February is dental health month for pets. Here is an article we received from our friends at South Charlotte Animal Hospital.  They are offering discounts to our community  and now is the perfect time to schedule a visit for an examination!
Below is posted with  permission of the author:
Keeping your pet’s teeth and gums in good shape has many more benefits than just fresh breath. Regular cleanings and a few minutes of brushing each week can help give your pet a longer, healthier life.

Bad breath in pets is just one sign of dental disease that can lead to other health problems. What’s more, like people, your pet needs routine dental care too. Most dogs and cats develop dental disease by 3 years of age. And the faster the disease is treated, the easier it is to manage.

Warning signs to look for in your pet
•   Bad breath
•   Sensitivity around the mouth
•   Loss of appetite
•   Yellow or brown deposits on the teeth
•   Bleeding, inflamed, or receding gums
•   Loose or missing teeth
•   Pawing at the mouth or face
•   Difficulty chewing

Veterinary check-ups include monitoring your pet’s dental health, but if you see any of these signs between visits, give us a call.

Ways to keep your pet’s teeth healthy
•   Bring your pet in for regular check-ups
•   Brush your pet’s teeth at least a few times a week – we’ll show you how
•   Choose a pet food formulated to reduce tartar and plaque – ask us for
recommendations
•   Use plaque-reducing treats and toys

Talk with your vet about your pet’s dental health. We can prevent and manage your pet’s oral problems before they become serious.

You can reach South Charlotte Animal Hospital by calling  (704) 552-2005 or go to your pet portal to request an appointment.

Southern winters are still winter!

This winter has been the coldest one  I have seen in Charlotte, NC.  I’ve never had to deal with ice storms and snowy days with my dogs before.  So, I asked Dr Herman  of South Charlotte Animal Hospital to give me some pointers to share with our community on Winter Dog Safety.  Below is re-posted by Author’s permission.

Pet safety is very important all the year round. It is just as important to consider fall & winter weather here in the South!  Here are a few things to keep in mind in order to keep your pet safe and healthy throughout the cooler months.

Water Needs
It is horrible for your outdoor pet to become dehydrated. You can check the coat by lifting it. If it doesn’t fall back immediately but kind of slumps there, your pet could be becoming dehydrated and it’s dangerous.  This can cause kidney and bladder problems and…well… just make your pet sick.
During the summer it’s easy to remember putting out fresh water for your pets…simply because we’re so hot!  But please don’t forget your pets in the cooler seasons.  Put out clean water just as often.  The downside of this cooler weather is that leaves fall, and we neglect the ‘outdoor housekeeping’ since we’re not outside as much.  This makes for things that can ‘dirty up’ your pets water dish and create a ‘swamp’ in the water dish.  Not so great for Fido needing a fresh drink.  Keep it in mind.
Foot Protection
Don’t forget that we can still get frost here in the South and if you have an outdoor dog…consider their tootsies!  It is a mighty cold hard ground to walk on and if we get a real cold snap here…be sure to provide lots of blankets or padding to break the barrier and give them something to rest on.
Blankets
Put plenty of clean blankets in their outside houses to help provide warmth. And clean them often. It is actually best to just rotate them daily. You don’t want them full of dirt and bugs or damp and wet.  Talk about uncomfortable and icky!
If it rains, the blankets will get damp from your outdoor pet being wet. Be sure to change the blankets to keep a dry one on hand for your outdoor pets. You don’t want your pet lying on a frozen blanket. No more than a human could handle lying on a frozen blanket.
Poisons
Rat and mouse killers are used more commonly during colder weather. When using rat and mouse bait, place the products in areas that are inaccessible to your pets. If you suspect that your pet has ingested any rat or mouse bait contact us (or C.V.S. http://www.carolinavet.com/) immediately.

Flea & Tick
Also, please treat your pet for fleas and heartworm.  If your pet spends time outside it is very possible for your furry friend to get fleas and/or heartworm.  Both of which are nasty and one of which can be fatal.  Even in the winter months here in the South, it is still just as easy to get fleas or heartworm and quite honestly it’s one of those times that an ounce of prevention is worth a…life of a pet.

South Charlotte Animal Hospital is located 10833 Pineville Road Pineville, NC 28134
(704) 552-2005

Whenever we bring a new dog to our house we need to be careful.  This is true even if it’s a for a few minutes, but especially important when you actually bring a new dog to your home for good.  Like during holidays.

Unfortunately every year hundreds of dogs and their owners get severely hurt (with all the good intentions) because they thought it’d be OK to put both dogs out in the back yard and let them sort it out.

As I have mention on the WCNC 36 Charlotte Today show There are a few steps you can take to make sure everydoggy gets along well handsomely.  Here is another post on the subject written by my Ridgeback Djembe back in 2009

First is to remember not to super impose your values on your dogs.  Older, Bigger, My sweetie etc. are human concepts and dogs will not obey by those guides.  Meaning ?  New dog maybe a higher ranking member pretty quickly (as in 2 seconds) regardless of size, age, breed

It’s best if you can make the meeting take place in a neutral area where the scent of the existing dog is not imprinted on everything/everywhere.

Take both dogs for a walk and insist on a good walk (loose leash, proper location in relationship to the guardian (this is you) and of course not competing with the other dog for a lead position IT IS YOUR WALK.  this will help reduce the stress on both dogs.

It’s a safe practice (we do this on the first day of our JumpStart students) for the new dog to spend first couple of days in the kennel/crate.  This practice will everydoggy safe while they get used to each others smells.

If you need further help please contact us or visit our Facebook page and post your question.

Holiday season is approaching faster than 7 can steal a food from a baby.
As far as our dog is concerned Holiday season is insane time.  More people are in and out of the house,  family’s energy is out of whack.  Not to mention lots of strange boxes & plants are being placed in the house.  In fact very little is familiar.

I view our dog’s need during the holidays in two categories. 1) Safety  and 2) Sanity.

Dog Safety

1 Tree water at the base of live trees can be harmful to your dog if preservative chemicals have been added to prolong the life of the tree. Cover the tree basin with foil or a tree skirt to keep your dog from drinking the water.

2  Anchor the tree with cord or wire to the ceiling directly above the tree’s trunk  to prevent your dog from knocking over your holiday tree. REMEMBER ! Don’t attach it with wire to a wall behind the tree because your dog could get caught in the wire if be darts behind the tree.

3  To keep your dog from accidentally swallowing something that could get lodged in his throat hang your ornaments with ribbons rather than hooks

4 Don’t use toothpicks. Because your can eat the toothpicks if they are dropped on the floor and they can get stuck in his throat or puncture internal organs.

5 Tie up loose electrical cords of the lights used to decorate the tree and keep them concealed by attaching them with wire or cord to the trunk of the tree.

Dog Sanity

1 Try to enjoy the season.  Stay calm. We all get stressed out during the holidays, and our dog picks up on our stress. She looks to you as a leader. If you are calm, she can be calmer.  If you  spend a little quiet time with your dog every day – it will help you, too.
Review your dog’s basic obedience training exercises daily.  Don’t teach your dog something new during this stressful time, but review what she already knows & reinforce yourself as a pack leader.
2 Keep the routine with your dog: Keep your dog’s regular daily routine.  Feed and walk her at the same times as you usually do. Changing her routine can make her stressful, and she may seek attention by misbehaving.
3 Play with your dog before your party. If you tire her out, she’ll be too tired to get into any mischief when guests arrive. If that is not possible, hire a dog walker or take him to doggie daycare.

Find out the location of the nearest emergency vet in your area NOW. Don’t lose precious moments during an emergency.

Unless your dog has the energy of a puppy, the calmness of a Zen master, and the endurance of the Energizer bunny, odds are  the Halloween craziness will stress our dogs out.

Avoid chocolate and other candy.

Make sure to keep any candy that you are going to hand out safely hidden from your dog. Notify kids in the house to put their candy bags away. Chocolate is a big no-no for dogs as it contains theobromine, which their bodies cannot properly digest. The darker the chocolate, the worse it can be. Small amounts are typically not lethal, so if he does snag a bite don’t freak out. But also don’t let it happen. 
 
Candy wrappers, tinfoil, and other dangers can be found in candy bags, so keep your dog safe by putting these away.

Put your dog in a safe place.

Don’t leave your dog around kids without supervision.

Be careful about placement of electrical cords for decorations.

Don’t leave candles unattended.

Have a safe Halloween.

We are having unusually hot summer this year with one heat advisory after another.

Our dogs being our loyal best friends will walk and hike with us until they are exhausted. Being a true Alpha means making sure your pack members are safe.

In our June newsletter we have provided a great article by Dr Michael Herman of South Charlotte Animal Hospital

But life happens right ?  Some times you may be out in the sun  for an extended period of time and you’re nowhere near a shade or water to cool off your dog then what?

Alcohol wipes are small and easy to carry.

If your dog is hot and you can’t escape the heat, start by  pouring water over her head, neck, chest, abdomen and feet.

If you don’t have any water ,  you can use alcohol wipes on the pads of her feet.  Remember dogs sweat thru the pads of their feet, and Because alcohol evaporates faster than water, so it has a cooling effect.

Get your best friend out of the heat as quickly as you can, and contact  a veterinarian to make sure.

REMEMBER:  Alcohol can be toxic to your dog if ingested, so use it sparingly and with caution.

We spend countless hours training our dogs to have good manners, come when we call them, walk next to us. Not run in to kids,  sit before eating.

We exercise our dogs   so they can burn excess energy, so they don’t become destructive.

We take them around other dogs so they can be socialized.

I spend hours and hours on training people and dogs onand how to meet other dogs & owners.

But all of that becomes pretty useless when an other dog attacks your dog.

That’s just what happened to me a few days ago.

I was playing with my dogs before our day begun in the field near my home when I saw a the dog without an owner.  As soon I saw the dog I knew she was not a nice dog.  She did not display any of the socialized dog meeting rituals.

In the blink of an eye my Ridgeback and the new dog got into a dog fight, and the pitbull was latched on the my Ridgeback’s neck.

While trying to get the Pitbull to release my dog,  on one hand I was thinking:  I don’t want to hurt her, on the other hand I was thinking is there anything I can kill this dog with?

It took about 3 minutes before someone stopped and offered help.  Once the dogs were separated and my dogs were in our home  Pitbull went back to normal. I took her back to her house and tied her to a tree.

While running back to takeDjembe to the vet I called 311 to report the dog attack.

The owner turned out to be a guy who I saw earlier being dragged by his other 2 pitbulls. “He went to the store and left her at home, she must have jumped out the window . he said. I assume it was to follow, possibly find him.  He seemed sorry about the incident and said he will pay for the medical bills.

If  you have been following my personal blog, then you know I’ve been a student of  Metaphysics and Law of Attraction for years, and I always try to seek the deeper lessons.

As soon as I was able to think straight I begun asking what was the purpose of such a terrible incident and what were the lessons I learned? I will post more on this subject in future posts, but for now  this is what I got:

1) Training our dogs  does not mean other dogs will not attack / hurt our dogs. So, as a good leader we have to be ready to protect our pack members.

2) Leash laws will not protect us and our dogs if the other dog is not attached to another human being with a leash also.

3) Important to have 1 or 2  24hr vet numbers ready for emergencies.

4) When in crisis get centered and look at the big picture. If you’re panicking you can’t help anyone.  Shameless plug to my US Air Force training, Fire Department School in particular

More to come.