian Dr. Jane Bicks says that when looking at dog food, one should be be weary of dyes, chemicals and artificial preservatives as much as possible. For example, BHA ... one of most common synthetic antioxidant preservatives mainly used to prevent food discoloration and rancidity ... has been found in scientific studies to cause stomach cancer in lab rats at certain doses. In lesser doses, preservative doesn't have a cancerous effect but there is no telling what BHA can do to body in small doses over a long period of time. Dr. Jane states that maximum life span of dogs is estimated to be between 25 to 30 years, but average dog often lives no longer than 13 to 14 years.

Just Diagnosed with a Visually Impaired Child

Finding out that your child is blind, partially blind, or has low vision can be a scary experience. Some disorders will be discovered at birth, if vision impairment has observable characteristics such as cataracts or congenital glaucoma, but many go undetected until child doesn't meet certain visual milestones. Parents may start to notice that their child does not seem to make eye contact or track bright high contrast items. Children with profound vision loss will often have nystagmus. Nystagmus is an observable condition where eyes tend to shift back and forth rapidly, giving appearance of jiggling eyes. There are a few children that are born with normal vision and develop vision loss due to accidents, brain tumors, or severe illnesses. Generally if your child is not meeting typical vision milestones by around three or four months your pediatrician will refer your child to an ophthalmologist. Proper diagnosis cannot be made without a thorough exam from an ophthalmologist.

Visual Acuity

Visual Acuity may not be determined until your child is older. When doing an exam on an infant, ophthalmologists often use visual acuity cards. Basically these are large posters of black and white lines. Infants see high contrast, black and white items best. The cards will start off with very thick black lines and each card will have gradually thinner black lines. The thicker line, easier it is for an infant to see. By observing how your infant tracks these cards, your ophthalmologist can determine more about your infant's visual acuity.

Dealing with shock

There is no easy way to deal with finding out your child is blind or has a significant vision issue. Usually diagnosis comes as a shock. Even if you are aware that there is a problem, actually hearing words that your child may be blind or partially blind is emotionally crushing. Talking to others parents going through same thing will help some. Educating yourself on subject matter will also help. Not knowing what to expect is one of most difficult aspects of having a vision impaired child. With most conditions your ophthalmologist can't give you a perfect idea of how well your child will be able to see in future. Once your child starts being able to communicate well, you will have a better idea of severity of your child's condition.