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Hello! Happy Spring!
The weather is warming and the dogs are spending more time outside (and loving it!) Remember to visit your vet for his/her recommendation for your dog's seasonal heart worm prevention.
If you haven't voted for your favorite kennel at the Gazette's "Best Of" you only have a few days remaining (contest ends April 4). Please go to www.gazette.com and click on "Best Of" on the bottom of the page. Fill out your information and find the best kennel category under "City Life."
Who would like $40 worth of dog boarding, daycare, pet sitting or retail products? If you refer a new boarding client to Lucky Dog, and that client books a boarding stay, that's what you'll get! Along with that bonus, the new client gets up to 10 days of boarding for only $20 per night per dog! Nights must be consecutive, must be used before October 31, 2009 and cannot be combined with other offers or discounts. New client boarding must occur before existing client receives the $40 credit.
For those of you that live near our Central location and use the services of our South groomer, Cari Rucker, you will be pleased to know that Cari will be working at the Central location one day every two weeks. Cari's days at Central will be announced as soon as possible, but please call if you are interested in making an appointment with her (and don't forget to vote her best groomer at the gazette web site).
Debi Ropes-Stevenson
General Manager
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4401 Mark Dabling Blvd
Colorado Springs, CO 80907
719-599-9663
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2801 Janitell Rd East
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
719-527-9663 |
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Your Dog's Health
Giardia
This article is from last June's Newsletter. Since giardia is so prevalent in Colorado and it's getting to be the time of year again when we see a lot of it, I thought it was worth repeating.
Giardia are sometimes confused with worms because they invade our dog's gastrointestinal tract and cause diarrhea. Giardia are not worms,but one-celled parasites classified as protozoa.
Most dogs have a certain quantity in their gastrointestinal tract, but do not have diarrhea or any other signs of illness. When the eggs (cysts) are found in the stool of a dog without diarrhea, they are generally considered insignificant. Sometimes however, the infection becomes worse do to stress, other illness or low immunities. This is when the dog becomes symptomatic with watery, foul smelling diarrhea. Very young and very old dogs tend to become symptomatic with the infection more frequently.
A dog becomes infected with Giardia when he swallows the cyst stage of the parasite, and the cyst matures. Giardia can be transmitted in the stool of other dogs (who may or may not show symptoms of the condition themselves), through drinking contaminated water, or ingestion of contaminated soil.
A diagnosis of Giardia is done through microscopic examination. There is also a blood test that more accurately diagnoses the condition, but it takes several days for results. Microscopic diagnosis is sometimes difficult, so a dog with diarrhea may be misdiagnosed as having the infection. However, Giardia is so common in Colorado that treating a dog with symptoms of Giardia without microscopic proof is appropriate.
The most common treatment for Giardia is metronidazole, an antibiotic type drug. In most cases it is extremely effective.
For dogs who have frequent attacks of Giardia, or for those families who camp and hike frequently, there is a vaccine for Giardia that has been shown to have some benefit for certain dogs.
Giardia is hard to prevent, and many dogs carry Giardia cysts with no symptoms. Never let your dog drink from water that is not purified (fresh looking mountain streams can be loaded with Giardia!) Keep your yard clear of dog feces and discourage coprophagy (stool eating) which some dogs seem to enjoy. Humans can contract Giardia as well, usually from drinking contaminated water or improper hand washing protocol.
Cement indoor and outdoor areas and matting can be properly disinfected for Giardia. Facilities that have dirt and grass play yards, and dog park facilities cannot properly disinfect for Giardia, or for other canine infections or viruses.
As stated above, Giardia is very common in Colorado. If your dog is diagnosed with the infection he should stay home from playgroup until he has finished all his medication.
Thanks to Dr. David Volz, at the Animal Clinic of Woodland Park for his advice on this subject.
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CANINE NUTRITION -What Your Dog Eats DOES Matter!
It's no wonder we're confused!
There are so many dog foods out there that claim to be the best for your dog. Dog owners need to "interpret" the ingredients on that bag of food to get to the truth, so grab your dog's food and follow along.
Check the first ingredient:
* If it's ground yellow corn NOT GOOD. Corn is a cheap protein source that dog food companies use to raise their stated protein level. What they're not telling you is that dogs cannot process corn, so this is a useless ingredient. Corn gluten meal anywhere on the ingredients is basically the same thing and does nothing nutritionally for your dog.
* Is the first ingredient meat by-products, or ground meat by-products (meal)? Oh goody, your dog gets to eat the leftovers of the butchering industry which includes, spines, feet, reproductive organs, heads, etc. Basically, animal garbage.
* If the first ingredient is a meat (beef, chicken, etc.) or a meat meal (ground up meat) that's good. These are fine sources of protein.
But check that second ingredient:
* Back to corn again? No Good. Whole wheat flour - OK carbohydrate but many dogs, like people, are allergic to wheat.
* Good stuff for the second ingredient? More meat or meat meal, brown rice, fish, meat fat, or fish oils or oats.
* Multiple proteins listed high up in the ingredient list (fish, chicken, beef or the the same listed as "meal", that's good!)
* Look for the good ingredients mentioned further down the label too. You are going to see some added vitamins and some preservatives, but if what you are looking at reminds you of chemical nightmare, shy away from this food.
Beware the glitzy bags with all the vegetables and delicious looking meats on the front. These big companies have a lot of money, and they spend it trying to fool the consumer into buying a pig in a poke. It's what's on that food label that's important! And don't think you have to spend an arm and a leg on a bag of food. Most better foods will provide good information on the amount to feed, and most "filler" foods want you to overfeed to get back to that store to buy again. A higher quality food also makes your backyard cleanup a lot easier - less waste in the food, less waste out of the dog.
High quality dog food will cost you a lot less in vet bills in the end as well. Feeding low quality food is linked to many health conditions that can lead to big vet bills.
Just a few foods we recommend:
Natural Balance
Nutri Source
Wellness
Precise
Merrick
Two more dog hazards for you - Gorilla Glue (dogs love in and it forms a great glob in the gut which may require surgery), and Xylitol which is an artificial sweetener found in chewing gum and some baked goods. In large enough amounts Xlitol can make your dog very sick!
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Don't Chew Me Out!
Confessions of a Chronic Chewer
My name is Puggsley and I am a chewaholic. I chew everything; shoes, toilet brushes, chair legs, remote controls, and just about anything I can get my teeth around. My family gets very angry at me, but they don't get it; I just can't stop. If they could understand a few things about my chewing habits, maybe they could help me. Here are some things I would tell them if I could speak human.
1. My owner leaves things I like to chew in my reach. Please put things away so I'm not tempted.
2. I am given an old shoe to chew on, but don't understand the difference between that shoe and my owner's $150 Italian loafers!
3. No one knows how to correct me when they catch me chewing. Make a loud noise and a sharp "NO!"when I'm chewing something I shouldn't be, but only if you catch me actually doing it.
4. I have a barren environment and am left with no proper chew toys and nothing to do. I am bored so I turn to a destructive behavior (chewing) as an activity.
My owner could:
1. Give me a safe area in the house to stay when I can't be watched. Have none of my favorite forbidden "chewies" anywhere near me.
2. Buy me
plenty of safe chew toys, and have them available for me at all times.
Stuff Kongs with yummy treats to keep me occupied and satisfy my
chewing instincts.
3. Use "Bitter Apple" or a product like Bitter Apple to discourage the chewing of forbidden items.
Remember I'm a dog, and my chewing instinct can be insatiable. Please get me off to the right start as soon as you bring me home, with allowable chew toys and proper correction! Oh, and NEVER let me chew on your hands or arms, it's a hard to break me of this when I'm older and my teeth aren't small and soft!
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| Focus on the Breed
The American Blue Lacy (the what?????)
I first heard of this breed about 2 weeks ago on Dogster. I began doing some research on these dogs, and I could not find one negative comment about them in anything I read.
The American Blue Lacy is the State dog of Texas. They are called "Blue" due to the blue gene they all carry (even the ones that do not "show" the blue color) and "Lacy" after the Lacy family who first identified the dogs as a breed. The ABL is thought to have scent hound, greyhound and coyote blood in it's background. ABLs come in several colors of blue, gun metal blue, tri-color blue, or red and white. The ABL blue is truly a beautiful color, often described as slate, and their coats are short and glossy. They all have piercing amber eyes, with strong, powerful jaws and teeth. They are lean and muscular. The average size of an ABL is 17-21 inches high and 30-50 pounds in weight.
So...here is the ABL personality low down.
Great with kids, strong able workers, excellent ranch dogs, very gentle, intelligent, take directions well, very fast and built for endurance and strength. Add to this a 16 year life expectancy (many ABLs are still working the ranches at 16 years plus!) and no specific health problems common to the breed, you've got a great dog here!
Before everyone runs out to adopt a Blue Lacy keep in mind that this is a working dog. If you have a ranch, great! If you don't, and you are not extremely active or have an active job for your ABL, he will probably be bored to tears. Remember a working dog needs a job or he will become "self employed" which can mean trouble around the house.
I have decided that I really want to meet one these great dogs before I die. Anyone out there have one?
Debi Ropes-Stevenson
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Dear Clients,
Remember to come in and check out our new line of toys and other retail items. We have a good selection of great food for your best friend, so take advantage of the convenience of picking up your food when you pick up your four-legged friend.
Also, take advantage of our special $40 client boarding referral, and as always, our daycare referral system. We love our clients, old and new!
If you get a lot of chocolate for Easter remember to keep it well hidden from your dog. Like most people, dogs love chocolate, but theobromine (found in chocolate) is poison to dogs.
Don't forget to vote for us as best kennel at the Gazette website. Let's show the "big guys" that a local, non-franchised kennel business can be the best! (Vote for our own Cari Rucker as best groomer too!) Thanks!
Debi Ropes-Stevenson
Lucky Dog Resorts |
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New Client/Existing Client Special!
Refer a new boarding client to Lucky Dog and the new client will receive $20 per night, per dog boarding for up to 10 consecutive days!
You will receive a $40 credit towards boarding, daycare, pet sitting or retail products!
Be sure to have the new client mention this offer and your name when booking their dog's boarding stay! |
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| Boarding must occur before 10/31/09. Cannot be used in conjunction with other offers or discounts. New client boarding stay must be completed before $40 credit is issued to existing client. |
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