Protecting of Labrador retriever from ticks and other parasites

Usually ticks attack dogs during walks in places, overgrown with bushes and tall grass. Just adherent mite no bigger than a pinhead, sucked the blood, it can reach the size of large beans. 

Be sure to carefully inspect his Labrador after each walk for ticks and carefully combed hair. If you notice stuck to the dog tick, in any case, do not try to pull it, because this only comes off the body and the head remains and causes inflammation.To remove a tick on it should drop some oil, alcohol and gasoline. After a few minutes the tick will disappear either itself or weaken the grip, and then you can get (preferably with tweezers). After removing the tick treat the wound by 5% solution of iodine. 

Not every dog is infected, if it attacks the mite. Unfortunately, the mite is not specified, it can infect or not. So, now your main task - to closely monitor the health of your pet, and several times a day to measure his temperature. The incubation period lasts piroplasmosis 6 - 10 days. The disease is most often acute, but may be chronic, as well as hyperacute, when the dogs die in a few days. Therefore, detection of symptoms should immediately contact a veterinarian to confirm the diagnosis and taken for treatment. 

Symptoms that need attention are: 
- Increasing the temperature to 40 - 42 ° C. Normally should be 37.5 - 39 ° C, with small breeds to 39.5. 
- Also speaks about the possible infection of apathy and refusal to feed. 
This is a non-specific symptoms that are common to many diseases. 
- If the dog appeared blood in the urine, yellowing of the visible mucous membranes and whites of the eyes should immediately show the dog to the veterinarian! 

The diagnosis of piroplasmosis to put on the basis of clinical symptoms, medical history (detection dogs in the skin attached ticks), epizootiological data. Crucial are the results of blood smear microscopy. But, since the parasite is present in red blood cells are not at all stages of the disease, lack of piroplazmy in the blood smear does not exclude piroplasmosis. In such cases, the diagnosis is based on the disease animal, clinical history and results of other laboratory tests (urinalysis, blood chemistry, complete blood count). Treatment is carried out in two directions: 

A. For the destruction of the pathogen used drugs of organic dyes (Beren, azidin, veriben) and derivatives imidokarba. The common property of these drugs is their toxicity is not only in relation to the pathogen, but also to the patient. Because the drugs do not have a preventive effect, they are used only after diagnosis, under the supervision of a veterinarian! 

Two. For removal of toxic and maintain the body using a large number of drugs: saline solution, vitamins, heart medications, etc. the amount and duration of treatment depends on the patient's condition. In any case, the recovery period lasts at least one month and requires a control analyzes. 
Prevention of piroplasmosis is to prevent the attack of mites on the animal for the dogs treated with acaricidal drugs that are available in the form of collars ("Kiltiks", "Bolfo", "Harz"), sprays ("Front Line", "Defendog," "Leopard") and drops to the withers ("Advantix", "Lawyer," "Frontline," "Harz", "Bars", "Serko"). These funds are distributed on the skin and hair, not soaked in blood. 

Contacting the treated hair and skin mite dies. These funds are, unfortunately, do not give 100% protection against ticks. effectiveness of these drugs depends on how much time has elapsed since their deposition. Protective equipment should be used in advance (2-3 days before the departure of the nature or on vacation). 

When purchasing protective equipment in a veterinary drug stores or pet stores must pay attention to the expiration date, the integrity of the packaging, instruction in Russian. Instruction must read! It must be remembered that: 
- If you use drugs protivokleschevyh possible contact allergy. 
- When using the spray needs to handle not only the animal's body, and legs, and head, and carefully groin, armpits and behind the ears. 
- If your dog has long hair, the spray flow rate is increased to 2 times. 
- If your dog is bathed often (or if you wash it), then the frequency should be increased protivokleschevyh treatments. 
- Pack drops on the withers should be strictly according to the weight of your dog. 

Carefully observe the animals and regularly inspect it. If you have any signs of illness, contact your veterinarian. Remember, you can self-inflict irreparable harm to the health and lives of dogs! If you have found your dog like symptoms - do not experiment! It is urgent to contact the veterinary clinic, if for some reason it is not possible, use a service call to the vet at home.

 Feeding the Labrador Retriever 

In preparation for the arrival of a puppy, think through in advance, from what dishes will have your retriever. The most convenient cookware - stainless steel. Plastic bowls are much less strong and very short-lived. It is better that the dog since childhood, during the meal stretched up to a bowl placed on a support (it can be done yourself, but, in principle, now stands on the brackets are sold in many "dog store and buy them no problem), which fixed on a tripod, depending on the growth of the animal at the level of the elbows or slightly higher. Because of this, your pet will develop the correct posture. 

Be sure to check with the breeders, to which feed the puppy accustomed to the time of sale. Weaned from the mother and the disappearance of brothers and sisters, unfamiliar surroundings - all this creates a serious stress for your puppy, so the first few days in your home it may be a poor appetite. Do not worry! To change the conditions of detention took place smoothly, try to keep his usual diet. In the future, you can gradually accustom your dog to the feeding pattern that you think is the best.

In general, feeding schemes can be divided into three groups: 
Traditional, in which a dog is fed only natural foods: meat-based soups, cereals and vegetables, cottage cheese, raw meat, fish. If the diet is chosen correctly, the dog will be in great shape, and quality of supply can only envy. But this scheme at the same time has serious disadvantages: it is rather difficult for the owner of an option, time consuming, not always the cheapest. If the diet is chosen incorrectly, the resulting imbalance can result in various diseases: vitamin deficiency and hypervitaminosis, rickets, etc. Unfortunately, it is often that the owners, feeding natural food, the meat in every way save the dog gets almost naked cereal, which, of course, is no good. 

Feeding dry food. Now in Russia and Ukraine can purchase a variety of food companies, but still better not to use the little-known products, low-quality dry food, of course, no good will not bring the dog. Listing the food fairly reliable, I would like to highlight the following: Purina Pro Plan, Diamond, Solid Gold, Royal Canine, Hills, Eukanuba. These manufacturers produce a wide range of feed, designed for dogs of different age groups and leading a different lifestyle. Assuming a properly sized feed this option is good from all sides: saves time and effort to master, at the same time, the dog get a full balanced diet, with the correct ratios of protein, fat, carbohydrates and vitamins. 

A balanced food provides balanced growth and development of the skeleton dogs, her teeth, muscles, the excellent state of the coat. Many companies also produce dry feed canned food, which can be added to food - dogs, they tend to like very much. 
Mixed feeding. The use of high-quality dry food, plus meat, cheese, yogurt, crackers.In this arrangement, feeding should be strictly adhere to one rule. You should not stop at one bowl of dry food from the soup - in one feeding you give a dog only dry food, and other feeding - for example, meat-based broth. In addition to dry food, you can give your puppy cheese, the best home (the ratio of milk and yogurt 1-1) or calcined (milk + calcium chloride), meat (preferably pre promorozhennaya lean beef), fish (only the sea: cod, hake, ice fishing, in any case do not let my retriever fatty fish, and pollack), dried black bread. Of the cereals - buckwheat and rice. Oat meal often leads to frustration of the intestine, so it can be given only if the dog learns its okay. 

What conclusion can we draw from all of the above? There are advocates of various schemes of feed. You can choose any circuit. If your dog is in good shape - do not lose weight or gain weight, she has no signs of allergies, coat in good condition, shiny - it means that your feeding option suits your retriever. If not, then your feeding scheme has serious flaws, and it makes sense to you to review and correct it. 

The diet of an adult dog shall have the following relations: meat diet - 10-20 g / kg body weight, fat - 2.1 g / kg body weight, carbohydrate - 5-6 g / kg body weight. For puppies, these rates are 2-3 times higher. The number of feedings depends primarily on age. Puppy one or two months should be fed 5-6 times a day, three or four - four times, five months and over 3 times. Adults retrievers are usually fed twice a day, morning and evening. 

If you decide to feed your retriever dry food, it is very important to him to pick up. So, all worthy food companies are divided into different groups on the energy value, vitamins and minerals, and address the needs of the dog since birth until the end of life. There are food for small puppies, puppies, adolescents, adults and senior dogs and lactating bitches, dogs with high and low physical activity, long-haired dogs, etc.The required amount of feed on the dog's weight indicated on the package. As a general rule, puppies can be given food with a fairly high amount of protein - 32%.Sometimes owners give their puppies to feed AGR36, but such a high amount of protein is still intended for the larger breeds of dogs. We retrievers with this dietary may develop obesity. With age, the retriever begin to forage with a low amount of protein, typically 25%. All this is quite an individual, since dogs, like people, different metabolism. One dog may eat very little and be full, and the other retriever have to give a double portion of food so that it is in normal form.