Carried and transmitted by dogs, parvovirus has a 20% mortality rate in dog treated in time, an 80% mortality rate for those who are not. Much more common in puppies than older dogs, parvo grows best in the rapidly dividing cells of the dog’s intestines. As the virus attacks and kills these cells it causes massive diarrhea and halts or slows the creation of white blood cells. In young puppies it can often directly infect the heart, leading to death.

So what can you do to give your puppy’s immune system a boost to help enable them to protect their selves?

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More and more states are working on legislation to try to regulate the commercial breeding industry which in far too many instances are just houses of horrors, puppy mills, masquerading as reputable breeders.

Louisiana is now working on legislation that would limit the number of dogs that breeders would be allowed to own, instituting a cap at a maximum of 75 dogs. This doesn’t sound like much of a move but when you look at many of the puppy mills, some have hundreds of dogs, often crammed two, three or more to a cage that is barely large enough for one.

No, it’s not the answer. The answer would be to close them all down! But as anyone who is part of the fight against puppy mills knows, it’s not going to happen anytime in the near future but each and every little step in the right direction is something to be lauded.

The bill aims to limit the number of dogs held in abusive puppy mills – mills that churn out thousands of dogs for sale in pet stores and over the internet.

The Humane Society of the United States testified in support of the legislation. The organization says many puppy mill operators deceive consumers into believing the dogs came from reputable breeders.

“Limiting the number of animals at a puppy mill is an important first step to ensure that dogs used for breeding are treated humanely, and also addresses one source of pet overpopulation,” said Julia Breaux , HSUS’ Louisiana state director.

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Well Look What The Dog Brought In - Infestations, Itching and Disease

National Pest Management Association Offers Advice on Keeping Pets Safe from Dangerous Pests

Summer is the prime time for pet pests such as fleas, ticks, flies and mosquitoes. Although animals tend to view pests as merely annoyances, they can pose substantial health risks to both the pets and their owners, warns the National Pest Management Association (NPMA).

“These pests are known to transmit some potentially serious diseases like West Nile Virus, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Lyme disease to animals and their human family,” said Cindy Mannes, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “Dogs can also contract heartworm disease through mosquito bites, an expensive illness to treat if it’s not detected early.”

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• Dogs are never permitted in the house.
  • The dog stays out side in the specially built wooden compartment named for a very good reason, the dog house.
  • Ok, the dog can enter the house but only for short visits or if his own house is under renovation.
  • Ok, the dog can stay in the house on a permanent basis provided his doghouse could be sold in a garage sale to a rookie dog owner.
  • Inside the house, the dog is not allowed to run free and is confined to a comfortable, but secure crate.
  • Ok, the crate becomes part of a “two for one” deal in the garage sale and the dog can go wherever the hell he pleases. Read more… »

Here’s how to train the perfect pooch. This advice comes from dog trainer Brian Kilcommons’ book “My Smart Puppy”. Here are Kilcommons’ three fundamental principles for dog training:

Take the dominant role with your dog. That absolutely does not mean you should hit your dog. You can assert yourself in much subtler ways. Because it’s the little behaviors you think nothing about that make your dog think he’s boss. For example, when you’re going out for a walk, does your dog dash out the door before you? That means your dog thinks he’s the alpha male. Why? Because pack leaders go through narrow openings first. Then, on the walk, does your dog determine where and how often you’ll stop? That’s another power play. Stay even with your dog and control the stops yourself. And when it comes to dinner time, the primal pecking order of meals is important to your dog. Always eat first, and then feed Fido. That’s sends a clear message that you’re the boss.

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