Dog Health

	Arthritis is an Active Dog Issue Susan McKay raises the awareness of this debilitating disease which can be a real problem for agility dogs. (20/04/07)
	Canine Vision Understanding what your dogs 'sees' could mean the difference between a clear round and a dropped jump bar or missed contact. If you want to better understand canine vision, therefore, first you need to recognise that dogs see like a colour-blind human.
	Club First Aid Kits: Better Safe than Sorry Make it your New Year's resolution to check your Club's First Aid Kit. It only makes sense for all agility clubs to have a first aid kit in a water-tight box, clearly marked and kept in a safe place. After all, it could be you (or your dog) that needs help. (25/01/00)
	Competing with a Breeding Bitch: A Pregnant Pause If you compete with an intact female and would like to breed, what is reasonable and safe to do with her during pregnancy? K-9 Vet Dr. Henry de Boer wrote this article in response to a request from Clean Run Magazine about working with a breeding female. (15/11/99)
	Dog Boots: Foot Protection for Active Dogs It all started when Elizabeth Alderton's Labrador dog, Scrumpy, went through a paw-cutting phase. Yes, there were some dog boots around but, whilst good of their type, they were either too flimsy, too cumbersome or they fell off! So Elizabeth set about designing and manufacturing her own. (02/07/00)
	Doping in Agility There will always be people in sport who will try and gain some advantage over the next person. Agility vet Peter van Dongen asks the questions the rest of us dare not think - does it happen in agility? (25/02/02)
	Ear Powder - Hear Here Caroline Hair has been using this formula I've been using since she got her first Standard Poodle in 1959. It was given to her by a breeder of cocker spaniels - and she can honestly say she has NEVER had an ear infection in one of my dogs. She have given it to others to clear up existing infections and given us permission to reprint it on Agilitynet. It is especially good at drying up the black gunk. But will it help your dog to hear better next time you call TUNNEL in the ring? (30/07/01)
	Elbow Dyslasia Explained All you wanted to know about ED and more by vet Peter van Dongen. (29/03/04)
	Elbow Dysplasia: A Crippling Joint Disease The term elbow dysplasia (ED) is a general term that is used to describe a developmental degenerative disease of the elbow joint. Understanding the symptoms and causes of ED is extremely important if informed decisions are to be made regarding diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of ED. Dr. Henry de Boer discusses this crippling disease, its causes and symptoms and diagnosis along with its treatment and prevention. (03/8/99)
	Exercised-induced Hyperthermia Have you noticed that your dog overheats rapidly? Does it put everything into every jump, tunnel, weave poles and after five minutes, it starts panting dangerously hard. Your dog may suffer from a disorder known as Exercise-induced Hyperthermia. Not much is known about this occurrence except that it is common among highly driven dogs. Mary Whorton should know. She has one. This is what she has discovered with some additional information from the folks on the AGILE e-list. (23/07/01)
	Flea Collars: A Natural Alternative Some flea control products can be toxic to people and pets, if used incorrectly.
	Flea Fact Sheet: Everything You Wanted to Know About Those Little Black Bugs If your dog has ever had fleas, you will know just how difficult it can be to treat them. The National Canine Defense League answers some of your questions to enable you to take appropriate action to avoid your dog suffering with a flea problem.
	Hair Today Gone Tomorrow If you work a Border Collie or thick-coated dog in the heat of the day like at a show, what is the best way to avoid overheating. Is wetting him down and having him lay in the shade any better than just resting and cooling off naturally. In the UK, it might seem a radical idea but what about shearing his coat. Dr. Nicholas Carter of Border Collie Rescue goes through the pros and cons on this subject. (17/08/01)
	Heat Stroke Revisited Most people are conscious of the risks and predisposing causes of heat stroke in the summer and take appropriate precautions. Many people, however, drop their guard during other seasons, which can lead to a possible disaster. Heat stroke is most likely to occur when we are less conscientious about how heat, muscular exertion and confinement can affect our dogs. K-9 Working vet In his experience as a veterinarian and a working dog trainer/handler, Dr. Henry de Boer explains how to recognise it, treat it and what to do to prevent it. (03/07/01)
	Hind Limb Lameness Earlier this year, Sue Duncan's dog Teddy needed an operation for Tarsal Lameness. She persuaded her vet Mike Guilluard to write an article for other agility handlers about this 'new' condition in Border Collies. (25/05/04)
	Hip Dysplasia: Quality of Life is What's Important What happens if you find out that your young agility dog has hip dysplasia. You're instructed to wait a month and then have another x-ray done. However, the vet believes it is rather bad and advises you to consider surgery. What should you do? Is this the end of fun for you and your dog? Dr. Henry de Boer, the Working K-9 Vet advises. (17/03/00)
	Hot Weather Warning! When the temperature soars and it feels like 85 degrees in the shade, don't forget your dog. You may be able to stay cool in a T-shirt and shorts, but your dog can't change into something cool. Common sense and a few simple steps can save their lives and make hot weather competing worth the trip. (07/07/01)
	Injuries to Agility Dogs Lesley Holmes is a Chartered Physiotherapist who is currently studying an MSc in Animal Physiotherapy. Her particular interest is in injuries sustained in Agility Dogs. Thank you to everyone who completed the questionnaire on Agilitynet. She has promised to send us a précis of her findings. (20/04/02)
	It's a Wormy World Parasites are all around us, just waiting to take advantage. Make sure your agility star is not their next meal. (07/04/04)
	Jumping Height in Agility: A Vet's Perspective Well-known agility competitor and vet Peter van Dongen has been following the debate about the height of jumps in the UK in the agility press for some time now. He's concerned about the possible consequences of changing the jumping height, specifically the risk of injury, and the safety of our dogs in general. Quite a few people - many with many years of experience - he feels have very strong opinions about what is right and what is wrong - views which are based on their personal experiences as handlers or trainers rather than hard scientific evidence of injuries in agility dogs and their causes. (18/02/01)
	Kennel Cough Kennel Cough has been doing the agility rounds. Dogs of any age or breed are susceptible. One club, at least, has stopped training for the moment. Vet and author Peter van Dongen explains about this highly contagious infection in this abridged version of Chapter 20 of his book Vets & Pets. (09/11/01)
	Leptospirosis: A Re-emerging Problem While leptospirosis is not a problem specific to agility dogs, the information contained in this article by Dr. Henry de Boer, the Working K-9 Vet, is of growing importance to all dogs, their owners and handlers, as it speaks about a growing health concern. (05/06/00)
	Liver Shunt For three years, Kim Bailey looked for something to help her agility Westie who was suffering form liver shunt but eventually lost her to this dreadful disease. She has agreed to share her experiences in the hope of sparing other people the heartbreak of losing their best friend. (19/05/06)
	The Mouth - A Hidden Organ System Apart from relatively small differences, the anatomy of the mouth in humans and dogs are surprisingly similar. We probably experience discomfort and pain in much the same way and you wouldn't want to do agility with a toothache, would you? In the first of a series of articles, vet dentistry specialist Gerhard Putter explains more about this important and oft forgotten aspect of your dog's health. (23/09/07)
	Oral Nutrition: Managing Arthritis & Joint Disease Confused about the use of oral nutritional supplements for you dog's joint health? The Dr. Henry de Boer, K-9 Working Vet, answers your questions. (12/01/00)
	Practical First Aid Every dog owner will at some time or another come across a situation where it will be beneficial to know how to perform first aid on their dog. Often this requires only common sense, but sometimes it is important to know just that little bit more for the highest chance of recovery or even survival! Peter van Dongen outlines some basic information to help you make the best choice when first aid becomes necessary. (21/04/02)
	Single Dose Vaccinations Keith Powell believes in the benefits of vaccination but refuses to play Russian Roulette with the health of his dogs. (18/02/06)
	Skin Deep Clinical Trials Nurse Frances Gaudiano deals with dermatological problems on a daily basis and has written this short article to help you deal with common ectoparasite-related problems.. (09/08/05)
	Skunk Bath: A Smelly solution When Carlos Cordiero's dog Maggie got sprayed big time, he was glad that he remembered one particular discussion on the AGILE email list about how to get rid of the smell. Poor Maggie! Her white chest was all yellow from the spray, and she smelled like burned rubber. Carlos used this formula and says it worked a treat. Since then he's had more than 80 requests for the recipe, so here it is. (06/10/99)
	Strains & Sprains: One of the Most Frustrating & Troublesome Types of Injury At trials we see many dogs doing these very sudden stops on contact points. You know, one moment they're flying over the obstacle then SLAM, they stop dead. Did you ever wonder how mach potential for damage to joints there is in this method especially with all the stress that comes from rapid acceleration and deceleration from jumps, stops and tight turns. (12/9/99)
	Star Turns Despite having had a broken vertebrae as a youngster and then contracting Addisons Disease Lesley Harpley dog Star has just gone Senior. This is a story of tremendous courage and hard work. Lesley says thank you to those who helped along the way. (21/05/05)
	Strrr-etching the Imagination It's all well and good to say that you should warm up your dog before training or a competition but what does that really mean? Some suggestions for warming up programmes which could be used before training or a run at a competition. (11/11/02)
	Torsion: The 15 Minute Killer Urgent - If your dog's abdomen becomes swollen and hard with gas, this is an emergency. Death may follow from torsion or twisted stomach. Do not poke or probe. the distended abdomen. There is no effective first aid for this acute condition. Take your dog to the vet at once.
	Warming Up - Is it Worth the Effort? Chartered Physiotherapist and agility handler Lesley Holmes shares the results of her survey on whether 'warming up' reduces injuries to agility dogs (07/11/02)
	Vaccinations: To Boost or Not to Boost? Recently an interesting article appeared in The Veterinary Record about the duration of immunity in dogs after vaccination or naturally acquired infection. In other words, it discussed what is known about the protection against infectious diseases after having been in contact with them, or vaccinated against them, and how often we should be giving booster vaccinations. Peter van Dongen summarises. (29/11/01)

Dog Health

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