Mosquitoes; More Than Just Annoying

I can’t wait for Spring to come to where I live in Western Massachusetts.  But Spring and Summer bring out all kinds of buggies.  Most buggies are okay, they just fly around and don't bother anyone.  But, there are some that are very dangerous. Just the other day I found out there is very, very bad buggy.  It’s called a mosquito.  They are ugly looking (except to another mosquito), they fly around making this awful buzzing sound and some of them carry diseases.  One disease that mosquitoes carry is heartworm disease.  Heartworm disease can make a dog very, very sick and can even make him died.

I am getting a new sister but she got bit by one of those bad mosquitoes and she has heartworms.  She lives in South Carolina now and I wanted her to come here right away but Mom told me that she has to get better first.  Mom told me she has a very hard road ahead of her but that she is strong and she will be good as new soon.

Heartworms are very bad worms.  They start off very tiny.  They make their home in a dog’s heart where they start to grow.  In about 6 or 7 months they are full grown and take up a lot of room in the heart.  Unless they are killed, they can live for 5 or more years and eventually, they will kill the dog.  It is a horrible disease that is easy to prevent.

All puppies need to see a vet when they are very young and the vet will test them and then put them on medicine that will keep heartworms away.  My Mom gives me my heartworm meds every month and my vet checks me every year.  So I know I do not have heartworms.

You need to get tested because it is not easy to tell if a dog has heartworms because until they are very sick, they act like happy normal dogs.  Dogs with heartworms get tired easily and they lose weight.   Vets know how to kill heartworms so you should go to the vet and get checked so if you do get them, the vet can make them go away.

Killing heartworms is not pleasant.  The dog needs to get 2 or 3 shots of some nasty stuff.  The shots make the dog feel sick and sometimes they stay with the vet for a few days. The nasty stuff kills the heartworms but they are still in the dog.  The dead heartworms will go away but the dog needs to be very quiet for a long time, weeks, which means no playing or long walks at dog park.  They have to be quiet so that the heartworms don’t get stuck in the heart or lungs.  If that happens, the dog could still get died.

So, please think good thoughts for my sister to get well and make sure you get tested and are taking your heartworm meds every single month so you are healthy and happy and don’t have to get nasty shots and stay quiet.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S.  Shameless self promotions:  When my new sister comes to live with me, I am going to give her one of our To The Rescue Gift Baskets so she will have everything she needs to feel right at home.

Eat, Sleep Play

Had a very busy morning catching up on reading some of my favorite blogs.  I love the internet cuz I get to talk to all of you guys and read your blogs where I learn about you and where you live.

Even though we live in different places around the world, there is one thing I noticed we have in common.  All dogs love to play.  Age or size or breed, it doesn’t matter, we were made to play and have fun.  You dogs that have brothers and sisters are lucky cuz you have someone to play with all the time.  For those of us who are in single dog households, although there are some advantages, like not having to share cookies or the bed with another dog, humans don’t like to play as much as dogs do.

Have you noticed that with your humans? They do lots of things like work, drive cars, cook meals, shovel snow, but they don’t play so much with us dogs.  It could be cuz they aren’t so good at it.  For one thing, they’re not very fast runners.  I can run around our house three times and they barely move from the starting point.

They don’t play Chase Me at all.  I think they are trained not to play that game.  I wonder if it’s some religious thing.  Whenever I want to play Chase Me, they call me back and want to play another game like Sit and Down. 

They don’t play Catch very good either.  I can catch the ball almost every time they throw it but they almost never catch it when I throw it back.  And, they don’t know the rules.  They can’t understand that in a game of Catch or Fetch, after you bring the ball or toy back, you are supposed to play Tug of War with it.  Two years and my humans still don’t know how to play those games right.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  I love my humans very much, even if they are play challenged.  They are kind and loving and smart.  They are smart enough to know their short comings and take me to Dog Park or Doggie Day Care where I can play with others who have equal athletic abilities and who know the rules for all the games.

Love to know your favorite game and your secret for getting your humans to play with you.

Your friend,

Zeva

 

P.S. Shameless self-promotion one of our PawPals Gift Basket is the perfect gift for any dog, any occasion.

Run Zeva Run!

Spring is almost here which means that swimsuit weather can’t be far behind. Okay, I don’t wear a swimsuit (I don’t even like water which is embarrassing since I’m part Lab) but I do want to keep my girlish figure so I try to get lots of exercise every day. Here is a photo of me working out in the snow.  Great for the legs.

In my last blog I talked about how Dog Park is a good place to exercise because there are lots of other dog to play with. Although humans are good companions most of the time, they don’t run as fast or jump and wrestle as well as dogs. At Dog Park I get a great work out playing with all the other dogs.

Exercise is not only fun and good for helping you look good, it is good for you. My Mom goes to the gym because she says exercise helps her not be stressed. Dogs get stressed too and when we are stressed we can be hyperactive or aggressive.

When we don’t get enough exercise we also get bored and boredom can cause some really bad things to happen. I know dogs who were so bored that they chewed furniture, woodwork, shoes, and other things that made their humans not happy.

Getting enough exercise is easy. Take your humans for a walk or if they can handle it, a run. Some dogs even go with their humans when they ride bikes. Bikes go really fast and really far so you have to make sure that you are in good shape already. Bikes can also run over you so you need to stay away from the wheels or you and your human can get hurt. They have special leashes that attach to the bike so you can’t get tangled in the wheels.

Agility training is an awesome way to get exercise. Being part border collie, I would love to do agility and Mom said some day we’ll take some classes. Any dog can do agility so even if you are a little dog you can run the course, jump hurdles and go through hoops and stuff.

I’ve heard that there is something in human Yoga called dog down pose and now there is a yoga for dogs called Doga. Well, it’s really for humans but they get to bring their dogs along. It’s supposed to help with bonding. I think I’ll stick to the aerobic type exercises and leave yoga to cats.

Working out makes you tired and we all know that a tired dog is a good dog.  A tired dog is also a happy dog.  Have a great work out, I'm ready for my nap.

Your friend,

Zeva

P.S. Blatant self-promotion.  After a good workout I love a long nap and a little pampering.  My Spot's SPA has everything you need.