Kayaking With Your Dog
We recently purchased kayaks that are single person sit on top kayaks. We would like to kayak with our dogs but they seem really fearful about the the whole adventure. Does anyone have any suggestions for ways to get our dogs comfortable traveling on a kayak?
Spring and Summerize Your Dog
Welcome Spring - Protect Your Dog
I think even dogs get spring fever, the snow is finally melting here and the dogs are hanging out in the sunshine, seeming to really enjoy it. While we look forward to spring and summer, this time of year presents some dangers to your pet. Here’s what to look out for:
Springtime is a good time to talk to your vet to see what their guidelines are regarding heartworm prevention. Heartworm is carried by mosquitoes that awaken this time of year and breed in standing water. Heartworm can be fatal to your dog so most veterinarians recommend prevention medication be given once a month.
Spring is a good time to change our dog’s food to an all natural, premium dog food. I just swapped out what I thought was a premium brand for a brand with more protein and less filler. It costs a little bit more, but my pooches are worth it.
As the days get longer and the sun gets stronger, watch your dogs exposure to the sun. Dogs can sunburn just like people. Provide lots of shade and ample water if your dog is left outside. Exercise your dog early or late in the day when the sun is not as strong and temperatures are cooler. If you dog shows any signs of heat exposure such as excessive panting or vomiting, see your vet right away.
Fleas and ticks can be an issue in the spring and summer. Here in Tahoe where I live we are just starting to thaw out so I am resuming their flea and tick treatments this month. There are some good over the counter products that work well to prevent fleas and ticks. There are also some great all natural flea and tick prevention products on the market if you are concerned about over the counter remedies.
Protect your dog from the noise of fireworks this summer. One of my dogs goes insane with the sound of fireworks so I keep her in the house and close the windows to mute the noise on the 4th of July to protect her and keep her calm.
Thunder can also be an issue for which there is a product called the Thundershirt which calms dogs who suffer from separation anxiety or stress from thunder, fireworks and other loud noises.
Protect your dogs eyes while traveling in the car by preventing your dog from hanging it’s entire head out the window. Be careful not to open the window too wide if your dog is prone to bolting. Never travel with your dog in the back of a pickup truck without ensuring that he or she is secure and safe.
Make sure your dog has a proper dog collar with dog tags that contain current information. Use reflective collars or collars with blinking lights to keep your dog seen at night.
Welcome to spring, with these tips you can keep your dog safe all spring and summer long. Enjoy the outdoors!
Do you have any tips for taking care of your dog this spring and summer? Love to hear from you, please leave comment below.
Puppy Mill Found in Tennessee
I read an article today about a puppy mill in Tennessee that rescued over 100 animals, most of which were our four legged canine friends. After I got over my initial reaction of disgust, I found myself surprised that in this day and age puppy mills still exist. A firm supporter of rescue dogs, I have two of my own, I still can’t get over the fact that there continues to be a market for puppies raised under such horrible conditions. Where is the market for these tortured animals? Where do these puppies, raised without a thought to their well being end up and who buys them?
My two rescues came from what I think are reputable sources. One came from the local animal shelter, lost in a field, picked up by animal services, obviously unwanted until it found a home with me. The other I admittedly got on line from a site that helps would be owners find the breed, age and gender of the dog they wanted. I got Kaya at the age of 6 months and picked her up at the home of what I assumed was a kind of foster care. When I arrived at the home in question I’ll admit I as a little surprised at the condition of the place, dogs everywhere, crates in the living room, family room and backyard, kinda smelled like dog poop and evidence of dog feces in places I wouldn’t accept in my home. That being said, I “rescued” Kaya and high tailed it out of there, thinking the foster parent was doing the right thing in trying to save Kaya and the other dogs in her care. Only after I had her thoroughly checked out by my local vet did I find out that she had experience some kind of food deficiency or trauma some time in her first 6 weeks. I assumed it occurred before the foster mom got her, but sometimes I wonder.
Dog Rescue- A Personal Story
It’s been a long, long winter for many of us here in the Sierra Nevada mountains. We’ve had record amounts of snow, Squaw Valley Resort beat its all time snow fall record with a total amount of 680 inches, eclipsing the previous record of 662. By the way, that’s 56.5 feet of snow! And the winter is not over….. I posted a picture to Facebook over the weekend showing a chain link fence in my back yard which has all but disappeared, with portions of the top of it no longer visible and under at least a foot of snow. Imagine my surprise when this morning I looked out the window and found my youngest dog having walked over the fence, roamed around the back yard outside the fence and ended up at the sliding glass door at the back of our house. Now normally that would be fine, except right now we can’t get that door open because of the weight of the snow on the roof. So there my dog sat, staring at me with those puppy eyes – you know what I’m talking about – wondering why I won’t let her in. Of course I go to the side door and try to call her and get her to come back the way she came, but she wasn’t having any of that. Their brains are only so big you know. Read the rest of this entry »
The Scoop on Dog Poop
I know this is kind of a sensitive issue, or at least a bit of a gross topic but lets face it, sometimes dogs eat poop. Lately I’ve found my older dog eating poop. I have two dogs so I don’t know if she’s eating her own poop or the poop of her younger sister. I hate to even be talking about this, but right now it’s an issue for us in our household, and perhaps it’s a issue in yours.
I consulted with our veterinarian earlier this week about the issue. I speculated that Tana was eating her sisters poop because recently I has switched Tana to senior food (she’s 10 years old and the vet recommended the change) which she obviously didn’t like too much because she would barely eat it. My thoughts were that she wasn’t getting something in her new food that she had been getting in her old food which the younger one was still eating. The vet concurred that it was surely a possible explanation. His thoughts on the subject: “go back to feeding her regular food, I’d rather have her eating regular food and not eating poop than eating senior food and eating poop.” So there you have it, sound advice from an expert.
Supplements For Dogs
Supplements for dogs. I subscribe to a well known and respected veterinarian’s newsletter and lately he has been pushing his pet supplements pretty hard. I respect most of the advice he shares, but this time I’ve have to question the motives.
First of all I am barely able to remember to take supplements myself let alone remember to give them to my dogs. Now I don’t have any trouble remembering to give my dog meds when necessary, but for some reason, supplements don’t seem that necessary so chances are they would not get administered everyday as directed. If I were convinced they would significantly improve my dog’s health, well then I’d make it a priority, but right now, I’m not totally convinced it’s worth it for me to take them much less my dog. I’ve looked and so far I haven’t found any substantial evidence of their benefits.
Should You Crate Your Dog?
Should you crate your dog?
Crates are often used when your dog is a puppy to aid in house training. The goal is to have a well behaved dog that you can trust to leave in the house without fear of an accident. Because most dogs won’t go to the bathroom where they sleep, keeping your puppy in their crate will aid in potty training. Use of a crate will also keep your puppy from chewing furniture, shoes and other items that you’d like to keep out your puppy’s mouth. In addition crating can help protect your dog from chewing on harmful things around the house such as toxic foods and electrical cords. Crates should never be used to punish your dog.
Crates give your dog a safe, den like place that is all his or her own, where he or she can feel safe and secure. My dog uses her crate the hide when things get just a little to crazy around the house. She just goes to the back bedroom, gets in her crate and avoids the noise and excitement that is going on in other parts of the house.
Crates are great for traveling with your dog. You can set the crate up in the car to give your dog a safe way to travel and you can use your crate at your final destination to contain your dog, and also give him or her the feeling of home.
Crates can and in most cases should be used for your dog’s entire lifetime, not just for use when your dog’s a puppy. Dogs that grow up with a crate will find it a safe and secure place to be which can easily be moved around the house.
Dog Refuses to Leave After Earthquake and Tsunami
This short video shows an dog orphaned by the earthquake and following tsunami standing diligently by another dog clearly injured. What a great display of loyalty.
It has been reported that both dogs have been rescued. It makes me very happy to hear that. What a heartwarming story amidst so much misery.
New Study Says Walk Your Dog!
Owning a dog may do your heart good, literally.
Get up right now and take your dog for a walk! Did you know that people who own dogs are reported to be 34% more likely to get the recommended amount of exercise each week?
“Dogs can be a great motivator for physical activity. People who walk their dogs, walk more. They walk about an hour longer each week,” said study author Mathew Reeves, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Michigan State University in East Lansing.Reeves, who is also a veterinarian, added that the public health problem of obesity affects both humans and pets, and said there are “just as many health benefits from walking for the pet as for the owner.” So, he suggested, even if you can’t seem to get moving to improve your own health, maybe keeping your canine healthy will be the motivator you need.
Read the rest of this entry »
Search Dogs Sent to Japan
Janet Reineck, Search Dog Foundation Development Director
SUNDAY, MARCH 13 – 8pm PST
Six Canine Disaster Search Teams trained by the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation (SDF) have arrived in Japan and will soon be traveling to the devastated region where the skills of the canines are critically needed to use find people still trapped in the rubble.
The teams have their gear ready and are waiting to leave the Misawa Air Base and head to Ofunato City on the North East coast of Japan where they will be conducting reconnaissance and primary searches. The group is divided into the RED team (Jasmine & Cadillac, Eric & Riley, Gary & Baxter), and the BLUE team (Bill & Hunter, Linda & Joe, Ron & Pearl).
The teams were called into action on Friday by USAID as part of Los Angeles County Task Force 2. They traveled on a chartered plane out of LAX together with Virginia Task Force 1 (America’s other international Task Force). Some 75 tons of rescue equipment and supplies for each Task Force were sent into the disaster zone via military transport.
Read the rest of this entry »