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Top Pet Tips 1. Is Your Dog Regularly Getting the Runs? Add bio yoghurt to their food. Quite often this can be a bacterial imbalance, especially if it is happening on a regular basis. The bio yoghurt is a pro-biotic and sometimes sorts this type of problem out fairly quickly. However if the situation continues to occur see your Vet. 2. Is Your Dog’s Urine Burning the Lawn? Yellow spots on the lawn are normally caused by urine. Nitrogen waste products are the result of protein breakdown through normal bodily processes, therefore the nitrogen in the urine causes the lawn spots. We all know that Nitrogen is a great fertilizer but not in these doses which is why the outside of the green spot is quite lush. A dose of one teaspoon to one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (depending on the size of the dog) per day will nullify the Nitrogen imbalance and should solve the problem. The apple cider vinegar can be added to the dog's water or put directly on his food. (The natural type from a health food store, not the pasteurized version from the supermarket). I find the apple cider vinegar from tack shops are the best. Two tablespoons of tomato juice on the dog's food twice a day will have the same effect. If the dog has already urinated and she has not been treated, then saturate the urinated areas (spots) with water. This will allow the excess nitrogen to leech or dilute through the lawn and reduce the concentration in one area. It is usually best to treat the areas up to 9 hours after urination and to apply at least three times the amount of water to urine to the area. There is also something called DOG ROCKS which are an Australian product that are safe for all of your pets, young and old. These should start improving your lawn within 5 weeks. They normally need to be replaced about every 2 or 3 months and should be placed into no more than 2 litres (0.5 gal) of water. Dog rocks are a mineralised rock which when placed in a dog’s water bowl changes the Nitrogen levels of a dog’s urine, meaning it won’t stain grass. The key element is Zeolite, which neutralises Nitrogen levels without altering the pH level of the water. 3. Insect Stings to Dogs or Cats: Slice a raw onion and apply to the sting as soon as possible, If the sting is inside the mouth always keep "Antihistamine" capsules in your first aid kit. A rapid administration soon after the sting can prevent serious complications. You can also get Antihistamine in liquid form which makes it easier to dispense. To administer liquids pull out the jowl near the back teeth so it makes a sort of little cup and then just pour the measured liquid in, close the mouth, tip the head back and massage the throat. Some dogs will actually swallow the insect live which may continue stinging the dog internally and cause anaphylactic shock. In rare cases death can result. This is caused from internal swelling of the trachea which cuts off the oxygen supply to the lungs. Quick administration of “Antihistamine" can reduce and even prevent serious complications. SPECIAL NOTE - Dosage will vary depending on the size of the animal. Check with your vet for recommended dosage. Usually they will refer to the animal's weight as a guideline. 4. Sharp Object and Glass eating: What do you do if your dog eats glass or other sharp objects like staples or small nails, etc? Dogs even eat ornaments, Xmas decorations, light bulbs and lots of other things that are sharp and therefore dangerous. Here's what to do. Go to the store and buy some cotton balls, make sure it is cotton balls and not the cosmetic puff things as those are made of man-made fibres. Buy a carton of double cream and keep it in the freezer in the eventuality of your dog eating something sharp. Defrost the cream and pour some in a bowl. Dip cotton balls into the cream and feed them to your dog. Dogs less than 10 lbs should eat 2 balls which you have first torn into smaller pieces. Dogs 10-50 lbs should eat 3-5 balls and larger dogs should eat 5-7. You may feed larger dogs an entire cotton ball at once. Dogs seem to really like these strange treats and eat them readily. As the cotton works its way through the digestive tract it will find all the glass and small sharp objects and wrap itself around them. Even the teeniest shards of glass will be caught and wrapped in the cotton fibres and the cotton will protect the intestines from damage. Your dog's stools will be a bit strange for a few days. You must be careful to check for fresh blood or a tarry appearance to the stool. If either of the latter symptoms appear you should rush your dog to the vet for a check-up, but in most cases, the dogs should be fine. 5. Bonding: If you want to quickly bond with a new pup or rescue dog, chew a piece of white bread untill it is a gooey, then feed this as a tidbit to the pup/dog for the first 7 days. You only need to do this once a day; it mimics the regurgitation process when pups and cubs are being weaned in the wild which really helps them bond more quickly and therefore settle in much sooner. 6. Constipation: If your dog doesn't move his bowels for a day or two or if he seems to have difficulty doing so, he may be constipated. Give him a teaspoonful of milk of magnesia first thing in the morning before his breakfast if you feed him twice a day. If he is often constipated add more vegetables to his diet and also mix a teaspoonful of mineral oil in his dinner. He won't taste it with the food. Do this until he is regular again. Also be sure that he gets plenty of exercise. Lack of running, walking, and jumping can make a dog constipated. If this treatment does not work within 48 hours consult your Vet. 7. Car Sickness: Often Ginger helps with this problem either Ginger Biscuits or even better natural ginger fed before the journey. The biscuits can be fed as the dog gets in the car which has an added incentive of the dog feeling that it being praised for just getting in the vehicle. 8. Grooming: Once a week put a really good shake of Olive Oil "the one you use for salads" into the dogs food, it gives the coat a brilliant shiny healthy look. In conjunction with the oil use a rubber horse curry comb/ brush; you can purchase it cheaply from any tack shop, strips all the dead hair off and shines up the coat better than any other brush on the market. They also carry a plastic one that gets all the seeds and bits of debris out. I use both to great affect. 9. Grooming 2: Irrespective of the dogs coat being long or short, groom daily, even if its only for a couple of minutes and make sure you groom over the withers. This helps in bonding and social status. In the wild the Alpha Male and Female will call over the other wolves or wild dogs individually and groom them in their pecking order. Grooming is an important social gesture. That is why some dominant dogs object to being groomed They don't believe you have right or the position to initiate this action. 10. Bacterial Infections: Wet areas are a breeding ground for bacteria and yeast. Bacterial infections commonly occur in the tear ducts. “Ptirsporum” (red yeast bacteria) is at the root of most yeast infections. Apple cider vinegar (in its natural form from a health food store, not the pasteurized version from the Supermarket) is a natural antibiotic, antiseptic, and deodorant; It helps with digestion and to remove tooth tartar; prevents tooth decay and hair loss (even mange); it also prevents and heals gum disease and skin problems; and will also discourage fleas. Putting a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar per quart of water in your dog's water bowl or on his food can clear up most active yeast infections and prevent future infections. Apple cider vinegar tablets can be used if your dog refuses to drink the treated water or eat the food. 11. Halitosis/Dog Breath: Halitosis or unpleasant breath can be caused by a stomach problem, bad teeth or tonsils or something that is stuck in the dog's mouth or throat. Look at your dog’s teeth to see if any are decayed. If not then give him 3/4 teaspoonful of bicarbonate of soda in his food twice a day for a few days. If his breath is still offensive then take him to a vet to see if he needs his teeth cleaned or his tonsils treated. 12. Cuts: If your dog cuts himself slightly put some boric acid solution or some peroxide on the cut and then leave it alone. It will heal up quickly. If the cut is deep or if it doesn't stop bleeding, pack gauze or clean rags around it and take him to a Vet. If the cut is on his leg or foot and bleeds a lot, tie a piece of cloth tightly around his leg, between the cut and his body, release the pressure every ten minutes, and take him to a Vet at once. 13. Electric Shocks: Once in a while, a silly puppy will chew through an electric cord leading to a lamp or a radio or a toaster. The shock he gets is normally not serious (though in certain circumstances has proved fatal); however it can sometimes be strong enough to knock him out. If this happens, put a little household ammonia on a wad of cotton and hold this under his nose. Don't touch the nose with it, as the ammonia will burn his skin. The sharp odour will bring him round. When he does comes to, give him some cool, strong, black coffee to drink. If his mouth seems burned by the shock, wet a cloth in strong, cool tea and wash the burned place with this. Take him to the vet if he seems burned or injured in any way. 14. What if your dog swallows a dangerous object: Its a rare puppy that doesn't swallow at least one strange object which his stomach cannot possibly digest. But a dog's stomach is so constructed that it can usually take care of most of the odd things that find their way into it. If you should see your dog swallow something you know is bad for him ... a piece of rubber toy, a ball, a large splinter of bone or a metallic object, here's what to do. Give him a large piece of soft bread to eat. Then toss about two teaspoons of salt on the back of his tongue, close his mouth with your hand and keep it closed until he swallows the salt. Now put him on a newspaper or some other place where he can vomit without doing any damage. In a short time the salt will cause him to throw up the bread and hopefully the strange object too. If this doesn't come up the first time give him another dose of salt after about 5 minutes. Once the object is vomited he should be fine. However if he begins to have diarrhea or if his stomach swells up and appears tender when you touch it, give him a tablespoonful of mineral oil. If he still seems to be in pain or if there is any blood in his urine or bowel movement take him straight to a vet. Never induce vomiting if the dog has ingested bleach or anything acidic or really sharp. Washing soda crystals are even more effective than salt if you have them available in the house. 15. Eyes: If you want to clean out the "sleep bugs," you can dip a wad of cotton into a 50/50 mixture of warm water and boric-acid solution. Squeeze a few drops of this in each eye. You can also use plain warm milk for this purpose. If your pet has got some mild conjunctivitis try warm used tea bags. However, if he still has problems a visit to the Vet is in order. In case of a real injury to the eyes from a dogfight or something poked into them, put a pad of gauze soaked in 50/50 boric-acid solution/warm water over the eye thats hurt. Then wrap a towel loosely around the dog's head and take him at once to a Vet. 16. Commands: Avoid giving your dog commands that you know you cannot enforce. Every time you give a command that is neither complied with nor enforced your dog learns that commands are optional. One command should equal one response so give your dog only one command (twice max!) then gently enforce it. Repeating commands tunes your dog out (as does nagging) and teaches your dog that the first several commands are a "bluff '. For instance, telling your dog to "Sit, sit, sit, sit!", is neither an efficient nor effective way to issue commands. Simply give your dog a single "Sit" command and gently place or lure your dog into the sit position, then praise/reward. 17. The Dogs Name: Whenever possible, use your dog's name positively, rather than using it in conjunction with a reprimand, warning or punishment. Your dog should trust that when it hears its name or is called to you, good things happen. His name should always be positive and responded to with enthusiasm, never hesitancy or fear. Imagine if you were a dog and 50% of the time when your name was spoken, you were yelled at or chastised. It would not take long to work out not to look up if their is a strong chance you are going to be shouted at. You can picture the dog thinking “Look at my paw because my face ain’t listening”. I use "Bad" or "You" If I have to chastise or stop the dog from certain behaviours. Both have a good growly tone rather than using the dogs name. To teach your dog his name. Position your dog in the middle of two people, close enough to touch,. Get some treats, high value ones like cheese or liver. Say the dogs name cheerfully if he doesn't respond either touch his ear or his muzzle very gently. When the dog finally looks in your direction immediately use your Good Dog voice, and praise by using the word “good “take it” then immediately give a good quality treat. You could also use a clicker and click treat. Practice this until looking at you happens without the touch or treat, this takes about five days doing the exercise for a few minutes each day, continue to practice once a week for the dog's entire life! It reinforces the communication link between owner and pet. 18. Pee Poles: These are fairly new in the pet stores and are made of hard plastic. They look almost like a 1-foot high giant tack. The tack is impregnated with a pheromone that causes the dogs and bitches to urinate on them. You hammer or push them in the area you want the dog to urinate and hey presto. Believe it or not it appears to work. These scientists are doing very well with their pheromones, what with the DAP diffuser and now this. 19. Puppy Teething: Most of the teething and chewing as apart from mouthing and nipping starts at about 4.5 months old. This is the time that the little piranha teeth laughingly called puppy teeth start dropping out, as the new adult teeth start pushing through. It can take up to 8 months for these new teeth to set in the jaw. While this is happening the pup has a need to chew. To help soothe this and save your fixtures, fittings and furniture, get the pup a plastic flower pot. Not the thin brittle ones but a fairly thick substantial one, this will help his gums and sooth the itching. Another great help is get a knotted rope you buy as a tug toy and soak it in water and put it in the freezer. The ice that forms really helps hot and itchy gums. Also freeze carrots and whilst frozen give to teething pups a great and nutritious soother. 20. Games of Tug: I don’t like games of tug at any time, except with a particularly timid or frightened dog then I will play and let the dog win to build up some confidence. However I never ever play tug with a puppy whilst it has its puppy/piranha teeth. It actually has little or no jaw muscles at this time therefore you can dislocate the jaw or even misalign the teeth by playing roughhouse tug games. It would be better to play games of hide and seek by hiding little bits of treats in the house and garden and encourage the dog to search them out. Ball games also help dispel some of the pup’s energies and stimulate the mind. 21. Fussy Eating: I am told by countless owners that their dog will not eat dry food or many other types of food and that they will only eat smoked salmon/steak/or minced beef, etc. This is because we actually teach our dogs to be fussy and picky eaters by free feeding. That is leaving down food all day. The dog then comes to the realisation that it can eat at any time and does not fall into a routine. Free feeding can also have an effect on control complex behaviour also know as “dominant behaviour” though that term is vastly overused. Free feeding can give the message to a socially mobile dog that he could be a pack leader as he has access to food at any time. This can also encourage guarding behaviour. Time to re-educate; decide how many times you will feed per day. If he is over 1 year then it will be twice daily. Feed the food of your choice not the food of his choice. I am a firm believer in a quality food whether that be raw, cooked or dry. Put this down for ten minutes only. If the dog has eaten it in that time fine, if not pick the food up and put it away. When the next meal is due then only put out the amount of food you would normally feed ... do not double up. It may take a few days for the message to get home, but it will in the end. Remember the dog comes from an animal (The Wolf) which is a feast and famine eater; they sometimes go many days or even longer between kills or scavenged food, so your dog will not starve, instinct and survival will take over and the dog will resume eating the food you choose, not the food he chooses. Many people think that it must be boring feeding them the same thing every day butdo not realise that supplementing a quality food with cheap, low quality, tinned or pouch food, is like putting tomato sauce on Lobster Thermidor. We also assume that taste is a factor. It isn't. Dogs have only 10% of our taste capacity. Let's face it, if they can eat their own and other animals' feces (which many do), then their choice of taste and quality must be questioned. 22. Recall Problems: How often do you see dogs coming back to about three foot from their owners then skipping away again as if it’s a game. The owner is probably in a hurry and gets angrier and angrier and starts shouting, which of course exacerbates the situation giving the dog even more reason not to return as he is aware that he may get smacked. All this is caused because the owner did not correctly lead train and stimulate the dog in the park in the first place. He/She actually taught the dog not to come back by only putting the dog back on the lead at the end of the walk. It doesn't’ take long for the dog to click on that recall and the fact that the lead means the end of fun and the end of the walk. May I suggest the owners were probably on their cell phone at the same time? Go to any park and see the dozens of people on cell phones walking their dogs. The poor dogs have to stimulate themselves somehow and they start running off to other dogs and people for the attention that they crave. Give your dog quality time and quality training. During the walk call your dog back to you at least three or four times. Place it on a lead and reward with a brief game or a real tasty tidbit and then let it off again. Your dog will then learn that coming back to you is good news and being placed on the lead does not mean the end of the walk and the end of play! Play hide and seek behind trees etc. It doesn't’ think your hiding, it thinks you're getting lost. This is especially important with a young pup. Turn off the cell phone and play games. Stimulate your dog and he will have no need to wander off and not want to return. 23. Kennel Cough : On top of the Antibiotics from the Vet, Benylin Dry Cough mixture, twice a day will help to relieve the irritation. Also avoid any pressure from a collar as this will exacerbate the condition. If you must go anywhere with your dog on a lead, use a body harness. Avoid areas where there are other dogs and if visiting your vet, take the last appointment. Leave your dog in the car and go tell the vet staff you are outside waiting to go in, or ask to be placed in an isolation room. This will help to reduce the spread of this highly contagious disease. 24. Timidity and Fears: How many times have you seen a dog shaking or cowering and the owner sympathising and reassuring it with petting and nurturing? This may appear to be perfectly logical behaviour but it is actually giving the dog all the wrong signals and rewarding it for being timid and nervous thus confirming it has a reason to be fearful. The very thing you are trying to cure is reinforced by your actions. The shy and timid dog should be exposed to as many different situations as possible. Take it along with you everywhere you go in order to introduce it to new sights, sounds and smells. Don’t push it into fearful situations but gently desensitise it to the things it fears. Praise for calmness, never for fear, Consistent treatment in this manner will begin to deliver the message to the dog that there is nothing to fear. Do NOT cuddle the dog or hug it and tell it there is nothing to fear. Dogs do not understand most of the words we say but they DO understand our actions. If the dog gets a hug it assumes it has done the correct thing and will continue to be fearful. 25. Shy Timid or Frightened Dogs: I am a firm believer that socialization is so vitally important; it almost outweighs any other consideration including the risk of contracting disease. The fear of infections has led breeders and owners alike to make the tragic mistake of keeping their puppies isolated until they have completed their vaccinations. By taking this stance they risk ending up with a fearful, timid dog that may become aggressive as an adult. “95% of all reported dog bites are fear related”. Owners should strike a common sense balance: puppies, especially from birth through to 14 weeks, must be exposed to a variety of people and experiences. There are many activities and places to take dogs without endangering their lives, it is vital that you take the time to expose your new pup to as many of these as possible. This is especially true for one's second or third dog; it is too easy to keep the new pup in the company of the older dogs, depriving him of the opportunity to develop his own self-confidence without relying totally on the older dog/s and their protection. 26. Complimentary Therapies: I am a strong advocate of some complimentary medicines for dogs especially in areas of Timidity, Fear and Anxiety. The more common and easily obtainable are Dr Bach’s Rescue Remedy, ( Flower Remedy) (chemist or health food shop, internet). D.A.P Diffuser (synthetic pheromone) (internet or vets) and Skullcap and Valerian (herbal remedy) (health stores chemists internet) These can be especially helpful in situations such as separation anxiety, excessive barking, firework and thunder phobias. To learn more about these products and other holistic medicines for your pets go to http://www.animalsnaturally.com/store/index.php. This is an excellent site that sells and explains Homeopathic and Herbal Medicine it also covers Acupuncture. However, I must point out that I am personally very skeptical about the use and efficiency of homeopathic treatments. The scientific community, including the first professor of complimentary medicine Edzard Ernst states: There was no condition which responds convincingly better to homeopathic treatment than to a placebo or other control interventions. Similarly, there was no homeopathic remedy that was demonstrated to yield clinical effects that are convincingly different from a placebo. 27. The Lead: Your lead is the most vital piece of training equipment you can own; it has multiple uses; it is also an aerial to your dog. Tighten it at the wrong time and you can send messages that could spark aggression, fear or anxiety; use it to drag your dog around and it could damage his neck and spine, especially if it is connected to a choke chain which I abhor. Used correctly it can be a Godsend, almost the only training aid you will ever need. All training, including sit, stay, down, recall, sit stay, wait, etc should initially be trained on a lead. Unfortunately most of the leads I see are far too short to be effective and are of a material that hurts and can burn and damage your hands. The lead should be at least 5 foot long irrespective of the size of the dog; this will help all training and lead work in the future; it should be made of something like Cushion Web which is extremely strong yet soft, (sounds a bit like a advert for toilet paper) NOT Nylon which is harsh and can burn and damage your hands. The problem is that most lead manufacturers haven’t a clue about dogs and what constitutes a good lead. They just produce what makes the most profit. Good quality leather leads are OK though I find them a bit hard on the hands at first. Shop around till you find what you want, don’t be taken with what the industry or pet stores want you to buy. 28. Counter Surfing: This is where dogs are constantly picking things up, either from the floor, table or kitchen countertops. At best it can be frustrating and annoying and at worst it can be fatal if they eat something that is dangerous. The quickest and most permanent solution to this problem (if you feel the counter surfing could be dangerous to your dog) is to go to the store and buy a spring-loaded cap banger. This is a little metal device that when you put a cap in it and set it by putting a suitable object on top, then anyone, or in this case anything, picking up the food/object will set off the banger. It usually takes about three/four bangs and the dog normally will decide to call it a day. The beauty of this device is that most dogs are crafty and only steal when you are not in the room therefore this is the perfect solution. 29. Dogs Ages in Human Terms: If I were to stop 100 people in the street and ask them how do you calculate a dogs age in human terms, 90% would say one dog year to every seven human years, the other 9% would probably say they don’t know and 1% may know the correct calculation. This is one of many old wives tales that are generally totally and utterly wrong. As a general rule of thumb it should be fifteen for the 1st year, ten for the 2nd and then five for every year thereafter. This is only an approximation. There is a chart that works on size and breed that gives it more accurately than this. If you calculated every seven years and the dog is 16 years old then the dog in human terms would be 112. Using my method, the dog is a realistic 95. I also think we are all aware that a one year old dog does not act like a seven year old child. It is far more like the rebellious teenager round the back of the garden shed having a quick smoke. They are also far more aware of the opposite sex than most seven year olds would ever be. 30. Fleas: If you want a natural method of flea control give the dog a clove of garlic but take the skin off first as this is related to the onion family and the skin part can have an adverse effect. You can chop this up and put it in his food each day. You can also purchase granulated garlic from a tack shop at a very reasonable price which is what I use. Fleas really dislike the taste which exudes out of the dog's skin and should soon go looking elsewhere for a more tasty meal. 31. Dry and Crusty Nose or Skin: Adding a teaspoon of flax seed oil to the dog’s food daily often helps dry noses and other dry skin complaints. Some dogs respond well to a children's multivitamin supplement (especially if they include vitamin B complex). Courtesy of Stan Rawlinson |
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