ASK THE EXPERT

These Fleas are Driving Me Crazy!

By Jean Greek, Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology

In much of the country right now, people are enjoying spring weather and pets are enjoying a hiatus from fleas. We, on the other hand, are wearing flip-flops and having drinks on the patio and our pets are wondering what the heck we plan to do about their flea problem.

The good news is that our current options for flea control are hugely improved in regards to both safety and efficacy from the much more toxic products of the past. Advantage, Frontline, Comfortis and several of the latest offerings all work on a part of the flea which is not present in mammals. This has made these products exponentially less toxic to us and to our companions. The bad news is that there is not a single be-all, end-all product for every pet. The best source of advice for individualized parasite control is your veterinarian, but I will attempt to give some generalized guidelines.

• Which parasites are you concerned about? Dogs that go hiking or live in the foothills may need tick protection not necessary to their urban friends. Products vary and may have efficacy for fleas, ticks, heartworm, and certain intestinal parasites in a variety of combinations.
• Is your pet flea allergic or is this more for preventative? Some dogs can be loaded with fleas and minimally bothered. Other dogs seem to prophalactically gnaw their hindquarters based on the rumor that there is a flea somewhere in the county. Flea allergic dogs can have up to ten days of residual itching from a single flea bite! It can be very difficult to find fleas on these pets as they rapidly eat the flea but keep on chewing, usually around their tail base.
• How much time does he spend in the pool? Although many of the spot on products will stand up to some swimming or bathing, dogs that live in the ocean or Dioji’s pool may see less efficacy from those types of products. Comfortis™ (Eli Lily) is a new oral option with a rapid onset, a high margin of safety and lasts a month.

A final note, I absolutely believe that most the new flea products are very safe. Still, it is very important that directions especially with regards to the size and the species of the pet for which the product is intended. Most of the toxicities seen in emergency room are from misapplied products.

Back to top

Product of the month

Happytails – Dry Dog Instant Clean

Dog owners everywhere are raving about the new product. When you’re too busy for a bath, use this bath replacement spray to leave your pal smelling like Kiwi Mellon. It doesn’t just mask odor, it eliminates the odor causing problem. Work great to spray on you dogs coat, bedding and carpet.

Just $12.99 per bottle.

Back to top

Inside the Club

Saturday, April 24th 9am
Dioji Puppy I Training Class

A six week course begins for puppies needing to learn basic commands including help with potty training and swim lessons in our giant pool. Includes 2 days of puppy daycare!

Back to top

Outside the Club

April 24th, 2010
Gaucho Gallop w/ Dog Dash run

The 3rd annual Gaucho Gallop is quickly approaching and Dioji is thrilled to be a part of it agin. Race alongside the pounding surf of the Pacific Ocean and past many UCSB landmarks. Bring your pal for the pre-race Dioji Dog Dash and then drop them off at the Dioji Doggie Lounge. For more info and to register:

http://www.ucsbruns.com/gauchogallop

Back to top

Barkimonial

Jasper, Fritzy-Pants & Bogart

From left to right the boys pictured here are Jasper (Great Dane), Fritzy-Pants the Good Time Party Dog (Shepherd Mix) and Bogart (likely a Leonberger). They are all rescue dogs and they each had their individual issues to be dealt with when we first brought them home. Fritz was our first dog. He was found out on the street and had absolutely no training and almost no socialization when we got him. We needed help. So we signed him up for puppy classes at Dioji with Jaime. She did an amazing job of teaching us the tools we needed to start training our little wild one. Nine months later our 27 pound puppy is an 80 pound teenager (and still growing!) He's gone from pulling with all his might against a choke chain to walking with a loose leash with a Gentle Leader. From being chased around the back yard to coming in when he is called. And none of this would have been possible without all of the great advice we received and all of the hard work the staff at Dioji put into his training.

Bogart, just loves all the attention he gets from the staff at Dioji. He really is just a squishy faced cuddle bear. If he can't be with him Momma and Pappa then Dioji is where he wants to be! He loves to romp around and then lay in the shallow end of the Dioji pool!

Jasper is our 120 lb and growing, he is just learning to be a puppy and canine. Dioji is helping him socialize and play with other dogs, we are just thrilled to see his progress in such a short amount of time. Jasper will dip his paws in the pool and take a drink....we look forward to him hopefully swimming in the Dioji pool someday!

Having read through most of these testimonials I gather that this is supposed to be light-hearted and fun. But we wanted to take this opportunity to give a sincere thank you to all of the staff at Dioji and to Jaime in particular. You have made a huge difference in the lives of our dogs and thereby in our lives as well. We are so appreciative of all of the extra time you've spent with our boys getting them socialized and for the great facility you provide for our energetic Fritzy to run and swim and play. Come to think of it, the only time he pulls on leash now is when we are walking into Dioji. For our dogs its like going to Disneyland.

-Carl & Melissa and of course the "Posto Boys" Fritz & Bogart & Jasper

Email info@dioji.com if you have a barkimonial you would like to share.

Back to top

The Dioji Family

Lauren

Dog Associate

Hometown: Calabasas, CA

Pets of my own: Missy and Gigi, two Shih Tzus with tons of character

Something people may not know about you: My guilty pleasure is going on the pets section of Craigslist. Besides that, I love the outdoors: hiking, camping, backpacking, etc. I only wish I could have a dog to take with me.

Favorite activity with the dogs: Cuddling and getting the dogs to go up the play structures and down the slides.

Favorite Dioji moment: Seeing Chester, a chocolate lab, dive into the pool and swim under water for a few seconds...I almost jumped in to rescue him because I didn't realize that dogs can hold their breath for that long!

Ideas for future Tribone topics? Email susan@dioji.com.