10 Myths About Dog Health

People have so many misconceptions about their dog's health and well being. I answer questions almost daily concerning the myths and urban legends that have spread around the world about Dog Health.

Now I am not a Vet, but I have 25 years experience working with and training dogs. I have learned a thing or two about which dog myths are just that myths. So here are my top 10 Myths about dogs most people believe are truth…..and they are not!

1. Myth - Dogs are sick if they have a warm nose. A dog's nose does not tell if a dog sick or well and definitely does not mean they have a fever. The only accurate way to get a dog's temperature is to take it with a thermometer. The healthy normal dog temperature is 100.5 to 102.5 degrees F.
2. Myth ----Dogs that stay inside most of time do not need to be on heartworm prevention medication. This definitely a common myth and Not True. Heartworm disease is spread by mosquitoes and one can bite your dog when they go out to potty or even when they are in the house.
3. Myth --- Dogs that are neutered fell and act less of a male. Please folks, dogs are not humans and don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change your dog's basic personality. Dogs do not suffer any kind of identity crisis (sexual or otherwise) when neutered.
4. Myth --- You should not spay a female dog before she has a litter of pups or goes into her first heat. This is not true. Many Vets are spaying females at 8 and 9 weeks of age (The Human Society of the Unites States). It is also now seen that dogs that are spayed have less cases of cancer.
5. Myth --- Dogs have special "Night Vision" ability. Not really a truth, but dogs do see better than people in the dark. The main reason dogs see better than people at night an d in the dark is that their eyes come equipped with a Tapetum. This is a mirror-like structure located in the back of the dog's eye that can reflect light back to the retina giving the dog the ability to see an object in dimmer light situations.
6. Myth --- Dogs have cleaner mouths than humans. Think about his for a moment and use your common sense. Moist areas breed bacteria no matter what mouth they inhabit. The health of the dog and their teeth really determine what disease the saliva carries; as does what they eat. Has your dog been eating dead birds, geckos, feces and drinking out of creeks or ponds?
7. Myth --- There are dog that are Hypo-Allergenic. I am afraid this is another urban legend floating around the human cosmos. All dog breed can cause allergic reactions in people. Some dog breeds seem to cause less severe allergic reaction than others and many Vets believe this may be due to frequent grooming. Plus some small specialty breed (such as Poodles, Bichons and Basenji) dogs have softer hair that is constantly growing and clipped, thus removing layers of dog dander that irritate suffers.
8. Legend --- There is a secret "dog island" sanctuary off the coast of Florida. Ooops, this might be a good urban legend for a movie, but in reality it does not exist. The Internet Legend blurb can be found at here. The website Dogisland.com is an Internet hoax folks. There is a barrier island off the Florida coast named Dog Island, but it is not a sanctuary for stray doggies.
9. Legend --- Pit Bulls have locking jaws. This legend has been circulating for years and it is absolutely false. The Pit Bull has the same type of jaw bone structure as all others dogs.
10. Myth ---A piece of chocolate will kill a dog. This is a complex issue but here are the facts and you use your good brain to figure it out. The truth is chocolate contains theobromine that is toxic to dogs in large enough quantities. Theobromine is a xanthine compound in the same family of caffeine. It takes a fairly large amount of theobromine (approx. 100-150 mg/kg) to cause a toxic reaction in a dog, depending on the animal size and chocolate concentration. Xanthines affect the nervous system, cardiovascular system, peripheral nerves and have a diuretic affect at times. Diarrhea is commonly seen in dogs that eat a piece of milk chocolate candy bar. If a dog consumes a lot of chocolate and starts exhibiting excessive thirst, muscle tremors, frequent urination and hyper-activity Call Your Vet!