Her neighbor breeds dogs and they smell
October 20, 2001 | 12:00am
Q: We live in a subdivision in Pasig. Our next door neighbor breeds imported dogs in his garage. I’ve never been fond of animals. I cannot stand the smell of dog urine and the incessant barking from his kennel. Isn’t my neighbor being inconsiderate? Is it OK if I ask him to relocate his kennel to a non-residential area? How can he keep his kennel from stinking? - Edna
I understand your situation and I feel sorry for you. Please believe that for every problem there is a solution. Perhaps your neighbor does not understand nor realize the trouble he/she is causing you.
The Implementing Rules of the Animal Welfare Law state that all breeders should register their kennel, the number of animals they are breeding and the appropriate sizes of kennel house requirements.
The odor from the urine and feces of these dogs come from an ammonia-like substance that may be dangerous to the respiratory systems of both dogs and humans. Dog urine may carry bacteria and their feces, eggs of intestinal parasites.
If the excreta of dogs with parvo virus infection are not disposed of right away and properly, the virus may be carried by air and infect other dogs in the vicinity that are not vaccinated.
There is a solution, however, to this problem. The first important thing to take care of is sanitation. A good disinfectant may be used to clean up the kennel at least twice a day. Sufficient water supply is a must for breeders, as much as a trained kennel aide. Some medicines may be mixed with the feeds of cats and dogs to subdue the odor from their feces.
Given this information, the next step is for you to make friends with your neighbor who's breeding dogs and convince him/her that together, you must work out a solution to the problem. Remind him about sanitation rules. Dogs could be bathed once or twice a week with shampoo to keep them smelling good. Breeding is a business that starts with taking care of dogs and their kennels.
As to the dogs’ incessant barking, you might wish to know that there are some breeders who have their dogs debarked. However, the Veterinary Practitioners Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Animal Hospital Association do not recommend it.
I know dogs bark for a reason – hunger, irritation, sight of strangers, teasing by children, etc. I hope your neighbor is not entirely inconsiderate. My best wishes on your search for a solution.
Q. I am 27 years old, single and I live with my parents and grandmother. I want to get a pure bred dog as a pet. I want a dog that is loyal to his owner, and at the same time can serve as a guard dog for my mom and grandma, who are both left at home while my father and I are at the office. I was thinking of getting a Golden Retriever or a German Shepherd. I heard that a Golden Retriever tends to be too friendly with people, even with strangers. Is this true? Also, our fence is not difficult to climb so it could get stolen. Please help me decide what dog to get. - Jackson
Golden Retrievers are the kindest of dogs but they can be trained not to be friendly to everyone. Good dog trainers can give these dogs lessons in both obedience and attack, which they can use to protect their owners.
German Shepherds will have to get some lessons, too. Like Labs, they could be very loyal dogs.
The Boxer is a good guard dog and companion dog at the same time.
Whatever you choose, don’t forget to give your dog proper care – food of the right mix and quantity, vaccinations, and a cage wide enough to live and relax in. Good luck on your search!
Q. About five months ago, a friend gave me two female Labrador pups. They are very adorable and friendly, but they have the common canine skin disease – galis – when I got them. This is probably why my friend could not sell them at a good price. I had them treated by a neighboring vet. He gave them a medicated bath and they were fine after a few weeks.
However, the skin problem came back in less than a month. I gave them the medicated bath, they recovered, and after a few weeks, the problem came back and the cycle continued. I decided to change vets.
The new vet said something very sad. He said that the problem was "in their blood." That it was going to keep coming back no matter what. That in the US, cases like this are dealt with harshly – the dogs are "put to sleep." He wrote a prescription and gave me a list of things to do like keeping the dogs in cages, so the mange eggs don’t spread. So far, I haven’t bought a cage for them. I have another dog but he was never infected.
Is it true that this skin condition cannot be treated? What can I do to help my dogs? Their condition gets worse everyday and they are obviously suffering. Please advice. - Ericson Roque
By now, your dogs may be five months or older. There are different kinds of skin diseases with different causes that could infect our pets. One is mange, which is caused by mites burrowing in the skin. These mites stay in the hair follicles, cause irritation and ulceration around the eyes and forehead, spread to the shoulders, and finally afflict the entire body.
If the skin disease is caused by parasites, there are plenty of modern drugs that vets can prescribe. What is important is to come up with a correct diagnosis so the right medication could be applied.
A series of tests must be conducted. We can ask you about your dogs’ diet, vitamins they are taking, how their cages are structured and cleaned, among other things.
If your dogs indeed have galis, as your vet says, and that they have to be "put to sleep" and that "it is in their blood" – does he mean the parasites are in the dogs’ blood or the disease is derived from genes they inherited from their parents?
When he says "mange," please be advised that there are three kinds of mites that may cause the disease and we have to know which kind is bothering your dogs.
If it is not mange, we have to do further tests to determine if your dogs are suffering from some kidney disease or hypothyroidism. Or perhaps it is just a case of flea dermatitis.
For sure, vets cannot make a good diagnosis without seeing the patient and performing the appropriate laboratory tests. If you and your vet wish, I can help you out or refer you to a vet who deals with derma problems.
Dr. Mangahas has been a vet for 30 years and holds diplomates in Microbiology, Canine Practice and Veterinary Public Health. She has served as officer of various veterinary and health associations. She is VP and incoming president of the Philippine Federation of Professional Associations which has 42 professional groups recognized by the Philippine Regulatory Commission.
Got questions for your vet? E-mail them to askyourvet@hotmail.com.
I understand your situation and I feel sorry for you. Please believe that for every problem there is a solution. Perhaps your neighbor does not understand nor realize the trouble he/she is causing you.
The Implementing Rules of the Animal Welfare Law state that all breeders should register their kennel, the number of animals they are breeding and the appropriate sizes of kennel house requirements.
The odor from the urine and feces of these dogs come from an ammonia-like substance that may be dangerous to the respiratory systems of both dogs and humans. Dog urine may carry bacteria and their feces, eggs of intestinal parasites.
If the excreta of dogs with parvo virus infection are not disposed of right away and properly, the virus may be carried by air and infect other dogs in the vicinity that are not vaccinated.
There is a solution, however, to this problem. The first important thing to take care of is sanitation. A good disinfectant may be used to clean up the kennel at least twice a day. Sufficient water supply is a must for breeders, as much as a trained kennel aide. Some medicines may be mixed with the feeds of cats and dogs to subdue the odor from their feces.
Given this information, the next step is for you to make friends with your neighbor who's breeding dogs and convince him/her that together, you must work out a solution to the problem. Remind him about sanitation rules. Dogs could be bathed once or twice a week with shampoo to keep them smelling good. Breeding is a business that starts with taking care of dogs and their kennels.
As to the dogs’ incessant barking, you might wish to know that there are some breeders who have their dogs debarked. However, the Veterinary Practitioners Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Animal Hospital Association do not recommend it.
I know dogs bark for a reason – hunger, irritation, sight of strangers, teasing by children, etc. I hope your neighbor is not entirely inconsiderate. My best wishes on your search for a solution.
Golden Retrievers are the kindest of dogs but they can be trained not to be friendly to everyone. Good dog trainers can give these dogs lessons in both obedience and attack, which they can use to protect their owners.
German Shepherds will have to get some lessons, too. Like Labs, they could be very loyal dogs.
The Boxer is a good guard dog and companion dog at the same time.
Whatever you choose, don’t forget to give your dog proper care – food of the right mix and quantity, vaccinations, and a cage wide enough to live and relax in. Good luck on your search!
Q. About five months ago, a friend gave me two female Labrador pups. They are very adorable and friendly, but they have the common canine skin disease – galis – when I got them. This is probably why my friend could not sell them at a good price. I had them treated by a neighboring vet. He gave them a medicated bath and they were fine after a few weeks.
However, the skin problem came back in less than a month. I gave them the medicated bath, they recovered, and after a few weeks, the problem came back and the cycle continued. I decided to change vets.
The new vet said something very sad. He said that the problem was "in their blood." That it was going to keep coming back no matter what. That in the US, cases like this are dealt with harshly – the dogs are "put to sleep." He wrote a prescription and gave me a list of things to do like keeping the dogs in cages, so the mange eggs don’t spread. So far, I haven’t bought a cage for them. I have another dog but he was never infected.
Is it true that this skin condition cannot be treated? What can I do to help my dogs? Their condition gets worse everyday and they are obviously suffering. Please advice. - Ericson Roque
By now, your dogs may be five months or older. There are different kinds of skin diseases with different causes that could infect our pets. One is mange, which is caused by mites burrowing in the skin. These mites stay in the hair follicles, cause irritation and ulceration around the eyes and forehead, spread to the shoulders, and finally afflict the entire body.
If the skin disease is caused by parasites, there are plenty of modern drugs that vets can prescribe. What is important is to come up with a correct diagnosis so the right medication could be applied.
A series of tests must be conducted. We can ask you about your dogs’ diet, vitamins they are taking, how their cages are structured and cleaned, among other things.
If your dogs indeed have galis, as your vet says, and that they have to be "put to sleep" and that "it is in their blood" – does he mean the parasites are in the dogs’ blood or the disease is derived from genes they inherited from their parents?
When he says "mange," please be advised that there are three kinds of mites that may cause the disease and we have to know which kind is bothering your dogs.
If it is not mange, we have to do further tests to determine if your dogs are suffering from some kidney disease or hypothyroidism. Or perhaps it is just a case of flea dermatitis.
For sure, vets cannot make a good diagnosis without seeing the patient and performing the appropriate laboratory tests. If you and your vet wish, I can help you out or refer you to a vet who deals with derma problems.
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