How To Administer Medication To Your Bichon Frise

Below are 3 ways in which you can administer your Bichon Frise medication. As with anything your pet would rather avoid, be patient, gentle, and firm - and follow with praise. If you’re having trouble medicating your dog, talk to your veterinarian about alternatives.

1. Liquid medication: Ask your veterinarian for some large syringes, with the needles removed. These are marked on the sides to make measuring easy, and they’re easier, too, at getting liquid medicine in the right place. Raise your Bichon’s muzzle and lift her lip on one side. Ease the tip of the syringe to the back of the throat and then release the liquid in a slow, steady stream.

2. Ear medication: Lay a large towel across your lap and coax your Bichon Frise to put her head on top of it with gentle massage and encouragement. Apply ear drops, massaging the base of the ear gently.

3. Eye medication: Have your pet sit between your legs and hold her muzzle up from behind. Gently apply a line of medication from the tube across the length of the eye, being careful not to touch the surface. Try to hit drops squarely in the center. Close the lid for a couple of seconds to let the medication distribute evenly.

How Sociable Is Your Bichon Frise Puppy?

Do you want to find out how sociable and outgoing your Bichon Frise puppy is? Then try this little experiment:

Put a few toys down in the room. Quickly walk away from your puppy and then observe his reaction:

*A favorable response would be the puppy running happily after you, regardless of what else might be occurring. This shows that the puppy highly desires the company of people, a trait that is advantageous. This Bichon Frise puppy should be easy to train and should learn to focus well on you instead of distractions.

*An unfavorable response would have the puppy ignoring you and investigating something else, perhaps a toy on the floor or a sound coming from another room. This puppy may not value interaction with humans over his own desire to investigate his surroundings.

He may not be as easy to train as the puppy that values human interaction above all else. A Bichon Frise that ignores you in this way may have an unfocused or independent mindset that could be a prelude to dominant behavior.

Are You A Bichon Frise Breeder? Here Are Tips For Dealing With Prospective Buyers

When people call for a Bichon Frise puppy, the first question to be asked by you (the breeder) is, ” Are you looking for pet or show quality?” Many newcomers to the realm of the better-bred dog are under the misconception that show dogs are not pets. They have no idea that the family dog that loves to eat ice cream cones and table scraps (on occasion) can also be a fine show dog.

People need to know that champions are, after all, still dogs - and family members first. A show career encompasses but a brief span of time in the lives show dogs share with their families. These people also need to know that show dogs may be eligible for a breeding program only if they are able to reproduce either their own quality (what every breeder strives for), or better quality (closer to the breed’s Standard) in each successive generation.

It is important to make it perfectly clear to a prospective client that the price of a puppy is never predicated on the animal’s sex. You, as the breeder, should fully explain the differences between the show prospects and pet-only puppies in the litter. Even more important, and it must be made clear, that any puppy sold not to be shown is not to be bred. Be a strong advocate of neutering these puppies by spaying (ovarian hysterectomy) or castration. Take the time to explain fully and in a positive manner that withdrawal from a breeding program does not affect a dog’s personality. Nor does neutering cause a Bichon Frise (male or female) to become fat and sluggish with the proper nutritional requirements and exercise levels.

One benefit derived from neutering is that castrated males will almost never chase after neighborhood females in season; nor will a spayed female attract destructive neighborhood males. Another benefit is that many neutered animals live longer and healthier lives than their non-neutered counterparts, thereby giving their owners additional years in the pleasure of their company. Finally, some states offer a price reduction in their licensing programs to owners of neutered animals.

Offer your puppy purchasers additional information about the types of neutering available. Vasectomies and tubal ligations can be performed at a very early age. These males and females retain their respective physical characteristics but are incapable of reproduction. It is generally suggested that males be castrated after reaching a physical maturity in order to develop traditional physical characteristics. Early spaying (before the first season) prevents a female dog from fully developing her female hormones and traditional physical characteristics. Very often and as a result, these females develop male characteristics, but not male character traits.

Prospective clients are often willing to neuter a pet Bichon Frise puppy in return for a price reduction, or the possible difference in price between a show prospect and pet-only puppy. These people can be proud of their puppy selection and the breeding behind it. They have the added bonus of feeling good about the fact that their new family addition has come from a dedicated breeder, a person who so evidently cares strongly about the breed’s welfare in general.

Are Drugs Helping Or Hurting Our Troubled Bichon Frise?

Sometimes a Bichon Frise will have a problem is so “obvious” that it is tempting to call it purely a “behavior” problem. However, unless the dog has had a really thorough veterinary examination, the diagnosis is premature. As veterinarians become more involved in pet behavior, the search for physiological causatives through differential diagnoses is rapidly gaining popularity. At the same time, unfortunately, the lure of psycho-active drugs for quick-fix treatments, is also gaining appeal with a some veterinarians and even more Bichon Frise owners.

Several veterinarians have reported clients who actually drop into the practice to request a Prozac prescription for their dogs! Most of these clients are surprised when they learn of the dangers of drug harmful side-effects, the need for a careful differential diagnosis, and complete medical screenings. It seems the popular press and other media have convinced many people that the “magic pill” has indeed been discovered!

Since scant scientific research has been conducted with these drugs and dogs, and because most of them are not approved by the PDA for use in animals, most veterinarians choose aggressively to diagnose problems rather than merely prescribe stimulants or depressants. They know drugs can mask important behavioral and physical causatives.

The effects of health problems on a dog’s behavior range from dramatic to subtle. For example:

1. Hypothyroidism can create both subtle and gross mood-swings, fearful or aggressive behavior.

2. Sudden pain from a slightly dislocated cervical vertebra or arthritis when a child hugs the family dog’s neck can stimulate a vicious bite because the dog associates the pain with the child’s action, etc.

Until all possible physical causes of unwanted behavior are investigated, and treated, behavioral therapy on its own will have little chance for success. At the same time, behavioral aspects of the problem dog deserve equal attention with the physical, because social and structural elements in a dog’s life can induce chronic stress and create health problems.

The way clients interact physically with their Bichon Frise, using their hands to express affection through petting, versus dis-affection through punishment, can have profound effects on an animal’s visceral condition, i.e., health, while producing or relieving emotional stress. Sadly, the importance of the mind/body health link receives precious little attention from animal behavior researchers. Even so, as the next century nears, diagnostic techniques will be developed which may well astound most of us. In the meantime, we must struggle with rather elementary approaches.

Antibiotic Therapy For Bichon Frise Dogs Fever

When a Bichon Frise’s temperature goes above normal it is like millions of tiny fires are burning faster. When fires burn faster, they need more fuel. Fuel for the body’s fires can come from only two places, the food taken into the body, or from the body itself. Fevers ordinarily occur during illness. Illness is a time when every calorie of fuel is needed by the dog for recovery. Any increase in fuel consumption due to fever should always come from a dog’s food rather than from its body.

When a dog has a fever, its fuel intake should be increased by three calories per pound of body weight for each degree of elevated temperature. This can be done quite easily by adding corn oil to the diet. Each teaspoonful of corn oil equals 45 calories. Corn oil also helps to improve the palatability of most foods to which it is added, a decided advantage in dogs with a fever, since their appetite is almost always poor.

Fevers of prolonged duration result in a loss of body protein as well as energy consumption. The protein being lost can be replaced by adding three ounces of cottage cheese or one hard-boiled egg to every pound of canned food or every tour ounces of dry food. Except for the addition of corn oil, feed a dog with a fever the same as you would feed it when it has no fever. The extra calories needed should be taken into consideration when the quantity to be fed is calculated.

The addition of extra energy should begin as soon as the fever is noticed. Any time a fever persists tor longer than three days, protein replacement should be started, too. As soon as your Bichon Frise’s temperature has returned to normal the extra energy and protein can be discontinued.

In most cases a fever is caused by an infection from some microorganism. When it is a bacteria, the routine treatment includes a course of antibiotics. The use of antibiotics, especially the oral forms, may also produce a need for a dietary change.

All of the bacteria in a dog are not harmful. Indeed, some of them are highly beneficial. Among this latter group are the bacteria normally living in a dog’s intestines. These bacteria produce several vitamins essential to the dog. The most important of these are the B-complex vitamins. Large amounts of B-complex vitamins utilized by healthy Bichon Frise come from the bacteria living within those dog’s intestines.

When antibiotic therapy is instituted to help your dog’s body destroy a bacterium that is attacking it, many of the innocent, helpful bacteria may also fall victim. With a reduced population of normal bacteria, production of needed vitamins will fall, and vitamin deficiencies may be created. Such deficiencies are more serious during infections since many of the vitamins are essential to healing and tissue repair.

To insure that adequate amounts of vitamins are available to your dog during infections, the water-soluble vitamins should be added to your Bichon Frise’s diet at MDR levels. Also, one gram of brewer’s yeast for every ten pounds of a dog’s weight will replace the B-complex vitamins and serve as an appetite stimulant, as well.

Anal Sac Problems In Bichon Frise

Something that you may not have understood about your Bichon Frise before are his anal sacs. These two sacs are located in the muscle tissue on either side of the anus at the five and seven o’clock positions. An intensely malodorous secretion, usually brownish and watery in appearance, resides within the sacs.

The anal sac fluid, which emerges through two tiny ducts, serves an unknown purpose in the dog. It may help dogs mark territory or enable them to distinguish one another’s sexual identity, according to different theories. Whatever their purpose, the anal sacs of most dogs can be ignored throughout life. Other dogs, however, are bothered by periodic anal sac problems. They show it by madly dragging their hindquarters across the floor or biting and licking at the tail area. These dogs need to have their anal sacs manually emptied (expressed). A few need to have the sacs surgically removed.

How often may your dog’s anal sacs need to be expressed? This depends on whether your dog is one who suffers from bouts of impaction or from actual anal sac infections. Some dogs need monthly attention, while others can go several months without a problem. This is best discussed with your veterinarian, especially if anal sac impaction affects your dog. Should you feel you want to empty the anal sacs at home, here are some guidelines.

1. Begin by standing the dog on a firm surface. The floor will do fine with a large dog, while a table (with surface protected) may be necessary to express the sacs of a small Bichon Frise. Hold a piece of cotton or paper towel in one hand to cover the anal area. This is useful because the secretion usually squirts out from the ducts once pressure is applied over the sacs.

2. With the absorbent material in place, put your thumb on one side of the anus and your index finger on the other. Gently squeeze your fingers together until the contents of the sacs begin to emerge from the ducts. Usually, the secretion is quite watery, but if it’s been retained for a while, it may resemble toothpaste. Don’t use excessive force, or you may rupture the delicate sacs.

3. Another method of expressing the anal sacs involves inserting your gloved and lubricated forefinger into the anus and feeling for each anal sac individually within the sphincter muscle. Then, grasping it between your thumb and finger, gently press on the sac until the fluid is released. This procedure should not be painful but it may be uncomfortable for the Bichon Frise, so you’ll probably need somebody to hold the animal.

If you find that the secretion won’t budge, first try redirecting the pressure. Occasionally, the sacs will be completely impacted and then it’s time to see the veterinarian. This also holds true for secretion containing pus or blood, which indicates an infection of the anal sacs. If not treated promptly, they could become abscessed, which is very painful. Anal sac infections are frequently treated with oral and local antibiotics. The latter is inserted through the ducts into the anal sacs themselves.

Bichon Frise Owners…

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