Problematic Breathing Breeds

With summer approaching, the grooming shop I work at is increasing in temperature. This becomes a problem because we need to begin to be much more aware of the dogs that are in the back of the shop with us. The front of the store is where the professional groomers work, they have been through years of training much as any human hair dresser would go through. As for us, "bathers", well, we're stuck in the back of the shop where the tubs and dryers are. We have cubbies which line the wall where the dogs wait to be dried after their baths. It is always a priority to keep a dog back there for as little time as possible. However, while the temperatures rise outside, so does the temperature in our workspace. With this, we need to start to keep in mind that it is not unheard of for a dog to overheat in such extreme temperatures. Though the doors and windows are always open to keep the air circulating, sometimes this just does not do it.

During the summer we get the dogs in and out as quickly as possible, timing is always much more of a concern now than it is in the winter. Though all breeds are at risk in extreme temperatures, there are a few that need particular attention paid to them. The most important two that we get most often are pugs and bulldogs. It is crucial that they are in the back with us for as little time as possible. They do not sit under the dryers like most of the other dogs, and they certainly do not wait to be dried. When they get out of the tub, they get on the table and dried immediately with these "force dryers" we have.

These breeds are most important because they are very prone to develop breathing problems from birth. Some common struggles they might face are: elongated soft palates, hypoplastic trachea, pinched nares, and paroxysmal respiration.

Elongated Soft Palate: A soft palate is a flap of skin in the back of the dog's throat and if it is too long, it blocks the airway making it a struggle for the dog to breath.
Hypoplastic Trachea: This is simply when a dog's trachea is narrow causing shortness of breath.
Pinched Nares: Nostrils are the nares and often they are tight on these breeds making it difficult for air to pass through the nose.
Paroxysmal Respiration: This is also known as reverse sneezing and it literally looks like your dog is trying to inhale a sneeze. This happens when the trachea has narrowed.

Our New Friend

About a week ago we had a small Boston Terrier come into work for boarding in the kennel while his owners when on vacation. This was no ordinary dog though and he has lived no ordinary life. His owners had saved him from a shelter after he was abandoned. He is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met and loves to do nothing more than cuddle with anyone and everyone around him and give kisses. His affection is overwhelming especially considering all of the issues he currently has. Though he has a good home now and owners to care for him, he has many physical problems that take their toll.


One of these problems is his skin and how sensitive it is. He has cuts all over his body because of it and his feet are completely covered with wounds due to him walking around outside. We have had to place tiny socks on him and have to carry him when we can see he is not feeling well enough to walk. When he lays down, he curls his feet up so that the bottoms are sticking up from the ground because it hurts him to lean on them too much. Though I am not sure what his specific skin condition is, I have discovered that skin conditions are the most common ailments in dogs which make sense because so many illnesses dogs suffer from have skin conditions as one of their symptoms.

This poor dog also has a sever dent in his head. It seems as though the skull is a bit deformed and it is almost painful to look at because it is almost like a hole in his head. I am not sure what caused this but just looking at this dog you feel the pain he has put up with over the course of his life. It is a great thing that he finally has owners who care for him.

However, though his owners do care for him a great deal and it certainly does take a certain kind of person to rescue such an unfortunate canine, they did not make the proper decision in boarding him. Bringing a dog in such a condition to be boarded for two weeks in a regular kennel is definitely not the right idea and it is most certainly not recommended in any case. The kennel employees have now decided to suggest to the owners that the next time they go away for such an extended period of time, they bring him to Angel Memorial where proper care can be administered to this poor dog.

Elders of the Canine World

As I have mentioned briefly in several of my other posts, elderly dogs often go through the worst of times. Just like humans, age can truly take its toll on the elders of the canine world and this can be due to any number of problems. As the years go on, dogs can form illnesses they were not susceptible on young pups, full of health and life. However, instead of making this posting about any dozen of the diseases or physical ailments they may or may not form, I thought it might be a bit more interesting to talk about the behavioral changes they may undergo instead.

In my previous posting I brought up my fifteen year old dog, Angelica. She is a black lab and we have had her since she was just a few weeks old. Over the more recent years, she has developed that previously mentioned cyst, fat lumps on several parts of her body, as well as arthritis in her two bag legs. The cyst is untreatable and does not seem to bother her much at all, besides of course the unfortunate hearing loss. The fat lumps are just that, fatty lumps which have been checked and confirmed they are not cancerous at all. The arthritis has slowed her down greatly, and stairs were becoming more and more difficult for her however, a daily Aspirin seems to take care of this problem throughout the day. Though it would seem about time for my poor pooch to be put to sleep, we do not see much of a reason for this. She is honestly still a happy dog and enjoys playing with our eleven year old dog, Judo. The two get along for the most part but Angelica's mood swings often cause a bit of tension between the two. My mother has always says she will make sure to keep Ang around for as long as she seems happy. She does not appear to be in pain and lives an overall very happy life, still enjoying walks and times of play outside.

Getting off track a bit there, I would like to get back to the mood swings Angelica seems to go through sometimes. At times she will be licking Judo's face, showing utter affection towards her best pal but at other times, especially when food is at stake, she will snap at Judo. She will literally just bite at his face, never even making contact with him but definitely making it a threat to steer clear of her. He never pays much attention to her acts of aggression and just goes right along with what he was doing. There is a golden retriever puppy whom our neighbor brought home a few months ago and he loves to comes over and play all the time. Judo loves to have a playmate other than his old, grouchy one but Angelica could not be less pleased to have this pup around. She stands at the door and continuously barks until he goes away, and though she is never overly aggressive when she is outside with him, her unhappiness with his presence if very much apparent.

Skin Irritations Can Tell So Much

It is rather common for dogs to develop cysts at some point in their life. At work we often have dog who have all different kinds of cysts. Usually older canines are the ones who tend to develop such problems and when these occur, very often older dogs are too old to undergo surgery to have the cyst removed. However, luckily they do always bother the dog. My dog actually has a growth in her ear and she does not seemed to be bother by it at all. She has lost all her hearing though but being fifteen years old, she is not nearly strong enough to go through a surgery.

At work the other day we had a gold retriever come in with an extremely large cyst next to her tail. It was so large that it seemed as though it would be uncomfortable for her to even sit down but she seemed to be fine with it. The only thing was that we had to careful not to puncture it with a brush and just tried to steer clear of it altogether. If it had been punctured, she would have had to be rushed to the hospital and it was almost scary how easy it was to send this elderly dog to the hospital in critical condition.

The skin of a dog can tell an owner so much about their pooch. Even though a dog is active and seems completely healthy, sometimes growths and skin irritations such as cysts can make it clear that they are not in the best condition at all. Very often treatment for such problems is possible and must be taken advantage of right away. Often antibiotics can be prescribed to help clear up such irritations or growths, sometimes even just a change in diet can be helpful. For more serious cases, steroids may need to be used and in the worst case scenarios, surgery will be recommended. This is why regular check ups with a veterinarian are so vital to a dog's overall health and long life.

Today we had a blind pug come into work which is not unusual at all. Very often we have blind dogs come in for grooming but most of the time they are on the older side and their sight has been taken from them due to their age. However, there are cases in which canines simply go blind suddenly, often because of SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). When a dog goes blind it is often seen to be harder on the owner than on the dog him/herself.A dog's sight is number three on the list of senses, after smell and hearing. When we look at it this way, it almost seems a lot more manageable for a dog to accept his/her blindness. We often struggle more, imagining what it would be like for a human to go through something as terrible as sudden blindness.

I looked up some tips to help owners with blind to manage and to more importantly, help their pets manage:

1. Try not to move furniture around or leave obstacles on the floor.
2. Remember we take things so much harder than they do and they also pick up on our emotions.  So try to express  "happy" emotions around your blind baby
3. Emphasize the senses they still have:
   A blind dog/pup-their sense of smell, hearing, taste and touch
   A blind/deaf dog-their sense of smell, taste and touch (they can feel vibrations-especially when you walk)
4. Ask people to let your dog "smell" their hand before touching them.  Most blind dogs personalities don't change. Some dogs however can easily become "startled" and this could  also lead to fear biting in some dogs.  
5. Try to treat them as normal as possible.  Building their confidence is key to letting them know they can still do things and that you still love them....let them know they are still the same  dog in your eyes.  For a blind pup it can be the basis for what type of personality they will developed.  
6. Coax, encourage and praise them to do the same things they did before.  However, understand and still praise them if they "can't".  
7. Be creative with different scents to mark areas for your blind babies--just make sure its safe for them.  You can use different scents of flavored extracts or even something as simple as hanging a car air freshener or potpourri sachet on a door.  Using different scented candles in each room may also help your dog distinguish from different rooms in your house
8. Use textured materials to mark areas. Throw rugs and decorative pillows are great (and people don't even realize their "Real" purpose). Indoor/outdoor carpeting, wind chimes and something as simple as cedar chips or decorative bricks or blocks can help guide them along their way outside. 
9. Use bells or jingling tags on your other dogs.. not only help your blind babies to find/follow  your other dogs, but will also avoid them from being startled by your other dogs.  You can also use bells on your shoes to help them find you
10.  Don't be afraid to walk with a "heavy foot" when approaching them especially with a blind/deaf baby....they can still feel vibrations. 
11. Don't under estimate the power of touching and massage. 
12. Be very vocal with your dog.
13. A tabletop fountain can be used as a water bowl. Get a simple one with a large bowl and the sound of running water helps to orient the blind dog and helps him to find his water bowl as well as know where he is from the sound. Some dogs like drinking from running water too! This can be especially helpful if you have to move to a new home with a blind dog.
    (http://www.blinddogs.com/tips.htm)

Poem about a Blind Dog 
by Sherrill Wardrip

I cannot see you Mommy, when you cuddle me so near.
And yet I know you love me, it's in the words I hear.
I cannot see you Daddy, when you hold me by your side
But still I know you love me when you tell me so with pride.

I cannot see to run and play out in the sun so bright
For here inside my tiny head it's always dark as night.
I cannot see the treats you give when I am extra good
But I can wag my tail in Thanks just like a good dog should.

"She cannot see. The dogs no good" is what some folks might say
"She can't be trained, she'll never learn She must be put away."
But not you, Mom and Daddy You know that it's all right
Because I love you just as much as any dog with sight.

You took me in, you gave me love and we will never part
Because I'm blind with just my eyes, I see you in my heart. 

Puppies Do Bite Back

As discussed in my previous post, puppies are born with certain genes that cause them to behave in certain ways. Dogs explore everything with their mouths, puppies especially love to get a taste of anything they can get their little paws on. This often becomes an issue when they begin to chew your belongings our even worse, when they start to bite humans. When puppies play with one another, biting and nibbling is a very big part of this. However, sometimes the biting gets too rough and one of them will cry out in a yelping manner to make it known that the biting has gone too far. This same method can be used with puppies and humans.

When a puppy bites a human too hard, make it known by crying out just as a puppy might. If this does not seem to be working, walking out of the room can help or placing the puppy into time-out in their crate for a few minutes. A slight tap on the nose accompanied with a form, "no bite" can also be helpful. To stop your little one from chewing your belongings, make sure they have plenty of toys around for them to chew on, especially during teething time.

Dog Aggressive Dogs

It is a common thing at my job to have a "dog aggressive" dog. This simply means that a dog, though not aggressive towards people, are very aggressive towards other dogs. Very often they are actually quite friendly with humans but the minute a dog is placed in their proximity, they become very defensive. There is no one type of dog which is like this, though I am sure it would be assumed that larger dogs behave in this manner more often than smaller ones. However, I have come across many smaller breeds that feel very uncomfortable around other dogs and become very angry when they are placed around one.

When a puppy is born, they have the genes which drive them to do certain things and do behave in certain ways. A puppy is programmed to be part of a dog pack but not as the leader of the pack, that job stands with the puppy's owner. When confronted by another dog, it is the owner's job to regulate what goes on between the two canines. If the strange dog is aggressive and attacks the puppy, the puppy from there on out is suddenly programmed to be defensive around other dogs. This memory stays with them and it becomes instinct to act aggressively whenever another dog approaches them.


A puppy's owner needs to take on the role as the pack leader entirely. In order for your puppy to grow up as a friendly dog, towards humans and canines alike, you need to protect it. If an aggressive dog approaches yours, you need to stop the encounter in any way you can.


A dog's owner needs to have control over their pet, not let their pet have control over them. Letting your dog run wild, allowing them to do as they please is not your responsibility as their pack leader and not your responsibility as their owner. Though your dog will love you, they will not respect you and many problems will arise from this. Show your dog respect but in a firm, obedient manner and in turn, they will show you the same respect and believe it or not, they will love you for it too.