We all love our dogs, don’t we? We love to give them a little delicacy sometimes as well. Some dogs are so cute when they beg for a bit of what you are eating, but the fact is that some foods that are alright for us to eat are not so good for dogs. This should not come as much of a surprise as you would almost certainly be quite ill too if you ate a half-rotten bird that you found in the hedgerow.

The most common human food that will kill your dog is chocolate or more accurately the theobromine in the chocolate. Some chocolate has more theobromine in it than others. For instance, white chocolate has only 1 mg of theobromine per 28 g (1 oz) whereas baking chocolate has 450 mg per 28 g.

So how much theobromine does it take to kill a dog? Well, the response to that depends on several considerations like age and health but most importantly the weight of the dog. Let us say that an average, knee-high, collie-type dog weighs 20 kilos (about 45 lbs.), then it would take about 250 kg (560 lbs) of white chocolate to harm him, but he probably would have exploded by then anyway having eaten 12.5 times his body weight in food.

However, the scenario changes quickly when we examine other types of chocolate. It would take about 1.5 kg (3 lbs) of milk chocolate to have the same outcome and about a third of that in sweet cacao or half-a-kilo (1 lb). The most hazardous substance is baking chocolate. It only takes just over 100g or four and a half ounces of baking chocolate to give a medium sized dog life threatening problems.

Therefore, the biggest danger would be of a dog eating a chocolate cake with chocolate icing or topping. Children are the worst, albeit innocent, culprits: they frequently give dogs cake at parties and it is one to look out for.

So, what should you do if your dog eats chocolate? It depends on the quantity and the quality and your dog. The safest thing would be to take him to the vet as soon as possible, but if you are confident you could wait for symptoms like vomitting, diarrhea, twitching, seizure, palpitations or undue wetting.

Theobromine attacks a dog’s central nervous system so not all dogs will react in the same way, but you will definitely discern that your dog is perplexed, befuddled and distraught.

If you make your mind up to treat your dog yourself, the first thing you should do is stimulate vomitting all the while comforting your dog. A 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide should do the trick. Give your dog a teaspoon full if it is under 10 kg and a tablespoon if it is over 10 kg. Give every 15 minutes until it takes effect. After this, try to get some activated carbon into him to soak up any residual poison. Follow the recommendations on the box.

If you live miles from anywhere or you think that your dog is at high risk (the school vacation season is the worst), you could get a pet’s first aid box from your vet. They are not expensive and have a long shelf life and you will not be caught out if someone gives your dog chocolate.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece writes on many topics, but is at present concerned with researching What to do if your dog eats chocolate. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at http://whattodoifyourdogeatschocolate.com.

If you fail to properly care for your dog, there is a chance that they can develop dog ear mites. Dog ear mites are defined as a blood sucking parasite that lives inside of the animals ear. Not only are these ear mites considered to be a major health risk for dogs, if they are not treated properly they can cause your animal to become deaf.

Household pets are prone to obtaining ear mites. The condition is fairly common in small animals, such as dogs, rabbits and cats. The mites can easily transfer themselves from one animal to another. Ear mites feed off of an animals bodily fluids in order to survive.

Normally, these mites are contracted when an animal is not properly taken care of. This particular infection can cause inflammation, open wounds and even redness in your dogs ear canal. There are some rare cases where animals can develop a crusty discharge from the mites.

Veterinarians generally diagnose an ear mite problem by performing an ear exam on an animal. They will extract a sample of the parasite from the animals ear canal and analyze the sample underneath a microscope. If you believe that your dog has contracted ear mites, you must keep them away from other animals. Ear mites can be transferred from one animal to the next, so secluding your animal from other animals is crucial.

A vet can prescribe a few different medications for the problem. There is an oral medication that they may prescribe, as well as a topical medication. Generally, the oral medications are prescribed when the condition has reached a severe point. Topical medications are prescribed when the condition can easily be managed. A topical medication will need to be applied directly to the site of the infestation, in order to treat the condition.

If you do not have the time or money to take your dog to the vet to have their problem treated, there are some medications that you can obtain over the counter. However, most of these medications do come in topical forms and you will be required to apply the medicine to the infested area. If your dogs condition is severe, then you will need to make time to take them to a vet.

Dog ear mites can be difficult to get rid of. However, as long as you ensure that your dog is not interacting with other animals while they are suffering from the condition and that they are receiving proper treatment for the ailment, the condition will normally clear up within one month.

Never cut the treatment regiment for dog ear mites short. If you do not follow the entire regiment, there is a chance that the condition will come back.

when your dog is continuously pawing and scratching at his ears, he might be suffering from dog ear mites. Prompt and aggressive ear mite treatment will provide relief from itching and open sores.

Finding a way to treat ear mites does not necessarily mean a trip to the veterinarian. These parasites left untreated can result in serious damage to an animal’s ears. Following some simple steps to clean their ears with mineral oil can help rid them of these potentially dangerous parasites.

Swollen, reddened or inflamed ears are a sign that your cat or dog probably has them. These parasites will infect the middle ear causing your pet’s balance to be unstable. As a result, they may walk in circles continuously or may not be able to walk at all. Sometimes they will have a fever and will act lethargic. They also tend to scratch at their ears and shake their head a lot.

If your cat or dog is showing all these signs that next step is to look in their ear to confirm they have them. If you see black or grey spots inside the ear, they have mites. Mineral oil is the best treatment for getting rid of these parasites.

Mineral oil does two important things for your pet’s ears. It will help dissolve earwax and blood or puss that may be plugging up the ear and it kills the mites by smothering them. The oil can be applied with an eye-dropper or a special ear irrigation pump.

Massage the ear after applying the oil. Gently grab their ear, place your thumb inside the ear and with your other fingers hold the outside of the animal’s ear. Rub the inside of the cat or dog’s ear to spread the oil. Do not go so deep into the ear that you hurt the inner ear. Let the thumb go down into their ear until you feel the inner ear, make sure the mineral oil has spread into their ear canal.

Once you have completed the massaging process, allow your cat or dog to shake the head discarding the oil and any loose dirt. It is best to try this process outside so your carpet and furniture will not get oil and the loose dirt all over them. If you still see black spots in the ear, wipe them out with a cotton ball. They should be loose enough to come out easily with a gentle wipe. It is better not to use a Q-tip as it may go to deep into the canal causing ear damage.

You can continue this process until you believe the ear mites are gone for good. If you notice after a week of treatments that they are not going away then you should contact your vet to take your dog or cat in for further treatments. The vet may end up giving you a prescription ointment to put in their ear. More than likely, a trip to the vet will not be necessary, as mineral oil is an excellent way to treat ear mites.

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