Sunburn

Pet suffer from sunburn too, especially pets that have hair loss due to allergies, hot spots, surgical preparation, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.  In pets, sunburn can appear as red skin or hair loss.  Sunburn can irritate or exacerbate existing conditions, such as allergies or hot spots.  Many people have their pet’s fur trimmed to help them manage in hot weather but this can make them more susceptible to sunburn, groomers should warn pet owners of this possibility.

Provide protection from the sun – sunscreen can and should be used on our pets.  Sunscreen can be applied to the bridge of the nose, ear tips, skin surrounding the lips, and any area where pigmentation is low.  Animals that have white fur, pink skin, light coloured noses or thin, very short or missing fur are most in need of protective sunscreen or sun block.  The groin, inside legs and abdomen may also need sunscreen because hair tends to be very thin in these areas and ultraviolet light can reflect off of certain surfaces to affect that skin.  There are sunscreens  created specifically for pets. 

 Heatstroke

Cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs do not sweat through their skin like humans, so they are not as efficient at cooling down.  They pant to release heat and they sweat through the foot pads and nose.  Limiting the amount of time a pet spends outdoors during the hottest hours of the day is important.  Certain types of pets are more sensitive to hear and therefore, more susceptible to heatstroke including overweight and obese pets, very young and very old animals and brachycephalis (short-nosed) breeds of cats and dogs such as Persians, Pugs, Bulldogs and Boston Terriers.  Signs of heatstroke include excessive panting, dry or tacky and dark red tongue and gums, vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy or collapse of body temperature of greater than 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Farenheit).  In rabbit, laboured breathing , flaring of the nostrils and distress are all signs of heat stress.  Some animals can recover fully from heat stoke if it is caught early enough and treated appropriately.  Others may suffer from seizures and permanent organ damage and require lifelong treatment.  Sadly, many pets do not survive heat stroke.  Prevention is the key.

How to prevent heatstroke – take early morning and evening outdoor play and walks and avoid vigorous exercise on warm days.  Ensure there is plenty of fresh drinking water, even ice cubes.  Reduce a pets body temperature using chilled wet towels.  Never leave an animal alone in the car even if the weather is not hot, the inside of the car acts like an oven and the temperature can rise to dangerously high levels in a matter of minutes.  Ensure there is access to cool shady areas to escape from the heat, even indoors.  Do not confine a pet to any room where the temperature may be especially high, such as a sunroom.  Groom more frequently in summer months to help remove excess hair.

Avoid Water Hazards

Even dogs that are good swimmers need to be protected around water. Animal life jackets can aid flotation and retrieval.  A ramp is an excellent accessory on a boat or a pool and could save the life of a pet that has fallen into the water unattended.  Toxic waters – blue-green algae can be found on the surface of warm, slow or still lakes, ponds and wetlands.  If faced with an accidental ingestion of toxic algae water, immediately wash off the pet’s coat (to prevent self cleaning contamination) and take to the vet if there are any troublesome signs.

Parasite Infestations

Fleas, ticks, lice and mites are just some of the parasites that are abundant in the summer.  Adult fleas spend most of their time on an animal, but flea eggs, larvae and pupae are most often found in the pet’s environment. 

Prevention is better than cure but the steps are the same for a successful flea control programme.  You must treat the environment as well as the pet.  Ticks – as the weather gets warmer, people spend more time outdoors and ticks become more active.  Ticks can carry a number of infective organisms that can sometimes make people and pets ill and potentially cause serious medical problems.  How a tick is removed is extremely important.  There are a number of tick removal tools on the market.  All claim to be safe and efficient but proper use is vital. 

Thursday, April 7 05:08 pm Yahoo News 

Animal experts are warning dog owners to learn how to spot the tell-tale signs of a killer parasite which is spreading at an “alarming rate” around the UK.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/4/20110407/tuk-dog-owners-warned-over-killer-worm-dba1618.html

Brown With White Bib Female Cocker Spaniel (Age: Young Adult)

Missing from Fields east of Little Walden, near Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 area, (East Anglia) on Sunday, 26th December 2010

There is a REWARD for this dog’s safe return.

CONTACT: 01799 525 699

Help DogLost.co.uk find – print this poster from http://www.doglost.co.uk/poster.php?dogId=27069

Fun was had by all, and an impressive variety of dogs and their owners took part in the different categories. The best of show award, sponsored by Petpals, went to the beautiful all-white German Shepherd, Annouk and her owner Heather.

Petpals (Wirral West) owner, Jim Furlong:

‘It was a pleasure to support Sarah in this venture. We really enjoyed the day, and it was lovely to see the variety of dogs on display.

All the categories were keenly contested, and there was real delight from the winners – even the prize for ‘the owner that looks most like their dog’ was highly competitive.’

Petpals (Wirral West) is your first stop on the Wirral for your dog walking, cat visits, home boarding and pet taxiing needs. They can be contacted on 0151 353 8060 or emailed at: wirralwest@petpals.com

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS DOG

Parsons Jack Russell, Neutered Female and Micro chipped

White Wiry haired with brown patches on ears

Was wearing a brown collar with name tag

Missing since 4^th October from Dogmersfield, Hampshire

Is in need of daily medication for cataracts and requires operation

REWARD FOR SAFE RETURN

Owners can be contacted on

07977 298405 or 07747 761424

http://www.labrador-lifeline.co.uk/

Please be advised that Badger Setts and their surrounds are now being baited with sausages, jacket potatoes and other tasty morsels to attract Badgers.  Sadly it will also attract your dog.  These items are being laced with Paracetamol which, if ingested by your dog in the first instance will cause D & V.  If you think your dog may have been nosing around a known Badger sett or trail and develops symptoms – don’t hesitate get it to a vet and mention Paracetamol.  This is the latest way of destroying Badgers – other ways are the use of rat poison and strychnine.  We are aware of one Labrador death already.

Several of Jasper’s friends regularly contribute including Finn, Eddie, Molly, and Kevin. Unfortunately, the latest drive is again struggling for suitable donors and we are appealing for more people to come forward and help support this life saving charity. The facts of the matter are very simple – if blood levels run low your pets are potentially at risk – how are you going to feel if your dog ever needed a life saving blood transfusion and due to the lack of response there wasn’t any blood or plasma available.

The PBB laboratory is based in Loughborough and the donations can only take place within a two hour travelling criteria due to the time constraints in processing the collected blood. Once at the lab the blood is split into red blood cells and fresh plasma. Each donation has the potential to help up to four dogs. All of the donors receive a thorough examination by one of the charities experienced vets to ensure they are in tip top condition and all receive a thorough screening as a result of the tests. That process in itself is worth a great deal and in the case of Chad (our walker Suzanne’s dog) highlighted a potentially serious health condition that was likely to have gone unnoticed.

The donation process from start to finish usually takes about an hour the first time – mainly due to ensuring the dogs are completely relaxed and calm from start to finish. An experienced donor like Jasper strolls in, rolls over in anticipation of the affection coming his way and usually donates in less than 10 minutes, eagerly awaiting his goody bag of toys and treats and his bowl of delicious grub (as well as proudly showing off his PBB bandana!) To donate your dog should have a good temperament, be aged between one and eight years old, weigh more than 25 kilo’s and should not have travelled abroad.

To register your interest locally to us simply contact Joanne Broadhurst at PBB on 01509 232222 or find out more at www.petbloodbankuk.org for a location near you and let your pet become a life saving hero

I wonder whether you can help me? My owners have just purchased another pup (a smaller but less cute version of my beautiful Labradoodle self.) The pup seems to get loads of cuddles and I get sent to my bed if I try to muscle in. If I ignore him they say I’m jealous, if I play with him they say I’m too rough. Me rough? He’s the one chewing my ears and nipping my tail! If he yelps I get told off, if I yelp they all laugh and call me a wuss.

What can I do? Should I advertise in the classified section for a new owner or what?

Lorimer the Labradoodle

Dear Lorimer,

A new puppy eh?

Wow that’s hard. On the one hand they are cute little bundles of play. And on the other they are nothing but irritating, pooping and weeing ankle biters.

Don’t go looking for a new owner just yet. Here are a few tips. When puppy is getting cuddles, resist the urge to go barging in, instead walk up close to your owners, walk in a circle then flop down in front of them with a great big sigh. Look up at them with big eyes and that should get you an invite into the love fest.
However if that doesn’t work and little Rover is still getting all the attention then it’s time to play dirty.

Next time you have a drink, take a big mouthful of water but don’t swallow it. When they are not looking spit it out somewhere they are going to walk and watch them blame the pup for one of his little accidents.

Then when they are out, chew up the free paper and scatter it in the pups bed, better still if you can get him to join in, but as soon as you hear the key in the lock, dash to the other side of the room, leaving pup amongst the paper. Yawn and stretch when they enter as if they have just woken you up. Frowning critically at the pup with a slight shake of your head cements this ruse. You should be back to being top dog in no time. Warning, if pup is in a crate, this trick WILL NOT work!

Good luck.

Love from Jasper x

Ps. Also please remember that new puppies can turn into best friends if you let them.

Julia Holland an animal lover has launched her pet-sitting business by making donations to local animal welfare charities. Genna Reece who is the development Manager accepted the cheque on behalf of the Benton Dog and Cat shelter.

Julia has started Petpals from her home and will take in any kind of animal while its owner is away. Her services also include cat sitting and dog walking,
To mark its launch, Ms Holland has made donations of £100 to the Dog and cat shelter, in Benton. She hopes to hold fundraising events for this charity in
the future.

She said, “I have rescue dogs of my own and when the opportunity came along to start Petpals I decided to go for it. It’s a total change of career for me, but I’m looking forward to it.

While the credit crunch has had an impact on many other service sectors, Petpals’ franchisees are enjoying healthy turnovers as pet-owners clamor for a trustworthy, reliable service for their animals.

Petpals is seeing business increasing despite the current state of the economy. Managing Director Kevin Thackrah said, “In spite of the recession our average revenues are still increasing year-on-year, with people still happy to spend money on their pets even though they may have cut costs elsewhere. For pet-owners, reliable pet care is as essential as child care.”

Our services at Petpals include :

DOG WALKING

Making use of the many areas found locally, dog walking aims to give your dog a stimulating and enjoyable walk in a safe environment. These can be individual visits for your dog(s) and/or multi walks with up to four dogs at a time, transported in our purpose fitted vehicles.

CAT SITTING AND CAT VISITS

Petpals have proven to be very popular with clients that want to leave their cats at home, in their own environment, with familiar smells and comforts- particularly with elderly cats and cats that need medication. Our cat sitting service allows clients to go away on holiday or to work, safe in the knowledge that Petpals are visiting their cats to feed, clean litter trays if required, play, along with providing lots of TLC.

PET SITTING AND HOME SITTING

Our home based pet sitting service is a real alternative to kennels; your pet can remain in their own familiar surroundings, with their own routines and food while you are away.

Call Julia Holland on 07544248760

cramlington@petpals.com

www.petpals.com

If you are thinking about your holidays – don’t forget to book any pet care requirements at the same time. If you want us to look after your dogs with our Home

I often watch my humans and wish I could be like them too. They seem to have such a fun life.

Wishful Westie Wendy x

Dear Wishful Wendy,
Being a human is not all it’s cracked up to be you know. They don’t have the fun we have. Last week my Dad was watching a ‘documentary’ on the TV where 22 men were running about a big field with only one ball to play with between them. But worse than that, there were thousands of other humans just sat watching at the sides and all around and they didn’t even get to touch the ball. Now if that had been us dog’s we would have all brought a ball each to play with or at least one between two! My dad was shouting at the TV and I tried to get him to let me in the garden and I would have shared my ball with him but he was too busy to notice.
And also humans have so many more rules than us. It’s great to be a dog because:

• We can scratch ourselves in public, no matter where it itches,

• We can roll on our backs, showing our bare tummies and our nether regions without being considered rude.

• We never have to pay for dinner or provide presents for people out of our ‘own’ money. But we still get all the cuddles just because the card say’s it’s from the dog.

• We can spend hours just sniffing stuff and still not get bored.

• We are always excited to see the same old people. They only have to leave the room for 5 minutes and come back again and we greet them ecstatically.

• We can pass wind in public and we don’t blush.

• If we gain weight it’s someone else’s fault.

• We don’t need a varied home entertainment system or play station, an old bone or a shoe can keep us occupied for hours.

And finally it’s great to be a dog because we never have to brush our own hair.

Love from Jasper x