Therapeutic Techniques for Animals

21/11/2024

Happy 6th birthday to our beautiful girl Nala. You came to us at just 15 months old. Time has gone so quickly. We love you so much, our funny, smart, cheeky girl. Thank you for the joy you bring every day.🐾💕🐾

19/11/2024

Occasional flatulence in dogs is normal. However, if your dog is farting a lot it can be due to what he's eating, or another issue.

19/11/2024

14/11/2024

Did you know?

While most humans recognize growling, many encounter problems interpreting a dog’s more subtle body language taking place just prior to growling.

These signs may include a dog yawning, licking his lips, or turning his head.

Recognizing these early signs is important so as to prevent the dog from reaching his "boiling point."

Discover more about growling in dogs: https://pethelpful.com/pet-news/why-do-dogs-growl-suddenly

12/11/2024

November is Animal cancer awareness month. Any unusual lump or bump needs to be investigated. Our beautiful Makulu died of lymphoma. Nala had a small spot inside her eyelid which had to be removed, and turns out it was a hemangiosarcoma. She's since had to have additional spots on her paws and one on her belly removed. And of course any signs of them feeling sick need to be investigated by the vet as well to ensure it's nothing serious.

11/11/2024

Please don't give these to your dogs.

🚨 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚 regarding the many pet stores are now starting to stock for dogs. Many of these so called treats end up with the dog "enjoying" some time in a veterinary surgery over . 🐶🤢
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀 / 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗮.
The chews are made from cattle or horse hides and their journey starts with the hides being soaked in a toxic sodium sulphide to remove the hair and fat. More chemicals are used in order to split the hide into layers which is then washed with hydrogen peroxide to give the white "pure" look and remove the rancid smell.
Now comes the pretty festive colours and the glue to form cute shapes.
On testing, these chews have shown traces of arsenic, mercury, chromium and formaldehyde. If that wasn't bad enough, 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.
The chews go slippery when wet and are near impossible to get hold of to save a choking dog.
Please leave them in the shop where they belong or if some well meaning person buys them for your dog/s, 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗻!
Please be safe with your dogs this Christmas! 🙏
Looking for 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵-𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 for your puppers? Check our 2024 for 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗲 𝗗𝗼𝗴𝘀 / 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝘁 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, BOTH live on the Website: https://www.australiandoglover.com/2024/10/top-20-christmas-gifts-for-aussie-dogs.html

11/11/2024

Remembrance day. Lest we forget.

07/11/2024

Potential disasters waiting to happen.

06/11/2024

Yes.

04/11/2024

Storm Season in Australia. So many of our dogs and cats become fearful before and during a storm - whether it includes thunder, lightning or high winds.
We often feel helpless.
Here are 3 calming acupressure points which we can try gently holding while holding space for our animal. I often use a drop of diluted lavender oil (for DOGS only) as well.
You can also trying gently moving your hand down either side of the dog's spine, starting at the top near the ears. The vagus nerve travels along that way (with a bit of a drop down, then up again, then ending going down to the intestines etc... if you want to see exactly where it goes you can google it - it's not called the wandering nerve for nothing) but a lot of it's travels are alongside the spine. This can also be very calming. The slower you go, the better.
Feeling anxious due to your animal's anxiety? Try to focus on thoughts such as these towards your animal. "You are safe. I am safe. I know you are anxious. So am I. Together we will breathe. We will be calm. We will get through it. This will pass." Make up your own affirmation. You don't have to speak it out loud, unless it helps you and your animal to do so.

Disclaimer: I am fully aware that there are severe cases where medication is required and I am fully on board with medication being used. You should always be consulting your vet if you have any concerns about your animal's anxiety.

04/11/2024

It's that time of year again in Australia. Temperatures are set to rise this week in Brisbane. Please be heat smart with your dogs and keep them safe. I will also add - please don't put your dog in the back of a ute that has no padding for their paws and leave them in the back of the ute while you do whatever it is you need to do. I'll leave the rest of my thoughts on that particular subject for another time.

02/11/2024

https://graceveterinary.com/2019/11/13/a-hitch-in-spots-giddy-up-hip-dysplasia-in-dogs/?fbclid=IwY2xjawGTmVRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWMScvi4GBYVCQGLJl45bXeDFIbCaf0W3Lmb-YbcbFXXZBuJ06RgHe9xcA_aem_KMN5vQzgdCb9gHQywQGtXQ

A great in depth article on hip dysplasia with this graphic showing some of the signs that your dog might have hip dysplasia.

31/10/2024

One of the most versatile and well known acupressure points to use on your dog (and yourself). Stomach 36 Also known as Foot 3 miles and Zu San Li. Helps with chronic illness, abdominal pain, nausea, digestion issues, it boosts the immune system, helps settle anxiety and knee and shoulder problems. (Don't use it on the knee if the dog has an injury or has had surgery on that knee, however it is useful to use on the opposite leg).
This video shows how to locate it on your dog.

Stomach 36 (St 36) - "Leg 3 Miles" A super acupoint! Benefits all GI tract problems, metabolic issues, allergies, helps Kidneys, facilitates blood & chi flow, etc. How do you find St 36? Feel the flat spot on the dog's stifle joint (knee) toward the front of the hind leg, then slide down to the tibial crest and feel the soft space between the tibia and the rise of the muscle - there you have it!

31/10/2024

When your dog's lick of your child is more of a push and is accompanied by tension in the face.
Such important information for those with a dog and young children.

Does your dog lick your baby? Has this ever become uncomfortable for you? If so you might have experienced a Kiss to Dismiss. This type of lick is more of a push and is accompanied by tension in the face. Most often this lick follows a dog “checking in” (looking at you for help) and other subtle signals like lip licks, whale eye, tension in facial muscles etc. It feels different and maybe tense.

🕵 “Is it a full tongue or a little bit?”
🕵 “Full tongue lick or quick flick?”
🕵 “Is the child sitting and the dog approaches or vice versa, what level of mobility does the child have, is food present?
🕵 Is there tension in the dog’s facial muscles?
🕵 Does it make you uncomfortable?

There are many questions! But these questions help us gather valuable information to help us understand what the dog may be communicating. At Family Paws Parent Education, we want to help parents consider and recognize that dog licks may not always be what we think they are, “affectionate kisses” or indications of “love,” but could have other meanings.

If you are curious about these doggy “kisses” and if they are a “Kiss to Dismiss,” ask yourself,

👉Is your dog in need of space and there is a reason why they chose not to move? (what just happened? Did your baby crawl closer to your dog? Is your dog in pain? Is it their favorite spot?)
👉Does this licking deter closeness or lead to an increase in space?

⭐We highly recommend that babies never approach a dog as we say, “invites decrease bites.” “Dog and baby on the scene, a parent in between!”


Illustration by Steve Bishop