Dog Wash at Marcy's House June 9

Marcy hosted and led our June Saturday meeting, and new puppy Otis (raised by Brandon) was in the house (literally). Marcy started off with a slew of medical tips for our dogs and ended with all the pups getting a bath.

Here's a basic rundown of Marcy's medical tips:

Program your phone to include numbers for your vet, the emergency vet, John, and Marcy

Know your dog's normal temperature (every dog is different)
- the normal range is between 101 and 102.5
- use an ear or rectal thermometer

Know your dog's pulse
- the normal range is 70-150 beats per minute
- feel pulse inside thigh using your first two fingers

Have a first-aid kit with:

- ACE bandage or secure gauze bandage to use to muzzle a hurt dog to protect you, since dogs may instinctively bite when in pain
- Benadryl for an allergic reaction to stings and bites (1 mg per pound of dog's weight)
- buffered aspirin (NOT Tylenol) (5 mg per pound)
- camphor - topical treatment for stings and bites
- thermometer

Other handy items:

- towel to put under dog to carry it or to provide warmth for dog in shock or to cool off a dog suffering heat stroke (dampen towel in water at room temperature and wrap around dog)
- sunblock towelettes (Neutrogena hypoallergenic) for nose and footpads
- Bag Balm or Hibiclens for itchy spots (don't use on an open wound)
- mouthwash to wipe a dog's neck after it has played with a pup (that would be biting the dog's neck!)

To perform CPR:

- have the dog lying on its right side; if you push its left arm closed, the elbow will be where the heart is
- check for blockage
- puff through the nose
- use five chest compressions for each breath

For choking:

- try to clear the dog's airway with your hand
- if that doesn't work, lift the dog by its hind legs, place your knee between its legs, and press up under the rib cage (Heimlich maneuver)

For drowning:

- check for airway obstruction
- lift by hind legs and move back and forth in swinging motion to get the water to roll out

(Petey kindly allows Marcy to save him from drowning below.)

For fleas:

- Vet's Best spray kills fleas on contact; Marcy also treats her yard every other month

Marcy also has a clever way of giving our pups a bath, as we discovered. Marcy's trick is to fill a gallon milk jug most of the way with water, add a little shampoo, shake, and use that mixture to pour over the dog. That way, you don't waste a lot of water or get the dog too soapy, and you can pour the mixture just where you want it. Rinse with another gallon of water, and you're good to go!

Lots of useful info at this meeting, and clean puppies to boot!