How to Deal With Eye Injuries in Dogs

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Some dogs are much more susceptible to eye injuries than others are. Because dogs have poor sight to begin with, it is common for them to have twigs and sharp objects coming in contact with the delicate parts of their eyes. It isn’t possible for an owner to protect a dog completely from eye injuries, but a regular inspection of the eyes can prevent a small problem from becoming a bigger one.

Natural Eye Protection for Dogs

As far as natural protection for a dog’s eyes, about the only thing they have are their long whiskers which are sensitive to touch. When a whisker touches something that the dog may not see, the animal instinctively knows that something is there that can cause harm.

When a dog is groomed and given a haircut, it is common for the whiskers to be cut off so that this line of defense against unseen dangers is removed. This is not necessarily the fault of the groomer because it is almost impossible to cut facial fur without cutting the whiskers too, but it does create a hazard for dogs that spend time outdoors and wander into areas with a lot of undergrowth.

Dogs with long snouts are obviously better prepared to avoid eye injuries if the danger comes from the front. Pugs, Boston Terriers, and other dog breeds with similar shaped heads can easily hurt their eyes anytime they go into the woods and underbrush. Not only are their snouts short, but their eyes are oversized leading to more opportunities for accidents.

Daily Inspection of Your Dog’s Eyes

A daily ritual of checking your dog’s eyes can help avoid complete loss of vision. An examination should be made for ulcerations and redness, as well as to make sure that nothing is caught in the fur near the eyes. Ulcerations will appear as slight scratches on the lens of the eyes. These are painful and may cause the dog to scratch at the irritation, causing even more damage.

Recognizing the Signs of a Dog Eye Problem

At the first sign of ulceration, you should take your dog to the vet. Signs of an ulcer on the eye include squinting, cloudiness, and/or redness. In some cases, there may be discharge coming from the affected eye. The dog will typically be despondent and lethargic because of the discomfort, and you’ll notice an obvious change in your pet’s behavior.

This is an unprotected wound and will allow infection into the eye itself if not addressed promptly. The cornea of the eye has a protective coating called the epithelium, which keeps out germs and bacteria. When it is damaged, it is very important to take proper action to protect the eye quickly.

Treatment of Dog Eye Problems

Your veterinarian will most likely use a stain called fluorescein to make the ulcer more prominent and to properly diagnose the problem. If the vet determines there is a corneal abrasion, infection, or ulcer, a protective salve is usually applied to seal the wound while it heals.

With proper care, a minor eye injury will improve in about a week, but if left unattended, the problem will only get worse. The owner who is not attentive to the needs of his dog may allow an eye problem to advance too far to do anything about, resulting in blindness for the animal.

Watch for the signs of a problem, inspect your dog’s eyes regularly, and take the proper steps if or when a problem does occur. Remember, a healthy dog is a happy dog, and your pet relies on you for his care and welfare.

How To Easily Stay Committed To An Exercise Plan

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If I sat down with you and asked you about exercise, you could probably tell me how its good for you and a lot of the benefits associated with it. If you are like most people though, you do not exercise regularly. I don’t say this for you to feel bad, because that is true for most people. I’m sure you want a more active lifestyle. I’m sure you want to be outdoors more often, and feel fitter and more healthy. The only problem is that you are so busy. There’s work, looking after your family and then fitting in a social life. It feels as if there just is no time for anything else.

How can anyone reasonably expect to squeeze in time for exercising on a regular basis?

A lot of people would say ‘will power’. That you’ve got to want it bad enough. And they’ll bring out the old saying “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” No matter how pumped up you get over something because of somebody else, we both know that the motivation is going to dry up because you are trying to get fit, or get healthier for someone else. It just doesn’t work. And the worse thing is that we really beat each other up for not following through.

In a lot of ways, it’s a very similar syndrome to the so-called ‘yo-yo’ dieter.

So, if getting all pumped-up initially about a program is not going to last, what can you do?

Well, I believe that you can still use that motto: “where there’s a will, there’ s a way,” but with a twist.

Rather than starting an exercise regime because its meant to be great for you, find an exercise activity that naturally is a good fit with your interest and hobbies, or with other parts of your life. What I mean is that, step back a bit, and don’t start exercising for exercising sakes.

If you work in sales, it is commonly taught that ‘people buy for emotional reasons, not for logical ones’, and the same thing applies here. Instead of trying to sell yourself on an exercise program because it will give this advantage and that advantage, step back, and think about what automatically motivates you.

If there was a sport you used to love to play, but don’t really play it much anymore, there’s an obvious opportunity. Maybe its time to dust off your old playing gear, join up a local club and sign up for the next season. Sure you might feel you are not fit enough, but you aren’t going to get fit by sitting at home.

I had a friend who loved to play soccer but didn’t join a club for a couple of years because he thought he carried too much weight. He thought he’d wait until he lost some weight before he signed up, but of course he never lost that weight – well not until he actually did sign up and was exercising regularly. That’s because he didn’t need to be motivated to go jogging anymore, or to make training. He loved it, so he was there exercising away, keener than ever. He had sold himself on why he should do it. If you had asked him to come jogging with you when he wasn’t playing soccer, there’s no way he’d come, but it all changed when he took the extra step.

So what if you are someone who doesn’t really care about any particular sport, or activity that requires exercise?

How about engaging into the influence your social network has over you. If you are about to embark on an exercise program, try and get a friend to pick one out with you. You’ll motivate each other, have some friendly competition to keep each other at your best and encourage each other when you need it. If you don’t think you have a friend that might be interested, there’s options for you too. You can join your local jogging club for instance. It’s a great way to meet new people and enjoy the exercise, without having to toil through it yourself.

The basic idea is that you want to create an environment for yourself where you actually look forward to exercising. If you can find an activity that you love doing, especially with other people, then you’ll find that it is much easier to stick to an exercise program than you ever thought before. That’s the easy way to make this a habit.

Low Carb Diets – Advantages You Can Benefit From

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The trend in recent years of eating low carb diets has died out a little, but it still has a fairly wide following and for good reason: it works. Clinical studies have shown that people hoping to lose weight have had more success on a low carbohydrate diet than the standard low fat and low calorie diets. The discrepancy of low carbohydrate diets comes from the position they take on the recommendation of fatty foods. Be sure you understand the benefits and negatives associated with a low carbohydrate diet before you begin one.

The Atkins Diet is the most well-known low carb diet and was a big fad a few decades ago. Similar diets have been created to the Akins Diet, namely the South Beach Diet, the Zone Diet and Sugar Busters. These diets reduce the amount of carbohydrates in a diet, but do not eliminate them, contrary to popular misconception. These diets say that your primary source for carbohydrates should come from natural foods like certain fruits and vegetables. By eliminating refined foods like flour and sugar from your diet, you allow your body to burn fat stores instead of using the carbohydrates first.

Lower blood sugar is the key to weight loss. High blood sugar means you body must produce more insulin to regulate the sugar levels and this causes your body to convert carbohydrates into fat. Avoiding overly sugary and processed foods is a key to many diets, low carbohydrate diets included. Apart from losing weight, it has also been shown that there is a stark relationship between high carbohydrate intake and acne. The production of insulin caused by carbohydrates causes a change in the hormonal balances in the body that can lead to clogged pores and skin breakouts.

The reason many past followers have abandoned low carbohydrate diets is for two main reasons. The permission that low carbohydrate diets give participants to consume high amounts of fat can backfire. The idea is you should eat until you feel satisfied, but unfortunately human gluttony can lead to overeating, causing the diet to lose effectiveness. The other reason is food boredom. Many participants in low carbohydrate diets find they cannot handle going without carbohydrate-rich foods they were once used to, like bread, pasta and potato chips. All diets are challenging because losing weight is challenging. If after you have done your research, consulted with your doctor and determined that a low carbohydrate diet is for you, stick with it and you surely see results.

Diabetes – Good Diet

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Diabetes has become an alarming disease. It has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. It is time for the general public to be conscious about it. For people with diabetes, extra care in picking their diet will not only let them control the disease, it can also help them do away with insulin. Doctors often prescribe pills or tablets for most diabetics in an effort to stabilize their condition before resorting to any use of insulin. Choosing a diet specially programmed for people with diabetes can help them prolong the treatment of their ailment with medication and thereby postpone the use of insulin.

People who suffer from diabetes have problems breaking down and assimilating carbohydrates into their system. Carbohydrates are a fairly big group or cluster of foods that people need for a balanced diet. Sugar, which many people think diabetics must stay away from, is only one example or component of carbohydrates. Aside from white sugar, other elements of carbohydrates can be found in pasta, white bread, some vegetables, potatoes, fruits, and any food with high content of white flour.

Carbohydrates constitute a complex assemblage of foods. Different groups give rise to different conditions in the blood stream. Although people with diabetes have problems breaking down carbohydrates in general, the most difficult process happens with carbohydrates that rate high in the Glycemic Index. Foods with the highest Glycemic Index rating also pose the greatest harm for diabetics.

A diet for people with diabetes allows them to limit their intake of harmful carbohydrates as indicated in the Glycemic Index. Those who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and given medication as well as diet suggestions by their doctors, would do very well to heed the doctors’ advice. Studies show that people with diabetes tend to be more in denial and non-compliant compared to other categories of patients. This should not be the case. By electing to follow rigorously a diet for people with diabetes and taking the prescribed medication, diabetics can still live to the fullest.

A diet for people with diabetes is low in carbohydrates and high in protein. Sugars and white flour must be discarded. Rice, pasta and any food that is rich in carbohydrates, should be avoided. The low carbohydrate diet that was fashionable years ago can be helpful for diabetics. Such a diet had at varying degrees very limited content of carbohydrates. Also helpful are diabetic cookbooks which diabetics can use to prepare a diet that effectively responds to their needs.

The bad news is many people continue to be found having diabetes. The good news is there is now a growing body of information about cookbooks and diets for people with diabetes that is available in the market or through the internet. Diabetes puts a heavy strain on the human body. Having a healthy diet can reduce the ill-effects of the disease on the body and allow diabetics to live a fruitful and longer lives.

It is important for diabetics to get themselves familiar with the Glycemic Index, rigorously follow a diet prescribed for people with diabetes, get their blood sugar levels regularly monitored and take their medication per doctor’s prescription. This is the only way they can keep their disease in check and prevent many of its dreaded complications from arising.