Spa Day

(Just look at that lovely whiteness!)

Recently, Lucy and I had a spa day.  We are both small enough so that Mama can bathe us at home in the shower or bath tub without too much trouble (she won't try that with Sadie or Claude...they either go to the Dog Wash or to the groomers.)  So, Mama and Daddy got the bathroom all set up for us, putting out the dog shampoo, pitcher for pouring water, hair dryer and lots of towels.

Then Mama did the washing and Daddy did the drying and soon, Lucy and I were clean and shiny and smelling fresh!  Later, Mama also trimmed our nails.  We felt very special and beautiful after our day of pampering.

All dogs need the occasional spa day.  Some dogs resist the idea, but in reality, we all get a bit stinky and dirty from time to time.  However, our humans can make the whole bathing process a joy or a disaster, so here are a few hints about bath time for all my canine friends out there.

1.  Make bath time something to look forward to...Teach your dog that once the bath is done, something wonderful happens.  Maybe a nice treat, a special play time, or a visit to the park.  

2.  Check yourself...Do you treat bath time as stressful and rushed?  If so, your dog will pick up on that.  When you yell or become impatient, your dog will learn that baths are scary and unpleasant.  Be sure you speak softly to your dog while preparing for and during the bath.  If you must physically restrain your dog during the bath, be as gentle as possible and never hit your dog or yank his/her collar or leash.

3.  Do your prep work...Buy a nice shampoo appropriate to your dog; you might ask your vet for a recommendation about the shampoo.  If your dog has dry skin, itchiness, or a particular skin condition, you may need a special medicated shampoo.  Never use human shampoo on your dog; we dogs are quite delicate and your human shampoo can be too harsh for our skin.  Before going to the tub, give your dog a nice brushing to get rid of mats, tangles, and loose hair.  Get your supplies all laid out before you start the bath; you certainly don't want to get half way through a bath and have to leave for something!  

4.  The bath...Place a towel on the bottom of the tub or shower so your dog doesn't slip (and to keep nails from damaging your tub or shower.)  The water should be lukewarm, neither too hot or too cold for your little Goldilocks!  Avoid spraying or pouring any water into your dogs' ears...my sister Lucy the beagle mix has a lot of problems if she gets her ears wet inside.  Make sure to rinse very thoroughly because soap left on our coats can cause skin irritation.  Use towels and/or a blow dryer to dry your dog--be careful that the blow dryer is set to a comfortable setting so your doggie doesn't get burned!  My sister Sadie LOVES to be toweled; Lucy likes the hair dryer; I'm not fond of either to be quite honest...different strokes for different dogs, I always say!

5.  Afterward...Yep, the minute you turn us loose, we WILL go roll.  The carpet, the yard, something stinky...whatever we can find, we will roll in it.  Try to get your canine as dry as possible before you release him/her and just get over it.  You may want to do nail clipping right after the bath if your doggie is calm; if he/she is already stirred up, you might want to do the trimming another time--we'll talk more about nails another time.  Don't forget that special treat, toy, game or trip after the bath is done!

If bathing at home is too much of a hassle for you or if it upsets your dog too much, you might try going to a do-it-yourself dog wash.  These places, often housed alongside a car wash, provide tubs or sprays and a place to securely tie your dog so they cannot be harmed during the process.  Many of these places also furnish the shampoo, but be warned this will not be specific to your dog's needs.  If you just feel you can't deal with the dog washing on your own, you may just need to go to a groomer.  Pet parents should do your homework and find a reputable professional groomer at a price you can live with.  Make sure any potential groomer is clean, appears to love dogs, and agrees NEVER to use any type of sedation.  Many vet clinics and boarding kennels offer grooming services as do many Petco and PetSmart locations.

In warm weather, you might try bathing your doggie outside with a hose or in a little pool.  My brother Claude, the grouchy husky mix, likes the garden hose method.  And lastly, don't over-wash your dog.  Yes, dogs can be too clean!  If you wash your dog too often, their natural skin oils will be stripped away, possibly causing skin dryness and excessive itching.  Ask your vet about the frequency of baths for your particular dog.  (Mama washes us whenever we get stinky, usually every couple of months unless someone goes out and gets in something nasty!)

Bath time can be rough on your dog, or can be an enjoyable time of interaction with our humans.  Your planning, actions, and attitude can do a lot to make a fun time be had by all involved!

Until next time!

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

(Here's Claude, rolling after a bath.  Note that his fur has been SHAVED...not something you want to do to your dog unless you have to.  In this case, a shave was necessary due to a hideous skunk incident.  If you face a skunk situation, mix hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and a squirt of Dawn dish detergent and use this to wash your dog...it may take several applications, but it will get rid of the skunk stink.)

Shots Adventure!

Do you see the pained expression on my face?

Yesterday was a stressful day at our house.  Under pretense of going on a nice afternoon drive, my mama took us for SHOTS!  Right now, I'm just extremely irked.  Don't get me wrong, I understand the need to have proper immunizations.  But my tiny trust is quite damaged.  And we didn't even get to stop at Sonic for tater tots, can you believe it!?!  <Sniff.>

Mama did her homework and found a local organization called Kitties and Kanines that does some amazing work here in our area.  The K and K folks offer low-cost spay and neuter services, fostering and adoption placement of some dogs and cats, and basic preventative veterinary services like shots, heartworm preventative and anti-flea medications.  In honor of National Spay and Neuter month, K and K is running a special in February so that all their immunizations are $5 a shot--pretty great deal for a family that has a lot of dogs (like us.)  Anyway, I just wanted to throw that out there to give kudos to K and K and to encourage folks to locate and support organizations who do similar work.

So, mama loaded us dogs up in our SUV and off we went.  (Loading and unloading us is quite an endeavor since there are so many of us and since we all want to jump out and run as soon as our paws hit the ground!  And because some of us tend to be quite heavy and no one but Lucy will hop into the vehicle without being lifted.)  Well, it started off like any normal afternoon drive, but we didn't go far.  Mama unloaded us at this clinic and we were ushered in to a waiting room with lots of dogs and a few kitties--it was pretty interesting with lots of critters to meet and greet.  A few minutes later, my mama said a bad word or 2 and dragged us all back outside to the SUV.  It seems she had forgotten to go to the bank for the cash required for the shots.  Off we went to the bank just down the block.  Well, there were all kinds of backhoes and dump trucks swarming around the bank.  It was really fascinating! However, these construction vehicles were blocking the driveways and crowding up the parking lot. Okay, so mama uttered a few more bad words (she was really getting sassy that day) and drove off to another bank a few miles away.  Then back to the clinic we went.  Mama snatched us out of the SUV and didn't even let us take time to do any sniffing at the entrance; she said the clinic was about to close and we had to hurry!

Once back inside, we settled in to wait.  There were just 2 little dogs and a couple of kitties in carriers ahead of us.  I trotted right over to take a look inside the cat carriers because the kitties inside were yowling and making an awful racket so I thought I'd better assess the situation.  Soon, this nice young lady came out and called my name, so I was happy to go down the hall with her.  She first walked me up on a little platform that made some sort of numbers come up and then she told me I was FAT!!  It seems that little platform was scales and tattled that I've been taking a few too many treats of late--stupid device!  Then we went to another room where I was poked with a needle to steal a vial of my precious corgi blood and then with a second needle to inject vaccines into me.  Last, but most distressing, the woman squirted some evil concoction up my nose.  I was just about ready to lose my cool and chew her arm off, but then she petted me and told me I was a good girl and whisked me back to my mama.

The folks at the clinic did the same procedure to my siblings and then we were done.  At the desk, my mama gave them the money we zipped across town to get and then they gave her some cute little gold colored charms for our collars...these tell everyone that we had our shots like good canine citizens.  Mama says we have to have these little charms to be welcome at the dog park; I like it there so I guess it was worth the whole distressing trip.

Mama loaded us all back up in the SUV and we drove off.  My sister Sadie, who can spot a Sonic a block away, alerted mama that she was callously passing the source of tater tots, but mama didn't care.  She took us back home and gave us a treat for being good.  Then she said something about getting a drink, but she didn't go to the red bowl on the floor; she made something in the blender.  

Today, we are all feeling just fine, no one had any adverse reactions to the vaccines, and we are having a lazy day at the house.  Mama is stroking my face right now, so I guess I'll let go of my hard feelings and agree to trust her again.  She DID go to all this trouble for us, to keep us healthy and to make us welcome at the dog park.  Okay, maybe shot day wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

Lucy was hiding under the cover, but left a foot sticking out.  Maybe if she could hide a little better, we'd have avoided this entire immunization adventure!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!  Corgis are always about love, not just on a specific day, but there is never anything wrong with a celebration!  So today, let's talk about love and Valentine's day.

Dogs of all kinds give unconditional love.  Unlike some sweethearts, we dogs aren't worried about whether you are dressed nicely, whether you have money, whether your car is fancy (though we are happiest when the windows roll down properly!)  We like to have a cozy home, but dogs will stay with you even if horrible luck befalls you and you wind up homeless.  We are loyal to our people.  In a way, Valentine's day must be made for dogs!

Our humans like to celebrate love on Valentine's day and I want to remind everyone that while celebrating you must be cautious.  Some traditional Valentine's day gifts are harmful to us dogs.  Take chocolate (I'd take all you've got, actually.)  Chocolate is poisonous to dogs.  Our vet says we are especially vulnerable to dark chocolate.  The smaller the dog, the smaller the amount of chocolate needed to cause a serious problem, but no dog should be given chocolate.  If your dog accidently consumes chocolate, call your vet. She can guide you on what to do to to help your baby out of this sticky situation...a sticky, messy, tasty, lip-licking, wonderful-tasting situation.  But I digress...

If you are watching your weight, your lover may bestow upon you a box of sugar-free treats.  Well, that's another problem for dogs.  Dogs can also get sick from an ingredient in artificial sweeteners called xylitol. This sweetener can cause dogs to have seizures and liver failure.  So, even if these treats seem to be healthier, this is true ONLY for humans, not pets. Dogs just shouldn't eat candy.  Grrrrrr

Some guys will skip the sweets altogether and instead favor their ladies with flowers.  These things can be lovely and smell nice, like the outdoors, but can also be a dog-hazard.  Many plants and flowers can be toxic to dogs, so be careful what is in your bouquet and make sure to display it up out of your dogs' reach.  I'm told one of the most dangerous blooms is the LILY; that just seems totally wrong to me...but on the other hand, I AM a pretty potent!

Here's a great idea--instead of giving candies or flowers or other gifts that bring just a fleeting moment of enjoyment, why not celebrate Valentine's day by giving the gift of life by making a donation of your time, money, and/or goods to your local animal shelter or rescue.  And maybe go out for a nice dinner.  And remember those packages of leftover food are called "doggy bags" for a reason!  All in moderation of course.  Wink, wink.

The VERY best thing for Valentine's day is a sweet kiss from your favorite doggy, so pucker up, folks, and have a great Valentine's Day!!!



Love ya,

Lily the Corgi

 (Our baby Cohen and my beagle mix sister Lucy share a little kiss.)

Smile! It's National Pet Dental Health Month

(You can see some tartar buildup on my teeth there.  I guess a trip to the doggy dentist is in my future.)

It has recently come to my attention that February is National Pet Dental Health Month.  It is estimated that only 2% of pet parents brush their fur-baby's teeth regularly.  Not surprisingly then, roughly 80% of dogs show signs of dental disease by age three.  Hey!  What's the deal with that, Mama?  

Dental disease in dogs can cause bad breath, tooth decay and loss, and in some cases, break-away bacteria from diseased teeth and gums can enter a dog's bloodstream and cause damage to vital organs. (My grouchy husky mix brother Claude has some horrible dragon-breath; I think we need to get his teeth checked ASAP.)  Some breeds of dogs--not corgis, I'm happy to say--seem to be pre-disposed to dental diseases, however, any of us can have problems due to our diet, overall health, lifestyle, and age.  

So what's the solution?  According to vets, the key is regular toothbrushing.  I'm going to rat out my Mama right here--she doesn't brush our teeth as she should.  Oh, she's tried it a few times, but usually gets frustrated and gives up the practice pretty quickly.  You see, a lot of us dogs aren't too fond of having someone, even our mamas, messing around in our mouths.  We will pull away, resist, even go so far as to growl and nip.  What is a pet parent to do?

According to our friends over at PetMD, here are some ideas:

1.  Start clean.  While any dental care is good, it is best to begin or resume your routine with a fresh mouth.  Take your dog to the vet and get a good professional cleaning.  This is usually done under anesthesia (the vet doesn't want to get nipped either!) and will be recommended by most vets at the time of our regular check-ups.  Just like it is for our humans, the doggy teeth cleaning will remove built up tartar and restore our teeth to "factory condition."  While doing the cleaning, the vet will also check for decayed teeth, gum disease, and anything odd, like mouth sores or tumors.

Ask your vet to show you the proper methods for brushing your dogs' teeth.  The vet should be able to show you how best clean those pearly whites, as well as recommend ways to help you and your dog have a more pleasant brushing experience.

2.  Once you have your dog's mouth all sparkly, get on a regular brushing routine.  Our vet recommends that our pet parents brush our teeth for at least one minute every week.  That doesn't really sound like much and should be doable for most of us.  While there are lots of products you can purchase for doggy dental care--special toothbrushes, doggy toothpaste, etc...--just some regular, cheap items can be used just as well.  Instead of the specialized doggy toothbrush, use a child's soft bristled brush or even a piece of gauze to rub on your dog's teeth to remove plaque.  The meat flavored toothpaste for dogs is nice, but you can dip the brush in beef broth for a less expensive alternative.  

It is best if you can get your dogs accustomed to brushing at an early age, but you can teach an old dog new tricks.  Pet your doggy, stroke her face, go slow, speak reassuringly.  Maybe you can begin by just wiping your dog's teeth down for a few seconds at a time, then work your way up to a full-on brushing.  As with anything else, lots of praise is always the best way to get us dogs to do your bidding. (Well, that and bacon.)

3.  If you just cannot get your dog to brush...Let's face it, some of us can be intimidating.  We snarl.  We growl.  We may even bite.  Our teeth are pretty precious to us; they serve as our eating tools, a method of defense, our way to carry things, the key to play and exploration of our world.  Is it any wonder, then, that dogs can be quite leery of having even a trusted human messing around in our mouths?  Sometimes, it truly is just impossible to get a dog to cooperate with brushing.  In those cases, regular use of dental treats (like Greenies) or toys especially designed to scrape off plaque should help some.  There are even some products that can be added to your dog's water that are supposed to help prevent tartar buildup.

4.  Finally, just as is the case with our humans, even regular brushing doesn't always keep the tartar at bay.  Every so often, your dog may just need to have a good old deep cleaning at the vet's office.  These cleanings are expensive, so it is very helpful to your wallet to use regular brushing as a means to keep these cleanings to a minimum.  

There is nothing better than a corgi smile, so celebrate National Pet Dental Health Month by taking a look at your fur-baby's mouth today!

Thanks for checking in with us today!  Until next time...

Love ya, 

Lily the Corgi

 (This is my cousin Quincy the Wiener Dog.  He is ancient and has had 22 of his teeth pulled--that means he only has 20 left and most of them are on one side of his mouth!  He still manages to eat, chew, and play just fine with his limited number of teeth.)

(And here's a picture of me on Christmas morning, putting my teeth to good use in accepting a treat that came as a gift from my human cousin Katie--thanks again, Kate!)

Healthcare information for this article was obtained from the PetMD website.