Welcome to the end of the second week of 2017. How is everyone feeling? Bright and bushy of tail? Or much more scowly and with a thinly repressed urge to punch everyone in the face? This fresh, frigid, brave New Year has taken me, for one, by surprise. I have been sleepy and stumbling about, feeling dazed and unsteady of limb; liverish, odd, in a weird and fuzzy sort of fog. Inertia did set in big time hence no blog until today. There was nothing to do but wait for it all to pass. In the meantime I have nibbled on leftover selection packs, turkey and ham sandwiches, crimble cake, mince pies (they never taste the same do they after Christmas?), while watching old black and white movies, the wonderful musical, "Singin' in the Rain" and other films made in more innocent times.
Just as all New Years - 2017 is no different - have to start on a health kick, here are one or two that could be good for your dog. And I bet they had many a delicious scrap of food fall off the table that's not done their digestive systems any good!
DID YOU KNOW THAT HONEY CAN BE GOOD FOR YOUR DOG?
Those little bees certainly know a thing or two about the health giving properties of the sweet, gooey stuff that they manufacture. Ive never heard of a bee suffering from coughs and colds or getting the itches, so let's learn a thing or two from them.
Honey is terrific for humans but it is also known to improve allergies in dogs, soothe kennel cough, help dogs' digestive systems and more! There is the argument that raw honey is better than processed honey. The only difference is price and the fact that raw honey is strained to remove debris, but that's it. Yes! of course, processed honey, is manufactured with heat, that thins and dilutes many of its beneficial attributes but having said that, honey is honey and still has magic properties that shouldn't be ignored.
Here are some good uses for giving dogs honey.
Coughs: I have often used diluted honey to cure my dog's cough caused by a collapsed trachea,when she does a late night revolting sounding"Citizen Khan-clearing-of-the-throat" noises. I make up a solution of teaspoon of honey with warm water to thin it out, a couple of squirts of lemon juice and administer it at the side of the mouth with a plastic syringe (you can get one from the vet). Keep this solution in a small plastic tub and use whenever you need some. Best to keep it in the fridge as the natural sugar in the honey mixture goes mouldy with a green skin on top if left out at room temperature. If this happens, just skim off the skin and give the mixture a stir. Its not harmful to the dog.
Itchy skin and feet: If your dog is allergic to house dust, grass pollen, flea bites or dry skin and is scratching or biting its feet or other parts of its body frequently, giving them some honey twice a day for a week will see an improvement in their symptoms. You can squirt a syringe-ful into their food.
Shampoo: You can make a watery solution of honey and water and use that as a shampoo but you still have to use a conventional shampoo to wash off the stickiness. The end result is a very soft and shiny coat. (Of course, you can also go the easy route and buy a honey based dog shampoo!)
Next month I will tell you some more useful hints and tips on something totally different for making your dog's life healthier.
Here's an amusing clip of a Husky throwing a tantrum because he doesn't want to leave the park.
Until the next blog, have an enjoyable January.
Dawn (."-".)
