HOT DOGS!
HEATSTROKE KILLS DOGS
We know, you are probably bored of hearing this now but it is true. Heatstroke is a common preventable cause of death in dogs. Every dog and owner are different, so try not to be judgy… but here are our top tips.
HEATSTROKE SIGNS
Panting with a long, thick tongue.
Thick drool.
Staggering or lying down.
Not reacting to known cues/ words.
Collapse.
Seizures.
Death.
HEATSTROKE PREVENTION
Walk early/walk late. For some dogs temperatures as low as 16 C carry a heatstroke risk, most dogs are at risk over 22 C.
Risk is higher for old dogs, puppies, hairy dogs, short faced dogs, and dogs with underlying illnesses.
If attending a competition or travelling with your dog use shades, fans, airconditioning, and have plenty of water and ice packs available.
If planning a canine event try to provide shade, water to drink, and water to dunk. If these can’t be offered consider cancelling.
Teach your dog to dunk their head in a bucket of water. This method has been developed and tested on military working dogs!
Heat isn’t the only risk. Hot surfaces can be damaging to paws, and plae dogs can suffer suburn and skin cancer.
HEATSTROKE TREATMENT
Rapid cooling. Wet the dog with cold water from a hose or immersion in cold water (healthy concious dogs).
Use fans or air conditioning to further cool the wet dog.
Offer small amounts of cool, but not ice cold, water to concious dogs.
Contact the closest vet and use the air con (if available) to keep cooling the dog on your journey to the vets.
THINK BEFORE YOU JUDGE
It may look irresponsible to have a dog outside at midday during a heatwave but… it could be cooler outdoors than in the home, the dog may only toilet away from home, the owner may need an excuse to leave the house… there are occasionally valid reasons to have a dog out in the heat for a short period. If your are concerned for the welfare of the dog (or owner!) consider offering some water or helping them find a cooler spot.
Dogs in cars may have the luxury of airconditioning that stays on when the driver leaves! If you see a dog in a vehicle and you are concerned monitor for signs of distress. If you feel the dog needs to be rescued, let the police know what you plan to do before breaking a window.
WHY DOES MY PET HAVE TO BE REFERRED?
Why does your pet need to be registered with a primary care vet, and why does that vet need to refer them before a consultation can take place?
Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care offers complementary therapies for your pet in your home. We do not have a clinic where we can offer routine treatments, diagnostic testing, or emergency care.
To meet RCVS requirements, your pet must have access to emergency care via your primary care practice.
I need to work with primary care vets, as patients often need radiography, blood tests, or conventional medications as part of their Holistic care, and I value the work the primary care vet has done with your pet.
Referral is simple! Request a referral form, fill out the owner section, then pass to your vet to complete. Your vet should email the form to me with any relevant clinical history. In return, I email your vet a copy of each consultation we have so that they are kept up to date with progress.
As I am usually on the road or treating pets, I prefer contact by text (07958142959) or email (health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk)
I am unable to discuss a case by phone until I have a referral form.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2024 AT FOUR SEASONS HOLISTIC VETERINARY CARE
The New Year brings new challenges. Changes to the RCVS ‘under care’ guidelines put further restrictions on services we can offer. It has become more important than ever that we only give advice and care after referral from your primary care vet who must be willing to provide out of hours care. The services we offer carry very little risk of directly causing a problem that would need emergency care, and we remain happy to support our clients and their vets with advice during working hours.
We have not made any New Year price rises as we understand the cost of living is difficult for everyone and strive to keep our services affordable. Unfortunatley we are getting a lot of potential clients choose cheaper advice from unqualified sources using over the counter remedies when we say we can’t give them advice without a (paid for) consultation first. Vets are bound by rules that pet shops and internet ‘experts’ simply aren’t. Only vets can legally diagnose what is medically wrong with an animal and prescribe treatments, and any paraprofessional should be asking for a referral and working with a primary care vet. Yet many don’t.
It feels like 2024 will be a make or break year for us, and it is no exxageration to say we are considering whether we can continue to offer the service our clients value.
2024 Services by Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care
Mobility/pain assessment and acupuncture treatments.
Behavioural assessment and treatment plans.
Holistic consultations with lifestyle, nutrition, and herbal medicine support.
Puppy and kitten litter health checks with microchipping.
Gundog puppy legal tail docking (strict eligibility conditions apply).
All services are offered in your own home, and we have access to a private field for some behaviour assessments.
Talks and Training by Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care
In 2023 we made anopther visit to The Falkland Islands to help dog owners better understand their pets. We we also asked to do a talk for canine hydrotherapists on the links between painful conditions and noise sensitivity. Pet First Aid continues to be a popular subject and we offer both a Facebook based ‘learn in your own time’ option as well as in person lectures and hands-on training.
Our vet Vicky Payne is happy to write and deliver talks on any of her areas of interest in-person, or online. Email health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk and pitch her an idea!
2024 Blogs…
Every year we promise to do better at keeping this page up to date with fresh content… but the truth is, we don’t feel like anyone is reading it and we have to log into an actual desktop computer to write on it! Our Facebook page does a little better, and is easier to share things on, so maybe give us a follow https://www.facebook.com/holisticvetsussex
THE COST OF PET CARE
PET CARE COSTS ON THE RISE!
Lots of people bought pets during lockdown, and they have brought untold benefits in terms of companionship and exercise during these very difficult times. Unfortunately the aftermath of Covid-19 along with Brexit and the invasion of Ukraine, is that there is a huge cost of living crisis looming… and it affects pet care as much as everything else.
SAVING MONEY ON PET CARE
- BUY IN BULK. If you can afford to buy larger amounts of pet food this will usually be less expensive. Choosing a cheaper brand may not be cost effective as you often need to feed more per meal so look at the per meal cost as well as the price per bag. Only buy as much as you will use before the food goes out of date.
- KEEP ON TOP OF VACCINATIONS AND PARASITE CONTROL. Cutting corners on preventative healthcare often costs more in the long run. Some owners chose cheaper flea treatments to save money when furloughed then faced an uphill struggle to control a flea infestation. Unless your pet is at high risk of adverse reactions to vaccines it will be less expensive to follow the vets programme than using titre tests to check protection.
- ASK ABOUT A PRESCRIPTION. Written prescriptions allow your to buy medications on-line from pharmacies. You will be charged for the prescription but will still be able to make savings on some parasite prevention products and medications. Vets will have individual policies on how many times you can use a prescription and how often your pet will need a meds check.
- INSURE YOUR PET. Insurance is a monthly bill you may think about dropping, but can you afford to care for your pet in an emergency without it? Ask if there are any areas of cover that can be removed to reduce the premium, or offer to pay a higher excess. Make sure you have the excess available, and remember that some specialist centres require payment at the time. A credit card is useful for this as you can pay it off as soon as the insurance pays out. Alternatives to insurance including making a pet savings account, but this may not have enough in if your young pet becomes ill.
- JOIN A PET HEALTH CLUB. Many veterinary practices have pet health clubs where a monthly fee pays for reduced cost parasite control and vaccines and unlocks other freebies and discounts.
- DON’T DIY. If you are concerned about your pet’s health, even if you are also on a tight budget, please seek veterinary advice. Although there is good information on the internet vets also see too many pets who have been damaged through the use of human medicines or delayed treatment.
Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care is a referral only service and we can only offer advice to registered and referred clients. We are a very small business and are not able to offer any credit on our services.
PUNISHMENT SUCKS FOR PUPPIES
HOW DO I STOP MY PUPPY BITING?
It’s a common question on dogs forums on the internet, I have seen it several times this week. I have seen some great blogs and videos on puppy biting from award winning trainers, and I post links to them. But still, most of the replies are,
“I shook a can of stones at my puppy and he stopped.”
“I sprayed my puppy with water!”
“I’ve seen a TV show where he shouts ‘No’ and the puppy stops. You just gave to show them who is boss.”
Urgh.
Let’s ask a new question…
WHY IS MY PUPPY BITING ME?
THIS is the question that an emotions based behaviourist asks. Is the puppy frustrated, over-tired, teething, or just doing puppy play with its humans? Or did you buy a dog bred to love biting?!
Once you know why the puppy is biting you can set about fixing it.
Frustrated puppy: change the game, teach an alternate behaviour, go back a step with your training, make sure all his emotional needs are met.
Over-tired puppy; make sure he isn’t getting too much exercise, avoid too much stimulating play before cuddle time, make sure he gets to rest during the day.
Teething puppy: redirect chewing on to frozen rope raggies, carrots, or teething toys.
Puppy play: play between puppies is bitey! Redirect your puppy onto toys, show him that play with humans can’t involve teeth.
Bought a Malinois: seek advice on putting the bite on cue and games that will provide an appropriate outlet for the biting behaviour he loves!
WHY DOES PUNISHMENT SUCK?
If you punish the puppy with a spray bottle or a rattle can, and it works (because your puppy bites less) have you fixed the problem? No. Because the puppy still feels the things that lead him to bite in the first place.
If he is frustrated he might hold back before biting harder. If he is teething, he will go off and chew up your stuff. If he is over-tired he will develop a new coping strategy which could be destruction or howling. If it’s play, or his built in drives then you will build more frustration. You will have a dog that looks obedient, but is not happy.
The same goes for a growling dog… punish the growl, take away the warning system, get a dog that just bites because he still feels the same way. Or worse, because the person he trusted has scared him (or worse).
NO NO. OR NO, BUT…
‘No’ can be a dirty word in positive dog training! But honestly, we all use it from time to time! The trick is to say ‘No, but’. To show you dog a different behaviour, that you like, that he likes, that you can praise him for!
So, next time your dog is doing something you don’t like, don’t ask ‘How do I stop this?’ ask ‘Why is my dogs doing this?’, then ‘What could I get my dog to do instead which we both like?’
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Our Vet Vicky hold the COAPE Level 6 Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour and Training. COAPE teach about animal emotions in behaviour and training, resulting in methods of fixing problem behaviour that really lead to happier pets, and owners. COAPE offer courses for pet owners, vet nurses, vets, trainers, and aspiring behaviourists!
DOG BEHAVIOUR HACKS
HOW DO I STOP MY DOG BARKING AT THE DELVIERY PEOPLE?
THE PROBLEM
Covid-19’s stay at home message and the closing of non-essential retail means that more people are getting shopping delivered to their homes than ever before. This means more delivery people coming to the door, knocking or ringing a bell, and sending dogs into a fury of barking. Barking at the Postie has always been a common problem, but with more people at home all day to hear the barking it may now be more of a problem than ever.
WHY DOES MY DOG BARK AT THE DELIVERY PERSON?
Dogs may bark when the door is knocked or the doorbell rung because they excited at the thought of a visitor, or, more often, because they are worried about a stranger entering their home. Despite barking at the door being a big ‘pet peeve’ for many owners, it is a behaviour that humans admired in early dogs. One of the first jobs which dogs had was barking to alert people to threats.
So, the dog barks to alert people to the potential intruder. If people are at home, they often shout at the dog. But the dogs may see this as joining in, rather than a reprimand. If there is nobody at home the dog barks and the delivery person leaves. In both cases the dog gets a reward! The people join in the barking reinforcing the dog’s opinion that barking is the right thing to do, and then the ‘threat’ goes away! The dog feels better and that behaviour becomes more likely next time.
HOW DO I STOP MY DOG BARKING AT DELIVERIES?
THE HARD WAY
It is possible to teach the dog an alternative behaviour when the door knocks. First, teach your dog to ‘go to bed’. Next have someone knock the door or ring the bell (or record the noise on your phone) before asking the dog to ‘go to bed’. Reward when he does. Over time the door knock/bell will replace you saying ‘go to bed’ and will cue the dog trotting off to his bed. This works really well for dogs that get over the top with visitors.
It is also possible to keep some of the barking by putting that on cue. Say ‘speak’ then trigger your dog to bark, join in and be very excited! Then stop and wait for your dog to stop too. As he does, say ‘quiet’ and give a food reward. If you train this well it is possible to start and stop your dog barking which is great for security, if you feel unsafe just ask your dog to speak!
The trouble with these approached is that if you aren’t there for a door knock the dog may not choose the ‘bed’ behaviour or controlled barking, and won’t be rewarded for it. It may be hard to avoid deliveries during the time you are retraining your dog.
THE EASY WAY
Move to the Falkland Islands as they do not have a postal delivery service. If that isn’t practical, remove the delivery people from your doorstep. Instead of having a letterbox on your front door, place a mailbox on your property, but as far from your door as possible. For parcels, you can buy lockboxes which also reduce the risk of theft.
For specific problem behaviours please contact us by email to arrange an appointment. Be aware that until June 2021 we are not able to undertake home visits. health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk
IS YOUR DOG ON THE NAUGHTY LIST?
THERE ARE NO NAUGHTY PUPS!
Christmas is one of the rare times when there is enough time for a busy veterinary herbalist and behaviourist to sit down and watch a film. And one of my favourites is ‘Fred Claus’. If you haven’t seen it I won’t spoil the whole film, but it all comes down to whether Fred deems the children ‘naughty’ or ‘nice’. Fred realises that the ‘naughty’ children aren’t naughty at all… they are scared, lonely, bullied, acting up because of their circumstances. And I feel the same about dogs.
WHY IS MY DOG ACTING UP?
When assessing a dog with a problem behaviour I have a lot of questions.
Where was he born? How was he brought up? Fred in the movie feels overshadowed by his saintly older brother. Puppies don’t come as blank slates, their behaviour can be influenced by their breed, their parents’ temperament, and their early life experiences. Sometimes people just expect too much; a retriever puppy is going to retriever, just like a four year old kid is going to sit up watching for Santa.
Could he have a medical problem? Over 70% of dogs at a top behaviour center have pain making their behaviour worse! Arthritis, gut problems, ear infections, sight issues are amongst the things I will be ruling out. Sometimes if we fix the health problem, the behaviour returns to normal.
What’s going on at home? In the film, poor Slam ends up at the top of the naughty list for fighting in the children’s home. But poor kid, he doesn’t have the love and structure he needs. The same goes for dogs, many have struggled to cope with the changes that Covid-19 has brought to their lives, and have had added stress at times like fireworks season and Christmas. A stable routine and a safe space to retire to when it all gets too much could be just what your dog needs.
HOW TO LIVE ‘HAPPILY EVER AFTER’
Does the film have a happy ending? Of course. Everyone learns the true meaning of Christmas and Slam gets his Christmas wish (a puppy! I know, don’t get me started on that one). So how do we make sure the ‘problem dogs’ get a fairytail ending?
Choose the right dog: explore your chosen breed or types history, exercise requirements, temperament, and grooming needs. Gundogs are going to retrieve everything, terriers like to rip stuff up, toy dogs want human company, ‘doodles’ need professional grooming every 6 weeks…
Choose the right breeder or rescue: expect to be asked a lot of questions and don’t be upset if it is decided you aren’t right for a particular dog or puppy. Never be rushed into a decision and make sure you have support after you take your new friend home.
Train! Your new dog needs to have clear rules from day 1 and you need to teach him what’s allowed and when. There are many great trainers offering on-line courses when physical courses aren’t possible. Training is not a 6weeks and done thing, it is an everyday all of life thing, and it should be great fun!
Vets: your dogs should visit the vets once or twice a year for a health check even if he is well. Catching health problems early reduces the chance of problem behaviours starting.
Never forget your dog is a dog. It can be hard to be a dog in a human world, so if they are heading for your ‘naughty list’ take a step back and you might just find they need a bit of understanding.
That’s Four Seasons Holistic Veterinary Care signing off for 2020. We’ll be back on 5th January ready for whatever challenged 2021 brings. But first, A Muppet Christmas Carol, mulled wine, and a mince pie!
May your Christmas be safe and peaceful.
THE FIRST RULE OF RECALL
HELP, MY DOG HAS LOST HIS RECALL!
This is a story about me, my dog, and the first rule of recall.
We went to the beach, me and my five dogs. The beach at low tide is fun time. There is no real training, there are very few rules. The dogs can run, play, swim. They need to come back when I ask so that they don’t scare kids, annoy dogs on leads, or chase sea gulls.
When the senior dog chose scavenging on the stone instead of paddling I was cool with that, we could see each other and the beach was pretty empty. As we approached a busier but of beach I called him, he looked at me, then chose to keep mooching up the beach. I called again, and whistled. He moved away. I tried a stop whistle…he moved further away. He looked concerned. I ran up the beach, not to chase him but to try and cut him off. He looked very worried. I am now calling him like some demented banshee, not an experienced dog trainer and behaviourist. I wave the treat bag…nothing.
I now tell him to “go and love himself” (or word to that effect!) and head off down the beach to give the rest of the crew some snacks. This has the desired effect and down comes senior spaniel in that crabby posture that means ‘don’t beat me’. He doesn’t get beaten, but all spaniels know this pose.
I am fuming. This is not the relaxed beach walk I wanted and my reliable old boy is being an idiot. So what do I do? I take a deep breath and do ‘The First Rule of Recall’ I pop him on the lead and I tell him he’s a good boy, and he gets some treats. We walk a while with him on the lead, then do some short freedom and recall and reward practises. But what went wrong?
HOW TO KILL YOUR DOG’S RECALL
I can guess what happened. Senior dog has been allowed to run free on walks with my other half. Sometimes he goes on a spaniel mission and chases a duck, eats some bits a hawk has left behind. Sometimes he doesn’t listen when he’s called. After all, why would he come back? Mr Owner doesn’t have a ball, doesn’t have treats, puts him on the lead and takes him home. Senior dog is having a much better time making his own games with the ducks and his own snacks of bits of dead rabbit. Senior spaniel can hear Mr Owner getting cross (Mr Owner is going to be late for work now) and eventually he goes back. Mr Owner tells senior spaniel off and route marches him home. Fun? No.
What has senior spaniel learned? To avoid going back because it ends the fun and gets you shouted at.
HOW TO FIX YOUR DOG’S RECALL
The First Rule of Recall
No matter how cross you are, how later you are, how embarrassed you are, when your dog comes back pop their lead on and then reward them. If they have ignored multiple recall cues, this can be low key. A ‘good boy’ and a low value treat. But NEVER punish them. If you shout, or worse, you are only punishing your dog for coming back. He can’t understand you are punishing him for ignoring you. Punishing the dog when he is back with you makes a good recall next time LESS likely.
As you walk along with your ‘naughty’ dog on his lead, think about why this happened.
Have you regularly made coming back more rewarding than not coming back? If you only call your dog up to stop him saying hello to another dog, leaping into a stinky bog, or to go home… you are the fun police. Spice up the recall reward, even with older dogs. Sometimes recall for a game, sometimes for a treat, sometimes for a bit of lead walking before getting let off to run again. Try to recall your dog before they are self rewarding with a game of chase the squirrel and make sure what you have on offer is just as much fun. Occasionally add a jackpot recall reward like a big juicy sausage! Think about adding a clear cue such as a whistle that can never sounds cross and will carry a long way.
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL
The rest of our walk was better. Senior dog got fishy snacks for staying with me and Mr Owner will be given some rules on what to do when he walks senior dog! Training is never over…
HELP WITH RECALL
If your dog has a recall problem there are lots of exercises that can help improve things. We offer one-to-one training sessions for minor training issues like this (but places are limited in the winter months) at £50 for 45minutes in our field. Please email health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk for information and booking.
APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE!
The return to lockdown means that all the bookings Vet Vicky had to work and compete her dogs have been cancelled until at least December. This means our diary is suddenly a bit empty.
We are not as restricted in the services we can offer during this lockdown so we would love to see some new patients for acupuncture, behavioural assessment, and holistic consultations. We are happy to offer phone or WhatsApp consultations for some behavioural issues, holistic consultations, and puppy support.
Email health@holisticvetsussex.co.uk for information.
Use us or lose us!