This Page: Fleas, Ears, Eyes, Toes
Beloved Havanese
Waverly Hall, GA 31831
Deborah Owens
706 577 5733
Office Hours, M-F 1-4:00, Call and leave message anytime. We Will Call you back as quickly as possible. It is usually best to reach us by phone.AS YOU CAN SEE IN OUR HISTORY PAGE AKC IS NOT THE ORIGINAL REGISTRY OF THIS BREED.
IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, NEED PAPERS, NEED TO DISCUSS HOUSE TRAINING, IT IS BEST TO CALL ME, NOT EMAIL! IF YOUR PAPERS HAVE NOT ARRIVED PLEASE CALL ME! WE PROVIDE AMERICAN PET REGISTRY, APRI, PAPERS! APRI WILL REQUIRE A COPY OF YOUR SPAY NEUTER PAPERS TO REGISTER YOUR PUPPY. Email: BelovedHavanese@aol.com
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©deborah owens
FLEAS, EARS, EYES & TOES
Copyright deborahowens 1994-2008
Our vets have approved the following treatments/info for our use, but we are not veterinarians and we recommend that you pass all of this information by your own vet prior to trying it. We are not offering this information as veterinary advice. You must consult with your veterinarian prior to using any of this information.
Vinegar Baths & Vinegar Water to Control Fleas
MANY PEOPLE USE THIS AS THEIR ONLY MEANS OF FLEA CONTROL. WITH SOME DILIGENCE YOU CAN AVOID THE HARSH TREATMENTS THAT ARE PRESENTLY GIVEN ON A ROUTINE BASIS TO MOST DOGS. Mild Flea Treatments are always preferable to the harsh systemic chemicals that stay in the dog's body for months.
We spray the yard with. Neighbors' animals, visiting cats, and squirrels can bring fleas into your yard, so this may be the best way to get fleas under control. if you have a heavy infestation.
To kill fleas on any dog, particularly one that is elderly, frail, too young for flea meds, pregnant, nursing, you might try this gentle method of flea control.
TO KILL FLEAS ON YOUR DARLING DOG
1. BATHE THE DOG AND TOWEL DRY THOROUGHLY.
2. SPRAY DOG WITH MIXTURE OF ONE HALF WHITE VINEGAR AND ONE HALF WATER.
3. LET DOG AIR DRY.
4. DO THIS EVERY 3-5 DAYS UNTIL ALL FLEAS ARE GONE.
IT WILL MAKE MOST, IF NOT ALL, OF THE FLEAS JUMP OFF OF THE DOG. FLEAS HAVE A TWO WEEK LIFE CYCLE. This is what we use for our pregnant & nursing moms who cannot use flea meds. If You try it with your dog, rememebr it will take a couple of weeks to get them all this way, but it will work. If you vacumn your carpets, and clean your yards simultaneously you wuill be able to get them under control without putting harsh chemicals on your dog.
***** FLEA PREVENTION *****
FLEA TREATMENT: the following treatment will kill fleas, ear mites and flies and if used regularly it will remove fleas from the environment entirely. It is a cheap means of flea control, but more importantly, it prevents the dog from being bombarded with harsh chemicals.
1. Mix:
ONE TABLESPOON OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR WITH ONE GALLON OF WATER,
OR ONE HALF TABLESPOON OF APPLE CIDER VINEGAR TO 2 QUARTS OF WATER. MIX DAILY.
2. FEED THIS TO THE DOG AS HIS ONLY WATER SOURCE. MIX DAILY.
3. Provide new water daily. MIX DAILY.
IT WILL ELIMINATE FLEAS SLOWLY AND IT WILL KILL FLIES THAT DRINK IT. If a fly enters your kitchen and you have a dog water bowl with the vinegar mixture in it, the fly will probably die soon after you see it.
IT WILL SOMETIMES TAKE 3-8 MONTHS TO SEE RESULTS WITH A HEAVY FLEA INFESTATION, in which case you might need a number of supplemental treatments to assure a clean, healthy environment for all concerned.
We know people who have totally eliminated all fleas in their environment, by using this method for several months.
We have successfully removed all fleas from our environment, and dogs, entirely, with this method. However, we keep FRONTLINE SPRAY available in case we see a sudden outbreak, If we see fleas on a dog we spray the FRONTLINE SPRAY in a line down the spine of the dog, on his ears, and down his tummy, avoiding the wee wee area. We have only had to use the FRONTLINE SPRAY a couple of times a year, since we started this method.
We have known people who used this method to control fleas with feral cats, in cat colonies, and in wildlife rehabilitation.
It really works, but please do not forget that you may need to supplement the vinegar treatment with additional treatments, like Frontline Spray, particularly in the first 6-8 months. The vinegar seems to make the skin slightly acidic and that repels fleas. It has been an absolute GODSEND to us because before we fought fleas with tremendous amounts of chemicals, dosing our darlings regularly with harsh and scary chemicals, but now the cure is in the water. Our vet said, "It will not hurt them, even pregnant girls". Remember to MIX DAILY.
Trimming Coats
People ask if we use Groomers--so may we say---there are many great Groomers, and you should stay and watch all that is done to your dog, to assure that the groomer is treating your dog the way you want your dog to be treated.
Some Grooming Salon nightmares:
1. No hot water, and only the dog and groomer know there is no hot water
2. Chemicals/detanglers/creme rinses/conditioners used to detangle coats, will often cause skin problems.
3. Harsh shampoos cause skin problems.
4. Inadequate rinsing causes skin problems.
5. Numerous contagious diseases can be contracted from grooming shears, grooming table, and other dogs in the salon.
6. Groomers have been known to drug dogs.
7. Groomers have slapped dogs (I witnessed one groomer I had used for years slap a tiny Yorkie for no reason, and her response was that she had to show him who was boss before she got started).
8. Two salons we know of, burned two different toy poodles to death in the drying booths. They left the room while the dog was drying. It was tragic and totally avoidable.
We know there are many, many great groomers, however we have had some bad experiences, so we now do all of our own grooming. Under no conditions should you leave your dog while he is being groomed. Stay with your dog or don't have him groomed! If you cannot do your dog's ears, you need to keep trying until you can, because foisting the problem off on a stranger, who may harm the neck, spine, etc., of the dog while the dog is fighting, is not the answer.
With patience, and training you can clean your own dogs ears. Do it regularly, even daily. The more, the better, as this will habituate your dog to proper cleaning and grooming. Sit quietly and talk to your dog in a calming voice, prior to any grooming session. Daily care may be what is needed to calm your dog (and yourself), so that you both can learn to do it correctly, and without stranger/groomer trauma.
We buzz cut all of our Havs twice yearly. They love it and they look so cute in their coats as they grow out---their coats never get much beyond the puppy coat length. You can purchase a grooming table (about $140), good quality And is Shears, about ($140-150) and #10 blades, (about $15 each). You can shave down your own dog twice a year. The table and shears will pay for themselves the first year. Buy several blades. We do not have them sharpened when they dull, as sharpened blades tend to break while grooming dogs. You can purchase the grooming table, shears, and blades from Jeffers Pet Catalog, or www.jefferspet.com
Grooming Sanitary Area
To us, taking a dog to the groomer is like taking a baby to a stranger to bathe it.
1. Even with dogs in full coat, we clip all hair from the sanitary area, We clip all hair below the tail, beside the tail, and along the bottom part of the tail.
2. We clip all hair around their wee wee area. We wash this area with a wet cloth every day. You may also use baby wipes on their sanitary area!
Bathing
We bath them weekly with Baby Shampoo. IT MUST BE BABY SHAMPOO WITHOUT CONDITIONERS.
Do not listen to anyone who says it will dry the skin as it is the mildest form of shampoo. It also rinses out more easily than other shampoos and it will not harm their eyes. We have used it for 30+ years with no dry skin whatsoever! It rinses easily. Rinse three times as much as you think you need to as improper rinsing is the main reason for itchy skin. We clean their ears thoroughly prior to the bath, with hydrogen peroxide, to decrease the bacteria that will get into the ear canal. After the bath we clean their ears again with hydrogen peroxide, followed by alcohol wipes, to remove any bacteria that might be in the area. The alcohol wipes remove the water that can cause yeast infections in small dark ear canals! We blow-dry their ears, on low, to help remove all water from the ear canal. Water left in the ear canal cause yeasty ears, and ear infections and it can lead to deafness if untreated.
TOES, EYES, EARS
Have you heard the old saying...."Baptized by fire?" Well, we were, we have had cockers all of our lives and they really have ear problems. There are so many deaf cockers due to improper ear care that we decided we should do something that is proactive in prevention. We are not vets, but we have tried all that is available on the market, for ears, and we keep coming back to the old tried and true methods that were used prior to modern medicines! Ask your vet for his acceptance of these practices and go with whatever he or she says. The following methods are the age old methods used by breeders with great success throughout the 20th century:
Are you having ear problems yet? Remember, this is a lap-eared breed and we expect to have ear problems. Those fluffy ears come with a big price tag, ear problems. It is financially exhaustive but the price paid by our poor lap eared darlings is far greater. Pain, suffering, and much hearing loss can be avoided.
First let's hit the highlights of Toes and Eyes and then we will get to ears. Prevention of yeast in other places on the dog will aid in ear care.
TOES
Toes, get itchy so we sometimes remove all hair between them as the hair will hold shampoo and moisture and lead to biting and perhaps irritate allergies. If you have a toe biting monster, and nothing else works, mix up a little Epsom salt, like 1 Tbl. to a gallon of water and dip those toes in it. Remember when rinsing that you should rinse three times as much as you think you might need. Also, if your dog is walking in moldy leaves, etc, you might try bathing him more often, and you might have him avoid mold contaminated areas, mildew, dirty water and lakes. Bath and blow dry toes after exposure to contaminants.
EYES
Yeast causes the red stain on the coat, under the eyes.
Does your baby have stains under the eyes? Teething makes the staining worse, as the pup grows up it will probably decrease. There are many products on the market but none work well except the antibiotics. Please do not use the antibiotics, check the product you are using, it may be an antibiotic. If it is working it probably is an antibiotic, perhaps even produced off shore and marketed over the counter for dogs. You may be cooking your dog's liver. We have tried everything and other than our method herein described, nothing but antibiotics works. If you care about your dog think about this method described below. It is a kinder, more gentle means of making your baby beautiful. This method does work.
DO NOT USE ANTIBIOTICS ON YOUR DOG FOR SIMPLE EYE AREA COAT STAIN. IT SHOULD BE AGAINST THE LAW TO USE ANTIBIOTICS FOR COSMETIC PURPOSES.
The Old Tried and True Hydrogen Peroxide Method:
DO NOT GET HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN THE DOG'S EYES.
The hydrogen peroxide method is a great treatment, but it must be carefully applied. If you decide to do this, please, do it at your own risk, as we cannot assume responsibility. If your hands are shaky or your reflexes are very slow, perhaps you should not do this, because you must first and foremost protect the dog's eyes from harm. DO NOT GET HYDROGEN PEROXIDE IN THE DOG'S EYES.
Make sure there is no activity in the room before you start. Make sure all is calm and quiet to get the pup to be perfectly still.
First of all:
1. TRIM: Use the ear hair scissors from the Jeffers Pet catalog, (www.jefferspet.com), and trim all stained hair under the eyes, WEEKLY. Also, in order to prevent eye watering, trim eye lashes to 1/3-1/4 inch long. The dogs often have eye lashes that are 3.5 inches long!!!! If there is eye stain, usually it is a red stain along the orbital bone on the lower inside corner of the eye socket. The red is yeast that has formed on the hair from the eye tearing. Carefully trim all of the red hair with the ear hair scissors. We cut the hair back clean down to the skin. The tiny ear hair scissors from Jeffers will allow you to clip very close to the skin with a little more safety. Usually, if the proper eye care is provided to the dog, there will only be a small amount of hair to trim each week, and again, it is usually at the inside corner of the eye. As mentioned, it is usually in a circular path along the bone. If you keep up the good work, with this quick daily and weekly treatment, the stain will be so small that weekly trimming of it will not even be noticeable.
2. If the eye lashes are longer than one half inch, trim them as they can make the pup's eyes water.
3. Teething also makes the eyes water. You have to wait this one out.
4. Ear infections also increase the staining. Try to avoid these.
5. Ear mites also increase the staining, by increasing the medium for bacterial growth inside the ear, clogging the tear ducts, backing up in the ears, etc., Use the vinegar in the dog's drinking water to remove all ear mites from the dog. It works, see above. The Vinegar in drinking water method: One tablespoon apple cider vinegar to one gallon of water. Use as only water source and prepare fresh daily. Ear Mites can sometimes be seen by the naked eye. They cause immediate and profuse amounts of brown crumbly substance in the ears. They do not affect humans. They must be removed to keep eyes and ears clear of problems.
All of the these problems must be addressed to best insure your success with this method.
Eyes- Hydrogen Peroxide Eye Stain Cleaning
1. Fill a small bowl, like a custard cup, with fresh hydrogen peroxide. It is very cheap and you need to open a new bottle every two weeks, as it may not be as effective after about two weeks, and it can be contaminated, very easily.
2. Eyebrow Comb, only if you can safely use. Or use a metal comb.
3. Paper towels or Napkins
4. Cotton Swabs
With the pup resting quietly in your lap, comb the hair around the eyes with the eyebrow comb. Then, dip one cotton swab into hydrogen peroxide. Allow only a little hydrogen peroxide to be absorbed by the swab, it should not be too wet. Hold a clean, dry napkin in the other hand. Keep it ready for an immediate dry-up. Touch the area under the eye with the wet swab, and then, quickly, use the dry napkin to dry the hydrogen peroxide from the eye area. Take the eyebrow comb and comb through the wet hair, cleaning the comb as necessary. This will clean and bleach the area under the eye, IF IT IS DONE DAILY it will bleach the hair and remove the bacteria which causes the staining. We do this daily.
EARS
Ear Hair Removal
Guess what! Your precious darling has hair in his or her ears. Not just a little hair LOT & LOTS of hair. Guess what that hair does! It holds moisture, bacteria, yeast, fungus, mites, fleas, and debris. Improper ear care causes DEAFNESS!
EAR HAIR MUST BE REMOVED!!!!!!!!!!! WEEKLY!!!!
A way in which you can remove the ear hair:
1. Make sure there is no activity in the room before you start. Make sure all is calm and quiet and be sure to get the pup to be perfectly still. Sit on the couch, tuck a small flashlight under your chin, (or buy a head light- though they are not usually strong enough), lay the pup on his side with his ear facing upward toward you. Shine the light into the ear canal.
2. Remove the hair with flat-tipped handle tweezers, like the Revlon Flat Tipped Handle Tweezers. They have finger holes or handles like a pair of scissors. ALL HAIR SHOULD BE REMOVED. THERE MAY BE MUCH HAIR LEFT AFTER YOU THINK YOU ARE FINISHED. There may be fine ear hair in the lower and smaller areas of the ear. Sometimes the ear hair is so light you cannot see it. Keep working until you remove the all of the hair. Your dog is not harmed by this at all. The first time if there is lots of hair there may be tiny skin abrasions, from removal of so much hair, but it is necessary to remove the hair to protect the pup's ears from infection, pain, and deafness.
REMOVE ALL HAIR WEEKLY!
3. If there is a lot of debris in the ear perhaps you should clean the ear canal a bit first.
4. Always clean the tweezers after each grooming, by soaking them in hydrogen peroxide.
5. The hair needs to be removed at least every two weeks, and preferably weekly.
6. There are many nooks and crannies inside the ear and the light should help you find the inner recesses and almost hidden areas that have hair.
7. Always clean the ear with the peroxide method mentioned below after hair removal.
8. Clean ear after hair removal, as described below. If a lot of hair was removed it is best to clean the ear canal very well after the hair removal, (see below), and then your vet may suggest an antibiotic skin ointment in the ear. This seems to aid in the recovery of skin tissue since the initial hair removal or the removal of large amounts of hair, seems to do minor, temporary damage to very tiny pores in the skin. Removing the hair (if there is a lot of hair), will remove tiny bits of skin and though it is necessary to remove the hair, the skin may get slightly inflamed.
ROUTINE EAR CARE
1. We shave the inside flap of the ear very often, and it is probably best if done once a month. We do this with the Andis Clipper, and a number 10 blade on a grooming table. The ear flap hair can irritate allergies, as well as cause severe ear infections.
2. We always clean ears before bathing as the bath can force bacteria deeper into the ear canal. We also clean the ear after bathing to remove water and bacteria that entered the ear during the bath process!
3. After bathing, we dry the inside of the ear with a blow dryer, with the blower set on low. If there are severe repeated infections we consider the possibility that the groomer might not be thoroughly rinsing the shampoo from the animal's ear causing skin problems, allergies and infections. Additionally, if the groomer is not properly drying the ear canal it WILL LEAD TO YEAST AND EAR INFECTIONS. This is yet another reason you should groom your own dog.
4. Many people put cotton balls in the ears prior to bathing. Others do not get the dog's head wet! WHAT! The cotton balls do not work. You can skip the cotton balls, if you want to, as the dog's head must be thoroughly washed to have a clean dog so his ears will get wet.
5. Mites: MITES WILL CAUSE AN UNBELIEVEABLE AMOUNT OF BROWN SUBSTANCE IN THE EAR IN JUST 6-8 hours. Please remember humans cannot catch ear mites and mites are easily treated.
a) Mites cause ear infections.
b) The ear mite meds may be dangerous!
c) Treat ear mites by using a small spray of FRONTLINE SPRAY (NOT THE VIAL), inside the ear and at the bottom of the ear flap, on the inside. You can spray swabs and rub them throughout the entire inside area of the ear. This is very important. Use swabs with the Frontline spray on them every 5-7 days for two weeks. You can buy an ear scope, to see the mites, in a catalog. It is not necessary. The Frontline method works much better than the ear mite medicines that are used daily. Additionally, perhaps, it is not as dangerous as most of the ear mite meds, which are very toxic. Some are carcinogenic. This is why we use FRONTLINE SPRAY. Consult your vet on this, also.
d) Ear Mite prevention: Use One Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar to one gallon of water and give to the dog as his only water source. Mix new vinegar water daily.
6. Bacteria: Treat with the hydrogen peroxide method below, or as your vet prescribes, followed by alcohol wipes. Your vet may prefer meds for bacteria, and it is best to discuss it with him.
7. Yeast: Treat with a 50- 50 vinegar/water solution followed by alcohol wipes. Or, you can keep using hydrogen peroxide method if it is not severe.
HEALTHY EAR CARE
In a healthy ear, clean your dog's ears twice weekly, if possible. The hydrogen peroxide method works well, and even if you never use the vinegar and water solution, the hydrogen peroxide will usually prevent any major problems if done correctly and on time.
Here is what you will need:
1. Small flashlight and extra batteries
2. Cotton swabs, Q-tips, Lots & Lots
3. Small bowl of hydrogen peroxide
4. Small bowl of alcohol or alcohol wipes, wipes work best
5. Small trash can
6. Napkins
7. Small cheese crackers, or animal crackers
Ear Cleaning
1. Start by placing the pup on the couch with you. Settle the pup down and place him on his side with his ear facing upward toward you. Using the flashlight, (tucked under your chin), look into the ear.
2. Clean the inside of the ear with dry q-tips, (a small trash can is invaluable at this point, as are napkins). Many books can show you a diagram of the ear canal. And, as it differs significantly from the human ear, there is less chance of harming the eardrum. The eardrum is not immediately at the end of the ear canal.
3. After removing all debris, dip a Q-tip in hydrogen peroxide and then swab the ear with it. Repeat this process of swabbing with peroxide until the ear and flap are completely clean.
4. Using fresh swabs dry the ear completely, using as many swabs as necessary to dry the ear canal area completely. If hydrogen peroxide remains in the ear, it can cause yeast infections, as it has water in it.
5. After thoroughly drying the ear with swabs, use alcohol wipes dipped in alcohol or fresh swabs to cleanse the ear with alcohol. The alcohol removes any trace of water from the peroxide.
6. Use a small bit of Vet prescribed Ointment, in the ear, if the ear is red or if the ear skin is damaged from hair removal.
7. Give the baby a treat, (even if it is not well-deserved)!
FOR YEAST distinguished by a sour smell:You can use the peroxide method but the old timey method is below and it works beautifully!
1. Cleanse with swabs dipped in a 50/50 Solution of boiled water and vinegar. The method is the same as the peroxide method, just substitute the vinegar/water solution for the peroxide. Clean. Dry. Also, follow up with alcohol wipes. Repeat daily until clear.
I seldom use the vinegar solution, preferring, the peroxide almost exclusively. It works well and you can try it and use your preference.
If there is a real ear problem I use the peroxide twice a day and after thoroughly drying the ear canal I will use a tiny bit of Ointment to soothe a sore or severe ear. We use the ointment twice a day. Our climate is hot & humid, and it necessitates more ear care than an arid climate would require. In your climate, you might be okay with cleaning a problem ear every day, once a day. You may prefer to go to the vet at this point. Ask him about this method.
You can spend $70-150 at the vet on steroids, drops, and pills but they usually do not work as well as this method. We believe the steroids are causing many of the cancers we are seeing in many of the lap- eared breeds. I have explained to my vet that I prefer to use all alternatives to the strong ear medications, but when the vet says I must use the strong meds I will gladly use them.
You will see many over- the-counter products for ears:
1. Powders for drying and cleaning, many of them are made with highly carcinogenic substances, such as rotenone. Rotenone is a known human carcinogen and no one should be close to it. The drying powders do not work well and they leave debris, creating a medium for bacterial growth.
2. There are many EAR washes. They leave water behind and consequently are the CAUSE of bacterial and yeast infections, as well. Most vets prescribe them because it is easier to use a wash than to get everyone to diligently work to correct the ear problem with other methods.
3. Tea Tree Oil should never be used on a toy or small breed! IT IS DANGEROUS! AVOID IT!
The Peroxide Method is a little more work but we have had much more success with it. IT WILL REMOVE BACTERIA and we do not worry so much about the cancers that we think might be a result of the many steroids and over the counter carcinogens so many presently giving to lap-eared breeds.
NONE OF THE PURCHASED METHODS WORK AS WELL AS The Peroxide Method. However, if there is an infection of any magnitude the vet is what you need.
Consult your vet and Go with whatever he tells you.
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Beloved Havanese
Cloudstepper Ranch, Box 70, Waverly Hall, GA 31831
Deborah Owens
706 577 5733 Office Hours Usually M-F 1-4:00, but call and leave message anytime
We Will Call you back as quickly as possible.
email: BelovedHavanese@aol.com
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