[Dailydrool] Cooling and flea med

[Riche Churchill]

Although some experts say one shouldn't clip or shave long-haired dogs 
because the coat "insulates" them from the heat, I just don't believe 
it. It keeps them warm in winter, but somehow it's supposed to keep them 
cool in summer? Not happening. Most if not all really thick-haired dogs 
are meant to live in cold areas year around and most short-haired dogs 
originated in hot and/or desert climes. We always shaved our chow mix, 
whose coat peeled off like a sheep being sheared. The only long-haired 
dog we have now is a Shih Tzu, and she's kept clipped year 'round but 
shorter still in the summertime. Believe me, she appreciates it.

On another note, we foolishly tried a new flea product today called 
Tri-Force and although the 10 bigger dogs seem fine, the two little ones 
(under 15 lbs.) both had bad reactions. We had to bathe them and 
administer Benadryl and hours later they still are not totally right. 
The vet said there was no antidote. All we could do was shampoo to get 
as much off as possible and wait it out. We have never had problems 
before with either Frontline or Advantage, so we most certainly will be 
returning to them. Unfortunately, this may have made to two who reacted 
more susceptible to reacting to other products. We shall see.

Riche