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It is a
beautiful day in
metro Atlanta!
We have 7 Cherry
trees in our
yard and the
blossoms are
just gorgeous.
The Azaleas are
blooming and the
grass is slowly
losing its
dormancy.
Easter Sunday is
a great day to
celebrate our
heritage as
Chrisitians. He
is alive! I want
to encourage you
to attend
worship on that
day.
In this issue of
the WestieGram,
you will find an
opportunity to
support Oklahoma
Westie Rescue by
purchasing a
Doggie Bandana.
All proceeds go
to the Rescue.
Also, I have
included a
Grooming Video
by Mary
Cunningham. I
offered to list
this for Mary
because it is a
good resource
for those of you
who want to
learn to groom
your Westie.
Happy Easter!
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Springtime
Allergies: Miss
Chloe's Sneezing and
Nasal Discharge |
 As
you well know,
Miss Chloe is
still Queen at
Down South
Westies!
However, our
special Westies
do sometimes get
sick. Several
days ago she
began showing
signs of
sneezing. She
has never had
signs of allergy
problems, so we
assumed it was
because of
springtime
pollen and would
be temporary.
But it soon
became more than
just sneezing.
She awakened in
the night a
couple times
with a strong
burst of
seemingly
sucking in
breaths (the vet
calls it
reversed
sneezing). Then
came the nasal
discharge. She
seemed to have
all the symptoms
of a human sinus
infection so we
immediately
began to ask
questions: Do we
need to take her
on to the vet or
will this pass?
Will she need
antibiotics? Can
this be more
serious than it
appears? So, off
to the vet we
went. <MORE>
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A Question from
Nancy |
We have a most
adorable male,
Remy. He will be
two in July.
Last December he
began having
bloody, mucous
stools. Our vet
said it was
allergic to his
food (we were
feeding him a
lamb and rice
formula from the
vet). We made
several changes
and he is now on
Hill's Science Z
diet. His stools
have cleared up,
but he is on
benedryl for
itching and
chewing his feet
which I believe
is still food
related. Do you
have any
suggestions for
a food that
might improve
his condition? I
have ordered the
Malaseb shampoo
since the
itching has
gotten worse
with patches of
skin loosing
hair. This has
just recently
begun since we
have had so much
pollen. Thanks
for any insight.
~ Nancy from
Mississippi
Hi Nancy:
I
accessed Hillspet.com
to find the
ingredients of
z/d and it does
not have the
dreaded wheat,
corn, or beef. I
would suggest
you try the
following:
(1) Giving
Benedryl
(generic is much
cheaper) is not
the end of
world, but it is
obviously not
working. You may
need to try
another form in
addition to
Benedryl. It is
a known fact
that to rotate
them one in the
morning and the
other brand in
the evening,
with food, is
more beneficial.
(2) When you
complete the
Malaseb, be sure
to use something
like
Emu Oil Shampoo.
It is not filled
with
contaminants
like dyes. Check
out our
Westie Supplies
page.
(3) With a
tendency toward
skin problems,
you should talk
to the groomer
about
sterilizing
grooming tools
before using
them on Remy. It
is possible to
pick up
diseases.
However, you can
do your own
grooming. It
is fun to learn.
(4) Our Darby
has a sensitive
stomach and
about 3 years
ago went through
the bloody
stools, mucous,
etc. The vet put
him on
Sulfasalazin Tab
500mg, ½ tab AM
and PM. He said
he could not be
on this over 7
days. It
eventually
cleared him up.
We began feeding
Nutro Natural
Choice Chicken
Meal, Rice and
Oatmeal Formula
Dog Food. It is
a good food, you
can buy it from
PetSmart and is
for "sensitive
stomachs".
(5) I am
convinced some
vets do not know
how to deal with
Westie skin
problems. MSU
Veterinary
School is a good
source for
difficult
problems. Be
sure not to
overlook that.
(6) It is
very important
to be sure he
does not have
fleas. Westies
can be very
allergic to
fleas. Be sure
to check him
good. Only 1
flea can cause
havoc with the
skin. Hope this
helps. Let us
know how Remy
gets along.
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