Comments on The Green Phone Booth: Pet care without toxic chemicals (and rescue organ...

I adopted a rescue dog this summer - she's won...

2009-12-20T20:20:52.660-08:00

I adopted a rescue dog this summer - she's wonderful! The process was way more involved than I had anticipated, but totally worth it. People shouldn't let the background checks, letters of reference, or home inspections scare them off. Knowing the rescue organizations put so much care into the placement of their animals is a good thing. You wouldn't hand over a child to just anybody. Why should the placement of an animal totally dependent on your care be any different?

YAY! YAY! That's one YAY for breed rescue, and...

2009-12-18T12:36:27.734-08:00

YAY! YAY! That's one YAY for breed rescue, and one YAY for Doxies! We're a weiner-dog loving family too. Our beloved rescued dachshund died in June at age 14 of cancer. Bereft, we started contacting dachshund rescues. But after adopting our last dachshund, we had the audacity to have children, which was a no-go for several foster families, despite my efforts to show them how respectful my kids are of all dogs. Unfortunately, dachshunds have gotten a bad rap as "not good with children". Eventually, we contacted San Diego Dachshund Rescue and they had a perfect match for us! So we have had our little chocolate and tan Reese (after the YUMMY candy!) for several months. He just turned two and is a ball of energy!

YAY! also for discussing the importance of those heartworm meds. My parents adopted a weiner who had heartworm! Fortunately, there has been recent success with treating dogs (even small ones) with heartworm. San Diego, despite its warm temps, has a very low mosquito population (the carrier for heartworm), since it's so dry. So we haven't had our dogs on heartworm meds. I looked at the incidence of heartworm (check out this map: http://www.knowheartworms.org/images/map.gif) and made the decision not to do it. But fleas are a different story, and sometimes we have to resort to Frontline. I've read about the DE approach, and just need to actually buy some.

May I make a suggestion for another dog-related blog topic? Vaccines. Vets have learned by doing titers on dogs that they retain immunity for much longer than they'd previously thought. A good example is the rabies vaccine, which now has a 3-year shot. I'd also like to give a plug for the "Whole Dog Journal" which discusses holistic practices and better feeding options. Sorry for the long comment, but as you can see, I'm pretty passionate about my dogs and keeping them healthy!

so interesting. i never thought about alternatives...

2009-12-18T07:25:52.107-08:00

so interesting. i never thought about alternatives to heartworm and flea meds. i think that it is GREAT that the rescue organizations are so picky about who they give their dogs to - that way the dogs won't end up back on the street!! my boyfriend's dogs make my life hell because there wasn't enough conversation between him and the shelter/breeder he got the dogs from about whether our small city apartment situation is appropriate for them (it's not). i also see how rescue organizations probably put more effort into rehabilitating/socializing an emotionally disturbed dog before finding a new owner, which is also beneficial for the new owner.

@Daphne--That's awesome, good for you. My las...

2009-12-18T05:36:07.021-08:00

@Daphne--That's awesome, good for you. My last dog was a rescued mutt (shelter-bound, but she hadn't gotten there yet) and she was wonderful. I think in general the mutts tend to be healthier than the purebreds, because they haven't had weird traits bred into them; if more people realized that, mutts would probably be more sought after...unfortunately, my husband and I are both mildly allergic to dogs, so we need something vaguely hypo-allergenic, and doxie shorthairs do well with us. And our family has been Dachshund-y since my mom was a kid, so we know how to deal with doxie particulars, like weight and back problems and such.

@Concretenprimroses--the diatomacious earth is a new one to me--I'll check it out!

What an adorable dog! I have cats and would like ...

2009-12-18T04:39:56.303-08:00

What an adorable dog! I have cats and would like a dog someday, my dh is leery tho.
I think that frontline initiated seizures in one of my cats, so i don't want to use it anymore. Dh is upset because the fleas like to bite him too. i have discovered that if i am vigilant I can kill the fleas with diatomaceous earth. This is a very fine clay like substance (dry its like powder) that destroys the hard shell of the flea. I rub a pinch of it around my kitties neck, being careful not to make a dust cloud that gets in their eyes because it is a dessicant remember. Then a little later i comb the already damaged fleas out of them. Ideally vacuum and sprinkle more d earth in their beds and other areas like corners behind the couch where dust and fleas can accumulate. The hard part is being vigilant and keeping it up. I stopped in November, and because we've had such warm weather, Zorro picked them up again. Now that its finally cold i should be able to get rid of them for the winter.
Its actually ok for the cats to eat the D earth too, kills internal parasites (I bought food grade). Our new kitten from the humane society may have worms and although he has been traditionally dewormed, this will help too. During the summer i applied the D earth outside and rubbed more on them. I'm not sure if it will work next summer without having previously applied Frontline. We'll see.
Kathy

I've owned two dogs in the last twenty years. ...

2009-12-18T04:32:52.151-08:00

I've owned two dogs in the last twenty years. Both from shelters. Both mutts. I always figure that the mutts are the hardest to get homes. Everyone seems to want a pure breed dog.