Good Bloggie!

Below is a link to a story of how imported dogs are raising the fears of a resurgence of rabies in the US.
USA Today

Here is an article posted not too long ago of how canine rabies is now considered eradicated from the U.S. dog population, as of this year. (But in light of the story above, may not be true now):
Reuters

And here is the Center for Disease Control’s policy on imported pets:
Center for Disease Control (CDC)

If you’ve ever considered an import Frenchie or other canine, all very good things to take into account and know beforehand.

The weather is moving into the 90°s here in Central Texas (it’s a damp heat!) and that means taking extra precautions with the Snorty Set. Frenchies and other short-snouted dogs just can’t take the heat!

First up, found this really interesting item online. Would love to hear from anyone using it for their Frenchie.

Here’s some things which work for us:

Ice Cubes
If one of our guys has come in from a walk panting hard, we take ice cubes and rub their ears, armpits, and tummy. A dog’s ears act as a blood-cooling device and this is a quick way to cool down their blood and body temperature. However, don’t immerse an overheated dog in ice-cold water. This could shock their system. Cool water is fine. They like that!

You can also use rubbing alcohol to cool down a dog. Pour it over their tummy, paws, and body. It evaporates faster, thus cools faster. Just be careful not to let them drink any.

Ice cubes are also great for tossing on the back deck for a pup-cooling treat and for gnawing fun.

Cooling Collars
These have a water-retaining gel. You soak them in water for a few minutes and the collar cools with evaporation. Great for walks. There are many variations. Check your local pet store or try these online places.
Too Cool Dog Collars
Cooling Bandana

Cooling Coats
Cool Coats
Kool Koat 

Crate Fan
Use these for trips in the car. Keeps a breeze going across those ears.
Battery-operated crate fan

Schedule Adjustments
We try to make vet appointments and errands early in the day. Same with walks. Either earlier or later in the day. For later walks, we wait till the sun is lower and the sidewalks have cooled a bit. Because, even though the breeze may be cool topside, it can be several degrees hotter at pup level from radiant heat coming off the sidewalk. We also try to walk on the shady part of the street, but look on the sunny side of life. (Boo hiss!)

Spray Bottles
Have seen many handlers spraying down their bulldogs at shows with a spray bottle of water. Nothing like having your own personal mister.

Haven’t used these. Would love to hear from anyone who has.
Cooling Beds
Cool Bed
Body Cooler Pet Mat

HEAT STROKE
The hints above are for mild overheating and to prevent heat stroke. Heat stroke is a serious and life-threating condition for a French Bulldog. Now is the time to review the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke and what you can do to treat or prevent them. If you see the symptoms below, act immediately to cool down your dog and get him/her medical attention.

Symptoms of heat stroke

• extremely heavy panting
• staggering
• loss of consciousness
• seizures, convulsions
• high body temperature (107°F+)

Your dog is having a medical emergency and needs to be cooled immediately! But careful with giving them water. If the airway is blocked from swelling, they could choke on the water. Give water in small amounts or wait till they have cooled down a bit before offering water.

This is an excellent article on how to treat a Frenchie having a heat stoke:
Heat Stroke - The Sudden Killer

Here’s more on the topic:
Dog First Aid
Heatstroke and the French Bulldog

Of course, never leave any dog in the car, even with the windows cracked. Summer heat just turns a car into an Easy-Bake Oven. And the last thing you want is to do, is come back to a crispy critter.

Follow up: Refrigerating the cooling collars helps quite a bit. Thought of freezing them, but didn’t want anyone to get frost-bite around the collar.

We no longer give our dogs rubber or Kong-type chew toys after an incident last year with one of our guys. He’s a very aggressive toy chewer and even though we’d trash chewed-up toys which no longer appeared safe, when a toy is missing, you can’t see it to throw it away!

For dogs who aren’t aggressive chewers, these types of toys are probably fine. But if you have a dog who really likes to chew, heed our sad tale (which ends well).

Over the course of approximately two years, Pascal, unknown to us, consumed enough rubber toys and bits to completely fill his tummy. In the last couple of months, he started to lose weight, throw-up excessively, and drool, A LOT. Which is unusual for this breed and for him. So a vet appointment was planned for Monday morning. The Sunday evening before, he begins making the most horrible noises and shrieking in pain. We whisked him to the emergency room. Emergency surgery was performed, saving his life, and removing a pound-and-a-half of toys and toy bits. One of the bits had lodged itself in the duodenum (stomach exit) and sent Pascal into duress.

The surgeon said he’d never seen so much come out of such a small dog in his life! (And he’s seen lots of things come out of many dogs.) You can see the photos below. Through this experience, we found out rubber toy bits expand while in the stomach. So even though the parts going in were smaller than coming out, it’s still amazing he was able to swallow some of these toys.

Pascal has recovered nicely, regained weight, and we now buy him toys which are not as easy to destroy. Here’s a list of them in case you are wondering what toys can survive such an aggressive chewer:

Durable Toys & Chews

• Nylabone – Non-edible chews such as the Durable, Big, and Dental Chews. NOT the Edible or Flexible chews!
• Bowser Balls – But they only last 2-3 weeks. So you have to keep an eye on them. Part of their success may be they are just a bit too big to fit completely in his mouth.
• Combat Extreme Battle Tested toys – (Inspect regularly. Toss if torn.)
• HardCore Firehouse Dog toys – (Inspect regularly. Toss if torn.)
• Sterilized Natural bones – (Inspect regularly. Toss if breaking apart or if getting small.)

NO rawhide! NO pig ears! Not for Frenchies. These can get caught in their throat and cause them to choke.

And the caveat to rubber toys: Holee Rollers. Either they are just that tough or there is no interest as a chew object because they are hollow.

So heed our cautionary tale. Pay close attention to those dog toys and to any signs or symptoms your dog might be displaying. You don’t want to be in the situation of surgical removal of toys from your dog’s tummy, and the surgical removal of large funds from your wallet!

Why would you take a puppy or dog and stick them in a box?

That is the first reaction to anyone not familiar with crate training and the benefits gained from crate training a dog.

So, why would you?

To a dog, the crate appeals his/her instinctive need for a den, a safe place. They like the security it offers.

The crate is a safe place to keep a puppy or dog. It’s safe for them and your household. They aren’t chewing on furniture, electrical cords, your IRS return, your best shoes… You don’t come home and throw a dog-confusing fit because a bored dog has damaged your possessions. (Why would it confuse a dog? They are glad to see you, you are mad about something they did hours ago. Now they think you are angry to see them. Very confusing.)

It accelerates housebreaking. (And Frenchie owners knows, any acceleration is a good thing!) The puppy learns to not eliminate in his/her “den”. It might take a few days, and you have to match the number of hours between breaks to how old they are. The basic ratio is the number of months they are, that’s how long they can go between breaks. 6 months = 6 hours. But you should still give them as many potty-breaks as you can. And no, if you dog is 120 months old, you can’t let them go 120 hours without a break!

Crate training is endorsed by the Humane Society and respected dog trainers. Follow the links below for more information or check your favorite bookseller for in-depth guidance.

The Humane Society on crate training

Bark Bytes Cyber Magazine on crate training