Hello,
I am a member of a group of dachshund owners (comprising breeders, pet owners, and rescuers) who are trying to get the word out on disc disease in dachshunds and other breeds.
I'm sure most of you have seen a dachshund with a back problem. We are trying to do everything we can to help educate owners and anyone who will listen on the alternate treatments for this disease. There are too many of our breed being euthanised because vets and owners do not know that most of the times these dogs will come back to lead normal lives. For the few that do not recover they can still live happy lives.
We need help for these little guys. Just too many of them are being euthanised without ever being given a chance. You can learn more about our group at http://www.dodgerslist.com
We now have approx 260 members from the US and also from other countries. We also have an article in the May issue of Dog Fancy magazine. - Debbie Bartlett, Dodgerlist
I hope you get many new members for the group - problems are always easier and a solution more likely to be found when owners get together to talk about their own experiences. - Ed
Problem with ticks
Hello,
I have just read your publication online today for the first time ever! Great magazine!
I have three dogs and a HUGE tick problem. Not only is our half-acre property infested, but our house is crawling with ticks as well. Since we live at the edge of the Florida Everglades, it is hot and humid here year-round. We had a severe problem about three years ago, but were able to stop it by doing three things in one day: dropping the dogs off at the vet's for a tick dip; then the exterminator fogged the entire interior of our home; and another exterminator sprayed our entire yard (trees, bushes, grass, outside of buildings, etc).
This year that plan did not work. Within days we began seeing ticks inside the house again, dropping off the dogs. I think it's because we have new neighbors who don't treat their property. They also have at least four long-haired dogs that spend most of their time outside.
We have tried rigid regimens of Frontline Topspot, expensive tick collars from the vet's office, feeding the dogs garlic, etc. I'm getting tired of breathing the fumes of Adams Tick Spray, and it's only killing the ticks that actually come in contact with the spray.
The tick population seems to run in "stages" ... a month ago we saw the small black ones, then last week it was the fat white ones, then we found piles of eggs (brown fluffy stuff) amongst our folded clothes inside bureau drawers. Today we are seeing mainly walking black larvae and millions of tiny red ticks, a little bigger than a pinhead.
The dogs are no longer allowed in our bedroom but I still wake up at least once a night with a tick walking on me in my sleep. I've pulled them out of my neck, my stomach, the backs of my knees, just about everywhere. I know this is a health risk to both humans and animals.
Basically, ticks have completely invaded our home. I have run out of ideas, as well as money. Any ideas? - Cynthia
A farmer friend living in the USA offered: "If I were that family I would move, and fast! Those southern-eastern states all have that problem."
It seems to me that shifting is the only possible answer to a problem as huge as yours, especially as it seems to be not an unusual problem in that area. Ticks, like fleas, would build resistance to sprays so that the spray would need to be stronger each year - not an outcome that would reflect kindly on the health of either the people living in the area or the animals. - Ed
