Take a look at your dog’s kibble, 99.9% of the time you will find some sort of carbohydrates in your dog’s food. Carbohydrates cause many problems for many dogs, especially those with sensitivities to wheat and corn. The unfortunate result of mass producing dog food is the need for “filler” to bulk up the food and make it on a budget, the result of these fillers in your dog’s kibble results not only in allergies and sensitivities for some dogs but it also results in increased waste production and decreased nutritional value.

A great way to look at your dog’s dietary needs is to look at what dogs have available to them in the wild, whereas a wild dog has access to plenty of meat, you would never see a wild dog perusing a corn field for dinner. A wild dog eats only what carbohydrates it finds in it’s prey’s stomach which hardly amounts to anything. Now take a look at what percentage of your dog’s kibble is comprised of carbohydrates. While our dogs are able to process both protein and carbohydrates for use as energy and muscle building, the value of pure protein as opposed to carbohydrates is invaluable. There are also many forms of carbohydrates that are much harder for dog’s digestive systems to break down and some forms of carbohydrate are next to impossible to break down and so they are eliminated from your dog’s digestive system without providing any nutritional value at all.

So if our dog’s can use both protein and carbohydrates for energy what’s the big deal? Besides dogs who have sensitivities to carbohydrates and the increased elimination that accompanies carbohydrate rich diets, carbohydrates also play a role in canine obesity. When your dog’s digestive system breaks down carbohydrates they are more readily converted to glucose which gets stored in your dog’s body and increases chances for your dog to become obese. Feeding a diet rich in the right protein’s and fats and low in carbohydrates, however, can help to keep your dog at a healthy weight as well as decrease his daily bowel movements.

While you may not be ready to feed your dog a raw diet that has adequately low levels of carbohydrates, you can; however, research foods that are low in carbohydrates and find one that is suitable to your dog’s needs. Just remember that when you decide to switch your dog’s kibble you want to make the transition gradually, a sudden change in diet can cause gastric distress.

When it comes to picking out your puppy there are many things for you to take in to consideration based on your future plans for your puppy. Depending on what you plan for your puppy you will have to take many things in to account, for example people who have contracts with breeders to breed their puppy need to choose a puppy based on physical characteristics, they will often choose the strongest of the puppies with the most desirable characteristics. Talking to your breeder or shelter worker you will be able to have them help you pick out a dog that suits your lifestyle; however, you can make this decision yourself as well based on a lot of observation. Here are some things to take in to consideration and watch for when you pick out your puppy:

Is your puppy submissive or dominant? It is usually a good idea to pick a puppy that falls in the middle of the spectrum; however, some households are well suited to a “bossy” puppy or suited well enough to bring a submissive puppy out of his shell.

Does your puppy respond well to stimuli? This is very important, especially when you are not shopping with a well recognised breeder. Stimuli tests not only make you aware of how alert your puppy is but they also make you aware of any existing sensory or neurological problems that your breeder is not telling you / is not aware of.

Is your puppy extremely skittish? Skittish puppies are normal; however, overly skittish puppies are not and can leave you facing training obstacles in the future as you try to break your dog of these skittish habits. It is very possible to break a dog of being overly fearful but it is generally suggested that you do not pick a puppy who is overly fearful to begin with.

Have you observed your puppy over a period of time? If you have picked a reputable breeder the chances are that you have reserved your puppy prior to or shortly after breeding has taken place and so you will have the pleasure of watching your puppy grow from birth to eight weeks (when they are ready to leave mom and come home with you). Observing your new puppy over a period of time is important to get a fair evaluation of what your puppy is going to be like as he grows, it is not an accurate perception of your new puppy to simply see him in action for one day – after all he may be having a bad day.

There are various books to give you plenty of information on how to raise your new puppy; however, these books can sometimes be misleading. The best book to read over prior to looking in to getting your puppy (in my opinion) is “The Art of Raising a Puppy“.

Just as people can choke on solid objects our dogs are just as likely to choke during their day to day activities. Although the canine Heimlich maneuver is seldom used it is an important procedure for any dog owner to be aware of. There are a variety of ways to become educated and experienced with canine first aid practices; however, and I emphasize this point – you must become properly trained to perform this maneuver before using it on your dog or else you risk severe injury to your pet which can cause much worse damage than you could imagine. You can talk to your vet about learning canine first aid techniques and how to properly execute them.

Once you notice your dog is choking you want to make absolutely sure that your dog has ingested an item that has caused choking as opposed to having trouble breathing. If you are sure that your dog is choking you will want to begin administering the Heimlich maneuver. Your dog will often times let you know that he has inhaled an object by frantically pawing his face. Once you are sure that your dog is choking you will want to do the following:

1. Remove his collar and any other objects such as bandanas that constrict his neck.

2. Look in your dogs mouth, if you see a foreign object and can reach it remove it – NEVER put your hand down your dogs throat without being able to see what you are grasping for, your dogs throat contains small bones that are sometimes mistaken for obstructions when they are actually a part of your dogs anatomy.

3. If you cannot remove the object lift your dog so that his head is pointed down (you can lift your entire dog if you have a small dog or just the back legs if you have a large dog), this can help to dislodge foreign objects.

4. If the object is still not dislodged you can apply a blow between your dogs shoulder blades – just as you do with choking children.

If all of the above fail you will need to apply the canine Heimlich maneuver

5. Grab your dog around his waist with his tail end pointed to your body

6. Put your fist just below his ribs

7. Compress his abdomen a 3 times with quick pushes (similar to check compressions with a fist)

8. Check your dog’s mouth to see if the object has been dislodged

9. Repeat the procedure if the object has not been dislodged; however, do not repeat more than once, if the object has not been dislodged get your pet to the emergency vet clinic or your local vet clinic immediately.

Even when you are able to dislodge foreign objects from your dog’s throat/mouth you will need an appointment with your vet to ensure that no damage has been done by the foreign object to the delicate tissues and structures of your dogs mouth and throat.