For arthritis medicine for your dog, visit SynFlex.  They have some great arthritis medicine for dogs.

Types of Arthritis
There are several types of arthritis that can afflict dogs of all breeds and sizes. The most common forms of canine arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis: is a form of degenerative joint disease. There is often a genetic component to the disease and symptoms are often progressive with age. It can involve the deterioration of and changes to the cartilage and bone. In response to inflammation in and about the joint, the body

responds with bony remodeling around the joint structure. This process can be slow and gradual with minimal outward symptoms, or more rapidly progressive with significant pain and discomfort. Osteoarthritic changes can occur in response to infection and injury of the joint as well.
 
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a type of inflammatory arthritis in which the dog's immune system actually produces antibodies against the body's own protein. The result is severe inflammation that damages cartilage and surrounding tissues. RA can affect all of your dog's joints and may cause debilitating pain if not properly and promptly treated.
 
Infectious Arthritis: This type of arthritis is caused by a bacterial, viral or fungal infection in your dog's joints. The infecting organism is carried to the joint via your dog's bloodstream from an infection occurring in another part of the body. Any infection should be immediately checked by your veterinarian.
 
Hip Dysplasia:
Hip dysplasia is probably the most common example of degenerative joint disease. The amount of osteoarthritis that results from having hip dysplasia can vary and it is generally more of a clinical problem in large and giant breeds of dogs. The degree of laxity in the hip joint is genetically determined and, in general, the looser the hips, the higher the likelihood that osteoarthritic changes will result.

Why does my dog have arthritis?
Like human arthritis, canine arthritis is widespread and diverse in its causes. Dogs develop arthritic conditions as a result of:

Genetics
Previous injuries or accidents
Infection
Immune system problems
Excessive strain through repeated activity and exercise

Many older pets (and people) that are "stiff" are actually experiencing arthritic symptoms. Most require no treatment. The best action is to consult your veterinarian for diagnosis and proper treatment if indicated.

Is your pet suffering from:

• Osteoarthritis
   
• Degenerative Joint Disease
   
• Hip Dysplasia
   
• Elbow (dysplasia)
   
• Knee (dysplasia)
• Knee (stifle joint)
   
• Osteochondrosis
• Hypertrophic arthritis
• Shoulder (degeneration)
   
• Wrist Arthritis (carpi)
   
• Kneecap (dislocation)

If so, I highly recommend learning more about Syn-Flex.

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What is heartworm disease?
HeartGard - Prescription Heartworm medication for Dogs

Heartworm disease, as the name implies is caused by is a worm called Dirofilaria immitis.  The heartworms are found in the right ventricle of the heart and the pulmonary arteries.  The female worm may be up to a foot long; the male is about half that size.  One dog may have dozens of worms.  Heartworms live up to five years and during this time the females produce millions of larvae called microfilaria.  These microfilaria live in the bloodstream, and may be concentrated in the spleen.  The larvae go through a series of molts on their way to becoming an adult heartworm.  One of the molts occurs in the salivary gland of the mosquito.  Larvae cannot complete their entire life cycle in the dog; they must pass through a mosquito on their way to becoming an adult heartworm.  Many species of mosquitoes can transmit heartworms.  The female mosquito bites the infected dog and ingests the microfilariae during a blood meal.  The microfilariae develop in the mosquito into the infective stage.  The microfilariae are now called infective larvae.  At this stage of development they will grow to adulthood when they are passed to a dog.   The infective larvae enter the bloodstream of the dog when the mosquito bites it.  They grow to adulthood in two to three months and start reproducing, thereby completing the life cycle.  It only takes one mosquito carrying larvae to infect a dog with this potentially fatal disease.

How common is heartworm disease?

Canine heartworm disease occurs worldwide.  In the United States, it was once limited to the South.  Due to our increased mobility, and people vacationing and wintering in infected areas the problem is now seen wherever there are mosquitoes.

My dog is never around other dogs; can it still get heartworms?

Yes, the disease is not spread directly from one dog to another.  Remember, the mosquito is required for transmission.  The mosquito bites an infected dog and picks up the larva.  The larva molts into it’s infective stage and is then spread to the next dog the mosquito bites.  Spread of the disease therefore coincides with the mosquito season.  The longer the mosquito season, the greater incidence of heartworm disease in an area.

What effect do heartworms have on a dog?

Adult worms restrict the blood flow leaving the heart.  They also interfere with the heart valves.  The net effect is to reduce circulation to the vital organs.  This leads to organ failure and ultimately death.  Dogs infected with heartworms do not show signs right away.  By the time symptoms develop, the disease is well advanced.  The symptoms depend on the number of heartworms present, the duration of the infection, and the extent of damage to the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys.

What are the signs of heartworm disease?

Most dogs with heartworm disease have a chronic, dry cough.  You may also notice your pet has shortness of breath, weakness, and loss of stamina.  The symptoms may be worse following exertion or excitement.  The diagnosis of heartworm disease needs to be made by your veterinarian.

How can my veterinarian tell if my dog has heartworm disease?
HeartGard - Prescription Heartworm medication for Dogs

After examining your pet your veterinarian may find symptoms that are suggestive of heartworm disease.  Listening to the chest with a stethoscope will often reveal abnormal lung and heart sounds. Diagnosis of heartworm disease can be made by a blood test that can be run in the veterinarian’s office, or by a veterinary laboratory.  One type of test looks for antigens (proteins) produced by the adult heartworm.  This is the most accurate type of test.  There can be false negative results though.  This occurs when there are very few worms present.  The test detects a protein produced by the female worm.  If there are only males the test will be false negative.  There needs to be several female worms present for the test to be positive.

Another type of blood test looks for microfilariae.  These are the larval offspring of the adult worms.  A blood sample is examined under the microscope for the presence of microfilariae.  If microfilariae are seen, the test is positive.  Approximately 20% of the dogs test negative even though they have heartworms because no larvae are present.

Complete blood counts and blood tests for kidney and liver function may suggest the presence of heartworms.  X-rays of a dog with heartworms may show heart enlargement and changes in the pulmonary artery.   X- rays may also reveal the condition of the other vital organs.  This information allows your veterinarian to predict the possibility of complications related to treatment. 

Is there treatment available?

Yes, heartworm disease is treated in two phases.  After examining your dog and evaluating it’s lab work and X-rays your veterinarian can choose from several treatment options.  If the problem is severe, it may be necessary to treat with antibiotics, prescription diets, and drugs to improve cardiac function prior to treatment for the heartworms.  The first phase involves eliminating the adult heartworms.  One method involves giving a drug called caparsolate.  This compound contains arsenic, and can be quite toxic to some dogs.  The goal is to give enough of the drug to kill the heartworms, but not harm the dog.  Caparsolate treatment is widely used and can be safely given if the animal is healthy in all other respects.  A newer drug called Immiticide is now available.  This compound appears to be safer than caparsolate for some dogs.  Both treatment options usually require the dog to be hospitalized for a few days.  We see some dogs with advanced heartworm disease.  This means that the heartworms have been present long enough to cause damage to the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, and liver.  A few of these cases will be so far advanced that it will be safer to just treat the organ damage rather than risk treatment to kill the worms.  Dogs in this condition are not likely to live more than a few weeks or months.  The second phase involves riding the dog of the heartworm larvae.  This is usually done six weeks after the pet has been treated for adult heartworms.  The drugs used to kill the larvae are not nearly as dangerous as the compounds used to treat for the adult worms.  The second phase is very important because a dog with heartworm larvae is the reservoir mosquitoes draw from to infect other dogs.  After the second phase of treatment your veterinarian will check your dog to be sure all the adults and larvae have been eliminated.
HeartGard - Prescription Heartworm medication for Dogs

What happens after treatment?

It is very important to let your dog rest after treatment.  As the adult worms die they decompose and break up.  They are pumped into to the lungs, where they lodge in the small blood vessels and are reabsorbed by the body.  There is the potential for a blood clot to form while this is happening.  If your dog is not kept quiet as possible the likelihood of complication increases.   Heavily infected pets may cough for weeks following treatment.   Your veterinarian will advise you as to what to expect following treatment.  If you have any concerns you should contact your veterinarian immediately.

After the treatment can my dog ever get heartworm disease again?

Yes, the treatment eliminates the current problem, but does nothing to prevent it from happening again.  Your veterinarian can offer several very effective products to prevent heartworm disease.  There are medications that can be given daily, and others that are given monthly to prevent canine heartworm disease.  There is even a product that is applied topically that prevents many different parasites, including heartworms, from infecting your dog.  Consult with your veterinarian to determine which is best for your pet.

HeartGard - Prescription Heartworm medication for Dogs

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Flea and Tick Control

 FrontLine - Flea & Tick Medication for your Dog

To effectively control fleas, it is necessary to understand a little of their life cycle and habits.

Adult flea—lives on the host animal (dog or cat), where the female lays her eggs

Egg—flea eggs are laid on the host animal but fall off into the bedding, carpeting, and elsewhere in the animal's environment

These pearly white eggs are barely visible to the naked eye and are usually impossible to find without a magnifying lens.

Flea eggs hatch into larvae in 1–10 days, depending on the temperature and humidity; the warmer and more humid, the more rapidly the eggs hatch.

Larva—flea larvae feed on organic material in the environment and on the droppings from adult fleas

-they are sensitive to sunlight and to drying, so inside the house the larvae prefer deep carpet, bedding, and cracks in the floor boards

-outside the house, the larvae prefer shaded areas that have plenty of organic material (grass, leaves, etc.) or moist, sheltered soil

-as the larvae feed on adult flea droppings, they are found in highest numbers in areas where flea-infested animals spend much of their time

pupa—after 5–11 days, the larvae produce a fine cocoon in which they complete their development

-during this stage of their life cycle, fleas are resistant to insecticides

-in ideal conditions, adult fleas hatch from their cocoon in as little as 5 days, although fleas can survive in the pupated form for up to 5 months

-hatching is stimulated by vibration, physical pressure, heat, and carbon dioxide; in other words, the presence of a potential host animal

Immediately after hatching from its cocoon, the adult flea seeks out a host animal.  It must have a meal of blood within a few days in order to survive and produce eggs.  Within 2 days of her first blood meal, the female flea begins producing eggs.  Fleas can continue to produce eggs for up to 100 days.  A single flea can produce thousands of eggs.

What problems can fleas cause my dog?

Fleas feeding on your dog can cause several problems:

itching and scratching at the flea bite—in most dogs, the itching is mild and temporary

-some dogs become allergic to flea saliva and develop severe itching, hair loss, and skin damage from scratching and biting at the site.  If left untreated a skin infection can develop.

tapeworm infestation—fleas are an essential part of the tapeworm's life cycle

-the dog is infested with tapeworms when it swallows a flea that contains immature tapeworm stages

anemia—loss of red blood cells

-this occurs only with severe flea infestations, and usually only in young or sick animals

I haven't seen any fleas on my dog.  So that means I don't have a flea problem, right?

Not necessarily.  It is easy to tell when a dog is heavily infested with fleas.  You can see the fleas crawling over the dog's skin and through the hair.  If your dog has only a light infestation, you may not see any fleas unless you look for them.  A common place to see fleas is on your dog's belly and the inside of the thighs, where the hair is thin or the skin is bare.  Another place to look is in the dense hair over your dog's rump, especially near the base of the tail.  Part the hair and inspect the skin for either fleas or flea dirt.

Flea dirt is actually flea droppings.  It looks like black grains of sand or cracked pepper on the dog's skin.  If you place a few particles of flea dirt on a white surface (e.g. a piece of paper) and wet them, you will see a reddish brown stain form.  This is because the flea droppings contain digested blood from the flea's blood meal.  You may also notice tiny areas of dried blood on the dog's bedding from moistened flea dirt that has since dried.

How can I control fleas on my dog?

Effective flea control requires the three P’s!  Pets, Premise and Persistence

1.      Pets - control of fleas on your dog

2.      Premise - control of fleas in your dog's environment

3.      Persistence - controling fleas is an ongoing battle.

Environmental control is probably the more important of the two.  Adult fleas on your dog account for as little as 5% of the total flea population.  Fleas can be shared by cats and dogs, so if you have a cat, it must also be treated.

1. Control of fleas on your dog

Your veterinarian is the best source of advice on flea control for your pet.  There are many excellent products that if used appropriately will control fleas on your pet.  Your veterinarian has carefully screened these products and can provide you with the ones that are safe and effective. 

There are many ineffective and even dangerous products commercially available over the counter so always consult your veterinarian for the best and safest.

There are numerous products that will kill adult fleas on your dog.  However, they vary in the duration of their effects:

flea shampoos, sprays, and powders—most will kill any fleas on your dog at the time of application, but they have no lasting effect

-your dog may have more fleas within 24 hours of being treated

-some of the newer sprays can be safely used every day, if necessary flea rinses (dips)—may be effective for 4–5 days, depending on the product

the rinse is applied after the dog has been shampooed; it is left to dry on the dog's coat

sprays containing flea growth regulators—depending on the product, these sprays are usually applied weekly

-the growth regulators help break the flea's life cycle

flea collars—can be effective for a couple of weeks

-flea collars are not very effective in warm, humid climates (environments that are ideal for immature flea development)

-some dogs are sensitive to flea collars and develop skin irritation under the collar; if this happens, you should remove the collar and use another method of flea control

spot-on products—Advantage^® and Frontline^® are two brand name products that are applied to a small area of the dog's skin; they effectively kill fleas for at least a month

-they kill the adult fleas, usually before the flea has had a chance to bite the dog

-be sure to select the appropriate package for your dog's body weight

Program^®—a tablet that sterilizes any eggs laid by the fleas that feed on your dog

-you must give your dog the tablet once a month

-this drug does not kill the adult fleas on your dog, but it does break the flea life cycle by preventing hatching of the next generation of flea eggs

Consult your veterinarian for a recommendation on what would work best for your pet.

2. Control of fleas in your dog's environment

Control of fleas in your dog's environment is fairly simple for indoor dogs, especially if you have no other pets that regularly go outside.  It is impossible to rid the outside environment of all fleas.  Flea control in dogs that regularly go outside or live outside can be more difficult.

Unless you have strictly indoor pets, environmental control must target both your house and your yard:

house—use a fogger or long-lasting spray to kill any adult and larval fleas

-if you have a particularly bad flea problem, it is often worth having a professional exterminator treat your home

-fleas in the pupal (cocoon) stage are resistant to insecticides, including foggers, so it may be necessary for you to treat your home 2 or 3 times to get rid of all fleas

-the second treatment should be done 2 weeks after the first

-you should also wash or otherwise treat your dog's bedding on a regular basis

yard—spray your yard with an insecticide that has residual activity for at least 30 days

-for a difficult flea problem, consider having an exterminator treat your yard

-in warm, humid climates, it may be necessary to spray your yard every 30 days during the warmer months of the year

-some newer products contain a growth regulator (fenoxycarb) and need to be applied only once or twice a year

With the new residual treatments for your dog, environmental control is less important.  In some cases, using these products on your dog effectively controls the flea population in the environment.  Consult your veterinarian for more information on controlling fleas in your pet’s environment.

Isn't there a new treatment that guarantees a flea-free house for a whole year?

Yes, but there are limitations.  Flea Busters™ treat your carpets with a nontoxic flea-killing powder.  It is worked into the base of your carpet so that the powder is not removed when you vacuum.  This treatment is very effective, even with heavy flea infestations.  However, it does not control fleas elsewhere in your dog's environment, such as your yard.  You can buy the chemical the company uses (a form of boric acid) and apply it yourself.  Treating your carpets this way does not carry the 1-year guarantee.

My dog has been boarded while we were away, and now it has fleas.  Did they come from the boarding kennel?

Possibly.  Your dog could also have gotten the fleas from your home.  Unless stimulated, fleas can remain in the pupal (cocoon) stage for up to 5 months.  So, if your house has been empty for several days or weeks, the unhatched fleas will have remained in their cocoons during that time.  On your return, activity in the house and the presence of your dog or other pets will stimulate the fleas to hatch and reinfest your pets.  Newly hatched adult fleas will also jump on people in search of a blood meal.  They much prefer dogs and cats to humans.

 

Fleas in the pupal stage are resistant to insecticides.  Treating your home with a fogger or long-acting spray just before you go away may not prevent this problem.  It is best to maintain a flea control program throughout the year to effectively rid your pets and home of fleas.  On your next visit to your veterinarian, ask about flea control.  They will help you develop an effective flea control program that fits your circumstances.

 Advantage - Flea control for your Dog

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Dog Medicine is also a native American practice and can be found in animal cards.  This article was provided by http://peacefulrivers.homestead.com/animalcard14.html, and is much appreciated.

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