Nursing a sick dog is one of the vital measures that a dog owner needs to understand.  Similarly, when a dog becomes sick, the dog is in need of more care and affection based activities by the dog owners. Nursing a sick animal is often considered as an art and this should not be taken as a causal measure.

 Yes. You need to take extra care to the dog when it becomes sick. For example, the sick dog with high fever needs to be given only some bread pieces and bulky non-vegetarian items may be avoided.  Such dogs should be kept in some calm place after medications are taken and should not be disturbed.  During the nursing of the dog who has taken the drug, the animal needs coaxing and stroking by the owner. 

Don’t raise the dog’s head too much to avoid the passing of drugs given by the mouth directly into the respiratory organs like lungs.  During the nursing measures, take care by giving warm fluids.

 Safety is to be given more priority during the nursing activity in any dog. When the dog has severe diarrhea, the animal may start showing signs of dehydration. Hence, the nursing care for dehydration includes an addition of small doses of salt and glucose to water in a careful manner.

Similarly, the vomiting dog also needs proper nursing care.  Ice cubes may be given in such cases along with egg whites to smooth the esophageal passage.

 Nowadays, a non-contact based infrared thermometer has come up in the market to obtain the temperature of the animal without much stress.  Place the dog in a shaded place if the temperature is so high and provide good ventilation to the suffering animal.   If the animal is suffering from hypothermia, provide warm blankets to given comfort to the animal.
  

Some of the problem behaviors in dogs are a result of an infection from parasite. These include internal parasites such as roundworm and tapeworm, flea infestation, ear mites, and Hypermetria.

Many dog owners are not aware that most parasite infection such as roundworm infestation is a condition that requires immediate veterinary attention. The fact is that it is important for all puppies to be dewormed as well as vaccinated against distemper and hepatitis.

Most problems related to internal parasitism involve owners who do not know about the adverse effects of digestive malfunction, but still expect a young dog to control his loose stools, be able to housetrain successfully, and learn all the more complicated lessons of being an ideal household pet.

When the puppy does not respond well to the training, the owner sometimes reacts by isolating, punishing or rejecting the pet socially. The resulting confusion and mismanagement of the pet often produce a wide spectrum of behavioral maladjustments.

The following problems are often shown in dogs with internal parasites: Chewing; Digging; Barking; Whining; Unruliness (due to being isolated as punishment); and

Stool eating which is possibly due to a fecal fixation resulting from excessive punishment associated with stools.

Flea infestation has led to rejection by some dog owners. Most of them will only try to get rid of fleas on the dog. They buy a flea collar or flea spray, but usually do nothing about the fleas infesting the dog’s regular sleeping and resting areas.

The result of this is that the dog continues to be infested and is eventually moved to the yard. The problems associated with such social isolation then may evolve.

Ear mite infestation led to isolation-based problems involving destructive chewing. Often, the dog’s constant scratching drives his owner crazy and will eventually result from the dog being shut away.

Some dog owners neglect the rather obvious ear odor commonly associated with ear mites, and refuse to handle the behavioral problem until the ear problem clears up. Consult your vet when you notice a foul odor coming from your dog’s ear. Your vet will prescribe treatment for the scratching problem which in turn will lead to subsequent behavioral corrections.

It is amazing that most animals displaying signs of hypermetria had histories of heavy roundworm or tapeworm infections as puppies. In cases of Hypermetria, the dogs tend to bump into objects, usually submerge their noses when drinking, and display an exaggerated fore-throw of the front limbs when walking.

Some cases of dogs suffering from this condition are abnormally hostile and seemed to be devoid of long-term memory. These dogs had to be re-taught simple lessons every day.

Sure, it’s easy enough to run to Target once every few weeks, pick up that giant bag of food, and pour a scoop or two into your buddy’s dish, but is it really the best thing for him? Dogs’ diets can be as complex as ours, and it’s important to hit all of the vital nutritional bases.

Lack of the proper vitamins and nutrients can lead to upset stomachs, skin problems, brittle bones, obesity, and even – in the worst cases – death. Proper pup nutrition is the building block of his overall health. Without the right nutrition and exercise, his defenses against disease and disorders are weakened. Educate yourself about the ABCs of poochie health by reading on!

What does my dog need from food?
As you most likely learned in primary school, dogs are carnivores. After centuries of domestication, dogs still enjoy living out the illusion that they are the wolves from whom they were naturally selected. They hunt prey (unfortunately for Kitty), love their bacon and sausage treats, and love the solid crunch of chewing bones or other hard toys. Yet a diet of meat alone is not ideal for your dog.

While meat provides most of the crucial nutritional elements to help provide energy and enhance bone growth like protein, fat, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals, your pooch’s diet should also include some amount of fiber to help his body digest his food.

Just as in your own body, an overdose or deficiency of any given nutrient, vitamin, or mineral can cause reactions or illness in your dog. We’ll discuss the ins and outs of vitamin supplements later in the chapter, but you should be generally aware of what amount of each nutrient is ideal for your dog and select his food accordingly. Decent guidelines for nutrition are the percentages above.

Check the sides and back of your dry food bag and you should be able to find the nutritional content fairly easily. If not, give the manufacturer a call and ask them to provide you with the information. If your dog is a sucker for moist food, you’ll find an adjustable formula later in the section.

Should I feed him dry food, canned food, or a mixture?
Walk down the pet aisle in the grocery or pet store and you’ll be able to tell instantly what type of food is the favorite among pups. Commercial dry food is cost-effective, easy to measure, comes in a wide variety of flavors and types, and, as your dog would tell you if he could, feels nice on his teeth and gums and makes fun noises when he bites down. It works well for millions of dogs.

Canned food, on the other hand, is vacuum sealed and therefore doesn’t contain any preservatives. Some dogs love the meatier taste and consistency, which is closer to what they would enjoy in the wild. Canned foods often contain the same amount of nutrition as dry food, but they don’t have the same dental benefits as dry food, they can be more expensive, and serving them requires more than just a scoop.