If you’d like to cook for your dog, make sure you work from healthy, nutritionally complete recipes. Commercial dog foods must meet certain requirements for nutritional balance, and you must meet in homemade efforts. Your vet can steer you in the right direction for preparing homemade dog diets, or ask her about the suitability of particular veterinary-endorsed diets for your dog.

Basic Components

Your homemade meal must contain protein, fiber and carbohydrates. Puppies require about 25 percent protein in their meals, while 18 percent is sufficient for adults. However, protein needs change according to your dog’s age and vary according to breed, so check out the right amount with your vet. You might have noticed that commercial dog foods often don’t list the percentage of carbohydrates. That’s because the proper percentage of carbs in the dog’s diet is still not set in stone by the veterinary community and regulators. If you’re making Fido’s meals yourself, you have the freedom to purchase the freshest, highest-quality ingredients available. Make sure you weigh your dog frequently to verify he stays a healthy weight. Take your dog to the vet before starting the homemade diet so your vet can determine Fido’s ideal weight.

Sample Recipe

Massachusetts’ MSCPA-Angell Animal Medical Center provides sample recipes on its website for dogs weighing 15, 30 and 60 pounds. It recommends the same basic ingredients for all sizes, just at differing amounts. The primary protein source is dark chicken, but you can substitute with turkey, lamb, pork, beef or eggs in the same proportions. Carbohydrates might consist of pasta, white or brown rice, sweet potato, barley, peas, corn or oatmeal. Grains and meat should be cooked. Fiber comes from carrots, bell peppers, green beans, baby spinach, squash or broccoli but such fibrous matter should be no more than 10 percent of the dog’s entire dietary intake. Vegetables can be cooked or uncooked. For a 15-pound dog, mix 3 ounces of the protein source, 1 1/3 cups of carbohydrates;,1 tablespoon of vegetables and 1 to 2 teaspoons of a fat source such as vegetable oil. For 30-pound dogs, use 4.5 ounces of the protein source, 2 cups of carbohydrates, 1.5 tablespoons of vegetables and 2 to 3 teaspoons of a fat source. For 60 pound dogs, mix 8 ounces of the protein source, 3.5 cups of carbohydrates; 3 tablespoons of vegetables and 3 to 5 teaspoons of a fat source. As a supplement, MSPCA-Angell AMC recommends Balance IT, available from veterinarians.

Another Choice

Founder’s Veterinary Clinic of Brea, California, offers a sample recipe for 20-pound dogs that you can half for 10-pounders or doubled for 40-pound canines. It consists of 1/4 pound of cooked, skinless chicken; 1 cup of cooked brown rice; 1 cup of peas and carrots; 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil; and 1/4 teaspoon of a salt substitute. Substitutions for this recipe differ slightly from those allowed with the recipe from MSCPA-Angell Animal Medical Center in that FVC’s allows boned fish as a protein source and potato as a carbohydrate. FVC suggests adding calcium citrate or bonemeal powder to ensure that your home cooking doesn’t result in calcium deficiency. It also recommends a daily multiple vitamin designed for dogs.

Ask Your Vet

If your dog suffers from medical issues, you might need to adjust certain veterinary-endorsed diets. Ask your vet about your dog’s special nutritional needs as well as for a recommendation for a certified veterinary nutritionist. The three of you can find a homemade diet that meets your pup’s dietary requirements. Whether your dog has specific medical problems or not, you should always tell your vet that your dog eats a homemade diet. You should also add veterinarian-recommended supplements to the homemade diet’s basic components.

Not Recommended

You’ve probably heard of the raw diet, also known as the Biologically Appropriate Raw Food, or BARF, diet. The concept was developed by an Australian veterinarian, Dr. Ian Billinghurst. BARF’s philosophy states that “the diet a dog evolved to eat — over many millions of years of evolution — is the best way to feed it.” While you find might some veterinarians recommending raw foods for dogs, similar to what ancient canines ate, that’s not the view of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The AVMA, along with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, don’t recommend raw food diets because of the risk of bacterial contamination or possible public health risks.

Ireland: the Emerald Isle, the jewel of Europe. It’s fitting that a country named for a precious stone would produce equally valuable canines. If you share your home with any of the dog breeds that came from Ireland, you’re certain to agree that they’re little jewels in their own right. Ireland is no small island, so it should come as no surprise that it is the country of origin for eight breeds.

Terriers

Terriers are full of determination and spirit, qualities that endear the dogs to the Irish. A total of four breeds of terriers call Ireland home. They vary in size from small to medium. The Irish terrier’s name is a dead-giveaway, a mid-sized working breed who is among the oldest of the terriers. Glen of Imaal terriers also have a name that gives nod to their origins. The little Glens are hunters with a unique talent: the American Kennel Club reports that they would turn a spit over the hearth, doing their part to help prepare dinner. Kerry blue and soft-coated wheaten terriers are the other two medium-sized pooches hailing from Ireland. They were both bred to help out on the farm, herding the livestock and hunting vermin, but the Kerry blue is also accomplished at hunting small game.

Irish Wolf Hound

Rivaling the great Dane for height, the Irish wolf hound is a large, brawny dog who was bred to hunt Irish elk, wild boars and even wolves. In “Dogs: 101 Adorable Breeds,” Racheael Hale writes that this regal breed was exclusively owned by nobility, which was just as well. These big dogs eat a lot, much more than a peasant could afford to feed them. Although they’re impressive hunters, they are such friendly, loving dogs who they don’t make for good watch or guard dogs. No matter. Not many people will give you grief with a big lug like an Irish wolf hound at your side.

Setters

Setters come in two breeds and two colors. Irish setters are a solid red color and actually derived from the bi-colored red and white setters. Both breeds are high-energy pooches, ones who are friendly and playful and make wonderful family dogs. The two types of setters are sporting dogs, but the Irish setters are considered to have a bit of an edge over their red and white cousins.

Irish Water Spaniel

The hunting Irish water spaniel breed isn’t at all what you expect in comparison to its setter relatives. First of all, water spaniels’ color is a drab brownish-grey and, sporting a curly coat and a poufy topknot, they more closely resemble poodles than setters. The double coat of this sporting breed serves a purpose: it’s water repellant. This, along with the breed’s strong swimming skills, makes it the ideal retrieving dog, especially in the cold waters of Ireland’s North Sea.

Let’s face it, dogs aren’t cheap. Forget buying a cute puppy — even adopting one will set you back at least a few hundred dollars. How many hundreds depends on a number of things: where you live, where you’re adopting from, what dog you want and many, many other factors. Still interested? Then make sure you understand the expenses are beyond the initial fees and be ready to pay for puppy’s care. Have a question? Get an answer from a Vet now!

Adoption Fee

Your first expense before you bring Rover home will be the adoption fee. Trying to guess the amount of the adoption fee is a bit, well, impossible. And no, the fee doesn’t change based on the level of cuteness or the breed — or lack of it — of the doggie you want. Adoption fees vary from city to city and depend on what the “adoption package” includes. Most shelters will sterilize and vaccinate Rover before you can take him home, but some shelters also microchip, test for heartworm and more. All this will affect the adoption fee. Fees can range from anywhere from as low as $25 to as high as $200 or more.

Special Adoption Fees

Some shelters have different prices depending on the age or the size of the dog. So in this case, choosing a young ball of fur or a cute lap dog will cost you. If you need an example, here it is: at the time of publication, the Michigan Humane Society will charge $275 for adult lap dogs — those that weigh 20 pounds or less — and cute fluffy dogs under four months of age. Want any other dog? It will cost you just $175 to take him home. This is just a clever way to nudge you toward adopting an older or bigger dog, rather than being blinded by the cuteness of the younger puppies.

Supplies

Even before you head to the shelter to pick your new bouncy companion, you should stock up on supplies at the pet store. Sorry, the adopted puppy won’t come with his own luggage full of necessities, so you should prepare for it. Aside from basic needs — such as bowls, collars and ID tag, toys and a leash — you’ll also need pee pads, a crate if you plan on doing crate training, a dog bed and whatever else falls in the “oh-that’s-so-cute” category when you’re at the store. For all this, you will need $100 or more again, and that’s before you even buy the puppy food.

Follow-Up Care

The younger the puppy, the more it will cost you to adopt him. You already learned that when you looked at the higher adoption fees, but here’s some more. If you adopt a very young dog, chances are he’s only had one or two rounds of vaccines, and he might need more. That could easily come up to $100 or more per vet visit. The good news? Adopting a doggie from a shelter will save you the cost of spaying or neutering, which can easily cost you up to $300, depending on Fido’s size, sex and age.

Ideally, you are the leader in your relationship with your dog and he follows your commands. In reality, that’s not always the case. If your dog dominates you with issues resulting from that upside-down hierarchy, he may require professional training. Spending time at a doggie boot camp teaches your dog that he must become subordinate, while instructing you on how to become the leader of your particular pack.

Intensive Training

While you might bring your dog to basic obedience classes once a week, working on exercises in the meantime, boot camp is far more intensive. Usually consisting of between one and two weeks of straight sessions, many canine boot camps require that the dog boards at the facility for that period. During part of that time, your presence is usually required. After your dog completes boot camp, some facilities recommend a series of private training sessions to reinforce and enhance your dog’s education.

Specialty Training

While all dog training boot camps provide basic training, most address specific behavioral problems in individual animals. These issues include aggression, destructive behavior, nuisance barking and housebreaking. Some canine boot camps offer sessions for training dogs in certain disciplines, such as hunting or guarding, rather than correcting canine problems. For example, if you own a bird dog, you might send him to a boot camp that works on retrieving training and conditions him to gunfire.

Typical Schedule

While canine boot camp schedules vary according to the facility, keeping to a strict schedule is part of doggie discipline. Typically, dogs receive at least two 20-minute training sessions daily, which includes exposing them to a variety of other canines. They also receive ample time for exercise, consisting of three or four workout opportunities of at least 20 minutes each. It’s important that dogs receive plenty of mental and physical exercise as part of their routine.

Becoming the Alpha

All the training in the world isn’t going to help your dog if you don’t learn how to become the alpha, or pack leader. A professional dog trainer observes your interaction with your pet, determining how your behavior affects your dog’s actions. In some camps, dogs spend the first week in retraining with the professional, while the second week consists of the professional training you and your dog together. In the best facilities, it’s dog and owner training boot camp.

Prednisone is a corticosteriod used to treat a wide range of chronic problems, such as asthma, lupus, arthritis, cancer, allergies and autoimmune disease. Since it is a powerful hormone, prednisone can give your dog immediate relief from uncomfortable symptoms. On the flip side, however, its powerful effect on the body can cause serious problems.

Length of Use

The type of side effects or problems caused by prednisone depend greatly on how long your dog takes the medication. When used only for a short time, the side effects generally are limited and temporary. If given over a long period of time, however, prednisone can cause permanent, serious health problems. If your veterinarian is recommending long-term treatment with prednisone, be sure to discuss whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Even though there are some serious potential side effects, for some diseases prednisone is the medication with the lowest risk.

Short-Term Side Effects

When used for short-term treatment, often for severe allergies or skin problems, prednisone can cause excessive thirst and frequent urination. These symptoms should abate as soon as the treatment is over, but in the meanwhile it may be necessary to let your dog outside frequently to prevent accidents. In some dogs prednisone can cause vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. Contact your veterinarian if your dog has any of these side effects to determine whether to continue treatment.

Diabetes, Cushing’s and Addison’s Disease

Prednisone changes your dog’s body in many ways when taken for long periods of time. For example, high doses can raise your dog’s blood sugar level, eventually leading to diabetes. The constant high levels of corticosteroids can alter your dog’s hormones and metabolism, which can result in either Cushing’s or Addison’s disease. Signs of these illnesses include dry skin, a pot belly, hair loss, oily skin and weight loss.

Suppressed Immune System

Corticosteroids such as prednisone work by suppressing your dog’s immune system. This can stop autoimmune diseases or allergies in their tracks, but it also leaves your dog vulnerable to illness and infection. For example, a small cut that would normally heal without incident can become infected because your dog’s body cannot react to protect him against bacteria in the wound. Keep a close eye on your dog while he is taking prednisone and contact your veterinarian immediately if he shows any sign of infection or illness.

Other Side Effects

Long-term use of prednisone can lead to stomach ulcers, changes in behavior, stunted growth, kidney disease, colitis and fluid retention. Stopping the medication suddenly can lead to serious problems, such as a heart attack. Your dog should be tapered off of prednisone.

Sadly, many dogs begin losing their vision as they get older; others may go blind due to illness or injury. While the changes may be stressful to both you and your companion, with some time, a few changes around the house and a little assistance from you, your dog will adjust to the challenges of her new life and resume normal function.

The Adjustment Period

Your dog can live a happy life with her blindness, but for many dogs, there is an adjustment period. Young dogs who live indoors and have a gradual onset of blindness usually adjust the most quickly, while older dogs, outside dogs and dogs with a sudden loss of vision might take a little longer to get used to their new conditions. For the first few weeks, your dog may show signs of increased fear or aggression, or may seem listless and depressed. This is normal and should improve as your dog regains her bearings. She may develop separation anxiety as well, since she will be more reliant on you.

Helping Her Navigate

Sight is the third most important sense for dogs, after scent and hearing, which leaves your pal with some powerful tools to adjust to the new challenges in her life. There are a number of steps you can take to make your home easier to navigate using senses other than sight. Try to keep important objects, like furniture, your dog’s water and food bowls, and the dog bed or carrier, in the same place in the house and keep the floor clear. Use scented oils or perfume to map out important areas or hazards. For example, dab vanilla at the top and bottom of the stairs, and use a different scented candle or plug-in for each room to help your dog navigate. Leave a small mat or rug in each doorway so your dog can tell when she’s crossed from one room to another, and tie a bell or wind chimes to the back door so she can find the yard when it’s time to go out. Place plants along the house, fence and porch, so the leaves will touch her before she runs into something. You may also want to pad any sharp corners on your furniture.

Training

Teaching your dog a few new commands will allow you to communicate dangers clearly to your furry friend. Use clicker training, a method based on sound, and verbal commands to teach “stay,” “come,” “slow,” “stop,” “step up” and “step down.” If you use these words consistently every time a hazard comes up in addition to training sessions, for instance saying “step down” when you reach a curb on a walk, your dog will naturally begin to learn what they mean.

Play and Socialization

Talk to your pal frequently to let her know where you are and help her feel more secure. Remember that she cannot see you approach, so always make noise and make sure she is awake before touching her. Always allow her to sniff strangers’ hands before they pet her. You may want to get a bandanna or other clothing article for her that indicates she is a blind dog to prevent strangers from walking up and petting without asking. Invest in some toys that either smell or make sounds. You can scent the toys you already own with different essential oils to help make them distinct. Toys with bells inside, strong scents or those that play a sound for 30 seconds or more once pressed can make fetch possible with your blind dog.

Let Her Make Mistakes

Watching your best friend struggle with blindness can be heartbreaking. In fact, some owners take it harder than the dogs do, but it’s important to let your dog figure out her new world through trial and error. Avoid the urge to pick her up and carry her when she’s having a hard time. Imagine how confusing it would be to be blindfolded and suddenly transported to a random location in your house. Instead, use the sound of your voice to encourage her around obstacles. While the adjustment might take some time, your dog will soon start compensating with her other senses and return to the happy and energetic dog she’s always been.

boxers were the seventh most popular dog breed in the United States, according to the American Kennel Club. But boxers are prone to many health problems, especially puppies. Anyone considering purchasing or adopting a boxer puppy needs education about common health problems of the breed such as bloat, heat stroke and hip dysplasia.

Bloat

Boxer puppies are prone to bloat because they possess an insatiable appetite coupled with a conformation conducive to bloat — deep chests and narrow waists. Boxer puppies or adults that bolt their food can develop bloat, also known as stomach torsion or gastric-dilatation volvulus. Gas pressure accumulates in the stomach and expands the stomach to dangerous degrees. The stomach presses on other organs and can shut off blood supply to the stomach and heart. Bloat is a medical emergency. Symptoms include abdominal swelling, dry heaves, drooling and panting suddenly due to pain.

Heat Stroke

Boxers possess a very short nose or a brachycephalic face. Although this makes a boxer cute, the shape of the nose can lead to serious health issues, most notably heat stroke. Dogs regulate their body temperature through panting, not sweating. The tissues inside of a dog’s nose help cool inhaled air. But brachycephalic noses like boxers work inefficiently because they lack enough of this tissue. Boxer puppies play vigorously, even during hot and humid weather. They may play until they collapse with heat stroke. Heat stroke can be fatal. Symptoms of heat stroke include panting rapidly, struggling for breath, bright red gums and loss of coordination.

Hip Dysplasia

The American Boxer Club states that hip dysplasia is the leading cause for lameness in boxers and that 11.3 percent of boxers develop dysplasia. Hip dysplasia, mostly seen in puppies, is a genetic disease that causes malformations of the hip sockets. The head of the femoral leg bone rolls loosely in the socket, causing pain, lameness and arthritis. Puppies begin to show signs of lameness and sitting awkwardly when they are from 6 to 18 months old, according to Mar Vista Animal Medical Center. Hip dysplasia is treatable, often through surgery.

Cardiomyopathy

Sometimes known as boxer cardiomyopathy or arrythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, this is a genetic heart problem that can cause sudden death from congestive heart failure in boxers of all ages. Boxers with this condition may suddenly faint or go into a seizure. Boxer cardiomyopathy is treatable with medication.