Healthy pooch - healthy home
If you’ve been following our blog for a while now, you’ll know how much we love our 11-month-old boxer puppy Frankie and our 110-year-old villa. It’s important as parents of a fur baby that we provide a safe and healthy home for her and do our best to keep bad habits and bugs away. We’ve put together a few pointers to help dog owners and people thinking about extending their whanau to make a healthy home for everyone.
Keep those Fleas away
We’ve used Bravecto spot-on for dogs since Frankie was 8 weeks old because it offers true peace-of-mind which is awesome for folks with busy schedules. Protecting dogs for up to 6 months against fleas and up to 4 months against ticks, it’s safe to use on breeding, pregnant and lactating dogs - plus 'ivermectin sensitive' Collie breeds, so ideal for our little sensitive pooch. Fleas can have a significant impact on the health of a dog, and the whole family. Bravecto spot-on for dogs also reduces the incidence of flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) - a common skin disease caused by hypersensitivity to the saliva of the flea resulting in intense itching. The Bravecto spot-on for dogs twist’n’use tube application is super simple without having to remove the lid, you just read the instructions based on the size of your dog; in our case, Frankie gets 4 drops on her back. Bravecto has been available to treat fleas and ticks on dogs for over 4 years, initially as a tasty chew which provides 3 months flea and tick protection. Bravecto spot-on for dogs has the same active ingredient as the Bravecto chew however due to its formulation it lasts longer.You can buy Bravecto spot-on for dogs from leading pet stores and your local vet, or learn more here: http://bit.ly/BravectoXMooch
What’s in their food?
From day one we discovered that Frankie had food allergies. She’s allergic to grains, beef, and egg, so she’s only ever been fed the best food for her. We choose raw feeding for her, purely because we know it works and the company we buy her rabbit from also mix all the ingredients she needs to stay fit and strong in with it. It’s very obvious when you see her coat how healthy she really is from being fed raw, her coat shines like hair does in those shampoo commercials you see on TV. I will say, however, that it is our choice to go raw, some people argue its advantage but the results are very obvious with Frankie. Always your homework for your breed before making any intense dietary changes.
Allergens in your home
Now, this is a tricky one, if you’ve read our blog post on (plants toxic to dogs) you’ll see one of them is a plant called Wandering Jew. We didn’t even think about this one when looking around our yard, because it was inside our house and we had 3 of them! Plants can be so harmful to animals, so do your homework and have a good scan of your property.Washing your pet blankets and their toys etc. in with your standard wash also needs to be carefully considered. Frankie itches so much she grazes her skin if we don’t wash in a sensitive wash. It’s much like a person with skin allergies, you’d change their washing powder so you need to do the same with your dog’s laundry items.
Give them a Den
The age-old debate about crate training is real, especially if you have an inside dog like Frankie. She has access to our whole backyard and a laundry throughout the day and sleeps in a large crate in our spare room at night. Giving them spaces that are their own allows them to have a “den” or territory that is theirs to feel safe in and also protect. This is obvious as Frankie will lie on the back deck when we are home and enjoy the backyard and will walk over to her crate when she’s ready for bed.This also gives you your space, and trust me, it’s a godsend when visitors come and you have a 20KG boxer with enough energy to power the grid to be able to send them to their space where they can feel comfortable and won’t play up.This is a collaboration with Bravecto - all words are our own : )