Here we cover just about all the other stuff. This is basically the YUCK page. Fleas,(:oP) Ticks,(:oP) and skunks(puuuuu!) being very high on the Yuck scale.
Fleas & ticks I'll cover together... they are just about equally as gross, & nowadays there is really no need to ever have to deal with them again! (YEAH!) There are now many different products that guard against these nasty little critters. There are pills that you can give the dog, as well as topical oils applied to between the shoulder blades (& on the butt for big dogs) once a month that work AWESOME! You will never have to deal with the little blood suckers again!
I call them that because that's what they are. Fleas & ticks feed off of your dogs (or yours) blood supply. I found over 30 ticks on one dog once. Can you imagine what that can do... Not only do they suck your dogs blood, but they carry disease. Fleas carry tapeworm & ticks cary lyme disease. Both of which can be fatal if left untreated. You can purchase any of the flea & tick treatments at your vet. Most vets don't even require that you bring in the animal as long as you know his/her weight.
I'm adding a little info on flea collars. I personally like the oil stuff better, but some people still use collars. Before you put a collar on your dog make sure that you read the box. Some collars need to be "aired out" before they are placed on your pet.
You also have to be cautious about placing a collar on a dog that has been freshly flea bathed or dipped. Some flea baths (& all dips) have what you would call a residual effect. This means that the stuff works for a few days after it is used. NEVER put a collar on your dog right after it has had a flea bath unless you check with your groomer or vet. The double dose of pesticides (even though it is external) can poison your pet. The same goes for if you flea bomb the house, you have to be sure that you use a collar by the same company & make sure to read the instructions on the bomb & collar. See... these are a few of the reasons I like that oil stuff better! :o) No bombing ever needed! No flea baths ever needed! Just put the stuff on & you are ready to go! :o) Thanks goes to Griffin & his Mom for bringing this to my attention, it was one of the things I had left out but can obviously be VERY important. I'm sorry that Griffin had to have a few yucky days in order for me to think of it! hehehe... Look Griffin you are famous!
For some reason skunks hold an endless fascination for dogs. Best advice that I can give... train your dog to stay the heck away from them! DUH! But that will never happen...
If your dog gets sprayed by a skunk the first thing other than the smell that you should be concerned about, is the time of day. If your dog is sprayed during daylight hours... late morning to early evening you have cause to be concerned. Skunks generally are only out at night. If they are out during they day they can be rabid. Notify your local animal control & call your vet immediately. If you bring your dog to the groomer & he has been exposed to rabies you are exposing his groomer & any one else that he comes into contact with.
If your only concern is the stench there are a few things you can do to help some... NOT MUCH... but some. Try to determine where the dog was sprayed. Usually it's the face, because as we all know dogs have a bad habit of sticking there noses where they don't belong.
If you don't have any Dawn diswashing liquid at home, BUY some! You can dilute it and use it to try to wash some of the oil of his face. Yes I said oil. Skunk spray is an oil base that seeps into the skin of the victim, so washing off as much as possible does help some. Tomato juice does not work... as far as I can tell, all it does is make the coat stick together & turn white dogs pink.
Call your groomer & see if they can fit your smelly dog in for a bath. Be forewarned that one bath is not going to take care of the smell. Every time your dog gets wet for up to 6 months you will still smell skunk. I hate to say it, but we are not magicians. LOL
One more thing... some dogs are (I hate to say it, but it's true) cat killers, & see skunks as just big fat (all be it) smelly cats. So if in mid chew they get sprayed in the mouth, (if smelly & drooling like crazy) there is no cure. You can't wash there mouths out with soap, so you just have to wait it out. It wears off much faster than just being sprayed on the body because the mouth stays wet inside. So you just have to hold your nose & keep your sweet smelly mutt from kissing you!
Feel free to Email me... questions or comments are welcome. If you've seen the other pages you know what to do... LOL I've now added my guestbook, feel free to sign on, your pet would be proud!
