Any dog can be susceptible to bloat (also known as torsion or GDV) but it is especially prevalent if you have a deeper chested breed such as a Ridgeback, Great Dane, Boxer etc – and if they like to wolf down their food then this problem is even more of a worry. In essence, it […]
So you’re just starting to cook supper and as you take a glass bowl from the fridge, it slips through your fingers and shatters all over your kitchen floor. The glass is broken and splintered into a squillion pieces, each one coated with the juices of your marinated chicken. The smells waft through and quick […]
A lot of “dog folk” are unaware of Xylitol, it’s affects on our furry friends or which products you may find it in – I mean, if you don’t know where it will show up, it’s very difficult to avoid it, right? Those of you who know me, will be aware that I have no […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Today I received a message from one of our followers asking me to do a blog as a reminder about safely storing medication. She wrote that “one of my clients this week had to take their puppy to the vets because she got hold of a packet of lbuprofen. She spent the night at the […]
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 […]
What pointers might you see to indicate a bladder or urinary tract infection? Well, there are several questions you might ask yourself when considering bladder problems – the same ones your vet is likely to ask of you if you do decide you need a professional opinion. The sort of questions to consider are:- – Is […]
Christmas Considerations: There’s lots of great advice, suggestions and reminders floating about on the net and on FB so I thought Id try to group them all together into a bit of a Canine Christmas 101. Routine: Please remember that dogs do not celebrate Christmas. They have no idea why the normal day-to-day running […]
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 […]
Swallowing things they shouldn’t – and things “hanging out” the other end! Dogs do tend to wolf down anything and everything – and not all the things they try to consume are good for them! Sometimes they manage to swallow the most inappropriate of things ranging from socks and pants, through to needles and thread […]
Cut Paw Pad: It’s not always obvious when a dog cut’s his paw and often it might not be unless you actually see him limping or spot blood on the ground. Often it’s not until he comes home or you give his muddy paws a rub over that you notice the problem. The important thing […]
Poisoning is scary and it’s serious. There are five entry routes by which a poison can enter your dog’s system: * Ingested (swallowed) It might be that the poison is physically eaten by the dog or perhaps it was on his coat and he has licked himself to clean it off and swallowed it in […]
Causes of Excessive Dog Drooling As the owner of a very “drooly” dog, I can tell you for sure that ALL dogs drool (its just that some do it a hell of a lot more than others and some take it to a whole new level!) Usually with the prospect of food, the flood gates open […]
Vaginal Discharge & Pyometra: Vaginal discharge is not actually a condition in itself, but rather the indication that something is wrong with either the reproductive tract or the urinary tract. There are many possible causes for this problem: Uterine Problems: * Uterine infection called pyometra – in bitches who have not been spayed. (this is […]
Before reading this article, please: DO NOT ATTEMP THIS PROCEDURE WITHOUT PROPER SUPERVISION FROM A QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL AS DOING SO COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. All dogs have anal glands. They are scent glands under the skin on each side of the dog’s anal area (at about the 4 and 8 o’clock positions). The openings to these […]