Designer Dog Blogs

by sands904 on 4/29/2010 at 8:07 AM in Lance

I was outside working in the yard yesterday afternoon and all three dogs were out inside the fence. I was on the north side of the house pulling weeds and going in and out of the gate. I came back inside the fence to take Lacey and Logan in the house. Logan has been showing signs of allergies so I didn't want him outside too long. I took them inside did a few things for dinner which was cooking in the crock pot and went back outside.

As soon as I walked out I noticed that the gate it standing wide open and Lance is nowhere to be seen. I walk around the north side of the house (the side were the open gate was) and around to the front of the house. The garage was open and usually when I take him out that gate we are either going for a walk or a ride in the car which he LOVES so I thought maybe he would be sitting by the car waiting for me. No such luck. I walked back around the house the way I came yelling 'Lance Here' and one time 'Lance Dinner' (He loves his dinner and I told myself I would only use this in an emergency, which I thought this qualified as). I am starting to get worried now but decided I am going back in the house to grab the whistle we used when we started working on recall, Lacey and my car keys to go looking for him. As I come around the side of the house to the open fence gate I see Lance on the other (south) side of the fence by the second gate which is closed. He is standing there all wiggly and happy. I open that gate and he walks right back into the yard. I rewarded him with all of the treats I had left in my pocket, petted and hugged him and threw his Frisbee for him for a few minutes. I wanted to make sure he knew he was the BEST DOG EVER for coming back!!!

I don't know for sure where he went while he was out but he had to be out about 10 minutes or so. It was a short, little adventure but one that could have ended a lot worse. We have a really busy highway not too far away. Lance and I have been working on his recall for a long time and he has always been really good with it when he is on the 50 or 100 ft leash or when I drop his leash but for him to come back when he escaped was AWESOME. Moral of the story having way to get your dog back home could save THEIR LIFE!
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by sands904 on 4/27/2010 at 8:05 AM in Fleas & Ticks

So, about 4 weeks ago Logan started biting at his feet. He has always been a scratchy dog but this was more than normal. His coat was getting pretty long so I made an appointment with the groomer to have both him and Lacey groomed hoping that would help. Well after that he was still itching and biting. I though maybe it was a seasonal allergy. My first thought was the grass since it is just now spring here. I started washing his feet every few days which didn't seem to help.

My next thought was a food allergy. All 3 of my dogs are on a mostly home-prepared diet and I thought maybe he was allergic to something he had recently. I read the ingredients on the supplement I had been giving them and there was soy in it which can cause food allergies in many dogs. I stopped giving it to Logan about 2 weeks ago but he is still biting at his feet mostly at night and in the morning but other times as well. Then on Friday I noticed a few very small bumps in his right ear. They almost looked like bites of some kind. I bought some herbal ear cleaner for infected ears and have been cleaning it out. He seems to be scratching it a little less. I put him back on his raw diet for the past 2 days. He has been getting raw a few times a week for almost a year now. I am hoping to eliminate the cause if it is a food allergy so I can determine what he is actually allergic to. I also gave him half a benedryl twice a day starting on Saturday.

Then Sunday I found a tick on Lacey. This is about the 5th one I have found so far. It was not engorged but it did look like it had been there a little longer than the last one I found on her. I pulled it off and cleaned the area with rubbing alcohol. Then Monday she woke up scratching and biting at herself. During the morning she was really scratching and running around like crazy. I looked a lot like the time we took her camping and the flies were biting a buzzing at her. So, I immediately think maybe it is fleas... I gave her half a benedryl starting on Sunday night.

I put out a big white blanket and brush through all the dogs. I found a very small particle on Lacey and put it in a wet paper towel and rub it. It has what I would consider a reddish brown appearance. Maybe it is flea dirt. I am trying to avoid running to vet for everything, especially since we were there about 6 times last month but I don't know how long to wait either. I don't want to jeopardize their health either.

I am going to keep an eye on them for today and see if they seem better. I think I am going to go get some organic/natural flea repellent and see if that helps at all...
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