A Wrap up (Sheltie / Dog Care)

Good Morning, we've talked about tick prevention and heartworm prevention. Today is a wrap up on sheltie / dog care. Apart from tick prevention and heartworm prevention, we need to feed our dog a balanced meal that would meet their nutritional requirement.

There are so many dog food out there...which to choose?  I will only go with one brand..which is Royal Canin...I have been feeding my dogs Royal Canin for a long time and I can see the difference between a dog that was fed other food (from when they were in the womb) and my dogs that are on Royal Canin(also from when they were in the womb) I see a whole lot of difference.

Yeah yeah there are "so called" dog food review and people actually believe it just because its published on the net. Not EVERYTHING you see on net is reliable.  No one ever question how reliable these reviews are.  

Lets compare Royal Canin with other brand....Most brand even the premium or super premium brand have a "one size fit all concept" meaning any dog regardless of breed or size takes the same thing...how is that logic?  A Chihuahua's needs and a German Shepherd needs surely cant be the same!  Royal Canin is so specific when formulating the food thats why they have food specifically only for German Shepherd, Labrador, Golden Retriever etc...they all have special and different needs, for example, a German Shepherd's skin has a different PH level compared to other dogs.Within the canine species, skin Ph varies according to breeds. German Shepherd dogs have a much more alkaline Ph than other large breed dogs. Research has shown that an alkaline skin is more prone to bacteria development than an acid one. So, that is why they created food that is specific for certain breeds.

People often ask me when I walk the dog about the shampoo I use...I am sure they ask that because they are impressed with their coat...But its not the shampoo, its the food.

Ok, so food is very important too.

Now we shall talk about how often a dog should bath.  Most people bath their dog once a week.  For me that is pretty acceptable if they tend to get dirty very fast.  But if you have a choice and your dog isnt dirty try to make it once every two weeks.  Am sure some of you are going yuck!  But hahaha...I have news for you...have you ever wondered why some people complain their dog smell even after giving them a bath few days ago?  The dog has got a natural layer of oil that protects their skin.  They more you shampoo them the more you remove that precious oil and when the oil is gone....TADA bacteria growing and thats why you get a stinky dog!

I bath my dogs ONCE a month...they dont smell at all...they are groomed daily.  Grooming keeps their coat it good shape because we are ventilating the skin and so the skin is healthy.  Using a good and not harsh shampoo helps.  My Favourite shampoo and conditioner is PET ESTHE.  It is very gentle on the skin and it cleans the dog well and it leaves a very nice pleasant LIGHT smell.  Not like some dog shampoo that could choke you.  Remember a dog's sense of smell is about 100000 times stronger than a human's so just imagine how irritating it can be for them!

And as I mentioned in my other post, the sun is important too...so let your dogs get out and get some sun.

Lastly, please make sure you vaccinate your dog.  It is very very important.  A puppy will usually have 3 vaccines in the first year  and then it becomes a yearly affair.  If unsure when to vaccinate, always speak to your vet.

So, in ensuring your dog is happy and healthy and that you dont end up with high unnecessary vet bills, if you do the following, you can be sure you are doing the best for your dog.

1. Good food, I will recommend only ROYAL CANIN
2. Heartworm prevention
3. Tick Prevention (FRONTLINE COMBO)
4. Vaccination
5. Bath only when necessary, I recommend PET ESTHE SHAMPOO and CONDITIONER(remember the sun)

Okey dokey, that is all for the physical health.  In my next post, we will be talking about mental health (DOGS)

Have a wonderful day!!

Meet Baby!

Hello and Good Morning! I have yet to introduce Baby to you.  Meet Baby, our little girl. I was going to introduce her but just have not got round to doing it. Anyway, we would like you to meet Baby.  Baby and Honey Bun love playing with each other. Baby is a happy carefree girl.  She loves people and loves other dogs too. Honey Bun and Baby was spayed at the same time just recently, all went well and they are their happy self again.

Here she is at 8 months old....

Honey Bun and Baby

Sunbathing

Dogs love to sunbath...no its not to get a tan! hahaha...its very important for a dog to get some sun.  That is why you will see a smart dog sunbathing.  It is good for their skin.  Dogs who dont often get the sun because their owner thinks its too hot for them often have more problems than dogs who sunbath.  Just because we dont like the sun, it doesnt mean its not good for the dog.  The best time for your dog to sunbath is the morning sun till about 11.30am. Do NOT force them to be under the sun against their will. You could kill them that way.  Just give them the freedom to be able to go outside and sunbath whenever they like.

Here is Honey Bun sunbathing at 10.30am.  She absolutely loves it.

Merry Christmas!

Sekinchan

My Family and I went to Sekinchan for seafood yesterday.  It was a long drive. We left early so we could arrive just in time for lunch....I heard the scenery of the paddy field there are awesome so I took my camera along with me.  But after lunch we realised we didnt have much time and I need to rush home because Cleo (Honey Bun's sister) is coming over to stay with us for awhile while her humans are away.  So, no pictures of paddy fields unfortunately....only pictures I took when we stopped at a fruit stall ! hahaha...But am determined to go there again when I have the whole day to spend. In my next blog post, a wrap up on dog care and more educational post.  Till then have a fantastic day.

We bought some of this yummy bananas and we were all enjoying it on the way home like a bunch of monkeys, hahahah.....

A pretty flower by the road side

 

The Little Kitten (Hary)

Good Morning! Remember the little kitten we rescued a while back? Well, we have found him a home and he is the only cat and gets the human all to himself, isnt that wonderful? When I found little Hary at the market, I didnt have the heart to leave him there.  He was infested with fleas and was very thin.  He also had an eye infection.  When he was found, we took him to the vet immediately. They got rid of his fleas, treated his eye and got dewormed. We took him home the next day.  I was worried about him with my dogs because my dogs never lived with a cat before, BUT what a pleasant surprise, they accepted him and they became pals instantly! We were very pleased but I am allergic to cats.  I already knew that before taking him home but I thought I would be ok.  Therefore I kept him till I felt I was wheezing almost everyday.  So, before things got worse, I tried to rehome him and luckily a nice Norwegian family was interested in giving him a home!  So, off he went to his new home yesterday and they love him very much.

Here are some picture of Hary when he was staying with us.

Hary loved playing under the willow tree

I have never had a pet cat and never knew I could love a cat so much.  Hary is a loving cat and his personality is wonderful. I wish him all the love and happiness with his new family.  Hope to see you again Hary boy!

Heartworm Prevention

Hi!  Today we are going to talk about heartworm prevention.  This is one of the other thing some dog owners are not aware of.  Heartworms are worms which live in a dogs heart and major blood vessels surrounding it.  A dog may have up to 200 of these worms.  Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes.  The mosquito drinks the blood of an infected dog and takes in larvae with the blood and they are passed on to the next dog bitten. The larvae then developes and destroys the dogs heart.  This is one of those things where you will only see signs when its about almost too late...so why take chances?  Protect your dogs from heartworm! Speak to your vet about it.  If you havent started on heartworm prevention, the dog should get tested first before putting them on any heartworm prevention.  Speak to your vet about it and he will tell you what should be done.

There are a few brands/ type of heartworm prevention.

1. Heartguard  - Is a monthly oral chewable tablet given to prevent heartworms
(not suitable for shelties/Collies/Border collies/Australian Shepherd)

2. Heartguard Plus - is the same funtion as heartguard with the added benefit of controlling roundworm and hookworm.

3. Interceptor - This is also a given orally, monthly, is safe for shelties, collies etc and it controls roundworm, whipworm, hookworm and tape worm!

4.ProHeart - For ProHeart, there are two options, given orally, monthly or injectable(Yearly by vet) ProHeart only protects dog from heartworm and not other worms.

Apart from giving our dog heartworm prevention, we need to deworm them too.  All dogs will have worms and there is no magic to get rid of it.  Thats why we continuously deworm them.

For me Interceptor suits my dogs best, it is complete and less complicated, and safe to be given to young puppies from two weeks of age.

If you opt to use ProHeart, you still need to deworm them every 3 months and most people forget.

I feel Interceptor is the best, it is complete, and given on the same date monthly.  Whatever it is, if in doubt, the best person you should speak to is your vet.

Oh yes, I forgot to say, the reason why Heartgard and Heartgard plus isnt the recommended choice for Shelties / collies etc is because it contains an ingredient called IVERMECTIN.  Some of the Shelties / Collie etc are sensitive to this ingredient.

I received some pictures from Mrs Tan, the owner of Caledonian Wild Fire (King #3) 

Living like a true King....

That bed was made specifically for him..

At the dog show with his proud owners

Updates...

Good morning....it has been a crazy week...here - some quick updates...the little kitty we found in the market has grown and is doing well....he is a sweet playful boy and he get along fine with the doggies....I sprained my leg too this week...bone was out of place but swelling is down now and suffer only a very slight pain now...

The little stray pup has gone to heaven...she had picked something up before we took her...I sprained my leg because I was rushing to take her to the vet when she didn't want to eat. I did everything I could and was with her the whole time...it was really heartbreaking to see her go.

I remember I said I will post some educational post...ok I would like to talk about ticks. I thought most people will know about prevention by now but there are some who are still quite ignorant about this matter...

Ticks are one of the worst thing to have in a home..they multiply by the thousands and imagine that thousands multiplying!!! What do you get? Yes your worst night mare...once your home is infested with ticks it will take a while to get rid of it...they thrive in our hot and humid weather...so the next time you feel that there's NO ticks in your home and your dog is clean and won't get ticks and you think you can save money by not giving it tick prevention....THINK AGAIN! Most people learn it the hard way...

It is very important to use tick prevention...some people love to say 'my dog don't go out so it won't get ticks'.  Well it just takes one stray to come by your house, drop a few ticks and  TADA you have a few thousand in no time.

Some people also think that ticks are no big deal, probably just makes the dog itch... Ticks can cause tick fever! It is deadly and will kill your dog. Usually when a dog has tick fever, it will show you symptoms when it's about just to late.

I also hear a lot of this....' I don't like the idea of putting chemical ( tick prevention) on my dogs...hmm...would you rather it die from tick fever?

Some love getting a bit of info from net and think they know it all...talk to your vet and trust your vet...sometimes trying to be 'too smart' will only get u in trouble, so do yourself and your dog a favour, please use tick prevention.

Kitty's New Toy

Ive never had a cat before..however when it comes to toys, I only trust one brand, KONG!
Here's kitty with his new toy.

 

Look at what we found!

On thursday, I went to the market ...I tried to be as quick as possible because it was going to rain.  As I was walking up the stairs, on a busy walk way I saw this tiny little kitten lying there.  I felt it was a bit weird because they would usually find a corner to sleep and not in the middle of a busy walk way.  I went on doing my things and when I was about to leave, it was still there.  I went to look for a tiny box and pick the poor kitten up.  It was a bit weak and didnt react much.  I then took it to my vet.  This kitty had a lot of fleas and was scratching a lot.  He was treated, got rid of its fleas, dewormed and was given a vitamin shot to help.  The vet told me he is about 5 weeks old. 

I tried asking around if anyone wants it and my vet helped too but no body wants it and I cant keep it at the vet.  So, he came home with me on Friday... I was worried about how he would react with my dogs and how my dogs would with him...I was a bit stressed just thinking about it but everything went well....

When the kitty came home I seperated him from the dogs to get them acquainted. I was supervising when they are together to avoid anything bad from happening....At first the dogs were a bit confused...they thought it was a pup....



Look at Honey Bun..so curious about the little kitty..

And you thought a cat was enough?  Then this little girl came!  Full of fleas...her tongue was pale from all that flea bite...she was brought to the vet, got rid of the fleas, dewormed and was given vitamin shots to help and she was home with us.

This little cutie looks like a pug..haha well sort of

Its been two days now and guess what?  The dogs dont mind them and the little pup and the kitty are best of pals!  They would play with each other and sleep next to each other!  They are so adorable.  I tried taking a picture of them sleeping next to each other but didnt manage one.

I can see the kitty and the little pup are both very happy and quite at home...I am sure they were quite miserable with all that fleas on them.  I had some biting me when I was holding them when they were found and that was only a few bite and it was already driving me insane...Imagine what they must be feeling with thousands of fleas biting them.

I have never had a cat before, but I do know how to care for them now and what they like.
Oh I forgot to say, the little pup must be about 3 and half weeks old.

Today I saw the little kitty playing with Honey Bun's tail as if it was a toy! Hahaha...it was so funny.  Watching the little pup and kitty play as if they were siblings is truly wonderful.

Here are more pictures of them taken when they came back with me on friday.  Usually puppies this age would whine if alone but she has this kitty and all the other shelties, so she is happy.

Checking out the garden

His eyes were almost closed...Trying to get 40 winks?

Cody Boy!

Good Morning!!  Today we are featuring Cody boy in our blog post.  Cody is Honey Bun's brother.  He is 10 months old only and blossoming into a very handsome young man.  His owner takes care of him very well and he is on the same diet as Honey Bun, that is why he too have that lovely coat.  Here are some pictures of Cody, from a new born pup, to the handsome young man he is now.  We are going to visit Blossom and her kids soon in Port Dickson.  They will be leaving for the UK sometime next year for good.  

 

 

Simply Gorgeous! (Cody now at 10 months old)

 

We have company!

Zeus and Xera is staying with us. They have been here for four days.  Their owners are away on a short trip and they wouldnt leave them anywhere else so they are with us.  Honey Bun is happy, so is Aimee and Baby....opps you may not know who Baby is yet but I will introduce baby to you soon in a seperate post.  Sunshine and Josh is definately not chuffed about another male being around but ok about Xera.  Xera and Zeus are hillarious...like mischievous little monkeys...hahaha...they are constantly happy and wagging their tail eventhough they are in a new environment.  Then again, they have been here before.

Here are some pictures of them in the garden having fun.



The Mighty Zeus

Princess Honey Bun

Hello!!  I know...I know...Ive been neglecting the blog....I am sorry.. I am back now! Ive just been busy doing loads of stuff at the same time enjoying myself.  Time flies and Honey Bun has grown a lot.  Today's post is all about her and how she has grown into a beautiful young lady now.  So here are pictures of her, from a new born pup to what she is today.  It doesnt stop there...Shelties blossom when they reach the age of 2 - 4 years old. (That is of course if they get the best diet) It not only makes them beautiful and have a gorgeous coat, it keeps them healthy and happy too.  Look at how they change in terms of colour, coat texture and coat volume. If you are already feeding them the best, dont compare them and wonder why their coat is not the same, they can even be siblings but they all mature differently at different time.  For example, Sunshine was already super fluffy at the age of 8 months of age and the rest only got there when they reached 2 years old.  So as long as you are providing the best diet, just be patient and you will know what I mean.

 



I love this pic, she has the sweetest face (Honey Bun Now)

In my next post I would make more educational post for those who would like to learn and do the best for their dogs regardless sheltie or not.  Till then have a fantastic day!