connie's blog

A few weeks ago, after taking Esther (my daughter’s dog), and Penny (my dog), out for a walk in the woods I noticed that Esther was limping. I had her roll over on her back so I could more closely examine the pads of her feet thinking that perhaps she had picked up a thorn or pebble. There wasn’t anything wrong with her feet, but to my horror I noticed a brightly coloured and angry looking bulls-eye bruise on the inside of her thigh. I thought that perhaps she had gotten pinched or jabbed by a stick whilst negotiating the woodland trails.

(above: Esther's "bulls-eye" bruise from tick bite)

I got out a magnifying glass to take an even better look and then I saw the culprit. It was a tick. It was small and quite difficult to see, but it was indeed a tick and it was stuck firmly in the middle of the bruise.  It mustn’t have been there long as it wasn’t really engorged yet (ticks embed their heads below the skin and then feed on their host’s blood while their body (that’s outside of the skin) engorges as it feeds. I hadn’t even considered ticks a threat yet since it was just mid-February and the temperature still quite cool (aren’t ticks supposed to be hibernating at this time of year?).  Feeling quite squeamish about extracting the tick, I asked my neighbor Rose, who’s a nurse, if she would remove it, which she did quickly and efficiently, keeping the tick intact (you want to be sure you remove the whole tick as if the head breaks off and is left in the skin, the bite can become infected). Thanking Roselyn for attending to Esther, I trotted the dogs back home, examined them closely for any other ticks then satisfied all was well, went about fixing them dinner which they ate heartily, none the worse for the experience.

The following day as we were on our way to the office I noticed Penny busily scratching at the top of her head. After the third bout of scratching I took a closer look to see what was bothering her. Yuck! There, in the top of her head, stuck side-by-side, were two ticks.

(above: two ticks embedded in Penny's head)

 I knew I had a tick removal device at the office which after searching high and low for (it’s now safely tucked into our doggie first aid kit) I found it and then got Penny set up for the “surgery”.

(above: a tick removal device, like the Tick Key, helps to easily remove a tick whole)

It knew it really wouldn’t be difficult to remove them, it’s just that ticks look a lot like spiders and “spiders” that can bite freak me out. Nevertheless I successfully removed the ticks and put them into a jar of hydrogen peroxide thinking they’d die and I could then bring them into our vet so he could test them to be sure they didn’t carry Lyme disease. 

(above: the ticks removed from Penny's head, still alive and floating in Hydrogen Peroxide)

I then sprayed some Vetericyn onto the tick bite areas of Penny’s head and with the problem taken care of, proceeded to work at my computer. After an hour or so I got up to check on the ticks to be sure they had died a well-deserved death. To my horror there was only one tick left in the jar (btw, it was swimming around in the peroxide – who would think they could survive that chemical?). Aghast, I frantically searched the top of my desk. Where had the other tick gotten to?  I finally located him under some papers. He was heading straight to where I had been sitting and was within a foot from my keyboard. It was a horrifying experience to say the least.  I then decided I wasn’t going to take any further chances on the ticks escaping a second time and proceeded to flush them both down the toilet. Following that less-than-pleasant experience I needed to get back to my work but decided on one last distraction… Googling  the subject “ticks/bruising” on the internet (in the back of my mind I thought it odd that Esther should develop such an ugly looking bruise from her single tick bite, whilst Penny simply had two inflamed areas from her tick run-ins), I would, of course, find all kinds of terrible sounding diseases and infections (not to mention totally gross looking images) that can be caused by tick bites so thereupon I decided to play it safe and brought both dogs into the vet for a checkup. The vet asked if I had brought the ticks in with me, but alas they had been flushed, so in an abundance of caution he decided both dogs should go on antibiotics, which they did and are totally fine. The moral of the story? 1. Ticks can be active even at a time of year we consider to be off-season. 2. Dogs that have been out in the woods should be thoroughly checked over; 3. Have a Tick Key or other tick removal device on hand for easy tick extraction (you also then don’t have to touch the little blighters); 4. After you remove a tick, put it in a sealed jar and take it to your vet so he can ascertain if it’s carrying Lyme disease.

With so many of us traveling the highways for the holiday season at a time of year when  the weather throws us its worse, I hope that you and your families arrived at your destinations safely. My family got together for Christmas at my mom's place up in the Okanagan (see previous blog). The Coquihalla Highway (and Connector) that we travel on takes us through some majestic snow-laden forests, but also through precarious high mountain passes that present treacherous driving conditions. With a feeling of anxiousness we noted the electronic signs preceding the uphill climb warning of compact snow and slippery sections, so we knew to drive cautiously, but as our trip progressed, we were totally aghast to see countless accidents with cars flipped over on their roofs, in the ditches, or piled up alongside the road (a terribly sad way to begin or end holiday festivities), the cause, undoubtedly, black ice. It's in such conditions that you really appreciate having a safe and reliable vehicle to travel in.

From time to time, I'll test drive and review a car for Modern Dog (usually when I'm thinking about getting a new vehicle myself), so, if like me, you're considering a new vehicle, I thought you might like to hear about my experience test driving the 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe on the Coquihalla. To begin with, not only was it large enough to comfortably fit our crew (four adults and three dogs), it also provided ample room for our luggage. The folks at Hyundai told me the 2013 Sante Fe recently won Best New SUV and I can understand why, it not only looks sensational (it's been totally redesigned for 2013), it was also a real pleasure to drive. With power to spare, we could accelerate with ease and the front wheel/four wheel drive gave us the control we needed on snowy roads, while the 6-speed automatic transmission had us effortlessly climbing the passes. The most treacherous part of the trip is usually along the Connector, where just past the summit, the weather conditions always seem perilous. As usual, it served up its usual "thick as pea soup" fog combined with driving snow. We put on our hazard lights giving those following us a better opportunity to see us and thanked the Hyundai engineers for designing the Sante Fe with electronic windshield wiper de-icers, so that we had no snow-build up on our windshield giving us excellent visibility and one less thing to worry about.

It took us nearly five hours of driving  to get us to our destination so I really appreciated the creature comforts incorporated into this vehicle, such as power lumbar support, as well as the Bluetooth Hands-Free phone system and the iPOD/USB/auxilliary input jacks (we had plenty of time to disagree on what music we were going to listen to en route!). The Sante Fe has a 2.4L engine, giving us all the power we need while still being good on gas (we didn't need to fill up with gas en route and when we arrived we still had well over a quarter of a tank of gas left). Although we had the vehicle in its standard seating positioning, I can see how the 2nd row 40/20/40 split fold-flat and recline positioning would give those of us travelling with dogs and human passengers the greatest flexibility in seating and stowage patterns. We give it two thumbs up, but check it out yourself. There are plenty more great features that I'm sure you'll love.

If in Canada, click here.

If in US: click here.

This month marks the third anniversary of my dog Kaya's passing. A feisty Weimeraner/Pointer cross who lived sixteen long years, she was the inspiration behind Modern Dog magazine and became its muse and mascot.  There's not a day that goes by where I don't think of her, fondly remembering her soft-as-velvet ears, her love of our woodland walks together and her unflagging love and loyalty. During a difficult time in my life she was my rock, giving my life purpose and direction.

This being a time of year when we traditionally give thanks, I would like to say thank you to my "heart" dog Kaya, I am a better person for having had her by my side.

I'm sure that many of you feel the same way about your own dogs, so when I received an article the other day about another such "heart" dog I thought I'd share it with you. Anyone who loves animals will be touched by it. Click here to read the article.

Nominate Your Groomer For an Andis Hearts & Paws Award

So many of us wait until our dogs are at their scruffiest, dirtiest and even skunkiest before picking up the phone to make an appointment at the groomers. Groomers simply take it all in their stride and get to work combing, clipping, shampooing and blow-drying, turning our dirty dogs into pristine pooches. Day in and day out, groomers do amazing things for our dogs and it's about time they receive some well-deserved recognition. What would we do without them?

If you know of a groomer who is truly in it for the love, then please nominate them for an Andis Hearts & Paws award. The nomination period runs from October 26 to January 18^th, 2013. When the nomination period closes, three finalists will be determined. Public voting for the Grand Prize consisting of a $1,000 Visa gift card and a basket of Andis grooming tools will begin January 21^st. First and second prize winners will receive $250 and $100 Visa gift cards, respectively, along with Andis grooming tools.

For each eligible entry in the Andis Hearts & Paws Award Contest made between October 26, 2012 and January 18, 2013, the Andis Company will donate $10 to the ASPCA, up to a maximum contribution of $10,000!! Way to go Andis!

Click here to enter

Years ago when Modern Dog first hit the newsstands we were honoured by being chosen as one of 2003’s most notable launches by Dr. Samir Husni. Known as Mr. Magazine, Dr. Husni is the Founder and  Director of the Magazine Innovation Center at the University of Mississippi’s Meek School of Journalism and New Media. Considered a guru in the magazine publishing industry, Dr. Husni's opinions, advice and forecasts are sought and referenced, so needless to say, we were thrilled with the recognition.  Just this week I received some very exciting news … Modern Dog’s sister publication, Modern Cat magazine, has also been so honoured. Modern Cat has been selected by Dr. Husni and Min as one of the Hottest Magazine Launches of the Year. It was chosen from a field of over 750 other new consumer titles. Modern Cat magazine will be recognized at an awards ceremony December 10th at the Marriot Marquis in New York City. Thank you Dr. Husni and Min!