I cannot imagine how grossed out you must have felt when you saw your dog lick up his or her pee for the first time! Read the complete blog post to understand the causes behind such behavior and how to rectify it.

Dogs lapping up their own urine can either stem from a physical discomfort or a behavioral problem. First step is to rule out any possible medical conditions which may force your dog to dink his own urine. If their is no associated medical reason for this behavior, then it most likely is stemming from a behavioral issue. To address this problem, you must first understand the causes behind said behavior.

Causes behind dogs drinking their own urine:

As I mentioned earlier, drinking their own pee in dogs can be a result of an ongoing physical problem or a psychological issue. 

To diagnose any underlying medical issue, pay a visit to your veterinarian. If the licking of urine is indeed due to an underlying health problem, your dog will be checked and provided medications to rectify the underlying disease.

Let’s start with understanding the medical factors which contribute to this problem:

Dehydration: 

If your dog does not have enough supply of water and is suffering from dehydration, he or she will go to the closest source to receive hydration, even if that is their own urine. Dogs have not been observed to drink their own urine if they are adequately hydrated. 

A new puppy needs several reminders of the location of the water bowl before they remember. If they forget the location of their bowl, they may drink their own urine. Older dogs suffering from dementia may also drink urine if they forget the location of their water bowl. 

Cushing’s syndrome:

This is a rare disease observed in dogs. It is caused by the formation of a tumors in the pituitary gland of your dog, the primary symptoms of this disease are excessive urination and uncontrolled thirst. The need to urinate frequently will cause a buildup of pee in the house and the excessive thirst will cause your dog to lap up his or her own urine to overcome the thirst.

Urinary tract infection (UTI)

Suffering from UTI is a common occurance in dogs. The most common symptoms of this disease are blood in urine, fever, frequent urination and accidental urination indoors. If your dog is suffering from UTI, he or she will constantly feel thirsty and may drink his or her urine as they are suffering from peeing accidents and their is availability of urine in the house.

Urinary incontinence:

Licking up their own urine as well as urinary incontinence is a common behavior observed in dogs of advanced ages of both sexes especially neutered females. This problem can occur due to a wide variety of reasons, a few of them being: urinary tract problems. Urinary bladder infection etc. If these conditions are ignored or left untreated, thy will cause large amounts of urine to leak from the bladder when the dog lays down.

Other potential medical reasons:

If you pup is drinking his own urine due to being thirsty, increasing the water quantity should eliminate the problem. However, if your dog is excessively thirsty, veterinary attention may be needed. Excessive thirst or polydipsia may be caused due to underlying conditions like hepatic diseases, kidney malfunction as well as congenital diseases like diabetes. 

Other few potential medical issues behind uncontrolled thirst may be side effects of a medicine, deficiency of protein in your dog’s diet, or old age.  

Now that we have understood the physical or underlying medical causes behind such behavior, it it time to have a look at all behavioral issues which can give rise to this behavior:

No place to urinate: 

if your dog is housebroken, he or she is used to going outside to conduct their personal business. How we, if your dog is at home for long hours with no one available to take him or her out, he or she will pee wherever they choose. Since your dog is house trained, he or she will recognize this as unwanted behavior and may try to lick up the urine as a way to hide or get rid of the evidence.

Some dog guardians have a backyard which can be freely accessed by the dog. Under such conditions, the pup can go out when needed. Even in the presence of a doggy door, some dogs may feel uncomfortable using it to get out and may pee on the floor itself.

Your dog is not housebroken or is under training: 

It is common for pups to have accidents when they enter a new home. A few accidents must be expected by dog guardians during the initial training period. Your dog may feel embarrassed by peeing indoors and may try to eliminate the evidence by lapping it up. 

Raised in puppy mills: 

Puppy mills are the places where the dogs are bred for the purpose to selling their puppies. The living conditions in puppy mills are inhumane as the pups are often kept locked in small cages or boxes. The pups are fed inside their cages. They are not even led out to poop or pee. Thus, puppies may learn to eat their own poop or drink their own urine as no one taught them otherwise. Another cause might be the absence of adequate amount of water.

Bad habit:

Just like humans, dogs can also pick up bad habits. A few of these are barking at mailman, chasing cars, barking at other people etc. However, these behavior may also include peeing indoors. If your dog is exhibiting such behavior, do not scold him or her. Scolding your dog for bad habits only want them to hide the said habit from your eyes leading to the exhibiting the behavior but learning to hide the evidence. Thus, for peeing indoors, consider retaining your dog with positive reinforcement. 

Preference:

This reason may seem highly bizarre to a lot of dog guardians. However, some puppies have been observed to actually enjoy the taste of urine and thus prefer to drink urine over fresh water even when the later is available. 

To understand the opposite sex:

Some male dogs may taste the during to female dogs to decipher if the later is in heat. 

Now that we have uncovered all potential causes behind dogs licking their own urine, its time to know and understand how this behavior can be corrected.

STOP THE BEHAVIOR:

 A few considerations which can be taken into account by a dog guardian facing the pee drinking problem are as follows:

• Provide enough water to your dog
• Redo house training with your dog 
• Reinforce good behavior with ample rewards 
• Say a stern NO when the inappropriate behaviour is exhibited
• Provide your dog with an easy access to the backyard through a doggy door so that your dog can easily pee outside
• Get a complete wellness check done for your dog to rule out any underlying medical conditions.

If your dog is a puppy mill survivor, chances are he or she picked up the bad habit from the unfortunate environment of the mill. You may also face some difficulty in house training your pup. The key ingredient needed to train your pup will be patience. No dog is untrainable. It’s the humans who may lose patience before time. So give yourself and your dog time to learn the new behavior. Never use any form of negative reinforcement on your pup. A ton of positive reinforcement and patience will bring your dog on the right track. 

Another tip which may come in very handy is is to always clean up the accident as soon as it occurs. Do not leave the urine to dry out and do not use white vinegar or bleach to clean the urine. Firstly, bleach or vinegar may cause carpet or hardwood floor discoloration. Secondly, the smell of ammonia will lure your dog back to the spot as the smell is similar to your dog’s urine.

To clean up your dog’s urine, it is preferable to use enzyme based cleaners. These types of cleaners work by breaking down the Uris acid and protease in your dog’s urine. They also disinfect the floor of any bacterial contamination. Other options for floor cleaning are using a mixture of hydrogens peroxide and baking soda or water which is great at neutralising odours. 

Give your pup more ME time:

Take your pup out more frequently so that all the urination happen outside the house rather than inside. If you cannot afford to take out dog out, you can hire a dog walker. They will only come to take your dog out to pee and poop. This is a great option if you work long hours daily. 

Some final tips:

• You can have a designated spot covered with puppy pads and train your dog to go there if the option to go out is not available. 
• You can also train your dog to use talking buttons so they can relay to you their reason for wanting to go out.
• You can teach your dog to use the pee and poo bell. Teach them to ring the bell when they need to pee or poop. Always take them out once before retiring for the night. This increases the chance of your pup not peeing or pooping in the house during sleep time. 
• If your dog is exhibiting such behaviour out of boredom, then your dog is in need of mental stimulation. Check out this post on how to make homemade dog toys to stimulate your pup mentally and keep them busy for a long time. 
• If you are going to be out for long, hire a dog sitter, so that your dog can maintain his or her routine of going out at the right time.
• If your dog had an accident in the house, do not scold him or her. Instead take him or her out as son as possible.
• Treat your dog like a world famous celebrity when they exhibit good behavior. 
• Monitor the color of your dogs pee. A dark urine is a sure sign of dehydration in dogs. 
• Make sure your dogs know where the water bowls are located in the house.
• If your dog suffers from urinary incontinence, you can make him or her wear a diaper or belly bands. 
• Last but not the least, understand the underlying cause of this behavior before you try to correct it. 

 Conclusion

Does your dog drink his or her urine? If yes, how did you make him or her get rid or such behavior? If you wish for your story to be featured on my blog, subscribe to the blog newsletter and drop me an email. I’d love to put up your story/anecdote on my blog.

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Are you wondering how to stop your dog from being aggressive all the time?

If your dog is regularly displaying behavior like snapping, biting or growling, you have a serious behavioral issue on your hands which needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Dog aggression is one of the primary reasons why dog guardians go for the help of a professional animal behaviorist or dog trainers. If you are lucky, you may come in contact with a trainer who understands the reason behind your dog’s aggression and deals with the problem by using positive reinforcements, However, if you have a bad luck you may land up with a trainer who uses negative reinforcement on your pup, thus making the problem worse than it already was. 

One of the first things you must understand as a dog guardian is that dogs are not born with such behaviour. Just because a few dog breeds have been labelled as aggressive, it does not mean that these dogs have been snapping and biting since birth. Any dog, irrespective of its size or breed can become aggressive. Development of aggression depends on the circumstances, not the pedigree.

Coming to the topic at hand:

What is dog aggression?

Aggressive behaviour in dogs refers to a behaviour connected to an attack or impending attack. The dog may display behaviours like snarling, baring teeth, becoming still or rigid and nipping or actually biting. 

I always mention, to correct a specific behaviour in your dog, you first must understand the reason behind the behaviour so that the problems can be eliminated from the root rather than just doing a symptomatic treatment. Treating the problem without treating the cause always comes with the risk of the problem relapsing in the future in a far worst condition

Causes behind dog aggression:

Keep a very close watch on your dog’s behaviour and try to understand the reason behind his/her aggression. Your dog may react aggressively towards strangers, kids, other dogs etc. the most common types of dog aggression are the following:

Territorial aggression: 

The dog defends his or her space/your home from what seems like an intruder to him. This intruder in your dog’s eyes can be anyone who does not belong in the house like guests, other people’s dogs etc.

Protective aggression: 

Most dogs protect the members of their pack. When you adopt a dog, you become a part of his or her pack. Your dog will do anything he or she deems necessary to keep you away from any harm. Mother dogs are extremely protective of their newborn and may become hostile towards anyone whom they don’t trust around their kids. 

Aggression over possessiveness: 

Your dog is hell bent on protecting his food, toys, blankets or other belongings which are of value to them. This behaviour is referred to as resource guarding. 

Aggression stemming from fear: 

The dog is afraid or someone or something and tries to run away from whatever is making his or her scared. If your dog is cornered during such time, he or she may react aggressively.

Defensive aggression: 

The dog reacts to purely defend his belongings or his people.

Social aggression: 

These dogs do not take well to being near other dogs. If the dog has not been properly socialised, he or she may display aggression towards other dogs in settings away from home. 

Aggression arising from frustration: 

These are mostly related to leashes or collars. The prospect of going for a walk may overexcite your dog and he or she tries to relieve the aggression by nipping or biting you or the leash.

Redirected aggression: 

This happens in case dogs are fighting. They may become aggressive towards the person who tries to break up the fight. 

Aggression due to pain: 

Dogs cannot express their pain verbally. When injured or in pain, dogs tend to become aggressive so that other dogs or humans may stay away from them. Check out this blog post to understand the symptoms of pain in dogs

Predatory aggression: 

If your dog is chasing a squirrel or chasing his ball he or she may not appreciate others chasing the same game. This may lead to aggression. This behavior can become particularly dangerous if the dog is playing chase with a wound child. Your dog may bite the child under the influence of aggression. 

Aggression due to sex: 

Male dogs or female dogs can become aggressive towards others of same sex when looking for a mate. 

Personal experience:

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you know by now that I am a mom to 8 homeless dogs who live around my place. Life is not easy for dogs living on the streets. Food is hard to come by and sometimes a long duration of scare food availability can lead to heightened aggression in dogs. A lot of times I have jumped in between the dogs to separate them from fighting with each other. Luckily, they recognize me s their pack leader and never undermine my authority even when they are in the frenzy of a fight. Overtime, they have learned to control their fighting urges and live more amicably with each other. However, for dog guardians who have their kids (dogs) living with them, controlling and reducing their aggressive behavior is much easier. However, without understanding the causes behind the aggression, it is impossible to reduce or try to control it.

Signs and symptoms of aggression in dogs:

Any dog has the potential to become aggressive. However, there are a few signs which you can watch out for:

Rigid body with quick wagging tail

Yawning or lip licking unusually

Raised fur

Growling

Snapping

Averting gaze

Tail tucking and cowering

Seeing whites of eyes

Showing these symptoms once does not mean that your dog is aggressive. These warning signs can also be indication that your dog is suffering from anxiety or fear of some kind. If you do notice these behaviours on a recurrent basis, then you need to be careful and help your dog

How to curb aggressive behaviour:

The first thing that you need to make a note of is when does your dog start to display aggressive behaviour and what are the circumstances surrounding it. This will make it easier to understand the causes behind the aggressive behaviour. The unusual aggressiveness is just the manifestation of a deep rooted problem. 

Check in with your veterinarian:

If your dog is suddenly displaying aggressive behaviour, he or she may be suffering from an underlying medical issue. There are several health issues which can lead to aggression in dogs like painful injuries, hypothyroidism, neurological problems (brain tumours, epilepsy, encephalitis etc.). 

The first step to understanding your dogs aggression would be to get his or her checked by the vet and rule out any physical distress which may cause such behaviour in your dog. If it is a physical issue, then proper medication can be very helpful to get your dog back to his or her normal behaviour.

Discuss the issue with a professional dog trainer:

Once your have rules out physical disability as being the cause behind the aggression, it is time to have a discussion with a dog trainer or dog behaviourist. Aggression is a serious behavioural problem and should not be attempted to be fixed by the guardian on their own. A dog behaviourist can help you figure out the reason behind the unexpected behaviour and provide you with tips and a plan to help you deal with it and eventually reduce it. 

Check out these other posts from thehappypuppers.com

• Bizarre facts you probably didn’t come across about the different kinds of DOG FOOD? 

• Coconut oil for dogs, 10 benefits every dog parent must know

• 15 unbelievable ways apple cider vinegar (ACV) can help your dog

Create a plan:

Positive reinforcement is the best way to deal and change a behavioural issue with dogs. Never punish your dog if they are displaying aggression, alway understand the problem first and then take actions accordingly. 

If your dog is aggressive towards strangers: 

When guests come to your house, ask your dog to it down first and then ask strangers to give treats to your dog when they enter your house. This way your dog will learn to associate strangers with a positive experience like treats. Over time he or she will learn to not be aggressive towards strangers. 

If your dog is aggressive towards leash: 

Make sure your dog is calm before you get him or her ready for walk. Ask your dog to sit before you put on the leash. If seeing the leash makes your dog go aggressive, let him or her sniff the leash, give lots of treats with the leash so your dog learns that leash means treats followed by walks which is a good experience. 

If your dog suffers from aggression born out of fear: 

If your dog is scared of something like thunder etc., allow them to find their corner and stay there. Do not corner your dog or hover over them. Stay close by but not too close so that your dog knows you are there for him or her. Put on some light classical music to help your dog feel soothed and relax. 

Mother dog protective instincts: 

Do not go to your dog when he or she is showing over protective instincts. Just stay close by and allow the mother to come to you. When the mama dog trusts you she will allow you near her pups and even allow you to pick up her kids. Try not to rush the process. Give your dog the time they need and the experiences will be well worth it. 

Avoid administering any kind of punishment:

Punishments don’t solve the problem. Instead, they might just aggravate it. Punishment has been observed to backfire and even escalate the behaviour. If your respond to your dog’s aggressive behaviour by yelling, hitting or by the use of some other form of aversive means, your dog might feel the need to defend him or herself and snap or bite you in return.

Punishment may also lead to your dog nipping or biting somebody else without warning or provocation. Eg. if your dog growls at kids and you punish this behaviour, next time your dog may just bite when he or she feels uncomfortable in the vicinity of kids.

Medication or calming oils: 

Sometimes, only training might not be enough. If training does not help your dog, you may consider getting some calming medications for your dog. If your dog’s aggression is due to anxiety or fear, it may be due to anxiety. Giving your dog some CBD oil may help calm his or her nerves. Check out this blog post on CBD oil, its uses and benefits for dogs

Learn to handle unavoidable situations: 

Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where no option is a good option. Honestly, it breaks my heart to even write this, but reality prevails. If you have a dog who acts aggressively towards kids and you have a kid on the way, you have tried all options but your dog’s behaviour is not improving Under such circumstances, it might be better to consider finding a new home for your dog, preferably with people who don’t have kids.

You are the best judge of your dog’s behaviour and will be able to find the best methods to help him or her overcome this difficult situation. 

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Let’s understand first, why dog’s find mud so appealing?

Why do dogs love to roll in the mud?

Rolling in the mud is probably one behavior which dogs do not share with humans. This is probably the reason why is humans always wonder why dogs like mud at all. Rolling in the mud leads to a bath eventually which is a hassle for both the guardian as well as the pup unless the pup is a bath lover.

Some dog guardians prefer to punish their pup for exhibiting this behavior. This should be strictly prevented at all costs. However, punishing your pup is almost like you cutting him or her off from his or her wild side. 

Smells which are perceived to be dirty by humans are actually the unique ID of a dog. That is why the moment you bathe your dog, he or she will tend to roll over on the bed and dig the bed order to get the paw glands activated so they start secreting sweat which contains your dog’s unique smell. 

To communicate with other dogs:

Dogs also use their scent as a way of communicating with other dogs. If you think that your dog likes to have a bubble bath and loves to have talcum powder spread on him, you cannot be any further from the reality. Dogs hate the smell of powder. If it was a left to dogs, they would rather wallow in mud, garbage bins and dead animals rather than take a bath and erase their own unique scent.

They enjoy the sensation and smell:

To spread information amongst themselves

Every animal communicates with his or her relatives and friends. This behaviour all spreading information has also been inherited by dogs from their wolf cousins. According to research, when a wolf finds something that catches hear his or her attention, he will first sniff the prey and then wallow in the prey to cover himself with the scent of the same. The wolf will then go ahead and transfer the smell of the pray to the rest of the pack so that the entire pack and decide whether they want to eat the prey or not.

As an indication of superiority

Dogs also wallow in the mud to show their other pack members that they have got something that is very interesting and is deserving of praise. However in case of humans, the poor dog might get reprimanded instead of being praised if he or she lands up rolling in the mud. That is why if a dog is scolded for rolling in the mud, it confuses your dog and thus, such a behaviour should be avoided.

Now that we have covered all the reasons why you are dogs might roll in the mud, it is time to discuss how this behaviour can be curbed or prevented.

The first step to prevent your dog from rolling in the mud is to understand that scolding or punishing is not the solution. The only way you can modify this behaviour is by avoidance and lots of patience.

Let's take an example. Suppose you are walking your dog in a park and there is a puddle of mud. Your dog immediately gets attracted to the puddle and wants to go and roll in it. To prevent this behaviour, tell your dog a firm NO and remove your dog from the spot. You will need a lot of patience because initially your dog will not understand why are you commanding him not to go into the puddle which is such a heavenly place for him.

Your dog will not understand the new command in relation to garbage or rollin in the mud right on day one. You will need to have a ton of patience and exercise the same treatment every time. If your dog does by chance land up going to the puddle, do not scold him at all. Just clean him up and leave it at that.

If your dog is exhibiting such a behaviour in your own backyard, there are simpler ways to curb this behaviour. Clear your backyard of any dead animals or garbage if they are present. The aim of this behaviour of this sure is to avoid giving your dog any kind of stimulus which would make him want to roll in the dirt or mud.

One more thing that I need to emphasise here is that, not all dogs like mud. Like my boy, Delta Bunny hates getting dirty. He hates walking on mud, hates going out if it has just rained and he hates to take a bath. SometimesI feel he may have been a cat in his previous life. I think that the mud loving behavior might be breed dependent. It is unheard of that a golden retriever finds mud unappealing. Maybe some breeds like playing in mud while others don’t.

Does your pup love or hate mud? How does your dog react when he or she sees mud? Let me know in the comment section below. If you have any other queries, feel free to put them in the comment section as well or you can reach out to me on any of my social media channels. 

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Shruti

Cataract is one of the worst nightmare for any dog guardian. Read the complete blog post to know all the herbal remedies for cataracts in dogs

Have you noticed that your dog’s eyes are starting to cloud up with a whitish tinge? This is generally indicative towards the fact that your dog is probably developing cataract. Just like humans, dogs can also get affected by cataract. It causes a white haze to form in front of the lens of the eye and impedes your dog’s vision.   

If you are worried about your dog developing this heinous disease and losing his or her version, read the full blog post to know the home remedies you can use to prevent cataract as well as to heal your dog if he or she is suffering from cataract.

Do you know why cataracts occur in dogs and what are the normal preventive measures available for the same? I invite you to check out my blog post on cataract: cataracts in dogs the causes symptoms and treatment options. When dogs develop cataract, the crystalline lens in the eye looses its transparency and light from outside can no longer reach the retina. This leads to a vision disorder. Depending on the age and previous health conditions of your dog, cataract can either develop slowly or it may develop before you realise.

If you are still reading, then you know what is cataract in case of dogs, its causes, symptoms as well as treatment options available. Let’s focus on the natural remedies which are available for cataracts. Most natural remedies will not be able to heal your dog of the cataract, however, they will ensure that the cataract does not progress any further. Let’s look at the natural cataract remedies for dogs

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is known to be an antioxidant by virtue of which it prevents cells from ageing fast. It has also been known to improve vision. You can use the following dose of vitamin C as a supplement to keep your dog from developing cataract and also to keep your dog young and healthy:

250 mg every day for dogs belonging to small breeds

500 mg every day for dogs belonging to medium-sized breeds

Up to 1000 mg every day for dogs belonging to the large dog breeds.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A has proven that it can act as a shield of good health. It is known to be the best supplement for eye care. It has also shown to protect the integrity of the epithelium of the eye. This epithelium primarily covers the eyeball. If you wish to administer vitamin A to your dog as a supplement, kindly check out the following doses

1500 IU every day for dogs belonging to small treats

3000 IU every day for dogs belonging to medium-sized dog breeds

5000 to 7000 IU daily for dogs belonging to the large breeds.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is another natural antioxidant. It has been known to heal the oxidative damage which occurs in tissues as and when ageing happens. To administer vitamin E as a regular supplement to your dog, check out the following doses:

100 IU every day for dogs belonging to small dog breeds

200 IU daily for dogs belong to medium-sized dog breeds

400 IU daily for dogs belonging to large breeds

Coenzyme Q 10

Coenzyme Q 10 is another natural antioxidant. It is commonly taken by humans as well as dogs. This antioxidant is known to stop the progression of cataracts and has been known in some cases, to reverse the effects of cataract as well. It has been observed to strengthen and protect the eye. The following doses of coenzyme Q 10 should be administered to dogs:

15 mg every day for dogs belonging to small breeds

22 mg every day for dogs belonging to medium-sized breeds

30 mg every day for dogs belonging to the large dog breeds

The Dosage of coenzyme Q 10 as well as vitamins can be divided into half and the portions can be administered once in the morning and once in the evening.

Bilberry extract: 

Certain herbal remedies have been observed to reduce the rate of cataract advancement. Among these, Bilberry extract has been observed to be pretty effective. Bilberry contains an antioxidant which has the ability to fight I diseases. It is for this reason that Bilberry is also sometimes referred to as the vision herb.

Other herbal remedies

Other herbs which may be used to counteract and reduce cataract progression are rosemary, meadow sweet, grape seed extract, turmeric as well as burdock. The eye washes which are made with eye bright tea and greater calendine tea have been observed to reduce the progression of canine cataracts.

Carrots

Remember when your mother told you that carrots must be eaten since they are good for your eyes? Not only was she right about your eye, she was also right about your dog’s eye. The reason behind this is the presence of beta carotene carotenoid in carrots. Lutein, another carotenoid  which is found in leafy greens can also help reduce the progression of canine cataracts and protect the eye from any further damage.

Topical treatment

Succus cineraria with artificial tears in a 50:50 ratio has been observed to improve vision in some dog suffering from cataracts. Other topical treatments which have shown mixed results in case of canine cataracts are cysteine ascorbate, riboflavin, glutathione and l-taurine. 

Now that you know the natural supplements which can prevent as well as reduce cataract in your dog, what about the efficacy of the same?

The primary thing to remember here for all the guardians is that supplements are not miracle workers. Thus, no one should expect instant results. Currently there is a growing support towards the administration and usage of the natural remedies for canine cataract. Supplements for canine cataracts have shown that they can be an effective preventive measure as well as a great option as treatment for the same. However, these treatments have shown no permanent effect so far. 

Another promising remedy: eyedrops with lanosterol

Lanosterol is an organic compound which has recently been discovered as one that can improve vision by just dissolving the clumped proteins which form cataracts. Three dogs who were suffering from natural cataracts observed a complete clearance of vision within six weeks of treatment with these eyedrops. These results have cleared up a path towards a new nonsurgical treatment for cataracts.

Balance lifetime diet

A balance lifetime diet can help prevent the occurrence of cataract in your dog. Obesity is one of the factor which contributes to the risk of diabetes and cataracts. So keep an eye on your dog’s weight always. Provide your dog food items which are rich in amino acids like cysteine, glycine, glutamic acid, bioflavonoids, zinc, manganese, selenium and finally vitamin A, C, E.

If your dog is already suffering from cataract, avoid giving him or her any kind of processed meat, dairy products or saturated fats. 

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals like wheat grass sprouts have shown a great promise as natural treatment for canine cataracts. You can either feed your dog fresh sprouts or you can purchase high-quality wheat grass powder supplement for your pup.

Algae/ seaweed

Algae/seaweed posesses the minerals, vitamins, liver detoxifier and antioxidants which have detoxifying properties which can act as natural canine cataract remedy. 

Whole krill

Krill is an amazing source of carotenoid, astaxanthin and other great antioxidants which are recommended to keep your dog’s eye safe and sound. 

Have you ever tried using natural remedies for canine cataracts? Please share your experiences in the comment section below. If you have a story or anecdote about your pup that you wish to share on my blog, please contact me on one of my social media channels.

Before you go,

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See you in my next blog post

Shruti

Is your dog suffering from cataract? If yes, then you are at the right place. In this blog post, I will discuss the causes, symptoms and the treatment strategies of the same.

A cataract is a disease that is common to both humans and dogs. Cataracts develop when the eye lens clouds up and it looks like a film has developed over the eye. This happens when there is a change in the water balance of the lens or a change in the proteins present in the lens. As a result of the clouding of the lens, light is unable to reach the retina, leading to blindness. If your dog is suffering from a mature cataract, then it will seem as if there is a white disk behind your dog's eye. The region of the eye which looks black or brown will now seem white. 

It is important to not confuse cataract with nuclear sclerosis. Nuclear sclerosis is the haziness caused in the eye which occurs due to the hardening of the eye lens during the advanced years of your dog's life. In the case of nucleus sclerosis, the light still passes through the eye and comes in contact with the retina, so even when suffering from nuclear sclerosis, your dog maintains a certain level of vision and won't bump into things. Most dog guardians get confused between nuclear sclerosis and cataract. They think that their dog is suffering from cataract, while the poor pup might be suffering from nuclear sclerosis.

How are canine cataracts diagnosed?

If you are worried that your dog might be suffering from cataract, contact your veterinarian. The vet can use a bright light and a magnifying lens to detect whether the cataract is at an immature stage or is just beginning to form and has not yet affected your dog's eyesight.

At the same time, your vet may also check for other eye issues like glaucoma and anterior uveitis that can affect the eye. Your vet might also conduct other tests like blood work and blood pressure checks to identify if your dog is suffering from any other systematic diseases that can cause vision impedance like hypertension and diabetes. Overall, these tests will provide your vet with an idea of your dog's overall well being.

Cataracts can either develop very slowly or develop overnight. There is a high chance that you don't notice the cataract developing during the initial stages but once the cataract reaches the stage of maturity i.e. the movement of light to the retina is completely blocked, your dog will be completely blind. Your dog will start bumping into furniture, have difficulties locating the food bowls, will be afraid of climbing up or down the stairs. However, dogs are one of the most adaptable creatures on the planet. They will learn to function without their sight sooner than you expect. In case the cataract affects your dog slowly, you might not even realise that your pup has lost his/her eyesight.

What are the causes behind cataract occurrence in dogs?

Most often, cataract is hereditary. Research has shown that there are several gene mutations in different dog breeds which have implicated towards cataract occurrence. If your dog has this mutation, he/she is at an elevated risk of developing this disease. You can get your dog genetically tested, however, there is no guarantee as to whether your dog will eventually develop a cataract or not. 

One of the other major causes of cataracts is diabetes existence. Almost all dogs who have been diagnosed with diabetes start to develop a cataract within a year of diagnosis. High blood sugar levels generally cause a change in the water balance in the lens and result in the formation of a cataract. Diabetic cataracts tend to develop very quickly with the dog losing eyesight completely within a few days of eye trouble. Oral oxidants have been observed to help with the delay in cataract formation, therefore, discuss with your veterinarian about his/her recommendation.

Recently, there is a new canine eye drop that can prevent or delay diabetic cataract formation. However, it is currently awaiting approval from the FDA. 

Treatment of dog cataracts

The unfortunate part of a dog cataract is that there is no pill or eye drop that can cause a reversal in the state of the eye lens. Luckily, however, surgery has been observed to be highly successful in most cases. Even in animals, cataract surgery can be used to remove the cloudy lens and cause restoration of the eyesight.

The only cases when surgeries are not successful are when your dog has damaged retinas, glaucoma or inflammation in the eye. If unfortunately, your dog is such a candidate, your vet will inform you of the same.

Your dog may also suffer other illness like heart or kidney disease which can make the administration of anaesthesia very risky for your dog. In such a case, your vet will prescribe anti-inflammatory eye drops to your pup for the long term to reduce the inflammation. These drops won't directly treat cataracts or restore the lost vision, however, they will prevent or delay lens-induced glaucoma.

Lens induced glaucoma takes place when the proteins from cataract get released in the eye and cause an inflammatory reaction which clogs the fluid overflow. This leads to excess fluid building up in the eye causing an increase in the pressure which causes a lot of pain to the dog.

Conclusion:

We all want the best for our dogs. Seeing them in any kind of pain is very heartbreaking for us. Even doing research and writing this post brought tears to my eyes. However, when your dog reaches the stage of such difficulty, you will be there by his/her side providing all your love and support to your beloved pooch. As I mentioned above, dogs are very very resilient. All they need is your love and devotion to help them get through the most difficult of times.

Have you ever been in the above-mentioned situation? Do you have any stories to share with everyone? You can either leave your stories in the comment section below or you can contact me on any of my social media channels. If you have any specific query you want to be addressed, please leave them in the comment section. I will be happy to be of assistance..

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