Gay Men’s Best Friends 

‘Paws and Reflect’ focuses on the nurturing relationship gay men have with their dogs.
Source: www.pacpub.com

Is Your Dachshund Constipated?

Dachshund constipation is defined as a dog who has repeated difficulties passing a stool or is completely unable to defecate. Constipation is caused by a low fiber or high-meat diet, by the intake of objects that cannot be digested such as bone particles, thread, paper clips, and wood, or by weak abdominal muscles resulting from old age and trauma.

Mild constipation may be relieved by adding an over-the-counter laxative such as Metamucil to your Dachshund’s food. To add moisture to the stool, you can also try spooning some mineral oil into your dog’s food. Use one teaspoon per ten pounds of body weight twice daily. Mineral oil will act as a mild laxative, but it can also inhibit the absorption of important nutrients, so don’t use it for more than three days.

Also, be sure to put the oil in the food. Don’t put it directly in your Dachshund’s mouth because he may inhale it and get it into his lungs, which could result in pneumonia or other respiratory distress.

If the constipation is severe, take your dog to the veterinarian. The doctor may recommend or administer an enema, or may even have to anesthetize your dog and then instigate the final states of digestion from within your dog’s intestinal tract.

A seasonal look at wonderful dogs

OregonLive.com - book has just the right mix of whimsy and dignity, play and gravity. It’s a great book to wrap for an animal lover’s holiday gift. Dratfield is also the author of eight other pet photography books, including “Pug Shots,” “The Day of the Dachshund
Source: www.oregonlive.com

Art so happy it will make your tail wag
Orlando Sentinel - From there, she painted a Shih Tzu into “Whistler’s Mother,” a dachshund into “Tahitian Landscape” and a pug into “Seated Clown” — her favorite. “He’s part of the story,” she says of the pug, with his front paws pressed against a yellow ball and a
Source: www.orlandosentinel.com

Is Your Dachshund Anemic?

It is not uncommon for Dachshunds to be what is called Anemic. When your dog does have Anemia it means that he has fewer and smaller red cells in the blood, which make the bloodstream lack hemoglobin. It is seen in the pale appearance of the gums, tongue, and mucous membrane of the eyes.

The cure is to give iron in the form of ferrous sulfate tablets, one to three per day according to the size of the Dachshund puppy. You cannot harm the puppy by giving too many.

Iron does sometimes cause constipation, however, so watch its bowel movements and, if necessary, give a teaspoonful of medicinal paraffin per day until corrected. When a dog is taking iron, its stool will be black.

Lastly, you may want to invest in what is called Desiccated Argentine Liver Tablets. These tablets can be found in most health food stores and nutrition supplement stores. Designed to give exercise enthusiasts more B vitamins and iron - these wonderful supplements are also ideal for dogs that may be anemic. Plus, your Dachshund dog will love the taste!

Online Press Release

PRWeb - Lucies Farm Learns it’s not Easy Being “Green” “It’s not easy being green,” says cattle breeder Craig Walsh who, with wife puppy Stolen from Home in Broad Daylight Wetley, a five month old red and white dachshund puppy, was stolen from his Continued

Bismarck Tribune - Hunter and Riley, a dachshund-Pomeranian mix, are being put up for adoption. “We tried him (Hunter) in the hotel for two days However, they WILL keep the cockapoo who they probably paid a breeder good money for! Too ironic!” Cahnee wrote on December 03 Continued

Is Your Dachshund Afraid Of Men?

Dachshunds may be afraid of men because of past unpleasant experiences. If a Dachshund has been traumatized in the past, the issues to be concerned with are: did the event have physical or psychological consequences? Did the Dachshund recover from the trauma, and if so, how long did it take for him to recover from the event? Has the fear of men increased over time?

This fear might also be the result of a total lack of contact with humans during his critical socialization period. A dog shouldn’t usually generalize a fear of one man to a fear of many unless the dog has had multiple traumatic events revolving around men, or the one trauma was significant enough to prevent recovery.

As with all effective processes, you must find the early triggers and begin there. When your dog sights a man, begin soliciting focus toward you. Be sure to greatly reward your dog for that focus. Many repetitions are required to produce a dog that is willing to focus on the owner when a strange man is in sight.

When you begin, the man should be a great distance away in order to achieve focus from your dog. You will be working toward getting closer and closer to the man. Before you pressure your dog with being close to the man, you want to first teach a simple behavior like
“Sit.” During this the man should be quiet, nonthreatening, and non-confrontational. You must require the Sit at the early stage of this work.

The sit position helps to settle your Dachshund as well as create a better platform for your focus training. When your dog is ready and focusing on you, the man may approach quietly and offer your dog a treat. You should free your Dachshund of his focus command and allow him to eat the treat from the man. If your dog is too afraid, then move farther away from the man, and then have him throw the treats from a distance. As your dog comes to expect these treats he will begin to tolerate the man’s presence. Your dog will eventually look forward to the approach of men, generalizing that he will receive a reward from them.

Always be careful with a dog that is phobic. Phobic Dachshunds may bite from the breakdown in their nerve thresholds. The humane thing to do in the case of a phobic dog is to try your best to work through the dog’s problem and get your veterinarian’s advice regarding possible drug intervention during the course of behavior therapy. Many dogs do very well with this treatment. If it works, keep in mind that it is a good idea to keep up the socialization or the dog can break down and resume the old behavior.

If after all your efforts, the dog is extremely unreliable despite professional help, then perhaps the dog should be placed in a situation that would not evoke the response. Containing a Dachshund like this is possible with the help of safe indoor and outdoor enclosures.

Adoptable pets 

These animals are available for adoption from Clay County organizations.
Source: www.jacksonville.com

Jay Webb 
Jay Webb joined the SkyTracker7 weather team in July 2006. He grew up in Giles County where he constantly watched the weather and “Your Hometown Station.”
Source: www.wdbj7.com

Waiting To Adopt 
On November 29, a judge ruled that dachshunds taken in an animal cruelty case would be sold at auction instead of going home with an adoptive family. Now the Commonwealth Attorneys Office is hoping the judge with change his ruling.
Source: www.tricities.com