Bark City Doggy Daycare

Pet weight- it's a big deal! Not only will your pet's weight affect your pocket book in the way of veterinarian bills, but it also plays a huge role in the quality of life your pet is living. According to a 2016 survey by The Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 54% of all dogs in the U.S. are overweight or obese and 93% of pet guardians thought their dog's weight was normal. How I read that statistic is that a lot of humans out there have an overweight dog and think their dog is normal. So how can you tell if your dog is at a healthy weight? Feel your dog's spine and ribs. If you are having difficulty feeling the spine and ribs, Fido is overweight.  From a side view, a dog's stomach should be raised. It should not be sagging. From an upward view, you should be able to see a "waist", an inward curve, between the back of the ribcage and the hips.   Having an overweight dog greatly affect their health: They have a shorter life expectancy, there i...

Stress... Ughh. We all get stressed. As humans, we know that familiar feeling of strain or pressure that slowly creeps up on us. And, we have figured out ways to reduce our own stress (hopefully!). Prolonged stress can wreak havoc on our health and well -being. Our canine companions can also feel stress. Just like us, they need ways to reduce their stress or the body will respond through illness and disease. Unfortunately, we humans don't speak dog and dogs don't speak human. It's up the the canine owner to recognize the signs your dog is exhibiting through "dog language" that they are stressed. To recognize the signs of stress in your dog, you must first know your dog's baseline behavior and body posture. Often, stress cues in your dog are very subtle and can mimic normal behaviors. It's up to you as the human to know your dog's normal communication behaviors and then differentiate when something is off a bit: Pacing and Shaking : Dog's wil...

  Mental and physical health is essential to everyday life. But, how do we know if we are overdoing it and it is becoming an unhealthy compulsion? We have all heard of humans over exercising, which in turn causes mental fatigue as well as injuries. Dogs too can be over exercised from the well intentions of human companions. So, how do we know if we humans are over doing the daily exercises with our dog? It's complicated. The first thing is to know your dog through observation of your dog's personality, research on breed and regular veterinarian visits. Daily requirements for exercise are based on breed, weight, age, size and the temperature outside. A Basset Hound or Bulldog are not going to require as much exercise as a Chocolate Lab. In fact, too much or high intensity exercise for the former breeds could cause serious medical issues. Overweight dogs will need a special exercise program to slowly take off weight while protecting the joints. As your dog ages, exercise regim...

Dogs can suffer from depression, just like humans. But, dogs do not speak human. They speak dog and sometimes it's hard for us humans to figure out what they are saying. Here are 10 signs that your dog might be depressed. Please keep in mind that just because your dog may be exhibiting one of these signs, it does not necessarily mean they are depressed. A lot of these signs could also mean they are injured or sick. Bottom line, it's best to know your dog's personal language. Pay attention to how they communicate on a day to day basis in order to understand when your dog is acting out of the ordinary. Change in Behavior : This is the most basic sign. Is your dog acting out of the ordinary? Have they lost interest in things that used to excite them? Example: Walks, favorite food, no longer greeting you at the door. The first thing to do is check out the environment. Have you had a new life change (new baby, a big move, ect..)? Sometimes, a dog will sense your own mood an...

Hairballs are not just a cat thing. True, a cat's meticulous grooming habit will contribute to the frequent disgusting thing on your carpet, but dogs can also get hairballs. Just not as frequently. And sometimes, these canine hairballs can become an obstruction which is life threatening. Dogs that are at a higher risk for hairballs are: long haired dogs, puppies nursing off of a mother that is shedding (or has long hair), dogs with skin irritations, skin parasites and/or an anxious dog. Signs that your dog may have a hairball are: coughing retching vomiting loss of appetite gastrointestinal distress pain The last three signs are also signs that your dog's hairball may be causing a blockage. As you can see, all of these signs can also be cues of other medical issues. All in all, if you are seeing a pattern of these symptoms, it's best to have your dog checked out by a veterinarian. For the last three signs, you should take your dog to the vet asap. A blockage...