{"id":97,"date":"2024-01-18T11:12:45","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:12:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/?page_id=97"},"modified":"2024-01-20T12:03:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-20T12:03:24","slug":"general-health","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/?page_id=97","title":{"rendered":"General Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n
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GENERAL HEALTH<\/h2>\n

\n GENERAL HEALTH PROBLEMS<\/span><\/b>\n
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General\nhealth problems can occur in practically every breed of dog.  Grooming\nyour BGV regularly provides the opportunity to feel over his body and spot\nwhether anything is wrong.  Although no problem is prevalent in the breed,\nthe following may help should you find your BGV is suffering from some\nform of skin or associated complaint.    
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Skin Complaints<\/b>    
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Skin\ncomplaints can flare up in any breed, particularly in summertime.  In\ngeneral, BGVs have few skin problems.  However, having shorter legs, a few\nare more susceptible to the various irritants found in grasses or even to\ninsect stings or bites.  Some complaints are due to flea allergies, or fox\nmange (sarcoptes scabiei), which may be transmitted to dogs.  Nowadays\nthis is not only restricted to rural areas but can also surface in\nsuburbia. 
 
What to do if your BGV has a skin problem:<\/b>   
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In general, any skin\nproblem, particularly if involving itching, scratching and hair loss, should be\nseen by your vet.    
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What\nare Hot Spots?<\/b>\n
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Like a moist dermatitis, hot spots can be a problem in warmer\nweather.  An area of skin becomes\ninflamed and infected, appearing as a moist, oozing, reddened area\nthat is painful and very itchy for your dog.  Any licking, chewing,\nor scratching the area worsens the condition dramatically.    
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How\nto treat Hot Spots<\/b>\n
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They can be treated successfully by taking the hair well away around the area\nto allow the skin to breathe and dry out.  Then by washing with\nantibacterial soap and applying an antibiotic cream or antiseptic solution\nprescribed by your vet.\n \nHow to deal with Ticks\nOne school of thought is that garlic is a natural remedy to ward\noff ticks.  Although used for thousands of years for medicinal\npurposes, its use in dogs is a slightly contentious issue as garlic contains a\ncompound called thiosulphate.  In extremely high levels this can cause\nhaemolytic anaemia in dogs.  The right dose however can not only ward off\nticks but also stimulate and support immune function, trigger gastric juices\nfor improved digestion, encourage the growth of friendly bacteria, and prevent\ninfections. 
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Grass Seeds<\/b>    
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Check\nyour BGV regularly for grass seeds.  This is especially important\nin mid-late summer when they are everywhere and can stick in the coat\nand gradually burrow into the skin. \n \nA\nseed can enter the nose or get between the eye and eyelids, but they are mainly\na nuisance for dogs like BGVs who have longer ears and coats.  One can\nbecome lodged between the hairs around the toes, with the sharp point against\nthe dog's skin.  As the dog walks, the seed gradually pierces the skin of the\nfoot.  Check your BGV's feet after a walk as this may save a lot of\nanxiety and heartache, let alone a big vet's bill.  If the dog is taken in\nearly, the vet is usually able to retrieve the grass seed, but occasionally it\nmigrates up inside the leg and causes all sorts of trouble, including pain,\nirritation, and discharge. \n \nThe\ninsides of the ear flaps need checking too, as longer ears can flick the seed\nup into the ear.  Every time the dog scratches, this pushes the seed\nhigher up into the ear canal and, the further it enters, this can become very\npainful for the dog who may require sedation, or even anaesthetic, to retrieve\nthe seed.  Watch for head shaking, rubbing the head along the floor, head\ncarried tilted on one side or scratching the ear frantically and\npersistently.  These are all indications of discomfort.  \n \nCaught\nearly, one tip is to use magnesium sulphate paste or Epsom salts, a pure\nmineral compound of magnesium and sulphate. This is known to flush toxins\nand will help draw out the grass seed.\n \nHowever,\nunless removed early, you will need to visit a vet.  <\/b> 
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\n Lumps and Tumours<\/span><\/b>\n  <\/b> 
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Mammary\nTumours<\/b>    
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Bitches\nof any breed are prone to these tumours which may be benign or malignant. \nCauses are likely to be hormonal or genetic.  Surgery is advisable but the\ntumour may be slow growing, and this option does not always guarantee a\ncure.  Depending on the age of your bitch, the type of tumour and the\nrate it has metastasized, your vet may remove just the tumour or\nsurrounding tissue, lymph nodes and mammary glands as well.  Spaying\ncan reduce the risk of developing this type of cancer.    
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Benign\nor Cancerous Lumps<\/b>    
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Parting\nyour BGV's coat regularly will help detect any unusual lump or swelling.\nThis should be dealt with by your vet who will, in all probability, perform\na lumpectomy.  This is a surgical procedure that involves\nremoving a suspected malignant (cancerous) tumour, or lump, and a small\nportion of the surrounding tissue. This tissue is then tested to determine if\nit contains cancerous cells.    
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Mast\nCell Tumours<\/b>    
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These\ncan be difficult to detect but, by parting your BGV's coat regularly and\nfeeling over the body, you may detect a small, unexplained lump which needs\nfurther investigation.\n \nMast\ncells are specialised cells that are normally found distributed throughout the\nbody.  They help an animal respond to inflammation and allergies. \nThis type of tumour is among the most common type in dogs and is also the most\ncommon type of skin cancer found in dogs.   Surgical removal of\nthe entire tumour plus several cms of healthy tissue around the\nperimeter gives hope of capturing any stray cancerous cells that are\nnot immediately obvious.    \n
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<\/b>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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ALWAYS\nASK YOUR VET TO EXAMINE ANY
GROWTHS OR ABNORMAL LUMPS ON YOUR
BGV'S BODY TO DECIDE WHETHER A BIOPSY
OR SURGERY IS NECESSARY. 
IT IS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.<\/b>   \n <\/h1>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n
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WE WILL HELP YOU  ......<\/h2>\n

If you have any concerns about your BGV's well-being which appear to be related to any of the known health problems in the breed, let us know.  We are here to support you.<\/p><\/use><\/svg><\/path><\/svg>\n \n \n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n \n \n \n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GENERAL HEALTH GENERAL HEALTH PROBLEMS    General health problems can occur in practically every breed of dog.  Grooming your BGV regularly provides the opportunity to feel over his body and spot whether anything is wrong.  Although no problem is prevalent in the breed, the following may help should you find your BGV is suffering from some form … Continue reading “General Health”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-97","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=97"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99,"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/97\/revisions\/99"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bgvclub.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=97"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}