Hot Spot Treatment for Dogs

According to Dr. Oz, apple cider vinegar may be a helpful tool for those itchy, irritated hot spots on your dog.

My little dog Boo gets hot spots on the bottom of his legs, his belly and in the crevices at the top of his legs, especially during the summer.

Hot spots are essentially a type of dermatitis or skin inflammation, and are common. Sometimes they are caused by allergies, including food related, sometimes fleas or other bugs, and sometimes even, simply nerves or stress. They are almost always initiated by constant licking or scratching, that leaves behind red patches of irritated skin and even cause small patches of bald spots. If your dog has these symptoms be sure to look for fleas, mites or other initiating insect bites and investigate other things that might be responsible.

My Boo lives inside, gets bathed regularly and doesn't have fleas, so I think his is caused by those short trips out to the yard where he is annoyed by those same pesky gnats and no-see-ums the rest of us are bothered by and come in itching from. His is also not a constant problem, but a more periodic one, although he was born with somewhat tender skin to begin with, so it takes zero time for him to bite or scratch in angry, irritating red rash like spots, and knock off a little hair too.

I was watching a repeat of the Dr. Oz show recently and he had a guest on with one of those adorable Shih Tzu and Bichon Frise mix "teddy bear" dogs, who had a problem with hot spots. Dr. Oz suggested applying apple cider vinegar to help reduce the itching, heal the spots, and encourage hair re-growth. You can apply it direct by saturating a cotton ball with apple cider vinegar and dabbing it on the spots. If the spots are highly inflamed and irritated, make a mixture of equal parts apple cider vinegar and water and either dab it on, or use it in a small spray bottle.

Yesterday was a particularly itchy day for Boo, and when I checked I noticed a lot of irritated red patches from his scratching. I mixed up equal parts apple cider vinegar with water and applied it to all the spots, repeating it again a few hours later. By the second application, I kid you not, the red patches were completely gone!  Of course, as always, your results may differ, but for me this was another great tip from Dr. Oz and I can feel pretty good about using something natural.

I know a lot of you use organic vinegars such as Braggs containing the "mother," for a variety of health reasons - that was a big discussion back in the day when I was doing low carb - but for general household use and cooking, I keep good ole grocery store Heinz cider vinegar as pictured above, and that is what I used on Boo.

You could also use an apple cider vinegar rinse with your dog's bath that might help. After bathing your dog with a mild shampoo, mix apple cider vinegar with an equal amount of warm water in a small bucket or bowl. Towel dry your dog, then use a sponge to dab on the vinegar and water mixture, letting your pet air dry.

Another use for that same 50/50 spray mixture, might be to lightly spray your dog before they go outside to use the bathroom and when they get back in, or when you leave home and return with them, which may help deter those pests like gnats or even fleas.

I didn't worry too much about Boo smelling like a salad. I use vinegar in my wash and for cleaning and as far as my nose is concerned, I find that the vinegar smell seems to fade away after only a few minutes.

Disclaimer: I am not an animal expert. Information shared here is for informational and entertainment purposes only and any recipes, remedies, solutions, practices or other suggestions or information offered at this site is to be used at your own discretion and at your own risk and you agree to accept all such responsibility for any related liability holding this site and its owner completely free of liability.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
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Bubble Cat

I was unpacking a box in my office and left a stack of bubble wrap on the desktop when I left the room. I walked back in, and I found my sweet little girl Cali perched comfortably on top of the bubbles, sharing it with a stuffed cat that I keep on my desktop - which is what you see sort of poking out from underneath her by that red ribbon. Isn't she adorable?

Cali is a very sweet cat, though she can be a bit temperamental at times and doesn't really care much about being held.  She is a bit of a closet eater and doesn't want to eat her food until the male cats are done and out of the way. If you walk in while she is eating, she will stop, but sneak back later. She truly hates going to the vet and will literally scream to the point of upsetting not only me, but the vet and everybody else in the office - I am not kidding {the male cat is just the same - hmm, seems to be a pattern with my animals...}.  She will often decide that she just does not want to be bothered at all with humans and then suddenly, out of the blue, she will jump into your lap.

Like the others, she was a stray who showed up at our house back in the summer of 2002, a couple of months behind my male Sunny Boy.  It had been one of those horribly stormy nights and the roads were flooded, so I had taken my husband's F150 4 x 4 to work, fearing I'd flood out the Mustang.  When I got home from work and parked the truck, out from underneath my parked Mustang came this scrawny kitten. She couldn't have been more than a month old and was so underweight that her head looked completely over-sized for her little body. As you can see, she seems pretty happy and healthy now.

She and I are the only remaining females in this house now that Sally has passed on.

Heaven help us.

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I Traumatized My Puppy

Or, at least I thought I had. What did I do you ask?

I took Boo to the groomer for a bath and to have his nails trimmed.

I did this not because I can't bathe him myself, I can. And I do. But I cannot, no way, shape or form, get him to allow me to trim those nails. I've tried and he acts as if I am about to cut his foot off!  And, he tries to bite me. Heck I even tried to put a little bit of Carmex on his upper lip that he had licked a raw spot on, and as soon as he tasted it, he snapped at me!

So this pet groomer opened shop at the entrance to my neighborhood recently, and off we went to trim those god-awful talons that have been shredding my legs.

One major problem.  Apparently I did not socialize this almost two year old pup.

Which is odd, because in all the animals I've ever had, well, social skills never seemed to be a problem. Apparently it is with this mix of Heinz 57 breed we adopted, because although he grew up around my lab Sally, the cats, and my husband, based on his behavior at our own front door, he doesn't like other animals and he apparently doesn't care for other people either - not the UPS guy, the mailman, or any of the neighbors.

As soon as we got out of the car at the groomer, he heard another dog barking inside and off he went. The owner of the shop, had a stare-down with him as he barked like an insane animal.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of very loud and aggressive barking, he caved. I put him on the floor, leash in hand, and he started trying to crawl up my leg, burying his head in the crook of my knee.  By this time I was this short of crying myself!  Thankfully the owner made friends with him, picked him up, assured me he would be alright and took him away as I gave the receptionist my information.  There were several other dogs there ahead of us, so I asked how long it would be and she said an hour or maybe more.

It wasn't 30 minutes later I got the call that he was ready to be picked up.

When I arrived he was barking and I asked if he had been barking the whole time. That would certainly explain the speed of his grooming experience.  I thought,

"Oh no. I am one of those people."

Well, the rest of the day, he hated me. Maybe hate is a strong word, but he definitely had an attitude, because not only did he snap at me several times, he actually bit me a couple of times!  This is the first "spirited" breed of dog that I've ever had - every dog I've ever owned has been much more docile and calm. Now, don't get me wrong, he is a good dog. He comes when I call. He listens to direction. He is otherwise well-behaved. But he is very touchy when it comes to being restrained in any way, or if he perceives any harm. Trouble is, he perceives harm where there is none.

Thank goodness by morning he had seemingly forgotten all about the experience and was back to his old self.

I'm afraid though, we may need some obedience classes.


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P-E-T Code

I often compare having a critter pet, particularly a puppy {or a toddler or teen dog, say, oh, under the age of 3}, to having young children, though young mama's roll their eyes at me when I say so.  But honestly there really are a few similarities, especially with a spastic active breed like this one, who appears to have some sort of terror terrier in him. Good grief these dogs have some energy.

He requires a lot of toys. A LOT of toys. Some because he needs the stimulation to keep him entertained, but mostly because he can destroy go through them fast. Which means that you have toys strewn from one side of the family room to the other about 99% of the time. Once he's down for the night, there's a ritual of scooping up toys to return them to his "toy box," just so you can see the floor again, and not break your ankle stepping on one of them later.

Then of course, while there may not be diapers involved, there certainly is potty training, or housebreaking, as in breaking your puppy of the desire to just pee or poop right where he is, i.e., inside your house - and that starts right away. So there are schedules for potty training. And trying to recognize the "I need to go potty signals." And coming back inside only to turn around and have to go outside. Ten. Times. In. A. Row. And ... the accidents that come along with it.

There's also a schedule for feedings and a schedule for naps, and apparently a highly stimulated breed like this must need to continue those schedules for some time, or else they get cranky and then drive every other animal within range crazy and start to get into everything. Mine must go down for regular naps every single day, at about the same time, and since his house breaking occurred with a crate, that is where he naps. In another room. Away from any stimulation. With a noise machine to cover any external noises. And covered like a bird so he can't see anything. And you have to be quiet. And pray nobody rings the doorbell.

Of course you must keep your eye on them at all times and be careful about what might be on the floor because, apparently this kind of breed wants to put everything in his mouth. And eat it. Everything. No. Really. EVERYTHING. If there is a speck of something that makes it way to the floor - a leaf or twig brought in on a shoe, a twist tie knocked off the counter, a piece of paper, a thread, piece of string, a tissue, a bobby pin, an empty toilet roll, you name it, if he can get to and find it, he will eat it. 

And yes, sometimes, you even have to be careful what you say.

Husband arrives home. "Has he had a T-R-E-A-T?"
Wife, "No, but it's almost time for his dinner, so he doesn't need one."

Husband. "I'm going by Mama's. Wanna R-I-D-E with me?"
Wife, "Nah. Too hot to go out. Tell her I said hello"

Husband, "I'm going O-U-T for a while. Need anything?"
Wife, "No, we're good. Since you're going out, would you check the M-A-I-L before you leave?"

Yes. I am convinced. He actually does know what we are saying, at least he knows certain words like those based on his reactions to those words, but thank goodness he doesn't spell. At least not yet.


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She Was a Good Dog

 R.I.P. Miss Sally

7/22/10

Age: About 12

She really was a good dog. Calm and docile and never one to complain, even to the end of her life.  Yes, today, we had to make that fateful trip to the vet. You know the one. She's in doggy heaven now and I will sorely miss her. Already do.
 

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Look What I Found...

As if I needed yet another pet, another one has managed to make his way into my life. At least temporarily.

I was out in the garden the other morning, I guess about 9:30 or so, when I heard this distressed meow coming from nearby. So I grabbed my garden stool and peered over the privacy fence to try and figure out where this was coming from and saw this little gray kitten wedged into a tree trunk next door.

Now, I know these folks next door to me have a very large dog. A very large and fairly aggressive dog - who is frankly the main reason I put up a privacy fence to begin with.

When I would be out in my yard and the neighbors would let him out, he would immediately charge their chain link fence right at me, barking and raising all kinds of cain, and flat out, this dog's behavior scared the daylight outta me. And worse, the neighbors would do nothing to discipline this dog or to stop this behavior so it literally happened every single time they let him out. He actually still does this, but he can't really see anything anymore, so he stops pretty quick and they do a better job of getting him to settle down.

All that to say, I was petrified about this little kitten being in this yard where this big, aggressive dog lives, so I did what any lover of animals would do and I went next door to let them know about this kitten. Apparently I woke everybody up. But... I retrieved the kitten.

He is pretty underweight and probably only about 4 weeks old, but he's very gentle and extremely affectionate, so I couldn't help but wonder if some little girl out there was missing her kitty. He also took right to the litter box. I put up a "Kitty Found" sign on the pole near my house, hoping that if somebody was missing him, they'd call. So far nobody has.

Most of you who have been reading my blog for awhile remember several months ago, we took in a puppy that was left in a box at WalMart, and I already had a older lab, plus one declawed female and another declawed male cat {everybody is also fixed except the pup who is about to be, and, of course, this kitten} both found their way to my front door as kittens themselves a few years back.

So we already have 4 animals living with us. He's very sweet, but I really don't know if we can take on another pet. The shelter is out of the question - they are already overrun with kittens this time of year so he would be doomed. But, animals are just so hard to give away. Not only is it hard to find someone who is looking to take on a new pet, I also worry over whether they will be treated well.

What to do? What to do??

America's Most Adorable Dog

No, I'm not bein' presumptuous, though he is kinda adorable don't cha think? More on this in a minute...

I knew it would happen. My husband pushed and prodded for me to agree to take on the puppy when he was found abandoned in a cardboard box in the WalMart parking lot, left only with a little handwritten sign taped to the side that said, "Take Me."

"I'll help with him," my husband said, "promise."

I have a soft place for animals, but it had been a long time since I had actually dealt with a tiny puppy - yet I had no problem with remembering the work that is involved. And this one was only about 5 weeks old. I knew it was going to be a lot of work. I knew it would be me doing all of it. On the other side of age 50, did I really want to take on this task?

Well, as soon as I saw him of course, my heart melted. And I have gotten so attached to him, and he to me. But, I was right. I have done it all. From stumbling through the dark in the middle of the night to take him outside, to getting up early every morning for his first feeding, to living my life around his schedule, and having to tiptoe and keep quiet while the 'baby' napped.

The rambunctiousness, the nips from his sharp teeth. The equally knife-like claws that have scratched me literally everywhere. The feedings. The play times. The multiple trips outside hoping this time he'll go to the bathroom. Followed by the inevitable accidents on the kitchen floor. It has been an experience that has left me exhausted for sure.

But it is in certain other special moments, that I understand why I have fallen so in love with this new four-legged man in my life. When a loud and unexpected noise, or a large dog barking nearby, sends him quickly running to my arms for protection. Or those moments when he is beginning to tire and nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck. The look of anticipation toward the corner where he knows the puppy treats are kept. The exuberance he expresses when he comes out of a nap to see only my face. Such sweet innocence, such dependence on me, his surrogate mom. I do not only love him. I am in love with him.

If you have a special canine that has captured your heart (and I know that some of you do) why not enter your special four legged love into the America's Most Adorable Dog contest, sponsored by All You Magazine. Just send in a photo and an essay about why you love your dog so much.

Contest ends May 17, 2009

Send an email to pets@allyou.com with a photo of your dog and tell them why you love your dog so much. Include your name, age, address, phone number, and email address.

For a complete list of rules and how to enter, see page 152 of All You Magazine, Issue 4 April 17, 2009.

All entries will be judged by All You editors based on the following criteria:

a) Overall Charm and Appeal of Photo and Essay explaining why you love your dog (25%)
b) Composition and Quality of Photo (25%)
c) Photogenic Qualities (25%)
d) Appropriateness to Contest Theme (25%)

Winners and runners-up will be notified by telephone or email.

Open to legal residents 19 or older at time of entry.

Prizes:

One winner will receive either a gift card or pet care products. Approximate retail value - up to $600.00

Five runners-up will receive either a gift card or pet care products. Approximate retail value- up to $100.00

TAXES ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER

Entrant warrants that the entry is original and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party, that the picture has not been published in any medium and has not won an award.

To enter via postal mail instead, send a photo and your essay to:

Pets Editor
All You Magazine
135 W. 50th Street
Suite 253-P
New York, NY 10020

Good Luck!

Life of the Next Rescue or ... Got Names?

Hi everybody! I just joined the family and I need a name!

I eat well but of course, I really want some of my mommy's good old southern home cookin', and I always try to let her know just as soon as she starts gettin' busy in the kitchen, 'cept she only lets me have that Puppy Chow and Little Champions and an occasional Scooby chew treat, darn it!

I don't really like to sit still much so my daddy helped me pose for this picture!

Sometimes during my free time in the kitchen, I would much rather be roaming the house instead of gated in the kitchen with my toys, but mommy says I have to get potty trained before I can roam around and I'm kinda young, so that might take me awhile yet.

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Can you believe that somebody abandoned this sweet baby in a cardboard box and left him in the parking lot of WalMart?

Someone had just been selling puppies there the day before and we are thinking either he was the only one left or else somebody bought one and got in trouble and had to return it, so they left it there hoping the folks would be back the next day, or that somebody would take him home. A friend of my husband found the box and knowing that one of our dogs had just recently died, offered him to us.

Actually they wanted to keep him, but for some reason they couldn't. Several other people wanted him too if we didn't want him, but Hubs managed to talk me into it - despite my protests which were based solely on the fact that I knew that I would be the one having to put in all of the puppy training work and nights cut short on sleep due to little puppy bladders (and I was right).

We took him straight to the vet when we got him on Monday and she estimated him to be about 6 weeks old which when she counted back made him born on Christmas Day! I know it's just an estimate, but I thought that was kinda special, so we claimed that as his birthday! He appears to be a small mixed breed ... the vet said it's really too early to tell what mixes just yet but I'm thinking there's some Pomeranian ... course I really have no idea. Can you believe someone at the vet's office asked Hubs if the pup was for sale?? He seems to be popular already!

All I know is that since he came to live with us on Monday I have barely slept, I'm stiff and sore from all the stooping and bending and getting up and down off the floor with him. I have to say that he's doing great with his crate overall but the housebreaking may take a bit of time. He's got the general idea but has had a couple of accidents in his free time in the kitchen. It's been a bit rough on me this week, a lot like having a newborn in the house, and believe me, it's been a long time since I've had a newborn of any variety at the house!

The people who found him in the parking lot did keep him over that first weekend - guess they were trying to decide whether or not they wanted to keep him before giving him to us. They were calling him Bear and even though he looks a bit like a bear right now, Hubs and I aren't sure if that name will suit him as he gets older, so we've been stickin' with Little Man and Boo Boo and other generic, neutral stuff like that for now! I'm open for any ideas since nothing has struck me just yet.

Anyway, just wanted to share my little valentine with y'all... so cross your fingers and say a little prayer that I make it through the "training" cycle and manage to retain my sanity through the process!!

My Critter Kids!

Thought that I would set up a separate page dedicated just to my Critter Kids!

Here's the newest addition. He was left in a box in a WalMart parking lot with a sign on it that said "take me." We didn't find him - a couple we knew did, but they were not able to keep him and they knew that we had recently lost one of our dogs, so we took him in. He was about 6 weeks old in this picture. We call him Boo-Boo. I tend to call my male cat Mr. Boo - I have absolutely no idea why - but I started calling the puppy Boo Bear and then Boo Boo and well, it just sort of stuck. I know.. I'm so original.



This is our yellow lab named Sally. I took her in when she was 2 from an attorney that I used to work with. His children were suffering badly from her shedding due to their allergies and she needed a home or else she might have had to go to the shelter.



This is my male cat Sunny Boy. He loves to snuggle at Hubs feet at night for some reason. If he gets cold like on those rare cold winter nights we get down here, he'll come and curl up right by my pillow and want me to snuggle up and hold him. If I kick back in the recliner and lay out, he'll be right up in my lap in a moment. Otherwise he's pretty darned independent and wants things HIS way. I called him Sunny because one beautiful sunny Sunday morning I opened the front door to go and get the paper to find him sitting on the porch right at the front door. He was so underweight and frail that when he opened his mouth to meow, nothing came out! He talks just fine now though. It was ironic that when he showed up, I had very recently lost another cat to old age - she was 20 years old - and I was deeply grieving her loss when along he came.



This is my female calico named Cali. I know. I'm so original. Well, one day when I had taken Hub's 4-wheel drive F150 to work - which I don't like to do because the dang thing is HUGE and I'm used to drivin' a Mustang for pete's sake! Anyway, it was one of those days where it was raining so bad that everything was flooding that I took the truck. When I got home from work, out from under my Mustang that was parked in the driveway came this scrawny, funky looking cryin' cat. She was so skinny that her head looked twice as big as the rest of her! She looks pretty good now. She showed up a couple of months behind Mr. Man up there did, so I figured that God thought that he needed a companion. They love each other but sometimes they fight. He wants to be the alpha cat.



That's all for now, but check back later for updates!


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Sally & the Ham Bone

Sally enjoying the ham bone after it has served it's purpose.

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How to Make a Doggie Diaper

If you are a pet owner, there may come a time when your pet is temporarily incapacitated, suffers with a bout of diarrhea, incontinence, is a female in heat, or some other circumstance similar to one I recently faced, where you will need a pet diaper.

My experience with the specialty disposable dog diaper products are that they are pretty expensive - one brand of 12 diapers sells for $17, about $1.42 a piece - and honestly they never really fit quite right either. My dog is a lab and weighs about 60 pounds. I discovered that using a toddler pull-up style training diaper makes a perfectly acceptable substitute. I purchased a name brand pull-up diaper at $14.67 for a package of 33, which is about $0.45 a piece, a pretty significant difference. I'm sure that there are generic versions out there even less expensive.

Once you get them fitted on your dog, they will slip on and off easily for outdoor trips just like they do with children, and the fitted legs work out well on a dog also.

Now, if you are a parent you know the differences between the boys and girls diapers and training pants is the location of the padding, so you'll want to place the padding where it is needed the most. My husband picked up boys training pants this time for our girl lab, so that is what I had to use here. As you can see this White Cloud brand size 4T-5T is rated for 38 pounds or more and these are what I used on my 60 pound lab.

Instructions:

Pick up a package of disposable training pants. I didn't necessarily need this many but the rest of this supply will go to my grandson, who will soon be moving into these. You will need to estimate what size to get for your dog. As I noted, this package is rated for 38 pounds and higher and is what I used for our 60 pound lab.

You will need one diaper, a pair of scissors, and some masking tape.

Unfold the diaper.

Then fold it in half lengthwise.


Somewhere slightly above where the training pants just begins to turn is where you'll want to cut out a triangle. This will be the hole for the tail. Now, the first time you cut, you can eyeball how big to start the cut, but make it small the first time, then fit it over your dog's tail to see how much more to cut off. You can always cut more away, but you can't put it back! You may also want to lay the diaper along the back hip section of your dog the first time to sort of eyeball about where on the diaper you will need to make the tail hole. If you have purchased the boy diaper, you are going to want the thickest part of the padding (the front of the diaper) to be under your dog, not on the back.

Open the diaper and as you see, you have created this diamond shape where the tail will go. Now tear off four pieces of masking tape. You are going to use the tape to reinforce the padding where you made the cut.

Apply the tape to each side of the diamond.

Now you have a tail hole! Fasten sides together and slip the diaper onto the dog's legs, slip in the tail, adjust velcro sides to fit.