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!