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I decided to treat this topic as it is well-known especially among breeders, less among common owners, that some Collies, due to a genetic mutation of the MDR-1 gene, are intolerant to ivermectin, an antiparasitic that can cause intoxications and bring them even to death.
The phenomenon of ivermectin toxicity in the Colie was first described in 1983.
Contrary to what we could think, the mutation of this gene does not only affect Collies in all his various breeds (Scots, Border, Rough ...). Nowadays there are several breeds in which said mutation was detected.
Among the most common:
  • Collie
  • Australian Shepherd
  • Bobtail
  • Shetland Shepherd
  • German shepherd
  • Swiss shepherd
 
IVERMECTIN
Ivermectin is the active ingredient used in various medicines for the prevention and treatment of various parasites including Dirofilaria.
Treatments based on this substance can be given by mouth, by injection and applied to the skin as a spot-on with different doses.
For example: IVOMEC, GUARDIAN, CARDOTEK...
It is an active ingredient considered as safe and with a low risk of collateral effects by veterinarians. Let's consider the specific case.
 
MUTATION OF THE MDR-1 GENE
MDR-1 is a very important gene that encodes a protein, the P-glycoprotein responsible for the distribution of ivermectin (but not only) inside the body. When the MDR-1 gene changes, the produced p-glycoprotein is altered and can't perform its function:  the active ingredient transmitted by it is abnormally distributed, with consequent cases of toxicity, in particular as regards the central nervous sytem. The intoxication of the animal will happen quickly in case of massive dose of medicine, as for the therapy of dogs with Dirofilaria, bringing the animal to death; in case of smaller dosages, a prompt admission can save him.
 
Each gene is composed by two alleles: if they are identical, we speak of homozygosis, if they are different we talk about heterozygosis.
This mutation is autosomal recessive: therefore, a dog with homozygous mutated MDR-1 will have a higher sensitivity to ivermectin and will show symptoms much more serious than a heterozygous subject who, instead, having one healthy and one mutated allele, will be only moderately sensitive and the seriousness of his symptoms will be minor or sometimes null in the case of very low doses.
This defect then passes to the offspring, starting from even apparently healthy subjects but who are actually carriers.
 
Contrary to what we commonly believe, it is not only the dreaded ivermectin that may give problems to the dogs affected by this mutation: to date there are more than 20 molecules identified as dangerous and among them there are also common antibiotics, antiparasitics, antifungal, antiemetic, antacids, steroids and many medicines commonly used in veterinary anesthesia (doxorubicin, vincristine, vinblastine, doxycycline, erythromycin, itraconazole, ketaconazole, rifampicin, tetracycline, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, domperidone, ranitidine, butorphanol, ivermectin, morphine, moxidectin, phenothiazines, selamectin only to name a few among the most common).
The seriousness of the symptoms will obviously always be connected with the dose taken and with the degree of genetic defect (sick or carrier).
 
SYMPTOMS OF POISONING
Symptoms related to cerebral accumulation of ivermectin appear in 4-12 hours after exposure to the medicine in case of use of massive doses and in about 48-96 hours in the case of administration of smaller doses.
You will notice:
  • Dilated pupils with greater sensitivity to light
  • Digestive problems, lack of appetite and abundant salivation
  • Lethargy: drowsiness up to a real difficulty for the animal to stand up
  • Motor problems: the animal has difficulty in moving, stumbles, falls, staggers and can appear as disoriented and does not respond to your call
  • Respiratory problems: the animal will have a shallow, gasping breathing, which can cause him loss of consciousness, fainting. He may have epileptic fits that in case of lack of treatment will lead him to coma and death.
 
TREATMENT
Being a genetic disorder, treatment will only be palliative and will help to control the most dangerous symptoms, waiting for the animal to dispose of intoxication.
In any case, should you notice a symptom among those mentioned above in a genetically at-risk subject, it is important to contact immediately a veterinarian.
 
Dogs affected by mutation are apparently healthy and have normal physiological and haematological parameters; fortunately today it is possible to diagnose mutation with a specific genetic test through which you can establish with certainty if the dog is healthy, mutated heterozygous, that is with only one of the two mutated alleles, or mutated homozygous, that's to say with both mutated alleles.
The test is useful to identify the genotype of the reproducers intended for coupling and thus reduce the onset of this mutation. Considering the large number of potentially toxic medicines and the seriousness of symptoms that may occur following the intake of one of these molecules, in order to safeguard the health of our dog is very important to know if the MDR1 gene is changed or not. Therapies or anesthesia that may become necessary during the life of your dog will be calibrated according to the possible mutation of the MDR1 gene.
 
I hope I have been clear enough: it's difficult to simplify genetic concepts. Leave your comment, should you have other questions. I will be available.
I'll be back soon with my next article!
 

Eleonora Bosoni  

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine
Collie and ivermectin, what to know.
miércoles, 17 de octubre de 2018

I decided to treat this topic as it is well-known especially among breeders, less among common owners, that some Collies, due to a genetic mutation of the MDR-1 gene, are intolerant to ivermectin, an antiparasitic that can cause intoxications and bring them even to death.
The phenomenon of ivermectin toxicity in the Colie was first described in 1983.
Contrary to what we could think, the mutation of this gene does not only affect Collies in all his various breeds (Scots, Border, Rough ...). Nowadays there are several breeds in which said mutation was detected.
Among the most common:
  • Collie
  • Australian Shepherd
  • Bobtail
  • Shetland Shepherd
  • German shepherd
  • Swiss shepherd
 
IVERMECTIN
Ivermectin is the active ingredient used in various medicines for the prevention and treatment of various parasites including Dirofilaria.
Treatments based on this substance can be given by mouth, by injection and applied to the skin as a spot-on with different doses.
For example: IVOMEC, GUARDIAN, CARDOTEK...
It is an active ingredient considered as safe and with a low risk of collateral effects by veterinarians. Let's consider the specific case.
 
MUTATION OF THE MDR-1 GENE
MDR-1 is a very important gene that encodes a protein, the P-glycoprotein responsible for the distribution of ivermectin (but not only) inside the body. When the MDR-1 gene changes, the produced p-glycoprotein is altered and can't perform its function:  the active ingredient transmitted by it is abnormally distributed, with consequent cases of toxicity, in particular as regards the central nervous sytem. The intoxication of the animal will happen quickly in case of massive dose of medicine, as for the therapy of dogs with Dirofilaria, bringing the animal to death; in case of smaller dosages, a prompt admission can save him.
 
Each gene is composed by two alleles: if they are identical, we speak of homozygosis, if they are different we talk about heterozygosis.
This mutation is autosomal recessive: therefore, a dog with homozygous mutated MDR-1 will have a higher sensitivity to ivermectin and will show symptoms much more serious than a heterozygous subject who, instead, having one healthy and one mutated allele, will be only moderately sensitive and the seriousness of his symptoms will be minor or sometimes null in the case of very low doses.
This defect then passes to the offspring, starting from even apparently healthy subjects but who are actually carriers.
 
Contrary to what we commonly believe, it is not only the dreaded ivermectin that may give problems to the dogs affected by this mutation: to date there are more than 20 molecules identified as dangerous and among them there are also common antibiotics, antiparasitics, antifungal, antiemetic, antacids, steroids and many medicines commonly used in veterinary anesthesia (doxorubicin, vincristine, vinblastine, doxycycline, erythromycin, itraconazole, ketaconazole, rifampicin, tetracycline, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, domperidone, ranitidine, butorphanol, ivermectin, morphine, moxidectin, phenothiazines, selamectin only to name a few among the most common).
The seriousness of the symptoms will obviously always be connected with the dose taken and with the degree of genetic defect (sick or carrier).
 
SYMPTOMS OF POISONING
Symptoms related to cerebral accumulation of ivermectin appear in 4-12 hours after exposure to the medicine in case of use of massive doses and in about 48-96 hours in the case of administration of smaller doses.
You will notice:
  • Dilated pupils with greater sensitivity to light
  • Digestive problems, lack of appetite and abundant salivation
  • Lethargy: drowsiness up to a real difficulty for the animal to stand up
  • Motor problems: the animal has difficulty in moving, stumbles, falls, staggers and can appear as disoriented and does not respond to your call
  • Respiratory problems: the animal will have a shallow, gasping breathing, which can cause him loss of consciousness, fainting. He may have epileptic fits that in case of lack of treatment will lead him to coma and death.
 
TREATMENT
Being a genetic disorder, treatment will only be palliative and will help to control the most dangerous symptoms, waiting for the animal to dispose of intoxication.
In any case, should you notice a symptom among those mentioned above in a genetically at-risk subject, it is important to contact immediately a veterinarian.
 
Dogs affected by mutation are apparently healthy and have normal physiological and haematological parameters; fortunately today it is possible to diagnose mutation with a specific genetic test through which you can establish with certainty if the dog is healthy, mutated heterozygous, that is with only one of the two mutated alleles, or mutated homozygous, that's to say with both mutated alleles.
The test is useful to identify the genotype of the reproducers intended for coupling and thus reduce the onset of this mutation. Considering the large number of potentially toxic medicines and the seriousness of symptoms that may occur following the intake of one of these molecules, in order to safeguard the health of our dog is very important to know if the MDR1 gene is changed or not. Therapies or anesthesia that may become necessary during the life of your dog will be calibrated according to the possible mutation of the MDR1 gene.
 
I hope I have been clear enough: it's difficult to simplify genetic concepts. Leave your comment, should you have other questions. I will be available.
I'll be back soon with my next article!
 

Eleonora Bosoni  

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine
Do you have a pet shop, a chain of stores? Do you want to improve their profitability?
 
Consider that every month people visit 1.5 billion destinations they had previously searched for on Google. If we actually think about it, we cannot blame these statistics. We read  reviews, we study itineraries, we read up on opening hours, we look at photos, maybe we visit directly the facility with the virtual tour.
When it's necessary, when there is an emergency and we need something to be searched for within a few kilometers, we use our mobile. 30% of mobile searches are connected with locations.
76% of users who look for a nearby store through their smartphone, goes to the store throughout the day and 28% of them realizes a purchase.
 
Well, this is why today let's talk about a free service you must absolutely know to give an added value to your store. This service will increase its local visibility and will make it more accessible to the customer.
Customers are the center of every business, they are the reason why companies flourish and their shared passion for your job is what makes business management so satisfying.
In the last few years Google has realised a very simple and useful tool for companies, which isn't yet well-known and used by them, perhaps because they don't know it in detail and ignore the big advantage that it has: I'm talking about GOOGLE MY BUSINESS, an easy and free way to find and connect with people, with your customers wherever you are.
 
You have to think that  enterprises that were verified  on Google are twice as likely to be considered reliable by consumers.
 
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a dashboard where the owner of a local business can manage his information and provide it to the huge Google database.
First of all Google My Business is free and can be intended as a site through which you can inform and keep Google updated about all that is related to your store.

Google My Business profile therefore offers a lot of useful information about the activity, offered to users who are looking for you both directly and indirectly. Basically, a My Business page must allow the user to know:
  • where your store is physically located
  • which services / products it sells
  • how to contact you
  • how you are judged by users who have already had experiences with your store.
 
Google My Business: how does it work?
The steps to take, to make things simple and clear:
 
  • first you create a Google account, linked to your store and not to yourself
  • check that there is not already an old record of this activity
  • if not, proceed with the creation of a new record, otherwise contact Google support team to help you
  • enter information about: name of your pet shop, country / region, address, postal code, city, province, main shop phone, category, delivery service"
  • at this stage you will have to confirm the ownership of the account by phone call or by sending a coupon with a code
  • once the account is activated, the next step will be to add the suitable contents to attract the interest of the customers, ensuring that the association between the research question and the results displayed is immediate.
Now you are really ready to  get down to work, to fill your record with interesting contents and information in order to make it useful for users who visit it. Where shall you start from? Obviously from the basic information of your store, namely: name, address, telephone number, branch, website.
 
Which contents are important to improve it?
Google My Business card allows you to receive many contacts, it is certainly useful for any activity. It will be important to keep the information up-to-date, as most of the research of this kind are carried out through the smartphone, therefore in a situation of "urgency" where the user needs to find as much information as possible in the shortest time required, we can talk about an immediate need. Remember that, as in reality,  network is also full of competitors, therefore your My Business card will have to offer something more than competitors do. The more you work well and you get positive reviews and ratings, the better the placement in the local search results of your pet shop will be.
Now in detail the items that you can enter to customize it at best.
 
CONTACT INFO
However, you have to consider a limitation, connected with many kinds of activities:  you usually answer company phone during working hours but people search the web anytime. Google MyBusiness has also thought about this: it is possible to receive requests, meetings, quotations, not only through phone calls! In your card you can add links that will be the landing pages (intended as  pages of destination); people  can leave messages or requests, ask for meetings or enquiries, or book a visit in your shop. It's really easy to add a landing page on Google My Business: you just have to change the URLs of the activity.
 
OPENING AND CLOSING TIME

You can also add special times in advance, such as during holidays. A message will appear on your regular times.
EXHAUSTIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY
That includes the keywords related to your business and maybe even links to strategic pages of the site.
 
WEBSITE

The site service is designed for activities that do not have a website, it is not recommended for those who have already a company website.
IMAGES
For a perfect use of Google My Business, the first rule is to pay particular attention to the choice of images. They must be beautiful, high-quality, unchanged, taken from different angles that reflect reality at best.
It is advisable to add:
- a profile image in line with your pet shop, which can represent it at best, or a logo.
- a cover image that can help  users to identify you immediately, such as a photo of the shop's exterior.
- other images related to your store: photos of interiors and exteriors, photos of employees or team / staff at work or even of your best products.
 
VIRTUAL TOURS
Virtual tours of the activities on Google Maps are not directly used to sell products or offer services, but can still influence the decision about "purchase" or "visit" of the activity or of the place of interest.
 
POST
Surely there is the desire to make companies increasingly rich in information to be provided to their customers or potential customers; but beyond this, the novelty will necesarily lead to a natural selection of companies: on the one hand those who will use posts for new promotions, special offers, to promote events, to give more prominence to some products rather than others, and on the other hand companies that they will not conform to the change and will be damaged. If you want to improve your My Business card, updating posts is definitely a step towards the right path! Think first of all about what you want to notify; it could be the beginning of sales, a special promotion, or a novelty. The basic information to add is the text of the post and the image. The photo is actually optional, but strongly recommended to increase the visual impact and encourage potential customers.
The system is not limited to text and image, but also gives us the possibility to:
 
- turn the post into an event
- insert a button (call-to-action and link to the website).
 
REVIEWS
In addition to the information mentioned above, it is essential to develop strategies in order to get reviews checked by users and customers. Reviews are very important for many reasons: branding, reputation, indexing, and with Google My Business you will also have the opportunity to see the stars and the average rating of users on the search network. This last point can be crucial, there are researches that show that 97% of consumers claim to read online reviews on local companies and 90% of them are influenced by both positive and negative opinions for their own choice of purchase.  
In this regard, it could be very useful to set up a notification on the email in Google My Business account every time a user issues a review, so that you can monitor in real time the opinion of users on your business / store. When you receive reviews, it is advisable to answer, always remembering that what you write will be visible to everyone, so be always polite. Reviews are also useful to optimize the page: feedbacks allowGoogle to understand how your company is perceived by customers.
 
LOCAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Another strategic aspect to be taken care of and not to be underestimated is that of social networks. You will have to  evaluate carefully the most appropriate social for your store, for the product you deal with ... Facebook page, for example, is in most cases the most suitable tool to represent a company on the web.
 
ANALYTICS SECTION
Dedicate periodically time to check the analyitics of your card, then view and analyze the in-depth section, from which you can understand how many calls you receive through the card, how many photos have been seen, the visits to your website and a lot of other important information. By entering the "manage headquarters" section, among the menu items, you will find "statistics". Here you will find any information, any data highlighted with beautiful coloured graphics, easy and quick to understand. Not just visibility, but also interactions. Let's see them in detail.
  • Views:
here you will have the total views of your business, divided into the different Google properties. You will then have data related to:
- Search, when the information of our office appeared following a user search on Google.
- G + page, the number of visits to our Google Plus page
- post: the G + post views by users
- photos: the views of our photos, by users, whether they come from G +, Maps or Google images.
  • Click:
after visibility the system will tell how the user interacted with our card; here are the clicks we received. What were users interested in?
- access to the website
- itinerary information
- phone calls
  • Street signs:
Where were users who clicked on "street signs"  located? We must be honest: data will not always be so accurate. We could also see a simple "Italy" and we must also have a certain number of clicks, otherwise we will see "unsatisfactory data".
  • Phone:
in this case time division is in weeks, not days, but the period is the same.
You can also choose to see the data by day, or by time of day.
Remember that:
- values ​​are approximate, but still communicate it
- the system does not collect information in real time, it takes about 48 hours to gather it.
 
Has been summarize the world of Google MyBusiness as simply as possible, I hope it will be a positive support for your pet shop and remember:
 
"People who do not have an online business and who are not in the social networks, in the near future will remain out of any business." Bill Gates
Google My Business: an extra kick for your pet shop.
viernes, 12 de octubre de 2018
Do you have a pet shop, a chain of stores? Do you want to improve their profitability?
 
Consider that every month people visit 1.5 billion destinations they had previously searched for on Google. If we actually think about it, we cannot blame these statistics. We read  reviews, we study itineraries, we read up on opening hours, we look at photos, maybe we visit directly the facility with the virtual tour.
When it's necessary, when there is an emergency and we need something to be searched for within a few kilometers, we use our mobile. 30% of mobile searches are connected with locations.
76% of users who look for a nearby store through their smartphone, goes to the store throughout the day and 28% of them realizes a purchase.
 
Well, this is why today let's talk about a free service you must absolutely know to give an added value to your store. This service will increase its local visibility and will make it more accessible to the customer.
Customers are the center of every business, they are the reason why companies flourish and their shared passion for your job is what makes business management so satisfying.
In the last few years Google has realised a very simple and useful tool for companies, which isn't yet well-known and used by them, perhaps because they don't know it in detail and ignore the big advantage that it has: I'm talking about GOOGLE MY BUSINESS, an easy and free way to find and connect with people, with your customers wherever you are.
 
You have to think that  enterprises that were verified  on Google are twice as likely to be considered reliable by consumers.
 
What is Google My Business?
Google My Business is a dashboard where the owner of a local business can manage his information and provide it to the huge Google database.
First of all Google My Business is free and can be intended as a site through which you can inform and keep Google updated about all that is related to your store.

Google My Business profile therefore offers a lot of useful information about the activity, offered to users who are looking for you both directly and indirectly. Basically, a My Business page must allow the user to know:
  • where your store is physically located
  • which services / products it sells
  • how to contact you
  • how you are judged by users who have already had experiences with your store.
 
Google My Business: how does it work?
The steps to take, to make things simple and clear:
 
  • first you create a Google account, linked to your store and not to yourself
  • check that there is not already an old record of this activity
  • if not, proceed with the creation of a new record, otherwise contact Google support team to help you
  • enter information about: name of your pet shop, country / region, address, postal code, city, province, main shop phone, category, delivery service"
  • at this stage you will have to confirm the ownership of the account by phone call or by sending a coupon with a code
  • once the account is activated, the next step will be to add the suitable contents to attract the interest of the customers, ensuring that the association between the research question and the results displayed is immediate.
Now you are really ready to  get down to work, to fill your record with interesting contents and information in order to make it useful for users who visit it. Where shall you start from? Obviously from the basic information of your store, namely: name, address, telephone number, branch, website.
 
Which contents are important to improve it?
Google My Business card allows you to receive many contacts, it is certainly useful for any activity. It will be important to keep the information up-to-date, as most of the research of this kind are carried out through the smartphone, therefore in a situation of "urgency" where the user needs to find as much information as possible in the shortest time required, we can talk about an immediate need. Remember that, as in reality,  network is also full of competitors, therefore your My Business card will have to offer something more than competitors do. The more you work well and you get positive reviews and ratings, the better the placement in the local search results of your pet shop will be.
Now in detail the items that you can enter to customize it at best.
 
CONTACT INFO
However, you have to consider a limitation, connected with many kinds of activities:  you usually answer company phone during working hours but people search the web anytime. Google MyBusiness has also thought about this: it is possible to receive requests, meetings, quotations, not only through phone calls! In your card you can add links that will be the landing pages (intended as  pages of destination); people  can leave messages or requests, ask for meetings or enquiries, or book a visit in your shop. It's really easy to add a landing page on Google My Business: you just have to change the URLs of the activity.
 
OPENING AND CLOSING TIME

You can also add special times in advance, such as during holidays. A message will appear on your regular times.
EXHAUSTIVE DESCRIPTION OF THE COMPANY
That includes the keywords related to your business and maybe even links to strategic pages of the site.
 
WEBSITE

The site service is designed for activities that do not have a website, it is not recommended for those who have already a company website.
IMAGES
For a perfect use of Google My Business, the first rule is to pay particular attention to the choice of images. They must be beautiful, high-quality, unchanged, taken from different angles that reflect reality at best.
It is advisable to add:
- a profile image in line with your pet shop, which can represent it at best, or a logo.
- a cover image that can help  users to identify you immediately, such as a photo of the shop's exterior.
- other images related to your store: photos of interiors and exteriors, photos of employees or team / staff at work or even of your best products.
 
VIRTUAL TOURS
Virtual tours of the activities on Google Maps are not directly used to sell products or offer services, but can still influence the decision about "purchase" or "visit" of the activity or of the place of interest.
 
POST
Surely there is the desire to make companies increasingly rich in information to be provided to their customers or potential customers; but beyond this, the novelty will necesarily lead to a natural selection of companies: on the one hand those who will use posts for new promotions, special offers, to promote events, to give more prominence to some products rather than others, and on the other hand companies that they will not conform to the change and will be damaged. If you want to improve your My Business card, updating posts is definitely a step towards the right path! Think first of all about what you want to notify; it could be the beginning of sales, a special promotion, or a novelty. The basic information to add is the text of the post and the image. The photo is actually optional, but strongly recommended to increase the visual impact and encourage potential customers.
The system is not limited to text and image, but also gives us the possibility to:
 
- turn the post into an event
- insert a button (call-to-action and link to the website).
 
REVIEWS
In addition to the information mentioned above, it is essential to develop strategies in order to get reviews checked by users and customers. Reviews are very important for many reasons: branding, reputation, indexing, and with Google My Business you will also have the opportunity to see the stars and the average rating of users on the search network. This last point can be crucial, there are researches that show that 97% of consumers claim to read online reviews on local companies and 90% of them are influenced by both positive and negative opinions for their own choice of purchase.  
In this regard, it could be very useful to set up a notification on the email in Google My Business account every time a user issues a review, so that you can monitor in real time the opinion of users on your business / store. When you receive reviews, it is advisable to answer, always remembering that what you write will be visible to everyone, so be always polite. Reviews are also useful to optimize the page: feedbacks allowGoogle to understand how your company is perceived by customers.
 
LOCAL MARKETING AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Another strategic aspect to be taken care of and not to be underestimated is that of social networks. You will have to  evaluate carefully the most appropriate social for your store, for the product you deal with ... Facebook page, for example, is in most cases the most suitable tool to represent a company on the web.
 
ANALYTICS SECTION
Dedicate periodically time to check the analyitics of your card, then view and analyze the in-depth section, from which you can understand how many calls you receive through the card, how many photos have been seen, the visits to your website and a lot of other important information. By entering the "manage headquarters" section, among the menu items, you will find "statistics". Here you will find any information, any data highlighted with beautiful coloured graphics, easy and quick to understand. Not just visibility, but also interactions. Let's see them in detail.
  • Views:
here you will have the total views of your business, divided into the different Google properties. You will then have data related to:
- Search, when the information of our office appeared following a user search on Google.
- G + page, the number of visits to our Google Plus page
- post: the G + post views by users
- photos: the views of our photos, by users, whether they come from G +, Maps or Google images.
  • Click:
after visibility the system will tell how the user interacted with our card; here are the clicks we received. What were users interested in?
- access to the website
- itinerary information
- phone calls
  • Street signs:
Where were users who clicked on "street signs"  located? We must be honest: data will not always be so accurate. We could also see a simple "Italy" and we must also have a certain number of clicks, otherwise we will see "unsatisfactory data".
  • Phone:
in this case time division is in weeks, not days, but the period is the same.
You can also choose to see the data by day, or by time of day.
Remember that:
- values ​​are approximate, but still communicate it
- the system does not collect information in real time, it takes about 48 hours to gather it.
 
Has been summarize the world of Google MyBusiness as simply as possible, I hope it will be a positive support for your pet shop and remember:
 
"People who do not have an online business and who are not in the social networks, in the near future will remain out of any business." Bill Gates

 

1.USEFUL FOR PET SAFETY
Identification tag is an essential accessory for the safety of our 4-legged friends that should not be missing in your store, as it is one of the first items to buy when a dog arrives in your family.
Your  pet customers should not be lacking their ID tag and above all their owners will not have to wait to buy it until it's too late.
 
WHAT IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT?
In case  the dog gets lost,  ID tag is the best way to see him quickly come back home.
As a matter of fact its origins date back to the early 1900s to identify soldiers in any situation. Therefore, it represents an old and simple method, the most convincing today to protect your 4-legged friend.
Whoever meets him will be able to help him immediately and the tag will confirm that he is a domestic dog, of whom not to be afraid of.
Microchips and tags are two important realities that must coexist, do not think absolutely that one excludes the other.
Microchip in Italy and in other countries is mandatory by law and allows to find out the owners who might have  abandoned their dog on purpose. In order to read the identification code of the microchip, it will be necessary to contact the persons in charge (veterinaries, law enforcement agencies, local health authorities ...) who have the special device. On the contrary, the tag allows anyone who finds a dog in trouble, to get immediately in touch with his owner, thanks to the information engraved on the tag that he will wear attached to his collar.
A simple phone call will be enough!
These are the main notions that must be clear and that you should pass on to your customers about the safety of their pet.
Which person would not despair for the loss of his faithful friend?
 
2. QUALITY PRODUCT, 500 MODELS FOR ALL TASTES
MyFamily, allows you to offer your customer a medal that will not only be an essential accessory for his animal but also unique for quality and beauty.  SITE PRODUCTS
 
3. ENGRAVING SERVICE IN 2 MINUTES
Thanks to Techla, our engraving machine, tags can be free and easily engraved in your shop by you or even by your customer,  in a few minutes, to ensure a complete and performing service. VIEW OUR TECHLA
 
Should you need more detailed information about microchips and tags, please read: "The importance of the ID tag"
WHY IDENTIFICATION TAG IN YOUR PET SHOP? WHY MYFAMILY? THE 3 REASONS.
martes, 2 de octubre de 2018

 

1.USEFUL FOR PET SAFETY
Identification tag is an essential accessory for the safety of our 4-legged friends that should not be missing in your store, as it is one of the first items to buy when a dog arrives in your family.
Your  pet customers should not be lacking their ID tag and above all their owners will not have to wait to buy it until it's too late.
 
WHAT IS IT IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT?
In case  the dog gets lost,  ID tag is the best way to see him quickly come back home.
As a matter of fact its origins date back to the early 1900s to identify soldiers in any situation. Therefore, it represents an old and simple method, the most convincing today to protect your 4-legged friend.
Whoever meets him will be able to help him immediately and the tag will confirm that he is a domestic dog, of whom not to be afraid of.
Microchips and tags are two important realities that must coexist, do not think absolutely that one excludes the other.
Microchip in Italy and in other countries is mandatory by law and allows to find out the owners who might have  abandoned their dog on purpose. In order to read the identification code of the microchip, it will be necessary to contact the persons in charge (veterinaries, law enforcement agencies, local health authorities ...) who have the special device. On the contrary, the tag allows anyone who finds a dog in trouble, to get immediately in touch with his owner, thanks to the information engraved on the tag that he will wear attached to his collar.
A simple phone call will be enough!
These are the main notions that must be clear and that you should pass on to your customers about the safety of their pet.
Which person would not despair for the loss of his faithful friend?
 
2. QUALITY PRODUCT, 500 MODELS FOR ALL TASTES
MyFamily, allows you to offer your customer a medal that will not only be an essential accessory for his animal but also unique for quality and beauty.  SITE PRODUCTS
 
3. ENGRAVING SERVICE IN 2 MINUTES
Thanks to Techla, our engraving machine, tags can be free and easily engraved in your shop by you or even by your customer,  in a few minutes, to ensure a complete and performing service. VIEW OUR TECHLA
 
Should you need more detailed information about microchips and tags, please read: "The importance of the ID tag"

The first time I met Lagotto in my vet clynic, I have been immediately fascinated by his cheerfulness and by the natural affection he showed in a situation which is usually unfriendly for the patients.
Before this occasion, I just heard about that breed, but I never had the chance to personally meet it.
The visit took place in a unique climate, with a dog that was not standing still, constantly trying to lick me, greeting me,  demanding caresses, cuddles and as soon as I stopped, he tried to draw my attention again. A hurricane of happiness!
So his owner began to tell me about his love for this little known breed and his passion for truffles and the visit became special.

I want to share with you the story of this curly dog starting from his origins, so you can know who the Lagotto is.

 

The LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO, his story.

 
The Lagotto Romagnolo, also known as Lagotto, has been recognized in Italy by ENCI as a breed only in 1990, but it seems to be an ancient breed because it appears in some Italian paintings of 1400.
It is therefore deduced that this breed has Italian origins, particularly related to the swampy areas of Ravenna and Comacchio valleys where he was defined, in the local dialect, the "lake dog". Lagotto initially was a hunting dog, used as a retriver for waterfowl game. 
With the great reclamation of the valleys of the late '800, the Lagotto lost his active role in the economy of the territory, but his good character, his peculiar ease of learning and a developed smell made him soon a skilled truffle hunter.
In this way, he became the only breed in the world which is specialized in truffle hunting.
Obviously the man has made his hunting instinct gradually vanish to avoid distractions during his work.

In recent times, the knowledge of the breed has spread and the Civil Defense has also taken it into consideration to help in finding lost people thanks to his versatility and his easy adaptation to any type of environment.

 

Breed 's features and character

 
That day, I was immediately impressed by the hair of this dog: it was woolly, curly, thick; you could see the skin with difficulty and the hand sank into this soft mass. It seemed to touch a soft toy.
His blue eyes could hardly be seen. His coat was reddish brown. He was funny, he looked like a puppy despite he was 2 years old.
These are the distinguishing features of Lagotto. In particular the quality of the coat has made this breed suitable for any environment and situation.
Nothing stops him, he is able to look for truffles in the brambles, to withstand very low temperatures and to work in any type of environment, even for hours in the water; his coat is water repellent and it dries quickly. He does not have a real seasonal molt, but a minimum one and the hair, continuously growing, needs to be constantly cut. The recognized hair colors are: uniform white, white with brown spots, roan, brown liver uniform, orange and other various combinations of colors. Some white spots may appear during growth.
He is considered a small-medium size dog, the standards define him square in shape, since the height and length must correspond to shape a square.
He loves working, he considers everything as a game and this makes him unique in his being. The Lagotto can be easily trained and he can be a good truffle searcher even when is just 18 months old. His intelligence allows him to quickly learn what other breeds would learn in a much longer time.
This dog that loves to stay with his owner, but despite the fact that he loves sofa and cuddles, he needs to move and work in order to be happy. His work dog nature is perfectly expressed in his desire to play up to adulthood and this desire must be addressed and adequately exploited. Obviously this breed is not only appreciated by truffle searchers but also by dogs lovers.  If you are not fond of truffles you can still have fun with many sports such as agility, freestyle, disc dog, swimming, obedience.
He's a great playmate for children with whom he gets along very well and joins forces to make some pranks.
This dog can adapt himself to any situation, always seeing the positive side. He is calm and balanced, but, being a working dog, he needs incentives, goals, precise tasks to run near the man of whom he knows how to be a fun companion. He is not a conflicting dog, so it is enough to clearly teach him the rules to be followed since his early age and the life with him will be simple and pleasant.
In recent years, this breed has had a great success, worldwide. This dog's  working intelligence and excellent character make him a winning mix that will achieve great success in the coming future.
 

I hope this article has been useful and I invite you to get in touch with me in case of any curiosity you may have... you could rather propose the next topic to deal with, I will be happy to receive your suggestions! 

 

Eleonora Bosoni

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine

 

 
Lagotto and his love for truffles.
lunes, 1 de octubre de 2018

The first time I met Lagotto in my vet clynic, I have been immediately fascinated by his cheerfulness and by the natural affection he showed in a situation which is usually unfriendly for the patients.
Before this occasion, I just heard about that breed, but I never had the chance to personally meet it.
The visit took place in a unique climate, with a dog that was not standing still, constantly trying to lick me, greeting me,  demanding caresses, cuddles and as soon as I stopped, he tried to draw my attention again. A hurricane of happiness!
So his owner began to tell me about his love for this little known breed and his passion for truffles and the visit became special.

I want to share with you the story of this curly dog starting from his origins, so you can know who the Lagotto is.

 

The LAGOTTO ROMAGNOLO, his story.

 
The Lagotto Romagnolo, also known as Lagotto, has been recognized in Italy by ENCI as a breed only in 1990, but it seems to be an ancient breed because it appears in some Italian paintings of 1400.
It is therefore deduced that this breed has Italian origins, particularly related to the swampy areas of Ravenna and Comacchio valleys where he was defined, in the local dialect, the "lake dog". Lagotto initially was a hunting dog, used as a retriver for waterfowl game. 
With the great reclamation of the valleys of the late '800, the Lagotto lost his active role in the economy of the territory, but his good character, his peculiar ease of learning and a developed smell made him soon a skilled truffle hunter.
In this way, he became the only breed in the world which is specialized in truffle hunting.
Obviously the man has made his hunting instinct gradually vanish to avoid distractions during his work.

In recent times, the knowledge of the breed has spread and the Civil Defense has also taken it into consideration to help in finding lost people thanks to his versatility and his easy adaptation to any type of environment.

 

Breed 's features and character

 
That day, I was immediately impressed by the hair of this dog: it was woolly, curly, thick; you could see the skin with difficulty and the hand sank into this soft mass. It seemed to touch a soft toy.
His blue eyes could hardly be seen. His coat was reddish brown. He was funny, he looked like a puppy despite he was 2 years old.
These are the distinguishing features of Lagotto. In particular the quality of the coat has made this breed suitable for any environment and situation.
Nothing stops him, he is able to look for truffles in the brambles, to withstand very low temperatures and to work in any type of environment, even for hours in the water; his coat is water repellent and it dries quickly. He does not have a real seasonal molt, but a minimum one and the hair, continuously growing, needs to be constantly cut. The recognized hair colors are: uniform white, white with brown spots, roan, brown liver uniform, orange and other various combinations of colors. Some white spots may appear during growth.
He is considered a small-medium size dog, the standards define him square in shape, since the height and length must correspond to shape a square.
He loves working, he considers everything as a game and this makes him unique in his being. The Lagotto can be easily trained and he can be a good truffle searcher even when is just 18 months old. His intelligence allows him to quickly learn what other breeds would learn in a much longer time.
This dog that loves to stay with his owner, but despite the fact that he loves sofa and cuddles, he needs to move and work in order to be happy. His work dog nature is perfectly expressed in his desire to play up to adulthood and this desire must be addressed and adequately exploited. Obviously this breed is not only appreciated by truffle searchers but also by dogs lovers.  If you are not fond of truffles you can still have fun with many sports such as agility, freestyle, disc dog, swimming, obedience.
He's a great playmate for children with whom he gets along very well and joins forces to make some pranks.
This dog can adapt himself to any situation, always seeing the positive side. He is calm and balanced, but, being a working dog, he needs incentives, goals, precise tasks to run near the man of whom he knows how to be a fun companion. He is not a conflicting dog, so it is enough to clearly teach him the rules to be followed since his early age and the life with him will be simple and pleasant.
In recent years, this breed has had a great success, worldwide. This dog's  working intelligence and excellent character make him a winning mix that will achieve great success in the coming future.
 

I hope this article has been useful and I invite you to get in touch with me in case of any curiosity you may have... you could rather propose the next topic to deal with, I will be happy to receive your suggestions! 

 

Eleonora Bosoni

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine

 

 

medaglietta incisa

Nowadays, the importance of the identification tag for a dog isn't so obvious for everyone, so far.
Luckely, in many countries of the world (as for example in the United Kingdom, in Canada, in Australia ...) it is mandatory by law; it is given to the owner as soon as the dog is registered with the application of the microchip and the dog will have to wear it everywhere during his whole life, so that he can be identified easily at any time.
It is important to clarify the differences between microchip and identification tag, as they are two important identification methods that should coexist and about which there is often a lot of confusion, thinking that one excludes the other.
 

Microchip

 
It is a small transponder, mandatory by law in Italy and in several foreign countries, put by the vet in the subcutaneous side of the neck, identifying the animal with a personal, 13-digits code that can be read by a special device. 
Its usefulness is undeniable because it allows to identify the dog and his owner. This means that a dog who gets lost can be brought back home. It also means that, in case of crimes and abandonments of the pet by the owner, it is easier to find out the responsible.
However, it's not so clear that:
  • it is not a GPS, so it does not detect the animal
  • in order to read the code it is necessary to have a compatible reader, provided to vets, shelters and law enforcement agencies
  • once the code has been identified, the correspondence will be searched on the national dog registry website (where the registration was accomplished), in order to find out the owner's data.
It follows that the recovery procedure based on microchip is not so immediate.
Imagine to drive your car and to find a dog who got lost:
  • you have to get close to him
  • to carry him into your car
  • to take him to the nearest place provided with a reader, in order to make sure that he has got a microchip
  • in case of a positive outcome, to wait for the owner's data and to find him.
You have also to consider that there is no international dog registry, but only a national one. For this reason, it will be difficult to immediately find out the correspondence between microchip and owner, in the event that the loss occurred outside your registration area.
 

Identification tag

 
It is a strong and biocompatible metal plate on which the following information is usually engraved: dog's name, owner's telephone and possibly address.
It is essential that the pet always wears it, attached to the collar, so that in case he gets lost, anyone who finds him, getting close to him, will be able to find out his owner and contact him immediately.
It represents a simple and old, quick and direct method, avoiding the dangers that a scared animal wandering on the street could cause both to himself and to others.
Do you understand why the identification tag is mandatory in many countries of the world ?! I want to mention some examples.

"A 1992 decree states that in the UK any dog ​​in any public place must wear a collar with the owner's name and the address engraved on a tag or written on it. The postcode is optional (but it is strongly recommended) and the telephone number is optional (but advisable). A penalty is expected for those who break this rule.

In Montreal, Canada, the dogs owners are expected to pay an annual fee for the ID tag and dogs have always to wear it with their collars. In Florida, instead, each dog has to mandatorily wear a tag with the date of the latest rabies vaccination. "
If you travel very often abroad it is also advisable to mention the country of origin, in order to use the correct area code in case of call.
The identification tag should therefore not be considered as an object of beauty, but mainly as an old and very useful accessory that can protect our pet in any dangerous situation.

In fact, this object began to acquire great importance at the beginning of the 20th century, in order to identify soldiers in any situation.

 

Where can you buy it?

 
You can buy it in pet stores, online and you can choose among a wide range of models of any kind.
It is a strong, cheap, tough object that guarantees safety in dangerous situations.
For this reason, let us not forget to leave our pet without this essential accessory! ... and above all, don't wait until it's too late to think about buying it.
Among our collections you can find the perfect tag for your pet. Click here!
 
The importance of the identification tag.
viernes, 28 de septiembre de 2018

medaglietta incisa

Nowadays, the importance of the identification tag for a dog isn't so obvious for everyone, so far.
Luckely, in many countries of the world (as for example in the United Kingdom, in Canada, in Australia ...) it is mandatory by law; it is given to the owner as soon as the dog is registered with the application of the microchip and the dog will have to wear it everywhere during his whole life, so that he can be identified easily at any time.
It is important to clarify the differences between microchip and identification tag, as they are two important identification methods that should coexist and about which there is often a lot of confusion, thinking that one excludes the other.
 

Microchip

 
It is a small transponder, mandatory by law in Italy and in several foreign countries, put by the vet in the subcutaneous side of the neck, identifying the animal with a personal, 13-digits code that can be read by a special device. 
Its usefulness is undeniable because it allows to identify the dog and his owner. This means that a dog who gets lost can be brought back home. It also means that, in case of crimes and abandonments of the pet by the owner, it is easier to find out the responsible.
However, it's not so clear that:
  • it is not a GPS, so it does not detect the animal
  • in order to read the code it is necessary to have a compatible reader, provided to vets, shelters and law enforcement agencies
  • once the code has been identified, the correspondence will be searched on the national dog registry website (where the registration was accomplished), in order to find out the owner's data.
It follows that the recovery procedure based on microchip is not so immediate.
Imagine to drive your car and to find a dog who got lost:
  • you have to get close to him
  • to carry him into your car
  • to take him to the nearest place provided with a reader, in order to make sure that he has got a microchip
  • in case of a positive outcome, to wait for the owner's data and to find him.
You have also to consider that there is no international dog registry, but only a national one. For this reason, it will be difficult to immediately find out the correspondence between microchip and owner, in the event that the loss occurred outside your registration area.
 

Identification tag

 
It is a strong and biocompatible metal plate on which the following information is usually engraved: dog's name, owner's telephone and possibly address.
It is essential that the pet always wears it, attached to the collar, so that in case he gets lost, anyone who finds him, getting close to him, will be able to find out his owner and contact him immediately.
It represents a simple and old, quick and direct method, avoiding the dangers that a scared animal wandering on the street could cause both to himself and to others.
Do you understand why the identification tag is mandatory in many countries of the world ?! I want to mention some examples.

"A 1992 decree states that in the UK any dog ​​in any public place must wear a collar with the owner's name and the address engraved on a tag or written on it. The postcode is optional (but it is strongly recommended) and the telephone number is optional (but advisable). A penalty is expected for those who break this rule.

In Montreal, Canada, the dogs owners are expected to pay an annual fee for the ID tag and dogs have always to wear it with their collars. In Florida, instead, each dog has to mandatorily wear a tag with the date of the latest rabies vaccination. "
If you travel very often abroad it is also advisable to mention the country of origin, in order to use the correct area code in case of call.
The identification tag should therefore not be considered as an object of beauty, but mainly as an old and very useful accessory that can protect our pet in any dangerous situation.

In fact, this object began to acquire great importance at the beginning of the 20th century, in order to identify soldiers in any situation.

 

Where can you buy it?

 
You can buy it in pet stores, online and you can choose among a wide range of models of any kind.
It is a strong, cheap, tough object that guarantees safety in dangerous situations.
For this reason, let us not forget to leave our pet without this essential accessory! ... and above all, don't wait until it's too late to think about buying it.
Among our collections you can find the perfect tag for your pet. Click here!
 

MEMO PET IDENTITY, what it is.

Is it possible to always remember everything in the modern everyday life?

Many times you have happened to forget an appointment or to find yourself in a place, lacking some details related to your animal, such as the number of its microchip or its passport, the name of a drug that usually uses ... That's why we have created MEMO PET ID.

This is an APP, signed MyFamily available on Apple, Play Store and Windows Store, free, easily downloadable on your mobile and can be consulted anytime and anywhere.

Once installed on your device, its use is very simple, let's see it in detail to make the most of it.

USER MANUAL

On the "HOME" screen with the "add" option, you can create the personalized card for each of your pets.

In this way you will have available:

  • 2 possibility of e-mail address to send reminders
  • Date of vaccination
  • Date of the pesticide
  • Date of antiphilaria prophylaxis
  • Appointment to the vet
  • Appointment to grooming
  • Various notices (for example in this section you could insert to buy a drug of usual use, to buy the food ...)


Once saved, these data will become part of the "My friends" section and the appointments you will save will be remembered by e-mail on the appropriate expiration date.

It will therefore not be easier to manage your daily life!?

In the section below, in addition to this item there are the items "Find vet" and "Find a reseller" that will allow you according to your position to find the figure closest to you, so you do not waste time in case of need.

The last entry is "Settings" where you can find your registration data made initially that you can change at any time (remember if your email address changes).

We can therefore define MEMO PET ID as a true digital identity card that provides you with all the data of your pet in any situation.

All these data are also written on his health card, but obviously it is not always with you unlike your phone.

Download MEMO PET IDENTITY, you will not forget any more appointments and you will never find yourself unprepared on any data related to your pet that will be requested.

MEMO PET IDENTITY, all you need to know
miércoles, 19 de septiembre de 2018

MEMO PET IDENTITY, what it is.

Is it possible to always remember everything in the modern everyday life?

Many times you have happened to forget an appointment or to find yourself in a place, lacking some details related to your animal, such as the number of its microchip or its passport, the name of a drug that usually uses ... That's why we have created MEMO PET ID.

This is an APP, signed MyFamily available on Apple, Play Store and Windows Store, free, easily downloadable on your mobile and can be consulted anytime and anywhere.

Once installed on your device, its use is very simple, let's see it in detail to make the most of it.

USER MANUAL

On the "HOME" screen with the "add" option, you can create the personalized card for each of your pets.

In this way you will have available:

  • 2 possibility of e-mail address to send reminders
  • Date of vaccination
  • Date of the pesticide
  • Date of antiphilaria prophylaxis
  • Appointment to the vet
  • Appointment to grooming
  • Various notices (for example in this section you could insert to buy a drug of usual use, to buy the food ...)


Once saved, these data will become part of the "My friends" section and the appointments you will save will be remembered by e-mail on the appropriate expiration date.

It will therefore not be easier to manage your daily life!?

In the section below, in addition to this item there are the items "Find vet" and "Find a reseller" that will allow you according to your position to find the figure closest to you, so you do not waste time in case of need.

The last entry is "Settings" where you can find your registration data made initially that you can change at any time (remember if your email address changes).

We can therefore define MEMO PET ID as a true digital identity card that provides you with all the data of your pet in any situation.

All these data are also written on his health card, but obviously it is not always with you unlike your phone.

Download MEMO PET IDENTITY, you will not forget any more appointments and you will never find yourself unprepared on any data related to your pet that will be requested.


Instagram: a social network among many others

Internet is now full of socials and it's even more difficult to choose among them which one is the most suitable for your business.

Facebook, by now a giant among socials, is obviously the most quoted because it offers the possibility to create a page of your company and a wide choice of subjects to post and actions to take.

If you are interested in receiving more information about this, please read also our article about managing a Facebook page for a Pet Shop.

Besides Facebook, which other social media can be useful to establish the presence of your Pet Shop?

There are many, but today I will talk about Instagram. This social was born as an app for smartphones and then evolved into what is now one of the most relevant social networks for a business promotion. It's a product focused on sharing of visual contents (pictures and videos) that significantly feed visual marketing. It was created to take and/or share photos/videos aiming at creating a positive and viral reaction from users. Its success comes from the fact that it raises emotions and feelings that go beyond the original photo. There is nothing better than a picture to tell a story and Instagram takes full advantage of this peculiarity.

Humans are naturally predisposed to visual processing, so colors and movements are much more attractive than any text.

Besides tools to share visual contents, it also gives you the opportunity to send privately messages to other users; this allows you to connect directly with your potential customers. Users on Instagram are usually more willing to interact with the different business affairs in comparison with other social networks.

You can customize pictures also through hashtags that allow you to increase the access of new users to your profile without having to resort to sponsored promotions.

You can share on Instagram "Stories", photos or videos that remain visible only for 24 hours. It's an easy and fast way to update your users about your activities, without taking too much care of the content.

Several companies have chosen to use Instagram for their advertising, even in the Pet World! MyFamily is among them!

Thanks to its features, Instagram has both pros and cons. Before deciding if it is for you, you have to keep them in mind.

 

Pros

  • Visibility: Many people say they prefer Instagram to Facebook thanks to the visibility that a post has on Instagram compared to Facebook. Since 2012, Facebook's visibility has decreased by 60%: this means that many people, even if they are your users, cannot see your posts unless you pay. On the contrary, Instagram, thanks to its hashtag system, encourages visibility much more.
    If your business has an unusual visual content to share, such as photos of your pet shop's mascot or your contributions to animal shelters, Instagram allows you to show this content to the utmost.
  • Hashtags: Hashtag is the most suitable tool to reach an audience that is not necessarily part of the users registered to your profile, but who is definitely interested in the subject. Now you can include 30 hashtags in each post.
    For a Pet Shop it is very simple to find hashtags related to their business. You can find not only the most popular words of your business field, but also aim at a special niche group of users without much difficulty.
  • Visual content: The attention to visual content allows you to communicate better through more focused posts. Instagram offers a quick and easy way not only to upload / capture the desired picture, but also to change it with a set of pre-existing filters. This way you can take care of the uniformity of the colors of your Pet Shop photos without much effort.

 

Cons

  • Visual content: it can be a positive factor, as mentioned before, but also negative. Instagram is based only on sharing images and videos; therefore you have to invent, create and share only that kind of content. You must pay great attention to what you post because the images of low visual or communication quality will be disregarded by potential customers.
    The information and contents about your pet store are poor, so you have to strive constantly to create new ones.
  • App: Unlike many other social medias, Instagram is still mainly an application. For this reason, to obtain the best from this social, you have to use it on mobile devices. The access is also possible from a PC but with many restrictions, such as the inability to view and reply to direct messages or to post photos.
  • Physical Pet Store: Instagram attracts audiences from  all over the world. According to the hashtags used, you can reach users not only close to you, but also nationally and worldwide . This however becomes a problem if your business is a physical store that does not allow online purchases. With Instagram, it's much more difficult to aim at the local market than with any other social networks such as Facebook; it's more suited to global advertising. You only risk to invest your time in something that doesn't offer you much in terms of productivity.

 

These are main pros and cons of Instagram for your Pet Shop. Now it's up to you to evaluate and decide what is best for you and for your business.

Do you have any more suggestions about positive and negative sides of Instagram? Let me know your opinion in the comment below.

 

 

Instagram for a Pet Shop: Pros and Cons
viernes, 7 de septiembre de 2018


Instagram: a social network among many others

Internet is now full of socials and it's even more difficult to choose among them which one is the most suitable for your business.

Facebook, by now a giant among socials, is obviously the most quoted because it offers the possibility to create a page of your company and a wide choice of subjects to post and actions to take.

If you are interested in receiving more information about this, please read also our article about managing a Facebook page for a Pet Shop.

Besides Facebook, which other social media can be useful to establish the presence of your Pet Shop?

There are many, but today I will talk about Instagram. This social was born as an app for smartphones and then evolved into what is now one of the most relevant social networks for a business promotion. It's a product focused on sharing of visual contents (pictures and videos) that significantly feed visual marketing. It was created to take and/or share photos/videos aiming at creating a positive and viral reaction from users. Its success comes from the fact that it raises emotions and feelings that go beyond the original photo. There is nothing better than a picture to tell a story and Instagram takes full advantage of this peculiarity.

Humans are naturally predisposed to visual processing, so colors and movements are much more attractive than any text.

Besides tools to share visual contents, it also gives you the opportunity to send privately messages to other users; this allows you to connect directly with your potential customers. Users on Instagram are usually more willing to interact with the different business affairs in comparison with other social networks.

You can customize pictures also through hashtags that allow you to increase the access of new users to your profile without having to resort to sponsored promotions.

You can share on Instagram "Stories", photos or videos that remain visible only for 24 hours. It's an easy and fast way to update your users about your activities, without taking too much care of the content.

Several companies have chosen to use Instagram for their advertising, even in the Pet World! MyFamily is among them!

Thanks to its features, Instagram has both pros and cons. Before deciding if it is for you, you have to keep them in mind.

 

Pros

  • Visibility: Many people say they prefer Instagram to Facebook thanks to the visibility that a post has on Instagram compared to Facebook. Since 2012, Facebook's visibility has decreased by 60%: this means that many people, even if they are your users, cannot see your posts unless you pay. On the contrary, Instagram, thanks to its hashtag system, encourages visibility much more.
    If your business has an unusual visual content to share, such as photos of your pet shop's mascot or your contributions to animal shelters, Instagram allows you to show this content to the utmost.
  • Hashtags: Hashtag is the most suitable tool to reach an audience that is not necessarily part of the users registered to your profile, but who is definitely interested in the subject. Now you can include 30 hashtags in each post.
    For a Pet Shop it is very simple to find hashtags related to their business. You can find not only the most popular words of your business field, but also aim at a special niche group of users without much difficulty.
  • Visual content: The attention to visual content allows you to communicate better through more focused posts. Instagram offers a quick and easy way not only to upload / capture the desired picture, but also to change it with a set of pre-existing filters. This way you can take care of the uniformity of the colors of your Pet Shop photos without much effort.

 

Cons

  • Visual content: it can be a positive factor, as mentioned before, but also negative. Instagram is based only on sharing images and videos; therefore you have to invent, create and share only that kind of content. You must pay great attention to what you post because the images of low visual or communication quality will be disregarded by potential customers.
    The information and contents about your pet store are poor, so you have to strive constantly to create new ones.
  • App: Unlike many other social medias, Instagram is still mainly an application. For this reason, to obtain the best from this social, you have to use it on mobile devices. The access is also possible from a PC but with many restrictions, such as the inability to view and reply to direct messages or to post photos.
  • Physical Pet Store: Instagram attracts audiences from  all over the world. According to the hashtags used, you can reach users not only close to you, but also nationally and worldwide . This however becomes a problem if your business is a physical store that does not allow online purchases. With Instagram, it's much more difficult to aim at the local market than with any other social networks such as Facebook; it's more suited to global advertising. You only risk to invest your time in something that doesn't offer you much in terms of productivity.

 

These are main pros and cons of Instagram for your Pet Shop. Now it's up to you to evaluate and decide what is best for you and for your business.

Do you have any more suggestions about positive and negative sides of Instagram? Let me know your opinion in the comment below.

 

 

From 27 to 30 September 2018, MyFamily will attend the 22nd edition of CIPS exhibition in Guangzhou (booth 11.3 A35+). This is the most important exhibition of pet products and aquariums in the Asia Pacific region.

CIPS 2018 will host 1500 exhibitors on 120,000 square meters of exhibition space and MyFamily, always keeping pace with the new trends, is proud to meet the Asian and international market.

An opportunity to closely know:

- Our tags collections; more than 500 customized models, handcrafted, made in Italy, enamelled and focused on the smallest details to meet all pet world needs.

- Our Techla, the new instantaneous engraving system for MyFamily products that makes the personalization of the tags, easier, faster and more intuitive. A design object that represents the new technology of simplicity for all the POS.

and to discover the new Collars e Leashes collection in the important Asian and international market; this collection has been totally created and handcrafted in our company (that means MADE IN ITALY) from design to small metal parts production. It has been manufactured with high quality materials to offer a cutting-edge product. The Tag Holder and the Always Ready D-Ring are the distinctive features of this MyFamily collection, designed not only to be beautiful but also useful and practical for the dogs owners' everyday life.

 

CIPS 2018, Guangzhou, 27-30 September.
martes, 28 de agosto de 2018

From 27 to 30 September 2018, MyFamily will attend the 22nd edition of CIPS exhibition in Guangzhou (booth 11.3 A35+). This is the most important exhibition of pet products and aquariums in the Asia Pacific region.

CIPS 2018 will host 1500 exhibitors on 120,000 square meters of exhibition space and MyFamily, always keeping pace with the new trends, is proud to meet the Asian and international market.

An opportunity to closely know:

- Our tags collections; more than 500 customized models, handcrafted, made in Italy, enamelled and focused on the smallest details to meet all pet world needs.

- Our Techla, the new instantaneous engraving system for MyFamily products that makes the personalization of the tags, easier, faster and more intuitive. A design object that represents the new technology of simplicity for all the POS.

and to discover the new Collars e Leashes collection in the important Asian and international market; this collection has been totally created and handcrafted in our company (that means MADE IN ITALY) from design to small metal parts production. It has been manufactured with high quality materials to offer a cutting-edge product. The Tag Holder and the Always Ready D-Ring are the distinctive features of this MyFamily collection, designed not only to be beautiful but also useful and practical for the dogs owners' everyday life.

 


PARKZOO 2018, will be held in Moscow at the Sokolniki convention center, from 19 to 21 September 2018. 

Parkzoo is one of the largest fairs in the Russian industry and presents the full range of products and services for all pets. It is the meeting place between producers and buyers; this event will help all those working for the pet world to be aware of current trends in this sector. MyFamily, with its worldwide success, is proud to be part of it, at the stand n. 4 - B6, where it will be possible to see the complete collection of medals, designed and created specifically for the pet and made unique thanks to our Techla, a durable design machine. in aluminum created to customize our product in just a few minutes.

Parkzoo the opportunity to meet MyFamily and the quality dedicated to the pet world.

MOSCOW, PARKZOO 2018
martes, 28 de agosto de 2018


PARKZOO 2018, will be held in Moscow at the Sokolniki convention center, from 19 to 21 September 2018. 

Parkzoo is one of the largest fairs in the Russian industry and presents the full range of products and services for all pets. It is the meeting place between producers and buyers; this event will help all those working for the pet world to be aware of current trends in this sector. MyFamily, with its worldwide success, is proud to be part of it, at the stand n. 4 - B6, where it will be possible to see the complete collection of medals, designed and created specifically for the pet and made unique thanks to our Techla, a durable design machine. in aluminum created to customize our product in just a few minutes.

Parkzoo the opportunity to meet MyFamily and the quality dedicated to the pet world.


Today, the veterinary drug field is still a small reality if evaluated on a commercial level, but an interesting opportunity if considered in terms of customer loyalty. In recent years, in fact, there has been a strong and unexpected growth in the business related to this field which is connected to the growth of pet care.

The collaboration among veterinarian, pharmacist and pet corner nowadays is therefore the right web to focus your business on to make it better and more productive.

 

THE REALITY OF PET AND PET CARE.

With the term "pet care" we mean the care and welfare of pets and animal in general, in all its facets.

A few numbers to give you clearer and more precise ideas about the business that can derive from it.

Another important aspect that should not be underestimated is that thanks to care and healthy eating, life expectancy for our many 4-legged friends has also considerably increased in the last 30 years.

Recently, many studies have been carried out concerning the affective functions of the pet, which have highlighted their importance in our daily life; an international study has even highlighted how children who live with an animal get sick rarely, they lose 18 days of school less than their peers who do not own animals. Just think about the recent spread of pet-therapy in every area, to realize the importance that animals have conquered today.

 

The PET business.

The list of Top 25 retailers in 2018 Pet Business shows that the largest pet stores in North America have continued to grow significantly in the last year, a phenomenon that shows no sign of slowing, which has reached about $ 69 billion in sales.

From an American interview, which involved 1000 owners of animals from different States, it emerged that the monthly expenditure for their animals:

Many American chains within their stores offer health-related services from occasional vaccination events to genuine veterinary clinics within their businesses. Additional services are an effort to get more buyers in the store, encourage impulse buying and strengthen the store's image as a place to find pet health products and skills.

Japan has a highly developed pet market, with a value of about 1,450 billion yen, where the total sales of pet food and accessories amount to about 900 billion JPY; in China, on the other hand, given the exponential growth of the last few years, it will reach $ 7 billion in 2022 (based on Euromonitor data).

The pet business in Italy, in 2017 has exceeded 2 billion in turnover, with food at the first place, followed by products for the care and well-being and immediately after the drugs; the following drugs leading the ranking:

  • pesticides
  • anti-inflammatories
  • antibiotics

In Italy, when a pet owner need a drug, has to go to the pharmacy because a veterinarian can not dispense medicines, except the first few doses to start the treatment. Abroad the situation in different.

There are also many veterinary products which although they do not need medical prescription, require specialized advice from the pharmacist who is often unable to give it. These products are treatment for skin and hair, otologis products, lactic ferments, pesticides and, in general, products for prevention, supplements.

This is why lately there are several courses designed to train the pharmacist specifically on products of veterinary interest, to be able to give competent opinions and collaborate in the best possible way with the veterinarian. Outside our country (Italy), there are various and interesting conferences and activities around the role of the veterinary pharmacist who is a professional who is at the vet like the pharmacist is at the doctor. The presence of these specialized figures represents further proof of how we should prepare ourselves for a real explosion of requests.

In this specific field, the pharmacist, as a health professional, can perform in synergy with the veterinarian, a significant educational function towards the public, but also adapt and prepare their structure in order to meet the needs of easy availability of specific products for pet care. A constant connection with the veterinary clinics adjacent to the pharmacy could be useful and useful to promptly meet the needs of procurement of drugs by the pet owner, keeping an adequate supply of the most frequent prescription drugs. They could aldo organize a pet corner.

Read also the interview we did with Michele Monteforte of HOBBYZOO.

After the boom in sales related to products for children, after the increase of organic and food intolerances, now great results are coming from the "pets" field.

After all, it has only been for a few years now that the pet world has definitively become part of ours, so much that it is now a fundamental part of it; not only the dog and the cat have win people over but also birds, rodents, fish and more and more particular animals.

Often the true nature of the animal is ignored by the owner who comes to treat his pet as a human; many times he transforms his affection into pathology; but all this creates business.

Marketing tries to push where the demand grows; this is what must happen in the pet business: to create the demand starting from the offer.
Browsing online, I have found some specialized Italian veterinary pharmacies that only sell products for animals: medicines, feed and accessories. This type of activity has multiplied over the years, opening up several stores and expanding their product offerings.

Their presence, increasing on the territory, makes us understand the attention that consumers have in the purchase of products which are specific for their animals. The era in which the dog ate the leftovers of the house is finished; today, thanks to the information, the level of sensitivity of the owners has increased and they have understood the importance of feeding and cuddling their pet.

 

ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES

Another aspect that should not be underestimated for these activities is the online sale, which offers the opportunity to comfortably receive the goods at home, many times without even shipping costs. Many shops have improved their business thanks to their presence on social networks like facebook, instagram.

If you want to know more about FaceBook, read here.

Through this channel, with a minimum of effort, the shops can do promotions or give useful information on some product, or communicate news regarding the animals or some activity organized directly on the spot.

 

Thanks for your attention! Today I want to say hello to you like this:

  • "Today, finding winning and successful ideas is not a condition for a few people, but a necessity for everyone."
  • "The problem is not having ideas; the world is full of wonderful ideas; people wishing to realize them is the only missing thing".



See you soon!

Pet business: the strategy to improve it
viernes, 3 de agosto de 2018


Today, the veterinary drug field is still a small reality if evaluated on a commercial level, but an interesting opportunity if considered in terms of customer loyalty. In recent years, in fact, there has been a strong and unexpected growth in the business related to this field which is connected to the growth of pet care.

The collaboration among veterinarian, pharmacist and pet corner nowadays is therefore the right web to focus your business on to make it better and more productive.

 

THE REALITY OF PET AND PET CARE.

With the term "pet care" we mean the care and welfare of pets and animal in general, in all its facets.

A few numbers to give you clearer and more precise ideas about the business that can derive from it.

Another important aspect that should not be underestimated is that thanks to care and healthy eating, life expectancy for our many 4-legged friends has also considerably increased in the last 30 years.

Recently, many studies have been carried out concerning the affective functions of the pet, which have highlighted their importance in our daily life; an international study has even highlighted how children who live with an animal get sick rarely, they lose 18 days of school less than their peers who do not own animals. Just think about the recent spread of pet-therapy in every area, to realize the importance that animals have conquered today.

 

The PET business.

The list of Top 25 retailers in 2018 Pet Business shows that the largest pet stores in North America have continued to grow significantly in the last year, a phenomenon that shows no sign of slowing, which has reached about $ 69 billion in sales.

From an American interview, which involved 1000 owners of animals from different States, it emerged that the monthly expenditure for their animals:

Many American chains within their stores offer health-related services from occasional vaccination events to genuine veterinary clinics within their businesses. Additional services are an effort to get more buyers in the store, encourage impulse buying and strengthen the store's image as a place to find pet health products and skills.

Japan has a highly developed pet market, with a value of about 1,450 billion yen, where the total sales of pet food and accessories amount to about 900 billion JPY; in China, on the other hand, given the exponential growth of the last few years, it will reach $ 7 billion in 2022 (based on Euromonitor data).

The pet business in Italy, in 2017 has exceeded 2 billion in turnover, with food at the first place, followed by products for the care and well-being and immediately after the drugs; the following drugs leading the ranking:

  • pesticides
  • anti-inflammatories
  • antibiotics

In Italy, when a pet owner need a drug, has to go to the pharmacy because a veterinarian can not dispense medicines, except the first few doses to start the treatment. Abroad the situation in different.

There are also many veterinary products which although they do not need medical prescription, require specialized advice from the pharmacist who is often unable to give it. These products are treatment for skin and hair, otologis products, lactic ferments, pesticides and, in general, products for prevention, supplements.

This is why lately there are several courses designed to train the pharmacist specifically on products of veterinary interest, to be able to give competent opinions and collaborate in the best possible way with the veterinarian. Outside our country (Italy), there are various and interesting conferences and activities around the role of the veterinary pharmacist who is a professional who is at the vet like the pharmacist is at the doctor. The presence of these specialized figures represents further proof of how we should prepare ourselves for a real explosion of requests.

In this specific field, the pharmacist, as a health professional, can perform in synergy with the veterinarian, a significant educational function towards the public, but also adapt and prepare their structure in order to meet the needs of easy availability of specific products for pet care. A constant connection with the veterinary clinics adjacent to the pharmacy could be useful and useful to promptly meet the needs of procurement of drugs by the pet owner, keeping an adequate supply of the most frequent prescription drugs. They could aldo organize a pet corner.

Read also the interview we did with Michele Monteforte of HOBBYZOO.

After the boom in sales related to products for children, after the increase of organic and food intolerances, now great results are coming from the "pets" field.

After all, it has only been for a few years now that the pet world has definitively become part of ours, so much that it is now a fundamental part of it; not only the dog and the cat have win people over but also birds, rodents, fish and more and more particular animals.

Often the true nature of the animal is ignored by the owner who comes to treat his pet as a human; many times he transforms his affection into pathology; but all this creates business.

Marketing tries to push where the demand grows; this is what must happen in the pet business: to create the demand starting from the offer.
Browsing online, I have found some specialized Italian veterinary pharmacies that only sell products for animals: medicines, feed and accessories. This type of activity has multiplied over the years, opening up several stores and expanding their product offerings.

Their presence, increasing on the territory, makes us understand the attention that consumers have in the purchase of products which are specific for their animals. The era in which the dog ate the leftovers of the house is finished; today, thanks to the information, the level of sensitivity of the owners has increased and they have understood the importance of feeding and cuddling their pet.

 

ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES

Another aspect that should not be underestimated for these activities is the online sale, which offers the opportunity to comfortably receive the goods at home, many times without even shipping costs. Many shops have improved their business thanks to their presence on social networks like facebook, instagram.

If you want to know more about FaceBook, read here.

Through this channel, with a minimum of effort, the shops can do promotions or give useful information on some product, or communicate news regarding the animals or some activity organized directly on the spot.

 

Thanks for your attention! Today I want to say hello to you like this:

  • "Today, finding winning and successful ideas is not a condition for a few people, but a necessity for everyone."
  • "The problem is not having ideas; the world is full of wonderful ideas; people wishing to realize them is the only missing thing".



See you soon!




A common fear among dog owners is represented by poisoned baits.

In 2016, 23,500 dogs were poisoned in Italy and the 30% of them died of terrible pains.  In the first three months of 2017, cases had increased in comparison with the previous year.

For this reason, we thought to create this informational "handbook" that could be a help to you.


Poisoned baits

Poisoning means a change of the normal physiological balance of the organism because of a respiratory, cutaneous, alimentary contact with a toxic substance.

The most used substances to create baits are rat poison or other kinds of very dangerous poison like metaldehyde, strychnine, ethylene glycol (antifreeze liquid).

These tasty morsels are prepared to attract your animal, by using ham, meat, sausage, etc. Once ingested, the poison contained in them starts to circulate in a short time, causing damages. There are obviously some variables, related to the ingested dose, the size and breed of the animal, the kind of poison and the promptness of action.


Good habits

We suggest you not to worry, but to follow these simple basic measures:

  • Watch carefully where your dog goes and pay close attention to what he could swallow.
  • Try to instruct him not to eat what is on the ground.


First aid

There is a useful method that we suggest you to know in order to save your friend's life: to induce vomit. You shall obviously use it only if you are sure about the ingestion.

Induce vomit as quickly as possible in case of need is essential, except in the case a caustic substance has been ingested (for example muriatic acid, hydrochloric acid, etc) which would cause additional damages by flowing again in the passage.


How can you induce vomit?

The easiest and most effective method to use in case of urgent need is to let your dog swallow 1-2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide by a syringe without needle or a solution of water and salt. This will cause instant vomit, avoiding the poison to circulate or at least limiting the damages. After this, you shall go anyway to your veterinary.

What are the most used poisons? What symptoms will your pet show? What could you notice?

Most of the times, unfortunately you don't catch out your pet, but after some time (a few minutes or even a few days) you will notice that your dog has a problem and therefore it is very important to be able to recognize the symptoms.

The most used substance and the easiest to find on the market is rat poison (rodenticide, anticoagulant). Once it starts to circulate, it causes bleedings, which are more or less serious according to the affected area and to the ingested quantity.

The active ingredient of this product doesn't let the blood clot; therefore, the diagnosis is immediate after a simple blood sample (the blood will always be liquid in the syringe).

Symptoms will be more or less clear and fast, depending on the ingested quantity; sometimes they may even appear after a week.

Therefore, you can mainly notice:

  • tiredness, apathy
  • short of breath, in case of hemorrhages in the respiratory system
  • external hemorrhages
  • pale mucous membranes

 

Another product used is the metaldehyde (lumachicide), which consists of blue and green granules, used to combat snail infestation in crops.

Symptoms appear within 2-3 hours of ingestion:

  • tremors
  • convulsions
  • dilated pupils
  • greenish diarrhea
  • short of breath

 

Similar but more serious symptoms are associated with strychnine, a substance commonly used in the countryside to poison rats, foxes and wild animals, which acts quickly causing:

  • tremors
  • dilated pupils
  • short of breath
  • body rigidity
  • rich salivation
  • respiratory block and death


If the animal outlives the first 24 hours after ingestion, he will have a good chance of survival, if treated with the appropriate medicines.

 

The last substance we would like to consider is ethylene glycol (antifreeze liquid, used by mechanics, plumbers, liquid put into the tank to wash the car's windows, ect), which can be accidentally swallowed, as it has a very pleasant and sweet taste, loved by animals.

The symptomatology caused can be divided into three phases:

  • in the first phase, the nervous system is compromised: after about 30 minutes, the animal seems "drunk", has vomit, nausea, rich urination, thirst, uncertain gait, tremors, convulsions
  • in the second phase, after about 24 hours, the cardiac and pulmonary problems begin: you could see your pet with short of breath, with a difficult breathing
  • after about 48 hours, there is a serious renal impairment, with consequent dehydration, coma and death

Also in this last case a quick action is essential: it will be difficult to save the animal if the intervention is not carried out within 12 hours after ingestion.
The lethal dose for animals varies according to weight, but it is anyway low: for a cat, two teaspoons and for a dog of 10 kg, 2 big tablespoons of liquid are enough.

Therefore you should follow the following, simple suggestions:

  • don't leave these products containing ethylene glycol or any used, dirty containers unattended
  • don't take pets into construction sites, workshops, garages ... where this substance is used
  • do not let your pet drink from puddles on the street


There are many other dangerous products, we have listed the most commonly used in the preparation of baits.

In any case it is very important to identify the substance in question and show it to the veterinary, in order to operate properly. The more data you have, the better chance you'll have to save your friend.

It is always right to inform the police about the presence of poisoned baits, as they are dangerous both for our pets and for our children and they are the cause of environmental pollution.

Furthermore, we shall not forget that the inappropriate use of dangerous substances represents a crime punishable by law with heavy penalties up to detention.

We hope that this short handbook has provided you useful information about the topic of poisoned baits!

See you next time!

 

Eleonora Bosoni

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine

 

 

How to save your dog from poisoned baits
viernes, 20 de julio de 2018




A common fear among dog owners is represented by poisoned baits.

In 2016, 23,500 dogs were poisoned in Italy and the 30% of them died of terrible pains.  In the first three months of 2017, cases had increased in comparison with the previous year.

For this reason, we thought to create this informational "handbook" that could be a help to you.


Poisoned baits

Poisoning means a change of the normal physiological balance of the organism because of a respiratory, cutaneous, alimentary contact with a toxic substance.

The most used substances to create baits are rat poison or other kinds of very dangerous poison like metaldehyde, strychnine, ethylene glycol (antifreeze liquid).

These tasty morsels are prepared to attract your animal, by using ham, meat, sausage, etc. Once ingested, the poison contained in them starts to circulate in a short time, causing damages. There are obviously some variables, related to the ingested dose, the size and breed of the animal, the kind of poison and the promptness of action.


Good habits

We suggest you not to worry, but to follow these simple basic measures:

  • Watch carefully where your dog goes and pay close attention to what he could swallow.
  • Try to instruct him not to eat what is on the ground.


First aid

There is a useful method that we suggest you to know in order to save your friend's life: to induce vomit. You shall obviously use it only if you are sure about the ingestion.

Induce vomit as quickly as possible in case of need is essential, except in the case a caustic substance has been ingested (for example muriatic acid, hydrochloric acid, etc) which would cause additional damages by flowing again in the passage.


How can you induce vomit?

The easiest and most effective method to use in case of urgent need is to let your dog swallow 1-2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide by a syringe without needle or a solution of water and salt. This will cause instant vomit, avoiding the poison to circulate or at least limiting the damages. After this, you shall go anyway to your veterinary.

What are the most used poisons? What symptoms will your pet show? What could you notice?

Most of the times, unfortunately you don't catch out your pet, but after some time (a few minutes or even a few days) you will notice that your dog has a problem and therefore it is very important to be able to recognize the symptoms.

The most used substance and the easiest to find on the market is rat poison (rodenticide, anticoagulant). Once it starts to circulate, it causes bleedings, which are more or less serious according to the affected area and to the ingested quantity.

The active ingredient of this product doesn't let the blood clot; therefore, the diagnosis is immediate after a simple blood sample (the blood will always be liquid in the syringe).

Symptoms will be more or less clear and fast, depending on the ingested quantity; sometimes they may even appear after a week.

Therefore, you can mainly notice:

  • tiredness, apathy
  • short of breath, in case of hemorrhages in the respiratory system
  • external hemorrhages
  • pale mucous membranes

 

Another product used is the metaldehyde (lumachicide), which consists of blue and green granules, used to combat snail infestation in crops.

Symptoms appear within 2-3 hours of ingestion:

  • tremors
  • convulsions
  • dilated pupils
  • greenish diarrhea
  • short of breath

 

Similar but more serious symptoms are associated with strychnine, a substance commonly used in the countryside to poison rats, foxes and wild animals, which acts quickly causing:

  • tremors
  • dilated pupils
  • short of breath
  • body rigidity
  • rich salivation
  • respiratory block and death


If the animal outlives the first 24 hours after ingestion, he will have a good chance of survival, if treated with the appropriate medicines.

 

The last substance we would like to consider is ethylene glycol (antifreeze liquid, used by mechanics, plumbers, liquid put into the tank to wash the car's windows, ect), which can be accidentally swallowed, as it has a very pleasant and sweet taste, loved by animals.

The symptomatology caused can be divided into three phases:

  • in the first phase, the nervous system is compromised: after about 30 minutes, the animal seems "drunk", has vomit, nausea, rich urination, thirst, uncertain gait, tremors, convulsions
  • in the second phase, after about 24 hours, the cardiac and pulmonary problems begin: you could see your pet with short of breath, with a difficult breathing
  • after about 48 hours, there is a serious renal impairment, with consequent dehydration, coma and death

Also in this last case a quick action is essential: it will be difficult to save the animal if the intervention is not carried out within 12 hours after ingestion.
The lethal dose for animals varies according to weight, but it is anyway low: for a cat, two teaspoons and for a dog of 10 kg, 2 big tablespoons of liquid are enough.

Therefore you should follow the following, simple suggestions:

  • don't leave these products containing ethylene glycol or any used, dirty containers unattended
  • don't take pets into construction sites, workshops, garages ... where this substance is used
  • do not let your pet drink from puddles on the street


There are many other dangerous products, we have listed the most commonly used in the preparation of baits.

In any case it is very important to identify the substance in question and show it to the veterinary, in order to operate properly. The more data you have, the better chance you'll have to save your friend.

It is always right to inform the police about the presence of poisoned baits, as they are dangerous both for our pets and for our children and they are the cause of environmental pollution.

Furthermore, we shall not forget that the inappropriate use of dangerous substances represents a crime punishable by law with heavy penalties up to detention.

We hope that this short handbook has provided you useful information about the topic of poisoned baits!

See you next time!

 

Eleonora Bosoni

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine

 

 

Hello! Welcome to our new appointment!

I've decided to deal with this topic, because it is a very common event. I hope you will find it useful!


Foxtails

Foxtail is a generic term used to describe various species of wild grass, belonging to the family of Gramineae; Sativa Avena and Murine Barley are part of this group.  In spring and summer it's very common  in flowerbeds, fields and meadows. When it ripens, it dries and takes on a colour that goes from yellow to brownish, thus representing a real danger for your pet.

Why are they so feared?

Spike has a particular spear shape and a knurled, bristly, notched surface to the touch, which allows it to "walk" into the fur,  especially when it is thick, long or felted,  piercing , in case of permanence, the skin.

In this latter case, real fistulous paths are developped and their slow, gradual progression always moves forwards, because of their structure. They never spontaneously come out. 

Which body areas does it mostly affect?

In my work experience in this field, I often met dogs with a foxtail in a nostril. Dogs repeatedly sneezed and bleeded.

In this case, the extraction of the foxtail is mostly carried out through an endoscopy with the animal under general anesthesia, before the damage becomes too serious (for instance, the foreign body getting into the pulmonary tissue).

As you can see, the process is labored, expensive and with some related risks, but luckily most of the times the foreign body comes out through sneeze.

In most cases, the area concerned is the interdigital space, as foxtail easily slips into this area during walks.

If we act promptly and are lucky, foxtail will be pulled out by the vet with special tweezers even without sedating the pet, if he cooperates.

If the removal is not immediate, the foxtail could pierce the skin, creating a fistulous path, with abscess, pain and bother for the pet and in case of ascent along the tendinous canal, the procedure will be more complex: it will be necessary a real surgery.

Another common site, is the ear canal, especially for the breeds that do not have pendulous ears and for hunting dogs.

Also in this case, if we act promptly, the removal will be quick and painless, but if the foxtail deepens we will be in front of a purulent and painful otitis which can be also dangerous in case of the eardrum is perforated. In this case the removal will require a total anesthesia and a subsequent long antibiotic cure.

If the foxtail hits the eye, the annoyance will be considerable; the veterinarian, after applying a drop of local anesthetic, will extract the foreign body which may have caused a simple irritation or, in the worst case, a real ulcer, depending on the time of staying.

Also in the latter case, secondary antibiotic therapies are necessary to avoid dangerous infections that could further damage the eye or spread systemically.

What symptoms will your dog show?

Depending on the affected district, you will notice that your dog:

  • will continuously lick the affected area, which may be swollen and reddened
  • may sneeze in an uncontrollable manner. This sneezing may even be accompanied by a bloody discharge. Bloody discharge accompanying sneezing is a fairly good indicator that a foxtail is lodged in the nose
  • will repeatedly scroll the head, due to the discomfort inside the ear
  • will abundantly tear and the eye that be kept closed or semi-closed

The veterinarian will assess the severity of the situation and intervene in the most appropriate way.


How can you avoid these unpleasant inconveniences?

Timely intervention is essential:

  • after the walk, minutely check your dog' s hair, interdigital spaces, axillary, inguinal, perineal areas (under the tail) and the ears; the latter together with the eyes are the most dangerous areas where the greatest damage can occur;
  • avoid infested areas during the walks and keep your garden clean
  • remove all the foxtail that you find on your pet before they "move"

Doing so, you will avoid the most serious damages and make the walks with your faithful companion free from the dangerous foxtail!


See you next time! I hope this tips have been useful for you.

 

Eleonora Bosoni

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine

 

 

Foxtails, a danger for your dog.
viernes, 13 de julio de 2018

Hello! Welcome to our new appointment!

I've decided to deal with this topic, because it is a very common event. I hope you will find it useful!


Foxtails

Foxtail is a generic term used to describe various species of wild grass, belonging to the family of Gramineae; Sativa Avena and Murine Barley are part of this group.  In spring and summer it's very common  in flowerbeds, fields and meadows. When it ripens, it dries and takes on a colour that goes from yellow to brownish, thus representing a real danger for your pet.

Why are they so feared?

Spike has a particular spear shape and a knurled, bristly, notched surface to the touch, which allows it to "walk" into the fur,  especially when it is thick, long or felted,  piercing , in case of permanence, the skin.

In this latter case, real fistulous paths are developped and their slow, gradual progression always moves forwards, because of their structure. They never spontaneously come out. 

Which body areas does it mostly affect?

In my work experience in this field, I often met dogs with a foxtail in a nostril. Dogs repeatedly sneezed and bleeded.

In this case, the extraction of the foxtail is mostly carried out through an endoscopy with the animal under general anesthesia, before the damage becomes too serious (for instance, the foreign body getting into the pulmonary tissue).

As you can see, the process is labored, expensive and with some related risks, but luckily most of the times the foreign body comes out through sneeze.

In most cases, the area concerned is the interdigital space, as foxtail easily slips into this area during walks.

If we act promptly and are lucky, foxtail will be pulled out by the vet with special tweezers even without sedating the pet, if he cooperates.

If the removal is not immediate, the foxtail could pierce the skin, creating a fistulous path, with abscess, pain and bother for the pet and in case of ascent along the tendinous canal, the procedure will be more complex: it will be necessary a real surgery.

Another common site, is the ear canal, especially for the breeds that do not have pendulous ears and for hunting dogs.

Also in this case, if we act promptly, the removal will be quick and painless, but if the foxtail deepens we will be in front of a purulent and painful otitis which can be also dangerous in case of the eardrum is perforated. In this case the removal will require a total anesthesia and a subsequent long antibiotic cure.

If the foxtail hits the eye, the annoyance will be considerable; the veterinarian, after applying a drop of local anesthetic, will extract the foreign body which may have caused a simple irritation or, in the worst case, a real ulcer, depending on the time of staying.

Also in the latter case, secondary antibiotic therapies are necessary to avoid dangerous infections that could further damage the eye or spread systemically.

What symptoms will your dog show?

Depending on the affected district, you will notice that your dog:

  • will continuously lick the affected area, which may be swollen and reddened
  • may sneeze in an uncontrollable manner. This sneezing may even be accompanied by a bloody discharge. Bloody discharge accompanying sneezing is a fairly good indicator that a foxtail is lodged in the nose
  • will repeatedly scroll the head, due to the discomfort inside the ear
  • will abundantly tear and the eye that be kept closed or semi-closed

The veterinarian will assess the severity of the situation and intervene in the most appropriate way.


How can you avoid these unpleasant inconveniences?

Timely intervention is essential:

  • after the walk, minutely check your dog' s hair, interdigital spaces, axillary, inguinal, perineal areas (under the tail) and the ears; the latter together with the eyes are the most dangerous areas where the greatest damage can occur;
  • avoid infested areas during the walks and keep your garden clean
  • remove all the foxtail that you find on your pet before they "move"

Doing so, you will avoid the most serious damages and make the walks with your faithful companion free from the dangerous foxtail!


See you next time! I hope this tips have been useful for you.

 

Eleonora Bosoni

Dr. in Veterinary Medicine

 

 

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