Edie MacKenzie

Edie MacKenzie is a published author, traveler, dog lover, and tortoise enthusiast. Passionate about what she does, her books provide peopel a firm grounding in the dog breed and their unique characteristics with a nice touch of humor.

Five Dog Fleas Natural Remedies

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If there is anything in the world that you can’t think of any positive attributes to describe, it will be pests. Pests are damaging. They can risk the health of humans and animals. Fleas are considered as pests. The favorite prey of fleas are dogs and cats. Then again, they can infest people as well. Fortunately, there are so many things that you can do to get rid of these parasites. You can choose to use commercial anti fleas products or home regimens. They are equally effective. Although commercial products may be slightly costly. Cited below are some of the most effective anti fleas regimens that you can try at home.

Liquid Soaps
Liquid soaps are chiefly used in the kitchen as it can remove hard to wash grease and soils. But did you know that liquid soaps are also very effective in killing fleas? Truly, liquid soaps like Dawn Lemon Scented Liquid Soap is a great flea repellent. To use as flea killer, mix the soap in a basin of warm water. Bathe your canine friend. Ensure that you wear clean gloves before you wash your pet to guard yourself from fleas.

Flea Free Diet
Prevention is very important. One way to prevent fleas infestation is to sprinkle garlic to your dog’s every meal. Adding Sulphur to their diet at least once a week can significantly help as well. Black Walnut Hulls are also good for pets since it help repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. You can buy Black Walnut Hulls in capsule form. They are on hand in various health food stores and even online.

Herbal Shampoos
There are herbs that are very strong in combating fleas. Rosemary, lavender, pine cedar, eucalypus and geranium are very prevalent herbs that are useful in getting rid of fleas. Find a commercial shampoo that contain these herbs in your local grocery or explore online.

Always wear clean gloves when washing your dog. Pour a smal amount of shampoo unto your hands and create a lather. This is important to note. As soon as the shampoo gets in contact with the dog’s fur, inevitably fleas will try to breakout. The lathered up border will trap and kill the fleas that are trying to get out. So after creating a soapy lather, proceed to washing your pet. Pay special attention to the neck and head region. To achieve its maximum effect, be sure that you leave the shampoo for at least fifteen minutes prior to rinsing. Rinse your dog carefully and dry well especially when it is chilly and cold to prevent draft.

Vinegar
Vinegar is a general kitchen ingredient. Add vinegar to your pet’s bathtub and you’ll see that the flea count is greatly reduced.

Use Avon’s Skin So Soft
According to researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Avon’s Skin So Soft is a marvelous flea repellant. Avon’s Skin So Soft is available in the premier groceries and online stores. Make a wash solution. Carefully mix 1 ½ ounces of Avon’s Skin So Soft bath oil to a gallon of water. Soak your dog in this special bath. Based on the study, a considerable 40 percent drop in the flea count was observed after using this remedy in just one day.

As a dog owner, you ought to be responsible in looking after your pet’s health. Certainly, fleas are difficult to eliminate. Still, don’t belittle them because they are damaging. Try the home remedies above and see which one works for your dog. Cheers.

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3 Ways To Keep Dogs From Throwing Up After They Eat

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The passion that dogs put into eating can be a little off-putting to the people who feed them – and who have to watch their terrible manners. There’s the drooling and whining. The unseemly snorting as they bury their faces in their food. And, worst of all, the regurgitation that may occur afterward. This, too, is part of nature’s plan.

When wolves stuffed themselves with 40 pounds of meat, their bodies couldn’t actually process that much at once. So they would waddle away from the table, throw up a little bit, then eat it to get the nutrients.

Dogs are a lot smaller than wolves, and it doesn’t take 40 pounds of meat to turn their stomachs. That’s why the kibble you pour in the bowl occasionally gets deposited in the corner a few minutes later. This has nothing to do with physical health or social graces. Their brains and stomachs are telling them that dogs who waste not, want not, and so they follow orders.

Given a chance to raid the food bag, most dogs will instantly revert to their old habits. Even when they don’t eat a lot, they do eat fast, and eating fast means that what goes in is going to try to come out.

Here are a few ways to protect the floors and keep their stomachs calm.

1. Give them more time: Dogs learn from experience. If you always pick up the food bowl the minute they’re done, they’ll figure that they’d better eat faster just in case you pick it up early. Leaving the bowl on the floor for 10 to 15 minutes after it’s empty will help them understand that they don’t have to rush.

2. Wet the food: Most dogs like a little gravy with their meals, and moistening dry food with warm water makes it more appealing. More important, it makes it easier to digest. Dogs are less likely to toss up their food when it’s not in hard chunks.

3. Give them less food, more often: Even though dogs are designed to handle very large meals, it’s better for their digestion to eat smaller amounts, more often. Veterinarians often recommend feeding dogs at least twice a day. Some say it’s better to feed them three, four, or even five times a day. The total amount of food will be the same, but the leisurely pace will help ensure that it stays where it’s supposed to.

Step By Step Instructions For Bathing Your Poodle

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How To Bathe Your Poodle

1. Only after completing the brushing should you move on to the bath. This is so because if the Poodle coat is not tangle-free, the accumulated dirt will not shampoo out and any mats will be even harder to remove.

2. Secure a hose to the bathtub faucet so that ample free-flowing water is available at all times.

3. Have all your necessary supplies close at hand, for once you have started the bath you should remain by the Poodle side to reassure him and to make sure he does not jump out of the tub. A dog shampoo (preferably “tearless”), sponge, brush, and towel will be needed.

4. Until you are adept at giving proper baths to your pet, place cotton plugs in your dog’s ears to avoid any water getting into the ear canal.

5. The dog must be thoroughly soaked with warm water before he is soaped. Once you have worked the water down to his skin, soap and cleanse the coat along the spine; move next to the legs and the underside.

6. Be especially careful when cleaning the head and ears to avoid direct contact with the sensitive areas. Unless you have a special “no tear” shampoo, it would be wise to apply several drops of mineral oil into the dog’s eyes to avoid stinging.

7. Since a dog’s coat naturally repels water, you must actively massage the shampoo down through the layers to the skin. Rub vigorously and work the shampoo into a lather. Depending on the condition of the coat, you may have to shampoo the dog twice to get out all accumulated dirt and oil.

8. It is imperative that all traces of soap be removed from the coat after the bath. Several rinses with warm water, again working your fingers down to the skin, will ensure that no soapy residue will remain on the skin to cause irritation.

9. Once you are satisfied that all soap has been washed out, rinse him once more for good measure!

10. Squeeze as much water as possible from the coat before you lift him out of the tub. This will considerably shorten the drying time. Rub him briskly with a towel to blot up as much excess water as possible and to prevent him from getting a chill. If you have an enclosed area such as a drying cage, put him in and direct your hot air blower over him. You can leave him in the cage until he is dry, and then brush him to make sure he is dry down to the skin. However, if you have a show dog you can leave him in the cage only until he is partially dry, and then proceed to “fluff” dry him by brushing the coat while having the stream of air directed at your work area.

This produces the powder puff look for the Poodle needed for competition.

Feeding Your Poodle (Part 1)

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Poodle pups have special feeding requirements. A puppy’s stomach is not large enough to hold sufficient food in one feeding to provide his daily nutritional needs. When a puppy graduates from mother’s milk to solid food at about six weeks of age, he will require three to four meals a day, with the exception of Toys, who may need four to six meals. When he reaches about four to five months old, twice-a-day feedings may be sufficient. He can graduate to once-a-day meals at eight to nine months of age.

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Feeding The Poodle Pup: A pup’s nutritional requirements for growth and development are greater than those for an adult dog. If you opt to feed your Poodle pup a commercially prepared diet, feed one formulated especially for pups to ensure that your Poodle gets the nutrients he needs. A Poodle pup who eats a complete and balanced commercial puppy diet doesn’t need additional supplements. Adding supplements can cause nutritional imbalance. However, if you are supplying your dog with a home-cooked or fresh-diet meal plan, supplements may be necessary. Consult with a veterinary nutritionist.

Dry food can be moistened with warm water to encourage pups to eat. Milk can be used, too, but only in extremely small amounts. Cow’s milk causes digestive upset in some puppies and dogs. A tablespoon of canned food can be added to increase interest, as well. These are general guidelines for feeding your Poodle pup; consult with your veterinarian for more specific advice.

Feeding Adult Poodles: The adult Poodle is a mature dog, usually age one year or older. Healthy adult dogs who are not pregnant, nursing, or hardworking have somewhat low nutritional requirements. Feeding is fairly straightforward if you’re feeding commercially prepared kibble. Buy a complete and balanced diet made for the adult dog and give your dog the recommended amount once or twice a day. Add a tablespoon of canned food for taste if you wish. Adjust the amount according to the Poodle’s activity level and body condition.

Feeding Hardworking Poodles: Highly active Poodles use a lot of energy. The hard-working dog can require two to three time more kilocalories per pound of body weight than what is required for normal activity. To maintain good body condition and keep up his stamina, the hardworking Poodle must eat a high-energy diet.

Many veterinarians recommend commercially prepared “performance” diets for highly active dogs. Higher fat, higher-protein diets supply the working dog with needed calories. Because performance diets are higher in protein than maintenance diets, there s a misconception that the active dog just needs extra protein. However, all nutrients are required in greater amounts. Additionally, research indicates that moderately high-protein diets are unlikely to cause kidney damage – in spite of some breeders’ and owners’ beliefs that it does.

Feeding Your Elderly Poodle: Older Poodles (those who have reached the last 25 percent of their expected life span) are usually less active than adult dogs and pups. Thus, their energy requirements are reduced and they can gain weight easily if fed too much or fed a high-calorie diet. Some veterinarians recommend “senior” diets; foods high in nutrients but reduced in calories to keep a senior Poodle at a healthy weight.

First Aid – How To Bandage Your Dog’s Ear Wound

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The most common injuries that happen to our dogs involve the head area.  And it is the ears that are most frequently torn in dogfights.  The ears also tend to bleed profusely.  So if your dog comes back injured with an ear wound, then take the following three simple steps to bandaging the area:

1.  First make sure that your dog is calm from whatever fight he got into.  Then clean the wound with warm water and a light disinfectant.  Be sure not to get any hair or other small particles inside the wounded area.

2.  Next, wrap the ear with a bandage.  You should have plenty of bandage material from your emergency first aid kit but a cloth or shirt will do just fine.  Wind the bandage around the head to keep it secure and to prevent the ear from bleeding when the dog shakes his head.

3.  Continue with bandaging his ear by wrapping it around his head over and over until it is secure.  Avoid putting any unnecessary pressure on the windpipe.  If need be, you want to use what is called an “Elizabethan Collar”.  Now get your dog to the vet immediately for further medical attention.

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