care

Topical Flea Meds

Danger in the use of ALL topical flea medications.

Please don’t use topical

medications on your Yorkies.  I personally know of three yorkies that

have had their life shortened and the quality of their life destroyed by

topical flea medications.  Topical medications are designed to work for

30 days.  They are rapidly absorbed into the skin and cannot be removed

even if the reaction starts immediately after applying.  You may have

used these products many times in the past and had no problem.  But if

you use one of these products and do have a reaction, the damage is

irreversible.  The heartbreaking side effects will never go away.  All 3

of the yorkies have died within 6 months.

Frontline and/or any store

brand topical flea medication have all had problems.  It is not a brand

specific problem.  They don’t know why it affects some dogs and not all

dogs.  Reactions can be within minutes to hours after use.  Yorkies and

other small breed dogs seem to have more problems than larger dogs.  EPA

has known about this problem for years and nothing has been done to

educate dog owners.  Click some of the links below before using any

topical or spot on flea treatment for dogs.  Why take a chance that your

yorkie is the one that will have the problem? 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/small-dogs-susceptible-flea-poison/

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/02/29/spot-on-package-labeling-for-pet-products.aspx

Also, Trifexis^®   a

heartworm  pill is not recommended for any dog under 5 lbs.  There has

been a lot of controversy about this new heartworm pill.  I have seen

reports about this pill.   It made national news. 

“Trifexis: Pet owners say their dogs died after taking popular heartworm preventative.”

 http://www.wptv.com/money/consumer/trifexis-pet-owners-say-their-dogs-died-after-taking-a-popular-heartworm-preventative.

I use Sentinel® Flavor Tabs. 

I have used interceptor for over 20 years.  Sentinel is the same

medicine with the added flea prevention pill.  It has been around for a

very long time.

My personal opinion is I

don’t use my dogs as guinea pigs for any new products. I also don’t like

any product that if my dog has a reaction from it  I can’t do anything

about it for 30 days.  It is quickly absorbed into the skin and can’t be

washed off or flushed from the body.

Yorkies Teeth

I hope you find these tips

helpful.  While it may not be seen as a top priority by many dog owners,

it is actually very important to care for your dog’s teeth throughout

their  life.  Many people mistakenly assume that a dog will be able to

care for its own teeth, much as nature intended. This may have been true

if dogs only ate all natural ingredients and foods such as they would

have eaten had they remained wild animals. 

But when we think about it,

most domesticated animals, just like our dogs, eat a variety of foods

and chemicals that are often not  found in nature. They are subsequently

susceptible to dental health issues in the same way as humans are. 

In addition, dogs live much longer than they would in nature, and senior dogs benefit from good dental care throughout their lives.

YOUR YORKSHIRE TERRIER’S  TEETH

Puppies start to get their

puppy teeth at the age of 3 to 4 weeks. They will start with 28 puppy

teeth. These teeth will be replaced with their 42 permanent adult teeth

at about the age of four months. 

Dogs have four different types of teeth:

Premolars – hold and break up the food

Canines – used to hold and tear the food into small pieces

Incisors – cut and nibble 

Many veterinarians estimate

that approximately 80% of all dogs over the age of three have some form

of gum disease.  This is quite astounding and worrying isn’t it? This

causes problems for the dogs with chewing food, which can lead to

digestive problems. Just like with humans, this also causes teeth to be

easily damaged or start to fall out.  This condition becomes

progressively worse as the dog ages, and can even lead to fatal health

conditions as a result of infection. Yorkshire Terrier’s  love to chew

so keeping their teeth in good condition isn’t usually all that

difficult if you follow some simply principles. A good quality Dog Chew

Bone or other Dental Cleaning Bone can be used to scrape tartar from the

surface of the teeth. Be sure to remove any of the dental bones before

they are small enough to be swallowed, as they can be a choking hazard

for your dog. Beware also if you have young children around who may pick

up and swallow pieces of bone.  Pop along to your local pet shop and

see their range of chew bones or use the two links above for some help.

Retained teeth

At around 9 months your puppy should have lost all their puppy teeth. You can tell a puppy tooth by it’s shape. A puppy tooth has a curve to it and is very close to the adult teeth. If after a year they have not fallen out I would recommend having them removed. I would do this at the same time you get your puppy spayed or neutered. That way they only have to have anesthetic once.