Wheat Allergy in Dogs; What Works for Buffy.

For some time Buffy has had an allergy to wheat based products, bread, pasta and dry dog food all contain wheat (or worse yeast). Buffy's problems were caused we think by a wheat ear becoming lodged in her ear canal one hot dry summer out gambolling through the local fields. 

Border Terriers as all owners will affirm, love their free running field time, following the scents of "beasts" and returning periodically and then dashing off again. I am sure that there has to be an internal trip switch in Border Terriers between their nose and their ears so that when an "interesting smell" is encountered the trip switch clicks in and their ears stop working. It was one of those hot summer afternoons that Buffy's problems started.

Buffy of all our Borders went straight for the hedgerows and would often come back with scratches, Buster was a field bouncer (running then jumping up in the long grass) and Bobby was a chaser, running in large circles. It was not unusual for them all to scratch off the dust dirt and debris from their adventures while out. When we arrived home we always checked them over and rubbed them down before they entered the house, looking at paws and legs for ticks and getting the loose dirt off them. But I never used to check their ears and it was a week or two before I noticed that Buffy was scratching one ear more than usual. I looked inside and one ear had mucus and that started the Vet visits and she gradually deteriorated. The wheat ear was extracted with a lot of mucus and her ear treated but the allergic reaction had been triggered.

The consequences of Buffy's allergy to begin with were HUGE Vet bills, biopsies, drugs, eye treatments, ear treatments, skin treatment and food additives. After changing Vets twice we found someone who offered real alternatives to costly drugs and regular treatments. 

To start with it was dietary; restricting and removing all Buffy's access to any carbohydrate (that was very difficult). In Buffy's case carbohydrates metabolised into strong sugars which fed bacteria which in turn fed Yeast which in turn feed on her skin (turning it black and causing fur loss).

Step one was putting her on a raw meat diet; and giving her steroids to enable her immune system to kill the yeast and using a medicated yeast killing bath wash twice a week, along with anti-fungal ear and eye treatments. I thought here we go again more Meds and more bills; but after two weeks her fur had grown back, she had stopped scratching and was back to herself. When the Meds stopped and she was just on raw meat I was expecting another flare up - but nothing happened.

After a lot of research and with the help of an understanding Vet Buffy is now virtually normal. Winter is the worst period as she can find scraps of food that can cause flare ups. 

She has moved on to Butchers Tinned Dog food (loaf not jelly and available in any good supermarket) and we add a spoonful of coconut oil to her food. I don't know why coconut oil in her food works but it does. It somehow stops any reaction starting in her gut and keeps her skin resilient. Her fur has completely grown back, even over the badly yeast damaged skin on her legs and her flare ups have decreased significantly. Now a flare up is unusual and down to once maybe twice a year. 

Buffy is now nearly 13 yrs old and enjoys sitting in the sunshine in the summer; this picture is her on her chair in the garden as I write this update.

I started looking for natural alternatives to Vet prescribed Meds to manager her flare ups and I discovered Apple Cider Vinegar. This kills the yeast on her skin naturally. We mix 20 ml in a litre of warm water and wash her weekly, especially in the creases at the top of her legs, behind her ears and along her tummy. The smell is not unpleasant and quickly disappears. I also use it as an ear flush / wash once a month just to keep her ears clean.

The diet strategy with coconut oil and periodic skin cleaning with diluted Apple Cider Vinegar works for Buffy. If your dog has an allergy try it (but don't use diluted Apple Cider if your dog has cracked skin, broken skin or open sores, remember vinegar is a mild acid).

Finally if you think your Border Terrier smells of biscuits or old bread? I can tell you that is the yeast growing naturally on their skin. Most dogs don't develop beyond smelling like biscuits (as Buffy did) but some go onto have allergy problems. I wish I had used Apple Cider Vinegar on Buffy long ago to kill that natural yeast; once its triggered into aggressive mode it is very hard to control. I can only offer it you as a precaution.

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Celebration of a Life Well Spent.

Bobbie passed away peacefully in the arms of my partner on the afternoon of January 3rd 2018. She was nearly seventeen years old and one of the smartest dogs I've ever had and she was also top dog; not only in our family but also in the wider circle of family and friends dogs that she saw often. Bobbie was the leader of the pack in every sense of the word. 

Her intelligence and her ability to predict what Louise or I may say or want was uncanny. Don't get me wrong although she was a lovable house dog she was courageous (maybe foolish as well) and a true terrier when out in the country. She once chased ducks by swimming up and down the Kennet and Avon Canal for over an hour with very concerned long boat owners passing slowly by watching her. On the hunt she forgot her name.  At the seaside she would chase seagulls who inevitably teased her by flying 100 metres and landing and repeating for as long as she would keep going. When she was 5 yrs old she got stuck down a badgers hole and had to be dragged out. She was a true character and was loved by all who came into contact with her. 

I had been cuddling her some of the morning and later on Bobbie refused her lunch and refused favourite snacks and water; I knew we were nearing the end of her wonderful life. However poorly she had been in the past she would always eat and hungrily so, as if she had not been fed in days (even if it was only a few hours ago). I called Louise and said I think Bobbie may be near the end and she decided to have the afternoon off work and came home straight away. 

Louise arrived and after just fifteen minutes having a cuddle with Bobbie in her arms and talking to her Bobbie passed peacefully away.

I am sure now that Bobbie was hanging on, waiting for Louise to come home. In Louise's arms she found peace and tranquility; and she knew that she was loved and safe. She passed peacefully with words of love and devotion ringing in her ears (and more than a few tears). We are sad but also very happy that we had such a special, special dog in our lives for so long (nearly Seventeen years). We have so many great memories and thousands of pictures of her, she will never be forgotten.

Although I always counted her as my dog I knew she was really Louise's. She would wait by the door for her car to pull up as she came in from work, she knew if Louise came home early or late by the sound of her car. Bobbie would always choose to sit with Louise in the evenings and follow her around. Yep she was Louise's dog and I guess I just looked after her (or her me) while Louise was out. Nonetheless I regarded her as my best friend and companion and I miss her sorely.

The strange (and sad) thing is Buster passed away on the 6th January 2016; two years almost to the day that Bobbie passed. The first week in January has a unique place in our calendars now.

Bobbie had not been able to walk because of arthritis since late October 2017 so we got her a dog cart to go out in. This picture is her on a walk in the woods in December 2017.

Bobbie in her dog cart.

Bobbie watching Louise.

Bobbie watching children play on Swansea Beach.

We have her ashes back now and she sits with Buster. Gone but never forgotten. If you have a dog, treasure every moment, life is short.

The loss of a pet can be devastating and sometimes you need some help to get through. Long after Bobbie passed I found this ebook by Robin Jean Brown, The Dependable ROAR Method.

If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Goodbye Buster my Dearest most Special Friend

I am very sad and sorry to tell you that Buster died cuddling me in his bed yesterday evening at approx 7.20. 

I loved him deeply and he was my closest buddy and always cheerfully there for me and everyone else in the family. I told him many times in those last 15 minutes how much I loved him and how much fun we had together and how much he had enriched all our lives. 

He and I went out together for our short last walk in the sunshine yesterday morning (although I didn't know it was the last then) and at that time I was still optimistic that he could recover, at least partially. 

Since Sunday morning when it was evident something was wrong I've taken him to the Vet everyday except Monday and he had both medication and pain relief. It seems that he had a series of strokes that could not be contained. We still have Bobby & Buffy and I love them too but Buster was so special to me. This morning I've arranged for him to be cremated and we'll get him back in a week. 

Although the raw heartbreaking pain of his passing is so hard to bear right now; I am very, very, very happy and extremely grateful that he was in our lives for nearly 14 years; he was such a special friend. I will remember him with love in my heart for the rest of my life.

Goodbye Buster and thank you.

The loss of a pet can be devastating and sometimes you need some help to get through. Long after Buster passed I found this ebook by Robin Jean Brown, The Dependable ROAR Method.

If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

History and Adventures with Border Terriers.

I've had dogs all my life. One of my earliest memories is curling up with my Mum and Dads old sheepdog (Wendy) when I was about three. Wendy was the sort of dog that any child would love and I did dearly. Even now over fifty years later, I still remember playing hide and seek with her; and I know now when she let me win it was because it was her deliberate decision, not because I was a skillful "hider."

My Grandparents bred Dachsunds and they were quite successful in County shows and although Dachsunds were smart they never really appealed to me. I was used to working dogs that my parents had I guess. Not that they ever worked for a living herding sheep or hunting, no their job was part protection, part educational for me and my brother but mostly as friends. No, they were more than that, they were part of the family and on some occasions were higher in the pecking order than the children (meaning me and my brother and cousins). My Dad was an Engineer and we moved to wherever his jobs were. Sometimes working on major Gas facilities in the South of England or helping to build Redcar Steelworks in the North (yep that was my Dad). 

Later on my Mum got a Beagle and she was my friend and confidant during my impressionable teenage years. A little more stoic than Wendy, Sheba was nevertheless fearless when it came to spotting prey and giving chase. Mostly this was the neighbourhood cats who quickly learned that although this dog was fast, it could not climb fences or jump onto cars. In all her years of chasing she never caught anything. 

Later on in life I discovered Cairn Terriers and then Border Terriers of which I now have three.

It was a completly different story when the Terriers arrived. The Cairns were fearless in hunting vermin and animals that disappeared down holes in the ground, including digging their way in so that they couldn't get out.

The Cairns, although expert diggers never caught anything. The Border Terriers however have a little more intelligence and diligence built in. Not that Cairns are not fantastic dogs but they are quite different to a Border Terrier.

Once when they were very young and whilst out deep in the Somerset countryside we strolled through an old woodland and came into a clearing at the bottom of a steep hill with so many Rabbit holes in it that the hillside resembled Swiss cheese. I knew we were in for trouble and I called my Border Terriers back, but in vain. Too late, they had scent of the chase and their minds and ears were completely closed to my plaintive attempts to recall them. The girls (sorry can't call them bitches) chased anything that moved as the rabbits hurried and scurried down any hole they could fit in. My boy ran and watched and then took up position near a hole at the top and sat down just watching the hole from above. I had given up on getting them back and waited at the bottom of the hill with leashes ready for when they were tired enough to come back.

Buster sat still as a statue and then one unlucky Rabbit looked out of the hole. In a flash Buster seized it at the back of the neck and a second later the Rabbit was dead. Carefully he brought it back down the hill, stumbling sometimes but never losing his grip and instead of coming to me as I expected he took his prize to the base of a nearby bush and started digging. He was clearly intent on burying the Rabbit he had caught. I saved him the trouble and walked over and put his lead on almost without him noticing. The Rabbit was small and I did bury it in the hole he had made. 

By now the girls had got tired chasing shadows and the fast Rabbits and came panting up. Their leashes were on before they knew it and we headed home.

I have never been back to that hill side and since then have them on extendable leashes when we go anywhere near Rabbit country. Even as older dogs their ability and willingness to chase down vermin is unabated; but now I know how to avoid dealing with their "prizes" and I avoid taking them to target rich environments.

If you think this article is useful you can make a small donation to me here  Thank you for your support.

Life with Border Terriers.

Hello and welcome to my blog about Border Terriers. 

There is lot's of detailed information about the breed here, from a detailed description of the breed and it's nature (see detail page here) to pictures of my dogs and other Borders.

I have had Terriers for over 35 years and 15 of those have been with Border Terriers. I used to breed Kennel Club registered Border Terriers (but don't anymore) and one of my babies ended up as Best in Show at a County show. I have never been without at least one dog. My Grandmother was a breeder of Dachshunds, my Mother showed Dachshunds and my Uncle was County Vet of Wiltshire for over 20 yrs. So you can see dogs and especially Terriers have been and still are a big part of my life.

These days I have 3 Border Terriers, one who is 15 yrs, one 12 yrs and one 9 yrs. They are my constant companions and trusted friends.

Recently I've been showing owners of older Border Terriers how to maintain their coat and the classic look with electric clippers. I found as mine got more advanced in years hand-stripping, even gently was stressing them too much. So I did some research and practiced on mine until I got the technique right and I've written a book to help other Border Terrier owners do the same. Like us as a dog ages it's skin becomes less elastic, thinner and their tolerance to pain decreases. It was for these reasons I decided there had to be a better way. Now you can use this approach as well. 

I also explain fully how to hand-strip your Border Terrier and the tools and consumables you'll need.