Topical Flea Meds
Danger in the use of ALL topical flea medications.
Please don’t use topical medications on your Yorkies. I personally know of three yorkies that have had their life shortened and the quality of their life destroyed by topical flea medications. Topical medications are designed to work for 30 days. They are rapidly absorbed into the skin and cannot be removed even if the reaction starts immediately after applying. You may have used these products many times in the past and had no problem. But if you use one of these products and do have a reaction, the damage is irreversible. The heartbreaking side effects will never go away. All 3 of the yorkies have died within 6 months.
Frontline and/or any store brand topical flea medication have all had problems. It is not a brand specific problem. They don’t know why it affects some dogs and not all dogs. Reactions can be within minutes to hours after use. Yorkies and other small breed dogs seem to have more problems than larger dogs. EPA has known about this problem for years and nothing has been done to educate dog owners. Click some of the links below before using any topical or spot on flea treatment for dogs. Why take a chance that your yorkie is the one that will have the problem?
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/small-dogs-susceptible-flea-poison/
Also, Trifexis® a heartworm pill is not recommended for any dog under 5 lbs. There has been a lot of controversy about this new heartworm pill. I have seen reports about this pill. It made national news.
“Trifexis: Pet owners say their dogs died after taking popular heartworm preventative.”
http://www.wptv.com/money/consumer/trifexis-pet-owners-say-their-dogs-died-after-taking-a-popular-heartworm-preventative.
I use Sentinel® Flavor Tabs. I have used interceptor for over 20 years. Sentinel is the same medicine with the added flea prevention pill. It has been around for a very long time.
My personal opinion is I don’t use my dogs as guinea pigs for any new products. I also don’t like any product that if my dog has a reaction from it I can’t do anything about it for 30 days. It is quickly absorbed into the skin and can’t be washed off or flushed from the body.
Yorkies Teeth
I hope you find these tips helpful. While it may not be seen as a top priority by many dog owners, it is actually very important to care for your dog’s teeth throughout their life. Many people mistakenly assume that a dog will be able to care for its own teeth, much as nature intended. This may have been true if dogs only ate all natural ingredients and foods such as they would have eaten had they remained wild animals.
But when we think about it, most domesticated animals, just like our dogs, eat a variety of foods and chemicals that are often not found in nature. They are subsequently susceptible to dental health issues in the same way as humans are.
In addition, dogs live much longer than they would in nature, and senior dogs benefit from good dental care throughout their lives.
YOUR YORKSHIRE TERRIER’S TEETH
Puppies start to get their puppy teeth at the age of 3 to 4 weeks. They will start with 28 puppy teeth. These teeth will be replaced with their 42 permanent adult teeth at about the age of four months.
Dogs have four different types of teeth:
Premolars – hold and break up the food
Canines – used to hold and tear the food into small pieces
Incisors – cut and nibble
Many veterinarians estimate that approximately 80% of all dogs over the age of three have some form of gum disease. This is quite astounding and worrying isn’t it? This causes problems for the dogs with chewing food, which can lead to digestive problems. Just like with humans, this also causes teeth to be easily damaged or start to fall out. This condition becomes progressively worse as the dog ages, and can even lead to fatal health conditions as a result of infection. Yorkshire Terrier’s love to chew so keeping their teeth in good condition isn’t usually all that difficult if you follow some simply principles. A good quality Dog Chew Bone or other Dental Cleaning Bone can be used to scrape tartar from the surface of the teeth. Be sure to remove any of the dental bones before they are small enough to be swallowed, as they can be a choking hazard for your dog. Beware also if you have young children around who may pick up and swallow pieces of bone. Pop along to your local pet shop and see their range of chew bones or use the two links above for some help.
Retained teeth
At around 9 months your puppy should have lost all their puppy teeth. You can tell a puppy tooth by it’s shape. A puppy tooth has a curve to it and is very close to the adult teeth. If after a year they have not fallen out I would recommend having them removed. I would do this at the same time you get your puppy spayed or neutered. That way they only have to have anesthetic once.