Getting a puppy is an exciting time for both the family and the puppy. When a puppy comes into a home, it will be exposed to a variety of new sights, sounds, and places to explore. This can be a very overwhelming and stressful time for the little critter. It is important for the owner to help the puppy adjust and become a well-behaved adult dog. This will involve teaching it to listen to your commands and desensitizing it to new stimuli.

When it comes to caring for a terrier, you will find that it is easy, as long as you know about this specific breed. The terrier is an energetic type of class of breed that needs a lot of attention. The attention you need to give them as their owner is very important. If you plan on breeding terriers, it is first recommended that you speak to your veterinarian and get your terrier inspected to make sure that he/she is suitable for reproduction. In the article below, you will find out more about the caring for your terrier.

Understanding your dog’s needs is the first step to becoming a good pet owner. The behavior, as well as the grooming requirements of a terrier varies depending upon which type you get, as some may have more exercise requirements, thicker coats, etc. For instance, Yorkshire terrier training may be more difficult than other terriers as they are notoriously hard to housebreak. Doing a bit of research on the personality and physical requirements of different terrier breeds is the best way to help you decide which is right for you.

The food needs to be the best nutrients in order for your friend to get the right growth they require. To find the right type of foods you should check out many different food brands. You shouldn’t change the dogs food, because it can mess up their stomach.

One of the very first things you should do if you get your terrier as a puppy, is to get his vaccinations administered as soon as he is old enough. This is ideally done between 9 – 18 weeks of age. The older the puppy becomes, the more likely his body is to develop an immunity. After your puppy has had the initial injections and booster, you should generally follow up with a yearly booster shot and check up.

Caring for a terrier will be like any other dog, but they will be a bit more energetic and need play time. Playing with them everyday will help them grow on you and listen a lot better, resulting in a calm pet you need. There are many places in which you can obtain your terrier, including pet shops, breeders, and even the classified ads section of your newspaper. You can also do an Internet search, such as “Westie puppies for sale” which will display the sites of many breeders or rescue organizations in which you can contact.

Why Would I want BHT in my Dog Food?

BHT or BHA is a preservative used in commercial pet foods and it basically preserves the animal fat content quite plainly so it does not rot in the dog food bag or can. It is also called Thoxyquin which does not sound very appetizing to people.  The history of Ethoxyquin dates back to the fifties where it was used to kill weeds as a herbicide and it was a chemical used to make rubber more stable.

As a preservative it keeps old food preserved longer and that has to do more with shelf  life and not your dog’s health. BHA is more for the manufacturers to sell it to grocery stores so it can sit on the shelf longer than other foods.

What does Ethoxyquin do for your dog? Well it can kill it. People who work in the rubber business and were exposed to Ethoxyquin contracted skin cancer, blindness, leukemia, diarrhea and liver damage.  In animals it can kill their immune system which is their only defense against diseases.  It causes kidney cancers and makes stomach tumors or colon tumors and the Department of Agriculture lists it as a pesticide. Yes you will find BHA in poor cheap dog food at Walmart.

This is a chemical preservative that your dog is ingesting at every meal for years and years. Your dog will consume pounds of Ethoxyquin in its food approximately 27 pounds in its life time. Doesn’t sound very healthy does it?

You wonder why pet owners buy this food at all but most do because it is cheap. It is cheap in its ingredients but is it safe?  It all depends on how long you want your dog to live? Dogs can live 25-30 years but today the average life span of a dog is 13-14 years.  The best advice is to buy only certified organic food for your dog, and ensure that it does not contain BHA, or corn, or wheat or by products.  Pet foods are not supposed to contain chemicals that kill your dog. They are not supposed to contain harmful ingredients that damage your dog’s kidneys.

The only way to buy dog food today is with a magnifying glass as you read the ingredients.  These days I know where the organic food is and its not at Pets Mart, at least the fake organic food is but not the real stuff. If you find your local independent health food store -you will find organic dog foods.

Ingredients of Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition: even after the recall of 2007 this food is not fit for dog consumption.

Ground Yellow Corn, Meat and Bone Meal, Soybean Meal, Chicken By-Product Meal, Wheat Middlings, Animal Fat Preserved With Bha and Citric Acid, Natural Flavor, Brewers Rice, Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Color Added Red # 40, Y …  (excerpt from : walmart.com).

There were no product reviews on this item for sale at Walmart. Usually when you buy a product on line you get to see other people’s reviews which states how they liked it, what it did for them, how they used it and how much they liked it. But in this case, we did not find any reviews for Ol’ Roy Complete Nutrition. As Wikipedia explains:

To date, the US FDA has only found a verifiable connection between ethoxyquin and buildup of protoporphyrin IX in the liver, as well as elevations in liver-related enzymes in some animals. It has been shown to cause mortality in fish.

Websites on BHA:  http://www.canine-epilepsy-guardian-angels.com/Ethoxyquin.htm

Wikipedia Reference on Ethoxyquin:  Wiki

Even more information on BHA or Ethoxyquin: CBC Report.

TAGS:  BHA, life span of a dog, Pets Mart, Ethoxyquin, chemical preservatives, Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, animal fat preserved with BHA, Bha, Red Dye # 40, Walmart Pet food, walmart, wikipedia, dog food, pet food. FDA, doghealth1, commercial pet food, food, pet, eyzymes, pets food, dog’s food.

The Obama Portuguese Water dog is the big choice that the Obama girls are faced with and the election has been reduced to the final two candidates. The choice between a Portuguese Water Dog or a Labradoodle. The Portie has a rich history from Europe and the breed as with other water dogs are good swimmers with webbed feet.  They are also herd dogs so they herd fish into the nets of Portuguese fisherman of the Algarve in Portugal. The Portie has a non shedding coat and tends to get portly without exercise they will get chubby, so Malia and Sasha will be doing some walking with their new dog.  This breed is highly intelligent, obedient and will retrieve balls and toys for the Obama girls.  They are also good at guarding their house so the Secret Service will have a companion on security detail in the Obama’s first dog. All in all the Portuguese water dog is a five star dog in anyone’s books and some famous celebrities that owned this breed are Jacques Cousteau of course the famous water guy and the actor Raymond Burr from the TV series Ironside. So I would vote for the Portuguese Water hound as the first dog, and the new vote for 2009 is about the Obama’s new dog. We could use some levity after last year’s economic woes. The best part of the whole story is that the Obama’s are adopting from a shelter and that makes dog lovers very happy – for there are many dogs in shelters that need a good home. So if you want to be first in line to join with the Hollywood celeb gossips and adopt a dog as the Obama’s will do to their family, and you are capable of providing not a Whitehouse but a nice house for a dog, go to your nearest animal shelter and find a friend. I still will vote for the Portuguese water dog if it were me, and I am very sure that Whoopie my Puli would welcome a new friend in the house.

The Portuguese Water Dog History: Tags: Barrack Obama, first daughter, first dog, Malia Ann, Malia Ann dog allergy, Malia Ann Obama, Malia Ann pet allergenic, Michelle Obama, Whitehouse Pet, pet, Natasha Obama, Portuguese water dog, sashay dolls, pet allergy, help with allergies, Portuguese water hound, Labradoodle, Barack Obama’s first dog, hubdub, daily news, politics, clean up after dog, doggie doo-doo, dog and health, My Dog Whoopie.

Photo: Portuguese Water Dog

Courtesy of: Askville by Amazon.

The 2009 -Vote for the Obama Portuguese Water Dog is most on people’s mind today, and it is distracting us from our other major issues.

Malia and Sasha’s first dog has been put to a 2009 vote and the votes are coming into blogs frantically as dog lovers are weighing in on which dog should be the Obama’s New First Dog. The Obama’s first pet will be living large in the Whitehouse so the Portuguese water dog fits in very stylishly as Malia and Sasha’s pet.

The Obama first family will have lots of fun with their new Portie and the unconditional love a dog provides in any family.

Malia and Sasha will also be cleaning up after their new Obama first dog and there are new bio-degradable doggie doo-doo bags that they can get for their pet. It is a good habit to get into cleaning up after their dog and even after they return to Chicago and walk the dog the neighbor’s  will appreciate it that this is not a barking dog. Portie’s do not bark unless they are guarding someone and they are good family dogs.

contd: Tomorrow: The Characteristics of Portuguese Water Dogs

Tags:

Barrack Obama, first daughter, first dog, Malia ann., Malia ann. dog allergy, Malia Ann Obama, Malia Ann pet allergenic, Michelle obama, Whitehouse Pet, pet, Natasha Obama, Portuguese water dog, sashay dolls, pet allergy, help with allergies, Portuguese water hound, Labradoodle, Barack Obama’s first dog, hubdub, daily news, politics, clean up after dog, doggie doo-doo.

Tips on massaging your pet has so many health benefits and here is how to relieve pain, promote a healthy coat and skin and countless other reasons why you should learn how to massage your pet.