Dog's Health

San Francisco Dog Walkers deal with Foxtails

The San Francisco Dog Walker · Mar 14, 2024 ·

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

Tips from San Francisco Dog Walkers – Costly Foxtails

All Dog Walkers should tell you the faster you get the dog to the vet, the less it will probably cost to get the foxtail removed.

So, as soon as you dog shows symptons, such as shaking head or holding head to the side, or licking paws flapping ears or sneezing violently, run, don’t walk him to your vet. If the vet does not have to put the dog under to retrieve the foxtail, the cost may be around $150 for removal. However if you wait a day or two before taking the dog to the vet, the foxtail will travel further up the canal and the cost jumps up around $500 – $1,000 because it now has to be surgically removed. If the foxtail causes an infection because you waited too long, the trip to the vet could run you at least $1,000.00 to $2,000.00! Not removing the foxtail is very dangerous and can be life threatening to the dog because the foxtail penetrates the skin and moves through the bloodstream towards the heart or brain.

San Francisco Dog Walkers should always tell their clients to check for foxtails during the spring and summer months following hikes.

Foxtails come from the grasses and are in all of the parks in San Francisco. When pulled apart, the are little arrow shaped pointed stickers that it can burrow into your dogs’ paws, ears, nose, eyes and fur coat.

ON A DAILY BASIS, during foxtail season (when grasses are dry) it is VERY important to check between your dogs’ toes (look up into the cavity of each toe and feel around in there); and to thoroughly feel around in the dog’s fur for foxtails. I try my best to remove the foxtails I find on the dogs after the walk, but it is always good for the owner to also check, as foxtails can and often are, missed.

If your dog begins sneezing violently, even if they stop for a day or two, they most likely have a foxtail in their nose. The worst places to get foxtails are in the ears, eyes and noses because it is very difficult to find and remove them, once they enter these areas on your dog.

San Francisco Dog Walkers share how to keep your dog from getting foxtails:

■ Keep your pet’s fur coat super short during Spring, Summer and Fall months in San Francisco, especially between the toes and around the ears.

■ Long-haired dogs are most prone to having foxtails attach to their fur and embed in the skin. Keep those feet and legs short!

■ Avoid walking your dog in areas where dry grass is prevalent. Take your dog to concrete paths or parks that do not have foxtails. (easier said than done, lol)

■ Prime areas for foxtails to penetrate the skin of an animal are between the toes, in and around the ears, nose, armpits and genitalia. Animals with foxtails under the skin are often licking the affected area where a red bump may be seen. Don’t ignore your dog if they are licking a spot!

■ When returning home from a walk or hike in an area that has foxtails, examine your dog thoroughly and remove any foxtails you might find before they have a chance to burrow into the skin. Also look for and remove burrs at the same time, for your dog’s comfort.

Why it is Important to get Pet Insurance for your Dog!

The San Francisco Dog Walker · Feb 16, 2024 ·

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

You may kid yourself into thinking that they are “just a dog”, but the truth is you love them like family. So, when something happens to them you want to do the right thing and rush them to the vet office. Then comes the realization that the cost could be thousands of dollars and you stubbornly tell yourself again that they are “just a dog”. But when the time comes, your heart will be broken and will never repair. The guilt over losing your best friend because you couldn’t afford a procedure will stay with you for a lifetime.

The best veterinary care doesn’t come cheap. Pet parents without insurance often settle for less effective treatments because of high costs, compromising the health of their pets. With pet insurance paying the bill, money is never a problem for you. Not only do you get the best care possible, but the big pay off is the peace of mind knowing that you have done everything possible for your BFF.

One of the pet insurance companies that I often talk about with my clients is called PETPLAN. Although I am not personally experienced with their service, I do know that this insurance seems to cover many things that other insurance companies do not.

For example, they cover costs for:

Veterinary exams visits for injury or illness
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy
Surgery & physical rehab
Hereditary diseases like hip dysplasia
Periodontal disease & dental injuries
Chronic conditions like ear infections
Prescription medication

They also will cover up to 90% reimbursement and have unlimited annual coverage.

Best advice is to compare pet insurance companies and pick the one with the most coverage. Consumers Advocate recently did objective research to create a guide – assisting pet owners in the essential points one should consider when making decisions on pet insurance. I figured you might be interested in reading it. I’ve added a link to the full guide below.

https://www.consumersadvocate.org/pet-insurance

But don’t put it off too long or you might be sorry.

Manage Your Dog’s Weight!

The San Francisco Dog Walker · Feb 8, 2024 ·

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

Many of my clients have started services with my dog walking company after they have decided that their dog has gained too much weight and they don’t know what to do about it. The problem is that just like with people, exercise helps but it is not the complete cure. You have to cut back on your dog’s food intake too.

I tell my dog walking clients that the very first thing that they must do immediately is STOP GIVING THEM TREATS! Even food scraps at the table, can add inches very quickly to your dog’s waist. Your dog is probably 1/8th your size, so try to remember that before you offer something to eat.

An overweight pet is predisposed to many problems in their senior years such as back/ hip issues, torn ACL’s, arthritis and diabetes. Even if your dog already has any of these conditions, it can still be improved if you reduce your dog’s weight. So, if you want your dog to live a long, healthy life, it is imperative that you keep their weight in check at every stage of their life. Of course, it is your choice whether or not you keep your dog’s weight in check, but the fact is that your dog may need to be euthanized earlier than it’s life-expectancy because they can no longer walk or that their pain level has worsened and no longer can be controlled. It is just a simple fact that overweight dogs just do not live as long as fit dogs do.

So now the question is, what is the right weight? This is something that causes difficult conversations with dog owners because people tend to be super sensitive about their dog’s weight and often do not see them as being fat. Look at your dog from top and then at their sides and you should see a waistline. When viewing them, be honest. They should look slim and you should be able to feel their ribs easily. One tip is to google facts about your breed and see what the web says your dog should weigh. If you have a chow hound, you should try to stick to a program that will help your dog achieve the googled amount. Another tip that will help you is to always use a measuring cup or scale when preparing their meals. Make sure you are giving them the same amount of food everyday.

Cutting out human food may seem like a small change to you and that it doesn’t make sense that it would do anything to improve their waistline. How can this work? What’s a small piece of cheese going to do to my dog? Again, please try to remember that your dog is very small in comparison to yourself and that a small piece of cheese is probably equal to a whole pizza for us humans. If you give a small 10 pound dog a piece of cheese, try to think of it as giving yourself 15 times that amount.

Need San Francisco Dog Walker? Contact Me Here

If your dog sleeps most of the day while you are at work, those calories are just sitting there not being burned off. After time, these calories start to add up quickly and you wind up with a fat dog, just because you were giving them a small piece of cheese on your way out the door.

You need to get real with yourself about how many calories in a day you are giving your dog. Once you have done that initial analysis, you can then begin the process of deciding how you will attack this problem. Starting out slowly is a good idea. Like us, when you decrease your dog’s food intake, they will probably feel hungry and beg for treats. You have to stay strong, but you also must have some compassion for them. Start by cutting out the treats and then in a week or two cut their food intake by 1/3. Stay at this measurement for a couple of week and evaluate if your dog is losing any weight. It is a slow process but remember, you have to stay the course. And one more thing, you need to remember is that your dog walker will be providing your dog treats when they are in the park. We have to give dogs treats to keep them motivated and moving in the right direction. It is hard to keep a pack of dogs moving in the same direction and treats really help with that task. So please, do not compound the problem by adding treats on top of the dog walker’s.

If you really love your dog, you will feed them a healthy diet and give them daily exercise. Consider using a dog walking service while you are at work. This will keep them living a very long life. We don’t want them to die before they are a ripe old age.

Here Are 3 Reasons Monitoring Your Dog’s Poop Is Important

The San Francisco Dog Walker · Jan 25, 2024 ·

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

As a dog walker in San Francisco, it’s clear I have a passion for dogs, but that passion extends beyond socializing them or helping them release their energy. I also have a passion for ensuring dog owners are equipped with the knowledge they need to keep their dog happy and healthy well into their senior years. Though it isn’t a glamorous topic, dog poop is a massively important to ensuring your dog’s health. Your dog’s poop talks to you far more than your dog can.

As an important reference point, you need to have an awareness of your dog’s typical poop. A healthy dog poop is decently firm and a bit moist. Once you understand the look and frequency of your dog’s typical poop, consistently monitoring your dog’s poop for irregularities becomes much easier. Here are three reasons checking your dog’s poop is so important to their health:

Early signs of illness first present themselves in your dog’s poop. The way those signs present themselves can vary, depending on the ailment, but their poop is one of the first places the issue will appear. As a more dramatic example, your dog could have worms in their poop. That is certainly terrifying to see (occasionally looks like rice in their poop), but actually quite common, especially with puppies. Another signal of a potential illness is black, tar-like poop – a sign of potential internal bleeding in their stomach or small intestine. Both of those types of stool are cause for a trip to the vet immediately.
Changes in your dog’s poop could be a signal they are experiencing anxiety. If your dog suddenly starts experiencing diarrhea, that may mean they are dealing with anxiety that was triggered by something new in their environment. Sometimes the cause can be something like a move, which may just take time to adjust, while other times, you may be able to remove the trigger from their environment. Either way, if you notice your dog is dealing with frequent diarrhea, you should be sure to keep them hydrated. Additionally, if the problem persists for more than 24-48 hours, it’s worth a call to your vet.
Food issues or allergies appear in your pooch’s poop. Though the signals can vary, if there is something wrong with your dog’s diet, their poop is the first place you’ll notice the issue. As an example, if your dog’s poop is white or gray in color, that could mean they are getting too much calcium in their diet. If their poop is greasy, you may need to cut back on the coconut oil. Yellow poop is a sign of too much fat in their diet, while diarrhea after a diet change could mean your dog has a food allergy.

Every color, texture, and frequency change in your dog’s poop means something different. Being able to spot those changes is massively important to maintaining your dog’s health. Some issues can be monitored for a couple of days at home, while others signal an immediate vet visit. Regardless of the issue, spotting it early is always essential to keeping your pooch healthy and happy.

Now equipped with three reasons monitoring your dog’s poop is so important, it’s time to start examining your pooch’s #2!

Reference Links:

https://noochypoochy.com/what-dog-poop-is-telling-you/

3 Reasons Consistent Exercise is Essential for Your Puppy

The San Francisco Dog Walker · Jan 12, 2024 ·

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

The Pandemic brought an entirely new wave of dog ownership. Many people adopted their first puppy or rescue, given the additional time they were spending at home, while existing dog owners were soaking in all of the time they were able to spend with their pup thanks to being at home all day. Though dog owners have been able to be at home more over the last year and a half, that doesn’t always mean dog owners are exercising their dogs as much as they should. Afterall, many dog owners still spend most of their day working while they’re home, unable to step away for the lengthy walk their dog needs.

Whether you are still able to work remotely, or you are now working in-person again, your dog needs to be getting consistent exercise. From the expertise of a San Francisco dog walker, here are three reasons exercise is so essential to your pandemic pup’s life:

Consistent exercise combats obesity. Perhaps the most obvious, though still extremely important, benefit of consistent exercise is the decrease in the likelihood your dog will become obese. Even if you are feeding your dog the right amount of food, you are avoiding table scraps, and you monitor their treat intake, if they aren’t getting the exercise they need, they will start packing on the pounds. Obesity is just the first red flag to a dog’s health. After a dog becomes obese, it is subjected to many other health concerns no one wants their best pal to endure – all avoidable with a dedication to consistent exercise.
Exercise promotes joint health. Beyond the damage obesity can do to your dog’s joints, stiff joints can be problematic in and of themselves. Proper exercise for your pooch keeps their joints moving in their full range of motion while strengthening the muscles around their joints – fantastic ways to reduce arthritis pains in the future. The consistent movement also helps to prevent accidental joint injuries (from a particularly energetic play session, as an example).
Dogs need an outlet. Consistent exercise not only helps your dog’s physical health, but their mental health, as well – great for you and them. Without the right stimulus, dogs can become anxious and restless. Those symptoms can be displayed in different ways, but commonly, especially with puppies, your dog might lack the obedience you know they are capable of. Perhaps they don’t listen to verbal commands or recall as well as they should, or perhaps they start releasing their energy in unwanted ways (like chewing on furniture or digging in carpet/the backyard). Reliable exercise can help you avoid those problems and have a happier pooch.

As a dog owner, you may have noticed a need to help your dog get better exercise recently, which likely led to Google searches like “dog walker SF.” If you are new to dog parenthood and are beginning to notice some behavioral changes in your pandemic pup, you may now realize that point three (shared above) has become an issue. Whatever the case may be, allow me to help you conveniently build consistent exercise for your dog into your schedule. As a professional dog walker in San Francisco, I would be honored to help you and your furry pal.

Reference Link:

https://jetpetresort.com/blog/dog-care/the-importance-of-exercising-your-dog/

Dog's Health

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

San Francisco Dog Walkers share how to keep your dog from getting foxtails:

Posted by The San Francisco Dog Walker

Need San Francisco Dog Walker? Contact Me Here

Looking For A San Francisco Dog Walker?

Doggie Business – Nominated Best San Francisco Dog Walker!