 Hello Angel Welcome to the first issue of Paws Post for 2009. I trust everyone had a nice Chirstmas and New Years with family and friends I know that we did.
Over the break Obi got a haircut (he looks even better then before) Jessie spent a few nights sleeping inside keeping me company when I was house-sitting and Texas, well long story there, she is on medication for a behavioural problem but she is still my number one!
IN THIS ISSUE OF PAWS POST;
What's News Angel Paws - Disney Dogs; Picture book
Speak Dog - Starting From Scratch; what makes dogs itch?
Digging Around Canberra - Dog Show, Angel Paws Walk for a Cause
Pooch Profile - Good Golly Miss Molly!
Paws N All - Where are they now? Dogs from the big screen.
|
WHAT'S NEWS ANGEL PAWS? 
DISNEY DOGS - Picture Book
Whether they're Old Dogs or Hotdogs, they're all good dogs. Conceived by the Disney Animation Research Library, Disney Dogs is a barking good look at the art created and produced for the more than seventy-five year history of the Disney dog.
http://www.betterworld.com/Disneys-Dogs-id-1423109201.aspx
|
|
SPEAK DOG! 
STARTING FROM SCRATCH - What Makes Dogs Itch?
Excessive scratching is a common condition with dogs and a frustrating problem for their owners. Many dogs scratch, chew and rub themselves so much there skin becomes bald, red, inflamed and painful. If this is the problem faced by your pet, follow the process below to diagnose and treat the problem.
What to do if your dog is really miserable.
The logical, stepwise process below should help to diagnose the reason your pet is scratching, but it will take some time to do this. This delay may not be in your petýs interest.
So, if your dog is miserable and in discomfort or if it has red, inflamed or obviously infected skin, or if you are in any doubt about how serious your dog's skin infection is, you should waste no more time. Please see your veterinarian immediately.
Firstly Flick the Flea
Fleas are the commonest cause of itching. There are two problems caused by fleas.
One is a flea irritation, caused by excessive numbers of fleas. With a flea irritation, the fleas will be easily seen crawling through your pet's coat.
The other is a flea allergy, where you only need a small number of fleas to cause a big problem. With just one ferocious Aussie Flea, an allergic pet can be scratching for most of the day and you won't even know the flea is there.
So, the first step is to use perfect flea control for at least one month. While the monthly 'spot on the neck' preparations are wonderful for routine flea control, to confirm a diagnosis of a flea irritation or perhaps a flea allergy dermatitis, my suggestion is to use Permoxin Insecticidal Spray daily for two weeks. If the condition is solved with this approach, then fleas are the problem. Follow with a good flea control preparation such as Permoxin every seven days or one of the monthly 'spot on the neck' preparations such as Advocate, Frontline Plus , Revolution or similar products.
Now Bash the Bacteria and other Bugs
Infections are more often a cause of itchy skin than many owners realise. Bacteria, yeasts and fungi give rise to nasty skin complaints. When these bugs are present in a dog's skin, the result is often the development of reddened moist skin, excessive scale, odour and the coat often has a greasy feel.
There are very good therapeutic shampoos that are available to help control these problems. Seek the advice of your veterinarian but my suggestion for your itchy pooch is to try the shampoo Malaseb. Wash your dog in this shampoo twice weekly for two weeks in accordance with the directions.
Should an infection be the cause, an improvement should be seen in this time. However, some infections also require antibiotic medications by mouth and for this you will have to see your veterinarian.
Is it Mange?
Mange is a term often misused by pet owners to describe any itchy skin condition and especially fleabite allergic dermatitis. However true mange is a condition caused by a mite that irritates the skin and causes hair loss. The Demodex mite or, more rarely, the Sarcoptes mite, can cause major skin disease which includes hair loss, especially around the face, and the development of secondary infections.
Mange will be difficult for you to diagnose at home. Your veterinarian will do a skin scraping and if the mites are seen, they are usually (but not always) the cause. A variety of medications can be used to treat mange.
Allergy Malady
If you have dutifully ploughed through all of the above and your dog is still scratching then I am sure you feel like pulling your own hair out!
If you are at this point, then your pet may well have an allergy.
Allergic skin disease in pets is a nightmare. By far the commonest allergy is Flea Bite Allergic Dermatitis but this should have been eliminated in the first step. Dogs can be allergic to numerous things including the bites of insects other than fleas, to pollens, plants, moulds, house dust, to the food they are eating.
If the itching is seasonal, for instance in spring and in summer, it is more likely to be an allergy to pollens or to grasses. Wandering Dew and Paspalum are two of many plants that dogs are sensitive or allergic to. If the itching seems to be more intense on the underside of the dog - the part that rubs against plants - then sensitivities like this are more likely.
If this does not fit the picture, then a food allergy could be the next condition to eliminate. This will take some effort and your veterinarian will need to assist you. The goal is to feed a diet that contains protein and carbohydrate sources that your dog has never had before. Venison, rabbit, duck or kangaroo meats are often used as the protein source and rice or potato is often used as the carbohydrate source.
If the scratching still persists, then your dog should be checked for allergies by skin testing or by blood tests. Allergies are treated with anti-inflammatory medications and sometimes with desensitising injections and by removing the source of the allergen if possible. Many dogs with allergic skin disease get some relief when a soothing shampoo, such as oatmeal shampoo, is used.
With skin diseases in pets you are often chasing your own tail trying to find the 'cure'. If this all sounds too difficult, your veterinarian will be happy to help.
Dr Cam - Pet Health |
|
DIGGIN AROUND CANBERRA "AUSTRALIAN BREEDS' TWILIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW
In conjunction with the Canberra Royal Show the National Capital Kennel Club will be holding an "Australian Breeds" Twilight Championships Dog Show.
The show will be held at EPIC on Sunday 28th February 2009. Free entry to watch.
Some of the breeds that will be on show during the event will be; Silky Terriers, Jack Russell Terriers, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs and more.
ANGEL PAWS WALK FOR A CAUSE
WFAC is due to start up agin for its second year running. The first walk for 2009 will be on Saturday 7th February at 9:00am at the Palmervill Heritage Park, McKellar. If you are interested in participating in the walk please regsiter at info@angelpawsdogtraining.com.au. If you haven't been on a walk before you can read more about, click the link below.
Angel Paws Walk for a Cause |
|
POOCH PROFILE 
MOLLY
Shepherd Mix, Female, about 5 months
Molly is a sweet, playful and inquisitive young girl. She loves time with her people and hanging out with her doggy mates, both big and small.
She learnt to sit, walk well on lead and is fast learning toilet-training from the resident pooches. Although curious, she appears to show no major interest in cats. Andrea.Hinschen@health.gov.au
Being a clever young pup, Molly would thrive in a home continuing on with her training and socialisation. She would love to be actively included in the families activities and would be enjoy having a doggy companion to play with while her humans are away.
Molly is desexed, C5 vaccinated, microchipped, wormed, heartworm tested, on heartworm preventative and available for $300.
Contact Andrea via phone (preferred method):
02 6232 8330 W, 02 6292 9701 H, 0401 347 058 M.
Contact via email (Monday to Friday):
Canberra Pooch Rescue |
PAWS N ALL
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
HOOCH, Turner and Hooch starring Tom Hanks
Breed: Douge de Bordeaux
Real Name: Beasley
Born: 1978
Died: 1992
Owned and Trained by Clint Rowe. Turner and Hooch was Beasley’s first and only movie.
JERRY LEE, K9 starring James Belushi
Breed: German Shepherd
Real Name: Koton
Death: 18 November 1991
The German Shepherd Dog "Jerry Lee" was played by Koton, a real-life police dog from the Kansas City, Missouri police department. In 1991, Koton was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a suspect in the murder of a police officer. Ten days before his death, Koton found ten kilos of cocaine worth more than $US 1.2 million
REX, Inspector Rex
Breed: German Shepherd
Birthday: 01-06 1991 in Ingolstadt
Real Name: Reginald von Ravenhorst
Rex has to date been played by three dogs. Until 2000, he was played by Reginald von Ravenhorst (the show indicates that this is also Rex's "real" name), and was then replaced by Rhett Butler. For the 2008 revival, Rex is played by American dog Henry.
LASSIE
Breed: Collie Rough
Sex: Male
Real Name: First lassie was Pal
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character that has starred in, or been the subject of, many radio shows, movies, TV shows, and books, entertaining generations of children around the world from 1938 to the present.
The first dog to star as Lassie in the 1943 movie Lassie Come Home was "Pal", originally from Glamis Collies of California. The original owner could not train the dog and hired Studio Dog Training School to do the job
Pal was bred with a number of female dogs to ensure the Lassie look could be continued. The Lassie looks of sable coat with a white blaze, large white collar, and four white paws is legally trademarked. The collies are also intentionally bred oversized so that the males selected can work with older child stars.
All collies to play Lassie have been male because male collies retain a thicker summer coat than females which "looks better on television"[8] Also, the male is larger and a child actor can play opposite the dog for longer before outgrowing him.
BENJI
Breed: Crossbreed
Real Name: Higgins
The real name of the dog who first played Benji was Higgins. He was trained by Frank Inn, who found him in an animal shelter in Burbank, California. He was a small dog with dark golden-brown fluffy hair, black ears, a black muzzle, and big brown eyes. Inn wrote that he believed Higgins to have been a cross between a miniature poodle, a miniature schnauzer, and a cocker spaniel.
From 1977 to 1989, the part of Benji was played by a daughter of Higgins. Before she was chosen to be the second Benji trainer Frank Inn referred to her as Benjean, but once chosen to carry on the mantle of canine superstar, her name immediately became Benji and she was called nothing else. Benji #2 looked quite a bit like her father, being of a similar size and golden-brown colour, with those iconic big brown eyes, but her hair was softer and fluffier than his and she had a distinctive irregular patch of white fur around her nose on her muzzle. For her first movie, which she began at a young eleven months old, her ears were dyed black on the tips to make her look more like the original Benji, but as she grew older, her ears darkened and the dye was no longer necessary.
TOTO, Wizard of Oz
Breed: Cairn Terrier
Real Name: Terry
Death: aged 10
In the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, Toto was played by a female black Cairn Terrier whose real name was Terry. Terry was paid a $125.00 salary each week, which was far more than many of the human actors (the Singer Midgets who played the Munchkins only received $50.00 a week). Also, Terry was stepped on by one of the witch's guards, and a double had to be used because her foot was broken. The popularity of the movie actually changed her name to Toto, because that was the role she was most remembered for. However, The Wizard of Oz wasn't the only film that Terry played a role. She actually starred in 13 films. She died at age 10.
|
PAWFECT......"In a perfect world, every dog would have a home and every home would have a dog." |
Thank you for reading Paws Post.
If you have any information that you feel others would like to read about, then please feel free to email it to us.
Regards,
Laurie Beaver
Angel Paws - dog training & consulting |
