Dawn asks, "Does Sassy have any advice for treating ear mites? We are temporarily fostering a pup who appears to have them. Do I need to bring her to a vet today, or is there an over-the-counter solution."

If your dog shakes his head and scratches his ears or has an odor coming from his ears, he may have ear mites.

Ear mites are crab-like parasites that live in the ear canal of dog, formally known as Otodectes cyanotis.

They are extremely contagious to other pets in the household, including cats, hamsters, mice, guinea pigs and rabbits.  They do not normally infest humans, but can get into bedding and carpets.  If your dog has mites, wash all of his bedding with soap and hot water.  Then treat carpets or rugs with a flea spray for the home, or have them steam cleaned.

Treatments:

• Take your pet to your vet (recommended)
  
• Go to PetsMart or PetCo and buy a Miticide or Mite Treatment

R-7 Ear Care Kit ($8.99 at Petsmart.com) can be used to help to keep ears clean, healthy and free of mites. It includes R-7 Ear Cleaner solution to reduce odor during routine cleaning and R7-M Ear Mite Treatment to control ear ticks and mites. Safe and effective for use on dogs and cats. Ear Mite Treatment is for use on cats and dogs 12 weeks of age or older.

• Ear Mite Treatment Recipe

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf75263156.tip.html

Remember to treat all pets in the household even if they are not having symptoms.  

Sassy says, "Good Luck!"

If your dog or cat starts having accidents in the house, and this is not usual behavior.  It could mean that they are experience a medical problem.  Most likely a bladder infection.

Many people we've met, think their dog or cat is acting out or misbehaving!  It is because the dog or cat's behavior changes gradually.  They will have an accident and then not one for a day or two.  Then the problem becomes more frequent because the infection triggers the need to go sporadically.  

One of our friends recently asked us about her cat who started randomly pooping in the floor.  Just like I previously stated, it was only on occasion, then it began to happen a little more frequently.  I suggested she take him to the vet to be checked.  She was hesitant because he was having pooping accidents and not peeing out of the litter box.  However, she did take him and he was diagnosed with a bladder infection.

Sassy recommends taking your pet to the vet as soon as you start experiencing any potty issues that are not normal for your pet.  Most dogs and cats do not potty in the floor when they are mad.  She says they just pout, like her.

Do you brush your dog, but then still have hair coming off on your hands when you pet him? Then you are using the wrong kind of brush.  The Furminator could be the perfect brush for you!

This brush works magic on Huskies, German Shepherds, Chows, and Labs.  Also great for any breed with short or medium hair that has undercoat and sheds alot. 

I don't recommended this brush for dogs that have longer hair like Collies or Pomeranians, we recommend a rake style brush for those breeds.

I have personally used this brush on my own pets and use it at my grooming shop and dog wash.  Sassy gives this product a definite paws up!

Using this brush once a week on your dog or cat will greatly reduce the shedding problem in your home.

This brush may look scary to some people but it is easy to use.  You just use normal pressure, not bearing down while you brush, and stroke in the direction of the hair growth.  It is designed to pull out undercoat and you will be amazed at how much hair come off of your dog.   You can fill a kitchen trash can full of the hair that comes off of my dog.

It is important to limit the use on older pets as their skin is more sensitive.

Most people choose a family dog like they shop for a pair of shoes.  They look at the color and style.  Once they get the cute puppy or dog home, they find that it may not be the best fit. 

There is much more to consider than hair color and a cute face.   Will the dog shed (most do, some much more)?  Will it be hyper?  Will it dig?  How big will it be?  Is this breed good with children?  Will this dog need grooming? 

For the sake of the dog, it is best to research the breeds that will be best for your lifestyle.  Do you want a lapdog?  Do you want a dog that can run with you?   Do you want a dog to play with your kids?

First time dog owners also need to consider the responsibility that comes with a canine addition to the family.  All Dogs need more than food and water.  They require attention, training, stimulation and exercise.  All dogs should also be on a monthly heartworm preventative pill and flea control.  Annual immunizations are also required to keep your pet healthy.  It is also unrealistic to expect children of any age to be solely responsible for the daily care of the family dog.

If you have an idea of kind of dog you want, research the breed’ s characteristics in books or online. 

Animal Planet  Dog Breed Directory and Purina Breed Library are a couple of the many sites that can help you find out more about a certain breed.  For those less high tech, go the library and search through books on dog breeds.

You should look for the pros and cons of the breed.  For example, I think Huskies are very sweet and cute dogs.  However, the breed is known for being big shedders (in Texas, not Alaska). They are very smart dogs that can be escape artists.  They also communicate by not just barking, but will also whine, yodel and howl.  So a Husky would not be a good fit for my family. 

If you are not sure what breed may fit your family, then an online breed selector can help you narrow down some possibilities.  These sites will have questions to help you narrow down the dog breeds that match your lifestyle.

Dog size, energy level, exercise requirements, affection level, friendliness to other animals, ease of training, protection ability, grooming requirements, cold and heat tolerance

Animal Planet Dog Breed Selector and Purina Breed Selector  are two helpful sites.

Sassy and I took the Animal Planet Breed Selection Quiz and we found out we are a 97% match! Sassy is pug that is a small size, with a low energy level, she needs minimum exercise, she is very affectionate and loves most other pets, she is easy train (she also trained me), she needs minimum grooming, she needs to be an inside dog because pugs do not tolerate heat.  She also sheds and snores. 

Almost all of my family pets have been mixed breeds.  They are more affordable and healthier than most pure breed dogs.  “Mixed breeds offer several advantages over purebreds. When you adopt a mixed breed, you benefit from the combined traits of two or more breeds. You also get a dog who's likely to be free of genetic defects common to certain purebred dogs. Mixed breeds, in fact, are often considered the more "natural" dog. When you adopt a mixed breed, you adopt a unique companion.” –Humane Society  of the United States tips on Adopting a Dog from a Shelter.

Once you have narrowed your breed choices,  I recommend visiting your local animal shelters for pure breed and mixed breed dogs.  As well as checking out  www.petfinder.com which lists pets from many local shelters.  See Pets Available at the Rowlett Animal Shelter

Our animal shelters are full of dogs that were once someone’s pet.  So it is very important to choose a dog wisely.  First and foremost, pets are living creatures that we have selected to be our companion.  They are capable of fear, love, pain, loneliness, and joy. They should never be considered disposable property, for they should be considered members of the family. 

This is a question that many dogs and their people have asked.  This product looks great on TV!  On the commercial, the dog sits quietly with his paw raised while his person files his nails with this nail grinder. 

Yes, this product works, but not like you see on TV.  Sassy does not recommend the PediPaws and gives it a Paws Down.

Most people that are interested in this product want it because they don't like cutting their dogs nails. Which means they let their dog's nails grow too long.  The Pedipaw grinds at a slow speed and it would take a long time on each nail to file it down to the correct length.  This product does not have a way to increase the speed of the grinding. 

Plus it is loud and most dogs do not sit there and hand you their paws while you put this noisy vibrating contraption to each nail.  They pull their hands and wiggle and lay down. 

However, there are a few dogs that prefer nail grinding to clipping.  For people who actually keep their dog's nails maintained, the Pedipaws would work fine if used regularly to take off the new growth and rough edges.

Sassy recommends a variable speed grinder over the Pedipaws like those sold on www.petedge.com. They have different speed settings and it works much faster and smoother than the PediPaws.  If you want to try before you purchase, you can stop by Sassy's Bark & Bath to give the variable speed grinder a go.