Raising dogs, especially providing care for the catahoula cur, is a specialty of people across the globe. Some zoologists have proven dogs were originally domesticated sometime between 12,000 and twenty five thousand years ago—and that all dogs evolved from the wolf. Since then, people have selectively bred more than four hundred breeds, which vary in size from 4-pound teacup poodles all the way up to Irish wolfhounds, whose 3-foot stature has earned them the title of the tallest dog. However, the most preferred dogs are non-pedigree dogs—the one-of-a-kind dogs known as mixed-breeds. The catahoula cur is another favorite choice with dog owners. Many owners are misinformed, however, of many critical catahoula cur care tips.
General health care cost for the catahoula cur
The annual cost of rearing the catahoula cur—to include everything from food and treats, to veterinary care, toys and license—could vary between $420 and $780. This does not even include capital costs for spay/neuter procedures, dog collar and a leash, dog carrier and crate. Tip: Be sure you have all your items before bringing your catahoula cur home for the first time.
Basic catahoula cur Care
How To Feed your catahoula cur
- catahoula cur puppies between eight and twelve weeks old need 4 meals every twenty-four hours.
- Feed catahoula cur puppies three to 6 months old 3 meals every twenty-four hour period.
- Feed pups six months to 1 year old 2 times daily.
- When your catahoula cur makes his or her first birthday, 1 bowl per day is usually sufficient.
- Sometimes adult catahoula curs might do better with two smaller bowls. It’s your duty to adapt to your catahoula cur’s eating schedule.
High-quality dry food provides balanced nutrition to full-grown catahoula curs and may be mixed with water, canned food, or broth. Your catahoula cur may be fond of cottage cheese, cooked egg, fruits and vegetables, but these additions should be less than 10 pct of his or her daily food allowance. catahoula cur puppies ought to be fed premium-quality, brand-name puppy food. You should try to cut down on “people food”, though, since it can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, bone and teeth issues, and might result in some extremely finicky food choices as well as obesity. Give clean, fresh water always, and make certain to clean food and water dishes regularly.
catahoula cur Care Tips: Your catahoula cur needs exercise daily
catahoula curs need some daily physical activity in order to stay fit, recharge their minds, and maintain their health. Daily activity also really helps catahoula curs fight boredom, which has the potential to lead to naughty behavior. A little fun and games can curb many of your catahoula cur’s desires to dig, retrieve, chase, chew and herd. Exercise needs depend on your catahoula cur’s age and her level of health—but merely a walk around the block every day and ten minutes in the backyard probably won’t be enough. If your catahoula cur is a 6 to eighteen month adolescent, his requirements will probably be much greater.
Grooming tips for catahoula curs
You can help keep your catahoula cur clean and reduce shedding with brushing. Inspect for ticks and fleas daily during the summer or other warm weather. Most catahoula curs don’t need to be bathed more than a few times per year. Before bathing, cut out or comb any and all mats from the catahoula cur’s hair. Carefully rinse all soap out of the coat, or dirt will stick to soap residue.
catahoula cur Handling
Puppies, as opposed to adults, are obviously the easiest to manage. While carrying your catahoula cur pup, take 1 of your hands and put it under your dog’s chest, either with your forearm or your other hand supporting the back legs and rear. Don’t try to grab or lift your pup by his or her forelegs, nape or tail. When you have to lift a larger, adult catahoula cur, lift from the underside, supporting his or her chest with 1 arm and rear end with your other arm.
catahoula cur housing
Your catahoula cur needs a cozy peaceful spot to sleep apart from all drafts and off the floor or ground. You may want to purchase a dog bed, or try making one out of a wood box. Place a clean comforter, blanket, or pillow inside the bed as cushion. Wash the catahoula cur’s bedding often. If your catahoula cur will be outdoors much, make sure he has plenty of cool water and covering in hot weather, and a covered, warm, dry area in the cold.
Licensing and Identification for catahoula curs
There are licensing regulations to heed in your area. You should affix the license to the catahoula cur’s collar. The license, along with an ID tattoo or tag, may help you recover your catahoula cur should she become lost.
Info on catahoula cur Behavior
Thoughts on catahoula cur Training
A well-mannered, companion catahoula cur can be a pleasure to raise. However, untrained, your catahoula cur can easily be trouble. Teaching your catahoula cur the basics—”Sit”, “Stay”, “Come”, “Down”, “Heel”, “Off”, and “Leave it”—strengthens the relationship both with the pooch and your family. If you have a puppy, begin training him on the right behavior as fast as you can! Use little bits of food as an incentive and a reward. Puppies can begin obedience courses when they have been adequately immunized. Contact the community SPCA or humane society for details on training schools. It is best to walk your catahoula cur leashed while in public, even while a puppy. Just be positive your catahoula cur will come to you if you say so. A disobedient or aggressive catahoula cur cannot play with children.
About your catahoula cur’s Health
Your catahoula cur should see the veterinarian for a thorough examination, innoculations and a heartworm screening every single year, and immediately if he is ill or injured.
Your catahoula cur’s Oral Health
While many of us may simply dislike our catahoula cur’s foul breath, we should pay attention to what it might represent. Foul breath usually means that your catahoula cur requires an oral examination. Plaque , which is a result of unhealthy bacteria creates a terrible odor that demands the help of a professional. After a professional oral cleaning, the teeth and gums can be maintained by brushing regularly, feeding a special diet focused on dental health, and eliminating table food. The vet can give you other tips on mitigating oral ailments as well as halitosis. You can use a baking soda and water paste or a dog toothpaste once or twice per week to brush your catahoula cur’s teeth. You can brush them with a sterile gauze pad, nylon stocking stretched across the finger, or a soft, child’s toothbrush. Sometimes, catahoula curs develop periodontal disease, also known as an infection between the gums and teeth. This painful condition can possibly cause your catahoula cur’s loss of teeth and spread disease to the rest of the body. Veterinarians should brush your dog’s teeth at a routine physical.
Halitosis (bad breath) in catahoula curs
Even though bad breath caused by dental disease may not be too serious if found early, sometimes those odors may indicate more serious, chronic causes for concern. Intestinal or liver diseases sometimes also cause halitosis, whereas a sweet, even pleasant smell can be indicative of diabetes. Kidney disease might be the reason when your catahoula cur’s breath smells like urine or ammonia. When you notice your catahoula cur has halitosis accompanied by other signs of disease, like diminished appetite, vomiting or nausea, loss of weight, bad mood, excessive urinating or drinking, schedule a checkup with his or her vet.
catahoula cur Flea and Tick Issues
When it’s warm, it’s important for you to perform regular, daily checks of your catahoula cur for ticks and fleas. Use a flea comb to find and remove fleas. There are numerous new procedures of tick and flea mitigation. Speak with your vet about her options.
Heartworm problems in catahoula curs
The heartworm is a parasite that lives in the heart and is passed from an infested dog to your catahoula cur by mosquitoes. Heartworm infestations are known to be fatal. It is wise to make sure your catahoula cur submits to a blood test for heartworms every spring—this is important to catch infections from the past year. It is also good to give your catahoula cur a monthly pill in mosquito season in order to protect her from heartworms. Should you ever travel in warmer regions with your catahoula cur in winter, she needs to be on the preventive medicine during the trip. In some of the warmer regions, vets recommend preventative worm medication throughout the year.
Toxins and Medicines
Please don’t give your catahoula cur medication that hasn’t been prescribed by his veterinarian. Just one ibuprofen tablet can cause stomach ulcers in catahoula curs. Make sure your catahoula cur is never exposed to rat poison and other rodenticides. When you have reason to believe that your pooch has eaten a toxin, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 for twenty-four-hour animal poison information.
catahoula cur Reproductive Operations
Male catahoula curs should be neutered – the removal of the testicles – and females spayed – the extraction of the ovaries and uterus – by 6 months old. Spaying before maturity greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer, a common and usually deadly health problem for older females. The possibility of a diseased uterus, which is also a serious condition that impacts more mature females, will be removed by spaying when young. Neutering males helps prevent testicular diseases, some hernias and certain aggressive behavior.
catahoula cur Immunizations
- The combination vaccine (also known as the “five-in-one shot”) must be given to your catahoula cur at two, three, and 4 months of age and then once annually. This immunization protects your pup from hepatitis, leptospirosis, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and distemper. Your catahoula cur must be innoculated for at least the first 4 months of her life.
- If you have the rare catahoula cur who has not been vaccinated and is older than 4 or five months, he must get a set of 2 immunizations 2 to 3 weeks apart, followed by a yearly vaccination.
- Your catahoula cur puppy’s innoculations should coincide with his socialization program. You can bring your catahoula cur pup to socialization courses as early as eight to nine weeks of age, according to many doctors. At this point, they should have already received at least their first immunizations.
Since rules are so different between different areas, contact a neighborhood veterinarian for information about rabies shots. In New York City, for example, the law states that all pets older than 3 months must be vaccinated for rabies. After the first innoculation, he must have a second immunization the next year, and then every three years after that. There are several vaccines, many of which are right for your catahoula cur. Others, however, are not. Your vet can tell you about them. By the way, if your catahoula cur happens to get sick because she is not immunized, the innoculation can be taken after your companion animal is back to health.
Intestinal Parasites in catahoula curs
catahoula curs are often exposed to worms and possible infestation—even in urban areas. Tiny eggs made by roundworms and hookworms are transmitted through an infected catahoula cur’s stool. Even the healthiest of catahoula cur puppies carry hookworms or roundworms. Getting an accurate, early diagnosis is the key to treatment. This will ensure that the treatment is effective against the parasite your dog has. A dewormer that eradicates roundworms, for example, cannot kill tapeworms. Your catahoula cur’s doctor can best define the culprit—and assign the right medicine.
catahoula cur Care Tips: Additional Information
Checklist of catahoula cur Supplies
- High-quality dog food and treats designed for catahoula curs and similarly-sized dogs
- Food dish
- Water dish
- Toys, toys and more toys, including safe chew toys
- Comb and brush for grooming, including a flea comb
- Collar with identification tag and license
- Quality leash
- Carrier (for pups)
- Training crate
- Dog box or bed with comforter or towel
- Child’s toothbrush
The no-no list
The following items should never be fed to catahoula curs:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Caffeinated foods, like coffee, tea or chocolate
- Grapes or raisins
- Moldy or spoiled food of any kind
- Onions, garlic & chives
- Bones of chicken, turkey, or any other animal (choking hazard)
- Salt or salty foods
- Tomato leaves, unripe fruit & stems
- Dough
The “Bottom” Line
Unless you are at home, or in a secured, fenced-in spot, always keep your catahoula cur on a leash. When your catahoula cur goes #2 on a neighbor’s yard, on the sidewalk or any other public location, please clean it up! Don’t forget to check out these other articles about catahoula curs
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