SHAPE UP WITH YOUR PET THIS YEAR

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) asks that you also start your pet on an exercise routine. Dogs, and even cats, need exercise too; and there's no better time for both of you to start than now.

Many dogs are weekend athletes. After a long week, it's their chance to get out and burn off energy. Because of their enthusiasm, many of the popular breeds such as Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers, will overdo it.
Unfortunately, veterinarians find that weekend warriors suffer more orthopedic injuries.

"The most common athletic injury is the rupture of ligaments in the knee joints, similar to what skiers and basketball players experience," says Columbia Animal Hospital veterinarian, Dr. David Tayman. "This is caused by sudden twists or sharp change in direction often from playing Frisbee or catch."

"Field trial dogs, like Black Labs, Yellow Labs, and Golden Retrievers, usually have a lot of energy and big attitudes," says Dr. Tayman. "Plus, some of these dogs have degenerative joint disease such as hip dysplasia and elbow problems. Too much exercise too young may contribute to arthritis."
Dr. Tayman advises owners to be more careful with animals that have more drive and will. Avoid the type of activity that encourages turning abruptly and landing; and offer more opportunities to walk, run, or even swim.

The Columbia Animal Hospital staff recommends starting younger and middle-aged dogs on a moderate program of walking 10 to 15 minutes once or twice a day, and stepping it up to one hour a day as time permits. If you're too busy to walk your dog every day, hire a high school student, a 4-H member, a pet-sitter, or senior volunteer to do it for you.

"Running is good exercise too, but its hard on the animals who run five miles on concrete," says Dr. Tayman. "Take your dog on a hiking trail or other soft surface to run." And remember not to overdo it in the beginning.
A novice runner wouldn't run five miles the first day out. So don't expect that of your pet.

If you're starting an exercise program for an older dog, consider having him examined by a veterinarian first. Your pet's doctor will look at his health history, listen to his heart, check for weight gain, and possibly do blood work.

Toy dogs, like Maltese and Chihuahuas, that usually don't go for strenuous activity can be trained to be outdoor dogs, said Dr. Tayman. An there may be hope for that fat cat who just sits on your lap. Try changing the cat's diet to one that's calorie restricted, and introduce some physical activity such as playing with string or chasing the cat up stairs.

Weight problems often go hand-in-hand with inactive lifestyles. Carrying a heavier load can increase the likelihood of tearing ligaments and wearing down joints. When that happens, an animal won't want to exercise which further adds to the weight problem. This is especially a problem with older dogs.

Dr. Tayman suggests starting an overweight dog on a 15-minute walk once a day and decrease the amount of food. Diet is important so don't feed table scraps and extras.

Your pet doesn't have to eat a lot of holiday treats to begin an exercise program. So start the year off right with an exercise routine that will make the year healthier and brighter for both of you.
 

Puppies need a clean, warm, draft-free nesting area. The air temperature in their immediate vicinity should be 85-90 F for the first week and about 80 F during the next 3-4 weeks. By the time thepups are 6 weeks of age, temperatures can be reduced to 70 F.

Temperatures can be maintained with heat lamps, light bulbs or heating pads covered with 3-4 layers of towels. Great care must be taken that the pups are not overheated during the first few days of life, when they are unable to move away from the heat source.

Clean newspaper is good bedding because it is easily disposed of. As the pups begin to move around, newspaper should be replaced because it is slippery. Cloth bedding offers good footing and is washable.

Feeding

Puppies may be fed by bottle or by stomach tube. Stomach tube feeding is much faster and especially handy with large litters. Many people, however, prefer to bottle-feed because of prolonged puppy contact. Your veterinarian or clinic staff can instruct you in either method of feeding.

Newborn puppies should be fed 3-4 times daily by tube feeding or 5-6 times daily by bottle feeding. At 2 weeks of age, 3 tube feedings or four bottle feedings are usually sufficient.

Puppies must be helped to urinate and defecate by gently stroking the genital area with a tissue or cottonball moistened with warm water after each feeding. Be persistent until they urinate or defecate.

Frequent crying or failure to gain weight indicates a problem.
Call the doctor. In general, a pup should double its weight in 8-10 days.
Overfeeding can be worse than slight underfeeding.

How Much Should You Feed?

You can determine how much to feed an orphan pup by considering its daily caloric requirements. The total daily caloric requirements for pups under 4 weeks of age are:

1st week 3.75 calories/ounce of body weight daily 2nd week 4.50 calories/ounce of body weight daily 3rd week 5.00 calories/ounce of body weight daily 4th week 5.50 calories/ounce of body weight daily

In general, milk substitutes contain around 1 calorie per ml.

Example: You plan to feed a 5-ounce puppy less than 1 week of age 4 times daily. The puppy requires 3.75 calories/ounce body weight x 5-ounce pup =
18.75 calories needed for one day. You are feeding 4 times a day. Therefore,
18.75/4 = 4.68 calories given at each feeding. Your milk substitute contains
1 calorie/ml. Therefore, you should feed 4.68 ml (about 5 ml) each feeding.

Solid foods should be introduced at 3 weeks of age. Pan-feed a thin gruel made by blending good-quality puppy food with puppy's milk formula.
Gradually thicken the gruel until no milk substitute is used at about 6 weeks of age. At this time, the pups should be offered good-quality puppy food 3 times daily.