Curing Hot Spots in Dogs

Doing Battle with Hot Spots

Seven Helpful Tips 

Every Spring as the pollen starts to emerge, my dogs come down with a skin irritation known as the dreaded Hot Spot!

This is a week old spot on Daisy

I have tried about every medicine from my vet, as well as, many homeopathic remedies. All I can say is that experience is the best teacher and what may work for me may not work for you. But If you are like me then battling this monster especially in a multi-dog house can drive you to try anything!

Hot Spot First Aid Station!

Tip Number 1: Checkout your dog's coat at least once a week especially during high allergy seasons.  Look for wetmarks on the coat from licking. This is a tell tale sign that something might be brewing under the fur. If you can catch it early then that is often half the battle. Very Important! When Daisy got her first hot spot, I let one of my older dogs who must have thought he was a Dr. in a past life lick the wound.  I thought how sweet it was that  he was tending to her. Wrong! No Licking from any source is a must!  Think dry wound!!!

Tip Number 2: As soon as you detect it, cut away the fur so that you have at least a 1 inch margin around the area.  I know you might be reluctant to do this at first because it will be ugly and it will take time for the hair to grow back. But trust me in the long run, it will be worth it to have done it so you can quit worrying over this spot.  The alternative might be to become like the character in Macbeth shouting "OUT DAMN SPOT!"  I have tried that too ...no luck haha.

Blue scissors for Pets, Black scissors from Sally's

There are three ways that you can remove hair. You can use an electric razor that you have bought for this purpose. Get a good one designed for animals if you can.  I bought a human one at the drugstore and it did not work.  The hair is often crusty and gooey and it ruined it on the first attempt...colossal fail! B. Go and have your vet shave off the hair. C. Buy a pair of hair trimming grooming scissors for dogs.  My dogs are afraid of the razor sound, but the trimming scissors do a nice job if you take your time. You have to be very careful not to cut them and make matters worse, but that goes without saying.

Magic Powder 

Tip Number 3: Clean the wound.  I have tried all kinds of things from Betadine to Betadine scrub to Hydrogine Peroxide. You will probably need to do this more than once a day if your dog can reach it to lick it. I also use a first aide powder because it seems to dry things out.

Love the spray!

I also like a cream like Panalog if things seem to be going south quickly.

Tip 5: Call your vet if it seems to be growing in size or does not improve.  He or she will probably prescribe an  oral antibiotic and in some cases an oral steroid like Prednisone.

Tip 6: Keep at it everyday! You might be tempted to let a few days lapse an let nature try to heal it.  Maybe? but it has never worked for me.


Think "ANTI" in your approach to healing. The big 3 are: antibiotic, anti inflammatory, antiseptic. You can also throw in antiitch too.

Hot Spot almost healed!

In closing, keep it dry, but not itchy, control infection, and be patient and vigilant.  This too will pass and hopefully you will only have one.

In my next post, I will discuss some natural remedies that I like and have found effective.

Disclaimer:  Call your Vet first, I am not a Vet, nor did I sleep at a Holiday Inn last night. This should not be used as a substitute for seeking medical attention for your pet.

Thanks for checking in!

xxo,

KIM

Ten and Counting!

The Prodigal Dog Returns!

Meet Duke

Duke was a puppy from our second litter.  His very unoriginal and ubiquitous name was Tiny Tim. He was the smallest in his litter of eight and like most runts, he was the most beloved and the last to go. The thought of keeping him briefly went through my mind; but as a family, we were exhausted after having two litters so close together. Not to mention, we already had four Goldens. In case you missed it, Daisy conceived after Moses had his vasectomy so these pups were definitely unplanned on both Daisy and my part.  She is scoffing right now as I bemoan how exhausted I was, but even though she did her part, I did still had a lot to do.

  Anyone who has ever had a litter of puppies knows that it involves a lot of odorous waste and buckets of bleach water.There are countless moments of anxiety over whether he or she is warm enough, cool enough, eating enough and whether or not the vet should be called. They will liken it unto having a newborn and they will be absolutely right. Suffice it to say that it is a lot of worry and work. 

The newborns

As I said earlier, Tiny Tim was the last to go to a great home with a lot of kids. They renamed him Duke and there he remained until recently. But alas, it is sometimes hard to juggle kid's activities and the caring and training

Duke thinking he is invisible

of  a big dog. So they  decided that perhaps Duke aka"Tiny" would be better served to come home and learn some manners and be with his old pack. It seems that Duke was not adjusting as well as he should and was struggling with some anxiety.  I think old Tiny sounds like me on a bad day except that his doggy xanax did not seem to do the trick.  Yes, they do have that medicine and Doggy Prozac too, I think.  We or should I say Duke has not had to go down that road yet...But Daisy and I may be taking that route sooner than later with FIVE Goldens in the pack.

From left to right, Champ, Daisy, Lola, Moses, and Duke.

We are now a  happy family of Ten!

                                                       

 I could include, Lilly and Milly, our cats, but they are so irritated at this point that they are considering reloacating and I can't say I blame them.  Duke is struggling with them since he was not raised with felines.  One would think that he would learn after having his butt kicked by Lilly so many times that he would leave them alone. Some males are just harder headed than others. This conflict  will most assuredly resolve itself soon...hopefully before Duke loses an eye.

So it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the newest member of our family!

Duke !

Duke



Thanks for checking in with us!

xxo,

Kim

I miss my babies

I can't believe they are gone!

I am both happy and sad that all of my puppies have found great homes!

But on the bright side, I am painting again!

The Seven Ages of Dog

My Apologies to William Shakespeare!

All the world's a stage and all the puppies merely players.

They have their exits and their entrances.

And one dog in his time plays many parts.

  First, comes the puppy, mewling and puking in his mother's arms.

The latest puppies at 2 almost 3 weeks

 Then comes the  whining school puppy, with leash in paw and shining morning face creeping like snail unwillingly to obedience school.

 Lola and Daisy

Champ

Then comes the soldier dog full of strange barks and bearded like the pard

Champ or Lola??

Next, comes the lover

Dasiy and Moses

Daisy Delilah

The sixth age shifts...

Last scene of all, that ends this strange and eventful history is second puppishness and mere oblivion

sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Hank

RIP Hank 

November 2010

We are in week number 2 and some puppies have opened their eyes  and some are even trying to walk!

Thanks for Reading and contact me at Mercerbk@aol.com if you are interested in the last litter of Daisy and Moses!

~Kim~

www.ticklishmermaids.blogspot.com

My Days with Daisy: Our New Christmas Babies!

My Days with Daisy: Our New Christmas Babies!

Our New Christmas Babies!

We have Puppies for Sale!

Ready Jan. 19th

Put a picture under your tree and come to our house on Christmas day for a little visit with your puppy!  

If you missed our last litter, here's your  LAST chance! We have retired Daisy and Moses has been fixed.

We have sweet, loving males left from this litter of English Cream Golden Retrievers!

A puppy from our last litter

 We still have some precious boys available.  We are taking deposits now and we have priced them way below market price.  

This is a picture of Daisy with our two puppies Lola and Champ.  They are from the last litter of Daisy and Moses! 

Moses playing

Contact me at Mercerbk@aol.com or at 863-559-4811 

My Days with Daisy: The Glimmer Twins

My Days with Daisy: The Glimmer Twins

The Glimmer Twins

The Misadventures

of 

Champ & Lola

Here is a long awaited post about about my precious spawn of Daisy Delilah and Moses aka "Big Mo"  To get up to speed, Cami has gone to Franklin, N.C. to live with my cousins.  Her name is now, Tess, and she is having the time of her life.  North Carolina is perfectly suited for Goldens, but more about that later.

 We did not, could not, would not, and have not sold the other two puppies.  They are now part of the pack of five Goldens, two very irritated Cats, three Teenagers, one indulgent Husband, and one, almost, maybe, menopausal ME!

We had all intentions of only keeping one, but it was becoming a bit like "Sophie's Choice" and for those old enough to remember the movie, it was a really hard choice for Meryl Streep. ( sorry a litle dark humor).  We kept a girl, Lola. My daughter loves the name and added Belle to it, so her full name is Lola Belle.  It either reminds me of a name of a housekeeper from childhood or an old Kink's fan who is forced to watch "Beauty and the Beast" ad nauseum. I could go either way on this one.

The boy was named Champ by my middle son, who really does not like animals.  Poor thing....what a cruel joke to be stuck in this family. Add to it that the Son likes to be punctual and organized.  He really has a tough row to hoe in this house with "Maybe Menopausal Me" for a Mother!  I have no opinions on the name "Champ" other than it does not really fit with the other animal names. My friend, Carey, thinks he got the shaft compared to the other pets with cooler names. It could be worse....he could have been named "Spot"... but then he would have been immortalized with Dick and Jane sooooo  maybe "Champ" is not so good.
 It does kinda remind me of the old guy, Burgess Meredith, in "Rocky." Every time I call him, I hear myself sounding like him in the old stocking cap. In fact, maybe I am starting to look like Burgess Meredith...I'm certainly short enough. I have also heard that Sylvestor Stallone is very short?  Sorry, Sorry!  I digress yet again!  Suffice it say that we kept a boy and his name is CHAMP!

They are very different in their approaches to life.  Champ is from Venus and Lola is from Mars.  As of today, Lola is very vocal and assertive.  Champ is quiet almost to the point of silence and is more reserved.  They actually seem a lot like Maybe Menopausal Me and my dear sweet long suffering husband.

Hmmm... is it life imitating dogs or dogs imitating life???

xxxxooo,

Kim

aka "Maybe Menopausal Me"

One Flew the Coop

This Must be the Cuckoo's Nest

I must be crazy, or at least crazier than usual.  I have not posted for a while because my oldest child graduated from High School this month.  People have always said that it is a busy and crazy time and I did not believe them.  I mean how busy can it be if you have all your ducks in a row and prepare ahead??? I can be super organized, girl scout Mom when I have to.  Well, guess what ? I was wrong again and THEY were right.  I just about lost my mind hence the lack of posts.

 Suffice it to say that we had the rounds of parties, and the ceremonies.  We lost the cap right before it was needed and then found it right after it was not!  We wrote the "thank yous", packed for college, said the goodbyes, and I cried the tears!  My beautiful boy has left the nest, But I still have PUPPIES!!!!

I cannot tell them apart yet! I have different collars on them, but they are so fluffy that the collars are covered up.

They are Goldens after all, so you knew they would love the water!

We can't forget Daisy Delilah...who started this madness or sweet  Moses!!!

Bye for now... the babies I mean puppies are calling!

xxxoo,

Kim

Happy Belated Birthday! We are in the 4th week!

Weaning Here We Come!

The puppies are growing and changing everyday.  Daisy is spending less and less time with them and I guess it is time to start the weaning process.  I am not really looking forward to this as my work is about to start in earnest.










 Up to this point, Daisy has been cooking the meals, cleaning the house, and heading up the    entertainment committee.   She has been the chief cook and bottle washer so to speak.... now it is my turn!

We offered some baby cereal on our fingers yesterday and it was met with mild disinterest by the boy, total disdain by the smaller girl and complete delight by our roly poly girl.


Hmmm, I wonder if she will be a full figure gal like Daisy Delilah???

They are clamoring to get out of the whelping box, but no way Jose!  

Moses still does not know what to make of them. He really can't decide what they are...toys, cats, puppies, rats???



That's all for today!  Next time, I think Daisy might post since she will once again be a lady of leisure!

xxooo,

Kim

www.ticklishmermaids.blogspot.com

L+M=N Loss plus Memories equals Nostalgia

And Then There Were Three

I had to put one of my precious puppies to sleep today.  It was becoming apparent that she had a birth defect.  At first, I thought it was a "swimmer puppy" which means its legs are splayed out and it has trouble walking.  This can sometimes be corrected.  Sadly, it was more serious.  It was Pectus Excavatum which is a deformity of the sternum also known as funnel chest. Basically, her chest was malformed making it hard for her to breathe and a host of other problems.  

If she had been born in a larger litter and if we had not taken such good care of her and helped her nurse etc. she probably would not have made it as long as she did.  It is normal to sometimes lose a puppy and I can't decide if earlier or later in the process is better. Daisy was a good Momma and the puppy did not suffer.

The other two girls and boy are doing great! They are starting to walk, bark, and have little personalities. The boy is by far the most vocal.  I think we will name them soon.

No pictures of puppies this time because well, my heart is not in it...but I wanted ya'll to know.  I have pondered a name for her  and all day I have thought about the story of Gracie at Bonaventure Cemetary in Savannah.  Forgive me as I wax nostalgic for a moment. Every Sunday when I was a girl,  we would make the rounds at the cemetary.  I know this sounds morbid, but I think a lot of people did it back then. Everybody would squeeze into one car and go to ride...to the graveyard( and my kids wonder why I'm crazy!).  Either before, or normally after Sunday dinner depending on the season, we would go to Bonaventure and put flowers from the yard at the family gravesite. If there were no blooms, we would rake or pick up sticks. 

 Anyway, I would often get bored and walk around and right down from our plot was Gracie's plot. It now has a fence around it, but when I was a girl it did not.  You could go right up to it.  It was and still is a lifesize monument of a little girl who was beloved by her family who died very young.  For some reason it always scared me especially because her nose was chipped a little. 

The cemetary itself is filled with old oaks draped in moss, huge imposing cherubim monuments, various crypts and mausoleums all beside the  Savannah River.  It is so quiet that everything seems muffled and the modern world melts away when you are there. 

 I think as a kid somebody scared me with a tale of if I walked around her three times then I would hear her talk. I may have been confusing that with Tomochichi's rock.  But whatever, I loved and feared going to Bonaventure.  

Funny how the death of a three week old puppy can make you stop, reflect, and remember.

 

ps. The obelisk above and below is my Grandfather's family plot.