Have you considered that your dog's life may be in danger just from him hanging out in your backyard? Regardless if the area is fenced in and seemingly safe from danger, you would be surprised at what may be hiding, ready to hurt or even kill your lovable canine companion.

Your backyard may be a dog's paradise, but the area can be fraught with danger, especially if you have a puppy that is young, adventurous, and going through that oral fixation phase where he must chew on anything he can find.

The worst age bracket for this problem is between 1 and 6 months, however, other types of dogs, such as Golden retrievers as a prime example, seem to carry this chewing habit with them for the rest of their lives.

Beware Of The Following Backyard Dangers

Before Hurricane Katrina, there was no law that said that all pets and service animals needed to be evacuated, rescued, and sheltered during an emergency or disaster. When the deadly storm hit the state of Louisiana, an estimated of 600,000 animals were left behind, deserted, and thousands died from drowning, starvation, and sickness.

The devastating affect of this storm has prompted the government, both local and federal, to either change their policies or add new ones to include the safety of these pets and service animals. In addition, different agencies are also teaming up with the government and local animal rescues that will protect our pets in times of disasters.

Just a few years ago, feeding your dog was so much simpler compared to today's nutritional advice. I remember when my parent's dog ate whatever the whole family would eat, including dessert! In addition to table scraps, he also ate commercial dog food. That dog had a happy life and lived well into his mid-teens without contracting any serious illness or disease.

Picking a commercial dog food was also easy back then. There were only a handful of brands to choose from and these pet foods all had practically the same ingredients, only varying in color and flavor.

Nowadays, there are so many varieties to choose from. Below is a list of some of the popular commercial foods available for your dog:

Organic Dog Food

Although Luxated patella is not a condition that needs to be treated in the emergency room, getting your dog tested for this disorder prevents it from becoming worse.

All dogs should be tested because a slipped kneecap can affect dogs of all breeds and sizes. However, if you own a small or a toy dog breed, you should have him tested for luxated patella as soon as possible.

Responsible breeders should know that this condition is hereditary, and therefore, have their puppies tested at around six weeks of age, preferable before sending them to their new homes.

Treatment Options For A Slipped Kneecap

If you think that your dog is suffering from a luxated patella or a slipped kneecap, the best thing to do is take him to the vet as soon as you can. Although a slipped kneecap may not seem like a serious condition to your young dog, it is a progressive disorder and can be debilitating if left untreated.

5 Common Symptoms Of A Slipped Kneecap

Symptoms usually start to appear when the dog is young, between the ages of 6 months to 1 year. But in some dogs, symptoms show up as early as around 8 weeks of age, but remains undetected until the dog reaches maturity. Signs include:

1. Difficulty climbing stairs.
2. Occasional skipping or limping, especially during a run.
3. Lameness on the leg, especially on the rear, that occurs frequently and ends suddenly.
4. Difficulty squatting.

You are playing fetch with your 2 year old Chihuahua when all of a sudden, he cries in pain and you notice that he starts to limp with his lower back leg.

He skips on the other three legs for about 2 to 5 strides and then starts to run normal again as if nothing happened.

This incident occurred two to three more times in the last couple of months, but is becoming more frequent...

Should You Take Your Dog To The Vet?

The answer is yes, definitely! Your dog may be suffering from luxated patella.

Melatonin: Used To Treat Your Dog's Fear Of Thunderstorms

Many dogs are scared of loud noises, specifically thunderstorms and other similar, unexpected sounds that rattles their ears. This is especially true for puppies. They are not used to hearing loud booming sounds and their ears are sharper and more sensitive than adult dog's ears.

Dealing with the possibility of having a panicked stricken, nervous puppy, some owners use tranquilizers as a last resort during an impending thunderstorm. Of course this is an extreme treatment that is not highly recommended, but now there is a new alternative: A safe, drug-free, over-the-counter supplement that is available to to dogs with anxiety. It is called melatonin.

We all want the best for our beloved dogs, especially when it comes to the foods they eat. We want to give them only the healthiest food available to make sure that they will live a long and healthy life. But what if the so-called “healthy pet foods” that are being sold in the market today are not reliable anymore?

What do we do when we can no longer trust the food manufacturers who is supposed to provide us with safe and healthy foods for our animals?

When The Food Is Killing Your Pets, Something Has To Change

The widespread recall of pet food has created a scare to all dog and cat owners who rely on commercial brands to feed their pets. All over the country, contaminated pet food has caused many dogs to become severely sick, while a large number of them have died.

Due to the recent pet food recall, millions of pet owners are left feeling daunted and bewildered as to why this incident happened. So many dogs and cats were left sick and worse yet, many more died. And since most pet owners depend on commercial pet food to feed their dogs, they are now skeptical about which brand of food to buy and what type of food is safe for their dogs.

Who Can The Consumers Count On?

Commercial pet foods have been contaminated with harmful chemicals, including mycotoxins (toxins produced by fungi). The FDA and food manufacturers have authorized several recalls after a defective food is found. The FDA and the food company join together to find out the main cause of the problem and prevent it from happening again.

Knowledge Is Power

Many new Lab owners are not familiar with the fact that these puppies have a natural tendency to nip and bite at human hands and arms. In fact, these little guys will put anything in their mouths that can fit. Unfortunately, some dog owners mistake this behavior as pure biting and unfairly scold and punish the animal. You must understand that Labradors are genetically designed to have an oral fixation, specifically for retrieving.

They must be trained with positive reinforcement not to mouth and bite at people's limbs. A fitting analogy is to look at a Labrador puppy the same as a piranha, but with fur. They run around with their mouths open literally hunting down anything to put in it, something, anything, whatever they can find!