first aid

FIRST AID & HEALTH

Important! - the advice given on this page is not intended as a substitute for veterinary treatment when necessary. You should always consult your vet if you are worried about any aspect of your dog's health.

Firstly - know your dog!

Spend as much time as you can watching your dog -
I'm sure you already do - but - get to know how s/he looks and acts normally; then it will be much easier for you to spot when something is wrong. A usually active dog that doesn't want to go for a walk; a dog with a healthy appetite that refuses his dinner; a wagging tail that doesn't; bright eyes that become dull and lifeless; more frequent toilet trips needed - just a few of the many tell-tale signs that all may not be well.

Buy a thermometer - Digital ones are the simplest to use and read.
Learn how to take your dog's temperature. It is taken rectally by inserting the thermometer approx an inch into the anus. The reading will be given in degrees Fahrenheit, or Centigrade, so you can use whichever scale you find easiest to understand. The thermometer will beep when the temperature peaks.

The normal temperature for a dog is around 101 degrees Fahrenheit (+ or - half a degree), or 38.5 degrees Centigrade (+ or - 0.3). An abnormally high temperature may indicate a serious health problem. An abnormally low temperature may indicate shock. In either case, your dog needs veterinary help.

Check your dogs gums -
Do this when you know your dog is healthy so that you familiarise yourself with the normal colour. Also, check the return, i.e. the rate at which the colour returns to the gums when you press on them with your thumb. It should be pretty much instantaneous normally. Also, check the colour of the lower inside corner of the eyes.
If your dog seems to be under the weather, check both of these places and note any difference to the normal colour. If the gums/inside corners of eyes are unduly pale or white, or there is a very slow return of colour to the gums, seek veterinary attention immediately. Possible causes could be anaemia, internal bleeding, poisoning, or a torsion; all of which are serious and must be dealt with promptly.

Find a good vet - preferably one who is used to treating Wolfhounds, or at least other large breeds - and one who will listen to what you have to say.
Make sure they have 24 hour, 365/6 day cover, including emergency call-out cover - and that they would be willing to come to your home in an emergency, and also that they are aware of the dangers when anaesthetising Wolfhounds, should that ever be a necessity. If your vet doesn't tick all of the above boxes - find a different vet - it might save your dog's life one day.

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The following advice and remedies are drawn from our own personal experience. The ailments are all ones that we have treated our own dogs for, and the remedies have all been used by us, except where specifically mentioned. The present list is not exhaustive but no doubt it will be added to in the course of time when something I've forgotten springs to mind.

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REMEDIES

OUR MEDICINE CABINET CONTAINS (amongst other things) THE FOLLOWING WHICH WE CONSIDER ESSENTIALS:-

Deflatine. 75ml (Junior) Aspirin. Hydrogen Peroxide 3%. TCP. Hibiscrub.

Piriton. Antisan cream.

Kaolin & Morphine mixture. Benyllin Cough Mixture.

Sudocrem. Siopel Cream (over the counter only). Antiseptic Cream.

Cotton wool. Cotton buds. Crepe bandages. Micropore Surgical Tape.

Table salt.

All of the above are readily available from any good chemist and most supermarkets.

Antiseptic Spray (Purple & Clear)

Crepe self-stick bandages. Lint/sterile gauze. Animalintex.

Antiseptic Wound Powder (Black & White)

Ear cleaner/Veterinary Ear drops (for mites). Veterinary Eye drops.

All available from Canine Chemists Direct. Tel: 0870 225 4777. E-mail: sales@hyperdrug.co.uk
Internet Orders: www.hyperdrug.com

Thornit Ear Powder. Available from www.Petmeds.co.uk Tel: 0844 5678989

Homeopathic Remedies -   those we use most frequently are -   Arnica 6c     Sepia 6c
                                            Rhus Tox 6c    Calc Fluor 6c     Rescue Remedy

Available from health food shops, good chemists, or by mail order from, Ainsworths Homeopathic Pharmacy,   36 New Cavendish Street, London. W1G 8UF. Tel. 020 7935 5330. Fax. 020 7486 4313
You can also order Vaccination Nosodes from Ainsworths and if you are unfamiliar with Homeopathic medicines and how to give them, Ainsworths publish a small booklet costing approx. £4.00 which will give you all the basic information you need.

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AILMENTS

In alphabetical order

Anal Glands

If your dog has impacted anal glands you will probably first be aware of an offensive musty/fishy smell persisting from its rear end. Often the glands will clear of their own accord and are best left to do so, unless as well as the smell, there is a reddish brown liquid seeping from the anus, which might indicate that the glands are infected.
Emptying the glands is not a job for the inexperienced, (or faint-hearted), so is a problem best dealt with by your vet, who will empty the glands manually and prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection. You may then need to adjust your dog's diet in order to keep the motions firm, so that in future the glands are emptied naturally as the dog goes to the toilet.

Bites - Insect/Stings - (for dog/fight bites, see Cuts etc.)

Because Wolfhounds tend to be natural gardeners and enjoy pruning and beheading (usually the best) flowers, they very often get stung for their efforts. More often than not you just won't know what they've been stung by unless you actually see it happen.

Probably the first thing you'll notice is the appearance of a swelling, usually on the face/head. (Some dogs run round like lunatics when they've been stung but where Wolfhounds are concerned, that's not always a good enough clue!) Also, they may rub the affected area against a wall, or the furniture, or whatever else they can find.

Generally, during the hottest of the summer months, the culprit is most likely to be a bee, whereas in the autumn it is more likely to be a wasp. In either case, at its height, the swelling can look quite frightening but will usually begin to subside within twenty-four hours.

Important - Swelling should be monitored carefully but can be left to run its course - unless it looks likely to obstruct the dog's airways. If this starts to happen, call your vet immediately and get the dog to the surgery a.s.a.p.

Wasp stings. Unless the dog had been stung inside the mouth, we would apply Antisan cream if we could find the sting site (which will usually be where the first sign of swelling is noticed) and give one Piriton tablet. If the dog was stung in the mouth we would just give the Piriton tablet. After two to three hours, to help reduce the swelling, we would give Junior (75ml) Aspirin*, the number of tablets depending on the size and age of the dog.
We would give 6 - 8 tablets to an adult dog, down to quarter of a tablet for a baby puppy.

N.B. If Antisan cream is not available, vinegar is also very effective for wasp stings - but take care if using this when the sting is near to the eyes.

*Aspirin should only be given after food or it can damage the stomach lining and irritate the digestive system. It is useful as an anti-inflammatory and to reduce pain. We find it especially useful for teething pain in puppies.

Bee stings. Bees leave a barb behind when they sting and, if the sting site can be located, the barb should be removed. We would apply Antisan cream to any externally affected area and give one Piriton tablet, followed by the Aspirin later, as for wasp stings.

Cold compresses (or bags of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth) can also help to reduce swelling.

Insect Bites. Antisan cream is effective against most insect bites.

Bloat/Torsion

This is the one absolute true veterinary emergency and life-threatening for your dog!

From the first signs shown, you have twenty minutes maximum before the bloat becomes torsion, when only a major operation will (possibly) save your dog's life. In the simplest terms, the dog's stomach fills with gas/air (bloat) and becomes heavy, which then causes it to rotate (torsion), restricting blood supply to the major organs, resulting in shock and eventual death.

Most important - read all you can about bloat/torsion and memorise the symptoms, which may include some or all of the following -
Restlessness: drooling: unproductive retching: distended stomach - which may sound like a drum when tapped.

Despite the tens of thousands of pounds that have been spent on research into this condition and its possible causes, no absolute conclusions have been drawn to date. Most Wolfhound owners take the recommended precautions regarding not exercising an hour before or after food; feeding twice daily instead of once, and feeding from a raised platform/stand but despite this, can still find themselves having to deal with a case of bloat.

In our own personal experience, every case of bloat we have dealt with has had one common denominator - stress - for widely diverse reasons - but still, stress has been the link.

We have found DEFLATINE invaluable whenever we have had a dog with symptoms of bloat, which is why we always keep a packet in the cupboard at home, in the show bag, in the caravan, in the dog van; in fact anywhere and everywhere that we're likely to have a dog, or dogs, with us.

If we have a dog showing any sign which we suspect might be bloat, we put two Deflatine tablets straight down the back of the throat, (one at a time). We then monitor the dog carefully and if the symptoms seem to be subsiding we give two more tablets after fifteen/twenty minutes and repeat this until we are satisfied that the dog is out of danger. If the dog does not improve quickly after giving the first two tablets, we ring our vet to warn him we are on our way to the surgery with a suspected case of bloat, so that he is prepared for our arrival and can deal with it immediately. As our vet's surgery is more than twenty minutes drive away, we stop on the way to give more Deflatine tablets as necessary.

Unless you are confident that you will know when and whether your dog is out of danger, ring your vet immediately.

If you have not experienced this condition before, (hopefully you never will), your safest course of action is to give the Deflatine, ring your vet and get to the surgery a.s.a.p. Your vet would far rather it was a false alarm than have you lose your dog to bloat/torsion.

We would also use Deflatine if the dog's tummy was making gurgling/rumbling noises, (as long as these weren't because the dog was hungry), of if the dog was producing large quantities of gas - from either end!

Bruises

We would give Arnica 6c immediately bruising occurred; or within 24 hours for maximum effect. Initially, two tablets every two hours for six doses. Next two days - two tablets x morning and evening. Thereafter, two tablets once a day until discomfort from bruising was gone.

If the dog was lame, (but not in obvious pain), as well as bruised, we would use Rhus Tox 6c in conjunction with Arnica 6c. Dosage as above. Rest is also important where there is lameness.

N.B. If lameness/bruising is causing your dog severe pain, s/he needs veterinary attention.

Bursas

Prevention is better than cure here. Try to ensure that your dog has a soft bed to lie/sleep on. We use single mattresses and vet bed in the house and thick beds of hay in the kennels, with rubber stable matting in the runs. Even then, we have occasionally had dogs with bursas. Some will flop down on to hard surfaces no matter what you try to do to prevent it.

Unless the bursa was extremely large and/or hard, and obviously causing the dog pain, or making it lame, we would not have it drained or otherwise interfered with. In our experience they usually disperse of their own accord, given enough time.

We have had success treating bursas, on elbows and bottoms, with homeopathic Calc Fluor 6c. Some people use it in conjunction with Apis Mel 6c but we have only ever used Calc Fluor 6c and have always had a good response, usually within two weeks of starting treatment. Dosage as with Arnica 6c for bruising etc.

Cuts/Grazes/Scratches/Bites (from fighting - not insect bites)

For minor cuts, grazes and scratches, clean immediately using cotton wool and a solution of warm salt water with a little TCP added. Very dirty wounds should be washed with Hibiscrub, which can also be used for washing your own hands to ensure maximum hygiene. When the wound is clean, dry with kitchen roll then spray with antiseptic spray. If the wound is bleeding, use the purple antiseptic spray, which will help to stop the bleeding and dry the wound (but a word of warning - the colour will take some time to disappear, so think ahead if you've got a show planned); otherwise use the clear antiseptic spray. On subsequent days, once the wound has dried, bathe only if necessary (e.g. dirty with mud etc), in a salt water solution, and dry; dust with antiseptic wound powder.

Someone once asked me what the difference was between black and white wound powder. To the best of my knowledge (and please correct me if you know better), the answer is, quite simply, the colour, so I would use black for black/dark coats and white for light-coloured coats - very useful if your dog cuts itself just before it's due in the show ring!

For deeper cuts, (assuming that they don't warrant a trip to the vet's for stitching), clean and dry as above, then apply Hydrogen Peroxide 3%*, either by dispensing a little in to the cap of the bottle and pouring that directly on to the wound; or by using cotton wool with it on; or cotton buds for smaller areas, being careful only to apply it to the wound.
Warning - if you use Hydrogen Peroxide, either wear surgical/rubber gloves, or make sure you wash your hands immediately if you get any on your own skin.

N.B. Hydrogen Peroxide will not sting damaged tissue but will burn surrounding uninjured skin. (I can vouch for that personally as I once poured it directly from the bottle into a gaping hole at the base of my thumb - caused by a dog bite.) Any accidental overflow should be wiped off immediately, gently, with cotton wool soaked in water. Pat dry with kitchen roll.

*I have been told that liquid garlic works as well as Hydrogen Peroxide and does not leave scar tissue but I have not used this myself so cannot vouch for its effectiveness.

For deep wounds on the legs or feet, clean as above, then bandage to keep them clean, at least for the first two or three days, or until the wound has closed up. Put a smear of antiseptic cream onto a piece of lint or gauze large enough to cover the wound, and bandage. The self-stick crepe bandages are really good but be careful not to put them on too tightly - I put them on so that I can still get a finger comfortably between the bandage and the leg/foot. Change the dressing every day, or twice a day if necessary.

If you need to bandage a foot, put a piece of cotton wool between each toe/nail before you bandage, so that the toes don't rub against each other and cause more damage. To keep the foot clean when the dog needs to go outside, wrap in a polythene bag and then put an old sock on top to keep it in place. You may have to wash the sock but the dressing on the foot should stay clean until it has to be changed. It is possible to buy boots with leather/ette soles and velcro fastenings (Canine Chemists Direct) if you have a dog with a long running foot problem.

I would follow the above procedures for any bite wound but would always use Hydrogen Peroxide 3% after cleaning, even for minor bites, to lessen the risk of tetanus. Hydrogen Peroxide oxygenates the wound and lessens the risk of it becoming a breeding ground for Tetanus germs, which thrive in an oxygen free environment.

Diarrhoea/Tummy Bugs

Digestive upsets resulting in Diarrhoea (and/or vomiting), can be caused by all sorts of things, from a simple/sudden change of diet; a change of water; (we found this out to our cost at Cruft's one year, when one of Steve's Great Danes threw up on - and in - the show bag, after being given a drink of water from a tap there - we're on well-water at home): an intolerance to something in the dog's diet; scavenging something rotten while out for a walk; or a tummy bug picked up at a show, on a walk, or anywhere else for that matter - even the vet's!

You can deal with the problem yourself - unless the Diarrhoea is violent, or there is blood or mucus present, in which case it warrants at least a phone call, and most likely a visit, to your vet immediately, (as does projectile vomiting), - especially in the case of a puppy.

Otherwise - withhold all solid food for twenty-four hours. We would give three/four doses of Kaolin and Morphine liquid mixture during this time. We have found the easiest way to give this is by syringe, directly into the back of the dog's mouth. For an adult dog, 12mls per dose, (2 x 6ml syringes, filled from the bottle), down to 5mls for a puppy over four months of age*. If the dog was keen to eat, we would offer a little (two tablespoons) live natural yoghurt and mix the Kaolin and Morphine with it. This has the added benefit of restoring the natural gut flora and helping the dog's digestive system back to normal.

*For younger puppies we use Protexin Pro Kolin; obtainable from Canine Chemists Direct; which is a paste in a graduated syringe; making it easy to give exactly the correct amount. We always take a couple of syringes of this on holiday with us, just in case of upset tummies, for use with all the dogs.

After twenty-four hours, providing that there was an improvement in this time, we would offer two small meals of cooked pasta, (we always use pasta but lots of people use rice), with a little cooked chicken or tuna added, plus a generous tablespoon of live natural yoghurt mixed in. The main thing is to keep the meals bland, light and easily digestible.

The following day we would start to re-introduce the dog's usual food to the above light meals, in small quantities, gradually changing over the next few days until the dog was back to its normal diet.

Diarrhoea can easily result in the dog becoming dehydrated. Puppies in particular should receive veterinary treatment if there is no improvement in twenty-four hours; older dogs within forty-eight hours.

Whenever a dog has to have antibiotic treatment for whatever reason, the balance of the gut flora is upset. Unfortunately, the good bacteria in the gut are destroyed along with the bad bacteria. Using natural live yoghurt can help to restore this balance but where there has been a prolonged use of antibiotics it is always worth adding Pro-biotics (Canine Chemists Direct) to the dog's food, to get the digestive system working properly again.

Ear Mites

If your dog suddenly starts scratching behind its ears, or rubbing its face and eyes, it could have ear mites. These are picked up on the dog's paws, or on its whiskers and they then migrate to the ears.

First, clean the ears with cotton wool and Veterinary Ear Cleaner. Use cotton buds for the intricate parts but be gentle and don't probe down into the ear. Only clean what you can see is a good guideline! When the ears are clean, drop four or five drops of Veterinary Ear Drops into the ear canal and massage the base of the ear for approx thirty seconds. Do one ear at a time but always treat both ears - even if you think only one ear is affected. Do this every day for seven days, always cleaning the ears before adding new drops. Any brown gunge that you clean out is dead ear mites. Stop after seven days, wait a further seven days and if the dog is still scratching, repeat the procedure.

After putting the drops into the ears, turn the ear flap inside out, take a pinch of Thornit Ear Powder, drop onto the ear flap and rub over the whole flap, especially the base, around the entrance to the eardrum. This will deter any more of the little blighters from entering!

Clean the ears and use the ear drops once a month as part of your normal grooming routine and with any luck, you will keep ear mites at bay.

Kennel Cough

This should always be treated seriously where Wolfhounds are concerned because it can often prove fatal if it turns to pneumonia, which it is estimated to do in 50% of all cases.

In December 2007 we brought Kennel Cough back from a show and spent Christmas and New Year nursing very sick dogs, three of which, Alfie, Ben and Bailey, all got pneumonia and were literally at death's door, running temperatures as high as 105 degrees. But for the advice in Mary McBride's book, The Magnificent Irish Wolfhound, we would without a doubt have lost them all, and probably Mattie too, except by the time she was really ill, we had begun treatment with Excenel, as Mary recommends in the book, and Alfie, Ben and Bailey were all responding well.

We had given all the dogs antibiotics, as prescribed by our vet, as soon as they began to cough, as well as Benyllin cough mixture but both had very little effect and slowly but surely, Ben first began to deteriorate, not wanting to eat, or drink - which was even more worrying, and eventually just lying like a stone. He'd given up; his breathing was laboured and roaring, his heart was racing and his temperature was going up and up.

Different antibiotics were tried but they didn't work either and then I remembered a conversation with friends in Ireland, back in August that year, when the subject was Kennel Cough. They had said that their dog (a Wolfhound) had only been saved from certain death by the advice in Mary's book and the drug she recommended. I didn't have a copy of the book at that time, so rang and asked if they could tell me the name of the drug and they said yes, Excenel.

Ben was in a desperate state by this time and when our vet came later that day I told him about the Excenel and - miracle - he had some in his car. He said it was used as a vaccine for pigs and was not tested on dogs, however, because it was licensed for animals he could prescribe it for dogs - but we would have to use it at our own risk. He had never used it on dogs before. We were caught between a rock and a hard place but knowing that our friends in Ireland were absolutely convinced it saved their dog's life, we decided we really had no other choice than to use it.

Our vet said to use half a ml per 10 kilos weight, injected intra-muscularly for three days but just to be on the safe side, Steve rang Ireland to double check the dose our friends had given to their dog and how they had administered it. They said 1 ml per 10 kilos, injected subcutaneously (under the skin) in the neck, for three days, using a different injection site each time as it stings when injected. I have to say, that Steve also found it hard to inject as it is very thick in consistency.

We did what they had done, though we erred slightly on the side of caution and gave (eventually) 5 mls to Ben and Mattie, who were nearly twelve months old at the time and weighed around 60 kilos, 5 mls to Bailey -approx 65 kilos, and 6 mls to Alfie, who weighs around 75 kilos.

Within twenty-four hours of the first injection, Ben was up and about and eating small amounts. The second day he was greatly improved and by the third day, he was pretty much back to normal, though still coughing.

But by this time, Christmas Eve as it happened, Alfie was desperately ill and even though we'd seen how the Excenel had worked on Ben, Steve was reluctant to inject him. It really was an eleventh hour decision and literally a matter of life or death. If he didn't inject him he was going to die anyway, so he gave him the first injection. The improvement by the next day was the best Christmas present we could ever have had and again, by the third day, he was pretty much back to normal. His temperature fluctuated for the next few days but this was kept in check with Rimadyl and he gradually recovered fully.

The next to go down with it was Bailey. In his case it knocked him off his feet in twenty-four hours but once injected with Excenel the recovery was just as quick. We injected Mattie as soon as her temperature started to rise, so she wasn't allowed to get to the point the others had reached and she recovered well and quickly.

Of our other dogs, Zizi (Alfie's mum and the oldest), never had any sign of anything, not even the slightest cough thank goodness; Lucy coughed and ran a slight temperature and then shook it off; Maggie, who was staying with us at the time and who had been vaccinated against Kennel Cough two years previously, which may or may not have had a bearing, had no sign of it; and Molly, who was three weeks pregnant when it started, coughed and by New Year's Eve had a temperature of 103 degrees. We were reluctant to inject her because of her being in whelp but decided that if the temperature was still rising by that evening, we would have to do it. Miraculously, it started to fall and by New Year's Day she was on the mend and didn't have any medication of any kind.

So, there it is. We had eight adult dogs here at the time and four of them had or nearly had pneumonia (Mattie certainly would have progressed to it), and that's 50%, as estimated.

In summary, it would seem that Antibiotics have little or no effect against viral Kennel Coughs. Rimadyl is effective in reducing the temperature. Benyllin helps to soothe sore throats and makes the cough productive, but Excenel, certainly in our own dogs' case, was the life-saver and we owe an immense debt of gratitude to Mary McBride and the advice in her book.

Tail Damage

My old Norfolk vet used to say 'A little blood goes a long way' - never more true than in the case of a damaged Wolfhound tail! It's amazing how far it does go - up the walls, on the ceiling, over the kitchen cupboards - and from even the tiniest of cuts.

Years ago I bought a cream mare off some marshes in Norfolk. Her face was a total mess, her entire muzzle covered in scabs and bleeding sores. A friend saw her and told me to try Siopel cream. It worked like a miracle, so when I had to deal with my first damaged Wolfhound tail; torn open on barbed wire; I decided to try Siopel on that and it did the trick, healing it in no time.

The next damaged tail - caused by a dog continually whacking his tail against a rough stone wall in his kennel run, took a while longer to heal. The Siopel was closing the wound but each time the dog wagged his tail and banged it on the wall, it opened up again. It finally dawned on me that a change of environment was needed and once that was done the tail healed completely and was never a problem again.

Since then, I've always used Siopel immediately a tail has been damaged and the longest it's taken me to completely heal one is three weeks. In that particular case, I subsequently found out the dog had Leukaemia.

It must be fifteen years or more since I bought that cream mare and first used Siopel. I realised early on, that what it was doing was shrinking the blood vessels and reducing the size of the damaged area, making it easier to heal - what I didn't realise was why - until last year when I was talking to someone about it and they said 'Oh yes, I've heard of that, it's a Haemorrhoid cream' - I'm just glad I haven't always been to the same chemist to buy it but I remember I did get a funny look from one pharmacist who asked me if I knew how to use it and I said 'Yes, I've had plenty of practice'!

Anyway, if you have a damaged tail to deal with, first of all, make sure that the damaged area is clean. Wash in salt water solution and dry thoroughly. If the wound is quite small, apply Siopel and rub gently into the wound for several seconds. Initially you will need to apply Siopel each and every time the dog makes the wound bleed, or if s/he doesn't, then at least twice a day, until the wound has completely healed. Use the cream once a day for a few more days, to keep the skin moist and supple so that it doesn't dry and crack open again. You only need to use a very small amount of Siopel for each application.

It is important to change the environment if the dog is in a situation where it will keep hitting the tail and reopening the wound. If this is difficult, (e.g. if the dog lives indoors) try to minimize tail wagging until the dog is outside. I find if I spread my whole hand over the top of the dog's tail, hold it down and say 'Mind your tail', the dog soon learns to keep the tail relatively still until the hand is removed outside the door.

If this doesn't work, you may have to resort to covering the damaged area, long enough for the initial healing to take place anyway. I use a length of foam pipe lagging, (which is extremely light and comes split down the middle - making it easy to put in place), long enough to cover the wound and extend just beyond the tip of the tail.

Apply the Siopel to the tail first, then put a smear of Siopel on a piece of clean cloth or lint to prevent it sticking to the wound and line the pipe lagging with it. Put a piece of Micropore Surgical Tape round the tail, above where the pipe lagging will be, put the pipe in place over the tail/wound and using the tape already on the tail as an anchor point, tape the lagging to it. Put one or two more pieces round the pipe to hold it together but leave the end open so the tail can breathe. Change every day, or twice a day if the wound is quite big. When the wound has healed, leave the pipe off but continue to apply Siopel for a few more days.