Help Me Please! or I Need Help! and I Can't Figure It Out?
I get letters / e-mails all the time from people, to help them.
Dear. D&D
We are planting a vegetable garden this year. I've heard that some fertilizers and other garden products are dangerous to pets. What should we watch out for?
First and foremost, always read the label of any product you use in the house or garden. Almost all fertilizers will make a dog sick if ingested. But the real health threats are the insecticides and poisons used to kill garden pests. Snail bait, gopher bait, mouse and rat bait, and even fly bait are extremely dangerous if eaten by your cat or dog. Keep your pets away from these garden products and you'll avoid an expensive veterinary bill—not to mention a lot of worry. And the BIG THING fence in the garden to keep the Pets & Pests out.
For the love of SKUNK!!!!
When I was running in the woods with my dog, a skunk sprayed it.
I have tried tomato juice and it is not working? What can I do?
Tomato juice only masks the smell or odor of the skunk.
A Recipe that works very well is Hydrogen Peroxide, Baking Soda and Dishwashing Liquid.
In a large bucket or pale, mix:
1 quart. 3%Hydrogen Peroxide
But here is the tuff part; you need to find the spot were the dog got sprayed!
9 out of 10 times when the dog gets hit the first thing the dog will do is rub and roll the oil all over its body!
If this is the case, you may as well bath the whole dog and you will find that the coat is going to discolor from the Hydrogen Peroxide.
Pet stores and Vets have products that will do the same thing.
Recipe from: Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals / SPCA
I can not figure it out? My dog every time, I let it out it runs over the driveway and starts licking the driveway. A friend told me it is the
salt on the driveway.
The first thing that came to mind is not salt but Anti-freeze! The more, I asked her, the more it turned out to look like Anti-freeze. Her
husband had the cooling system flushed and the dog was licking up the leaking coolant. Anti-freeze is extremely toxic to dogs.
Anti-freeze is also sweet tasting and pets will lap it up if they find even a few drops in the driveway or on the garage floor.
Teaspoon of anti-freeze per pound of dog body weight is enough to cause the clinical signs of poisoning. The poison attacks the
nervous system and the kidneys; the symptoms are depression, lack of coordination, vomiting and diarrhea, increased thirst, and
seizures. The toxin is rapidly absorbed symptoms can begin within an hour of exposure.
The toxic ingredient in most Anti-freezes is ethylene glycol. If you suspect your dog has ingested anti-freeze, call your veterinarian
immediately. There is an antidote available, but time is of the essence; the poison can be fatal if the kidneys are damaged.
Antizol-vet is available as a prescription drug to be given intravenously if Anti-freeze poisoning is suspected or confirmed.
There is a new anti-freeze on the market made to be safer. However, propylene glycol is also toxic; although it does not attack the
kidneys, it does affect the nervous system and may cause lack of coordination and seizures. If small amounts do drip when the
anti-freeze is being added to the car radiator, clean them up and even a small amount can kill a small dog.
(Two Questions, One Answer)
My dog loves to romp in the snow but he gets balls of ice between his toes that hurt him. He goes crazy trying to chew them off.
What can I do about it?
My dog and I go for as long walks in the winter as we do the rest of the year. Lately, I've noticed that my dog's paw pads are cracked
and sore. What could be causing this?
Salt used for de-icing roads and sidewalks is the most likely culprit. It dries out your dog's pads leading to the problems you've described.
To prevent them, Doggy Boots! A good pet store will sell them, they will protect dog's feet from the cold, snow and salt that are drying
out the dog's pads. They came in lots of colors and sizes, non-skid soles and Velcro straps for fast on and off. They will run you
about $15-25 a set of four.
If your dog can not stand them at first, he will in time! And one more trick to help if you want to spend the time? Keep the hair between
your dog's toes and pads clipped short, even with the bottom of the foot. When hair is left too long, snow sticks to it, forming ice balls.
Nails that are too long also reduce traction. They force the dog to walk on the backs of his feet, splaying his toes. The greater the space
between his toes, the more snow will pack up between them.
What we use for dry chapped conditions is "BAG BALM"
Help! I have a small dog that doesn't like the cold or snow. He doesn't want to go outside in it so instead of telling me that she needs to
go to the bathroom, she does her business on the carpet. We have this problem every winter and I'm getting fed up.
This is a common complaint, especially with toy breeds, I know, I have them! It's not hard to solve. Put her on a regular potty schedule.
Take her outside on the driveway so she doses not have to truck through the snow at the appropriate times. If she will not relieve herself
then and isn't trustworthy loose in the house, confine her to a dog crate when she can't be supervised. For most dogs, you may have to
go out with them but they will go! Even when it is - 10` weather.
My dog lives outside most of the time. I've been told that dogs can stay warm easier than people can. Is that true?
Although dogs do maintain a normal body temperature that's a couple degrees higher than humans' do, we still have to give them
some help to stay warm in cold weather. Start with a doghouse. Bigger is not better! The house needs to be small to trap and hold your
dog's body heat. Which will help keep him warm through the night. It should be just large enough for your dog to stand up, turn around
and lie down in comfortably. The house can be homemade but new insulated plastic models available today are inexpensive and
designed especially for comfort in cold weather.
Put the house in a sheltered location out of the wind. Take advantage of the sun's warmth by putting it on the east or south side of your
home. Placing it on a low platform to keep it off the frozen ground will help, too. The house should have a door or heavy flap over the
entrance to keep out drafts. I find an old blanket or towel will work well, but remember that when it get down below 32` temp weather
he will be much better indoors!
What should I use for bedding? Some say "Old Blankets" and others say "Hay"?
Blankets and quilts trap moisture that can make your dog damp, chilly and uncomfortable.
My dog's water dish freezes over a lot of the time. Would it help to fill his dish with hot water?
Dogs need fresh water available to them all day especially in winter when their bodies are vulnerable to dehydration. If you have a
"Metal Bowl" it lose heat quickly, so switching to a heavy plastic dish will help. So will your choice of color, container size and
location -- dark colors absorb heat from the sun and a deeper dish will freeze less quickly than a wide, shallow one. In areas where
sub-freezing temperatures are common, a more efficient solution is an electric de-icier that you can get at a good pet store or farm
store.
My kids were feeding my dog chocolate candy and my dog got diarrhea, what can I do, please help!
Well, I hate to tell you this now! But "Chocolate" is poisonous to dogs, but the toxicity depends on the amount of theobromine in the
particular candy the dog has eaten. Dark chocolate and baking chocolate tend to be high in the substance; milk chocolate tends to
have little. Your dog might eat a piece or two of milk chocolate with few or no ill effects, but a bar of baking chocolate could kill it.
So if you do not see the answer you are looking for write me and ask!
ddbichon@hotmail.com
And Please Make Sure You Put The "RIGHT" return E-Mail Address
So I can write you back!
First thing you need to understand is that the skunk sprays oil (THIOLS) and it is not water-soluble.
What you need to do is cut the oil and neutralize the odor as fast as possible.
1 / 4 cup Baking Soda
1-2 tablespoons Dishwashing Liquid
"It is not toxic"
keep the mix out of the eyes, ears, nose and mouth
( USE YOUR NOSE )
Knead the mix in to the spot the dog got hit.
And after it has been rubbed in to the area let stand for no more then 5 minutes.
Rinse thoroughly and towel dry with paper towels that you can get rid of.
CAUTION: Do Not Store, "If Bottled" It Could Explode.
What's the big deal about licking the salt off the driveway? Is it really that harmful?
This is the best OINTMENT you can get! I have used this for "everything" from dry hands to dry paws!
It has been around for 100 years!
If you find that the boot's do not work, apply 'bag balm" to the paws before and after dog plays in the snow and when you go for a walk.
If you have a lot of salt on the roads and sidewalks, wash off the paws with warm water, after returning from the walk and reapply by rubbing some into the pads of the paws.
I would say, "Fresh Clean Hay or Straw". They allow moisture to evaporate, retain warmth, are biodegradable and cost only a few
dollars a bale. The best I have heard is "salt marsh" hay. All are readily available from farm supply and feed stores, stables, or local
farmers. When buying straw or hay, use your nose! It should smell fresh and pleasant like dried grass clippings. Avoid any that smells
strongly of mold or mildew. Spread the bedding generously in the doghouse, four-to-five inches thick, and replace as needed.
Or should I just give him fresh water twice a day and not worry?
