Spring is here and the flowers are blooming and the plants are coming to life.  Are you enjoying it or are your eyes watering and you’re sneezing?  Yes, allergy season is upon us.  Luckily, I only get mild symptoms, but for some, it’s a miserable time.

How about your pets – do they get allergies?  Of course they do.  Grasses, insects, molds and weeds to name a few can lead your pet to scratch, bite and sometimes cause open sores on their bodies.

When my  late dog Nikki was little, she used to scratch all the time and get hot spots.  I was a new dog owner and would literally follow her around to see where she was scratching and spray some medicine on it.  It got to the point that she would stop scratching when she saw me coming or would go out of site to scratch!  I was very annoying .  Around 4 years of age, she grew out of it and didn’t have any more problems with the hot spots.

My little Nikki in her later years

The most common types of allergies in dogs are Food, Contact, Inhalant , Bacterial, and Flea Allergies.

Food Allergy

Pet food has come a long way to removing ingredients that pets can be allergic to such as corn, wheat and grains.  It is believed that if they are introduced to these too early of an age they may always be allergic to it.  Mold is sometime inherited with grains because they are stored for long periods of time in grain silos.  The symptoms from food allergies usually manifest themselves as digestive problems or skin problems.

To treat food allergies, you have to start by eliminating the food they’re eating and give them a chicken and rice diets (or whatever your vet recommends).  Vets can also prescribe hypoallergenic packaged dog food.  Slowly, one by one start adding in other foods.  Starting your pet out in life with  a nutrient rich, holistic pet food may be your best defense to food allergies.

Contact Allergy

Contact Allergies are the least common type of allergies.  This is usually caused by a chemical such as  flea products, disinfectants and even types of bedding such as beds filled with cedar.  To treat  a contact allergy is to remove the substance that’s causing it.  However, if it’s not readily apparent what the substance is, you might have to do some detective work.

Flea - A face only a mother could love

Inhalant Allergy

Inhalant Allergies are triggered by the things we get allergies from, pollen from trees, grasses and weeds, mold, mildew and dust mites.  Instead of getting a runny nose and sneezing, dogs manifest their symptoms through their skin.  This can cause itching, scratching, shaking their heads or rubbing their ears or muzzle and licking.  Depending on what they are allergic to, symptoms could last for a few weeks for seasonal allergies or longer.

To find out what is causing the allergy, your pet can go through testing by injecting possible allergens, or do a blood test and send it to a lab so they determine what your pet is allergic to.

Treatments for Inhalant allergies  are:

Anti-Inflammatory therapy using steroids/cortisone.  This will block the allergic reaction in most cases.

Flea Free Shampoo

Shampoo Therapy: Shampooing frequently with a hypo allergic or natural dog shampoo made for this reason can help considerably.  Antigens can be absorbed through the skin and it is thought that frequent shampooing can lessen the absorption and also quickly relieve the itching by removing surface antigens.

Hypo sensitization is basically allergy shots.  By giving your pet small amounts of the antigen, it’s hoped that weekly shots can retrain the body’s immune system to become desensitized and lessening the effects of the allergy substance.

Flea Allergy

By far flea allergies are the most common type.  To most dogs fleas are just a pain in the rump, but for some, it can cause intense itching and cause them to scratch until they have an open sore.  This in turn can cause other secondary infections.  If your dog in severely allergic by the fleas saliva, it’s best to remove all fleas.  Easier said than done.  There are several spot on medications you can purchase such as Frontline, however spot on flea medication has come under some scrutiny in the past months.  There are natural flea shampoos,  and Diatomaceous Earth.   In some cases steroids can be prescribed.

Bacterial Allergy

Staph bacteria is common in dogs.  For some it’s not a problem, but if their immune system is comprised, it can become a severe problem and invade the deeper layers of the skin.  This infection is called pyoderma.  The symptoms are hair loss, raised circular lesions, flaky skin.  This staph infection can occur as a secondary infection from the scratching and itching from other allergic reactions.

The treatment is usually antibiotics, topical and oral medications.  Providing a natural, holistic pet food can bolster the immune system so that a staph infection can’t escalate.

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Holistic Pet Food

These days there are so many terms for natural, organic, holistic and so on and so on.  But exactly what do these terms really mean?  How organic is organic??  Often companies use these terms very loosely to get you to buy their products, however are they being truthful?

We all want to keep the planet green to live as harmoniously as we can with nature.  So in that light,  here are some terms to help guide you through this bombardment of “green” terms in our life today.

Green Earth

Organic – The USDA National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:
“Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled “organic,” a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.”

Within this definition are 4 degrees of organic.

1.  100% Organic –  made with 100% organic materials and procedures

2.  Organic – 95% needs to be of organic materials

3.  Made With Organic Ingredients – means that the product is made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients.  The remaining 30% has to be made with strict restrictions with no GMO’s  (genetically modified organisms)

4.  Less than 70% Organic – If the product is made with less than 70% organic materials, they can list which ingredients are organic on the side label of a package, but can’t make any organic claims on the front.

Holistic –  pertains to the whole –  physical, mental, social, and spiritual aspects of a person’s life as an integrated whole.  When you visit  a holistic vet, they will be treating your pet as a whole being and how the parts effect the whole.  They step back and look at all the reasons why your pet might be sick and not just zero in on one particular symptom. 

Eco Friendly and Green – Actually these terms don’t have strict guidelines set as of yet but are bandied about on every label you see.  When I think of eco friendly or green, I think of products that are made without chemicals, maybe some or all is made with recycled materials, or with renewable sources such as bamboo and cork.  Eco friendly is made with as little of a damaging impact on the earth, nature and people as possible.  The Oeko-Tek 100 Standard Certification has guidelines that I wrote about in a prior post.

Sustainability - Sustainability means that what we do on a continued basis has a minimal impact on the environment.  When we say that Bamboo is sustainable, it’s because bamboo grows so fast that the impact on the forest is minimal.

Durable Products – Using products that last a long time are better for the environment because you don’t have to produce as much and it’s good for your pocketbook!

Landfill

Locally Grown – Buying products that are locally grown means that products don’t have to be shipped (trucked) as far reducing fuel consumption and emissions in the atmosphere.

Biodegradable – means that a material will decompose by composting or in a landfill.  Microorganisms are either in the items using raw materials, or they are made with an additive that chemically breaks down the material at the molecular level.  Think bio doggie bags!

Recycling – I’m sure we all know that recycling is processing old or abandoned materials to make new ones.

Now go recycle a shelter dog!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting

Waggy’s Holistic Pet Food

In my recent travels through social media, especially in the LinkedIn groups, I have become aware of alternative treatments for animals.  I was familiar with Canine Massage, but not some of the other natural therapies.

We were having a discussion in one of my groups about whether or not they actually work.  Many of the practitioners have seen firsthand the wonderful healings of their companion pets.  Some were not so convinced.  I think that if it works for your pet, then it works!  It doesn’t matter how you heal your pet, it just matters that your pet gets healed.

OOOMMMM

I believe that preventative medicine is the first course of action and of course that means feeding your pet a nutrient rich holistic pet food.  So many allergies and other illnesses come from what you put in your dog.  Read my post on What you don’t want in your dog food.  That can get you started in the right direction.  Learn to read the labels and know exactly what they mean.

There are too many alternative treatments to put in one post. Please go to the Full directory of alternative treatments for animals.  I do not condone or condemn any of these practices.  This is just to let you know what’s out there to help your pet in need.  Please consult your Veterinarian before trying any of these therapies.

Here’s a brief description some of the alternative treatments for your pets.

Canine/Equine Massage:  This is the manipulation of the soft tissue of your pet.  Can be used as a preventative or for injuries.  Also, helps agility or sports dogs.

That feels soooo good!

Reiki: Reiki is Japanese for ‘universal life force energy’, the word can be split into 2 parts – ‘Rei’ meaning universal and ‘Ki’ meaning energy.  The practitioner uses energy transference and touches the animal in different parts of his body.

Acupuncture: Practiced for thousands of years in China and now has become more mainstream here in America, is used for both humans and animals.  The acupuncture needles, used along meridian lines, are meant to unblock the bodies energy lines to redirect the energy and rebalance your body.  Shiatsu is a kin to acupuncture, but using the hands along the meridian lines instead of needles.

Animal Communication:  is the ability of the practitioner to use telepathy to interpret the animals thoughts, feeling, words and mental images.  Telepathy means “feeling across a distance”. This can be used to find out why your pet is doing a certain unwanted behavior, or to get a better understanding of their feelings.

This is supposed to help me!!

Aromatherapy, Flower Essences and Herbal Remedies:   Taking their cue from nature, practitioners use herbs, oils from plants and flower essences to treat ailments or alter moods such as anxiety.  These therapies are nothing new and have been around since the dawn of time.  Animals in the wild learned how to self-medicate and early humans have been using plants and flowers for injuries and sickness since the beginning.  Read my prior post about Essential Oils for Pets.

Magnotherapy: uses magnetic energy fields to speed up the blood supply allowing more oxygen to flow providing more absorption of nutrients.

There are many others and if you would like to investigate these natural therapies more or find a school in your area, here are some links that can help you:   Natural Healers, Alternative Medicine, Natural Animal Health, Naturally Complementary.

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover To Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

Waggy’s Holistic Pet Food

Have you ever noticed when dogs sleep on your bed, they usually lay right between your legs and put you in the most uncomfortable positions?  However, I  have to go on record saying that I love when my boarders sleep in our bed with us.  Of course they can’t all sleep on our bed – that’s why I have my two boys take some of the dogs.  They actually fight over which dog will get to sleep with them.

With that said, not all dogs are good candidates for sleeping on the human bed.

5 good reasons why Fido may not be welcome on the bed:

Excessive licking! I’ve been woken up by the wonderful sound (not) of a dog licking their paws or other areas!  Bigger dogs can even rock the bed back and forth.  Stress, boredom or a medical problem can lead to excessive licking.  Elicit the help of a professional dog behaviorist, vet or trainer that can help you with this problem.  Usually a good nudge will stop them.

My Sitter Wendy in Bed with Some Friends

Small Bladder – Some dogs can’t or won’t hold their bladder the entire night.  This too could be caused by a medical condition such as a Urinary Tract Infection/Bladder Infection. Also, young puppies have a hard time holding their bladder.  Either way, you can get up a couple times a night or a better idea would be to put them in a crate or enclosed in an area with a gate – preferably on tile and maybe with some pee pads.  Of course you’ll need a soft, comfortable dog bed for Fido to sleep on.

Nervous, fidgety or hyper behavior.  Sometimes when we get a new dog boarding with us, they can be nervous, and it’s hard for them to settle down.  They jump on and off the bed and roam aimlessly around the house.  Both of those actions make it hard for me to sleep especially if I don’t know what the dog is up to as they check out the house all night!  They usually calm down the second night, but a crate may be an option in this case also.  If your dog does this every night, he may not be getting enough exercise during the day.  Make sure they go to the dog park or get a nice, long walk everyday.

Old, Injury or weak hindquarters – When my late dog got older, she no longer could jump on the bed with us.  It was a sad transition for us and we really missed her being close.  Dog leg injuries or other medical conditions can also prevent them from jumping up and down on the bed or other furniture.  Please consult your vet in these situations.  Again, make the transition smoother by getting them proper bedding and put it close to you on the floor so they know your not too far away.

A typical night at my sitter Frank's house

Aggression towards you or your bed partner.  I’ve heard many stories about dogs that won’t let your spouse near you and will growl and/or try to bite.  According to Pat Miller, CPDT and training editor of the Whole Dog Journal, “Never punish your dog for growling.  Punishment is likely to make his behavior worse because your aggression will add to his stress”.  This doesn’t mean they are automatically banished from the bed, but you will need to bring in a professional that can help you counter condition this behavior.  Tread carefully on this one – you don’t want to make the situation worse.

So, if you do have kick Fido off the bed, please make sure you get them a good, comfortable dog bed that fits them properly.  If your dog likes to stretch out, buy a little bigger bed than needed.  I know money is tight these days, but this isn’t where your want to scrimp.  If you’ve ever slept on an uncomfortable bed, you know how important it is to sleep in comfort especially for those older or injured dogs.

Now go take a nap!

Chris L Wagner

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

Waggy’s Holistic Pet Food

The last two posts about the pet sitting business, educated you about the pros of dog boarding and cons of dog boarding.  Now it’s time to discuss pet services in the clients home.  In home pet services are when the pet sitter goes to the client’s home to take care of their pets and home.  This may include walks, feeding and changing their water, cleaning out the litter box, administering medication and/or injections, playing with them, picking up waste, and anything else the owner wants.  It can also include watering plants, taking in the mail, garbage, turning blinds etc.

Overnight pet services are also included in this category.  Overnight pet services are when the sitter goes to a clients home in the evening and spends the night with their pets. Usually, the owner will let you sleep in a guest bedroom or their own.  If you feel uncomfortable about sleeping in someone’s bed, you can always bring a sleeping bag and sleep on top of the bed.

Phantom lounging on his mommy's bed

For my pet sitting business, I choose to board dogs in my home and do very few in home pet visits.  I prefer to stay at home and not drive all around town.  The only pet visits I do now are ones that I’ve been doing for years as it’s very hard to say no and not to mention that you get attached to the animals.

When I first started out, I tried everything and weeded out what I didn’t like to do.  However, if you decide you don’t want to do a specific service, it’s hard to say no to a client you’ve been servicing for a while.  Getting yourself clear at the beginning will alleviate a lot of stress later.

So, if your still on the fence, here’s the pros and cons of Pet Services and Overnight Pet Visits in the clients home:

Pro’s:

• You get to play with animals all day!  Each home you go to has different animals with all new adventures.

• In home pet visits can be very profitable.  Depending on your rates, you can make hundreds of dollars a day.  For instances, if you charge $20 a visit and have 12 visits a day, that’s $240 a day.  Of course it take years to have a regular clientele that can afford you this many visits.

• You will get plenty of exercising walking dogs and being outdoors is a plus.  9 times out of 10, they will want their dogs walked and that could be a lot of walking!  Of course cats don’t need to be walked.  If you are unable to walk this much, then pet sitting is not for you.

• You can make your own hours.  You establish how early and how late you are willing to perform your duties.

• Variety.  In addition to sitting dogs and cats, there are a number of other animals – Rabbits, birds, hamsters and the other rodent varieties.  Let not forget those reptiles!  If you’re lucky enough to live in a rural area, you can visit farm animals. Of course if you’re afraid of reptiles, you don’t have to do the job.  They are so few and far between, that it won’t affect your bottom.

That's me with a Boa!!

• For Overnight visits you can think of them as mini-vacations.  There’s no laundry or errands to do – Just keep their pets happy.

Con’s:

• Pet Sitting is not for late morning risers.  Depending on the dog’s access to the outside to go potty, you may need to be at your clients home, usually no later than 7:00 am, and let them out at night for a last potty break in the evening around 8:00 or 9:00 pm.  These times will be worked out with the owner at the initial consultation.

• However, many dogs have access to the back yard and cats can be visited at any designated time during the day.  The most common times that people need pet visits is in the morning, sometimes mid day and evening.  Depending on how many visits you have, you’ll have free time in between

• If getting up early in the morning doesn’t appeal to you, you can always specialize in cats or mid day walks, but keep in mind this will limit the amount of your income.

• You will have to do a lot of driving around town.  Know how far you will be willing to drive before you market yourself to a certain area.  You don’t want to drive 20-30 minutes for a 30 minute visit.  That just doesn’t make sense unless you charge a service fee for out of area clients.  This may not apply if you live in rural areas and the homes are spread out.

Whitey the super predator cat!

• Pet sitters work 24/7.  People go on vacation all the time and will need their pets to be looked after on the weekends too.  I have been at social functions and had to leave for ½ hour to do a visit.  It’s only for a short time and people may not even miss that you’re gone, but it’s hard to leave. Once you are with the animals, however, all is well with the world.  They’ll put a smile on your face every time and you won’t miss being somewhere else.  But, if you go away for the weekend a lot, or your children need to travel for sports, this may not work for you.

• If you have an infant or toddler children, you will not be able to take them to the clients homes.  The likely hood for injury is just too great and it would be very unprofessional.  You are there for the clients animals and small children are just too distracting.  You should be the only person entering the clients home.  It’s a business just like any other.

• Exhaustion.  If you’re that busy, hire an employee or Independent Contractor to take up the slack or learn to say NO!  Remember, you got into this because you love animals.  If you’re exhausted, you won’t be able to enjoy yourself.  Pet Sitting has a high burn out rate, so you need to construct your business to your life.  Believe me, it can take over your life in an instant!

• Overnights can be hard if you have children or choose to board dogs in your home.  Seriously talk this over with your significant other to decide if this is something you can live with.  Some overnight assignments can be a week or more.  An overnight here or there may be all you’re willing to do.

I realize that pet sitting sounds like the most fun, awesome job in the world, but it is a business with pros and cons.  Think very carefully before you dive in.  Do you have the time it takes to market yourself?  Do you want to work weekends and holidays?  Talk to other pet sitters (out of your area) and get the real scoop from them.  I’ve had a few calls from people thinking about getting into the business.  We love to help other animal lovers!

Chris L Wagner

From One Pet Lover to Another

Waggy’s Eco Pet Products

Waggy’s Pet Sitting Service

Waggy’s Pet Tips and Tales Blog

Holistic Pet Food