DOGS AND TICKS

How to Prevent Your Dog from Getting Ticks

Many people are aware of fleas when it comes to their dogs, but not enough about tics. Tics are the other main external parasite that are risky for our little ones during the warmer seasons. They usually start to be active during spring when the temperature reaches around 5 degrees Celsius. Tics can be found on dogs, cats, rabbits and most of the other animals. They are fed by the blood of a host animal. Tics are bigger than fleas so can be seen by naked eye. While the tics are feeding, they are injecting saliva into the skin. The saliva can be highly allergenic so a dog scratching itself may be a first sign of having a tics on their skin. 

Ticks can infect the dog with serious, life-threatening diseases such as Rocky Mountain fever, Babesiosis, Ehrlichia, and other conditions with equally unpronounceable names. 

We had an article about tick protection without chemicals earlier. This article is about ticks and various protections. And we hope you are open minded to choose what works best for your dog friend.

My little girl Lilly had Babesiosis last spring. We had big issues regarding it. A month took to heel. Every day was frightening. First off all dogtors had no idea what was going after Lilly recovered from Babesiosis but did not feel ok. It appeared, disease recovered, and later it happened one more time. So Lilly had like 3 babesiosis. It was scared to watch her. Active happy girl looked like in deep depression for a month. No smile, no activities, just sitting and looking to one point, or laying, hard to walk, nothing brought joy to her, even food. She always eat anything and that month she did not want anything, even meet, soups… I learned to cook to make her happy with food, but nothing helped. Thats why we are so afraid of any tick now. And you should be careful with it.

Where ticks can be found? 

Tics can be found mostly in wooden areas and tall grass, but also in your yard, or even walking on city sidewalk (Lilly got that awful tick last spring on sidewalk..). There are more types of tics but the one we should be the most worried about is named The Deer Tick. The loathsome deer tick, now known as the black-legged tick, is defined more by the disease it spreads than by its own characteristics. Significantly smaller than the more commonly encountered dog tick, adult female deer ticks are about as big as a sesame seed and have reddish hind bodies with black dorsal markings. Males are slightly smaller than females and are solid dark brown.

What is a Lyme disease? 

Lyme disease is one of the most common tick-transmitted diseases in the world. Some dogs may not show symptoms until 3 to more months after having it. Tick transmits bacteria knows as Borrelia burgdorferri. Lyme disease can be treated by antibiotics. Treatment last for 4 weeks, but the infection may occur again. Dogs may develop heart disease, central nervous system disorders or fatal kidney problems by having it.

The good news is that ticks need to be attached for 24 hours before they transmit disease to the dog, which means that prevention and prompt removal are key to keeping your dog healthy.  Here’s what can go wrong and how to prevent it. 

Prevention

There are plenty excellent products helping in the fight against tick infestations. But not all anti-tick products are same effective. Don’t be seduced by the promise of ‘natural tick deterrents’ because life isn’t that simple and they don’t work if you are not familiar how to use it. Some natural protections can add safety, help you in this hard fight but not necessary do the whole work. You have to be open minded but still think logical when choosing and apply any of chosen by its best properties. Like supplements are very effective but it can not be used instead of food, you can use it together to make results better.

Some tick bites may be hard to find, especially when your dog has long hair. It is always a good idea to start with a thorough prevention:

  • Talk to your vet about possible tick products available on the market (those can vary from shampoos to topical treatments or collars).
  • Check your dog often, especially after a walk in tall grass or woods (look at their feet, around eyes or under their tail).
  • When the tick is found, you should remove it immediately and as soon as possible. The best would be if you visited a vet to make sure tick is removed completely and safely. Please read some instructions how to remove ticks, as you need this in your life and not always you can reach dogtor fast, so better be prepared.
  • If the vet is not available, learn how to do it yourself. There is even a tick removal tool on the market that you can get.
  • Once you remove the tick, you can bring it to your vet and they can send it to a lab to see if it might have carried any disease.
  • Medical approved prevention products – collars, tablet, drops… You should check all possible in your market and read about each. There is no one best, its your responsibility to choose which to use. Our vet explained that best works one that is used least in your area. Ticks in area get used to remedies if all dogs use same and the remedy is no more effective in that area, but it can be still effective in other areas or next season.
  • Have your dog vaccinated yearly – there is a few vaccines available to prevent getting Lyme disease (Borrelym).
  • Put clothing on your dog – on our website, you can find the perfect anti-tics overall made out of linen material that suits every summer weather and every dog. Clothes do not work as 100 % protection, its like supplement which can prolong ticks trip find dog skin. Usually its easier to see ticks on clothes then on fur.
  • Natural remedies like essential oils, sprays, amber neckless… it all can work or not, but none of these should be used as main protection.

Before and after walking tips

Prevention of getting dirty and having paws issues 

It is not confidential that our white fur friends need an exceptional care. I am sure that majority of you already see your dog after having a walk outdoors. The shiny white coat will still get that dirt on itself no matter what the weather is! Is that right? 

Let’s summarize some ways how to put a stop to having an extra work after a long walk outside and if so, how to take care of your dog’s fur and paws like an expert. 

Get your dog some clothing

Yes, clothing can absolutely help you saving some time with cleaning your dog’s fur. Clothing may be ideal in every single weather. On our website you can choose from all of the varying kinds of clothing based on your own feeling, you can either select style, material or size. It is all customisable. You can read more about different styles and functions of different clothes in our article about dog fashion: https://bestdograincoats.com/en/dogs-fashion/

Clothing may actually be superb even during the summer. Linen material can help regulate the body temperature or even fend off having ticks.

Rainy weather but your dog calls for a walk? 

We got you! With our custom raincoats for dogs, you can enable your dog to enjoy some fun even during overcast. They are adjustable, warm, made out of silent fabric and with light reflects.

Start with a routine

Thereafter a walk, before entering the home, each time you should clean your dog’s paws with wet cleaning towels. While your dog is resting, go and check the paws to see if they are okay. It is very important to take care of their paws since they spend the majority of time on their paws. Some of the mayor paws issues we should be aware of may be: 

  • Bacterial and fungal infections – the symptoms may be redness, dog licking the paws or brown discoloration of the nails. We can prevent having our dogs from having infections by cleaning the paws constantly, avoiding moist places such as rainfalls, stale pools of water and distancing our dogs from infected animals since infections are highly contagious. Those are usually fixed and treated with antibiotics and topical creams. You should always visit your vet to discuss the other steps. 
  • Paw injuries – occurs very often, can be seen as brides, cuts and tears usually caused outside after stepping on broken glass, sticks or rocks. This kind of paw injury may not be as serious as the previous one, once it’s treated in an early stage. Before treating the paw, we should use antiseptic or water to remove the debris. An ice can be very helpful as well!
  • Dry and cracked paw pads – paw pads can get cracked and dry especially after walking on rough surfaces, hot pavements, during cold weather or after long licking. Groomed dog’s paws and trimmed toenails is a first step for preventing having cracks and dry paw pads. If we notice such a thing, use lukewarm water to clean the paws and put on a healing balm which you cover with dog sock. You can find one of those balms on our website.
  • Burns – you should be more than careful during the summer days and walking on the hot asphalt during the middle of the day. Also, during the winter, it would be better to search for places where roads are not sprinkled with deicing salts. Vaseline or other protective balms work as a perfect barrier against chemicals. You can find a perfect protective balm on our website. Serious burns should be treated by vet.
Left paw before paw balm, right paw – right after paw balm

Love playing with your dog rough?

We all love to play rough with our cute puppies right?

And more over we do it without any toy in our hands.

Well there are few mistakes here that can lead to problems later, but as far as you are able to controls when to stop, its ok.

First off all its best to play with your puppy with a toy, not naked hand. At least while its a puppy. Just to tech your dog that its not ok to play with hand. Its is very good advice if you have kids at home. Just imagine how your kid can get scared if your dog will ask to play by biting kids hand, even if its playful and gentle.

Or like us, when we go for a walk, my girl used to steel gloves from passing by kids. Oh my..

Every time you play rough with your puppy, make boundaries. Make a pause every time puppy is too much excited and bites too hard. Pause is best trigger for dog to stop biting as dog wants to continue playing and when you stop it gives a signal to dog that something was done wrong.

You can use pause in many cases, by the way – be creative.

Next thing – slow down playing and tell stop, enough or any other command you both use every day. Give a gentle touch, pet your dog and give a clear sign the game is over. It should be your routine any time you play.

Any dog can act as you wish if you put some time and effort to teach your living style.

Enjoy your friendship.

To find more information about us and our custom dog clothes shop: www.bestdograincoats.com/en/

Our Socials!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bestdograincoats

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ciu.ciu.kams

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/BestDogRaincoats/

CiuCiu are not only a dog clothes brand, CiuCiu are dog lovers!

We care that every dog would be treated the best way possible, they’re our best friends after all, right?

Westie allergies: dust mites by Miruna @westievibes

Miruna and Sami are expierencing big problem

Dust mites allergy... 

What does it mean?

Allergies are common in dogs in general and skin allergies are very common in Westies. The first symptoms usually appear close to 1 year of age (and before 3 years old), so you probably won’t be able to tell if your puppy is allergic to anything just yet.

Follow authour of this article Miruna and her westie Sami:

Dog socialization

Until my girls became friends a year passed or even more. So dont be upset if you new couple is not ok ith each other or other dogs right away. Give some time.
​I wanted to ensure that my elder dog is feeling fine and that puppy is learning correct things. So I read a lot about socialization at home. But socialisation outside the house is not less important. We love to go for dinner together, it is good exercise for patience and dog tolerance. Probably Dina was five or six years old when she started to behave like a dream dog. My Lilly is only three. So I am sure I need more time. Now when we sit at caffe no dog can pass by. Crazy. But I teach myself patience to go it all through. It will only get better with time. I am sure its important to visit as much new places as possible, so that puppy gets used to being in new places.

Socializing your dog is when you start preparing your pup to enjoy and have positive experiences with different environments and other animals, people and activities.
Socialization is such an important part of your pups relaxed life. Socialized dogs are typically happier, more approachable and able to handle stress better.
​Dogs that are not as socialized can become shy, anxious, and sometimes even aggressive out of fear because they don’t have the social skills to deal with new situations or people.

Adult dogs that haven’t been exposed to other dogs from a young age can get anxious in dog park settings.

Walking your dog daily allows them to see and meet other furry friends. You’re more likely to see people and other dogs while you’re on a walk than you are sitting at home with your pup.
Always remain calm and assertive when your dog is meeting other people or animals. If you see behavior that needs correcting; don’t be afraid to distract and correct them with a quick tug on the leash.
Also, praise your canine when they have a favorable interaction. Stay positive with every encounter! Your dog feeds off of your energy.

You’ll want to continue to expose your pooch to different social settings and experiences their whole life. Socializing them as a puppy and through to adulthood is one of the best ways to ensure that they become a confident, stress free adult.
Remember, don’t force your dog into any situation they don’t want to be in, stay positive and always have treats on you!
It’s never too late to polish their social skills!

Source: https://naturaldogowner.com/why-its-never-too-late-to-socialize-your-dog/

Can dogs eat watermelons?

Yes, dogs can eat watermelon and its very recomended. BUT. You need to know some things before feeding your dog watermelons.

This fruit has plenty of vitamins and nutrients that are beneficial for your dog’s health, and they’re made of 92 percent water, so they can be especially refreshing on a hot day.

The rinds and seeds of watermelons can cause serious health problems. Please, be careful with this. Always stay around when you feed your dog watermelons.

Watermelon is full of potassium and vitamins A, B6, and C, high in fiber, which is good for digestion.
You probably noticed that watermelons are sweet and worry about sugar. And you know that sugar is not ok for dog at all. You can relax here, the fiber content in the fruit insulates the sugar and prevents it from being released into the bloodstream too quickly.

Watermelon is a source of lycopene, which is an antioxidant that may help prevent cancer.
Watermelon is low in calories, low in sodium, fat free, and cholesterol free, which makes it a healthier choice than many store-bought treats.

If you feed too much of watermelon to your dog, you can upset your dogs tummy or even expierence a diarrhea. Its not because watermelon is bad for dog, just some dogs get an upset stomach when they try a new food that they aren’t used to. It is best to give your dog watermelon in moderation, especially if they haven’t eaten it before, and see how they react.

Enjoy your summer with summer fruits. But as always be wise and careful.

Westie paw care, westie spa

My 11 year old girl had quite rough paws. I searched for heeling options. As always I wanted natural as much as possible. A friend tried protective balsam from natural ingredients:
natural unrefined coconut, sesame, sea buckthorn, almond oils, beeswax, vitamin E.
It sounded perfect. We tried it too.
Balsam protects puppy’s feet from harmful factors such as pollution, salt, heat and dry air. Natural oils nourish and soften the skin while beeswax creates a protective layer. Balsam easily absorbs into the skin and leaves no greasy sensation. It is all natural so no problem if dogs lick it off. But if to massage a little bit into paws, there is nothing to lick of. 
In photo above you see my 11 year old girls paw after first balsam application. Paws became softer right away. After few applications they were soft even before applying.
We apply balsam after we wash paws, every time we come back home from outside. We wash paws with hard soap, from same all things natural company Biocos.  Not expensive, super natural, allowed to lick, really doing its work.

Dog tick protection without chemicals

Everyone talks about it, writes. We tell you as we understand it. You do not have to follow us. Equally, you shouldn’t judge, because we all know what’s best for our puffs. 
Today, with so many bad things going on in our world, we cannot forget the well-being of our little pets. They go through it all with us. Thanks to Dina’s surgery, visiting a veterinary clinic initially daily I have learned practically all of today’s dog health issues. In recent days, I’ve started hearing unhappy stories about ticks and the diseases they cause.  I always look for natural ways to protect my pups from these parasites.

I created my BEST DOG RAINCOATS brand in response to the need to protect my white dogs from dirt and rain during the wet cold season. Over time I have noticed that I can offer solutions to other problems as well. We love forests especially in summer time. But this caused us many issues: dirt, ticks, various stuff stucked in hair (we love to rub). This is how linen overalls were created. This is a great protection not only against ticks, but also from direct sunlight, summer dust and dirt.
No matter how skeptical it sounds, linen overalls (you can order them from our shop) are quite effective against ticks. Primarily because of the coatability of the coat. The more the body is covered, the harder it is for ticks to get on the dog’s skin, making it harder to suck in. Secondly, many legends have been written about the fact that ticks do not like flax/linen as such. For those who do not like chemicals and try to protect themselves and their pets as naturally as possible, any option will seem acceptable just to reduce the risk of ticks. Extra protection in any case. Third, the flax coverall can be spread with lavender, eucalyptus or lemon essential oils, which ticks are not very fond of. You can use the roller you use to collect dust and hair from clothes instead of spraying. You can even spray on the roller and take it to the forest, so you can renew protection and collect ticks at once. By the way, this remedy also helps protect against mosquitoes as well.
Several years ago we used and offered to you dry dog shampoo, which could also be used for dry bathing and protection against all parasites. But unfortunately its creator are no longer among us. We don’t have the equivalent of dry bathing yet, but we have a wonderful groomer that dry bathing is no longer a necessity. Evelina takes care of our fur so good that even at home there are almost no hair, westie hair are beautiful longer and have very little digestion, skin is not dry and hair is shiny. 
So the new wonder we discovered is BIOCOS academy’s protective aromatherapy spray for dogs (let me know if you want to try it out, I will give you details how to buy it, its made in Lithuania). Its active ingredients are nymph oil, aloe vera juice, essential oils of lemongrass, citronella, lavender, satin cedar and lemongrass eucalyptus.
How amazing is this composition? Let me mention a few benefits. Nimbam tree oil is rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, which is needed to restore the skin’s moisture balance, disinfect or regenerate the skin. So the nozzle will be great after sunbathing, skin bite irritation, excessive, dry skin for various reasons.
Aloe vera has intensely moisturizing, irritating, damaged, itchy skin calming properties. So if dogs skin needs help, this spray will help calm it down until you find the problem and its solution.
Nimbam tree oil and essential oil complex will help protect against unwanted insects and pests – fleas, ticks, mosquitoes. Spray the aromatherapy protective spray on the animal’s coat in case of dandruff, irritated skin. Also, use a spray before going out into nature – spray the animal’s coat well. 100% organic spray is safe for dogs of all ages. Careful, just don’t spray into dogs eyes!
By the way, I cwant to mention that hair combing daily keeps westie coat in perfect condition. Yeah. I was wondering why to comb if after few minutes hair looks like it was never combed. Combing stimulates dog skin. Stimulation causes fat release. Just like for us, but we, especially women, cannot tolerate when hair gets grease quickly. But look at the benefits of this grease for west highland white terriers. The fat that is released creates a protective layer for the skin and hair. Greasy hair are more resistant to dirt and dust. An oily layer on the skin protects dogs skin from environmental influences, other potential chemicals, dust, and keeps skin moisture balance. Just like us humans, for a healthy moisturizing skin, a protective layer of grease is needed to prevent moisture from evaporating and environmental irritants from penetrating to the skin itself.

Be healthy, beautiful, do not panic, take care of yourself and protect your little ones.

Westie tear stains. Why? How to clean?

 I found a big article about tear stains, it tells more about understanding, why dogs cry, why tears have red pigment. You can read it here: A Veterinary Guide to tear Stains

And here is what I understood in short. 

First of all, where tears come from and why tears are red?

Some dogs produce excessive tears. But this can be managed quite easily if it is not health issue or because of breed specification (poodles, bichons, Maltese, boxers, bulldogs, etc..)
Please remember that young puppies will tend to produce more tears when they are teething. In puppy case just be patient and do as suggested below.

Its all because of iron-containing molecules.
 
Tear stains are usually caused by dye molecules called porphyrins. Porphyrins are iron-containing molecules, produced when the body breaks down red blood cells. Porphyrins are excreted primarily through bile and the intestinal tract, but in dogs a significant amount of porphyrin is excreted through tears, saliva and also urine. When porphyrin containing tears or saliva sits on white fur for any length of time, stains result. These iron-related stains intensify/darken in the presence of sunlight.
All dogs produce porphyrin, but of course porphyrin staining is most noticeable on light colored dogs. If you have ever noticed a white dog who has been licking or chewing on his leg, the hair in that area will turn iron-brown in colour as well.

How to get rid off those reddish stains arround eyes?

Happy to announce that most tear stains can be simply prevented by keeping the face meticulously free of porphyrin-containing tears (if there are no health issues or breed issues). That means keeping the face hair trimmed, and wiping the face at least twice daily with a slightly damp wash cloth, to dilute out and wash away the tears. Or, if you want to get really fancy, cleaning under the eyes with ordinary contact lens cleaning solution (containing dilute boric acid, that oxidizes the iron in the porphyrins and lightens the color) will help keep things neat and tidy.

While you take wipe the your white fur babe face twice daily, please check possible options below that can cause excessive tears effect (information prepared using this AKC article about dog tear stains).

Examine the quality of your food. Probably you have heard few times from other white fur dog owners that a high-quality, grain-free diet works best. The corn, wheat, and meals that are used as fillers in inferior-quality foods just don’t ensure long-term good health and can cause allergic reactions, resulting in excess tearing and other problems.
Examine the quality of your water. Maybe home water is too poor or vice versa it has excess minerals. Its best to use purified, distilled, or reverse-osmosis water sources.
By the way, it is known that white fur dog food and water should not be served to plastic or metal bowl.

I have started to wipe my girls face few times a day. We have problem only with one eye. Its been a long time. Vets never found anything suspicious, I give her high quality grain free food, there is no problems with water or bowls for a long time already. So lets hope its only excessive tears that is common for her, and I need to keep it dry and clean not to get reddish eye.

​Whats your story? Ware you able to solve it?

If you found it useful information please Pin it to your Pinterest board Westies ​and help others find it. Thank you!

Westie womb inflammation, womb removing surgery

Two little sisters. They have each other. They have me. I got them.
When stories happen you understand how important is your important to your important ones.

𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵: feeling almost healthy, only problems with scar, not heeling completely still..

After womb removing surgery (inflammation): keep visiting our super dogtor, drops, medicine, still not eating, a little water drinking, potting normally, sleeping a lot. Only one tiny vomiting today (yesterday she vomited every time after drinking tiny little peace of water). We wait for kidneys to start working normally again: renal failure after surgery, westies common problem.
If she starts eating, everything will be ok.
One more drop tonight.

On the whole, it seems like she is resting while sleeping now, not because she has no energy, but because she is gaining new energy, like recovery sleep. 💗💗

Thank you for your big support 💗💗