Forget about veterinary expenses?

It seems like a utopia, but forgetting about the veterinary expenses of our dog is possible, for this there are veterinary insurances for dogs. Many of you will already know what they consist of but for many others it is a great unknown.

There are two types of insurance for dogs, the first, is civil liability, commonly known insurance for potentially dangerous dogs, these insurances cover damages to third parties that the dog may cause and are mandatory for certain breeds according to the legislation of the autonomous communities.

The second typology is the one that concerns us in this post, veterinary care insurance, with them we can save up to 50% in veterinary expenses since we can take it as many times as we want to consultations, even if it is necessary to perform some surgical intervention without additional expenses.

Our dog is more than just a pet, it is one more of the family and therefore, it is so important not to drown in bills if an accident occurs. In order to find the product that best suits the needs of the user is Micompi, the Spanish pet insurance comparator, in which in just two minutes you can contract your policy with the minimum price guaranteed.

This portal also has a charitable purpose, with which it undertakes to donate 1 euro for each insurance contracted through its website to an animal protector.

12/01/2014/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Adopting a dog at Christmas

Curiosities, stories

In these dates so close to Christmas, many people consider it a good gift option to buy or adopt a dog. Experts recommend taking into account several important points before taking the plunge.

The purchase and adoption of animals is a decision that requires a commitment, and what might seem like an act of solidarity, can sometimes become a nightmare, and who bears the brunt is the animal adopted, point out the animal protection associations.

Questions that experts advise to ask yourself before giving or adopting a dog:

Do you give the dog to satisfy the illusion of a child?

Children are excited to share their lives with a dog or enlarge the family, a tender feeling that many of us have had, committing to walk it daily and take care of it. Keep in mind that although their intention is good, children are not mature enough to make this decision and take responsibility. The decision to have a dog or any other animal must be in common agreement with all members of the family, for the happy coexistence with the animal.

What kind of dog do I adopt?

Christmas should not be the excuse to adopt a dog of a certain breed, of which we do not know its characteristics and its needs can not be adequately covered. According to José Luis Torres, veterinarian of the Society for the Protection of Animals and Plants of Madrid, “this approach is usually one of the most common mistakes among dog adopters”.

Another frequent mistake is to adopt a dog when you do not have enough free time to take care of it. A dog is a living being with needs and one of them is to exercise. We must be aware of this before planning to enlarge the family.

Is the dog a surprise gift?

It is not advisable to give a dog to someone who has not even planned to have it or who although he has ever thought about it, is not ready yet. Having a pet requires prior planning. Analyze if time, space and if it will continue to be so in the future and it is also necessary to consult it previously with all the members of the household, as we already mentioned. “These surprise gifts end in abandonment,” says Torres.

Another point to keep in mind when adopting a dog at Christmas is to let go and relax too much for the fact of being on vacation. Torres warns that “it is a mistake that the dog adopted on vacation spends all the time accompanied, because when the routine is resumed, he will not be accustomed to loneliness and could develop behavioral problems.

Christmas can also be a good time to plan the future life with our new friend, taking into account the real schedules of the family members and thus be able to cover their needs. And as a member of the family that he is we can take care of him as such, with affection and respect. They will thank you all your life.

Source: consumer.es

19/12/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Fracture of the Femur. How to recognize the injury on the dog’s paw

injuries, most commented, Treatments

The most common cause of femur fracture is a blow to the thigh bone area. Unless you have witnessed the accident firsthand, the first symptom or suspicion that the dog has broken its femur may be lameness. If the femur fracture is not repaired, the dog can have serious complications. Let’s explain how recognize and treat femur fracture in dogs.

Dogs that suffer this injury may experience lameness in the injured paw or may become immobile because of the pain they are suffering.
Take the dog to the vet and try to let them know of your arrival. Ask someone to help you get the dog into the car. This will prevent your dog from walking on the injured paw.
The veterinarian will need to take x-rays to confirm if there is a fractured femur. It will also determine if you can give your pet painkillers to relieve the pains.
He or she will likely recommend surgery to repair your femur fracture. Unlike other fractures, the femur stabilizes more successfully after surgery. This lesion cannot be stabilized with a splint or cast, so surgery should be seriously considered.
Once back home the activity should be very limited. Reduce the walk when you take it out to relieve itself. Keep the area warm and prevent it from resting on hard or cold surfaces. This will aid in healing and prevent further damage.
Choose a quiet place for the recupyour dog’s eration. Dogs in rehabilitation need a quiet place to heal. Let him rest in a good bed and hold his favorite toys. Encourage your pet to rest and remind visitors that the dog needs to rest.

Don’t try to stabilize the fractured femur at home. Some dog owners try to splint or plaster the limb at home. Always check with your veterinarian about the options available.

01/12/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

More than half a century of conviction for torturing a puppy

Curiosities

A man is arrested after 2 months of investigation for burning, beating and splitting the tongue in half of a pit bull, in the worst case of animal torture seen by the association that rescued him.

They found the dog lying on a sidewalk in Quincy, in the United States, on August 31. He was a tabby, white pit bull puppy that lived barely. The vet couldn’t do anything for him. His body had 17 wounds from blows, cuts and burns and a multitude of broken bones. The matter, which in other countries would go unnoticed, could end in an exemplary sentence of 55 years in prison, five years for each of the 11 charges of abuse faced by the abuser.

The alleged torturer of the puppy detained by police is Radoslaw Czerkawsky, a 32-year-old Polish immigrant who was caring for an elderly woman. The defendant, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, has been given a bail of one million dollars and his passport has been withdrawn.

At first no more was known about the dog. The news of his torture went around the United States, appeared in most of the news and gathered more than 70,000 people who called for the arrest of the culprit and who have followed the process closely. The dog was named Kiya and had been donated to a family who sold it to Czerkawsky, according to sources close to him. $x-ray dog with fractures$

The agents followed the trail of the animal until they found the alleged torturer. They used all kinds of means for an investigation that ended when they found traces of hair and blood in the suspect’s house and these coincided with those of the dog in DNA analysis.

Sources: Dailymail.co.uk, Abc.es, Fox

15/11/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Little turtle walks again thanks to a Lego prosthesis.

Curiosities, stories

The animal had lost a leg in an accident before being found by a retiree willing to help him. Not finding the right prosthesis, veterinarians resorted to a particular solution.

The animal was seriously injured in Neuried, southern Germany, thanks to an ingenious solution with Lego pieces it was able to recover its ability to walk.

“Schildi”, as the turtle was named by those who received it after its accident, had lost one of its legs and with that its mobility and autonomy, this fact could have led to its death in a short time, but its fate changed radically with an original low cost prosthesis.

A retiree from the city of Sttutgart found “Schildi” and transferred her to the Animal Shelter of Neuried, where they were able to cure what was left of the front leg, strongly affected by an infection.

The veterinarian Marcelo Bürkle did not rest in his efforts to find a solution to the lack of a prosthesis on the market for the lost leg, until he saw in his clinic the daughter of one of his employees with Lego construction toys.

The doctor used his creativity and stuck a lego wheel in the place of the turtle’s paw, which allowed him to regain mobility and thus save his life.

Source: www.infobae.com

11/11/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Loyal dog becomes your blind friend dog’s guide dog

Curiosities

The faithful friend of a blind Labrador dog has taken on the role of guide dog.

Milo, a six-year-old terrier cross, acts as Eddie’s eyes to play and bring him back to his proud owner Angie Baker-Stedham. He can be seen pulling a rope as they go along the way.

Mrs Baker-Stedham, 45, says the pair are very close. He tells us that before Eddie went blind, they were both chasing dog toys, but now Eddie uses Milo to play and they love to go to the forest.

Milo is always taking care of Eddie and lies on Eddie’s back.

She explains that everything happened quickly, which is very sad because before they used to play together so easily. Now Milo helps Eddie when she calls him. He directs him towards her. Milo took on the role of his assistant dog without training, according to the Daily Mail.

“Milo really cares about Eddie, he always licks her face, they sleep in the same room and spend all their time together. Without Milo, Eddie would be lost.”

Milo even wears bells around his neck for Eddie to follow him everywhere. If Eddie walks away, Milo goes to find him and brings him back.

A nice friendship, don’t you think?

www.planetacurioso.com

26/10/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Most Common Injuries in Sport Dogs

injuries, Sports

Since time immemorial, dogs have remained by our side for their amazing physical gifts such as speed, endurance and agility. With the passage of time, man was selecting those that were better accustomed to hunting and the defense of the home, such as show dogs and collectors. Today, what was once just a job, has become leisure, sports activities and jobs of great responsibility. Among the sports activities we could highlight the greyhound races, the sled dogs or the exhibition and agility tracks. Both working dogs and those of sport and leisure require excellent physical and mental training at all times throughout their lives. More than referring to a strict training, we refer to a lifestyle with great wear and tear throughout the body. Specifically, their joints receive blows or trauma constantly and wear out more quickly than the joints of our pets. These traumatisms usually cause joint inflammation that often goes unnoticed. Many of these sports animals do not usually show pain until the injuries worsen, producing more pain, and being complicated to treat them. The most affected joints are usually those of the front extremities: the shoulder, carpal or wrist and the interphalangeal joints.

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Among the most frequent joint pathologies we find muscle contractures, sprains and dislocations.

Contractures and muscle aches are one of the most common injuries and are usually caused by poor training. Trainers have to follow a series of steps to get dogs used to the new physical demands of their profession. Many trainers perform these exercises daily to work on strength, endurance and speed in a balanced and progressive way. It is advisable to warm up before exercise, stretch before and after and relax the muscles through massage or more specific techniques such as magnetotherapy.
Sprains are injuries to the ligaments from sudden movement or from exceeding the physiological limits of joint movement. They are usually accompanied by inflammation, hematoma and pain that prevents movement of the affected joint. In this case, the most affected joint is the wrist and interphalangeal. For example, sled and rescue dogs use the front legs to slow the weight of the body on descending slopes and to cling to the terrain on ascending slopes. This effort accompanied by the weight of their colleagues and the owner usually causes very serious sprains that are usually accompanied by wear of the digital pads and loss of the nail.
Dislocations are described as an abnormal displacement of the articular surfaces. Traumatic dislocations (from sudden blows or forced movements) usually occur from the rupture of a ligament or tendon of the most important muscle. This causes the bones not to fit as they should producing erosion, muscle atrophy and rupture of other ligaments. For example, when jumping from a considerable height, dogs fall on their front or back legs and can cause the tendon of the biceps muscle to rupture. This would cause the shoulder to disengage and the animal could not support or raise the arm.

The best treatment on these occasions is the prevention of injuries. Dominique Grandjean, director of the sport unit at L’Ecole Nationale Veterinaire d’Alfort and Colonel of the Paris Fire Sappers brigade, states that “A search and rescue dog must always be prepared. Like any athlete, he must train and return to training.” Once the injury appears, more than three weeks of rest are necessary, preventing them from doing their job. Many of them would be left with chronic sequelae, such as osteoarthritis, and with a very high probability of repeating the injury if it is not treated correctly. Physical therapists recommend a good daily workout to strengthen the muscles and stretch the tendons and ligaments well. As for rehabilitation, companies such as Ortocanis.com, offer us hip, elbow and carpal supports that in addition to applying a slight pressure to the joint and being able to choose different degrees of immobilization, keep the joint warm and improve performance. These technical aids made especially for dogs, allow a cure of quality injuries and considerably reduce the time of rehabilitation.

Diana Uribelarrea

UCE University of Valencia

18/10/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

The personality of the cat: keys to understanding its behavior and differences with dogs

Curiosities

The differences in character with dogs are evident.
They can spend more hours without their owners, without being distressed or suffering from anxiety.
Cats are more territorial, although this feature can be confused with curiosity.
The cat is an independent, clean, territorial animal and a twilight hunter.
Dangerous food for the cat – what should you never eat?

Cats are one of the favorite pets of many Spaniards and more and more homes it is easy to meet a small feline. Do their owners know how to decipher the behavior of a cat?

As with humans, it is impossible to generalize because every cat is a world. However, there are some traits common to the feline species, which may be more or less accentuated in each cat. From Consumer they explain some keys to understand some of their actions:

Tolerates loneliness more than a dog

Although felines can be independent, there are also those attached to their owners. However, in general, if a feline is compared to a dog, the difference is remarkable in that the cat tolerates loneliness better: it can spend more hours without its owners, without being distressed or suffering from anxiety.

It is a mistake to associate the fact that a cat is indomitable with being ariscoUs feline can be up to three days alone at home, as long as it has food, water, its hygienic tray and a comfortable place to sleep. However, a dog requires not only several daily walks, but also more hours than the cat in the company of its owners.

Less easy to tame

The cat’s genes predispose it to be an animal that is not easy to tame. They are solitary hunters who do not need the coexistence of the group to survive and are accustomed to getting ahead in solitude. However, the creation of breeds of hand cats of humans has favored the emphasis on their genes of characteristics such as lasociability, “says Zorriqueta, veterinarian expert in these animals.

The cat or Felis silvestris catus was incorporated into domestic coexistence with people around 9,500 years ago, later than the dog. However, it is a mistake to associate the fact that a cat is indomitable with being ariscous.

Territorial by nature

Felines have territoriality inscribed in their genes. The house in which they live with their owners is their territory and they like to have it controlled, in its entirety. The habit of the cat to climb high places, such as the back of the sofa or tables, is due to its eagerness to have an adequate perspective of its territory.

The sense of territoriality of the cat is often confused by its owners with the fact that they are curious and have an interest in browsing any novelty.

‘Selective’ caresses

The cat has a very peculiar personality. A cat will accept petting only when it feels like it, but will demand the attention of the owner whenever he wants.

The schedules of the felines are twilight, when the sun goes down they are more active and by day they sleep moreIn addition, you will have a special instinct to choose the coolest place in the house in summer and the warmest in winter, rebels when overwhelmed with pampering and attention and loves your independence. But when the cat seeks the attention of its owners, it will know how to win it over with a sound that only it emits: purring.

The particular character of the feline does not fit well with everyone. Therefore, before making the decision to share life with a cat, it is advisable to find out about its unique and particular personality.

Night Hunter

The schedules of the felines are twilight, when the sun goes down they are more active and during the day they sleep more. However, a cat acclimatizes to the habits of the human family with which it coexists and more if it is taken into account that in the domestic sphere it does not need to hunt at night to eat.

Cats can sleep 12 hours a day and even more, but during that time there are many times when they doze and stay tuned to what’s going on around them. Cats sleep based on their vital habits and amount of physical activity they perform. So felines that get bored sleep more during the day, but it does not mean that they are more sleepy than other animals, such as dogs.

Loves cleanliness

Cats’ reputation for cleanliness is due to reality: felines like to keep their bodies and environments clean. Therefore, the cat spends time licking and grooming to preserve its fur and skin without dirt.

Cats accustomed to water since puppies also willingly accept baths and touch-ups in the hairdresser. The cat’s ingrained hygienic habits are also reflected in their environment: they use the feline hygienic tray (the sandbox) to make their bowel movements and refuse to sleep or eat in smelly or dirty places.

More misunderstood

The character and personality of cats are often misunderstood by their owners. The feline’s communicative signals are commonly misinterpreted. But, the masters of the cat do not usually ask in the consultation their doubts about it, which creates misunderstandings in the coexistence with the animal.

A common problem resulting from the incomprehension of cats by owners is that laziness and drowsiness are confused with a feline disease, such as osteoarthritis. The reason is that the cat does not limp, because it is an athlete and avoids showing weaknesses as a way to protect itself against its enemies. The consequence is that the cat does not receive the veterinary treatment it needs to improve its quality of life.

In general, the character of the cat is understood worse than that of the dog. The felines are more reserved than the dogs and their peculiar personality has brought them false and cruel fames, of demons, friend of witches, of having seven lives and even giving bad fario, in the case of black cats.

Source: Diario 20 minutos

01/07/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Physiotherapy as an alternative treatment in compression of Cauda Equina

Pathologies, Treatments, vet

Physiotherapy as an alternative treatment in compression of Cauda Equina

SUMMARY

The cauda equina, is the set of nerves and nerve roots that originate from L6 – L7 innervating the posterior train by means of the nerves: Sciatic, Obturator, Pudendo, Femoral and Pelvic.

When generating a trauma at this level, mild to severe compressions can occur generating in the patient pain, claudication of hind limbs, contracture of all muscle mass, proprioceptive deficit, ataxic gait, incontinence, among other clinical signs that will guide the Veterinarian to establish an adequate medical treatment and in the case of the physiotherapist, locate the areas of pain and improve weight support, resistance, bodybuilding (avoiding muscle atrophy as much as possible), joint mobility and proprioception.

The diagnosis is made by radiological study and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine at the level of the lumbo-sacral joint, treatment options

consist of: cage rest, allopathic (NSAIDs, analgesics, corticosteroids), homotoxicological, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, being an excellent option the synergy between homotoxicological treatment and physiotherapy (integral analgesia).

This paper presents the case of a patient of a Pinscher, female, 10 months, which is taken to consultation after having suffered a trauma by fall presenting as main signs paraparesis, contracture of all muscle mass in hind limbs, proprioceptive deficit and ataxic gait. It was decided to perform physiotherapy and rehabilitation without suspending the medical treatment established from the beginning, managing to reduce the recovery time, improvement in the patient’s condition, elimination of the cause of the physical alteration, pain relief, reduce inflammation and resumption to daily life.

Keywords: cauda equine compression, physiotherapy and rehabilitation.

Interested? Here’s the full article

Angelica B. Ortega Vasquez

Ortocanis.com Collaborator

30/05/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis

Treatment of hip dysplasia in the young dog

injuries, Pathologies, Treatments, vet

Hip dysplasia is a very common problem in certain breeds: BullDog, Bordeaux Doge, St. Bernard, Neapolitan Mastiff, German Shepherd, Rottweiler, Golden… all of them have an incidence above 20%.

Dysplasia is a multifactorial, multigenic and hereditary disease, that is, there are several factors that predispose and cause hip dysplasia, there are several genes involved in its appearance and it has a hereditary character.

Environmental factors are becoming more and more important in the development of hip dysplasia, the genetic factor is necessary to develop the disease but this is not the only factor. Genetics is a necessary but not exclusive factor, that is, you can have the genetic predisposition and not develop the disease but if you do not have a predisposition it is sure that it does not develop.

There are several degrees of dysplasia, and also those that appear when the dog is a puppy or those that give problem already in adulthood; but in this article we will focus on the treatment and specifically on the treatment of dysplasia to young dogs.

Classification of the degrees of dysplasia according to the OFA :

Grade I: minimal alteration with small subluxation and few degenerative changes.

Grade II: marked lateral subluxation of the femoral head, 25-50% of which is outside the acetabulum.

Grade III: 50-75% of the femoral head is outside the acetabulum; there are important degenerative changes.

Grade IV: dislocation of the femoral head with flattening of the acetabular border and femoral head; there are major degenerative changes.

The presentation in the young dog is puppy hip x-ray normally between 5 and 6 months and is marked by a significant limp.

A dog is not considered to be free of dysplasia until at two years of age already completed no problems or inconsistencies are observed in the control x-rays.

Food is one of the factors that predisposes to the appearance of hip dysplasia, Calcium-Phosphorus imbalances that must keep a correlation Ca1.6% – P1.1% and above all not overfeeding or providing excess proteins allows us to minimize the incidence of hip dysplasia. A hypocaloric diet from 3 months to 8 months protects dogs with rapid growth from dysplasia. Excess weight at 60 days is another factor that predisposes to the disease.

Hip dysplasia in the puppy usually debuts from 5 or 6 months, before it is not possible to observe any problem and the dog has been completely normal and has developed normally. The debut is usually presented as a sharp limp that prevents the dog from playing as it had done to date. We can observe changes in the desire to play, negative when going for a walk, to relate to other dogs or owners. Mood swings, frequent slips of the hind legs, discomfort and even refusal to be touched and the fact of “fleeing” from children in dogs that until a few days ago were playful and affectionate are frequent.

Sometimes when you reach 90% of the growth between 8 and 11 months the signs can be reduced and even disappear. Anyway the dysplasia remains and in many cases the problems reappear after a while and sooner rather than later signs of osteoarthritis appear in the hips.

The most common clinical signs are:

Lameness that may increase with exercise

Walking and jogging with hip swing

Morning stiffness

Difficulty getting up

Muscle atrophy

Refusal to move

Mood swings

Pain on palpation

Sign of Ortolani.

Although there are surgical methods: excision of the pectineus muscle, triple hip osteotomy, arthroplasty of the femoral head, osteotomy of the pubis, forage, hip prostheses most are practiced when the dog is young to supposedly decrease the possibility of secondary coxofemoral osteoarthritis in adulthood. The hip prosthesis should be reserved for severe cases and once the growth has finished.

Medical treatment is based on anti-inflammatories, we can start with natural anti-inflammatories, such as inflamex, which does not contain medicinal substances, if we do not obtain the expected results move to Aine’s and in extreme cases corticos are resorted to. We must include nutraceuticals especially chondroprotectors since they reduce the incidence of osteoarthritis and protect the articular cartilage. These are used in senior dogs in a very general way but are very useful as a joint protector in growing dogs, there are specific drug carriers for young dogs. Weight reduction, moderate and above all regular exercise are other basic points, as well as improvements in the environment and the fact of sleeping on a special mattress for older dogs and in a warm place away from humidity.

Canine physiotherapy can help a lot to better develop the muscles to reduce pain, to draw tensions and eliminate compensations that the dog has made with the wrong postures and antialgic positions. This will be based on TENS, ultrasound, therapeutic exercises, the use of hydrotherapy, laser, shock waves…

The main improvement in the environment is to sleep on a good therapeutic mattress, not to be cold or exposed to a lot of humidity, to use in winter a thermal coat for dogs, to be able to be a therapeutic canine blanket that can be used all year round.

We can help our Dog with hip dysplasia, regular physical exercise can be very useful to improve muscle mass that better withstands poor joint congruence, avoid impacts, jumps or uncontrolled runs during the presentation of the picture are also important elements. Physiotherapy and massages allow you to always have the dog in a correct muscular state, and all the adjuvant treatments such as acupuncture, massages, reiki, bach flowers … they can also help with treatment. The latest novelty is the hip supports that help stabilize the pelvis, give support and greatly improve the quality of life of our pets.

Toni

Ortocanis.com Team

14/03/2013/0 Comments/by Ortocanis