The conjunctiva is the membrane on the inner sides of your eye lids The Latin suffix “itis” means “inflammation of” Therefor, the word conjunctivitis literally means inflammation of the conjunctiva, or in other words, sore inner eyelids. Conjunctivitis is a fairly common and generally fairly mild complaint. It is usually caused by an infection or […]
RHODODENDRON & AZALEA POISONING IN DOGS Rhododendrons (and their close relations the Azalea) are known to be toxic to various animals including dogs, cats, horses and even humans. Different species of Rhododendron have different levels of toxicity and different parts of the plant are more dangerous than others too. However, ALL parts of the plant […]
One of my Ringcraft Rebels show handling students has very recently gone through a terrifying ordeal. We are, fingers crossed, hoping they are now on the road to recovery but she desperately wanted to share her story with you and to lift the lid a little on a condition called Lung Lobe Torsion. Thank you Jane […]
How To and Why To Take Your Dog’s Temperature Whenever you take your dog to see the vet, there is usually a routine and a handful of questions that are asked every time: Is he eating and drinking normally? Is he urinating normally? Has he had any vomiting or diarrhoea? How is he in himself? […]
Personally, I prefer a nail grinder such as a Dremel to using clippers. This is for several reasons: When using clippers, if you are in the wrong place, you don’t find out until it’s too late! When using clippers, they squeeze the nail as they cut and many dogs find this uncomfortable. When using clippers, […]
Noses, Scents, Signals and Anal Glands Is your dog constantly licking, pestering, nudging and flirting with your other dog? Read on. Dog noses are incredible things – exceptional in fact (though not so much when it is shoved up your derrière unexpectedly in the dark dead of night … but that’s a different story entirely! […]
I’ve noticed, over the last 18 months or so, that RainBob has developed a bit of a cough – usually first thing in the morning or when he has been having a nap throughout the day. He wakes up and coughs like a dirty old man who’s been on the Woodbines!!! He doesn’t do it […]
I often think that sharing experiences and situations we’ve been through with our dogs is a great way for people to learn. It’s a great way to connect with our fellow dog-lovers and sometimes, a really reassuring thing for all of us to read other people’s stories. We often see a lot of our own […]
Tractive GPS Tracker … an honest review by a middle-aged blonde technophobe. As the Chair for Ridgeback Rescue, I undertook this trial of the Tractive GPS dog tracker device. So, while this was done with hounds in mind, this is a brilliant option for ANY BREED, or cat, that you want to keep tabs on […]
Yes it’s gross but you know some of them just can’t resist it!!! . I am not a horsey person, but I am reliably informed it’s the time of year for worming horses (Spring Time). Please do not let your dog eat horse poop as the consumption of massive doses of Ivermectin can be incredibly […]
When a dog is sick and needs medication, it can be quite a struggle (frustrating for you and frightening for them). Any husbandry behaviours you can teach BEFORE you actually need them are always going to be a real help. Today, we looked at how to introduce your dog to eye drops. The session we […]
DOGGY BLOOD PRESSURE . I love it when I get asked interesting questions and it’s not often I don’t know the exact answer but on the course today, I had one of those. In my opinion if you don’t know something, you certainly shouldn’t try to PRETEND you do and fudge an answer. Instead, I’ve […]
COAT CHANGES – length of hair, direction of growth, texture, feel or colour: Changes in your dog’s coat can denote a number of things from age to hormones to diet to pain and skeletal problems. The change in the pattern of your dog’s coat can show an underlying health problem such as pain from undiagnosed […]
Our dogs often make little sounds that catch us off guard. Sometimes they are funny, like woofing in their sleep, but sometimes they are frightening and sound really strange. Reverse sneezing is one of those sounds that comes out of nowhere and really can look and sound pretty bad. But what is REVERSE SNEEZING? Reverse […]
Remember to PAY the dog! Force-free and positive techniques are extremely important to us at Rhodes 2 Safety. We like, as much as possible, to teach skills and techniques to our dogs that make them confident and calm with the behaviours we are asking of them. Rather than using force and old school “alpha” techniques, […]
Yesterday, Coda turned 13 weeks. At the moment, every day is a new and exciting adventure. We are looking to socialise him and introduce him to as many positive people, dogs, venues and experiences as possible in an effort to create a confident, well-rounded, balanced adult dog in the future. * Today’s itinerary was a […]
Buying a puppy or a new dog: If you are looking to bring a dog into your family, please take the time to read this article. It may seem long. It may seem to have a million facts. It may seem “over the top” and anyway, can you really be bothered to read the […]
DO DOGS HAVE “WET DREAMS”? Well, I bet I’ve got your attention with this one haven’t I! Ooh we do cover some off-the-wall topics but I like to think that everything we cover is pertinent, and is a topic that may at some time have popped into your head, owing to the behaviours we see […]
“Mmmm Nom Nom …. filthy disgusting mud in our teeth … how lovely!” Rain and Dice know how to live it up. At this time of year (Nov/Dec) my dogs ALWAYS go through a period of wanting to eat mud. They run to various patches, licking and scraping at the surface with their bottom teeth […]
Canine Tip of the Day: HORNER’S SYNDROME It has taken me every single moment of the last 6 weeks to be strong enough to put this blog together for you. I say that because it was the key component to the downward spiral that eventually lead to the loss of my darling Chi. I will […]