What is a foxtail? Foxtails are a wild barley very common to our area. They are designed to work their way further and further into their host by way of little barbs built into their tops. They typically are not a problem for pets until they dry out. At this point they very easily become embedded in fur (and socks!) and are difficult to remove. A foxtail can work its way right into the skin and even the bloodstream and should be taken very seriously as they can create expensive vet bills and lots of discomfort to a pet!

5 Grooming Tips on Managing Foxtails for your Cat or Dog

1. Check your dogs feet often! Look in the pads and remove and stickers or foxtails after they’ve been out in nature or even just for a walk.

2. Check your dogs ears, and bottoms. Foxtails can become embedded in a pets privates if they sit on them. They can also enter ears easily and this is a common reason for a vet visit.

3. Avoid weeds and wild fields. Try the park or the beach for an outing instead and if you are on a trail keep your dog on a leash so they dont crash around in the underbrush and collect stickers and foxtails.

4. Keep your pet professionally groomed. In grooming your pet we cover everything! We find remove and report possible foxtails on a weekly basis in the summer.

5. If you think your dog has a foxtail. If you suspect your dog has a foxtail in its foot, often you can apply a warm compress to drain and squeeze it out. If the foxtails is embedded too far in you will probably need to have it lanced out by a vet.

Please feel free to comment or add to our list! Every little bit helps keep our pets healthy and happy!

And don’t forget cats can get foxtails too, so be sure and follow these steps wherever appropriate if your kitty spends time outdoors.

Woofstock is celebrating the opening of the city of Menifee’s first Dog Park!

Joe and I will have a boothe there so please come and contribute to a wonderful cause and visit with us while you are there. This should be a really fun event.

Menifee & Sun City Woofstock 1st Annual Dog Park Opening Event Info

Hope to see you all there!!

Joe and I have had the pleasure of spending time with Ray and think he’s really an exceptional dog. Lisa is currently conducting an blanketing search for Ray, who requires medication for sarcoptic mange and may at this moment be relapsing from the good health Lisa had worked hard to achieve for him.

Every mobile animal control officer has a special note and info about Ray at this moment, but so far with no luck finding him.

Ray is exceptionally friendly and will avoid a fight to go find a friendlier dog to play with, he is agility trained with a great disposition. His skin may look poor at this point as he will have been off his medication and special food for a week and half now. If anyone has any leads please contact us! There is a reward and good chance you will be written about in the paper.

Click the link below to read Bob Pratte’s article about Ray:

 Lost Pit Bull in Hemet, Ca Article by Bob Pratte, PE.com (Scroll Down to “Extreme Pet Hunt”)

eMail Us - us@sudsypuppy.com or Call 951.926.1457

If you are interested contact us at Sudsy Puppy and we will give you the phone number where you can reach Sheryl. We hope to have pictures soon!

Basically the way it works is, friction creates matts, this is why we generally find them in armpits or behind the ears, this again is more of an issue with longer hair and especially curly type of coat. A tight sweater will press the hair down against the skin and when the pet walks, move the hair back and forth until it begins to cling together and begin to form what we call a “matt”. Once you have a small matt it grows outwards like a spiderweb and becomes larger and larger. The larger that matt is the less practical it becomes to try and work it out.

But dont panic! There is a solution. We had this same issue with our pet Willow who is a shih tzu. We let her grow out in the winter and she has some carefully chosen winter wear. What we’ve learned is that tight cotton sweaters are the worst culprits for matting up her hair. The best solution is to find a nice well fitting but not tight, velcro type of jacket. Willow’s has a warm fleece lining to keeps her feeling toasty and a waterproof exterior to keep her dry when she goes out if its raining. The jacket velcro’s easily in the front on her chest and under her lower ribs.  It does a great job of keeping her warm, dry and without the unfortunate side effects of matting from a tight cotton sweater.

Additional to the selection of the coat, we make sure to take if off when she really doesn’t need to wear it, and brush through her coat to catch any little starter matts that may be appearing. Taking these steps will save you, your groomer and pet from much of frustration that dealing with matted pet hair can create!

Click here to view an example velcro pet jacket (jean jacket style)!

We are always amazed at the appreciation and thoughtfulness of our clients and I just had to take a photo of the gorgeous apple galette that Beverly baked and brought over to us on Monday. Doesn’t it look fabulous?? And yes it tastes AS good as it looks! There were also some delicious thumb drop cookies included as well but I’m afraid they did not make it to the photography session. Perhaps next time we can manage to NOT devour them before the day is over!

Thanks again to Beverly and Tucker! You guys are the best!

What is a gallete? Click here to learn more…

Pet Smart Recalls Peanut Butter Products

A natural cat repellent method I’ve recent become aware of consists of using rosemary plant cuttings or essential oils as a cat repellent. Personally I love the smell of rosemary so this wont bother us at all. Today I will be purchasing some oil and diluting it with water then lightly spraying the couch, which we keep covered with a blanket or two.

Keeping the fingers crossed! We’ll report back as to how well this idea actually works!

Natural Cat Repellent

How it works; every time a visitor clicks a button, the Animal Rescue Site will display a sponsors ad and receive a donation from them, 100% of this donation is passed along to the animal rescue partners.

Please take a moment to click the link, go to the site and click the purple “Give” button, it’s free and only takes a moment. You can even sign up for daily reminders that are sent to your email. Its a wonderful thing!

We’d like to thank a friend, Kay Larmer for the link, she is the owner of www.lolgames.com a fun, free, virus and spyware free online gaming website. All games and content are kid friendly and safe for young eyes!