more4dogs

Lyme Disease is hugely underestimated and can cause major problems in both dogs and humans. In dogs Lyme Disease can cause lethargy, swollen joints, loss of appetite, swollen lymph nodes and high fever.   In humans, Lyme Disease can cause lethargy, headaches, swollen joints, muscle pain and can affect the heart and nervous system.

Lyme Disease is passed on by infected ticks, very small, they can be red or black and look a bit like a spider.  People often think they are called sheep ticks, but it is often deer.  Once the tick has taken hold, it will feed on the blood and engorge, turning into a greyish small broad bean shape.  When fully engorged, they drop off.  Ticks lay in the long grass waiting for something to brush past for them to cling onto.  Often, my dogs have run back to me with up to five or six ticks crawling on their heads and chests.

Prognosis in dogs is good, so long as the disease is spotted early and it can be treated with antibiotics, but it can re-occur resulting in the dogs needing further treatment.

In humans, Lyme Disease is often difficult to diagnose as symptoms can vary, so early detection of the bite is vital.    An infected tick may stay on the skin for a few days unnoticed, so it is essential to check all over if you have been in long grass or on country walks.  A tell-tale sign of an infected bite is a rash ring around the bite, if you see this, go to your GP as soon as possible for antibiotics.

Prevention, therefore, is a better solution. Frontline or similar ‘spot-on’ treatments are popular, where the fluid is put onto a dog’s skin between the shoulder blades, usually monthly in the tick season (however, in some areas, ticks are often found all year round).  There are also tick controllers, electronic devices that emit tiny electronic pulses to deter the ticks from biting and staying on the skin, the Medi-Direct Flea and Tick Controller is ideal.   If you see a tick on your dog, try to remove it as soon as possible (the Mikki Tick Picker will help you do this easily). There is conflicting advice about putting substances on the tick to kill it – ie lemon juice, white spirit or vaseline. This can have the effect that the tick goes into shock and regurgitates the contents of its stomach back into the skin, thus placing more bacteria into the dog (or yourself!). Clean the area and make sure none of the tick is left in the skin.  Out on the walks, humans should wear long sleeved t-shirts, tuck trousers into socks (not a good look I know, but hey, who’s going to see you?), wear insect repellent and keep checking on your return.  These pests can get anywhere – one local girl had a tiny one on the bottom rim of her eyelid and had to go to A&E to have it removed.

It is important to realise how serious Lyme Disease is – I know of three people local to myself who have or have in the past, had Lyme Disease and one of them now suffers from a form of arthritis aggravated by this disease.  So, enjoy the beautiful countryside that we live in, just take enough precaution to not allow these little pests to come into your life.

I had been concerned about our Boxer, Gemma’s mouth.  Her gums seemed swollen and occasionally it would take her a while to finish her food, which is very unusual.  Initially I put this down to her eating a type of grass which had given her a reaction as Gemma is very sensitive to certain allergens.  At her check-up today, the Vet at Crown Vets, Inverness, confirmed she has Gingival Hyperphasia, a type of oral condition that makes the gums swell so they begin to cover the teeth.  It looks very lumpy and uneven.  Particles of food get trapped and the gums can get infected.  I was reassured these lumps are benign but surgery is the only answer.  The surgery is minor and involves cutting back the gums.  Gemma should be in and out in one day.  The anaesthetic worries me every time – this will be Gemma’s seventh or eighth time under, but this is the only way.  This is not an emergency, but we will need to get this done within the next few months.

When we first moved to the Black Isle near Inverness, one of the main priorities was to find suitable dog walks for Coffey.  Walks that were interesting, safe for dogs and children, away from farm animals and roads, as Coffey loves to run free.  The first we found is still a favourite, especially with the children.  Littleburn, near Munlochy.  A small circular walk with a stream running through it.  Lots of little footpaths, trees and mounds to climb.  This is Coffey’s favourite place to dig.  Parking too.

One of the most picturesque walks is Fairy Glen, at Rosemarkie.  A lovely meander along the stream, finishing with two beautiful waterfalls.  An ecommerce colleague is planning to have his wedding pictures taken there.  There is ample parking.

Gemma, Meg and Coffey enjoying the water at Fairy Glen.

Fairy Glen, Rosemarkie

More can be seen about this dog walk on this delightful YouTube short film about Fairy Glen http://t.co/MFMHNewJ called ‘Taking Pictures of Fairies’

Reelig Glen at Moniack by Beauly is famous for having some of the tallest trees in Great Britain.  The trail follows the water up to a bridge.  Next to the bridge is an old stone bridge and grotto built in the 19th century.  Along the way there is information about the trees making the walk informative and fun.  The tallest is a Douglas Fir measuring 62 meters (204 ft), named Dughall Mor (Big Stranger).  It may be a little tricky for buggies unused to rough terrain, but there are slopes alongside steps.  Watch your dogs on the way back as the path narrows and there you are walking at some height.  This is a very pretty walk and quite sheltered.

More information can be found on the Walk Highlands website http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochness/Reeligglen.shtml

Finally, you can’t come to the Black Isle and not go to a beach.  Chanonry Point at Fortrose/Rosemarkie is famous for dolphin watching.  In the summer, groups congregate at the corner of the bay near the lighthouse with their cameras.  Sometimes they have a long wait, but usually there are a few dolphins happy to ‘show off’ close to land.  If you want to take your dogs away from the people, head left and you will see a long stretch of sand which takes you to Rosemarkie Beach and beyond.  There are no restrictions as to when you can take you dogs and they can be off the lead, but you MUST clean up after them.  This is important to keep the freedom that we have on our beaches in Scotland.  In the winter you may be lucky and have the beach practically to yourselves – wrap up warm though!

Visit the Chanonry Point website for pictures and more information.

http://t.co/i672QvId

At More4Dogs we offer many products for dog walks, poop bags, bum bags, non-spill water bowls and great tough throw toys.  Visit our site www.more4dogs.co.uk or drop us a line at jackie@more4dogs.co.uk.

Of course, these are only a few of the many walks in this area.  Feel free to add your comments and experiences.  Our dogs always like to try somewhere new!

I recently discovered that the lovely breed of dog, the golden retriever, originated close to where we live in the Scottish Highlands.  I wanted to find out more.

The golden retriever was first bred in the village of Tomich, not far from the city of Inverness, by Dudley Marjoribanks, First Baron Tweedmouth in the 1860’s.

The Village of Tomich is part of the Guisachan Estate and was created along with Guisachan farm to serve Guisachan House, which is sadly now derelict and lies a further 1.5 miles to the west of the village and was the home of Lord and Lady Tweedmouth.

In the mid eighteenth century, wildfowl hunting was very popular among the rich. Scotland was covered with ponds and rivers, so a dog was needed that could retrieve from water as well as land. Early retrievers were crossed with the best of water spaniels, developing into the breed we know today as the Golden Retriever.

The original cross was of a yellow-coloured Retriever, Nous, with a Tweed Water Spaniel female dog, Belle.  The Tweed Water Spaniel is now extinct but was then common in the border country. Marjoribanks had purchased Nous in 1865 from an unregistered litter of otherwise black wavy-coated retriever pups. In 1868, this cross produced a litter that included four pups; these four became the basis of a breeding program which included the Irish Setter, the sandy-coloured Bloodhound, the St Johns Water Dog of Newfoundland, and two more wavy-coated black Retrievers. The bloodline was also inbred and selected for trueness to Marjoribanks’ idea of the ultimate hunting dog. His vision included a more vigorous and powerful dog than previous retrievers, one that would still be gentle and trainable. The Golden Retriever was active and powerful and had a gentle mouth for retrieving game on hunts.

Golden Retrievers were first accepted for registration by the Kennel Club of England in 1903, as Flat Coats – Golden. They were first exhibited in 1908, and in 1911 were recognised as a breed described as Retriever (Golden and Yellow). In 1913, the Golden Retriever Club was founded. It is claimed that the breed name was officially changed to Golden Retriever in 1920^.

The Honourable Archie Marjoribanks took a Golden Retriever to Canada in 1881, and registered Lady with the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1894.

In July 2006, The Golden Retriever Club of Scotland organised a gathering of Golden Retriever enthusiasts at the ruins of the ancestral home of Guisachan House. A photograph was taken by photographer Lynn Kipps to commemorate the occasion. It captures 188 Golden Retrievers and therefore holds the record for most Golden Retrievers captured in one image. This can be seen here http://www.goldenretrieverclubofscotland.com/gg.htm .

(Source Wikipedia, Golden Retriever Club of Scotland)

Any more information on the golden retriever and Scotland would be really interesting for me.  I will now endeavour to find out more about other breeds who originated from this area.  To find out more about dog accessories and products for the golden retriever, click here http://www.more4dogs.co.uk/

At a dinner this evening, I learnt that a friend of mine, during the recent Scottish storm, had jumped into a raging stream to save her Jack Russell Terrier, who was being swept away.  They both escaped the waters and my friend shrugged and said she didn’t think about it, just went in.  In the same situation, I think many of us would too.  Sometimes this tight bond can result in tragedy, as seen the other day when a 37 year old man drowned in a Loch trying to save his dog, http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/288941-man-drowns-after-falling-through-ice-on-loch/  Tragically both perished.  The man probably was aware of the danger, but wanted to try to save his dog anyway.  This loyalty is mutual – there are many stories of dogs who stay with their owner whilst in mortal danger themselves, http://www.dogguide.net/25-hero-dogs.php  News reports often tell dog owners not to put their own safety at risk to save their dog, but you would be hard pushed to find a person who would stand back and let harm come to their faithful friend without trying to do something.

13.12.11

Our 14 year old labrador cross, Meg, has been on a diet. Meg has a urinary condition which causes stones in her bladder. To control this, Meg is on a special medical diet from Royal Canin. The food is good and it works – however, it is full of protein and while we were feeding Meg the same amount we always fed her, she was quickly putting on weight. At a check up she was found to be 30 kilos. We were horrified and immediately put her on a strict diet – no mean feat when Meg lives with two other hungry dogs and wolfs everything herself. Once we had steeled ourselves to ignoring her big, hungry eyes, she soon improved. Her movement improved too, once the weight loss started to relieve her back legs.

Two months later, we were back at the vets, with a new, slimline dog – even her coat was gleaming! We were thrilled when we were told she had lost 4 1/2 kilos and she is pretty much at an ideal weight. We still need to be quite firm, as it would be easy for Meg to regain the weight – but it just shows, a dog is never too old to go on a diet and get that new lease of life in their mature years.

I’m Jackie and my family own three wonderful dogs, each with their own distinctive character.  We start with Coffey, our first dog who we adopted from Battersea Dogs Home when he was the tender age of 7 weeks.  He is a black and tan collie-x (we think a little German Shepherd) and is a true gent.  He only ever barks when running after a ball on the walks.  He has a leather swivel chair which he inherited when we moved up to Scotland and when he is not running through the heather, this is his favourite place to be.

Meg is a black labrador-x who we adopted from Munlochy Animal Aid when we moved up to Scotland.  She was then around six and is now a grand old lady of nearly 15.  Meg had an odd, straight back leg and we were told she had been in a road accident at some point and had a pin inserted, resulting in a leg that she could push off the ground but had no give in it.  We were advised that as she got older this could become a problem, but it is only now Meg has a bit of arthritis in her hips, which is controlled by medication, so she is still going strong.  We’ve recently put Meg on a strict diet as her medicated food did make her put on weight, but she has since lost 4 1/2 kilos so is back on track.  I will write in more detail as to how we managed Meg’s diet.  Meg is a real softie and will go to anybody.  A loving dog and very forgiving (especially when a bouncy Boxer puppy came along).  Her only foible is she is an enthusiastic barker, definitely the loudest of the three.

Gemma is our pedigree Boxer, who came from a private breeder in Aberdeen six years ago.  Gemma is a great character, lovable and bouncy, who strives to be top dog.  Out on the walks she is determined to keep up with our fast Coffey and at home she cuddles up to Meg.  Lots of things have happened with Gemma – too numerous to mention here and many more will come too.  Gemma is our most expensive dog – keeping our vet in the manner he is accustomed to, with various operations to mend crutiate ligaments, removal of cysts and coping with allergic wasp stings.  With us, Gemma loves our company, following us from room to room until we settle, then she tries to climb on our laps like a big baby.

We love them all dearly and they are a very important part of our family.  My husband often jokes that he is right down the list in the pecking order after the dogs.  Our children have grown with the dogs and are very able in helping with the day to day care of them.

Here, on our blog, you will hear about our life with our dogs and some other interesting bits and pieces too.  I own an ecommerce website www.more4dogs.co.uk where you will find beautiful tartan dog coats and accessories, stimulating dog toys, grooming aids and carefully selected products for our feline friends too.  Welcome to our world….