Just About Jacks

Archive for October 11th, 2009

While your pet may seem to be in overall good health, there could be underlying issues developing that you are not aware of. These issues may actually stem from the abuse your pet’s muscles and joints suffer on a daily basis.

When you allow your dog to jump to and from any surface that is greater than 12 inches from the ground, he can sustain serious injury. A foot of height doesn’t really seem like a lot, but it’s enough to cause a broken limb if your dog falls, or longer-lasting problems over time.

While small and large dogs are at a particular risk of sustaining bone or joint injury, any size or breed of dog is susceptible to harm through a fall or as a result of prolonged impact over time. Large dogs, like Great Danes, Golden Retrievers, and Labradors, are inclined to developing arthritis later in life, and condoning a large dog to jump onto and off of furniture everyday could cause arthritis to crop up earlier in the dog’s life. As for small dogs, they are more likely to break a bone in a fall or by attempting to leap down from too great a height.

This being said, you don’t have to necessarily deny your furry friend access to his favourite places—which are likely the places that you frequent. Through the use of pet stairs you can give your pet the freedom to go about his normal routine with the addition of safety and peace of mind.

Dog stairs come in a variety of colors and materials, though carpeted pet stairs are the most popular as they provide extra grip for pet paws. They also come in a variety of sizes to accommodate the size of your dog and the surface that you want him to access. For instance, if you want your dog to have access to your bed, you will need to know the height of your bed from the floor to the top of the mattress. You should know that it can be dangerous to provide your dog with stairs that are either too small or large for him, which can cause him to stumble or fall from the stairs. The general rule of thumb to go by when choosing your steps is this:

Small dogs = steps no wider than 12 inches

Medium dogs = 14 inch-wide steps

Large dogs = steps at least 16 inches wide

For more information about choosing and purchasing a set of pet steps, please visit Help Your Pets – Here.

Have you begun to notice that your dog is looking a little overweight, or simply less lean than he should be? It might be time to start considering what your options are to help him get into shape. We’re going to talk about a few ways you can discover where your pet’s health is suffering and how to get it back up.

As sad as it is to admit, our dogs do not have free reign over their lifestyle as we humans do. Because dogs are dependent upon their owner for everything from food to trips outdoors, they have to adjust their daily life to accommodate ours. This is where canine obesity can come in. If a dog’s owner is a veritable couch potato and rarely gets out for exercise, the dog is also going to have to adapt to a lifestyle of laziness. It’s natural for dog’s to crave a little activity—heck, it’s natural for humans, too! All creatures need to perform some regular activity to remain in good health, so the first thing you can do to determine how your dog is keeping on those extra pounds is to map out a chart of his day-to-day activities. Does he go outside for an hour in the morning and again in the afternoon? What does he spend the majority of his day doing? Does he sleep more often than he’s awake? All of these questions are things you need to ask yourself when assessing your dog’s level of activity.

That brings us to our next topic: the great outdoors. Have you ever stepped outside on a nice crisp morning, taken a deep breath of cool air and revelled in how good it feels to connect with nature? Maybe you don’t do this all the time, but for a dog, this is a common comparison of how natural it is for them to crave the outdoors—because dogs are natively the “outdoorsy type.” Being outdoors can cause inspiration, not just ideas, but for activity—and this is what your dog needs. If your dog doesn’t get to go outside often enough, this could be an answer for why his spirit for activity has shrunk. Try taking him outside at least twice a day, and not just for a bathroom break. Encourage him to run about and play with toys. It might help to remember that your dog is more likely to want to play if he has someone to play with. If you don’t have a private yard, try taking him on pet-friendly walking trails or to do a dog park where he can socialize and spend some alone time with you. Walking is a great way to improve your owner-dog bond as well as lose weight. Going outside isn’t the only activity you can do. Dog steps are a great tool to use to give your dog a bit of exercise while staying in the comfort of your home (especially on rainy or snowy days!). Make a game of running him up and down the steps, such as pushing the stairs against your bed and hiding treats in your covers. This is a favourite of mine as I love watching my dog go crazy as he paws through the covers!

After you have made your assessment of your dog’s activity level, you might be surprised to find that he gets sufficient exercise but still doesn’t seem to be as lean as he should be. This is a very common scenario among people who feed their dog table scraps or gets a bit too liberal with the doggy treats. Regardless of the fact that human food is a lot more fattening to dogs, it’s also down-right unhealthy for them. A dog’s diet should consist primarily of meat, raw vegetables, and certain types of grain. Could you imagine a dog in the wild snarfing down some spaghetti? If you are guilty of feeding your dog human food—as most of us are—try to cut back on that altogether. If you don’t notice a difference in your dog’s weight, switching to a name brand kibble specifically designed for overweight dogs may be the right solution.

If you have any worries that your dog’s health might be in jeopardy, it’s best to consult with a veterinarian. There could be underlying health issues causing a shift in your dog’s weight, or numerous other possibilities.

For more great information about caring properly for a dog, or to buy a durable set of dog stairs, please visit Help Your Pets.

It is almost impossible to turn on the TV and not see some happy pet wiggling the tail or purring after a delicious meal. And the commercial further encourages us to trust the brand and feed our four-legged friends and make them just as happy as their famous kin! Pet food is certainly an issue in terms of quality, because it is made of dry blood, ground bones and a whole range of additives and chemicals that make it tasty but not healthy. A recent tendency is to use organic pet food as a replacement, and a much healthier alternative, so that the animal may truly benefit from good nutrients.

You can order organic pet food on the Internet, or purchase it online. Veterinarians recommend this kind of products because due to the absence of artificial compounds, they are really balanced in terms of nutrition. Just as it happens with humans, animals become overweight or get ill with various diseases, the causes of poor health are rooted in the intoxication with food chemicals. Pets that are not fed on natural organic pet food grow old at a much quicker pace, they lack vitality and prove more exposed to viruses.

Gas, diarrhea and vomiting make the main issues of a digestive acute or chronic ailment that may be favored or triggered by regular pet food. If organic pet food is introduced in all the meals, the animal’s metabolism and health condition will register significant positive changes. Improvements have also been signaled with the immune response of pets fed on organic food, because more nutrients equal a better capacity to fight against bacteria and viruses efficiently. This means that the pet will be happier and healthier, with more vitality than ever.

Organic pet food is available for cats and dogs more than for other pet categories, but organic pet food can be found for fish, canaries, parrots and tortoises as well. Food prepared according to age demands is also available mainly for cats and dogs. Thus, the formulas contain more nutrients for young animals, due to the more serious body demands. Dry or fresh food is both available, but you need to pay attention to the packaging so that the food may be preserved in optimal conditions.

vision therapy

Dr Bates championed vision improvement and devised many different techniques which he claimed improved a patient’s eyesight. He claimed that strain on the eyes to see was infinite, and he devised a method of relieving the strain to improve vision.

He particularly explained that a set approach would not work for everyone, and so Dr. Bates became a well known alternative therapist. This is still widely practiced today.

He used techniques designed to dissociate strain and then achieve central seeing; which is the central point of vision omitting staring. He claimed that all errors of refraction and disturbances of function disappear when the eyes see by central fixation; and if there were any other associated conditions they too would be relieved. He also stated that exposing the eyes to sunlight would improve vision.

Medical associates have criticized Dr. Bates methodology and have stated what negative consequences could occur if patients followed the protocol; especially if their eyes are over exposed to sunlight. They also stated that it would be negligent to not wear corrective lenses while driving and would worsen or even cause serious implications to the eyes.

One of his techniques to vision improvement was closing the eyes which would help relax them; the patient would cover their eyes with their palms applying no pressure at all to the eyeballs. The theory behind this method was to eliminate light creating total relaxation of the eyes. Although some patients stated that they have illusions of light and colour; Bates claimed these would totally disappear when the eyes were relaxed.

The Bates Association for Vision Education are qualified professionals that teach the Bates method for vision improvement. The teachers mostly work with children, but offer individual lessons to adults.

Workshops and lectures centered around perfect vision. Training is offered on an ongoing basis. Pupils are taught how to improve their eyesight without having corrective surgery; as well as teaching how to increase the chances of eliminating degenerative eye disease. Black lettering is used as well as the swing method to help correct vision.

It is debatable as to whether these eye therapy methods really work; or maybe it is mind over matter and those that claim that there is improvement could be purely from "autosuggestion". Dr. Bates and vision improvement has no solid evidence of proof that this therapy actually works. However, many individuals claim that it does.

William B.B.

*Disclaimer: Please be advised that this article is for information and entertainment purposes only. It does not intend to advise on, treat, or diagnose any health condition including, but not limited to, vision problems. If you have or think you might have a vision problem, please visit your doctor for advice, diagnosis and treatment.