BAD BEHAVIOR

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Certain spontaneous growling is initiated by the owner staring at the pet, standing over its shoulders, or behind its back while it is being fed. Think of your actions during the entire feeding regimen and analyze the baby's presence during the meal. Don't forget to offer the dog plenty of care and compassion, such as grooming, exercise, and attention independent of the child at first and then slowly (and always supervised) with the child. Make sure the dog knows that even though there's a new baby in the house, you haven't forgotten who deserves the milk bones!

Some great behavior books to help with dog problems are:

How To Be Your Dog's Best Friend, (1978, Little, Brown & Co, Boston, MA) by the Monks of New Skete.
Good Manners for the Modern Dog, (1990, Perfect Paws, San Francisco, CA) by Gwen Bohnenkamp.

Dear Andrea:

I have a quarter horse that has been suffering from diarrhea for the last six months. A local horse doctor suggested giving him wheat bran; an animal magazine recommended brewer's yeast; and my small-animal vet suggested yogurt. All of these sugges tions helped, but the diarrhea inevitably returned. I feed the horse "Target" feed and timothy hay. Please help.

- Walter Nickel
Severn, Maryland

Dear Walter:

First off, look around and check if the other horses on the farm are also abnormally thin or suffering from diarrhea. If so, nutrition and/or parasites may be the problem. Examine the quality of the feeds. Most horses will maintain weight without gastrointestinal problems on 4-8 lb/day of a fresh grain and 8-10 lbs./day of a high-quality grass hay. Examine your management. Are there any routine farming changes (time of haying, freezing of water, entry of other animals into pasture) that might correlate with the onset of the problem? Winter months are times when problems may most likely be a true individual medical, versus management, disease.

Feed the horse and observe it eating. If the animal has difficulty chewing, drops grain, or throws its head while chewing, your veterinarian may need to check the animal's teeth for sharp points, which could contribute to maldigestion and diarrhea. However, chronic diarrhea in the horse is most commonly attributed to parasites. Specifically, Stongyles may invade the lining and arteries of the large and small intestines. Many of these parasites can also encyst in one area of the large colon, causing severe malabsorption of water and consequent diarrhea. Your veterinarian can prescribe a proper rotating anthelmintic (antiparasitic) program appropriate for your farm.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print