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{Parasites Internal Parasites} {External Parasites} {Symptoms of Illness} {Spaying} {Neutering} {House Training} {Home Health Care} {Puppies get worms} {Eating Grass} {Eating Dropping} {Submissive Urinating} {Temperature} {Noses} {Eyes} {Bloat} {Allergies} {Ears}  {Paws} {Exercise} {Rawhide Chews} {12 Golden Rules} {Whelping}

Disease

Symptoms

Preventative Measures

Roundworm- This parasite can be transmitted from the mother to her pups before birth or during nursing. The thin, spaghetti like parasite, about five inches long, can cause a potbellied appearance. The larvae migrate though a puppy's body and are sometimes seen in dog feces. Stunted growth, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and sometimes pneumonia can result from roundworm infection, or no symptoms may be visible.

Hookworm- This is one of the most dangerous of all intestinal parasites. The hookworm can be transmitted from mother to pups before birth and during nursing. This worm fastens itself onto the walls of the dog's small intestine. Hookworm infection may produce lethargy, anemia, poor appetite, and black tarry stools containing blood.

Whip-worm- This parasite settles into the lower end of a dog's digestive tract, causing chronic bowel inflammation, mucus in the stool, weight loss, and diarrhea.

Tapeworm- In larva from, this parasite usually enters a dog's body when he swallows a flea. Rodents can also be a source of tapeworm. It seldom causes obvious symptoms, but visible segments can be found in the feces of an infected animal. Mature tapeworms feed from the intestines, causing the dog to eat more than normal without weight gain. Because of the chance of re-infestation, your dog should be relatively free of fleas when he is treated for tapeworm.

Coccidia- Symptoms can include diarrhea, fever, weight loss, and loss of appetite. Sometimes infested puppies show no symptoms. This is a common problem. More info here.

Heart-worm-Transmitted by the bite of a mosquito, this dangerous parasite lives in a dog's heart or near it in major blood vessels. Heart-worm disease can be fatal. It causes heart or lung damage, coughing, lethargy, and fatigue. Heart worms can be detected by a blood test. Heart-worm is difficult to cure but easy to prevent with medication from your veterinarian. A blood test is taken to ensure that heart-worm is not already present before administering a heart-worm preventative. The medicine is administered in monthly or daily doses during the mosquito season or, in some areas, year round. Never treat a dog for heart-worm except under the supervision of your veterinarian.,,,,

Fleas- Puppies may acquire fleas from their mother or from their environment. Examine your puppy for fleas during routine grooming. If you think your puppy has fleas, consult your veterinarian for a safe and effective treatment. A puppy infested with fleas scratches or bites himself frequently. Small red spots may show up on his skin. Black specks (flea dirt) may cling to the fur on his neck or rump. Fleas may also cause allergic dermatitis, which shows up as encrusted lesions on the puppy's skin. Since the flea spends less than half his time on your puppy, the only way to fight flea infestation is to treat both your puppy and his environment. Depending on where you live, the flea season can last many months, and you don't want your puppy to be in misery. There are several ways to combat fleas. A flea bath or dip by the veterinarian or groomer is the most efficient treatment for serious problems. Another solution is to bathe your puppy thoroughly and then follow up with flea spray or powder which is labeled safe for puppies. But never buy these products at random. Certain combinations of insecticides can be harmful to your puppy. Ask your veterinarian for safe and effective flea-control plan to follow. You must also wash your puppy's bedding in hot water and soap. Use flea-killing room foggers according to your veterinarian's instructions to make sure all newly born fleas are destroyed. Clean the carpeting with a commercial rug cleaner safe for dogs. Vacuum thoroughly and throw away vacuum cleaner bags after vacuuming. Consult a professional exterminator if the problem gets out of hand.

Ticks- Bites from certain ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Lyme Disease, and other diseases. A dog is most likely to pick up ticks in wooded areas during spring and summer. If you live in a region that has a large tick population, you (or your veterinarian) may apply a tick-repellent to your puppy's coat. If you find a tick on your pet's skin, you can reduce the chance of infection by removing it promptly and carefully. Wearing protective gloves, use a tweezers to grasp the tick near its head and pull the tick out. Make sure the head is removed. Dab the spot with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide to prevent infection. Your veterinarian can determine if further treatment is necessary.

Lice- Lice can be controlled though most flea sprays and powders. Use only those that are safe for puppies.

Mange Mites- The most common types of mange mites are sarcoptic and demodectic. The mites live on the dogs skin or in hair follicles and are not visible to the naked eye. Sarcoptic mites lay their eggs in tunnel-like formations under the skin. The dog scratches and rubs; the skin becomes dry, thickened, and wrinkled; hair falls out; and crusts from. Itching is very severe. It must be treated by a veterinarian. Demodectic mites live in the hair follicles. They cause skin lesions with either bare spots or pustular areas. Either variety of mange mites can spread quickly and may be difficult to cure. Follow your veterinarians advice for treatment. Click on these links for more info on these mites, some good info here. Mange Mites; Sarcoptic Mange Mite - Demodectic Mange Mite

Ear Mites- Ear mites can cause your puppy to scratch or paw at his ears or shake his head. You can detect these pests by checking a puppy's ears for dark earwax or material resembling dried blood or coffee grounds. If your puppy has mites, he will need veterinary care.

Ringworm- Ringworm is very contagious and can be transmitted to humans. Ringworm is caused by a fungus and appears as oval, bare patches on the puppy's skin. To help prevent ringworm, limit puppy's contact with other dogs. Your veterinarian can treat ringworm with medication.

*Diarrhea, constipation, or difficulty with urination. Take your puppy to the veterinarian immediately if he is unable to urinate or defecate but continues to try or if there is blood in the urine or stool.

*Vomiting. Take your puppy to the veterinarian immediately if vomited material contains blood or other unusual contents.

*Fever is indicated by a dry, hot nose, dull eyes, and a noticeable rise in body heat. (Normal is 98-102 anything over 102 is high.)

*Pain. For severe or continuous pain, immediate veterinary attention is required.

*Excessive panting or difficulty breathing. Immediate care is required if there is noisy respiration, blue tongue, or gasping for breath.

*Limping. Be especially suspicious of sudden lameness without apparent cause.

*Scooting along on the ground. A good indication of Internal Parasites. But not always, some dogs mark there area in this manner.

Neutering (for males)- Castration is the removal of the testicles through surgery. Neutering is a relatively safe procedure. In most cases, it produces mild soreness and requires only a brief hospital stay. Consult your veterinarian about the best age to neuter your puppy. Neutering can help calm your male puppy's temperament, make him less likely to roam, and help reduce his risk of developing prostate infections or prostate cancer.

Establish a schedule and don't deviate from it. "when" and "how" you house training needs to be consistent so make sure all family members follow the same guidelines. Pick a soiling spot in your yard and take your pup there on a lead when it is time to eliminate. The odor from previous visits to this spot will stimulate the urge to defecate and/or urinate. Many new owners confuse their pup by using different words for the same command. In the house breaking process, it is a good idea to use the same word like "outside" every time you take the puppy out to eliminate. Consistent use of a word with an activity will help to build a level of communication between you and your pup. Later, while you are watching television and notice your pup staring at you, you can say the word "outside" and your pup will go to the door.

Be patient. Dogs may urinate or defecate more than once in one outing, and not always right away. Don't distract your pup from the job at hand. This is a business trip, not a social time.

Praise them for their success when the job done but don't over do it. Just patting them across their shoulders a few times will do the trick. In a dogs language, that means more than constant rubbing across the head or repeating " good dog!". Some people prefer to use a consistent phrase when the pup eliminates such as "Do your stuff!" The pup soon learns this is a signal to eliminate, which is very useful when traveling or when time is short.

Don't mix business with pleasure. When your pup has finished, take him back inside, even just for a minute or two. When you come back inside, spend some time with your pup. You know there is little chance the pup will have to eliminate for a while so play with them and have a good time. The more time you spend with the pup, the better it is. Remember, they are still young and need to act like a pup, developing and learning about their new situation and environment. When you're finished, take one more trip outside and place the pup back in its cage or crate. After every meal and playtime, remember to take them outside before placing them back in the crate.

The key to house training is you. Spend as much time with your pup as possible during the first two to three weeks your puppy is home. Be consistent, patient, praise when appropriate, and be willing for however long it takes to invest the time and energy necessary to make this important training time a success. The effort you put forth now will be well worth it for the lifetime of your pet.

Establishing a schedule is important. Dogs are creatures of habit; they like to eat, sleep and relive themselves on a regular schedule. Establishing and maintaining a schedule is easy to do and gets easier as your puppy grows. Pay attention to your dog's behavior so you can develop a schedule that works for both of you. First, learn when your dog naturally defecates in the morning, at night, 30 minutes after eating, etc. Look at your schedule and determine what compromises need to be made to make this workable for everyone. If you catch your puppy in the act of having an accident, tell him "No!" forcefully, pick him up and take him outside. If you don"t catch him, simply clean up the mess and scold yourself for not being available. Do not scold the puppy. Until your pup is 14 weeks old, take him outside frequently and watch him very closely when he is in or out of his crate. As soon as you see him pacing, sniffing around, turning around in circles, or trying to sneak away (if he's out of the crate), take him outside. These are telltale signs that he needs to relieve himself. Say "outside" each time you take your puppy out so you can develop communication and understanding between you and your pet.

Regular "mini-exams" help ensure the health of your puppy. Preventive care is the key to your puppy"s good health and regular mini-exams are the best way to detect potential problems early, while they're easier to treat. Start by getting to know how your puppy looks and acts when its healthy. Look closely at its eyes, ears, mouth, energy level, how much it eats and drinks (and eliminates), how it walks, any and every characteristic that is "normal" for your puppy. This will enable you to detect when something is wrong or not quite the same. Remember, they aren't like a child, they can't tell you where or even if "it hurts." Every few days do a quick visual exam of your pet's eyes, ears, and mouth. Take the time to slowly run your hands over your puppy from head to tail. Examine and feel the skin. Look at its feet and between its toes. A good "once over" will tell if everything is fine, or if there's something that needs your closer attention or a trip to the vet. Your puppy will soon learn to enjoy these mini-exams not only because of your attention, but for the relaxing, gentle massaging that is part of the process. It will also get it accustomed to having sensitive areas (like ears) touched and manipulated. Look in your puppy's mouth for inflamed gums, cracked or broken teeth, or foreign objects that might be caught between teeth or across the roof of the mouth. Become familiar with what the teeth look like. As she grows you'll notice lost baby teeth and adult teeth taking their place. Look in your puppy's eyes for inflammation, abnormal discharges, cloudiness, and partially closed eyelids (an indication of pain or irritation originating within or the surface of the eye). Look in your puppy's ears for wax build-up, abnormal discharges, redness or inflammation. These are signs of bacterial infections or ear mites. Because your puppy enjoys your companionship, it will often try to behave normally even when its not well. Take notice of even small changes in behavior or appearance because the sooner you can identify a potential problem, the better.

"More than ever, pet owners are medicating and vaccinating their pets at home"

The "Do-It-Yourself" mind set that has swept the nation in recent years is becoming more and more popular with pet owners who chose home heath care as an alternative to offset rising health care costs. People are realizing that they can administer a wide range of medications themselves without a large expense. Typical at home health procedures that most people previously though had to be performed at a clinic include: administering prescription and non-prescription medications, like flea and tick products, allergy treatments, and giving oral and injectable vaccinations against everything from Canine Distemper to Parvo virus. The procedures are easy and equally effective since most of the medications available to pet owners are the same ones used by veterinarians. Plus, there are now a number of very good books available about home healthcare that give pet owners the education they need to make informed decisions.

First Aid Kit

A well stocked first aid kit is important, here are some suggestions of what to keep on hand. • Anti-diarrhea medication as suggested by you veterinarian. • Antibacterial ointments • Benadryl liquid and capsules for bee/bug bites and hives • Ice bags • Betadine or other cleansing solution • Cotton swabs • Thermometer • Quick stop for cut nails, etc. • Gauze • Tape • Elastic bandages • Eye cleaner/saline solution • Large sterile pads • Muzzle • Squirt bottles filled with water • Tweezers • Scissors/emergency shears • Safety pins • Conform stretch bandage • 1-inch adhesive tape • Examination gloves • Non-adhering dressing • Ophthalmic ointment without steroid • Soap •

This is the #1 problem with puppies. When a future mother is infested with roundworms or hookworms, most of the larvae migrate to the small intestine where they spend their adult stage. Some larvae, however, become encysted (enclosed within a sac, or capsule) within the tissues of her uterus or mammary glands, becoming dormant for an extended period, even years. During and following pregnancy and whelping, the encysted worms are stimulated by hormones and resume development. This stage of worm will pass though either the placenta or milk into the infant puppies, thus infecting them. The puppies are either born with, or develop, "a case of worms" soon after birth. When these worms mature in the puppies, they live in the intestine. There, the roundworms live off the food the puppy eats. As the number of worms increase, the loss of nutrition can be significant. Hookworms attach to the intestines and directly suck blood from the vessels, which can quickly lead to anemia. Adult round and hookworms produce eggs that are passed with the stools. These eggs contaminate the dog's environment producing a constant source of re-infestation. It is wise to assume your puppy was infested with worms at birth. All puppies should be treated with a wormier four times before they are two months old, at about 2, 3, 5, and 7 weeks of age. I use and recommend the extremely safe and effective Nemex-2 which you can easily give to your puppy yourself. Oh yes don't for get about heat worms, ask your veterinarian about this. Author Dr. Foster & Smith

Ears; The long drooping ear predisposes the Basset to onitis externa, (smelly yucky ears). This is easily prevented if ear cleaning is done regularly, such as when nails are clipped. Check with your veterinarian for an ear wash, or make a preventative cleaning mix of 50% isopropyl alcohol and 50% white vinegar. Check for smelly ears often. Smelly ears are a clear sign of an ongoing infection problem. Dogs with floppy ears are notorious for getting very chronic ear infections. Regular cleaning usually prevents any problems. If a serious or stubborn problem occurs, consult your Vet.

Paws; Due to the Basset's large paws, they are prone to inter digital cysts, abscesses and fungus infections between the digits (toes). Check when bathing.

Exercise; As a puppy, the Basset should never be given too much exercise because of the heavy boned front. Care must also be taken to protect the front when jumping off anything, stairs, tables, etc.

Rawhide Chews; Most of the time, harmless. I do not recommend rawhide chews, ever. The problems come when they swallow them whole. They either choke on them, or the rawhide balls up in the stomach and causes gastritis or blockage. Moderation is the key. One every once in the while is OK, but they shouldn't be included as a regular toy or part of the diet. In addition it's usually best to supervise or a least be nearby when your pet is chewing on any toy.

2. Consult your veterinarian about spaying or neutering your basset if you know you will not breed. Neutering not only helps to control the severe pet overpopulation problem, it also has health benefits. Spaying reduces the risk of mammary cancer, especially if done prior to your bassets first heat. It also reduces the possibility of uterine infections and cancer. Castration prevents prostate disease and testicular cancer in male bassets. It also reduces or eliminates fighting between males, roaming, urine marking and mounting behavior.

3. License and place identification on your dog. Rabies vaccination and licensing are required by law in most states. In addition, you should identify your basset with a name tag, tattoo or computer chip in case he gets lost.

4. Provide regular veterinary care for your basset. Annual vaccinations, checkups and dental exams are essential to good heath.

5. Train your basset to have good manners.

6. Feed your basset a balanced diet and provide fresh water at all times.

7. Always clean up after your basset in public places.

8. Keep your basset clean and groomed. Regular grooming keeps your basset looking his best and helps to detect and control skin parasites that could be passed to people.

9. Play with your basset at lest 20 to 30 minutes a day. Avoid chase games, tug of war, and wrestling.

10. Exercise your basset at least 30 minutes daily. Brisk walks, jogging and ball playing are enjoyed by bassets.

11. Provide your basset with the chance to socialize with people and other dogs. Do not leave him cooped up in your house or yard.

12. Love, admire and respect your basset as your companion and as an individual. Your basset is a wonderful, beautiful and intelligent member of the canine species. Be patient with him if you run into problems. Don't hurt him, abandon him or ignore him. Get help before you give him up.