The Dog Blog

Dog Safety
– Your Dog and the Outside World-
When transporting dogs in vehicles, walking them in parks, or keeping them outside on your property, dogs can encounter people, other animals, or dangerous materials. Taking a few precautions can reduce your dog’s risk of finding trouble.

Transportation. Crates and/or carriers are the safest way to transport your dog in all types of vehicles. If a carrier is not available, try one of the following restraints: a harness with a seat belt; screens (to fence off an area in a car or truck); or a regular leash attached to the armrest.
Caution: pickup leashes can lead to a dog’s death by strangulation.
Walking. The safest way to walk your dog in public is on a leash. Leashes come in many different styles and lengths. Short leashes are recommended for busy and congested streets so you can keep him or her close to your side. Longer leashes can be used at parks or beaches.
Fences. Securing your property is the safest way to control your dog’s environment. Fences will keep him or her on your property and keep other dogs or strangers out. Fences vary by type, from the standard wooden fence to invisible electronic devices.

– Training Your Dog -
Well-behaved dogs are happier dogs…and so are their owners. Most undesirable behaviors can be changed with a strict training program. A well-trained and disciplined dog, one who is able to perform various tasks as well as provide personal and home protection, is an asset to his or her owner.

Proper training can fix most behavioral problems such as:

Aggression with people or other dogs
Excessive barking, growling, jumping, and/or biting
Separation anxiety
Home or yard destruction
Begging, stealing, or whining for food
Escaping and chasing cars
Not responding to commands

I am writing this in hopes that some may learn from what I just went
through.
We went to the Steel Valley Cluster this past weekend. After showing we went back to our site/set up and got the dogs in their crates to cool off.
After being back about 30min. I noticed Baran was low on water. I took a hand full of ice from my cooler and put it in his bucket with more water….

We all then started to get all the dogs Ex’ed and food ready for them.

After checking the dogs and thinking they were cooled off enough we fed everyone. As we were walking around picking out the feed dishes from the crates, one of my friends stated that Baran seamed like he was choking.
I went over and checked on him and he was dry heaving and was real drolly.
I got him out of the crate to check him over I noticed he had not eaten, he was in some what distress. I checked him over from head to toe and did not notice anything. I walked him around for about a min. when I noticed that he was starting to Bloat. I did everything I was taught to do in this case.
I was not able to get him to burp, and we gave him Phasezime.

We jumped on the golf cart to take him down to the Show vet to find out that he did not have a bloat kit, He referred us to the clinic that was to be on call, but we found out that the clinic was closed.
After finding another clinic that was open we rushed Baran to that
one. We called ahead and let them know that we were on our way. They were set up and waiting on us and got Baran stable very fast.

After Baran was stable and out of distress we transported Baran to AVREC were he went into surgery to make sure no damage was done to any of his vital organs.

I am very happy to say that Baran is doing great, there was not damage to any vital organs, and he still loves his food.

In surgery the doctor found that Baran’s stomach was in its normal
anatomic position. The Doctor and I went over the events of what happened up to the point of Baran’s Bloating.

When I told him about the ice water he asked why I gave him ice water, and have I always done this. I told him my history behind this practice and his reply was “You have been very lucky for the past 15 years.”

The ice water I gave Baran caused a violent Muscle spasm in his stomach which caused the bloating.

Even though I figured his temp was down enough to feed and give him this ice water his internal temp was still high. Dr. Vogf stated that giving dogs ice to chew or ice water is a big NO, NO; there should be NO reason for them to ever have ice/ice water.

Normal water (roomTemp.), or cooling with cold towels on the inter thigh. This is the best way to help cool a dog.

I felt the need to share this with everyone, in the hopes that some may learn from what I went through. I do not wish this on anyone!

Baran is home now doing fine. He does not like the fact that he has to be walked on lead in the yard, to keep him from running. He hates not being able to go out and rough house it with the others, but is doing great.

So please if you do use ice and ice water, beware of what could happen.

How to Spot Heatstroke July 19, 2007

A day spent romping at the beach or playing softball in the park is fun for the whole family. But keep an eye on your pet — she’s the one wearing the fur coat. Overheating can lead to heatstroke, a condition that occurs when a dog is unable to maintain a normal body temperature by panting. Watch for signs of heatstroke, such as heavy panting; excessive salivating; staggered walking; muscle tremors; seizures; glazed eyes; noticeably darker tongue and gums; vomiting; or bloody diarrhea. Contact your vet; a visit may be necessary to check your pet for dehydration and other complications.

Calm Amid Chaos June 28, 2007

You might be looking forward to the fanfare and fireworks of July 4th, but your dog probably takes a dimmer view of the boisterous celebration. To make the holiday safe and low stress for your best friend, take these precautions:

• Keep your dog indoors and as far away from crowds and commotion as possible. Play some music, or turn on a TV or fan to drown out the loud booms and pops from fireworks.
• Talk to your vet about a sedative for an especially anxious pet. If you’ve seen your dog suffer before, a calming medication may take the edge off his fear.
• If you’re planning to travel, boarding your dog may be the best way to avoid exposing him to chaos over which you have no control.

Make sure your pet is wearing his collar and ID tags — even if he has an identifying microchip — in case your careful planning goes awry and he makes a run for it.

Just Chicken

Serves: 5
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cooked thoroughly
250 ml (1 cup) rice, steamed or boiled
150 ml (1/2 cup) cornmeal
250 ml (1 cup) shredded carrots
120 ml (1/2 cup) chicken broth

Preparation & Cooking:

Start by shredding the chicken.
Grab a large pan, add the shredded chicken and then saute it.
Now mix in the cornmeal and chicken broth until it is really well mixed in.
Grab your rice and carrots and mix them in too. Keep stirring is because you don’t want it to get burnt.
Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.
Take it off the heat and it is now ready to be eaten. Make sure you let it cool first and any extra’s that are left over can be put in a container and stored in the freezer or fridge.

Dog Tip:

If your buddy has dental or mouth problems, try pureeing pre-packaged grilled chicken in a food processor, then add the cooked ingredients. The result should be a soupier version with all the nutrition of the original recipe.

Dog treats & treating will NEVER be the same! SnackShotz Treat Launcher in the ONLY product of its kind that provides endless fun for you and your dog(s). Just load SnackShotz with Discos^TM Flying Dog Treats, pull the lever, and the fun begins. Dogs run, jump, chase and catch Discos treats as the treats fly through the air!

SnackShotz^TM was designed to help encourage the human/animal bond and enhance your dog’s play time. Constructed from high quality, durable materials, SnackShotz^TM can launch Discos^TM flying dog treats up to 12 feet.

This ShowSheen is an amazing product! After you’ve shampooed your dog, put this ShowSheen into the dog’s coat and leave it there. This leaves the hair really tangle-free, as the product description says below. It makes it extremely easy to get rid of detritus that usually gets “tangled” in a dog’s hair.

Contains a high-grade silicone that prevents stains and gives your dog’s coat a glossy show ring shine – while keeping hair tangle-free. The patented, non-sticky formula prevents absorption of fine dust, urine, and grass stains on coat. Dries to a bright, natural sheen that lasts up to one week. Non-toxic and safe for the most sensitive dogs.

Get the Absorbine - ShowSheen - Hair Polish (Gallon Size) for the amazingly low price of $21.99!

Ziggy took 3rd on Friday and Saturday, and 4th on Sunday, at the DeLand Dog Show. I’ll add pictures when I grab them from Jan’s camera. Jan said that the Judge was very thorough, examining everything about the dogs, rather than the usual cursory glances and inspection.

Yesterday I added a couple more snood images to the pages. These are the images of the snoods on the dogs, and where available, there is a “Click here for an example.” link beneath the swatch. Examples added yesterday are: Forest Green Polar Fleece, Blue w/ Gold Stars Satin, Red w/ Black Whirl Pattern.

DOG’S NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Author Unknown

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that Saint Nicholas soon would be there.
My dogs were nestled all snug in “MY” bed,
While visions of chewie toys danced in their heads.

I in my sweat pants and Dad in his sweater,
Had just settled down the read the Great Dog Reporter,
When up on the roof there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.

Off to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutter the threw up the sash.
The moon on the crest of the new fallen snow
Gave a luster of midday to the objects below.

And what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer.
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

With a sputter of ashes–a flurry of soot,
He slid down the chimney with all of his loot.
My dogs stood there, so regal and proud,
Guarding their home with barks oh so loud.
St. Nick showed no fear and called them by name,
He knew in his heart they were gentle and tame.

He brought out his list, checking it twice.
“Well my beauties, all year you’ve been nice.
I have in my bag toys and much more,
Just tell me what you pups really long for.”

My dogs talked to each other–much to my surprise
And turned to Santa with tears in their eyes.
“We have chewies and balls and ropes to be tugged,
We are pampered and coddled and petted and hugged.
But for Christmas Dear Santa, we have but one care,
That all dogs be loved as much as we are.
We want no dog beaten, whipped or chained,
No dog abandoned, abused or maimed.
We want all dogs, no matter what size,
To see love reflected in their master’s eyes.”

St. Nick stopped for a moment to gather his wits,
“I have nothing to stop humans from being such twits.”
All dogs are so beautiful and are such a treasure,
Living only to be loved and give humans pleasure.
This lesson I will try to teach,
Then maybe your wish will be within my reach.”

St. Nick leaned over and kissed each beautiful head.
“Now you gentle giants, go off to bed.
Think good thoughts and dream good dreams
Of running and jumping and playing in streams.”

St. Nick turned to me, his face wet with tears.
“Be proud of your babies, they are such dears.”

In an instant — St. Nick disappeared in a poof,
And I heard him chuckle as he ran on the roof.
He jumped in his sleigh and to his team gave a whistle,
And off he flew like the down on a thistle.

And I heard him exclaim as he drove out or sight,

“Merry Christmas to All and To All Dogs a Good Life.”

We added some new bellyband fabrics to the site the other day. These are mostly flannels, soft and able to help absorb liquid. They are an eclectic bunch of materials, some are amusing, some are for puppies.

So Rover is getting a little too frisky with the bitches in another postcode and is missing out on his din-dins. So what do you do? Well last year a US company called Pet Mobility came up with the genius idea of a GPS collar for dogs, so you could see on your PC exactly where the mutt had wandered.

In March the same company will go one better and debut the first mobile phone for our canine chums. The PetCell is a bone shaped device that hangs off the hound’s collar. It has its own number and after dialling the owner can speak to their dog via its two way speakers. The dog can of course bark back too.

The PetCell also has an option called GeoFence that will alert owners whenever their dog wanders beyond preset parameters, and built-in temperature sensors to indicate if the dog is too hot or cold. Owners can even attach a camera to the collar and get a wireless feed of exactly what their dog is looking at. Given that this is often like to be the rear end of another hound it is perhaps not too enticing a prospect. It’ll sell for around $400 in the US, though there’s no news yet on a European launch.

We have just got a new batch of polar fleece colors in, take your pick: forest green, shock pink, lime green, khaki, gold yellow.

Today we have updated the site a little bit, adding new glitter patterns for snoods — specifically sheer black with silver glitter, sheer blue glitter with stars, sheer brown glitter with a whirl pattern, and sheer purple glitter with a whirl pattern.

Not only that but we have added an entirely new page for sweater knit patterns — specifically green and black stripe sweater knit, red and black tartan sweater knit, blue and black tartan sweater knit, and a grey diagonal pattern sweater knit.

Slowly but surely we are adding pictures of our dog apparel to each order section. We have started with the snoods, you’ll see “Click here to see example” beneath some swatches. It will show you a picture of one of the pack wearing the item.

I went through the site’s links page today. I know that a lot of people must be busy, but please, it takes all of 30 seconds to alter a links page to add a new link in, it is not rocket science. Because of this, I have decided to axe a lot of the links because they simply do not understand etiquette and manners, and have not linked back to us when we have provided a link to them. Very rude.

And to those who I have mailed, and have responded that their site is “being bought out” or they are “busy and will get to it”, go right ahead. I’ll re-add your link when you mail me that you have it up. I am tired of providing people with free traffic if they don’t think doing the same is fair.

I have just added a second raincoats page to The Snood Factory website. This is because we can’t just keep adding more pictures to the raincoat ordering page, so I added a link from it to a second raincoats page with just pictures of the pack wearing raincoats we have made for customers.

That’s right, that is a dead possum in the pool. It was last week when Jan found it at the bottom of the pool, clearly it drowned itself. Maybe it was trying to get a drink from the pool when it slipped in and lost its life (poor thing, yeah right…). Anyway this morning I managed to catch a picture of Brandy looking into the pool at it, you can almost tell what she’s thinking, “Hey, is that a toy for me?!”

Today, and yesterday, Ziggy took Best of Class at the Weirsdale Dog Show.

Pictures to be posted when retrieved from the camera, soon!

I have just finished updating the bellybands and p-panties pages on The Snood Factory.

The bellybands can be considered medical clothing, as they hold the male dog’s genitalia against his body, helping him not urinate on himself. Largely, all of the materials used for the bellybands are absorbent, are doubled over and have an internal piece of thicker fabric. They are not intended to be used continually, and will need to be washed every day.

The p-panties are for female dogs, and just like the bellybands can be consider medical clothing. Made from similarly absorbent materials the p-panties have a pocket on the inside for a sanitary pad.