Houndog News

Why shouldn’t you Ham-It-Up this Christmas?

Humans cope a lot better with the consumption of ham than dogs. Ham (along with many other deli meats such as sausages and hot dogs) contains a lot of salt, which can result in a nasty stomach ache or even pancreatitis. Sodium nitrate is the preservative added to cured and processed meats with the purpose of fighting bacteria and enhancing the appearance by helping the meat look pink. Sometimes eating salty foods compels dogs to drink too much water which can lead to a life-threating bloat. Ham is also high in ‘cooked’ fat, which is not a good choice for pets.
Our vet has often expressed their frustration with dogs being admitted after being given a ham bone and says this is one thing people should absolutely avoid. Ham bones are very rich and are ‘cooked’ which make bones splinter more easily. In addition, bone impaction or constipation can cause blockage-like obstructions in dogs’ intestines.

Although your adored pooch is literally spell bound once she smells that ham, she is best to avoid it. Please be selective about any treats you give your dog at Christmas. Sandwiches are a better use for leftover ham and make sure rubbish is disposed of safely lest your pet become a yuletide bin-bandit.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Just what does a Puffin Dog do?

The Norwegian Lundehund originates from the islands of Norway and is recognized by the American Rare Breed Association. Before puffins (small aquatic birds) became a protected species, these dogs were used to hunt them. Puffins hunted for their meat and feathers, nest in caves and cliffs and the distinct features of the Lundehund made him a valuable tool for farmers and the like.

One claim to fame is his unusual feet. With six toes on his paws including dewclaws, the extra toes play an essential part when he climbs steep rock formations. He neck is unique, with extra vertebra permitting his head to flex backwards far enough to touch his spine. Even his ears have great mobility in comparison with other breeds and he has the capacity to close them. His front legs easily splay out to the sides.

When puffin hunting became illegal, and with the addition of a distemper outbreak at one time Lundehund numbers dropped almost to extinction with less than 10 remaining. This means that all Lundehunds living today are descendants of those. Now their numbers are up over 1000 and Norwegian Lundehunds, which are shy by nature, are known for their wonderful and friendly disposition around people. So what does he do nowadays? He’s a beloved pet like any other dog.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Are you prepared for Toad Time again?

It’s that time of the year when the old cane toad rears its head to frequent our landscape. Though usually hiding during the day, toads tend to appear in our yards once the sun begins to set, feeding on insects and the like. A dog does not need to consume a toad to be poisoned by it. Contact with the mouth, even a lick can be enough to expose them to the toad’s poison which is released from bulging glands on its shoulder. Toads also have the capacity to squirt their venom if they feel threatened.

If your dog is exposed, some initial symptoms include excessive salivation or foaming at the mouth. This usually occurs within the first few minutes of being in contact with the poison. Symptoms may advance to vomiting, red gums, rapid heart rate, tremors, spasms or convulsions after around 15 mins. The dog also may have difficulty cooling itself. Just as the body can experience involuntary muscle spasm or twitches, so can the heart (which is usually what takes a life when there is a fatality).

A dampened cloth or chux can be used to wipe around the inside of the lips and mouth. Keep rinsing it out in fresh water. This will help reduce the volume of poison present in the mouth. If using a hose to flush a dog’s mouth, use only the gentlest water pressure and ‘do not’ direct water towards the dog’s throat. Keep a close eye on your pet. If your pet is losing consciousness don’t use any running water as they will not be able protect their airways.

Should your dog escalate to involuntary muscle movement or loss of consciousness, you will need medical help fast. Your dog may require sedation and medications to help his heart to return to normal. In cases where a dog’s life has been taken due to cane toad poisoning it mostly happens within approx. 40 mins.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Like to know how Lucas saved a life?

Dogs play a vital part in their roles with police. Queensland alone has around 60 general-purpose dogs as well as a handful of firearm and detection dogs.

Deputy Todd Frazier (Mississippi U.S.A.) got to experience first hand, the value of his devoted fur partner when he was ambushed recently whilst on duty. The Deputy was driving on a deserted road when he noticed an occupied car parked at a rest stop with the headlights off. When he stopped to investigate and see if the man required assistance, a nightmare unfolded.

Frazier knew to be cautious on approach, but once close to the car, two men came running at him from the scrub. The driver exited the vehicle and all three attacked him as they began dragging him into the woods. They cut his head with a blade and told him they were going to slit his throat.

Luckily for Deputy Frazier, that night he was issued a police unit recently fitted out with a special ‘K-9’ release mechanism. He was able to get one hand free to use the remote he was wearing. The K-9 release mechanism activated and his faithful Belgian Malinois ‘Lucas’ sprang into action, which resulted in all 3 attackers fleeing. Lucas also sustained some injury during the conflict (including some broken teeth) but is expected to make a full recovery.

The sheriff declared that although they weren’t certain how many of the perpetrators Lucas got, he had a lot of blood on him.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Is ‘Don’t worry, he’s friendly’ the truth or a lie?

There is some etiquette when meeting and greeting people that desperately needs to be extended to canine kind. Whether someone has a dog with them or not, it is profoundly impolite to allow your dog to approach them without their prior consent.

Most times when someone allows their dog to rush up to you, in that moment, they have nil control over their dog and even attempting to call it back is likely to highlight this fact. In a designated off-leash area dogs are going to go wherever they want and that’s fine. What we ask is that, if you are anywhere ‘other’ than an off-leash area, you do not allow your dog to approach anyone without his or her approval. Even having a highly social dog, is not an automatic invitation to impose upon anyone else.

Oh look, there’s another person with a dog… Surely they must be a lover of dogs. Do you know if their dog is in training, fearful or grumpy? Don’t force a meeting and then ask questions later. You could be putting both dogs at risk. The same goes for your dog meeting people. Some members of community are fearful of or do not like dogs and that is their right. We have the right to be out in public and not have strangers rush up into our personal space. Let’s give both dogs and people that same right. If we can do this, it’s going to mean more freedoms for us to continue taking our dogs out in public.

‘Don’t worry, he’s friendly’… truth or lie? It is both – and it is dependent on the many contributing factors, which make up a greeting. The person delivering this ‘expression’ may be aware of one.

Leah & Angela O’Meara
Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

How does Resource Guarding affect your Dog?

A resource can be anything your dog regards as valuable. It might be food, a toy, a treat or a space. Part of a dogs evolution means that they opportunists. Guarding their food could be the difference between life or death in the wild. Common displays of guarding in canine language include growling, staring, moon-eye, teeth-baring or taking their prized item out of sight.

If arguments are eminent when there is more than one dog present it is best to remove items of value in advance, or let each dog enjoy his prize in a separate area so he won’t need to guard.

Dogs should not be punished for giving warnings, because it is a good thing that he has given you a ‘caution light’. This is your cue to determine what to do next. One wonderful game to establish when your pup is young is to get him to give things up, making sure you give him back what he originally relinquished but there is timing and method involved. If your dog already has resource guarding issues there are methods (including up-swapping) you can employ however that is a whole other article. We recommend employing a trainer to help you deal with guarding issues.

It is quite an empowering feeling to be able to easily take something from your dog that he would rather keep. The joy is being able to reward him for it. One day he might have that chicken bag or another item which could cause him harm if swallowed, but after all your dedicated practice he is willing to give it to you. Understanding your dog’s body language and personality is imperative. Remember that resource guarding ‘is’ a natural behaviour. Part of your responsibility as a dog owner is to manage it. Being vigilant in ‘loaded’ situations such us a child carrying around something that a dog fancies, will help ensure that your dog and other people are safe.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Do you know what to do if your Dog is Stung by a Bee?

Curious puppies and dogs find the movement of insects fascinating. Dogs are inquisitive but sometimes it can be to their detriment. A bee can even be mistaken for a pesky fly. So what should you do if a bee stings your dog? Stings most commonly occur around the face and some symptoms include whimpering, swelling, pawing at the effected area, drooling or even collapse.

Veterinary care is recommended and it is advisable to telephone in advance to let them know you are coming. Whilst a simple sting can be left alone, a stinger (if present) will need to be removed. If a dog’s reaction is severe and the sting affects his mouth or throat, the swelling can potentially block his airway. In rare cases anaphylaxis can occur and it may also be delayed so you will still need to monitor your dog. It is for these reasons medical help is suggested as time is of the essence.

A cold pack can be helpful but only if your dog will tolerate one. Your vet will look at your dog’s physical response to determine how severely he is affected, then choose the mode of treatment. Just like people, dogs present varying reactions to bee or wasp stings. Often treatment involves medication. They may suggest keeping your dog with them at the clinic under observation to ensure breathing and vital signs remain stable.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Is your Dog really Making eyes at You?

With the assistance of the digital age scientists are finding some revealing discoveries about facial expressions of dogs.

Domestic canines have been living with human kind for a long time now. Many people would admit that their dog could read them quite well. Then there are those cute expressions and ‘puppy eyes’ they give us when we have a tasty morsel on hand. Previous studies showed that a dog is more likely to steal food if their owners either had their backs turned or closed their eyes. Crafty aren’t they.

However, what scientists have now confirmed is that dogs actually alter their facial expressions when they have a human audience. In the British study, muscles and features in the dogs’ faces were measured. Regardless of whether food was on offer or not, when the demonstrator faced a dog, its facial expressions were significantly more active. Have dogs learned to use facial expressions as a communication tool? That wouldn’t surprise me at all. They’re smart and it doesn’t take them long to work out what presses our buttons. Humans too, are more likely to use expressive faces when communication with our own kind.

But are the changing facial expressions of dogs connected with emotion? Their emotion? It’s true they give clear signs with their faces as a method of communication (whether intentional or not) if dogs are amongst other dogs. But in their interactions with humans, especially the dog/owner relationship, I’d put my money on dogs replicating expressions that have paid off for them in the past.

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)

Fido Feature – Rosie!

Welcome to the second edition of our Fido Feature!

We hope you enjoy getting to know our pack just that little bit better!

Fido Feature – Rosie!

Meet Rosie, our speed demon!
Her favourite part of the day is definitely zooming around the park at top speed, and she absolutely loves it when the rest of the crew play chase with her! Some days you’ll see multiple dogs chasing her as she takes breakneck corners through the park, though very few dogs can actually catch up with her!

Some days she can only be spotted as a blur in the camera, the action is non stop with this little pocket rocket!
From pick up to drop off this adorable fur-ball doesn’t stop, and she certainly makes sure to make the most of each and every day that she joins our day trips!

She may look little, but she’s a big dog on the inside and loves to play around with the other big dogs!
She loves chasing balls, especially when they make that delightful squeaking sound! It’s hard for her to choose just one favourite ball, so you tend to see her running between all ball options to make sure she gets a play with each of them!

Rosie definitely brings the excitement and fun to the dog park!

All of our dogs have such different personalities and we know you’ll love them as much as we do!

Have a suggestion for who we should feature next?

Let us know in a comment on facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/HoundogDayCare

Previous Fido Features:

Wentworth

Looking for the best Dog Lovers Show?

The Dog Lovers Show in Brisbane is on this weekend
Sat 4^th & Sun 5^th Nov 2017 at the Royal International Convention Centre, Brisbane Showgrounds.

There will be all manner of attractions including speed, agility, hero dog tribute and a whole lot more. At the ‘Ask A Breeder’ stage you can hear talks or do some homework, informing yourself about considerations for your next dog. Qualified veterinarians will be on hand to answer questions at ‘Ask-A-Vet’. The ‘Adoption Zone’ gives you an opportunity to hear advice from experts when contemplating providing a forever home and your attendance at the Dog Lovers Show helps raise awareness for this valuable cause. ‘Pat-A-Pooch’ is a space where you can connect with dogs. Both adults and kids can get acquainted with a wide range of breeds.

You’ll definitely recognize Dr. Chris Brown and Dr. Katrina Warren who are involved with some of the shows. There will be plenty of food available and with a major doggy door prize, you will have the chance to win prizes worth over $1700 for your special pooch/es. If you have young children they might like their faces painted or you can dazzle your peepers even further at the Art Exhibition.

There’s a lot more for you to discover so if you wish to be entertained, educated and informed, get along to the show and find out something new.

Though you cannot bring your dog to the show unless they are registered as part of an event, display or adoption, imagine how much fun they’ll have when you shower them with gifts you bought whilst you were there.

https://dogloversshow.com.au/brisbane/

Leah & Angela O’Meara

Hound Dog Day Care (Specialists in Dog Minding & Dog Boarding, Pet Sitting Brisbane & Doggy Day Care Brisbane)