Flea prevention favorites?

Because our dog has allergies, we had to stop using a flea prevention skin treatment (Frontline). It irritated his skin (causing flaky, itchy patches where we’d applied it, even though we tried not to apply it in the same spot twice) and made my eyes water both to put it on him, and also to be around him for several hours after application.

So, we talked to the vet, and got a prescription for Sentinel instead. This has worked really well for us. It’s a once-a-month flea and heartworm prevention tablet, and from our vet, the cost is comparable to what we were paying for both heartworm and flea medicine before.

Because we try to keep things as chemical free as possible, we don’t use any chemical flea treatments, and have yet to have any fleas at all, which is really wonderful. This year, we are planning on using some of the suggested all natural flea abatements to eliminate mosquitoes (some all natural products do both but are marketed more for flea control). I’ll definitely let you know how that turns out!

Today, though, I’d like to know what you use for flea prevention. Do you use something applied topically? A flea collar? An all-natural approach? And how do you (and your dog!) like it?

Games to teach a dog

Lately, we’ve been playing a lot of peek-a-boo with the dog. He loves when we pop up from behind something, and goes a little crazy, which is helpful because it’s been pouring rain non-stop and his walks are a little short. So, to fight the cabin fever, we’re keeping ourselves amused by teasing the dog. 😉

When did we become *that* couple?! (The one who, for entertainment, tortures the dog with games of peek-a-boo, I mean.)

Anyway, this got me thinking about games to teach a dog and I wanted to share one that Vance adores. We take an empty egg carton and put a treat in one of the egg spots. Then, we fill all the egg spots with old plastic Easter Eggs and let him try to find the treat. To train the game, we let him see where we put the treat, but now we hide it so that he has to take out as many plastic eggs as possible.

It’s really funny watching him try to get the slippery (especially after he’s drooled on them!) eggs out of the container, and he really enjoys that he finds yummy treats inside. Of course, this is a game that requires *careful* supervision–you don’t want your dog to crush the plastic egg and injure itself, so only play this game with dogs that are gentle and under careful watch.

What games have you taught your dog? I’d love some new ones to play with Vance to keep him busy during this *very* long winter.

Allergies and the dogs we love

Canine allergies are frustrating–it can be difficult to diagnose what the source of the dog allergies and even once the source is pinpointed, it can be hard to avoid the allergens.

For instance, many dogs are allergic to certain ingredients in dog food. (The most common source of dog health allergies when it comes to food is the protein source, so often switching your dog to a single protein source food can make a big difference.) Other dogs are allergic to pollen or other environmental elements, or even everyday household chemicals like laundry detergent.

In short, if you can be allergic to it, chances are good so can your dog. And, given that even though allergy tests for people have come a long way in the last few decades, doctors can still have trouble isolating exactly what’s causing your watery eyes or other symptoms… Well, let’s just say veterinary medicine isn’t much better when it comes to diagnoses.

So, what can you do to help your dog be healthy with allergies? Three things my vet recommended:

1) Start by talking to your vet, but explain that you’d like to avoid medication if possible. Vets often assume pet owners want the easiest solution, and that’s usually allergy pills, so be clear that you’d much prefer resolve the problem than mask it.

2) Reduce allergens in the home. It’s a lot easier to determine the cause of allergies if you restrict as much as possible for a little while–keep your dog home from doggie day care, keep him inside as much as possible, and wash everything he comes into contact with with the simplest detergent you can find.

3) Simplify your dog’s diet. Talk with your vet and find out if you can feed your dog rice and chicken for a few weeks (that tends to be the easiest choice–but any two-ingredient, home-cooked diet would work). Do get your vet’s guidance on this as portions will vary widely by dog, and for some dogs, restricting their diet can be harmful in other ways.

Getting to the root of dog allergies can be a little time consuming, but improving your dog’s health and resolving those allergic reactions is well worth it! Do you have an allergic dog? What have you done to help reduce allergens?