Canine compulsive disorder (CCD) affects many breeds. The most susceptible seem to be the hunting breeds. Other breeds that may suffer from these afflictions would be the working class dogs. Genetic predisposition is a major factor in whether a dog might develop canine obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Why did this happen?

Good breeders have done their best to breed this problem out of their pedigree. Unfortunately, we still live in a society where many dogs come from “puppy mills” that care little if anything about breeding out undesirable traits. I was a “puppy mill” dog. I have a severe under bite along with a pee pee problem and I am a shadow & light chaser.

Most canine compulsive disorders are brought on by boredom. Others may manifest themselves through stress. To treat the compulsion, you must treat the cause. If you are simply looking for a house pet then hunting and working breeds are probably a poor choice.

What is happening?

Dogs are self-groomers and predators, which are behaviors that can become obsessive with them. These compulsions are performed over and over again and out of context. Prevention of dogs from engaging in their particular compulsions can create anxiety in its own right. As previously stated, these otherwise normal behaviors become obsessive. The one thing you should remember is your dog is not trying to annoy you, he/she is trying to tell you that something is not right.

Some manifestations

Lick granuloma in the canine is equivalent to hand washing in the human. Affected dogs lick their wrists or hocks excessively, over-cleaning or over grooming themselves until the skin in these regions becomes ulcerated.

Spinning, self biting and shadow & light chasing are predatory traits taken to extremes. If allowed to continue, these compulsive behaviors can become so repetitive that a dog will forgo food and water. Fortunately, my parents recognized, while sometimes funny and entertaining, my shadow chasing was not normal behavior.

Have your veterinarian rule out other medical conditions

Medical conditions such as skin infections and tumors can manifest themselves in repetitive behaviors. It is wise to rule out these types of conditions before labeling a behavior as CCD. A few simple tests can rule out other underlying conditions. Your veterinarian may run blood work and x-rays in addition to a physical examination.

Treatment for Canine Compulsive Disorder

If the problem is determined to be CCD, a combination of drug therapy and behavior modification are usually effective treatment. The two drugs are commonly prescribed are Reconcile and Clomicalm. While behavior modification alone can be successful, drug therapy without behavior modification is useless.

The key to behavior modification is consistency. Punishment is likely to lead to more stress and increased compulsion. Traditional training methods and items such as shock collars may stop one behavior but frequently another unwelcomed behavior will manifest because there has been no treatment of the underlying cause.

Whether the cause is boredom or stress, spending more time interacting with your dog is important. Increasing the dogs exercise is also effective. And instead of punishing the compulsive behavior, redirect your dogs attention to some other activity. You would be amazed how simply calling your dog over for a good petting will take their mind off the compulsive behavior.

Dog throwing up help! This is one of the most common phrases used by dog owners. Seeing your beloved pet throwing up can be disheartening. In order to keep him away from potential discomfort and pain, you need to understand potential causes behind dog vomiting and treatment options.

What is dog vomiting?

Vomiting can be referred to as canine universal central nervous system. It is not similar to reactive throwing up of undigested food. Vomiting, demands active efforts from the abdomen. Dog owners usually refer to this as “retching”. This is experienced by dogs just before “throwing up.”

Problems

Dog vomiting can lead to many problems in dogs. Some of these include weakness of muscles, dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, severe malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, tremors, inflammation of the esophagus, and severe malnutrition. Sometimes, vomiting leads to nausea accompanied by profuse salivation, swallowing, licking of lips, retching and contractions in the abdominal area. The frequency of dog vomiting can be erratic or steady. While intermittent vomiting is normal, frequent attacks of vomiting are not. If your dog is vomiting regularly and shows the following symptoms, it is time that you take him to a vet for thorough examination.

• Confusion
• Weakness
• Severe diarrhea (bloody or mucoid)
• Fever
• Lethargy
• Depression
• Pain

In case, you feel that your pet is unable to hold down even small amounts fluid and food, there’s something seriously wrong. The poor buddy of yours might be suffering from pancreatitis, intestinal obstruction, poisoning, bloating or a serious infectious disease.

Causes of Dog Vomiting

There can be innumerable causes of dog vomiting. In most cases, it is result of lack of caution in dietary regimes. Dogs tend to throw up after eating trash, rancid food, poisonous plants, foreign bodies, or some toxic/unpleasant substances. Another cause is an underlying disease such as allergies or food poisoning. Sometimes, dogs throw up undigested or partially digested food. However, repeated vomiting, accompanied by diarrhea can be a warning sign for a serious condition. This might be a result of gastrointestinal disease, drug abuse, dietary conditions, neurologic disease, ingestion of toxins etc.

Prevention Methods

Unfortunately, there is no miraculous technique to keep a dog from vomiting. Prevention requires elimination of root causes of vomiting. Since these are known to be diverse, a single protocol cannot be recommended. However, dogs must be kept aloof of various toxic substances. They also require regular veterinary checkups to diagnose diseases or conditions that can result in vomiting.
Healthy diet and lifestyle with moderate exercise, attention, care and companionship will keep your dogs in good shape.
Dog throwing up help! If this is what you have been shouting, we are here to help you and your pet deal with the problem. We help you understand the reasons behind sudden behavior of your dog and frequent bouts of vomiting. Our info related to bog vomiting will help you understand your pet in a better way. We can help your dog stay healthy and sheer fun to be with.
Check out our site for latest information on do vomiting and solutions at dogvomitinghelp.com. We want you and your pet stay happy and healthy together always.

Not all dogs that have pee accidents in the house are dirty dogs. Canine urinary incontinence is one of the most given reasons dogs end up in animal shelters. In fact, dog urinary incontinence is how we came to have Lilly.

Causes of canine urinary incontinence

There are several things that can cause urinary incontinence in dogs. It isn’t always a behavioral problem. Frequently, dogs with incontinence urinate involuntarily and are often unaware of what is happening. Some dog incontinence issues are chronic and long-term while others are acute and short-term. An acute issue is often caused by a urinary infection in the dog. Canine urinary infections are easily treated with antibiotics.

Another acute dog urinary incontinence issue can be caused by struvite crystals forming in the dogs urine. Struvite crystals irritate the urinary tract and cause frequent urination. Crystals can become bladder stones and a chronic issue if not treated. While your veterinarian can treat crystals, you can save money and treat the crystals yourself with a simple change to a high quality dog food.

Dog foods with a high ash content are known to cause struvite crystals. Dog foods with a high protein content can also present a problem with crystal formation. Even some high quality dog foods can present an issue. Lilly forms struvite crystals when we feed her Canidae. We no longer use Canidae due to the issues with struvite crystals in Lilly.

When to seek help from your veterinarian for your dogs urinary incontinence

If a change in diet to a high quality, low protein, low ash and mineral content dog food doesn’t cure your dogs urinary incontinence, it is time to see your veterinarian. It is possible your dog has formed bladder stones. Anytime your dogs urine is cloudy or blood tinged seek help. Also, if your dog appears to be having trouble or pain while urinating you need to contact your veterinarian.

Canine incontinence drugs

Sometimes your dog may require a prescription even with a high quality diet. Lilly is such a dog. Even though we feed her the best food possible, she needs her “peeps pill” for a 100% cure. Lilly is prescribed Proin (Phenylpropanolamine), also marketed under brand name Propalin, which improves the tone of the sphincter muscles, particularly the urethra and the bladder neck. This drug is very effective for dogs that leak urine. Lilly would frequently wake up with a small puddle near her hind end. This was obviously an issue where her muscles used to contain herself didn’t work properly. This drug strengthens those muscles.

The number one thought to keep in mind is not all dog incontinence problems are behavioral. A change in diet should be your first step in trying to tackle a dog urine issue. If the dog incontinence continues, contact your veterinarian to have the urine sampled for issues such as a urinary infection in your dog. With a little effort, canine urinary incontinence is treatable.

Words of author

The purpose of this article was more along the line of showing incontinence isn’t usually a behavioral issue. We also wanted to point out there are solutions. Even if the cause is related to an early spay or a spay where the bladder was affected etc., treating with a change in diet along with medication can successfully mitigate the problem.

Lilly, the dog in the post, was most likely a case of a spay gone bad. We certainly don’t want anyone not having their animal spayed due to the possibility of them becoming incontinent. We encourage everyone to have their animals spayed/neutered. The timing of the procedure is between the pet parent and their veterinarian.

Even though Lilly’s issue was most likely due to a spay issue, diet has a direct effect on exacerbating her condition. She also will be taking medication for the duration of her life. It is a shame veterinarians aren’t taught enough about nutrition in school. What they are taught is frequently subsidized by Hills, the maker of Science Diet. Unfortunately, Science Diet doesn’t measure up compared to quality foods. Ash content of dog food has a direct effect on exacerbating incontinence. Any diet that is causing the formation of crystals will cause a relapse of incontinence issues as well.

So, no matter what originally caused the issue, we stand by our treatment steps that include changing the dog’s diet first. We believe by changing to a truly high quality food, there will be far less pets banished to the backyard and/or dumped at shelters.