I’m sure you’ve seen medic alert tag for humans, right? When you have a history or illness that requires medication such as epilepsy or diabetes for example, the patient will often wear a bracelet or necklace with information on it about their condition so that if they are taken ill, a first aider or medic […]
Colitis is really uncomfortable and unpleasant – and it doesn’t just affect us humans. Your dog can suffer with this too and it has many causes. So, what actually is colitis? The colon is part of the intestine and is responsible for doing things like collecting the fibrous parts of the diet that the dog […]
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 […]
MDR1 (or Multi-Drug Resistant protein gene) The MDR1 gene protects the brain by ensuring that any harmful chemical are transported AWAY from the brain. In some dogs who are members of the herding varieties such as Collies and Australian Shepherds, a mutation in this gene causes extreme reactions to various drugs including Ivermectin (found in some heart worm […]
OK, that sounds like a scary medical term, so what exactly are interdigital cysts? In actual fact, the correct term for this problem is Interdigital Furunculosis and you may hear it referred to that way but generally speaking the word cyst is used instead. If we break the term down into its component parts, we […]
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 Pressing: Have you ever noticed your dog (or cat) sitting or standing with his head pressed against the wall? Perhaps he presses it against the floor or other solid object and stands/sits still in this very odd position? Don’t confuse the normal “head-butting” that they often do to your shins, that’s just dog stuff; […]
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 […]
How and why to introduce Muzzle Acceptance: The first thing to consider in any first aid situation is your own personal safety, be that from road traffic, electricity, fast flowing water, or particularly when dealing with animals, claws and teeth. I always tell our students that if you need to deal with a frightened dog or one […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]