Dealing with dog allergies
It’s that time of year again… Spring has sprung.
Yep, Spring has sprung forth with massive amounts of pollen ready to irritate you and your dog.
Dogs are increasingly showing signs of allergic reactions to pollens, flea bites and even some food products.
In most cases, the first sign of your puppies allergies is the familiar scratching. You think it’s just your basic average scratching until you notice it’s non-stop and his coat is missing patches of hair, revealing a lovely shade of pink skin.
So what’s a pet owner to do?
First off, see your Vet. There are test that can be done to determine exactly what is causing the problem. Allergies cannot be cured, but they can be managed.
Food allergies can be a bit trickier to detect. You’ll need to switch you dog to a new dog food, preferably one with only one or two ingredients. After a couple weeks on the new food, if your dog has stopped the scratching you will know it was something in the old food. If the scratching continues, then you know the culprit is one of the ingredients in the new food.
If you do have a dog that is sensitive to food allergies, you may want to try hypoallergenic dog food and dog treats like kangaroo and emu all natural dog treats.
Mennonite Puppy Horrors
I was shocked when I saw this report on Nightline. The amount of suffering a dog must go through at these puppy mills is just unfathomable.
The fact that a human could think it is moral and just to treat another living creature so cruelly mystifies me.
Are you stressing out your dog?
My dog, Bonkers, seems to always know when I’m sick or tired. He will snuggle up to me as if to say “here Mom … pet me, it will make you feel better”…. and he’s right. It does make me feel better.
Studies have shown that having a pet can reduce stress and help humans heal faster.
But what about our pets? What kind of effect does our mood or stress have on them?
With the economic stresses of today and the increased workload, more and more people are dealing with higher and higher levels of stress. As our tempers grow short and our tone sharper, our pets are increasingly left confused, frightened and stressed.
Dogs especially take their sense of security from their human, Alpha Dog. If we are agitated, they are agitated. The constant stress can cause the same types of health issues in your pet that you may be experiencing. Things like …eating problems, heart problems, depression and a number of even more serious illnesses.
Next time you come home full of anger at the traffic or the idiot at work, remember to hug and comfort your dog first. Take time to walk your dog and give him a dog treat. You will be amazed at much better you both will feel.
What can you do with a Kangaroo
What can a dog do with a kangaroo?
- Chase it - Not likely he’ll catch it
- Hide in it’s pocket/pooch
- Box with it - be ready for a knockout punch
- Learn to hop - my dog is already really good at this
- Eat it - Hopefully they well wait until it’s dead and turned into nice all natural dog treats.
Thunder Storms and Dogs
It was another 2am thunder storm and another 2am barking session from Bonkers, and it wasn’t long before I heard him scratching at my bedroom door.
I’m really not sure if its the sound of thunder or the change in air pressure during a storm that sets a dog on edge, but Bonkers is not the only dog that feels the need to bark out a warning when a storm is on the way. Fortunately, Bonkers has been taught to use his “inside” bark which sounds kinda like a whisper bark. It’s enough to wake me up without waking up the neighbors.
So what do I do to calm down a concerned sentry? I first get my patootie up out of bed, let him know that “momma dog” has gotten the message and will take over, and then I give him a bully stick to keep him occupied. Nothing like a bully stick to take a dog’s mind off a problem.
There is no sense in yelling at a dog that is only doing his job. In our pack, I’m the alpha dog and it’s Bonkers job to alert the alpha dog of any impending danger. Once I have acknowledged that I’m on it, he can relax and wait for my instructions. I give him the bully stick to let him know there is no danger and it’s safe to chill out.
Sushi, the pug and Bonkers, the Shih Tzu do the happy dance…
After learning that dogs everywhere have risen up and proclaimed “cats do not taste like chicken”, Sushi and Bonkers were seen rejoicing at a local disco. It has been a long hard month of campaigning but according to Sushi, “It has all been worth it”. “Cats everywhere can now rest easy”.
“We are not done yet”, proclaimed Bonkers. “We still need to insure that humans provide a tasty all natural dog treat, like bully sticks to replace the cat fur normally in a dog’s diet”.
Happy Doggy St. Patrick’s Day
We here at Bully Sticks wish you the luck of the IRISH all year long. May you and your dogs be full of good fortune and may your pots always be full.
Do dogs Sleepwalk?
What do dogs dream about? Nobody really knows for sure, but my guess is tht Bizkit, the dog in this video was protecting his favorite dog chew in his dreams.
My advice to his owners would be to put padding on all the walls.
The Ultimate Dog Collar
It’s your choice… Would you rather buy your pooch this dog collar, or feed the entire population of a starving Country for a year?
This dog collar is so expensive that you have to have an armed guard standing by just to get them to give you the actual price.
If you choose the collar over feeding the starving masses, how about asking your pooch this question…
If you could choose between this dog collar with the shiny rocks and some nice yummy dog chews, which would you choose.
My Guess is 10 out of 10 dogs would choose the dog chews.
Heartbreaking Story of 22 Dogs in a Car
The recent story from Grayson County, Texas of a woman living in her station wagon with 22 dogs is another example of how dogs are suffering because of the troubled economy.
The Papillions and Chihuahuas were placed in the custody of the Texas ASPCA by a Judge’s order. The healthy dogs will be put up for adoption.
The woman, who’s name was not released was homeless and had no where else to go.
I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been for both the woman and these 22 dogs. I also can’t imagine why the woman did not willingly turn the dogs over to a shelter or seek out homes, but because I don’t know the full circumstances it would be wrong for me to judge her.
I would like to encourage anyone that finds themselves in circumstances that makes it impossible to provide the basic necessities to their pets, to willingly give them up. I know it’s hard to give up a beloved dog, but their well-being should take precedence.
Every dog deserves, love, shelter, food and a dog bone now and then.
SPCA Courtesy Photo:
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