25. January 2009 by admin.

Two of my biggest dogs stepped into a can of paint on the way from the garage to my car. Of course, I had only noticed it once they were in my car staining/painting my black interior in khaki! What a mess at 6:30AM! Of course, the paint ended up on my siding, exterior, seat covers, pants, eyebrows, hands….pretty much everywhere! Luckily it was “just” water based paint and easy to remove and not oil based paint! Whew! It was still a mess to clean up, though and a nice way to start the weekend. Never a dull moment!

Posted in Blogroll | No Comments »

15. January 2009 by admin.

Today one of my clients had a seizure. It was pretty scary and heartbreaking to watch.
When I entered I found the usually jumpy and happy pup cramped up on the floor. He looked horrible it freaked me out.
Luckily the owner was home and notified me that he had a history of seizure but haven’t had one in over a year. This one lasted more than 5 minutes, it felt like an eternity.

Posted in Blogroll | No Comments »

8. January 2009 by admin.

Here are some interesting facts about the dog’s nose.
The dog’s nose has up to 300 million chemo-receptors in his nose (compared to 5 mil in humans) which makes it possible to basically sniff out everything on the go. Dogs with longer snouts have more receptors than dogs with shorter snouts (German Shepherd vs. Puggle).
Dogs like to lie! Yes, there are actual studies indicating that trained police dogs like to give false alarms once in a while just to get a treat. Smart little creatures!
Knowing this now what makes you think you can take treats or any kind of food unnoticed to a dog park? Right, you CAN’T! If you don’t want a herd of dogs following you, please don’t bring treats!
Also, a walk is not a sniffing and peeing competition! Your pup can pretty much “smell-out” the neighborhood on the fly-by, meaning while walking obedient next to you. No need to have him on a 16’ lead “reading” the news on the ground.

Posted in dog nose, smelling, treat, sniffing, dog, dog park | No Comments »

3. January 2009 by admin.

A while ago I changed all dog toys from fluff to tough, meaning hard rubber bones, tires etc.
No matter what “chew proof” fluff toy I bought, it took my dogs 2 minutes (sometimes less) and the thing was gone. At least Orbee Tuff rubber bones last a year or longer.
Karen Shapiro, owner of Bailey’s Bedding & Bone, convinced me to buy one of her Chew Guard toys from Go Dog. I took the “cow” home expecting it to be annihilated within minutes. To my surprise it survived an entire week of constant tuck-a-war and chewing. So far, we compromised one of the five squeakers, one foot and part of the ear! The rest is still fully intact which is major for a “fluff” toy. The $13 were well invested. Watching the dogs go crazy with it for hours, priceless! Two thumps and 4 paws up!

Note: I have a Lab and Min Pin mutt. Wouldn’t recommend it for Pit Bulls or any other breed that has jaws like a chain saw

Posted in chew guard toy, best dog toys, orbee tuff, dog toy, Bailey's Bedding and Bone, Go Dog | No Comments »

2. January 2009 by admin.

Ear mites are nasty little creatures that are highly contagious in between pets and quite a bit of pain to get rid off! Ear mites usually live in your dog’s ear but are not limited to the ears only, depending on the severity of infestation they can spread all over the dog’s body.

Ear mites are too small to be seen with the naked eye but can be well detected under a microscope. Having said that they are cases where mites where detected with the naked eye due to the size of the mites. Ear mites usually affect BOTH ears.
If the infestation is well progressed, the ear canals may bleed.

The most common sign of ear mite infection is shaking of the head and ears.
Dogs may also scratch at their ears, rub their face and in severe cases may even cause bleeding sores behind their ears in their effort to relieve the discomfort from the mites. The intense itching associated with these mites is thought to be due to a hypersensitivity reaction, which is similar to an allergy.
Some pets can be infected without showing signs of itching or head shaking, apparently because they don’t develop the hypersensitivity reaction.
Itching, scratching and shaking of head can also be caused by “regular” ear/ yeast infections.
It’s very important to take your dog to a vet to get the right diagnosis and treatment.

Ear mites are very common but still serious. If not treated it can cause severe damage to the eardrum and loss of hearing.
Treatment can take up to 4 weeks to get rid of all eggs and adult mites.

To prevent ear mites keep your pet’s flea treatments, e.g. Frontline Plus, Revolution etc, up to date.

Posted in head, ear mites, ear mite symptoms, scratching, signs, dog ear mites, Earth Bath, prevent ear mites, shaking, dogs | No Comments »

29. December 2008 by admin.

While browsing the world wide web I came across a website that listed the 10 best suited dogs for house and family life. To my astonishment the Beagle was the no. 1 recommended pet for families.

Don’t get me wrong I love Beagles I think they are wonderful dogs. However, I would never recommend a Beagle to the generalized public.

Besides being sweet tempered, funny, good looking and great dogs, they do require a lot of patience and a strong leadership.

Don’t get a Beagle when you live in an apartment, unless you own it and you like to torture your neighbors.
The Beagle’s loud baying cry can be utterly annoying. I know people that got evicted because of their Beagle’s lust to “talk”.

Originally bred for hunting in the UK. The Beagle’s sense of smell is extraordinary. It’s so extraordinary that you run into danger of losing your Beagle while being on an off leash walk. Once the little guy picks up a scent, he is in his own little world tracking down the smell, forgetting everything and anyone around him. This is what I call a ‘one track mind’. There is a reason why the airport police, likes to use them for “screening” bags.

The extraordinary sense of smell is followed by their strong hunting instinct. Don’t be surprised when your Beagle is bringing you little gifts like fresh caught squirrels or dead mice. Hungry anyone?

The three most used sentences from Beagle owners are “he barks like this in the middle of the night”, “he comes when he wants to” & “he has a mind of his own”. Yes, they are stubborn, stubborn, stubborn those cute little creatures!

If you live in a rural area, with no neighbors, are strong willed and active the Beagle is the perfect dog for you.

My suggestion if you live in the city or work a lot or have neighbors but still want a Beagle…..
Spend time at the local dog park (there is always at least one Beagle). Get a kick out of the Beagle playing, sniffing and barking (the barking is only funny when you don’t own one yourself). It’s a great way to experience the fun stuff without the hassle at home!

I am happy to answer any questions relating to Beagles or other dog related questions! e-mail: k9@hollywoodonaleash.com

Posted in Blogroll | No Comments »

25. December 2008 by admin.

I love taking pictures of Downtown LA while hiking at Runyon in the morning . I thought I’d share the best ones with you….
Merry Xmas!

Posted in Blogroll | No Comments »

22. December 2008 by admin.

The past weeks been kind of crazy, so I thought I share a chuckle with you…

This is one of those stories where I would love to tell you I graciously jumped over an 8ft fence, elegantly leaped through a tiny window, fought off two Pit Bulls and generously opened the doors for the others to come in the house!

My husband and I enjoyed a yummy pizza dinner with a wonderful family friend. While leaving the restaurant our friend noticed that she had forgotten her house key…at home.
While driving back to the house we were thinking of best ways to get into the house. She wanted to call locksmith, while my husband had the brilliant idea the bathroom window might be slightly open.

Great idea but we still had to overcome an 8ft fence.
During one of my dog park visits I learned how to jump an 8ft fence quickly (don’t ask why and how). Therefore I was the chosen one to check if the window was open.

There was another minor detail, our friend’s two not so small, hyper and ready-to-defend-their-home Pit Bulls. My friend assured me the door separating the bathroom from the living room area was closed and locked. Oh LORD!
They are sweet dogs but you never know how dogs will react when someone tries to climb through a window!

With determination on my face I got out of the car, ready to leap over the fence. It wasn’t quite as easy as I had hoped. My new skinny, super tight jeans didn’t make the job easier. Our friend came to support me. With support I mean literally support. I had to take laughing breaks. The idea alone hanging on someone’s fence with too tight jeans and someone else pushing my rear end just cracked me up.

Having taken the first hurdle the next one was waiting around the corner. Her yard was dark it was like entering a black hole. What kind of freaked me out was the idea of the dogs getting in the yard, trying to eat me. (Stay positive)

I found the window and it was slightly open, indeed but 8 ft in the air with a 2ft x 2ft opening. Luckily a trashcan was nearby which I used to climb up to the window.

My first leg made it through the window but again due to my tight jeans I wasn’t able to get the second one through. Not to fond of the idea going head in first I had no other choice. Now, imagine it was pitch black and I had never been in her bathroom before. I had another burst of laughter while hanging head down into her bathroom and the rest of me on the outside of the house. Kind of like a potato sack that doesn’t fit through an opening.

The dogs were just going crazy! I swear they were ready to eat me (at least it sounded like it).

It wasn’t pretty and it took me a while but I made it through the window without harming myself nor destroying the bathroom. The rest is history. I let my friend in through the side door and let her open the door to the living room while I politely walked to the front door and rang the bell to be let in

I don’t know what surprised me more that I was able to actually get through the window or that no one of the neighbors got alarmed by all the barking and commotion! Life’s mysteries!

Happy Holidays!

Posted in Blogroll | No Comments »

19. December 2008 by admin.

If your dog has an active lifestyle like hiking and regular dog park visit and you happen to live in Southern California, I strongly recommend to give your dog flea treatments all year around.

FLEA TREATMENTS:
For city dogs I find that FRONTLINE PLUS and K9 ADVANTIX work pretty well when applied on a monthly basis.
When traveling to canyons, open fields and more rural areas I prefer to administer the more expensive REVOLUTION. It seems to be stronger and not only protects from fleas & ticks but also from heart worms and parasites.
A greener and probably healthier option for dogs is Bio Spot which smells really nice but did not work for my dogs. Results vary widely on Bio Spot treatments. It’s cheap, best way to find out just try it on your dog

WHO CAN GET FLEAS:
Basically everybody (dogs & humans).
However, fleas love to go on dogs with “sick skin”. If your dog has dry, flaky skin he might be an ideal host for those little blood suckers. My dogs get 1 capsule of human grade fish oil/ day (capsule should not exceed 1000mg). It leaves their coat soft and shiny and moisturizes the skin. So far, combined with Frontline Plus we have not had any flea problems.
Some people swear of adding 1 teaspoon of apple vinegar (the real stuff not the “flavored apple vinegar”) or fresh garlic to the dog’s food every day. Don’t have any statistics if it really works.

DOG HAS FLEAS! WHAT NOW?
Now, this is important if your dog has fleas make sure that at least one week lies in between treatments. Make sure you DO NOT mix different treatments, e.g. use either drops, flea collar or flea bath, DO NOT combine any of them! There is a serious chance of poising your dog. Be aware that flea treatments work differently, read the instructions carefully. It can take up to one week until all fleas are gone. Fleas hate water and tea tree oil, an additional option would be to bath your dog every two days and shampoo with a tea tree oil shampoo. Caution: Bathing can dry out your dog’s skin.
If your dog is just infested with fleas (meaning millions of them) take him to the vet.

TREATING YOUR HOME:
Do not call the exterminator right away! There are great and cheap ways to get rid of fleas in your home.
Sprinkle Boric Acid (Borate Powder or Borax) over your light colored rug and leave it for a few days. The Borate will dry out the fleas.
Buy a simple flea collar, cut it in pieces and put in your vacuum bag. Vacuum your rug and furniture every day for 7 days. The flea collar in the vacuum bag will kill the fleas vacuumed off the furniture and rug.
Wash your sheets!

PREVENTION RECAP:
1) Make sure flea treatments are applied on a regular basis
2) Use a flea comb at least once a week and go through your dogs coat
3) Be aware of signs like scratching, itching, biting
4) Bath your dog on a regular basis
5) Healthy nutrition = healthy skin & coat

Posted in dog fleas, flea treatment, green flea treatment, fleas in home, frontline plus, flea bath, bio spot, flea comb, borate, treating fleas on dog, borax, k9advantix, revolution flea treatment, flea collar | No Comments »

18. December 2008 by admin.

I had an awful day! LA is going under in rain and I was happy to be the only one at the dog park besides one other person. No drama (at least this is what I thought)!
Two dogs in my pack got into a scuffle that quickly escalated. Usually I am pretty good in reading the body language and can quickly react before anything serious happens. Unfortunately, due to the rain and muddy ground condition in the park I was not able to get to my dogs fast enough. I had to witness how female A chopped down on female B several times before I got there. Just seeing the way female A bit female B I knew I had to thoroughly check for puncture wounds. Sure enough I found an innocent but deep looking puncture wound. My day at the park was over! Knowing that puncture wounds can be quite serious for dogs due to high risk of infection, I collected my pack, shoved them in the car and drove to the vet.
Besides cosmetic abrasions female B needed minor surgery plus a drain for a few days. It looks much worse than it is.
I just the hate the moment you have to inform owner A that their dog bit another dog and than call owner B and letting them know their dog is injured at the vet. It put quite a damper on my day. Halleluja! All that ruckus before the holidays.

This is important: If your dog gets into a scuffle, check the skin thoroughly. Puncture wounds tend not to bleed until later and can be hard to detect especially on long haired dogs. An unnoticed puncture wound could get infected which is painful and stressful for the dog and your pocket book! My tip, no matter how small, take the dog to a vet immediately. Rather safe than sorry!

Posted in dog puncture wound, canine puncture woundwhat to do with puncture wound, vet | No Comments »