Hear Me Bark

Natural Tick Repellent

Hoping to avoid the chaos that ensued after our last hike in the woods, Tall did some research about tick repellents. She discovered a natural tick repellent, so I thought I'd share it with you.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable or almond oil (Almond oil contains sulfur, a repellent in its own right.)
10 to 25 drops Rose Geranium (or American Pennyroyal) essential oil

Directions:
Combine the ingredients in a glass jar and shake to blend. Dab a few drops on collar (or human clothing), making sure to avoid eyes.

The recipe yields two tablespoons and has a shelf life of six months. Tall bought both oils, as well as a glass mixing bottle with a glass pipette, from Whole Foods. She mixed it up last night and it smells pretty good.

I should point out that this isn't the only tick prevention that I use. I also get a dose of Frontline Plus each month. Hopefully the combination of the two will keep me tick free.

Junkyard Spoo

My recent tick bite has left a weird bald spot on my face, which wasn't noticable until I got groomed yesterday. In addition, there's a similar white bald spot above my left eye. I have no idea what happened there. Tall Human is fretting and worrying that hair won't grow back on those spots. "And if it doesn't," she says, "I'm afraid to keep taking you hiking for fear that you'll end up more white than black."

I'm inclined to go with Tall on this one; it really doesn't look like these bald spots are going anywhere. The spots, however, make me look scrappy -- like a junkyard spoo. I'll just say that I kicked someone's ass in a Michael Vick-style dog fight until hair around the spots grows back to hide them.

"Tixie"

We (mostly Tall Human) had a health scare on Saturday. After a trip to the very muddy soccer field near our house for a game of fetch, Tall insisted on giving me a bath. Apparently, I smelled like "poopy mud."

The bathing process was fairly normal and uneventful until Tall was drying me off. She noticed a white spot on the left side of my muzzle. Thinking it was residual shampoo, she wiped it with the towel but it didn't disappear. She gasped in horror when she realized what it was -- a big, fat, white tick. All hell broke loose as Tall yelled for Short to come into the bathroom. Short came in and confirmed it was a tick while Tall started opening and slamming drawers on my grooming cart; she was searching for the tick remover.

When she found it, she nervously read the instructions and removed the tick. Once she examined it to make sure the head was intact, she pushed the remover, complete with trapped tick, toward Short saying: "I don't want to touch it." Short, who is normally overly disgusted by such things, took the remover and disposed of the nasty tick. They both examined my face, cleaned it, and applied some kind of ointment.

Tall fretted for the rest of the weekend and called our new vet first thing Monday morning. Fortunately (for her), they had an available appointment at 4:50.

I LOVE my new vet. He is so nice, knowledgeable, and answered all of Tall's questions. He also has a white standard poodle, so he understands where I'm coming from. Oh, and by the way, the tick didn't do any major damage besides leaving a hard lump. The vet thinks my monthly dose of FrontlinePlus killed the nasty thing 24 hours after it attached itself to me. 

During my visit, I learned that I've gained 3 pounds since Dec. 1 (no snide comments, please; it's all muscle) and got to play with Will, my buddy Trevor's brother. I think Will has a little crush on me. And the people who work there loved me and I got lots of pets and treats. The feeling is very mutual.

We left the vet with a prescription cream for my lump, a "super" tick remover, and a cool soccer ball that makes noises.

Thankfully, this story had a happy ending, which means Tall can save her fretting for another day.

Review: Solid Gold Dragon's Teeth Biscuits

Several months ago, Tall Human read about Solid Gold's Dragon's Teeth biscuits. The advertisement caught her eye because of the slogan at the top: "Don't tickle the dragon." Isn't that a weird saying? For several weeks now, I've actually been tickling the dragon. Well, I've been eating the treats anyway.

Dragon's Teeth are marketed as biscuits that help keep dogs' teeth clean. Solid gold claims that the special shape of the biscuits help scrape off plaque, and the semi-exotic ingredients (e.g., perilla oil, Antarctic krill, peppermint) offer other health benefits.

I eat two treats each night before bed and find them to be quite delicious. However, neither me or my humans have observed a significant dental benefit. Therefore, I give these biscuits three paws, mostly for taste.

 

My Projected Future Health Care Costs

Humans aren't the only ones thinking about health care these days. This weekend, I received my monthly VPI Pet Insurance e-mail newsletter, which contained an interesting tool that allowed me to project my future health care costs. According to VPI, "the Cost of Care Planner breaks down ailments and costs by breed for the most customized information available." They also say it's designed to provide a better understanding of the most common illnesses and injuries affecting pets and what the treatment costs could be.

While my first thought about this tool was that it is a marketing ploy by VPI to scare you into buying pet insurance, I decided to give it a try just for fun; I was indeed curious about these illnesses, injuries, and their costs. After filling in the required fields — my name, species, breed, date of birth, and zip code — the tool generated this info:

Of the ten items listed, I've had five, which just so happen to be the first five items on my list. Wow! According to Tall, the prices are pretty spot on too. Luckily, we do have pet insurance, which takes care of much of these costs.

If you want to calculate your own projected future health care costs, check out VPI's Cost of Care Planner. It's pretty interesting.

Damn these hairy ears!

I returned to the vet human this afternoon so he could re-examine my ears for the pesky infections I've been dealing with. After weighing me and sticking that temperature-taking thing in my a-hole, we finally got down to business and the vet human looked in my ears. He said things looked much better, but wanted to take a "specimen" and examine it under the "scope." Good god. After sticking yet another item into my orifices and smearing the yield on a small piece of glass, he scurried out the door.

Tall and I waited patiently as she fed me little bits of dried liver. This is the part of the process I can totally deal with.

The vet human returned shortly, said he still saw a lot of cells, and suggested I return in 10 days for another look. I realize people enjoy my company, but they should have to pay me rather than the other way around. At least I got an "awesome dog" discount this time (last time I got a "cute dog" discount); Tall was pleased to see that when she paid the bill.

My favorite kind of discount!

I returned to the vet human's office yesterday for him to have another look at my ears. Several days ago, I began developing a small rash inside my ears in addition to the yeast and bacterial infections.

It turns out that I'm having a reaction to the Tresaderm drops, but my infections haven't been cured so I still need medication. The vet human prescribed something different, called Panalog, to treat my infections. Panalog reminds me of Elmer's Glue in consistency, and it makes a huge, sticky mess. However, Tall is having an easier time administering it.

Because yesterday's visit was a follow-up to my last vet visit, they gave me a discount — a "cute dog discount." Aren't those the best?

Trouble in the Teeth and Ears Departments

Tall noticed a small crack, or fracture, on my right third premolar last Thursday while brushing my teeth. (This is one of the big back teeth.) As much as it injures my vanity, I'll admit that I have a small amount of tartar buildup on my back teeth. In fact, some of my back teeth grew in with little stains on them. Weird. Anyway, Tall was hoping the crack was in the tartar rather than my tooth because she has been able to chip away some of the tartar in the past while attending to my dental needs.

The first appointment we could get with the vet human was yesterday, so Tall and I walked the 11 blocks in triple-digit heat. It was not pleasant. At all. The vet took a look at my tooth and suspects that the crack is in the tartar, but couldn't tell for sure without probing with some metal instruments, which could have proved problematic if the tooth was cracked and I was awake. Tall discussed my dental health at length with the vet and decided to schedule a cleaning for me next Wednesday. Goodie.

This wasn't the end of my vet visit, however. During the weekend, I was scratching my ears and, although I tried to hide it from them, both humans noticed. Tall asked the vet to check my ears and it turns out that I have a yeast infection in both. I also have a bacterial infection in one. The vet human's assistant flushed out my ears and cleaned them, which did feel nice. Unfortunately, I'm now stuck getting Tresaderm drops in both ears twice a day for two weeks. I despise ear drops more than eye drops.

It was a difficult day for me, as you can see. But the torture doesn't stop there. In addition to being subjected to the ear drops, the humans won't give me any raw bones to chew, and they have removed any toys they think would hurt my teeth. I plan to revolt, but I've just been too busy scratching my ears.

Two Great Pet-related iPhone Apps

Does your human have an iPhone? If so, you should tell him or her about two really cool, helpful apps, or "applications," related to issues dear to my heart: dog parks and health. Sound interesting? Then keep reading!

Off Leash, an app created by Eukanuba, is a dog park locator. Off Leash can use your iPhone's built-in GPS to find dog parks close to your current location. This is perfect for those times when you and your human are out and the urge to play strikes. You also can enter a zip code to find up dog parks. This feature is convenient when you are planning dog-friendly vacations or travel. Oh, and if you know of a dog park that isn't listed, you can e-mail Eukanuba from within the app to request its addition. The best part is that this app costs nothing — that's more money for your human to spend on toys or treats for you!

Pet First Aid is another app that your humans likely will find useful. If nothing else, their peace of mind will be worth the $3.99 price tag. Pet First Aid is loaded with detailed videos (I'm hoping the one about administering CPR will never be necessary, but it's best to play it safe.), step-by-step illustrations, and articles covering all emergency situations pet owners might encounter. The categories include:

• Emergency Situations
• Heart and Breathing (e.g., compressions, CPR).
• Fundamentals (e.g., restraint, giving medications).
• What's Normal (e.g., pulse, temperature, breathing rate).
• Disaster Preparedness.
• Bites and Stings.
• Bloat and Torsion.
• Burns.
• Eyes, Ears, and Nose.
• Fractures and Sprains.
• Head and Spinal Injuries.
• Heat and Cold Injuries.
• Poisoning.
• Wounds.

In addition to first aid content, the app also allows users to store pet medical profiles for emergency situations. Tall has already set up a medical profile for me that includes my, weight, age, vaccinations, medications, veterinarian contact information, allergies and conditions, and medical notes. I feel so official!

You can learn more about these apps, and many others, by visiting the App Store from your computer or iPhone. Happy apping!

Get Your Own Personal Petcast

Just in time for hot summer days and stormy summer nights, Weather.com has launched a special weather forecast for pets and their humans: Personal Petcast.

When you first visit the site, you are presented with options to personalize your furry pal's forecast. The site lets you choose dog or cat, size, hair length, age, and whether your per is overweight. You can even add your pet's name if you like. This information, combined with your zip code (or city/town and state) takes you to a page that gives you:

• The high and low temperatures for day and night.
  
• Chance of precipitation.
  
• Pet comfort index (ranked by one to five paws).
  
• The best day and evening time to walk your dog.
  
• Mosquito activity.

The site also includes fun stuff like a user-submitted daily dog picture and links to pet videos. There's also a section called "Dog Care Clinic" that gives helpful tips like inside car temperatures (ouch!). Oh, and you can even see a chart that shows flea activity in your area. Here's my personalized petcast for today:

I think this is a really helpful tool for pet owner's. I plan to check the site regularly, paying special attention to the best times for a walk. Then I'll bug my humans when it's safe to go out.