These days, most of us travel about by car quite a bit and as such, we need to know that our furry friends are safe too. Long gone are the days when we used to drive our cars without wearing seatbelts now that our awareness of health and safety has grown. The same should now be […]
** IMPORTANT NOTE ** . THIS BLOG HAS BEEN AMENDED TODAY 20/11/18. . EXTRA INFORMATION CAME TO LIGHT WHICH AFFECTED THE ADVICE WITHIN THE BLOG AND THIS HAS NOW BEEN ALTERED TO REFLECT THOSE CHANGES. . THANK YOU . Just as with humans, dehydration is very dangerous for your dog. It could be due to […]
Antifreeze is different from De-Icer which is different from screenwash. There are many DIY recipes for making Screenwash, but the following is the one my elderly uncle uses and recommends (I would suggest doing a bit of research and seeing which version suits you best): 1) 1 Tablespoon of dishwashing liquid (Fairy by preference which […]
You may have heard of something called a pilonidal sinus. This is a problem that humans can experience and some people also refer to dermoid sinus’ in dogs as a pilonidal sinus too. However, a true dermoid sinus is actually a neural defect. As a puppy grows in the mother’s womb, there is a connection between […]
I always encourage our Rhodes 2 Safety followers to get in touch if they have any questions or any past experiences they’d like to share with us all. Yesterday, I received this one in relation to Fly Strike:- “Years ago I had a dog suffer with fly strike. I never did find what caused it […]
What’s Normal? . Temperature can be indicative of an animal’s general health. The average temperature of a dog is 101 degrees F or 38 degrees C. That said, the “normal” temperature for an adult dog can vary from anywhere between 100 and 102.5 degrees F, or 37.8 and 39.2 degrees C. . Sometimes you look […]
Sunburn It’s important to remember that even the most innocent of situations can result in sunburn or burns of one type or another. There are 5 main types you need to be aware of – Hot, Cold, Friction, Electrical and Chemical. When we think of Hot burns, we usually think about fire or may be spilling […]
Head injuries in dogs can be caused in a number of ways from road traffic accidents, falls from a height say from a cliff top, collisions perhaps during normal play or flyball activities or even infections which cause the brain to swell up. As you’d imagine, any head injury should be treated very carefully […]
There have been a number of occasions where I’ve read on various forums of people (and in some cases as advised by their vets) advocating the use of Tea Tree oil when treating conditions like skin irritation or hot spots for dogs. Tea Tree oil is indeed wonderful stuff but it can, in fact, be […]
Sometimes a bitch may appear to be pregnant, but then not produce any puppies. This can be something that is referred to as a false or “Phantom” pregnancy. As we mentioned yesterday, a bitch’s cycle is split into four parts and a Phantom pregnancy can result after the phase where she ovulates. Hormonal changes occur […]
Bitches, their Cycle and Seasons: When you first get a female puppy, any thoughts of them reaching sexual maturity is way off in the distance but from the age of around 5-7 months of age, a female dog is generally considered to be mature. There is of course considerable variation within the different breeds with […]
I recently received this message from one of our Rhodes 2 Safety followers:- “Hi Kerry, my Greyhound Josie was recently hospitalised with haemorrhagic gastroenteritis – it was awful, we almost lost her. Thankfully she is on the mend but I’d never heard of this condition before, yet since mentioning it to people it seems its […]
Purging & Toxic Plants – so to start with, exactly WHAT IS purging? Well, according to the boffins who write the dictionaries, purging is:- a. To free from impurities; purify. b. To remove (impurities and other elements) by evacuation (of the bowels) or to vomit. . I have looked at purging in another guise in the […]
Having girl dogs means that unless the bitch is spayed, you will have to contend with hormones, seasons, phantom pregnancies and the like. My house is only big enough for one set of girlie hormones and I’m afraid they’re mine! For this reason, I opt to have boy dogs in my life but the boys do […]
Licking wounds/stitches: When a dog has an injury, be that an irritation, a wound or stitches after surgery, the natural thing for him to do is to try to lick the area to clean it, reduce irritation or soothe himself. Unfortunately licking can be more harm than good as the saliva may cause bacterial infection. […]
Cold Burns: There are 5 main categories of burn that we need to be aware of, not just the ones caused by flames or hot cups of tea and in fact, some burns are caused by the opposite of heat! The 5 include: Hot Cold Chemical Friction Electrical As we in the UK are currently […]
Christmas Safety Warnings: I’w writing today’s blog in the second week of December so today’s “Canine Tip of the Day” has a few seasonal reminders to keep our dog’s safe now that many of us have put up a Christmas tree in the house. I would also add the obvious but sometimes forgotten tip of […]
Weepy/Watery Eyes: Sometimes, particularly with dogs who have paler coloured fur, you might notice that their eyes are weeping or watery. Some breeds are more prone to this condition than others for example the Poodle, the Shih Tzu, the Bichon Frise and the Maltese, but any breed can suffer with it. Breeds with larger eyes, such […]
I often get asked if there are any pain killers we can give to dogs if they injure themselves – for example if they suffer a sprain or strain. Many people get confused about what we can and cannot give to dogs – and rightly so. There are many drugs that are perfectly fine for humans to […]
Flatulence (Farting!) – All dogs suffer with excessive wind or “gas” from time to time, just like humans do. For the most part it’s a bit whiffy, funny or possibly even embarrassing but generally, all part and parcel of living with a dog. I’m sure most of us would simply open a window or add […]