Dogma's Advice Column

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Some tips and tricks and general stuff we found out.
Contents

Cleaning up urine
Porcupine Quills
Nasty brown spots on the lawn
Burrs in the furs
Travel by Car
Travel by Plane

Cleaning up urine

Neutralize Urine Odors With Enzyme-Based Deodorizer
Should your puppy have a few housesoiling accidents despite your best efforts to prevent them, neutralize any soiled areas (carpet or floor surface) with an pet odor neutralizer such as Nature's Miracle, Nilodor, Fresh 'n' Clean, or Outright Pet Odor Eliminator. Avoid using ammonia-based cleaners to clean up after your puppy's urine, as ammonia breaks down to urea, which is a component of urine.
I use an Amway product called Pursue which also works well.

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Porcupine Quills

Snip the quill in the middle. This releases the trapped air inside the quill and allows it to slide out without clinging or pulling!
Another advice column says never cut the quills, just extract them. If they are in a sensitive area or in quantity then see a vet.

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Nasty brown spots on the lawn

First let me say that if a dog, especially female, whiz's on the lawn and it's killing the grass consult your vet. This is usually caused by diet. Most dogs we know can whiz and the grass does not die. If it does there is too much acid/akaline (can't remember which) and this could be harmful to the dog. Time for a vet visit or a diet change

To fix the spot make sure you scrape away all the dead grass as it has residue which will burn the new growth. Then fertilize and plant the new seed.

There are sprays available from the pet store that will neutralize and also supposedly keep pets away from selected areas.

If the yard is fenced and the pet is yours, you could designate a elimnation area.

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Burrs in the furrs

They are nasty when you get those burrs in your fur! First, a quick once over with the hands after a walk, before coming into the house and before hopping into the car can be a good habit to get into. The sooner you can get at them, the better.

Next, using garden gloves and/or a comb to "ease" it out of the fur can sometimes work.

Sometimes if it's really stuck in there you can take pliers (the wide nosed ones) and crush the burr into slivers and then comb most of it out.

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Dogs in cars

Can't get too cold - but there is a limit. But can get too warm. Some hints:

Use those window cardboard window visors to keep out the sun.
Wet down some towels with water and roll up the window on them in the "front" while dog in back.
Spray the dog with a water bottle, the evaporation of the water off their fur keeps them cool.
Park in the shade or between semi-trailers or recreational vehicles.
Leave the dog at home

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Travel by plane

Now this is a whole other issue. But there are many sites on the topic believe it or not.

Confirm and reconfirm with the airline that you are bringing a dog and it's size.
If the dog will fit in a crate small enough to go under the seat in front of you then you can bring them on the plane.
Technically the pilot is to be informed if there are live animals on the plane and you should be able to ask the flight attendent to check if your pet has been loaded and the captain informed (good luck). Canadian Airlines on my way out was very kind and eased my nerves by doing this. When we transferred to American Airlines for the last leg of our trip - man what another story - how rude.
Make sure you water the dog at every opportunity.
Tranquilizers are not recommended as the baggage compartment gets very cold and when "out" the dog's body does not act as it normally would.
Get wheels for the crate!

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Last Revised: August, 2000