Dorsetdog - Health care tips and tick removal
Ticks
Ticks are horrible little blood sucking things.
One way to remove a tick is to use the O'tom tick twister tool
Female ticks feed on blood to help produce their offspring, just like mosquitoes. Male ticks do not feed on blood apparently .
Brushing your dog, might rip the ticks body off. The head will then continue to dig its way in, and infect the dog. In certain parts of the county, and the world, ticks carry a number of diseases like Lyme's disease – which can make you go blind.
O'tom have a web site www.otom.com with lots of factual information in numerous languages.
If you live in a heavy tick area –Bayer make Advantix.
Advantix was specifically developed to repel ticks and other biting insects from dogs.
If you have a good vet, then these Bayer products will be advertised and sold there.
Dental hygiene
Dental hygiene of your pet is very important.
It is said that dental issues such as plaque and oral bacteria can lead to liver and heart problems. So it is best to keep the teeth clean
Today it is possible to buy dental gels which you simply rub on to the dogs teeth every day. The action of the dog’s tongue and saliva moves the enzymatic gel around the teeth, cleaning and protecting them. If the dog does not like you touching its mouth or teeth then you can either place some on your finger and let the dog lick it off, or place some on a saucer or plate.
There are also oral hygiene liquids that can be added to the water in the drinking bowl, which help as a part of an oral hygiene program.
Harvest mites
Harvest mites are exceptionally tiny little things that live in grass and similar areas. They like to get in to the warm areas between the toes of dogs, which results in skin irritation and inflammation.
The usual sign of infestation is of the area between the toes becoming red.
My vet prescribed Hebiscrub, which can be brought from most agricultural / countryside stores.
Simply wet the legs and feet, lather the shampoo between the toes, ensuring that you cover right to the top of the V - leave for 5 minutes and rinse off with clean water.
Sun tan on nose
Pink dog noses are susceptible to sun burn, and should have sun tan lotion applied as you would with your own bare skin
