Tips and Tricks

I have been asked over the years "what do I use or what do I do ? " when the dog has this wrong ?..Well I am going to tell you, these might be I hear you say old fashioned ways but I have and do use them and for me they work, I must add that this in no way replaces the vet and if you try any of these remedies and the problem is still there then please go to the vet.

Pain

For pain and only in the dog NEVER GIVE TO A CAT/KITTEN. You can give one aspirin make sure it is only aspirin,  nothing else added to it like paracetamol you can give one in the morning and one in the evening no more than that. For a puppy over 10 weeks old half an aspirin in the morning and the other half at night. Make sure the dog /puppy has plenty of rest and a quiet place to go. If the pain persists go to the vet.

Runny eyes or thick jelly in the eye.

Use one ball of cotton wool for each eye, make sure you wipe from the back of the eye to the front going towards the nose, put some warm water on a saucer or a cup, add some salt, mix and then using one ball of cotton wool wipe the eye as above, use the cotton wool once then discard use the other ball of wool for the other eye use once and discard. Now you will need a used tea bag, put the tea bag in a cup pour hot water onto it ( no milk or sugar lol) then stir around squeeze the tea bag now whilst still warm put the tea bag over the eye and hold till the bag is cold if you have to do both eyes use another tea bag. Keep the tea liquid, and using the same method as for the salt water use the tea liquid to bath the eyes, bath the eyes using the tea liquid 3 times a day until the liquid is all used, if problem persists you can repeat all of the above. The eyes usually clear up but again if they don’t after a few days please go to vet.

Tips for Fleas and ticks

I use the old fashioned method of yester year, Garlic (Vampires I hear you say) no it makes ticks stay away.

Buy the cheap own brand Garlic tablets or capsules and give your collie one a day or if you prefer you can give one segment of a whole garlic every day. Stops ticks in their tracks.

Fleas also don’t like Garlic but in some years fleas are a serious problem so you can either use diluted vinegar mixed with water and rub into coat side effect ( when it rains your collie will smell like fish and chips ) or you can buy a product call Johnsons 4 fleas tablets you get 6 tablets in a box for £9 you only use one tablet a month or perhaps even longer depends on the fleas. Give one tablet per collie and within 24 hrs all the fleas are dead and they wont be back for a month so for £9 you have 6 months treatment cheaper than a vet works just as good these are what I use.

Beautiful shiny coat

For a beautiful shiny coat and to stop constipation use one Evening primrose oil capsule a day again buy the stores own brand

Sore paws or cracked paws.

Use warm water with salt added soak the paws in this for a few mins then pat dry. Add either vasaline or sudo cream run in gently don’t use too much and if need be cover with an old sock do this twice a day for a few days and the feet will improve, remember if you take the collie out walk on grass not on concrete and never when its hot.

Collie over heating

NEVER BE TEMPTED TO THROW COLD WATER OVER A VERY HOT DOG THE DOG CAN GO INTO SHOCK AND DIE

Get cold water into a bath or sink ( depending on size) stand the collie in this the water should come part of the way up the leg, get a sponge or a towel soak the sponge or towel and put this onto the coat moving it around if sponge or put the towel over the body now if using a towel you can slowly pour the cold water onto the towel all over the dog. Make sure the dog has as much water as it wants.

If the collie cannot stand lay the dog down on its side and use same method with a towel and if you have frozen peas / chips/ or something else put these on the pads, in both cases this might by you time to get to the vet, when transporting the collie to the vet makes sure the towel stays wet as do the feet.

Sickness and Diarrhoea

Please try this before you go to the vet as in most cases the vet will ask you to do this anyway before he/she gives meds so in the long run it will save you time.

You need to starve the dog for 24 hrs and only give the dog boiled water mixed with a little sugar to drink , once it has cooled down keep the sugared water in the fridge don’t give tape water. No treats or anything as intestines need to empty.

After 24 hrs has passed then boil a little rice and add to the usual dog food you use (if you only use complete then don’t add the rice), you must make each meal a small one and now you can use tap water again.

If the dog is now ok then you have cracked it, if not and the dog is the same as before then a vet is needed, so please then take the dog to the vet and remember to get a good diagnosis your vet will need a urine sample and also a poo sample. You can go and collet species containers from the vet they are free so you always have some in a cupboard .

Never ever give any Collie the drug IMODIUM .

puppy teeth tips 

Teeth are the most important part, for a dog there teeth are like our hands that's why you should always make sure you check the teeth once a week especially on pups.

When checking the teeth be extra careful and gentle as the gums will be swollen and sore, just like human babies pups can get extreme tooth ache and hot sore ears. But there are ways of helping the pup with this problem.

Buy Bonjela for babies and use it on the gums, rubbing it in gently and do this often. Also depending on the age /size of your collie you can give only a half a tablet of Asprin, remember it must only have Asprin as the ingredient nothing else added, the pup can be given this once in the morning and again at night.

Buy teething rings or toys that you can put in the freezer and then give to the collie, helps with the pain.

Remember to keep your eyes on the ears, which often get hot and sore and the pup will scratch them, again an Asprin is good for this, also you can use a very small amount of ear cleaner in each ear but don’t over use it.

Keep checking the teeth your looking for any loose teeth and any that have got the adult teeth coming through where the baby teeth havnt fallen out yet, if this happens please take the pup to the vet as it needs looking into

Feet tips 

The collie has paws that are covered in fur this is too stop the foot being frozen in winter and to keep the pads from getting damaged by terrain, but in our modern living we often have slippery floors, and if you wish to show your collie you will have to trim the fur on the feet and on the hocks.

For the feet, you will need sharp scissors and hold the foot in one hand and cut the fur off level with the pad then put foot down and cut around the foot so no fur is over hanging, you will need to keep the nails short by either walking on concrete as much as you can or using nail clippers. You will see that the foot looks small and arched which is what you are trying to achieve.

If the feet become cracked or sore soak in warm water with plenty of salt added a couple of times a day pat dry then gently rub in either some sudo cream or Vaseline just a little and you can put clean socks over to stop the collie washing the cream off, it only needs to on for a few hours. Remember to walk your collie on grass and don’t let it play till the feet are ok

Nose

The collies nose is black it should be moist at all times sometimes it becomes cracked and you might get a small amount of bogies around the side.

So you use a little Vaseline rub gently onto the black nose and don’t forget to do the side of each nostril, hold the face and let the Vaseline soak in for a few mins this needs to be done 3 or 4 times a day after a couple of days the nose should be back to normal, the wind and sun can cause the nose to crack.

Sometimes collies suffer with a problem called Collie nose syndrome, this is where the immune system attacks the dog, the nose peels and shows a little or a lot of the pink skin underneath, this can be treated by using a product called pet nac google it, this is the only cream I have ever found that works but if you cannot get it or it doesn't work on your collie PLEASE go to the vet your collie needs steroids.

The nose is a very sensitive and needs care and attention, sometimes dogs use their nose to scrape the ground and they make the tip bleed, you can use sodacream for this never use germalean as this can cause the mouth to become burned, plus it has harmful ingredients to a dog.

Never smack the nose of any breed of dog the nose has thousands of micro cells which tell the dog everything in its surroundings so is very very sensitive.

White nosed collies/cats

Any dog or cat that has white on the nose even if it is only a small area can suffer with skin cancer caused by the rays from the sun so prevent this you use 50 sun block you only need a very small amount rub gently into the area that’s white make sure the dog/cat doesn't lick it off until the cream has soaked into the skin don’t forget the tips of the ears too, do this before the animal goes outside then again when the animal comes in so maybe 2/3 times a day do this every day until the autumn, this type of cancer is on the increase in dogs/cats and many now have more white on the face.

If the nose starts to bleed from the nostril or you notice a small lump which looks like a bogie or the animal gets more bogies than usual go straight to the VET and get it checked always better to be safe than sorry.

I will add more from time to time so come back and have a look