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Hey, Katie K-9!KatieK9@readthecitizen.comwww.KTK9.com 651-429-5433 |
Hey, Katie K-9!
It’s that time of year—the ticks are out! I do not want to use chemicals on my pets. Do you have any suggestions on other ways I can protect them from these pests?
Want to be tickless,
Mary
Hey, Mary!
First, thank you for wanting to put the chemicals down.
Flea/tick collars are lethal health problems for all pets and their owners. Never use them! With the “spot on’s,” many dogs have a reaction too, and that can be deadly if you have cats and the cat licks the dog where the “spot “ is or lays where the dog lays and the chemical has come off on the bedding. When you read the label and it says “Use rubber gloves, do not inhale, and keep away from children,” that says it all!
More natural products are becoming available for our pets. Nature’s Way and Flea Free are two companies with great, safe products that work well for both humans and our pets. You can find these products at 4 Perfect Pets in North St. Paul (651-779-9057 or online at www.rosiesremedies.com).
Garlic is also a good flea and tick repellant. For small to medium dogs, administer 250 mg every other day; for large and extra-large dogs, up to 500 mg per day or every other day, if you use the garlic pills for human consumption. There are garlic products available just for dogs, too.
You can make a lemon rinse that is great for pets and humans that will help repel fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. Cut 4 lemons in quarters, take the seeds out, put into a pot, then pour 4 cups of boiling water over them and cover it. Leave overnight. In the morning, pour mixture into a plant mister and mist yourself and your pets. Keep in refrigerator if you made a big batch.
Do a tick check when your pets come in from outside. The ticks tend to go toward ours pets’ heads. The skin is thinner there, and easier to burrow into. You can use a flea comb to catch them. If you do not want to touch them and find a loose tick, use a sticky lint brush, or masking or duct tape to get them off. Either wrap them up in the tape and discard or put them into rubbing alcohol or water with liquid dish soap in a jar. If the tick took a good bite out of your pet, use a tweezers to get it out, or use Vaseline or rubbing alcohol on the tick (it will take about 30 minutes for the tick to fall off ). After you get the tick off, put hydrogen peroxide on the area for a couple of days to help bubble out any infection.
Ticks have been around for millions of years, and there is nothing completely foolproof that keeps them off. Keep your pets out of the tall grass, where the ticks are ready to catch a ride. Keep your pets in short grassy areas during the height of tick season. Ticks back way off when the hotter days and nights start.
One fact that I just learned is that ticks can regenerate their mouth parts after being pulled out. So BE SURE to smash them between rocks, burn them or flush them down the toilet.
Katie K-9
Hey, Katie K-9!
My dog is digging like a madman this spring. Help! My yard looks like a mine field!
Frustrated,
Nick
Hey, Frustrated Nick!
Look at it from a dog’s point of view: the ground has been frozen for five months. All he got to smell is frozen water and maybe a few piles of rabbit and deer droppings. And now … WOW! The whole world has opened up, so many smells—so little time.
As things green up and the smells settle down, he should get a lot better. For now, when you are out, he is out, when you are in, so is he. There is no magic wand to stop a dog from digging. Dogs dig to smell things, for energy release, to get cool—and also out of boredom. You can tie him up in an area where you can deal with digging. You can spade up an area and teach him to dig there. Dogs love fresh new dirt to dig in. Pay attention when you start planting flowers too. Keep the area spaded up at least once each week. Bring him over to this area and get down and start digging and invite him to dig with you. When he starts to dig, tell him “good job” and go about your business. Some dogs love those plastic kiddie pools with water in it to get that extra energy out. Work with your dog and it will all work out.
Katie K-9
Hey, Katie K-9!
We will be moving over 1,000 miles away this summer with our cat, Badger. We want to make this trip as painless as possible for him. We will be renting a moving truck and I had thought about getting a dog carrier and putting water, food and a small litter box in it to fit between us in the cab, but I am not excited about listening to Badger yowl all the way. Do you have any suggestions on how to move him comfortably without driving us completely crazy?
Sasha and Nate
Hey, Sasha, Nate and Badger!
Get a cat carrier, or small dog carrier. Start getting Badger used to the carrier: put a soft blanket in there, feed him in it, lock him in it for a couple of minutes here and there and build to longer periods. You want him to get comfortable with the carrier. Leave the kennel door open so the cat can go in and out when he wants to.
Once he is comfortable with the kennel, now put it in the car and start going for short rides around the block. Usually it is the first 15 minutes that is most weird to the cats. If Badger starts to meow a lot, cover the kennel with a blanket so the hecannot see the world going by. That should settle him down.
You also want to get a good cat harness and leash and get him used to that, too. Put your cell phone number and a landline number on the harness so if he gets loose you have a higher chance of getting him back.
The morning you start your moving adventure, keep Badger in a room until the last minute; then he goes in the kennel and into your car or truck last. Only feed him a light breakfast.
I am assuming you will drive 8-10 hrs a day; at the fourhour mark have a litter box with a bit of litter in it and figure out how you want Badger to use it. Be sure his harness and leash are on. Do not put the litter, food and water in the kennel.
When you stop for the day, now he can be loose in the bathroom of the hotel room and now he gets the rest of his breakfast and all of his dinner. The reason for the bathroom is that there are only so many places to hide in the bathroom. If he gets under a bed you may not get him out! When you get to your new place, the best thing to do is to keep him in one room for a week so he can settle down. Check your new place for open rafters; if he gets in there you may not get him out.
Cats always look up for places to hide; make sure you look before you let him have run of the house.
Good luck with your new adventure, and happy traveling!
Katie K-9
Send in your dog (and cat) questions to “Hey, Katie K-9!” by mailing them to The Citizen, P. O. Box 393, Hugo, MN 55038 or e-mailing them to Katie at KatieK-9@ReadTheCitizen.com. Visit her Web site at www.ktk9.com. The Katie K-9 radio show is on every Sunday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m. on FM107.1