Ticks and fleas are bloodsucking ectoparasites that can be hard to deal with both for the animals and for the owners! The infestations will flare up in damp and hot weather because this favours the hatching of the parasites eggs.

Common misconception about these parasites is that they live on animals…they only come on the animals to feed! They, in fact live in the immediate environment of the animal; in bedding, cracks and any small holes that may be present in your house/yard/kennel.

There are very effective anti ectoparasite treatment available on the market, namely:

• Permethrin – comes in the form of concentrate (Barricade®) that you must add to water and apply as bath or spray on the animal. Can also be found in the form of spray canisters (Tiquanis®)
• Amitraz – concentrate (TakTik®, Milbitraz®) that you must add to water and apply as bath or spray on the animal
• Fipronil – Pour on compound, that you put in small amounts over the back and it diffuses to cover the whole skin of your animal (Frontline®)

WARNINGS

1. Great care should be taken to avoid toxicity of the topical products mentioned above on puppies. Consult your vet before.

2. Great care should be taken to avoid toxicity of the topical products mentioned above cats because they will ingest the product during daily self grooming

3. None of the above will work alone. There should be proper sanitization and disinfection of the immediate environment of the animal with a permethrin product. Otherwise you will keep killing the parasites on the animal but they will constantly be reinfected from the environment.

4. All animals should be treated at the same time

5. A course of treatment consists of 2 successive sessions two weeks apart

6. Most of the above products act on the nervous system and you should expect some degree of drowsiness in the animals. Do not use concurrently with sedatives!

Pellets are the best food in the sense that you will know exactly what is going in your dog and it’s also supposed to be a well balanced diet. I will always recommend owners to start weaned puppies on pellets for at least the first 6 -8 months of their lives; that’s the period of active growth for the animal and you would want to make sure they get the proteins they need to “bulk up” and have a good start in life.

The usual home cooked meals are good too but you have no indication nor control over the amount of protein and fat that is in them.

Remember also that dogs are predominantly carnivores and their system is not well equipped to process carbohydrates (rice, pasta etc) and if not exercised they will sure end up being obese if fed daily on carbs

Having said the above, you should choose carefully your pellets and check the contents before buying. As a rule of thumb, get dry food with highest protein content for puppies and pregnant bitches (yeah, pregnant bitches should get “puppy pellets”…) and opt for pellets with higher fibre (roughage) content for adult dogs

Not really…

If there is a dog and a human around, the flea will choose the dog. Flea saliva can cause irritations of various degrees depending on the persons and flea droppings have frequently been associated with allergies in kids.

Ticks also, will not readily parasitise humans but can be carriers of the so called “Tick-Borne diseases” of which the tick fever virus is dangerous for humans too.

None have been reported in humans in Mauritius

There are so many causes of fights between dogs! The most common remains hierarchy problems. As a pack animal, a dog needs to know the exact position he/she occupies in the group and by “the group” I mean also you and your family. Two dominant dogs would fight or display aggressive behavior and postures until they establish who is the boss. It helps a lot if a human in the “pack” establishes the dominant role and clearly define each animal’s place. You can predefine each animal’s territory too.

Second most common cause of fight is “jealousy”. Usually happens when a new dog is brought in the household and is “naturally” given more attention than other dogs that were there already. If the newcomer requires comforting and cuddles, never do that in front of the other former “residents”

Every 2 weeks is the most frequently you can do so but the best is to bathe it on a monthly basis. Dogs skin produce an oily substance that keeps the fur shiny and healthy and also protects the skin fron infestation and infections. If you wash the animal too often you take away this protection and the fur becomes dry and break easily or even falls off.

If your dog is on a healthy diet, there is no need for vitamins. But if you want really to boost appetite then go for the vit B complex and for general health and coat get some cod liver oil caplets (Vit A, D, E)

Just like ectoparasites, worms have a life cycle with different stages and each stage occurs in different environmants or hosts. The deworming schedule is aimed to kill the adults in your dog’s intestines and also get rid of the secong reinfestation wave from the environment. Details as follows:

# Puppy

    * 6 – 8 weeks (kills adults in the guts)
    * 8 – 10 weeks (kills juvenile worms before they reproduce again)
    * Then every 6 months

# Adult

    * Every 6 months
    * 2 weeks after

# Pregnant

    * Just before mating
    * 2 weeks before birthing (ask your vet first)

Dogs digging in the garden are most commonly a sign that your dog is craving for attention or that it is stressed. So try to find out the cause and instead of scolding/punishing the animal, try to divert his attention on something else or give extra attention.

Dogs will also dig holes to bury bones.

Not necessarily…but just like humans, there are some individuals who have some sort or “lactose intolerance” and have diarrhea with milk. When giving milk as replacement from mum’s milk, add an egg to it because canine milk is normally richer in fat than regular cow milk.

All bones are bad for puppies because of their milk dentition. Remember, you do not give a bone to a dog for Calcium supplementation but mostly as an enrichment for gnawing and playing with (natural instinct).

Chicken bones are definitely dangerous for all sizes of dogs due to the fact that they will break with pointed edges when chewed upon and might injure the throat, soft palate of the animals. AVOID CHICKEN BONES FOR DOGS.

Yes. Just like any living creature, a dogs anatomy and musculature is built up during evolution for specific movements and functions. You can easily strain his muscles if you force him to perform actions that are not natural to dogs (muscles contracting outside normal range). This will manifest itself as lameness, not bearing weight on limbs, swollen joints etc…all usually on the next day (when the adrenaline rush is over and the muscles have cooled down)

Common dogs are not designed for long lasting exercise (running, chasing, jumping etc) especially in our hot climate here…so you can easily overexercise a “house-dog” with a sudden episode of excessive physical activity. Usually the dog will let you know that by lying down in a shady corner and ignore your “commands”.

I would not recommend flea collars due to the following:

    * Not really effective
    * If dog chews on it they will get intoxicated with the product in it

Any sore, be it under the eye or anywhere else should be monitored and investigated. i.e get objective data such as measurements( big, small, large etc are all subjective and give no idea of the progression of the sore) and assess reaction of animal to palpation of the affected area.

Benign stuff should clear up in a couple of days…if not a vet check up is your best option.

Follow this link for further information: http://www.cathelp-online.com/health/bscore.php

Scratching can have numerous causes (Allergies, Fleas, ticks, Worms, Mange, Hormones,Stress(Nervous) Fungus…) The best thing is to take it to a vet for a complete exam.

Generally dogs running around in the park will be interested in you too, as you are having fun – particularly if you are perhaps playing with friends. This may make them want to come and join in – and sometimes they may rush over and jump up at you, scaring you. The best way to behave in this situation is listed below:

• Always ask the dog’s owner if you can stroke the dog before you actually do.
• Walk up to the dog calmly and quietly – don’t shout or scream as you may frighten the dog.
• Curl your hand into a fist, and gently offer it to the dog to sniff first (this is a dog’s way of saying hello to another dog).
• Stroke the dog under the chin, where he can see you (this will be less scary to the dog).
• Don’t try and pat him from behind as you may startle him.

• Sneak on a dog or a cat
• Tease a dog or a cat
• Stare at a dog or a cat
• Disturb a dog who is eating or sleeping
• Assume your dog or cat always wants to play

Most dogs enjoy playing with people, but there will be times when they may want to sleep instead or not be disturbed.
Let’s consider the body language of a playful dog so that the signs become clearer when a dog wants to play.

If a dog is showing these signs, it should be safe to play with him, but only if you ask the dog’s owner first. If the owner is not there, do not play with the dog.

• His eyes are wide open (dilated)
• His tail is wagging furiously.
• The front end of his body is lowered to the floor and the rear end is up in the air. (This is called a ‘play-bow’)
• His ears are relaxed.
• He is barking to try and attract your attention and get you to join in.

There are different types of nervous dogs. Don't try to touch any of these dogs. Just leave them alone and walk away quietly. See below.

Direct eye contact -could growl if feels challenged.

Big calming signal - appeasing nose lick

Nervous dog, will flee away if you give him the option.

This dog is deffensive and is telling you with his eye exactly where he intends to bite.

Avoidance - aggressive response likely if approached too quickly or cornered.

Dog is in C-shape, looking away, but head is lifted slightly, pupils dilated in a frozen stare, watching with peripheral vision. Center of gravity is toward oncoming" threat". Ears back and lowered, tail low. Lips are forward and in tense line. Tenseness over muzzle, whiskers erect. Tenseness in the haunches.  "Frozen" defense (freeze, fight or flight) While this dog is not looking for a fight, it is likely that if reached for suddenly, it would react in self defense with a rapid, probably inhibited, series of fast bites.

NON THREATENING

• Body curved in C-shape
Head
• Lowered and turned away
• Nose down
Ears lowered but relaxed
• Tenseness over eyebrows
• Eyes squinted but soft, blinking
• Lips soft
• Nose, lip lick
• Body weight shifted
• Paw probably raised
• Don't stare
• Turn sideways
• Use soft eye and quiet

IF YOU FRIGHTENED BY A DOG...

• Drop anything you are holding
• Don’t run away from the dog – he may think it’s a game and run after you
• Stand still, fold your arms band don’t move. Don’t make lots of noise, just act bored

IF A DOG KNOCKS YOU OVER

• oll into a ball, keeping your head and arms tucked in
• Do not move until the dog has got bored and has gone away
• Slowly move backwards – keeping an eye on the dog.