Dog Health
Here are some odd's and ends I have learned owning dogs that I think might help with some aliments.

Allergies: Some dogs have allergies due to corn in the dog food, so I only buy food that is corn-free. One good brand is Chicken Soup for the dog-lover's Soul.  It has alot of good natural ingredients in it and isn't too expensive.

I also like to buy an organic food supplement called Pets Alive from Gardens Alive. This makes Max's coat nice and soft and gives him any vitamins that he might be lacking in the dog food.

Another thing that can cause allergies are plants. This is a plant I got for my garden from a local plant swap:

It grows to about 1 1/2 feet in the sun and is lower and more spread out in the shade.  The flowers are tiny pinkish-purple and the leaves are very pungent, leaving a foul-smelling oil on your hands.  It seeded freely all over my garden and Max got so allergic to it that he licked all the fur off of his paws before I figured out what was causing his distress. I pulled out all the plants and changed his diet with the above suggestions, and he has not had a recurrence.

Anal Glands: In small dogs, especially dachshunds, the anal glands secret a foul liquid that can get on your furniture and clothes.  They also might scoot their hindquarters on the floor or lick under their tail. If this happens, your dog should be checked by a vet to make sure it is nothing more serious, but if it is just the anal glands, here is how to save yourself about $15 a trip:

The anal glands are two sacks below and to either side of the dog's anus.  Feel around and you will find that they are bulging if the fluid is built up. Hold the dog tail up with one hand, and with the other, squeeze the glands gently, gradually increasing pressure. This will not hurt your dog if done carefully and with compassion.  With practice, you will be able to dispatch the fluid quickly and control where the it goes. Usually a few squirts is all you need to empty the glands and your pet can carry on as usual.  When I had Rocky the dachshund, I had to do it about every 2 weeks.  Max just needs it about every other month.  If you think you are doing this way too often, have your pet checked by the vet again, just to make sure nothing more serious has developed.

Constipation: Here's a remedy if your pet is having trouble passing stools: cooked pumpkin! I had some frozen pumpkin on hand when Max had difficulty once.  He had it so bad that I had to force-feed him at one point, but he did start passing stools after about 6 hours of beginning the treatment.  Canned pumpkin works fine as well.  For little dogs, only feed a teaspoon about every 2 hours.  Larger dogs give more, but be aware that pumpkin works fast, so only give small portions every few hours to see if it starts working or not.  If it doesn't, give your pet some more, if it does start working, taper off until it looks like they are back to normal.  If you see no change in your pet after a day and they are getting worse, take them to the vet!

Foul Odors:  My Max sometimes likes to roll in the foulest things he can find.  No matter how many times I shampoo, he still smells. What I do in this case is, after shampooing, I get about a teaspoon of instant coffee grounds in my hand (with bigger dogs you will need more) and rub it all over his wet body.  I wait about a minute, and then rinse.  When he is dry, you don't smell a thing.