With their combination of scavenging habits and inquisitive nature, most dogs, at one time or another, will be likely to have a foreign object embedded in their skin. Sharp objects such as glass, needles, thorns, as well as plant seeds, are the most common culprits that can be embedded in their skin. These items often enter the eyes, nose, ears, skin, vulva, and particularly the area between their toes. For this reason, always examine your dog’s coat and skin for any sign of foreign bodies after taking him out for walks.

Signs that your dog has a foreign body embedded in his skin are when he shakes his head, paws at the wound, sneezes, or when he licks at the wound vigorously. His body will try to get rid of the object by creating a local bursting abscess, although objects such as grass seeds can sometimes travel throughout the body.

Check your dog’s ears and body for plant seeds after taking him for a walk, especially during dry weather. When a foreign body accidentally enters his ear, you can easily remove it using tweezers. If you notice that your dog is shaking his head, this may be because the seed is lodged deeper inside of the ear canal.

In this case, you will need to take him to the vet. In the meantime, to relieve your dog’s discomfort temporarily, you may fill the affected ear with mineral oil or olive oil. Filling up the ear with oil will help float the seed up for easy removal.

If you notice that your dog is pawing at his eye or vigorously rubbing his head on the ground, hold open his eyelid and check for grit or grass seeds. Try floating out foreign body in the eye using eye drops or olive oil. If the foreign object has penetrated the eyeball, do not try to remove it and take your dog to the vet as soon as you can.

Sharp objects, such as needles, thorns, and shards of glass can enter your dog’s paw pads, and grass seeds can enter the webs of skin between his toes. If you notice your dog limping, check his paw and remove any visible object using tweezers. However, if the object cannot be seen, bathe the foot several times daily with salt water until the object becomes visible and can be easily removed.

Dogs carry over 60 percent of their weight on their front legs, with their hind legs acting as accelerators. Their front legs are attached to the rest of his body by muscles with no collarbone, which provides for more flexibility. All this powerful equipment is susceptible to injury or damage by misuse, particularly in breeds whose bone structure has been changed through selective breeding.

Front leg lameness can be caused by one of the following disorders: fractured bones, dislocated joints, torn ligaments and tendons, bruised muscles, osteochondrosis (OCD), elbow dysplasia, and bone infection. Signs that the dog is suffering from fractured bones include a slight swelling for simple fractures or larger damage to the surrounding tissue for more complex fractures. Dislocated joints are found in the shoulders, hips, and knee joints and are commonly injured or damaged during traffic accidents.

Torn ligaments and tendons cause substantial lameness, either with or without the swelling, but are less painful than fractures. Bruised muscles are very tender to the touch while a deeper bruise is not always obvious just by looking at the skin. With osteochondrosis (OCD), tiny pieces of cartilage break off the ball of the humerus located in the shoulder joints and float around in the joint fluid which causes pain. Pain and lameness in the elbow are caused by injuries or an ununited anconeal process – commonly referred to as elbow dysplasia, a disorder in which the elbow bone does not meet the ulna properly, leaving a loose piece of bone that usually cause arthritis. Lastly, bone infections usually happen after a penetrating injury such as a dog bite.

What to do

When a fracture is simple and the bones remain straight, the dog will need a cast or a splinter. On the other hand, complex fractures require internal fixation with plates, pins, or screws. Dislocated joints can be manipulated back into position or it may need surgery. Torn ligaments and tendons usually need surgical repair. Bruised ligaments, tendons, and muscles respond well to professional bandaging, pain reliever, and plenty of rest. OCD is diagnosed according to the history of the dog, his breed, X-rays and examination. Medication alone is often necessary for this type of disorder. However, with severe pain and lameness, the floating pieces of cartilage are surgically removed from the joint. Elbow injuries and damages are treated with medications or by surgical correction using screws. Lastly, bone infections are treated using antibiotics that concentrate in bone tissue.

What do minerals do?
Minerals, in addition to vitamins, only make up less than two percent of any formulated diet for dogs. However, they are the most critical of nutrients. Although minerals are without any calories or energy, their main function is to assist the body in energy production. A dog’s body can make vitamins, but it cannot make minerals. All minerals come from the food that your dog eats, but the availability of the minerals is quite complex.

Lost Minerals
Between 50% and 85% of minerals are lost during food processing. This can cause deficiencies within your dog’s body. There are a lot of minerals that are not destroyed by heat, but many of them are water soluble and are lost during the cooking process and before packaging.

Your Dog’s Minimum Daily Requirements
All dog food must be made within the guidelines of the Minimum Daily Requirement of known figures to use in the recipes they use for food. This minimum is set by the National Research Council. However, the NRC tells us that the research information that is presented to them has been limited, is not complete with many nutrients and life stages, and that much of this information is over thirty years old. The sum total of minerals, together with the cereal grains contained in all of a food’s ingredients, determine the acid/alkaline balance of the body. Most minerals are moderately absorbed even when your dog’s digestive system is functioning at optimum health.

Let’s talk about how much your dog needs. It’s hard to tell. You see, the way that dog food is made, the source of the ingredients, the breed and the dog’s age, as well as the climate that he lives in, all have an effect on his mineral needs. Also, the need for minerals for differing life stages has yet to be calculated. However, the NRC (National Research Council) states that more are needed during growth, gestation, lactation, old age, and when your dog is physically exerting himself.

Types of Minerals For Your Dog
All minerals are either elemental or chelated. Elemental means that they come from the earth and are composed of chemical molecules. These chemical molecules cannot be reduced to simpler substances. They are basic constituents of all living matter. They exist in an inorganic state.

Chelated minerals are suspended in an amino acid or other organic substance, for example tates or arginates, which make them easier for the body to absorb. There are approximately 17 types of minerals that your dog needs. They are considered “essential” and are grouped as trace or macro. There are eight macrominerals which are: calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfur, magnesium, and silicon. The nine trace minerals are: iron, zinc, copper, cobalt, iodine, manganese, chromium, molybdenum, and selenium.