HEALTH AND FIRST AID TOPICS

FIRST AID KIT FOR DOGS:
Call your Vet first for any questions !!!!!

Turkey baster, bulb syringe or medicine syringe

Saline eye solution to flush out contaminants

Artifcial tear gel to lubricate eyes after flushing

Mild dish detergent to bath

Rubber gloves for you to wear

Forceps to remove bee stingers

Tick remover

Scissors and bandages ( ex: Kotex sanitary pads ), gauze pads, cotton gauze, adhesive tape and masking tape.

Anti-bacterial ointment or cream , keep area covered so the dog can't lick it.

Include diarrhea medication intended for pets ( ex : Kaopectate preferred ,
careful with Pepto Bismol it contains aspirin like products which a dog can be sensitive to ) ) , but seek your veterinarian's approval before use.

Add a few eyedroppers for dispensing liquid medication or for cleaning
superficial wounds.

Children's benedryl for allergies: consult your Vet for Dosages,

Example of some Medications: CHECK WITH THE VET FIRST!!!
The Logic: Any human medication can be potentially hazardous to your pet !!!

Benadryl 1-2 mg per lb, every 8 hrs, used for itching, swelling, allergic reaction
(65 lb dog, 2-4 25mg tablets every 8 hrs)

Consider Asprin and other pain releivers such as tylenol ( toxic to the liver )
and ibuprofen dangerous to dogs.
Even small doses can cause severe toxicity or death !

Only aspirin may be considered for some dogs. You must first consult with your Vet

Hydrogen Peroxide : to induce vomiting see further below , also used to clean
wounds

Pepto Bismol 1 tsp per 5 lb , do not give to aspirin sensitive dogs.
3-4 TBS per 65 lb dog

Kaopectate 1 ml per 1 lb
3-4 TBS per 65 lb dog,
Immodium 1 mg per 15 lbs 1-2 times daily

If your pet is poisoned, consult your veterinarian before inducing vomiting.
If dog has swallowed a caustic agent, vomiting is not recommended

To induce vomiting:
A fresh bottle of 3 % hydrogen peroxide ( use 1 Tbs per ten pounds, May repeat
in 10 minutes to induce vomiting )
Although not a first choice, check with the Vet to include syrup of ipecac to
induce vomiting in the event your pet is poisoned .( Not for cats!!!! )

Find activated charcoal at any health food store. This remedy is good for
poisoning or diarrhea and controls flatulence resulting from any stomach or
intestinal upset.

Store blankets in the kit to keep your pet warm in extreme conditions.

Include disposable hot/cool packs , for sprains or swelling

When traveling, call ahead to your destination to see if there are any
particular dangers, such as snakes, poisonous plants or extreme heat, that you will need to consider when packing your first aid kit.

Include the phone numbers of your pet's regular veterinarian and of a nearby
emergency veterinary hospital.

http://www.aspca.org/toxicplants/M01947.htm 

This gives a comprehensive list of outdoor and indoor plants

Animal Poision Control center:

1 800 548 2423 24 hours

or

1 888 426 2235
I believe there may be fees for these services 

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BASIC HEALTH CARE TIPS

Okay, anal gland stuff.

Some dogs and sometimes small dogs need to have their anal glands expressed on a regular basis. If you see you doggy scoot its butt along the floor and see frequent licking of the area, go to a Vet. Sometimes glands may get too full, infected and rupture.

One can express the glands at home but I prefer the Vet to do it.
Often proper diet, exercise and even breed of the dog can determine the extent of anal gland problems. Get on to some of the dog links I offer below and read up about this stuff.

When your dog gets the anal glands expressed, don't be surprised if it seems
tired or out of sorts. Sometimes a hot pack to the rear helps with any discomfort which may last a day or two.

Clipping Nails:

Check with your vet. You can do this at home even with a heavy duty emory board.
Start with the puppy stage and get your dog used to it. Otherwise have your Vet
clip the nails. You want to be careful not to cut the nails to close. Others use a dremel tool to smooth down the nails. Of course black nails are harder to cut than are white ones.

MISC. TIPS AND CARE

The following information was sent to me from the Net .        No site was given for acknowledgment and I would like to thank who ever features this information at their web site. I have not tried any of the suggestions below and it is posted here for informational purposes only. If anyone has more tips or tried and true tips to offer; please E-mail me.

Dry Shampoo

Sprinkle coarse cornmeal, bran or orris-root over the entire coat. Brush it in
and the dirt out! For scented shampoo try adding a split vanilla bean to your
dry mix a few days before using. Baby cornstarch powder may also be used, sprinkle on, brush out for a clean smelling sliky coat.

Herbal Rinse
Steep 1 ounce Rosemary herb in boiling water. Steep until cool. Strain through
cheescloth then apply to pets coat and skin. Leave on for about 10 minutes and
rinse off. Rosemary will help brighten up light colored coats.

To help repell flies and bugs from your pets try, citronella, lemon balm, pennyroyal, tansy, mugwort, and thyme. Just to smell good you can use Bergamot.

Minor First RX Aid For Minor Cuts/Burns

Aloe Vera plant used fresh for your pets sore gums, and minor cuts in the foot pads.

Comphrey poultice for sprains and sore muscles and bruises. Soak chopped
comphrey root in hot water, preferable for 1 day. Soak a clean cloth in the
strained tea and apply or bandage if possible to the sore area. Repeat 3 times a day.

For an extra shiny coat add flax seed oil to your pets food.

Wood Ticks, rub any type of oil on the tick. It starts to suffocate and comes
out on its own without injecting its poison as it will with other removal methods.

For abcesses use Tea Tree oil or Lavender.

To deodorize your carpet from pet smells try this recipe. Add to 1/2 cup Baking
Soda 50 drops Lime 30 drops Tangerine 20 drops patchouli. Set aside for 24 hours the sprinkle on carpeting and let set 15 minutes.

Herbal Flea Powder and Doggie Deodorizer Recipe.

1 Extra large box of baking soda, 2 lbs Cornstarch.
Blend the following to a fine powder: 2 cups dried pennyroyal, 2 cups dried lavender, 1 cup dried Rosemary.

The following essential oils: 20 drops citronella 20 drops lemon 30 drops pennyroyal 20 drops rosemary
Mix all ingredients and leave the scents mingle a few days. Sprinkle on your pets coat.

Make your own flea repellent pillows.
For a dog pillow: 2 oz. Pennyroyal, 1 oz Thyme, 1 oz Wormwood. Mix these herbs together and place inside your dogs pillow or sew your own with heavy denim type material.

For a cat pillow: 2 oz Pennyroyal, 1 oz Catnip, 1 oz Chamomile. Mix these herbs together and place inside your cats pillow or sew your own pillow.

Flea Powder
This works for both cats and dogs. 2 oz Pennyroyal, 1 oz Wormwood, 1 oz
Rosemary, large dash of cayenne. Mix all ingredients together. Store in a container and use when necessary.

To keep fleas out of your pets bed try one of these herbs under your pets
blanket. Tansy, Pennyroyal, Mugwort, Yarrow, Feverfew, Wormwood, Thyme, and Chamomile.

Feed your animal a diet that has plenty of B vitamins, extra supplements of
brewers yeast, wash the bedding with a drawstring pouch filled with Pennyroyal.

Parasites
For prevention of worms try adding powdered pumpkin seeds and garlic to your pets food.

To remove worms try this formula.
Fast the animal for 24 hours. Bury all feces. Give an enema if possible. Feed
large quantities fo garlic every hour. Either chop it up and put into small
amounts of meat or take a whole clove and put down the animal's throat.
Feed the animal a worming mixture made from equal parts of Thyme, Garlic and
Wormwood. Give capsules of this mixture, 1 for every 10 pounds and a laxative proceeding the capsule. Milk of Magnesia is a laxative that can be used. An enema after the bowel movement and a diet of wholesome raw foods.

Peti-cure: Combine equal amounts of almond oil, raw linseed oil, and raw
unpasturized honey. Mix well and heat gently. Cool slightly and massage into
nail root beds and onto roughened foot pads to soften and heal. Try it on your
own fingernails as well!

Skunk Smell Cure: After trying various methods over the years, the best one
found is to simply rub your dog vigourously with hay. You can even convince the dog to roll himself in it! I have no idea why this works but it does!

Editor's note: other people say that bathing your pet with tomato juice also
works

Improved Skunk Odor Remover

Submitted to Recipe Goldmine by Jay S. Tung, Elan Pharmaceuticals, 800 Gateway
Blvd., South San Francisco, CA 94080

Here is an "improved" skunk odor remover given to me by a vet. I noticed that you have a skunk odor remover for dogs. I have tried both of these and they work OK but there is still a residual amount of skunk odor on the animals, and with this bit of smell the dogs cannot come inside.

1 bottle hydrogen peroxide
1/2 bottle water
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon dog shampoo

Mix hydrogen peroxide with water. Add baking soda and dog shampoo. Mix and pour into a squirt bottle/sprayer. Spray entire bottle onto dog, being careful not to get it directly into his eyes/nose. Let everything stand for 5 to 10 minutes
while working the solution into his fur. Rinse......your dog will have NO odor.
You can have him sit on your lap and you will not smell ANYTHING.

NOTE: Vinegar and tomato juice are acidic solutions which can solubilize and wash away the stinky components of the skunk. However you can never really wash away 100% of the stench which is a sulfur containing compound. The peroxide oxidizes the sulfur (thiols) to a compound that has no odor.

Another skunk odor remover recipe:
1 quart. 3 % hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp. liquid dish soap

Ear Mites and Sores
A soothing oil for the ears bothered by mites or when foxtails have been removed is Mullein Oil. Soak 4 oz Mullein flowers in just enough olive oil to cover for 10 days in a glass jar in the dark. Shake or stir the contents at least once a day. Strain and apply to the ear. To help an earache make garlic oil, same method.

Spot Remover and Deterent.
Make Rosemary Oil Soap to remove spots from places where your animal has urinated or for feces stains. This will remove the stain and the scent will
deter the animal from using that place again:
1 grated bar of castile soap
1 oz Rosemary Oil
1 oz alcohol

Melt the soap, add the oil and alcohol and mix. Pour into a container and let mixture set.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Try the health food variety over supermarket brands.
Put in the dogs water bowl, 1/2 oz for large dogs and 1/4 oz for smaller dogs.
Apple cider vinegar taken internally helps ged ride of fleas, improve tear stains and the condition of the dog's coat. . Use in the rinse water after the shampoo for smooth, soft fur and also a flea detterant.

Tear Stain Remover: sprinkle a bit of dry buttermilk powder  on the dogs food daily,1/4 tsp twice a day, takes a few weeks to see results

Keep ants out of a pet food dish with Vaseline. Rub a small dab around bottom rim of bowl.

Another flea remedy:
Wash pets with castile soap and water, dry thoroughly, apply an herbal rinse
made by adding 1/2 cup fresh or dried rosemary to a quart of boiling water
(steep for 20 minutes, strain and cool. Spray or sponge onto pets hair, massage into skin. Let air dry, do NOT towel dry as this removes the residue of the rosemary.

Rescue remedy : a concotion made from essences of 5 of flowers and used for pets ( as well as people ) to relieve stress, anxiety and help calm and relax. Given orally via dropper. Here is one link to copy and paste into your browser:
http://www.preciouspets.org/newsletters/articles/bach.htm

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Source : from THE DOG CATALOG, 1978 Grosset & Dunlap

HOT SPOTS Remedies

Don't you just hate those oozing, awful sores your dogs get when they start to
shed? The proper scientific term for them is "superficial pyoderma," but even vets call them hot spots. Everyone has a favorite remedy for them. What you use
will probably be dictated by what you have on hand. You probably won't have it, but I highly recommend just plain Emu Oil. Got rid of Batboys in one
application.

Prevention involves keeping the shedding hair brushed out and the dog free of fleas and other irritants. Incompletely rinsed shampoo can be one and so can just itchy hair. When the dog scratches and chews at it, he sets the stage for a moist excema that can develop into a big open ulcer unless it is treated. The same thing can happen if the area stays damp. One of mine dumped his water bowl in his crate and developed a hot spot when he subsequently chewed at a spot on
his leg. Some dogs, especially northern or spitz-type breeds, cannot tolerate
high protein, high fat diets in warm weather. So if your dog gets one after the other, you might try changing to a food that is not so rich.

Your dog may respond to one of these treatments immediately, but they are not
intended to replace good veterinary care. If your dog has one of these treatments helps get rid of it, fine. However, if they recur or persist, your dog may have an underlying infection and needs to see your veterinarian.

Method 1
I clip away any hair that is matted around the spot and bathe the dog using
Betadine or a generic iodine shampoo (wear crummy clothes because it stains).
After the dog is dry, I put hydrogen peroxide on the sore every three hours or so until it is dried up and scabbed over. --from Sherry Wallis

Method 2
2/3 rds Bitter Apple
1/3 rds Liquid Heat
*Mix and place in a hard liquid spray bottle.

1st week, 3 times a day
2nd week 2 times daily
1x a day as needed after that.
--from Gwynedd on Showdogs L

Method 3
For the show dogs I don't want to shave I use 50% Apple Cider Vinegar, 50% water
mixed in a spray bottle, several times a day. For the pets and the rescues I
shave the spot and rub in Iodex ointment (from druggist) several times a day.
--from Rita Redmond, Beagles, on Showdogs L

Method 4
Gentocin Spray spritzed on usually clears them up pronto and leaves no greasy spot if you are at a show. I usually poof a little Gold Bond Medicated Powder on after the spray and have never had to treat again.

From Jennifer Krawsczyn on
Showdogs L

Method 5
I tried almost every remedy there is and no matter what I used, the hot spots
would always last 2-3 weeks. A short while ago someone told me to make a very strong solution of tea with an aspirin dissolved in it. It worked...I applied the solution 2-3 times a day and the hot spot dried up and was gone within the week. Now a keep a solution in the fridge. --

From Carla Borrelli, Schnauzers,
Showedogs L

Home Made Flea and Tick Spray for People and Dogs

Mix together and spray on skin or fur ( avoid eyes )

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup Avon Skin So Soft

1 cup water

1 Tbs Eucalyptus oil

I have a friend who takes her pet to a holistic veternarian. Her dog only gets
the rabies shot required by law. Otherwise she feeds her dog an organic diet and treats for heartworm ,fleas, ticks etc with natural vitamins and supplements.

There is much information about holistic treatments on the Internet or in book
stores.

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http://www.anxietywrap.com 

Anxiety wraps
help calm your dog and learn more about this method to calm your pet during thunderstorms, and anxiety producing situations. There are many good sources of information when you search the Net. Learn how even an ace bandage or a child's tee shirt can act as a temporary anxiety wrap!

GOOD SEARCH ENGINE

HTTP://WWW.GOOGLE.COM