Boston Care

7 Resolutions For Boston Terrier Owners
in BOSTON NEWS



If you’re like most Boston terrier owners, your BT is the center of your universe! So I’m sure you want to do everything you can to ensure that he/she has a long, happy, and healthy life.

Here’s a short checklist of some things that will help ensure your dog is a happy, healthy, and well behaved Boston!

1. Maintain Proper Nutrition

Provide your Boston terrier with plenty of clean, fresh water.
Feed your dog a high quality and nutritious diet (remember portion control)!
Do not give your dog foods that can potentially harm him, and also avoid table scraps!
2. Exercise Your Dog!

Exercising your dog will not only help your dog get in better shape, but it will also help you achieve those New Year’s Resolutions you may have set for yourself. For suggestions on exercises, check out this article: Exercise Your Dog: It’s Vital To Their Health!

3. Train Your Dog

Dogs love to learn new tricks! If your dog already has basic training down, why not try something a little more advanced? Train your Boston Terrier to ring a bell, dance with you, or even get the mail. You’ll enjoy spending this time with your dog, and these new tricks will also impress your company!

4. Make Sure Your Dog Is Up To Date On All His Shots

Vaccinations are crucial to preventive health care for your dog. Read more on the production and administration of vaccinations; choosing vaccines; and the vaccination schedule for dogs and puppies at PetEducation.com.

5. Keep Your Dog Current On Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Medications

Preventive care is so important when it comes to your dog’s health. I reviewed popular flea and tick medications here. Be sure to check it out, and then get your dog on preventive care ASAP if he/she isn’t on these medications already!

6. Keep Your Dog Well Groomed

Your dog is happiest when he/she is clean and well-groomed. A healthy skin and coat is extremely important to your dog’s quality of life! You should also be diligent about keeping his toenails clipped, and brushing his teeth! Dental care can help prevent an array of health problems in the long-term.

7. Help A Less Fortunate Dog

Be sure to check with local animal shelters or Boston Terrier rescue groups to see what you can do to help. You can make a donation, volunteer your time, help organize a fundraiser, or volunteer to be a foster parent.

WAGS

A continuing feature with brief reviews of books, internet resources, etc for our readers; note that prices quoted are based on book cover or Amazon.

What’s Wrong With My Dog, by Jack Tedaldi, DVM, $12.99
One of the most easy to use and helpful vet books I have seen for the typical dog owner. Breaks problems down into 18 major categories, such as My Dog Is Having Eating and Drinking Problems or My Dog Has a Discharge, and then further categories with 150 different symptoms in different places, e.g. My Dog Is Drooling Excessively or My Dog Has a Discharge From His Ear. Includes simple instructions for examinations for different problems, what to do, simple observations you can make, when to call the vet; even includes a list of what you should have in your dog’s first aid kit. Rather than scare you, it helps you and your dog. So impressed that I bought it! If it saves you even one trip to the vet, it’s paid for itself several times over.

You Had Me At Woof, by Julie Klam, $24.95
This is one of the funniest, yet poignant, dog/human books there is. A true story of how a single woman, living in NYC on her own, evolves into a Boston Terrier owner and rescuer, with a canine/human family that are an integral part of her life and rescue activities. You’ll see Julie grow as a person, learn a lot about life, and turn into a mature adult, all with a great sense of humor. I love this book, reread chapters because I enjoy it so much, a must read for dog lovers. And yes, it’s become a permanent part of my library!

The Pet Web Library
Good information site about diseases, treatments, pet health problems, etc. Does not plug products or have advertising so you don’t need to filter through a lot of stuff to get the information you need.

Green, Clean, Lean and Mean: Economical Alternatives to Pricey Dog Care Products

No matter what the media say, it’s still a tough economy and high cost items are out when it comes to everything in our budget, including the essentials for our precious pups. Just like with anything else, opportunities to be creatively economical without sacrificing quality abound.

First, a few facts and stats: No surprise to those of us in NEBTR, the number of pets abandoned by the wayside or left off at shelters has skyrocketed since this recession began. This has left all rescue groups scrambling to find foster homes and those foster homes are scrambling to expand already strained budgets to feed just one more mouth. The following is the rundown of the yearly expenses involved in taking care of just a single dog:

• Food and Treats $250 – 700
• Toys $25 – 150
• Beds $50 – 200
• Leashes and collars $20 – 50
• Grooming $30 – 500
• Routine vet care $100 – 300
• Preventive medications and supplements $100 – 300
• Training classes, books, videos $25 – 300
• Pet sitters/Boarding $100 - 300
  From About.com

This adds up to a whopping $700 – 2800 per year for a single dog and does not include emergency care which we all know is an all too frequent and expensive occurrence. Now multiply this by however many “kids” you have in your household, your own or fostered, and chances are you might be a bit surprised.

So, where am I going with this? This little column is hereby devoted to sharing quality, cost effective and green-conscious alternatives to providing our precious pups with the utmost care. I invite you to share your concoctions, recipes and tips so we can all benefit from your wisdom and experience. For example, Sheryl has a dinner-recipe to-die-for, and Linda Antonelli has enough “pearls” (of wisdom) to fill a very large treasure chest!

For our purposes, I suggest we stick our stuff in the following categories:

• Food and treat recipes
• Training
• Supplies: toys, leashes, collars,
• Grooming
• Veterinary care
• Emergency supplies and care

Doggie SoapLet me get the ball rolling by talking shampoo. First, even if it’s baby shampoo, human hair-care products are a canine no-no and it all boils down to the correct pH balance that will not irritate the dog’s skin. Here is one formula that is safe, gentle, and effective:

• 1 pint of Dawn or Ivory dish soap
• 1 pint of water
• 1 pint of apple cider vinegar
• 4 ounces of glycerine (find at any drugstore)

Mix all of this together and store the “leftovers” in air-tight containers. However, there is one caveat here, and that is that vinegar is an eye-irritant, so to be careful when washing around those sensitive BT eyes.

What’s Next?
In addition to sharing some of your suggestions in our next newsletter, I will also discuss places to shop to get the best deals on basic supplies. My ultimate goal is to compile everything we do here into a fund-raising booklet made available to other rescue groups and shelters.