Your Dog and the Heat

I live in South Florida where the heat is pretty intense. The hospital where I work received a frantic call from a client of ours that his dog collapsed. We told him to bring him in immediately.
Unfortunately, his dog passed away on the way over.
We learned that he had taken his 3 year old labrador retriever for a walk at noon.....in South Florida.....in July........... What is my point? Well, most people would think a Golden, pretty hearty dog, young, loves water, etc - they're fine outside. Well, they aren't. And this unfortunately  happens more often than you think.
I'm hear to ask all of you to spread the obvious word that dogs should be not be walked during the hottest time of the day, anywhere. Here's another way to think of this - they are wearing a fur coat in the heat! I don't care how efficient their bodies are at cooling off. And it's not just the "squishy face" breeds (bullies, frenchies, pugs, etc) but ALL dogs would quickly find themselves in trouble in this scenario.

If you find yourself in a situation where your dog can't walk any longer, can't stop panting, tongue turning purple, this an emergency. However, you don't want to shock your dog by plunging him in ice water, so offer him/her some water. Not alot because they will end up vomiting. A wet rag on their forehead, getting them out of the sun and heat and wetting the bottom of their paws will all help.
The guilt that this owner is going through right now is something I never want to experience myself and neither do you!

Keep your dogs safe, Keep your dogs cool and always, Keep Wagging™

What did you do with your firework phobia dog last night?

For many of you it was a very long night last night. Dogs and fireworks are generally not a good mix. You have not been looking forward to this night for weeks. You feel hopeless because you know the grief fireworks cause your dog. Panting, pacing, wanting to hide...you know the drill but you also don't know how to avoid this oft repeated scenario.

Here is some advise for the next time:

If your veterinarian prescribed Acepromazine, find a new doctor for your dog. Acepromazine has been used for storms and fireworks (among other things) for years but what we now know is that it is not an anti-anxiety drug. Acepromazine is a tranquilizer which means it is keeping your dog from reacting....in other words, he is still terrified, he just can't tell you. Not the best way to treat this.
While under the effect of Acepromazine,your dog may be quiet and calm but inside he/she's fear and anxiety is not only still present but may be even worse due to the fact that Acepromazine creates a disconnect with reality and it prevents the dog from understanding his environment in a logical manner. This entire experience couldn't get any worse for this poor animal.
Veterinarian's (with the guidance of Veterinary behaviorists) now prefer the use of drugs in the Valium and Xanax family. These drugs actually reduce anxiety and fear. They kick in quickly (within 30 minutes to 2 hours after giving it to your pet. Your dog will be sedated, his/her muscles are relaxed and their fear and anxiety is greatly reduced or eliminated.

Something else to think about is trying to desensitize your pet. This can be tricky but very affective so I recommend finding a board-certified veterinary behaviorist. You can find one on the American College of Veterinary Behaviorist's website.

You can also talk to your general practitioner veterinarian or behaviorist about anxiety body wraps. A body wrap looks like a shirt for your dog but it is very snug. It applies pressure on acupressure points that can relieve stress and end/lessen fears and anxieties in dogs. Thundershirt is one brand. Another is Anxiety Wrap.

Whatever you decide to do, do something. Don't go through another day/night like yesterday. Get proactive and help your dog for the next day he/she has a high anxiety day!


Keep your dogs safe and happy and always Keep Wagging!

Monique

What is Petco and the other box stores doing wrong?

I just got back from Petco where I purchased cat litter and I have to share my encounter with you.

I was waiting on line at the check out counter when I overheard a staff member showing a customer Advantage II which is a flea control product.

The customer didn't understand the difference between Advantage and Advantage II. I winced when I heard the staff member inform the customer that she didn't know the difference (an F grade on training and educating your staff for Petco) either. The employee also stated that she didn't know why Petco didn't carry Advantage any longer and the only other product that the customer could buy was Frontline Plus if she didn't feel comfortable buying the Advantage II. At this point I'm near apoplectic....my pet peeve is misinformation being spread around. The only thing worse is when individuals aren't trained properly with critical information.

My blood was boiling at that point so I jumped in and educated (hopefully) not only the customer but the staff member that Advantage is no longer made and the difference between Advantage and Advantage II was that there is an insect growth regulator (IGR) in Advantage II.
The customer was interested in learning more and I answered a few questions for her (yes, doing the employees job). Meanwhile, the staff member simply walked away not terribly concerned that she didn't know much about her store and it's products.

You might be saying to yourself "Monique...chill out. Not a big deal."
Well it is a big deal and for a number of reasons.
First and foremost, Petco drops the ball big time. If you are in the pet industry, you damn well better guarantee that your employees can answer questions regarding any of your products, particularly when your pets safety is at risk. I don't care if these are high school kids working part time, you need to properly train them. Petco is not doing anyone any good by having employees going through the motions.


Secondly, this is a perfect example as to why you should buy directly from a veterinarian. And not just any veterinarian, because not all vets are created equal. Find an AAHA certified hospital. Their standards are higher than most. Only 15% of hospitals are certified and it is voluntary (which should tell you something).

Yes, and I've heard it a million times before. "Vets are so expensive..." Well, yeah, because you're getting someone who understands the products and your pet, not a "well, maybe you can try this one..." response. You get what you pay for. Factor in that some over the counter meds can be lethal if given improperly and you'll understand why this lights my hair on fire.

We see it at the hospital. Someone bought a product at a big box store and didn't realize they bought a product intended for a dog rather than a cat and the next thing they know, their cat is critically ill because a sales person didn't inquire who is the intended recipient of the product. Or here's another example we've seen. Someone will buy (again one of the big box stores) a dog product that is toxic to a cat (in other words, there are products that shouldn't be used in mixed pet households). And predictably their cat grooms their dog and becomes violently ill due to ingesting said product.

I wish I could say this is infrequent but it is not. We see and hear it all too frequently.

Again, let me reiterate where Petco is dropping the ball. They aren't educating their staff so they can educate their customers. And that begins the cycle of misinformation. That customer will then tell a friend "Oh...just go to Petco and save....blah blah blah" Customers assume that the employees at big box stores have been trained, know what they are talking about and are passionate about the four legged ones. I have yet to meet one of these models. Petco needs to get serious about caring for our furkids just as much as we do. If not, they are simply another greedy corporation interested only in their bottom line.

And lest you think that I'm flogging Petco out of some personal bias, I am not. We hear the horror stories regarding similar scenarios from online stores, Pet Smart, Petmeds, Pet Supermarket, etc....
Stay informed everyone and Keep Wagging!

We all CAN get along

We can learn so much from our 4 legged friends if we simply open ourselves to the lessons that they show us everyday. In this case, a beautiful little bulldog is interested in the cows and the cows are equally curious. I'm not saying that all animals get along all the time - in fact, they frequently kill each other but that is beside the point. I'm saying that when you see this you realize that even though everyone has differences, its possible to get along. I'm not going to use the word "tolerance" because that implies there is something flawed about someone - its just a matter of accepting each other for who and what we are. Even if it doesn't fit our idea of what normal is.

Enjoy and Keep Wagging everyone!

Monique