M.T. Sanders's Blog, page 12

The growing problem of anxiety in dogs

It seems more and more dog owners are having issues with nervous and anxious pets and this has seen a rise in the products available to try and alleviate the symptoms. I have never tried any of these previously but recently our Cocker Spaniel Bailey has become quite distressed at certain events. He has always been what you might call ‘highly strung’ and I know a lot of other spaniel owners who would describe their dogs in a similar vein. The recent firework season seemed to have had a worse than usual effect on his anxiety and after a browse on the Animed direct website I ordered some. My choice was driven mainly by a desire to offer a herbal remedy that wouldn’t make him drowsy as it was about trying to help his anxiety and not subdue him.The dosage was listed as 1-2 tablets per 5kg daily and with Bailey being 15kgs we started him on three tablets daily and gave that a week to see if it had any effect. After the initial trial period we upped it very slightly to four tablets per day and that was where we stayed as that seemed to have the desired effect. Before the introduction of the tablets Bailey was very reluctant to even go into the garden as he had become scared when a particularly explosive firework went off as he was going to the toilet. After two weeks on the Scullcap and valerian tablets he had lost his inhibitions and he began to regain his confidence. They seemed to just give him a bit of a boost and that got him back into his normal mind frame and after a couple of months we gradually reduced the tablets and then stopped them all together.Overall, I really felt that the introduction of the tablets really helped Bailey get over his nervous episode. This year I will be introducing Dorwest Scullcap and Valerain tablets before the firework season begins so that hopefully we won’t have a repeat of last years problems. It’s nice to know that due to their herbal nature we can offer this support for Bailey while not being concerned about the effect on him due to taking drugs.For more information on the products reviewed here simply visitwww.animeddirect.co.uk Animed Direct are one of the UK’s leading online pet retailers, offering savings of up to 50% on vet priced medication, food, treats and accessories. For more info about Dorwest and any of its herbal products visit https://www.animeddirect.co.uk

Who's a good girl?.....not you Cookie, not you

Since Wendlesday when the heffalump went to the learning zoo all I've heard is 'Cookie was really good'....'Cookie was so well behaved'......'Cookie was so gentle wiv the mini hoomans'....gush gush gush nada nada nada.....Well not so gullyball hoomans we know the troof don't we? We know it's all an act and she is in fact a drool covered hairy mahoosive hoofed mammoth on speed. 'Such a good girl' my big hairy ars....k yourself this.....how come if she's so gentle and we'll behaved did she jump on my head last night when I was asleep? No reason she just jumped off the sofa onto me head....Then she just walked off like nuffin had happened. Well I know the real heffalump....and I'm watching you hairy hippo.....you'll slip up, and when you do I'll be there like a.....like a.....well like a newfydoof who's there when people slip up....

The Slobbernosserus goes to the learning zoo

Well the heffalump went to her second learning zoo today.....I'd like to say that she was really norty....I'd like to say that she distrupulated the whole day....I'd like to say dad couldn't read the story cos she was pulling all over the place...and I'd like to say she was jumping on the mini hoomans.....trouble is I can't say any of that #shoudibeworried

Our visit to Kentmere Academy

Last week we visited Kentmere Academy in Rochdale as a part of our free author visits to school initiative. We began with an assembly before heading into each class to read 'I'm not a Pandacow' and give the children a chance to get up and personal with Monty, an experience they really seemed to enjoy. From start to finish the children were enthusiastic, polite and asked some fantastic questions. The staff were amazingly supportive and you can certainly see how much the school benefits from that. I actually sold out of books such was the response and it's so lovely to see young people engaging so well with our story and we absolutely loved our visit. We look forward to returning later in the year to read 'Monty and the Slobbernosserus, and introduce Cookie. Thanks everyone for your warm welcome.

Merlot is going to Crufties

As you know we will be reporting from Crufties again this year. We always enjoy the whole spectacle and it is an amazing event whether you're into the actual showing or not. This year we're more excited than usual because not only are we getting the chance to meet the hairy slug but she is actually entered. I know lots of you have followed Merlot's story from the very beginning and it certainly never started out as a very happy one. When we took her to her new home in Scottyland with Linn and Robin we knew with absolute certainty that she would have the very best of lives. Well we were right and again I know many of you have seen her grow and followed Linn's posts where she has even joked that Merlot is naughty....as if

Westfield Primary School visit

On Tuesday this week we visited Westfield Primary School in Runcorn to share 'I'm not a Pandacow' with the children there. We started with an assembly for the whole school and we did a Q and A year group by year group and we had some fabulous questions. As is usual most of the children wanted to know more about Monty and they were enthralled to hear about this huge Newfoundland dog in the hall.Following the assembly we visited each class and read an excerpt from the book, gave the children another chance to ask questions and the bit they all love the chance to get close and personal. Monty as always really enjoys this bit and is quite happy to be cuddled fussed and give kisses as is the Newfy way.It doesn't matter how many of these visits we do, I never get tired of seeing the children's faces when they first see Monty and just how much love exists naturally between youngsters and dogs. Thank you Westfield for your welcome and hospitality we hope to come back again in the future.

Wonderful reviews from the children of St Josephs RC primary school, North Shields

Cookie gets the Frontline treatment

Anybody who has ever had a Newfoundland will know that grooming is not only one of the most time consuming job but also one of the most important. As with all long coated breeds the importance of keeping on top of things is really key and so recently when we came across thelong coat shampoo from the Frontline range of grooming products at animeddirect we were keen to give it a go. It has to be said that we were keener than Cookie our five year old Newfie who thinks the only time she should be getting wet is in muddy puddles, lakes or rivers. As you can see by the pictures the pamper session wasn’t top of her list that day but we were immediately impressed with how the shampoo got into the coat and it lathered really nicely. Anyone who knows Cookie will know that highly perfumed isn’t her usual odour and another feature we liked about the shampoo was that while it took away that dirty doggie smell it wasn’t over the top. All dog owners will be acutely aware that the nice smelling pup is only a temporary measure anyway so we were more keen to see how the shampoo was when we got down to the important matter of drying and brushing. Once again we were pleased with the results and while it lasted we had a sweet smelling tangle free girl and her face testifies to how delighted she was with the end result.As part of her latest regime we also added the Frontline ear cleaner andeye cleaner and once again we have been pleased with the results. Cookie suffers like most dogs with the tear stains on her fur and the eye cleaner was a nice gentle, effective way of keeping that area nice and clean and fresh. The ear cleaner is a soothing gel cleaner that we have introduced as a part of her ear cleaning routine and this again can be a real issue with Newfoundlands. Overall we are pleased with the new products and they will definelty be items that we keep in the grooming cupboard as a part of our keep Cookie clean arsenal.For more information on the products reviewed here simply visit www.animeddirect.co.uk Animed Direct are one of the UK’s leading online pet retailers, offering savings of up to 50% on vet priced medication, food, treats and accessories. For more info about Frontline and any of it's grooming products visit https://www.animeddirect.co.uk/search/all/Frontline%20PetCare/relevance?q=frontline%20petcare)

Itchy Dogs. Yeast or allergies?

Last year Monty seemed to be getting more and more problems with hotpspots and ear infections and to the extent that it was really affecting his everyday life and making him pretty miserable. Later in the year Bailey our Cocker Spaniel also developed a skin irritation and both he and Monty visited the vets as we attempted to get to the bottom of it. We had creams, antibiotics and also began to try other things from recommendations we had from a number of people.Our vet was favouring allergies and we were thinking pretty much the same but there was a nagging about why it was only Monty and Bailey that were suffering. I then read an article online about how yeast infections are a massive side effect of antibiotics and that the natural balance of the gut is really supressed through taking them. Both Bailey and Monty had been on antibiotics so maybe that was the link.Again a recommendation from somebody of a something they had used and found successful was a product called Bio-kult. This is in fact a human product which reintroduces the healthy bacteria to the gut and can aid the effects of antibiotics. At the same time somebody else recommended an ear treatment called Zymox and said this had really helped their dog. We started both treatments and although I realise this may be a coincidence both dogs have cleared up and touch wood both are happy healthy and itch free.I can't swear these products worked or that it's an answer but the recommendations were very good and the more you read about a healthy gut the more you start thinking how many things can an imbalance cause? I've put a link in case anybody is interested and but I'd always say have a read up yourself and shop around for the best price. The Zymox is quite hard to track down in the UK but it is available if you shop around and I've put a pic to help you find the right one. I believe the 1% is important.https://www.bio-kult.com/

Frontline product review

Cocker Spaniels quite rightly have the reputation of being a very good all-round, hardy and affectionate family dog. They also have, like many other breeds a fondness for anything that is remotely wet, dirty and often smelly. With this in mind the chance to test drive some shampoos from the Frontline pet range supplied by Animeddirect co.uk was a very welcome invitation. The first one we tried was the Frontline odour control shampoo which we used with Cockers Molly and Poppy.Both of our girls are what could be described as ‘rollers’ and I’m sure this behaviour is very well known to dog owners everywhere. If you’re lucky enough never to have experienced this it’s the practice of rolling in pretty much anything and everything with the most rank odour always being preferable. Whilst I realise people may be eating whilst reading this review I’ll leave it there and just say that the odour control shampoo seemed a very good choice for these two.The shampoo lathered well without being too much and the coverage was very good as it needed only a modest amount to fully cover the dogs. After a wait of around 5-8 minutes they were rinsed off, dried and we could see the results. The nose test was the first obvious sign of a successful product and to the obvious displeasure of Molly and Poppy they were very nicely odour free. The thing we really liked about this shampoo was that whilst the dogs smelt much better it wasn’t an overly perfumed fragrance that you often get with odour control products for dogs.Next it was Baileys turn and whilst he is still your typical dirt attracting Cocker he has had some problems with itchy skin recently so we went with the Frontline sensitive skin shampoo. Again, the shampoo seemed to go a long way and lathered well to give Bailey a good covering. After rinsing and drying we had a very nice clean and shiny coated spaniel and whilst it would be impossible to give the shampoo full credit as we’ve been using other skin products, his itching has stopped and the redness had disappeared.Both shampoos left their coats looking shiny and healthy and we have continued to keep them looking and smelling great withFrontline Daily Spritz which is a regular conditioning and deodorising spray. We now have three very clean and odour free Cocker spaniels which whilst very nice is as we all know just a temporary situation because to them it’s…..game on. For more information on the products reviewed here simply visit www.animeddirect.co.uk. Animed Direct are one of the UK’s leading online pet retailers, offering savings of up to 50% on vet priced medication, food, treats and accessories.