lexicon

Bite inhibition

. Bite inhibition involves teaching your puppy to moderate the strength of his bite. When puppies play together, they learn together. When a puppy bites too hard, the other puppies scream to let him know that he has gone too far.

Vaccinate your puppy

Vaccination is intended to protect your dog from common and contagious diseases that could lead to death or irreversible damage to his health.

7 most common serious diseases: distemper, Rubarth’s hepatitis, parvovirosis, rabies, piroplasmosis, leptospirosis and kennel cough.

From the eighth week onwards, the mother’s antibodies no longer act on the puppy and the puppy is therefore no longer protected against disease. Therefore, the first injection of the vaccine should be given as early as seven weeks.

Vaccinations should be renewed frequently to ensure that your dog is protected throughout its life.

reference : vetostore.com-dog tips

Canine distemper

It is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus that affects several species of carnivores including dogs, wolves, foxes, lynx and ferrets. It preferentially affects young animals.

The dog is infected orally and nasally by contact with secretions contaminated with the virus. The virus attacks the body’s epithelium and thus causes various symptoms.

The best way to prevent the disease is through vaccination, which is very effective in dogs and ferrets. The primary vaccination consists of three injections at one month intervals in the puppy, followed by booster shots every three years in the adult dog.

Learn more? symptoms, treatment and prevention

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Marion Tissier-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Lyon.

Rubarth’s hepatitis

Rubarth’s hepatitis is mostly found in unvaccinated puppies under one year of age. This infectious disease is highly contagious. Even if it has become rare today.

This liver disease is caused by an adenovirus (CAV1) which is a small virus that is quite resistant in the external environment. The transmission mainly takes place as a result of :

-Contact with carrier dogs or foxes that act as a reservoir for the disease.

-External parasites (fleas, lice).

-The external environment contaminated by urine.

Vaccination is carried out from the age of 7 weeks (at the same time as for distemper) and consists of two injections one month apart. The recall is done every year or two.

Learn more? symptoms, treatment and prevention

reference : wanimoveto-Dr Bénédicte Hivin-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Lyon

Parovidosis

The animals affected are mainly puppies and non-vaccinated adult dogs. It also affects more specifically dogs living, or having passed through, a community (puppy training courses, kennels, shelters, exhibitions, pet shops, etc.).

It is caused by canine parvovirus type 2, also known as CPV-2. This virus is very similar to the parvovirus that causes typhus in cats. It causes haemorrhagic gastroenteritis which can lead to the death of the animal in a few hours, in the case of the lightning forms, in a few days in the absence of appropriate emergency medical care. CPV-2 is a small virus, extremely resistant in the environment (several months) and resistant to many disinfectants, making it highly contagious.

Parvovirosis is the most common cause of puppy mortality in breeding, mainly during the weaning period.

The only real way to prevent parvovirosis is through vaccination! Vaccination against canine parvovirosis is one of the so-called essential vaccines for dogs of all ages and lifestyles. Since this vaccination was introduced in our country, the number of animals infected by this virus has decreased significantly.

Puppies born to properly vaccinated dams will gain immunity to parvovirus in their first week of life due to maternal antibodies transmitted through colostrum (the first milk). This immunity will gradually disappear in 6 and 16 weeks. Hence the importance of vaccinating your puppy as soon as possible, usually around 8 weeks of age.

The vaccination protocol against parvovirosis consists of three injections given to puppies at an interval of one month, followed by a booster when the animal is about one year old. Then the booster vaccination can only be done every 3 years.

Learn more? symptoms, treatment and prevention

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Clément Leroy-Veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse.

Rabies

Rabies is a well-knownfatal disease. However, many owners wonder why vaccination against this disease is still recommended when it is no longer present in France today.

Rabies is an infectious disease caused by a virus that can affect all mammals including humans! It is a zoonosis, a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Once the disease occurs, it leads to encephalitis (inflammation in the brain) which is always fatal. The virus is present in the saliva of infected mammals, such as cats and dogs. The virus is excreted in the saliva up to 15 days before the onset of symptoms. The disease is transmitted by biting, scratching or licking a wound or mucous membrane.

It is not compulsory to vaccinate your dog against rabies in France, except for dogs in so-called dangerous categories (law of January 1999).

The anti-rabies vaccination is compulsory when you wish to travel outside France with your dog (or cat and ferret).

Learn more? symptoms, treatment and prevention

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Tatiana Pradel-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Lyon (Vetagro Sup)

Piroplasmosis

Piroplasmosis, also known as canine babesiosis, is an infectious parasitic blood disease transmitted by ticks to dogs only.

It is caused by a protozoan parasite called Babesia canis. It is transmitted by the ticks Dermacentor reticulatus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus, which can be found in large forests as well as in cities (parks, gardens). The disease is more prevalent in certain parts of France, such as the south-west, the Massif Central and the eastern departments: this is where the most ticks carrying the parasite are found. The disease also has a seasonal character: sick animals tend to be presented in spring and autumn.

Piroplasmosis is a potentially very serious disease. It can lead to the death of the animal or cause kidney damage for example.

There is a vaccine against piroplasmosis in France: it is called Pirodog©. It can only be used from the age of 5 months. The primary vaccination protocol consists of two subcutaneous injections 3-4 weeks apart. Boosters should then be given every year or every 6 months depending on the lifestyle and risk to which the dog is exposed.

Learn more?

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Tatiana Pradel-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Lyon (Vetagro Sup)

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. It is also a zoonosis, a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. It is a disease that is found all over the world.

The bacteria of the genus Leptospira are divided into several serogroups that are genetically different. In France, the main serogroups identified are Leptospira Canicola, L. Icterohaemorrhagiae, L. Australis and L. Grippotyphosa. These bacteria are mainly found in water contaminated with wildlife (rodents, hedgehogs, etc.) but also in contaminated urine (dog urine). Dogs living in cities are just as much at risk as dogs living in the countryside.

In the most common form, the bacteria attack the kidneys, resulting in acute renal failure associated with fever, malaise, digestive problems and loss of appetite. Leptospirosis can also affect the liver and lungs.

Primary vaccination against leptospirosis in puppies consists of three injections at 2, 3 and 4 months of age. Only 2 injections are given if the leptospirosis vaccination is started at the age of 3 months (same for an adult dog that is no longer up to date with its vaccines). Then the first booster is given before the animal is one year old and the other booster shots every year.

Learn more?

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Tatiana Pradel-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Lyon (Vetagro Sup)

Kennel coughs

Kennel cough, also knownas canine infectious tracheobronchitis, is a highly contagious disease, mainly encountered in autumn and winter, which affects the respiratory system. It is mostly found in communities and places where dogs congregate

It is good to know that when you vaccinate your dog against the basic diseases, namely CHPPi (distemper, Rubarth’s hepatitis, Parvovirosis and Parainfluenza virus), you are already partially protecting against some of the pathogens that cause kennel cough.

-Parainfluenza virus is already included in standard vaccine mixtures, with annual boosters.

-When vaccinating against Rubarth’s Hepatitis, one is vaccinating against Canine Adenovirus Type I. There is cross-immunity with Canine Adenovirus Type II, which is frequently involved in kennel cough in dogs. That is, when vaccinated against Rubarth’s Hepatitis, the antibodies developed by the dog will also be effective against the other variant of the virus responsible for the respiratory disease.

For vaccines given by subcutaneous injection: dogs must be at least 4 weeks old; the primary vaccination consists of 2 injections spaced 2 to 3 weeks apart; protection lasts 1 year, so it is necessary to give a booster every year.

Learn more? symptoms, treatment and prevention

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Tatiana Pradel-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Lyon (Vetagro Sup)

Hyperuricosuria

Hyperuricosuria is an inherited genetic disorder that results in the formation of ammonium urate stones in the urinary system.

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Laurie Bonnet-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Nantes.

Persistent ductus arteriosus

Persistent ductus arteriosus is the most common congenital heart disease in the dog.

The ductus arteriosus is a small blood vessel that prevents blood from flowing into the immature, non-functioning lungs of the fetus. This vessel closes spontaneously a few days after birth, causing blood flow to be redirected to the lungs to take up oxygen.

In some puppies, this ductus arteriosus does not close properly. This disrupts the normal functioning of the heart and leads to heart failure which sets in after a few months.

Females are more at risk than males and a genetic component has been identified in some predisposed breeds.
Often the only symptom is the presence of a significant heart murmur, which is quite characteristic, sometimes associated with heart rhythm abnormalities. The puppy may also show stunted growth and abnormal fatigue, or more rarely cough and breathing difficulties.

The diagnosis is made by performing a cardiac ultrasound with Doppler to visualise the presence of the ductus arteriosus, but also to assess the consequences on the heart muscle and function.

The treatment of choice is surgical and consists of artificial ligation of this ductus arteriosus. This usually results in a permanent cure if the intervention is considered early enough, before the onset of irreversible heart failure. If this operation is contraindicated (risk of surgery, heart failure too advanced), a medical treatment can be prescribed to relieve the animal as much as possible. Unfortunately, without surgery, the prognosis is poor. Indeed, only 40% of puppies survive beyond 18 months.

If you have just acquired a puppy, it is therefore imperative to present it to your veterinarian for a clinical examination and to detect a possible heart murmur, for example during a vaccination consultation. The prognosis and chances of recovery depend directly on how early the diagnosis is made.

There is currently no genetic test to determine if your pet has the mutation that causes this disease.

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Laurie Bonnet-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Nantes.

Fallot’s tetralogy

Tetralogy of Fallot is an uncommon congenital heart disease in dogsand rarely seen in cats. This malformation results from abnormal embryonic development and combines :

• A narrowing in the diameter of the pulmonary artery (pulmonary stenosis),
• A hole in the septum that separates the two ventricles of the heart (ventricular septal defect),
• An anomaly in the position of the aorta,
• An increase in the size of the right ventricle by thickening of the heart muscle (hypertrophy).

The combination of these four abnormalities results in a poor supply of oxygen to the tissues (hypoxia). In order to compensate for this lack of oxygen, the body produces excessive red blood cells, which results in thickening of the blood and makes it more difficult to circulate through the blood vessels. This is known as blood hyperviscosity.

In puppies, the disease is usually expressed around 6 months of age. The lack of oxygenation causes a bluish coloration of the mucous membranes, called cyanosis, which is the most common symptom. The young animal may also show major fatigue on exertion, breathing difficulties or delayed growth.

During auscultation, the veterinarian often detects a heart murmur. This may be of varying intensity depending on the severity of the disease, or even non-existent.

Chest X-rays may show an increase in the volume of the right heart. It is the cardiac ultrasound that allows a diagnosis of certainty by direct observation of the anomalies mentioned above. A blood test may be taken to assess the amount of red blood cells.

The treatment of choice for Tetralogy of Fallot is surgical. It allows the correction of the 4 characteristic anomalies of the disease. However, this type of intervention is not very accessible in veterinary medicine, for reasons of technicality, cost and equipment.
A medical treatment of comfort can then be proposed and relies in particular on the realization of regular bleedings to decrease the viscosity of blood. The prognosis is quite variable depending on the severity of the malformations and associated complications. Unfortunately, the lifespan of animals with tetralogy of Fallot is short, with a median survival of 2 years, the risk of sudden death being quite high.

There is currently no genetic test for this disease.

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Laurie Bonnet-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Nantes.

Alopecia

reference : illicotveto.com-Dr Clément Leroy-veterinarian graduated from the National Veterinary School of Toulouse.

Deworming your dog

Deworming your dog is important to protect him from worms.

Internal parasites are a health risk for the dog. They can cause more serious problems, particularly in very young animals (stunted growth, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea, bloated stomach, loss of vitality, etc.).

They can also reach other vital organs such as the heart, lungs or eyes.

You should also treat your dog to protect the health of your family. Some worms can be transmitted to humans.

There are three types of dewormer for dogs: drinkable solution, tablets or injection treatment. Your vet will be able to advise you on the right type of dewormer for your dog.

It is advisable to deworm animals from the age of 2 weeks. Then at 4, 6 and 8 weeks, then once a month until 6 months of age. It is then recommended to deworm your dog 4 times a year.

reference : santédemonchien.fr

Learn more? : ESCCAP France is an association whose aim is to translate into French, adapt, disseminate and promote European recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic and fungal diseases of pets and horses.

Antiparasitic

A dog that scratches very often and frantically may have fleas, lice, bedbugs, body mange or be allergic to dust, mites or pollen. If your dog scratches abnormally, do not hesitate to consult a veterinarian who will give him the appropriate treatment.

All those little bugs that try to bite him through his coat (like ticks, mosquitoes and sandflies) can transmit serious diseases.

Parasite prevention remains essential and should be maintained throughout the year to reduce the risk of infection and serious disease. Removal of planted ticks is essential, even if your pet is already protected by an external antiparasitic.

reference : santédemonchien.fr

Learn more? : ESCCAP France is an association whose aim is to translate into French, adapt, disseminate and promote European recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of parasitic and fungal diseases of pets and horses.

Natural method

The natural method: learning without constraints

The natural education method was invented in the early 1980s. Joseph Ortega, a field ethnologist, was its creator.

It was after observing packs of wild wolves that his idea of unconstrained learning for education was born, which he later named the natural method.

He observed that in wild wolves, when the mother returns from hunting, she emits a signal, and the cubs immediately come running: to survive, they need to feed. The cubs do not take their eyes off their mother’s actions, reacting instinctively to the slightest of her movements: if she raises her head, the cubs lick their lips and sit down; if she lies down, they remain fixed on her lips and also lie down; if she walks, the cubs remain glued to her sides, their heads turned towards her. Their primary instincts guide their actions.

If we transpose this situation to a puppy and his owner, it is enough for the owner to have a treat or a dog toy between his fingers for the motivation to be the same, and for him to have the full attention of the little animal. He can then get him to do whatever he wants, such as sit by raising the treat or toy in the air, or walk by holding the reward against the animal’s muzzle. Here too, primitive instincts guide the puppy. And it is these innate tendencies that will drive the dog’s education. He learns without knowing.

Ortega’s method is based on many principles of modern ethnology:

• You must respect the dog, its personality, and use its natural behaviour without imposing many constraints. The master must also show empathy, and know how to put himself in the animal’s shoes, trying to think like him in order to understand his reactions (desires or reticence) and anticipate them.
• Innate tendencies: This category includes the use of food, play and dog toys, imitation, positive signals from the owner (praise, stroking, etc.), but also the use of situations that are pleasant for the dog (going for a walk, etc.).
• Use of motivation: If the dog wants to have something enjoyable, such as a treat or a favourite toy, it will be more motivated to learn. The stronger the motivation, the faster and more naturally the dog will learn.
  The underlying idea is that there is no such thing as unmotivated action, either in humans or in animals. Motivation has nothing to do with intelligence or reason, but is based on an inner need, a strong desire, and is activated by a specific signal that will then mobilise the individual’s full attention and drive him or her to action, in order to fulfil the need. The natural method uses this powerful need in the dog to achieve the goals desired by the owner or trainer.
• Cognitive learning is the learning and acquisition of awareness of events in the environment and the representation of an event or object through the dog’s intelligence and cognition. With the natural method, the handler trains the dog by posing simple problems that the dog must solve using all his senses, such as finding his toy under several cones.

The natural method proposes to start training well before the dog is six months or one year old, as is the norm in dog training clubs using the classical training method or the positive training method. As soon as the puppies are pre-weaned at the breeder’s, around the fourth week, the natural training method can be implemented. Indeed, it is at this age that the notion of motivation appears, as with the first bowls or toys and other play objects.

Around its seventh week, when its sensory receptors are most sensitive, the puppy memorizes references to the environment in which it lives, which it will use later on. As soon as the dog is adopted, the owner must therefore take over from the breeder to gently lay the foundations of its education.

In general, with the natural method, in one session, a two or three month old puppy is able to learn sit, down, recall and heel commands, all without a leash.

reference : chien.com-dog training methods

“Music gives a soul to our hearts and wings to our thoughts.”

Platon

Sudoriparian gland

There are two kinds of sweat glands. The main role is to produce sweat.

Apocrine sweat glands are present in the anal and genital regions and in the armpits. They are always attached to a hair follicle, where their secretory duct ends. They are characterised by the evacuation of apocrine sweat, which they secrete, and of part of the cellular material, close to the terminal part of the gland’s excretory duct. Apocrine sweat, which is viscous and has a particular odour, has a poorly understood role in humans; in animals it contains pheromones, odorous substances that influence social and sexual behaviour.

Eccrine sweat glands, which are much more numerous than apocrine ones, predominate on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. They have an excretory canal that opens on the surface of the skin through an opening, the pore. Eccrine sweat, rich in water and sodium chloride (salt), is involved in the regulation of body temperature: when the external temperature tends to rise, the vegetative nervous system controls the secretion of sweat, the evaporation of which causes heat loss; other factors, such as stress and certain pharmacodynamic agents (acetylcholine, adrenalin), can also trigger this secretion.

reference: Larousse.fr

reference: conseil-veto.com – Dr Eric Trenel – Vétérinaire