Lucy's House for the Prevention of Homeless Pets Dog Walk

Come visit us on Saturday September 28, 2013 at Bombardier Park in Milton. I will be participating in the First Annual Dog Walk to benefit Lucy's House for the Prevention of Homeless Pets. Weather permitting Xc or CII will be joining me. I will also have a booth and be handing out dog treats. Hope to see you there.

Spring Time Checklist

Spring is finally here and it is time to get outside and enjoy some time with your furry friend. I made a checklist of things to remember to keep your dog healthy while enjoying the outdoors.

1. Make sure your dog has been checked for heartworms and is taking heartworm medication to prevent contracting heartworm disease.

2. Make sure your dog is protected against fleas and ticks.

3. Make sure to carry water so your dog doesn't get too hot or dehydrated on long walks on hot days.

4. And in case your dog has an unpleasant encounter with a skunk in the backyard apply a mixture of the following solution : 1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of liquid hand soap. Apply immediately after mixing and rinse thoroughly with water. Avoid getting any of the solution in your dog's eyes or ears and don't let your dog drink any of the solution because hydrogen peroxide can cause vomiting. You will probably have to increase the amount of the solution for a large dog.

I hope you all enjoy a Woofderful spring and summer outside with your furry friends.

Canine Influenza

Since we received a reminder from our veterinarian and I have had a client ask me whether I will be requiring the new canine influenza vaccine I thought it was a good time to talk about canine influenza and my thoughts about the vaccine.

According to Wikipedia canine influenza was discovered in 2004. While listening to a program on NPR I discovered it is a form of highly contagious influenza that may have originally been transferred to dogs via feeding Greyhounds in Florida raw horse meat. Because it is a relatively new virus the dog population in our area will have no natural immunity to it and because it is highly contagious I suggest vaccinating your dog.

The symptoms of canine influenza are similar to kennel cough. They include a cough, a greenish nasal discharge, and in severe cases, a high fever or pneumonia caused by a secondary infection. Symptoms can last from ten to thirty days.

Petitions To Remove Unsafe Dog Treats From Stores

I mentioned in a previous post that certain dog treats made in China have been linked to the deaths of several dogs and one cat. Since then I have discovered two petitions demanding that the dangerous treats be removed from store shelves so that no more beloved pets are harmed. I have already signed the petitions to try to keep all of our pets safe.  If you would like to show your support you can sign the petitions using the following links.

http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-our-trust-take-dangerous-dog-treats-off-the-shelves
http://www.change.org/petitions/nestle-purina-recall-chicken-jerky-treats-made-in-china

Thank you and have a Woofderful day!

Happy New Year

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. I was very busy with boarding dogs and started the new year off with four new furry friends joining us for daycare and boarding. I would like to say Happy New Year and Thank You to all of my awesome dog clients who trust me with the care of their precious fur babies and to the continuing support of my friend Katie with my website and my husband for helping me when we have a house full of dogs and keeping the driveway free of snow and a path plowed for the dogs to walk around the yard. And of course I would like to thank the dogs for making every day they are here Woofderful!