Welcome to Old Mill Doodle News for May 2018
Warm Weather is Prime Bug Time
Spring is finally here and along with all the fabulousness that warm weather brings come pesky mosquitoes and deer flies. Many products help fight fleas and ticks, but mosquitoes and deer flies aren’t always addressed. These bugs can drive our dogs crazy and they can carry deadly disease. Mosquitoes are carriers of heartworm disease and deer flies can carry lyme disease.
Mosquitoes and deer flies are attracted to the carbon dioxide expelled from your dog’s panting following exercise. An easy solution is to keep the dog inside the house or screened porch following play at prime biting times.
These are some ways to reduce their risk:
- Dump any stagnant water
- Plant Mosquito repelling plants … lavender, rosemary, and basil are my favorites
- Ark Naturals Neem Protect Spray
- A solution of equal parts apple cider vinegar and water – keep away from eyes
- My go to … Avon Skin So Soft … I mix some of the oil with water for a spray – shake often
- Remember DEET is toxic for dogs
- Treat bites with Dog’s Best Friend – good for hot spots too.
Gardening Assistant … Not Wanted
According to a recent study a dog’s digging, in the dog’s mind, has a purpose. He can be burying a bone, chasing a critter, or looking for a cool spot to relax. The point is, it’s not just for the sake of entertainment. One of my golden retrievers is determined to open a gateway to the other side of the world … international travel must be her purpose.
A common “purpose” is imitating behavior they’ve witnessed when you’re gardening. We learned long ago, no study needed, to keep our dogs inside when planting new additions to the garden. If the dog didn’t see the new addition go in and if we placed soil or mulch with a familiar scent around and new plant it remained in place.
Several commonly shared, yet ineffective, methods used to deter digging are:
- Providing a designated digging spot
- Chicken wire under the top soil
- Balloons or stool in their digging hole
Ideas to provide an alternate activity:
- A wadding pool
- tug toys suspended from a tree
- Large ball with handle suspended from a tree
- Soccer ball or large to chase
- A Kong with frozen peanut butter – take it away once the treat is gone to avoid a buried Kong
Low Calorie Treats to Keep Your Dood Happy
Yes, Mr. Kline, I’ve read about your weight reduction on Instagram and I’m here to offer some variety.
Treats should make up no more than 10 percentĀ of your Dood’s daily calorie intake. You may need to consult with your vet for the actual caloric intake for your Dood because caloric intake charts do not take any activity into account. I know some of our Old Mill Doodles have new little brothers and sisters. Being the devoted older sibs that the Doods are, they take food clean-up very seriously. Sadly, highchair cast offs, need to be counted as well.
Healthy Fruit Snacks
Apples, blueberries, bananas, melon balls (watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe),strawberries, and Winston’s fave mango are all great healthy low calorie snacks for your Dood. Of course they’re higher in sugar than veggies, so you need to keep an eye on amounts.
Veggies that Dogs enjoy
Peas, broccoli, carrots, cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers (not hot peppers), and cucumbers. I couldn’t find cute photos of green beans, celery, or asparagus , they were on the list too. Of course they can have more veggies than fruit in a day.
Nursery News
We have lots of recent arrivals, with a few still available for adoption. If the barking in the kennel is any indication, and it usually is, I’d guess we’re in for a busy summer.
Dash, our new miniature poodle, is spending time with some of the girls – keeping fingers crossed that we’ll be back in business with the mini sproodles soon.