All the Creatures

I think that most dog owners are aware that tartar build up on their dog’s teeth will cause teeth to loosen and fall out - eventually. The tartar is caused mainly by foods that fed to the food that are too soft. Even mixing dry dog food in with soft foods does not eliminate the problem. A dog that is fed an entirely dry food diet will have less of a problem with tartar build up.

Because of the tartar build up problem a booming dog teeth cleaning industry has popped up over that past 20 years. Doggy toothpaste, flavored nylon chew toys, dried animal’s hoofs and ears and other such assorted oddities. That even does not cover the trips to the vet where they routinely ask if your dog would like it’s teeth cleaned while you are there on another matter, all to the tune of an extra 20 or more dollars.

When a new dog chew product comes along like Nubz (pictured below), some people are skeptical. Does it work? Is it expensive or will my dog even chew it?

Since I have no personal experience with the product, I have no idea if it works, but it can’t make a dogs teeth any worse than they are now. The product is made from chicken and is totally digestible as the label says. A big plus for me is that there are no plastics added in the mix. Some dog chews have plastic and nylon added so you might want to double check the label on your dog chew is your dog tends to eat them.

I do know that you can get them at Costco and if you are a member they have a coupon for them. The coupon does expire in a few weeks. I don’t know where else they sell them, but I would imagine that most chain pet stores will have them.

The name of the product struck me as odd. Wasn’t Nubz the name of that dog that had it’s ears cut off and the soldier bought it home? Or was that spelled Nubbs or Nubs?

All the Creatures

The Shih Tzu is a small breed dog that unfortunately is the victim of several genetic problems. Often they are the result of poor breeding by puppy mills and individuals that have not researched their dog’s bloodlines. The puppy rarely shows any deformities but as they grow and mature, that is when the problems arise.

The major genetic problems that the Shih Tzu dog face are problems with their eyes, more specifically Progressive Retinal Atrophy, Juvenile Cataracts and Entropion. Their kidneys are also subject to Renal Dysplasia. Hip Dysplasia is not limited to the larger breeds of dogs, Shih Tzu is also prone to that dreaded affliction. Of course there are many other lesser known genetic defects that the Shih Tzu can have. I have listed only a few.

Avoid obtaining your Shih Tzu puppy from a breeder that does not test their breeding stock for genetic problems. Ask to see their dam and sire’s certifications to see that they have passed genetic testing. Breeders who do not have their breeding stock tested are usually breeding dogs for mere profit, or should I say a quick buck and do not care about the future welfare of the puppy they have produced.

For more information on genetic problems of the Shih Tzu, visit the American Shih Tzu Club website, click here for their genetics page.

All the Creatures

I find it so amazing how us humans are so weight conscious. For ourselves we worry about diets and finding weight loss products, yet for horses we fret over them not getting enough food. When I visit many of the horse related message boards online, at least one or 2 of the threads are about their horse’s weight. Most think that their horse is too skinny when in fact when they post pictures of their horses, they look just fine, great in fact. I think that the “skinny horse” syndrome came about because of the many visuals on TV of horse that were confiscated by local Animal Control. It got everyone wondering if their own horse is too skinny.

If you are wondering if your horse is the right weight or not, you can do a Google search on the words “horse fitness scale” and see the results. There are a few tests you can do on your own horse to see if they are the right weight.

All the Creatures