Skunked!

I took the girls outside for the last time around 11pm Friday night. Lark was on a flexi-leash as she has been showing a proclivity for digging since she whelped her litter on April 2nd (gotta have an extra den ready for the pups, just in case!). Everything was proceeding as normal until June alerted to something I couldn't see and Lark chimed in. At first I assumed it was a late night jogger or someone walking home from downtown after an evening out. June tore off toward the back of the yard to investigate and Lark lunged on her leash, longing to follow, but thankfully was held in check. Because June raced straight to the back of the yard instead of along the side of the fence line which parallels the street, it then struck me she might have fixed on a critter vs. a person. As she disappeared behind the big fir tree I shouted "June!" but it was too late. In moments, June was racing back with a snoutful of skunk so strong it smelled more like industrial strength burnt rubber than the smokey, musky smell we more often associate with skunks.

Lark REALLY wanted in on the action but I kept a firm grip on her leash. June made a move as if she was going back for another pass so I told her, "June, NO!" and thankfully she obeyed. I hustled Lark into the house, asking George to keep an eye on June until I could put Lark back with her puppies and whip up some de-skunking formula. This formula is made from common household ingredients but it is important to note it cannot be prepared ahead of time. It is described in detail here: http://dogs.about.com/od/caringfordogsandpuppies/ht/deskunking.htm.

Once I was back outside I confirmed June had taken the blast of skunk spray full in the face. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was foaming a bit at the mouth. Although a few of our dogs have been skunked before, no one has ever been hit as hard as June was that night. I wiped down her head and neck with the de-skunking solution, being very careful to avoid her eyes, nose and mouth as this formula is somewhat caustic and can cause pain and even damage to her eyes and mucous membranes. After I had done as thorough a job as I could we went inside. Unfortunately, June was still in so much discomfort from her encounter she began rubbing her muzzle on the kitchen rug and parts of the kitchen floor. She was also rubbing quite a bit at her eyes. A quick search on the Internet by George had me heading to the bathroom cabinet for saline solution. We used this to flush out her eyes as well as her nose and mouth and it seemed to help quite a bit. Soon after that I put June in the tub to rinse off the de-skunking solution. By then it was obvious to me there was still some on her lips and mouth so I did some additional flushing of that area with water.

By the time we had June, the kitchen and ourselves cleaned up as well as we could that night it was past midnight. We put June in a crate as she still seemed somewhat stinky despite our best efforts. About 1am we realized she had thrown up in her crate. Although most dog/skunk encounters are smelly and annoying they aren't generally life threatening, at that point I started to get a little worried because we had read that skunk oil ingested in large quantities can be toxic, causing lethargy, vomiting, seizures, anemia and liver damage. Her gums had color and her energy was good so I didn't think we needed to rush off to the emergency vet, but I decided to spend the rest of the night closer to her in order to better monitor any additional symptoms. Needless to say, no one slept well that night though June did not vomit again and seemed none the worse for her experience. I did dose her with some milk thistle in the hope of combating any potential liver issues.

In the morning we went out to buy additional cleaning supplies, then spent 3-4 hours doing laundry and deskunking the back steps and the kitchen.

I hope June has learned her lesson about skunks but I rather doubt she has, knowing June. And of course now that we are past the work and worry we can't help but wonder if June did this to get our attention. It's been a tough couple of weeks for her what with Lark and her pups getting the bulk of our attention.



Do I have your attention now?

Larkie's boyz take 2

What is it with Lark and male puppies? On April 2nd, we welcomed Lark's second litter of three boys into world. As before, mom and pups are doing great. Everyone hit 2lbs or above on the sixth day, beating her first litter, which achieved that mark on the eighth day.
 

Waiting for dokkens

Amanda sent me this photo earlier in the week and I asked if I could post it here.

Apparently, Tobago did this while "waiting" his turn when Amanda was outside doing some field training with her other Toller Trini.

It is an excellent illustration of what I mean when I say Tollers sometimes lack impulse control, though we love them anyway.

Positively impacting the health of your Toller

Since we believe we'll soon be welcoming our newest litter, lately I’ve been spending a lot of time talking about the things we can do to positively impact the health of our Tollers. I recently came across an article which does a great job of summing up many of the things I’ve been saying for years: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ted-kerasote/in-search-of-a-longerlive_b_2819334.html. Much of this is included in the information we send home with our puppy people, but I thought it  worth reviewing here as well.

Food

What you feed your Toller has a direct impact on his health. We feed our Tollers a raw diet and advocate the same for our puppy people, but will recommend quality dry food options for those uninterested or unwilling to make this change. Rather than reiterate points other authors have already made, please review the following link for a relatively balanced review of raw diet pros and cons: http://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/raw-dog-food-dietary-concerns-benefits-and-risks.

Here’s another good article on the benefits of raw feeding: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2013/03/11/pet-holistic-medicine.aspx?e_cid=20130311_PetsNL_art_1&utm_source=petnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130311.

If you want to commit to a raw diet but don’t have time to do it all from scratch, there are many options available. Our dogs are mostly fed Bravo and have been for some years: http://www.bravorawdiet.com/index.html. Please note not all of Bravo’s offerings are balanced; some should be considered building blocks you will need to balance with additions. Another raw diet option we have used with success is Steve’s Real Food: http://stevesrealfood.com.

This is a great list which discusses raw and cooked canine diets: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/K9Kitchen/. Or you can hire the list owner to formulate one for you: http://www.monicasegal.com/. She also sells books which teach you how to balance diets on your own.

Spay/Neuter

We generally come off as “unconventional” (a nice word for oddball) on this front compared to what most people are used to hearing when they talk to other breeders or vets who often encourage spay/neuter between 6-12 months. Some breeders may even  require it contractually though we do not, even if you never intend to show or breed and are just looking for a pet. Studies done in recent years show that hormones play an important role in health, and spaying or neutering your Toller (or any dog) at an early age can have a negative impact. In recent years we’ve been encouraging our puppy people to wait a minimum of 15-18 months before taking this step, and would prefer you wait until they are at least two years old. We figure if we’re going to trust you with one of our puppies in the first place, we also trust you to be a careful steward of their reproductive system.

Want more information? Read on!

Don’t Neuter Your Dog YET: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/17/dangers-of-early-pet-spaying-or-neutering.aspx
Long-Term Health Risks and Benefits Associated with Spay / Neuter in Dogs: http://www.naiaonline.org/pdfs/LongTermHealthEffectsOfSpayNeuterInDogs.pdf
Golden retriever study suggests neutering affects dog health: http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10498 (detailed study results are here: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0055937)

Vaccinations

We believe in minimal vaccinations for Tollers. This is a breed noted for a higher than average frequency of auto immune diseases, and vaccinations are one thing we believe can trigger an auto immune reaction. We vaccinate our puppies with a parvo/distemper/corona combo as close to 9 weeks as possible. We recommend you do not vaccinate again until your puppy is 13 weeks old. Approximately four weeks after the second set of vaccinations (so around 16-17 weeks) we recommend you run parvo and distemper titers on your puppy vs. getting a third set of shots. Somewhere between four and six months you will be required to have your puppy vaccinated for rabies. We recommend the rabies vaccination be administered during a separate visit from the other puppy shots.

WSAVA Vaccination Guidelines: http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/WSAVA_OwnerGuidelines_September2010.pdf

Dr. Jean Dodds vaccination protocols (we actually do a bit less than this currently): http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/DODDS-CHG-VACC-PROTOCOLS.HTM

Taking the risk out of puppy shots: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/taking-the-risk-out-of-puppy-shots/
Learn about titers: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/titres/

Why we don't recommend the leptospirosis vaccine: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/leptospirosis-vaccine/

June in flannel revisited

This picture is from January but I haven't had much time to blog in the past few months. Lark is also lounging on the bed but notably NOT underneath any of the flannel bedding. One of them is also responsible for the flipped back covers and rumpled comforter. That will teach us to keep the bedroom door closed. Okay, it probably won't. Someday I'd like to see exactly how June goes from freshly made bed to being ensconced in flannel.

June's Rap Sheet

This post requires a bit of explanation. It's actually an adaptation from a page on one of my web site's previous incarnations in 2006.

Wasn't June a cute puppy?

The victim, one Chester chipmunk. Found in the state pictured 10 minutes after minor surgery to repair a torn ear and head abrasion.






The perpetrator, one June, AKA Zephyr's Day in June. Approach with caution. Do not be fooled by her wagging tail. She will take your toys, food or anything else that catches her fancy. And if you happened to be a small stuffed animal she will shake you mercilessly and rip the stuffing out of you.

Approach with caution. She can sometimes be distracted by throwing a toy or treat.

Something I thought I'd never see...

Is Lark pick up a duck. And yet, here she is, not too many months after I FINALLY got serious. I was a bit spoiled by her mother June who passed the WC without being force fetched. Lark is more like her great grandmother Gem, whose sensibilities regarding ducks required more “coaching” than June or Rosie. I'm glad I finally buckled down and did the work. Here's hoping a WC is in our future for 2013.