A friend from the USA tells me that for Heartworm she uses the daily dose product called DIMMITROL which she gets from CanadaVet.
For fleas and ticks she uses FRONTLINE PLUS (but stay away from a new product with similar ingredients because it contains an added toxic drug).
She has used these two products for some time, with safe results.
Ever since Danny demolished his last favorite toy Mr.Bear, he has been searching for the perfect replacement. I think he has found it in Pete the Penguin. Here Danny and the Penguin hang out after a tough day at work. They will always be chums (until Danny decides to see what Pete the Penguin is made of)
Here’s another shot from Marge – Smooth “Bambi” and Rough “Bluebelle” vie for treats. Each one seems to say “I’m more deserving…feed me”
Marg from New York state sends this lovely photo of her daughter, at the paddock gate with her horse and Smooth Collie “Bambi”.
Handsome Nzima has a BD today. He sends a shout-out to his brother “Fife”.
Karen sends this lovely photo of her two boys “Bear” and “Arctic”. Karen is hoping to add a sable to complete the set.
Malika celebrates her Birthday today, and is still debating whether she loves her BD present or not. A week ago Malika got a brand new baby sister, called Reigna, and they are in the process of becoming buddies. Little Reigna is still in the baby brat and nippy stage, and sometimes she pushes her luck with her big sister. Deb thinks Malika is slowily warming up, and I’m betting by summer they will be inseperable.
So many of you have been concerned about what products to use for Heartworm, and now ticks, which seem to have invaded Ontario. The good news is that heartworm is not epidemic in Ontario, with approximately a 0.125% positive tests. This is not to say we don’t have Heartworm, but I don’t think you should panic either. The same goes for ticks – we are seeing a surge in the prevalence of ticks, but not all carry disease, and the incidence of Lyme in Ontario is limited. There IS a Lyme vaccine for dogs, but one Collie I know had a reaction to the vaccine and broke with an autoimmune skin disorder. Everything we do to our animals (and ourselves) can have consequences.
Having said that, we all wish to protect our dogs, but as you should know, Collies can be extremely sensitive to some of these preventitive medications. I just recently heard of another Collie who died from ADVANTAGE. Not all Collies will have such an extreme reaction, but there is danger involved in using ADVANTAGE and REVOLUTION. Most Collie breeders in the USA are using INTERCEPTOR and SENTINEL for heartworm. It appears to be safe for MDR1 positive Collies. The bad news is that these two products are back-ordered in Canada and the USA right now. The mfg. indicates that product should become available by the end of June. This still gives lots of time to treat for the summer mosquitoes.
Ticks are nasty little things, and I saw my first one on a dog last fall. Your dog and you are most at risk if you walk on trails, and in fields or forests. ADVANTIX is the same ingredient as ADVANTAGE and should not be used on Collies. The best method with ticks is preventative. After a hike, check your dog and if ticks are found, remove them with specifically designed tick removers. DO NOT burn them or yank them off – they will regurgitate their stomach contents into the dog and there is a greater chance of infection. You can spray your dogs with ADAMS flea and tick spray or MYCODEX spray. Both of these contain pyrethrins and are residual. Don’t use DEET (ie: Deep Woods Off) because it is considered highly toxic to all dogs.
Follow this link for information and some suggestions of natural products to use on your dogs :
www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DOGTIP-Insectprevention
If you wish to test your Collie for the MDR1 gene, you can order a cheek swab direct from the lab, and send it in yourself. It is about $75.00, and doing it yourself will save you allot of money at your Vet office. Be aware that most North American Collies are either +/- or +/+ for the MDR1 gene which makes them sensitive to a number of drugs. It appears that double positive dogs are more sensitive than positive/negative dogs, and the +/+ dogs are the most inclined to suffer extreme illness or death. Go to www.healthgene.com/canada and follow the links for dogs, and DNA tests to order your own kit.
I realize it is not good news that we cannot use some drugs on Collies, but other breeds are affected too, and so we owners of all these dogs must find alternate methods to protect our pets. Please check out the products and websites I have suggested, and let me know if you come up with any other recommendations.
Deb sends these pix of her new baby girl “Reigna”. Big sister “Malika” looks on with interest as the new pup checks out the digs, 
and then she settled into the king size fluffy bed.
It has been quite some time since I updated the blog. So sorry to all of you who check it out regularly. First my old computer crashed, then there was the process of getting the new computer set up, and most recently I found that I was blocked from the site due to a password mix-up. Jeez….excuses,excuses!
Well, I have lots of photos I need to process, due to the backlog, so be patient and I will try to get them all published on the blog.
JoAnne
