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Sometimes we see our dogs eating or chewing on grass when they are outside. While sometimes dogs do chew grass to settle an upset stomach, some dogs chew grass just because they like to do so. While for the most part grass eating is harmless, there are some things that you should watch out for while your tiny friend is outside enjoying the sunshine and the yard. If your grass has been treated with herbicides,  insecticides or fertilizers, then you should not allow your dog to chew on the grass under any circumstances. Tiny dogs can easily become very sick from ingesting these chemicals. Since their body mass is very small, it only takes a small amount of these chemicals to make your dog sick. If your dog comes in from outside and begins vomiting with small blades of grass, call your vet immediately for advice. Making sure you know what is safe before problems begin is a great way to help your little guy or gal live a long and healthy life with you.

After Angel’s disastrous visit to the groomer in mid-December, her fur is finally starting to grow back thick and beautiful. It is now about a half of an inch long so she is not needing to be bundled up to go outside when the sun is out.  She still needs her sweater on for early morning or night trips to her potty place but at least not during the day now.

This experience got me thinking about what causes a dog’s fur to grow so I looked up some information about this. It seems that dogs are interesting creatures because more than one hair can grow from an individual hair follicle. The main coat is refereed to as the “topcoat.”  This topcoat can be surrounded by smaller secondary hairs known as the dog’s down or undercoat. In Angel’s case, her undercoat is really growing in thick to give her extra warmth during this cold weather season. The growth cycle of a dog’s coat is controlled by several things such as temperature, increasing or decreasing daylight hours, body hormones, nutrition, stress and of course, the dog’s own genetic make-up. When the days become longer and warmer, the dog’s coat thins out in preparation for summer when a lighter coat will be more beneficial. Thank goodness Mother nature knows better what a dog needs than a human groomer!

Last week-end, Angel went with us for a wonderful hike in the warm Arizona desert. Unfortunately, while she loved the hike, she came home with her tiny feet full of small stickers and burrs. If you have ever tried to remove stickers or burrs from a tiny dog’s feet, you know they scream and yell like you are in the process of killing them. Angel was certainly no exception so —  rather than torture her any further,  I went looking for some ideas on how to get the burrs out without all of the screaming and nipping behavior.

So, here are some great solutions that I want to share for this big problem. A good way to remove stickers or burrs is to put a little cooking oil on your fingers and rub it into the dog’s fur around the area. Some people even suggested spraying an aerosol cooking oil like Pam on the dog’s coat. I tried both of these and both worked well. The aerosol spray was easy to use because it got into the foot area quite easily. Once the area was oiled up, the burrs easily pulled right out without much fuss. I also found a suggestion that corn starch can help untangle coat mats so I will try this the next time I find a mat in Angel’s fur. If anyone has any other good suggestions for getting burrs or stickers out of a dog’s fur, please be sure to share them here.

I recently watched my tiny, yorkie girl scooting along my carpet in a very unladylike way and wondered what is this about? It turns out – dog scooting behavior on a rough surface like carpet or the grass can be related to several issues. The first reason that a dog may scoot is for hygiene. If they sense a bit of fecal matter still attached to the rear, you may find “skid marks” on your carpet. If this is the problem, your carpet may quickly tell the story. Obviously, dogs don’t have the benefit of a handy roll of toilet paper so it makes sense that occasionally they feel the need to use your carpet as a cleaning too. This is especially true for dogs with long coats where fecal material may tend to stick on the dense fur. Having the groomer address this area when the animal is groomed can help this problem.

The second reason that dogs may scoot is due to tape worms. This is probably the least common reason that a dog may exhibit scooting behavior but if the problem persists, talking with your vet about the possibility of a tape worm is a good idea.

The third, and most common reason that a dog may scoot is due to anal sac problems. Anal sacs are scent sacs found on either side of a dog’s anus. When full, they are like single, hard grapes under the skin. If these sacs become plugged or severely infected, the sac swells and may burst through the skin causing a painful, draining abscess on the animal. Anal sac irritation is common and may well be the most likely reason your dog is exhibiting the scooting behavior on the grass or your carpet. During normal grooming, your dog groomer will likely “express” or squeeze  out some fluid from these sacs to make sure they are flowing well and are not blocked or irritated. If your dog seems to have continual problems in this area that are clearly not related to hygiene, be sure to talk to your vet and have him check this area. Infections in this area may well require antibiotics to help alleviate the problem for your tiny canine.