Burgess Pet Care

Hi everyone! This week’s dog diary is not so much about Codi’s adventures, but more about an observation. Warning this week’s theme is a little squeamish.

While I was round at my friend’s house, it was impossible not to notice that her dog was clearly distressed, as he kept dragging his rear on the floor and he wouldn’t leave his behind alone, his anal glands were blocked, and she was panicking trying to make a vets appointment to get them sorted out. It really got me thinking; since we made the gradual change to Burgess Supadog Sensitive premium dog food we haven’t had any problems at all with his! I decided to do some research into this subject. I wanted to know how they become blocked and why, and to help other dog owners that may be experiencing this problem regularly.

Most people never think about their dog’s anal glands until there’s a problem with them. These glands are designed to provide lubrication when a dog passes a stool, and they also give each dog its own unique scent. Find out how these glands work, how to spot when there’s a problem, and how to take care of it.

How They Work

Every dog has two small glands located on either side of its rectal opening. Each gland holds a small amount of a brown and smelly, liquid substance. Whenever your dog ‘goes to the toilet’, these glands receive a small amount of pressure that releases a tiny bit of the fluid along with your dog’s custom  scent.

Gland Problems and Diets

Many dogs never seem to have a problem with their anal glands. However, bacteria can build up in the anal glands if they don’t express properly, and this can lead to an infection. If they are left untreated, the infection can produce an abscess which may eventually rupture through the skin and cause further complications.

Some anal gland problems may be linked to the quality of pet food a dog receives. Inexpensive brands of dog food are often full of cereal fillers that tend to result in soft stools. The soft stool isn’t able to press firmly enough against the dog’s anal glands to provide the necessary pressure to express them, and there the trouble begins. Premium quality dog foods (Burgess Supadog) will help your pet produce firmer, more compact stools that actually help the glands express, so those foods may be a better food choice for your pet. This is one of the many reasons that I would recommend other dog owners to change to the Burgess Supadog range.

Signs That The Glands Are Impacted

If your dog’s anal glands fail to express properly, they may actually become impacted and make your dog very uncomfortable. Watch for these signs:

• Your dog begins scooting or dragging his rear across the floor.
• Your dog keeps licking or chewing near his rectum.
• Your dog’s stools have become soft and mushy.
• You’ll likely notice a foul or “fishy” odour coming from your dog’s rear.

If you notice one or more of these signs, it may be a good idea to take your dog in for a check up with his vet, as it’s a job that is best left to the professionals. Some professional dog groomers can also perform this procedure.

It’s important to only carry out this procedure when a dog is showing signs of  blocked anal glands. Expressing the anal sacs too often can lead to impacted anal glands, and failing to care for them may lead to infection.

80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease due to lack of brushing. Cavities and gum disease are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat. Bacteria that develop can infect the heart, kidney, liver and brain. Really bad breath is usually a sign of gum disease.

Here are a few methods that we have tested with Codi:

Hard toys with “Chew-clean” grooves effectively squeegee clean dog’s teeth and gums as they chew. The large and extra large sizes are bone shaped with hollow interiors designed for holding treats. As dogs try to remove the treats, their teeth and gums are effectively cleaned by the grooves (which can be used with dog toothpaste). Some toys have a diamond braid cotton floss rope which effectively removes food debris and reduces plaque and tartar build up.

Starting a husky off with the brushing practice can take quite a lot of patience! So be prepared!

We just started off with a little toothpaste on the finger and we got Codi to lick it to taste it. Once he had gotten used to the taste, we started to brush his front teeth with a toothbrush and toothpaste. Then when he became used to that, we went ahead and brushed all his teeth. It was just something new to him, that he didn’t understand  at first he didn’t know what was going on or even if it’s a good thing. But he had gradually gotten used to his teeth being brushed, and it is not a hard of a task as it used to be!

In addition to professional cleaning a regular tooth brushing, certain dog treats are formulated to help improve breath. Hard chew toys may also help, see what you vet recommends.

We like to make Codi’s treat time fun, by playing his favourite game “Guess which hand” this is where we get Codi to sit in front of a person holding a treat, and then that person then hides a treat behind their back (swap hands just to make sure the treat has been swapped hands several times making it harder for Codi to guess which hand it is in) The person the pull their hands from behind their backs and Codi then taps which hand he thinks it’s in! Nearly every time he guesses right!

Naughty……

Most of all: most importantly it’s important to keep up with vet exams. Be certain to follow your vet’s recommendations. And remember, what you do at home can really make all the difference.

As a husky owner I am saddend to hear that over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of huskies being sent to rescue centres up and down the country. It’s obvious why people are so attracted to huskies, they really are one of the most attractive breeds around…(Okay I might be a bit biased) They are fluffy and cuddly and look absolutely adorable!

But…Huskies are notoriously difficult to look after, and this is a big problem for inexperienced dog owners.

Over the past decade there has been a dramatic increase in the number of huskies that have been sent to adoption centres, and it’s a dramatic increase that I fear will only get worse. More and more dogs are being out up for adoption because their owners don’t understand that type of commitment that these dogs need. Although they do look like wolves and are very attractive dogs they aren’t really a pet for the novice. Too many inexperienced dog owners are being sucked in by their looks.

Originally bred to pull sleds for long distances, huskies are high maintenance, and need huge amounts of exercise. Finding the right owners for these dogs is a priority for many rescue centres across the country. Rescue homes are looking for experienced dog owners to help save these wonderful, characters. Rescue centres say that dog owners don’t necessarily have to have experience with a husky/malamute/sled dog but more so the experience of owning a difficult dog, dogs that may have had behavioural problems, or someone who is aware of the time and commitment that you need to put into a dog.

Many dogs wait months or even years for new owners, I just hope that all of the beautiful yet misunderstood dogs will all find a home very soon!

Our family always wanted a dog but we kept putting it off because of family and work commitments. When my dad decided we should get one he decided the husky breed was the one for us, and the whole family could do with the exercise! We had done a lot of research on the husky breed and there is a lot of information on YouTube regarding the pros and cons on taking on such an active dog.

We also wanted to re-home one as we knew from our research that there were lots in freeads and other such publications. It was a sort of fate when we found Codi – My dad got home from work one day and was just browsing the internet thinking “should I or shouldn’t  I get a dog” and there he was, those Ice blue eyes starting out at him from the photo on free ads.

My dad called the number and spoke to the people rehoming him and arranged to go and see him. He looked like a right handful when we met up, straining to get out of the owners car. We met at the owners parent house as they had a big garden, he was just running round the garden Husky style. He finally calmed down and came across to where we were talking and my mum pulled out a treat and told him to sit and give her his paw. To everyones amazement he did and got his treat. The owner had no idea he could do that sort of thing. It turned out that they had rehomed him 4 weeks earlier and he was only 10 months old!! Such an intelligent dog!

That was it, we took him home and have never looked back. He gets plenty of exercise and sleep and I get plenty of exercise but not as much sleep. We’ve had him 4 years now and I can’t imagine life without  the big boy. We go walking in places we would never have visited if we hadn’t got Codi, we’ve even started camping !

As Burgess Pet Care &  Burgess Supadog mention on their website “As long as you have a good understanding of what owning a dog entails and you can give him the love and commitment he requires then you will have a happy and active friend and companion”

Thanks for reading!

-Steph & Codi

Recently I’ve seen a dramatic increase in headlines warning us of the outburst of ticks and fleas recently, and apparently the damp and mild weather conditions we’ve seen recently are the perfect habitat for the little mites! (It was only snowing last week…so strange!)

As dog owners we’ve always been wary of ticks, as the weather is becoming warmer we regularly add a couple of drops of tick repellent onto the back of his neck, it’s important that it goes on the skin and not his fur, because the skin is where they attach themselves onto and with Codi’s thick fur it can be quite difficult to spot a tick until it has fed and become bloated with blood. We always have flea and tick protection solutions available at home…Just in case, and we’ve always taken him to vets to check him over when we have found one. There has been the odd occasion where we have taken him for walks in areas surrounded by ferns and heather, and he has come home with the odd tick. There is a lot of differing information regarding the removal of ticks, and here are a few that worked for Codi

-Rub the tick in a circular motion and pretend you’re trying to make the tick dizzy. I generally stick with one direction, clockwise. It usually takes less than a minute, so if it’s not working, make sure the body of the tick is moving around. Remember you can’t get dizzy unless you’re actually moving in a circle quickly. I doubt the tick actually gets dizzy, but they sure don’t like something about the movement and they crawl out on their own.

-Another good method that eliminated a chance of leaving part of the tick in the dog is to cover the tick completely in Vaseline; the tick will then suffocate and drop off. After the tick is removed wash the area with a form of antibacterial liquid.

-Removing the tick with sharp pointed tweezers, or specially made tick tweezers, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, and as close to its embedded mouthparts as you can, If you squeeze the body or head, you risk compressing the guts and salivary glands and could be at risk of expelling more bacteria through their mouth into the dogs body. Don’t twist the tick or turn the tweezers as you pull the tick out. Pull out straight with a quick and steady motion. Twisting can force more bacteria into the dogs body, and may result in the head or more being left in the body. We always find it handy to carry a pair of tweezers around with us when we take Codi out for long walks.

One last thing! Ticks can actually attach themselves to humans too and can cause a bad disease in some cases. Make sure keep your legs covered when walking through bracken, ferns and moorland.

There is plenty of information on the Burgess Supadog website which can help you to care for your dog in the best possible way. You can also download a Care Guide!

Thankyou for reading & good luck with your Flea and Tick control!

-Steph & Codi

The other day I was walking Codi through my local park, the sun was beaming down on me and the birds were out chirping, and it was a great feeling knowing that spring was finally here, but along with the nice weather comes an abundance of floral blossoms and there’s also a thick presence of pollen. As well as setting off your allergies, it can also affect your pet! Your pets can suffer from seasonal allergies just like humans. Flowers are blooming and the trees are getting green, the beginning of spring is a beautiful sight but the colourful blooms can mean a lot of sneezing and itching.

In this week’s Diary of a Supadog I’ll be discussing the things that myself and my family are going to do to protect Codi from allergies. After doing some research I’ve come up with a few tips on how you can protect your dog from those dreaded pollen attacks!

Firstly things to look for are:
• Low grade fevers
• You may begin to notice they’re sneezing a lot
• If they don’t feel good they will tend to lay around more
• They can start to paw their face when their eyes become dry and sore.
• They can also begin with a nasty cough

It’s important to catch these symptoms at an early stage and to get your pet help quickly because they can be prone to bad sinus infections, they can also scratch their eyes so much corneal ulcers can form and then it becomes a far more serious problem.

Here’s my checklist of things to do that can help prepare Codi for the arrival of the warm weather:
• We need to ensure that his flea and tick protection is up to date.
• We need to make sure his first aid kit is up to date because especially because he’s prone to mishaps and injuries when he’s out walking. Dogs are different from humans and they need their own kind of first aid kit.

• Our spring planting needs to be pet-friendly, some flowering plants, bulbs and shrubs can be toxic so to ensure Codi isn’t in danger it’s important that we find out about potential poisonous plants that can be found in our garden.

Click Here For A Full List

• As I discussed in my previous dog diary post Codi’s thick coat takes a lot of grooming, but this season his coat is going to malt even more because he’s beginning to lose his thicker winter coat, so I think a trip to the grooming salon is in order to get him prepared for the warmer weather.
• There’s no better time to have a cleanup of Codi’s gear. Spring cleaning is a great time to replace Codi’s bedding, toys, bowls and grooming tools. It’s also a great time to stock up with a new supply of Burgess Supadog Sensitive- British Lamb and Rice that he loves!

The arrival of spring is a great time for all of us, but even more so for Codi and becuase we’ve taken time out to do our research we can now ensure that Codi is protected and that he can enjoy playing outdoors to the maximum and following these steps will make the transition to warmer weather a smooth one!

Dog’s are amazing animals. They are friendly and loving, able to learn new tricks and behaviours, and will keep you company whenever you want. But we need to remember that they are dogs and not humans, and they can be prone to misbehaving. There will be times when dogs will misbehave, and the more badly they behave, the more frustrating it can be, so I thought behaviour could be the theme of this week’s dog diary.

Codi is an all around well behaved dog because we have worked hard with him from the very beginning. We’ve developed a close relationship and because of this we have been able to prevent any major behaviour problems. But due to his ‘husky temperament’ he can sometimes be very stubborn when he decides to take that extra couple of seconds do what he’s told, and he sometimes likes to push the boundaries when he thinks he’s the alpha male of the house.

This week I experienced a particular interesting moment with Codi. When he was told to “lie down” after he was begging for food, he lay directly in front of my mum and kept putting his paw on her foot, my mum then responded back to him by placing her hand on top his paw. I thought this was quite unusual and I was intrigued as to why she responded like that. She then explained that when he puts his paw on top of your foot, it’s a sign that he thinks he’s the top dog or leader of the pack, so when she responds by putting her hand on his paw it’s a reminder that he isn’t the alpha male.

This scenario got me thinking about the ways in which we cope with Codi when he starts to misbehave.
Firstly, I think that it’s important that he has a daily routine because consistency and structure helps to promote good behaviour, we then reward good behaviour with a reward. We also find that the more exercise Codi gets the less naughty he’s likely to be because he’s completely worn out!

The only major problem we used to have was when Codi was younger; he had a big chewing problem. He would chew everything! I recall one time my sister had spent a lot of money on a book for university and it was posted through the letter box, we came home to find it had been ripped into a million pieces! His personal favourites were shoes and with my mum, dad and two sisters he had a great selection to choose from. We cured this problem by firstly attaching an outside letterbox, so that straight away prevented any temptation. We then began hiding dog treats in his toys, this method keeps him occupied and stimulated and ever since we introduced it he hasn’t chewed anything!

When he has been naughty we find that commanding him to “lay” works because again this is a sign of submission. Occasionally we found that Codi would sometimes come up to us and would just stare at us in a dominant kind of way, like he was the alpha male. We found that keeping eye contact with him until he turned his head away is a sign of submission and this tells him that he’s not the leader of the pack.

We also used to find it stressful when we used to walk him because he would pull; now we use a harness that prevents him from pulling too much and he walks lovely! Even when we attach a different lead he still walks nicely. We’re still not confident enough to let him off the lead because we know that with his husky instinct he will be far too tempted to run away, but were taking small steps by gradually giving him that extra bit of trust when it comes down to letting him off the leash. When other dogs approach him we usually get him to sit until they’ve passed, and again we reward him with a small treat.

One thing that we have NO intention of stopping Codi doing is digging holes in the back garden because this is what huskies naturally do, out in the wild they use these holes to keep warm. Codi likes to dig and bury and we did plenty of research around this area and knew what we were letting ourselves in for when we first got him.

Because we gave Codi so much time and attention at the beginning of our relationship, we have been able to prevent any major problems happening and make the minor issues pretty easy to take care of.

It’s Steph here giving you the latest update of the adventures (and mainly mischief ) Codi has been involved in this week. It’s been a busy week for Codi with plenty of exercise (and we all know what plenty of exercise means a hungry dog) and what better way to get a husky exercising? Dog scootering! And it’s not only fun for the Codi, but for the rider too!

Codi is bursting with energy and he loves to run and pull, and dog scootering is the perfect sport for him. Codi is harnessed onto the scooter, this makes him work harder than with just a standard lead, this gives him more freedom which is always good to see, and it’s great that we don’t have to control him by tugging on the lead.

How we Introduced Codi to Scootering

The first time we introduced the scooter to Codi was after he was 1 and when he was in his prime. Firstly it was important for us as the owners to get used to how the scooter rides and to generally get a feel for it so we were confident enough to ride. Then we began with the small steps to get Codi used to it, we then started with small trips and we found that someone running beside him really encourage him to get running. He loved his first lesson!

Now, It takes no encouragement at all, he’s like PRO

So as a special treat we decided to take Codi to the Trans Pennine Trail this weekend, the long and straight paths are a perfect location. We fitted his harness (after 5 minutes of an over excited jumping Codi, we managed to calm him down) we were ready to go, and after a few backwards looks from Codi as if to say “Come on! What are we waiting for” my dad let out a great big “Hike” and in a split second he was off bombing down the path like a lightning bolt. It was fantastic to see him run so fast, and so free. Huskies love working in teams but seeing Codi pulling my dad along really did show the bond between a man and his dog.

When Codi got home he tucked into a nice bowl of his new favourite dog food, Burgess Supadog -Scottish Salmon and Rice and accompanied by a big bowl of water, I can safely say he was one tired Dog!

Hi, my name is Steph, and I’m the latest member of the Burgess Pet Care online marketing team.  I’m a huge animal lover and the proud owner of a 5 year old Siberian husky named Codi.  Siberian huskies’ are renowned for their huge personalities and Codi is no exception. He spends a large amount of time playing (most of the time getting up to mischief) being groomed (Oh! to have the life of a dog!) and begging for dog treats. Puppy dog eyes are surely familiar to anyone who owns a dog!

Making a Dog a new addition the family wasn’t a decision that could be made over night, as there are so many things that we needed to take into consideration first. For example, would we able to give the dog plenty of exercise? Could we figure out a schedule around our working lives so that the dog wouldn’t be left alone for long periods of time? We knew from past experience that a new dog would need time to settle in to our home and we wanted to ensure the experience was completely stress-free.  Fortunately for my family there is someone at home during the day, so we could be confident that our new four legged friend would not be left for prolonged periods of time.

After a lot of planning we decided that we wanted to rescue a Siberian husky, as there are many huskies that are abandoned or given away because people don’t realise how much hard work goes into looking after them. As a family we are very familiar with dogs and felt confident that this breed was right for us.

Huskies like being part of a pack and this is what we love about this particular breed of dog; being part of the pack means being part of the family. Huskies need loads of exercise as they are big dogs but this is fine because all of my family are extremely active and love going on long walks and runs all over Yorkshire. This ensures that we have plenty of time and energy as a family to exercise such a high maintenance dog.

After doing our research into the huskie’s behaviour we discovered that they make ‘scrapes’ which are shallow holes that they dig in the wild to keep themselves warm. We had to prepare ourselves for Codi doing this in our garden, so we expected holes to be dug out all over the place! We also had to take into consideration the cost of owning such a breed; we wanted to get him micro chipped and had to think about the cost of vets bills, food, toys and grooming.

When we rescued Codi he was just over a year old, and he was quite a reserved and quiet dog. We expected it to take quite a while for him settle into our family, but it was surprising that it only took a few days for him to feel comfortable. Before long we had a content and happy companion.

Codi has been with us for four years now and is a real part of the family. We get up to some fantastic adventures and every week I will update you with some of the highlights.

So for this week “Goodbye” from myself and Codi!

As a nation of pet lovers, we all know that the unconditional love of our furry friends is more than enough return on the investment to keep them happy and healthy.

However, Barbara Stanier of Thetford, Norfolk could never have dreamed that her 18 beloved dogs could eat their way to a further cash fortune when they recently won her £5,000 after she found a golden ticket in their bag of Supadog Beef Casserole.

Barbara Stanier wins the £5000 Golden Ticket

Avid musher Barbara, has been racing teams of Siberian Huskies and Malamutes for 27 years and has dedicated her life to these beautiful dogs; even showing champions at Crufts. It is essential that they eat a high quality food to allow them to keep up their energy and condition, especially in the racing season.

She said: “Burgess Supadog has always been an ideal choice, but I never imagined when they were running the £5,000 promotion that I would be the one to find the winning ticket– this sort of thing never happens to me! Keeping 18 dogs on the go can get quite expensive, so this money will go a long way with helping towards the cost”

Justin Heaton, head of marketing for Burgess Pet Care said: “ The golden ticket promotion was a great opportunity to thank pet owners for their loyal support of the Supadog brand. It fitted really well with our values of great food with great taste at great prices, which is very important in these hard economic times. With 18 mouths to feed no-one deserves it more than Barbara!”

Burgess Pet Care, a small family Yorkshire based business of pet lovers and owners will be running similar promotions to the £5,000 golden ticket in packs of pet food over the next few months. Look out in store for your chance to win”

When asked how Barbara planned to spend her winnings she replied: “Most of it will go back into the dogs of course, but I am treating myself to a top of the range laptop so that I can follow the Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute websites to follow our results as the racing season progresses”.

All dogs are little emperors in the making; if they can have the world run their way, they will. But while there is a natural inclination for owners to want their dogs to love them, it is a mistake to encourage a pets affection by letting them have their own way.

All dogs need clear rules and boundaries to live by, including rescue dogs. Don’t be tempted to make allowances for bad behaviour – this won’t help you or your dog.

Here are a few things you should consider trying:

• Exercise and play with your dog regularly – it keeps them fit and helps prevent boredom.
• Watch out for chewing! Dogs chew objects around the home for a number of reasons including boredom, teething, attention seeking, diet or distress at being left alone. Make sure they have plenty of their own toys to chew. Old shoes are not a good idea unless you don’t mind sacrificing your best shoes too! A dog will not appreciate the difference!
• Offer good quality dog food from the Burgess Supadog range and feed at regular intervals throughout the day. Don’t spoil him by offering treats and scraps from your plate. They are usually unhealthy and encourage begging.
• Take the dog for regular check-ups at the vet, for protection against distemper, hepatitis, leptospirosis, kennel cough and lungworm.
• Grooming is an excellent way to bond with your dog and should be seen as a positive experience. Pay attention to areas such as the tummy and between the hind legs, which can be neglected. You can also check the skin for lumps and bumps and the eyes and ears for anything unusual.
• Preventing worms and fleas are both essential for a happy, healthy pet. Ask your vet for advice.
• Where possible teach them to be handled from as early and age as possible. This will get them comfortable with being handled from as early and age as possible. This will get them comfortable with being handled when attempting to groom.
• Regularly check your dog’s teeth and toenails plus eyes and ears to make sure they are healthy. Toe nails will naturally wear down if your dog does a lot of walking on hard surfaces, but you may need to clip them to keep them at a good length. Your vet can show you how to do this the first time.

Dogs are the nation’s favourite pet and with a little care and attention they really are man’s best friend. Remember, your dog is your responsibility. Look after him by following some of the tips above – he deserves all the love you can lavish upon him!