A common behavioural issue observed in small to medium-sized dogs is "little dog syndrome." This behaviour often arises from humanizing the dog or inadequately addressing its fears. As a result, these dogs may develop further behavioural problems, including difficulty managing situations independently, leading to increased fear, anxiety, and potentially even aggression.
A great article by Cesar Millan offers valuable insights into how raising your dog in a calm, assertive manner, with you as the pack leader, can lead to a well-balanced and happy companion. We felt it was important to share this helpful resource with everyone!

Arthritis is a chronic degenerative condition that primarily affects major joints such as the shoulders, knees, hips, and elbows. This disease causes the cartilage that cushions and lines the joints to break down, exposing the ends of the bones and leading to painful bone spurs. Additionally, the joint lining becomes inflamed and thickened, which limits mobility.
Often referred to as osteoarthritis or "old age arthritis," this condition is common in both humans and dogs and is generally considered the same disease in both species.

Your dog may appear lame or to pull up sore after exercise. They may be reluctant to go for walks, jump into the car or onto the couch. Especially during colder weather, they may be slower to get up after resting and can appear stiff. 
They may also appear more grumpy or react when touched in a sore area. 

Thankfully, there are many options on the market now to give our pets relief from arthritis. Depending at what stage of arthritis your dog has will depend on what your vet recommends, so it's always best to consult with your vet before beginning treatment. Treatments can include:

• Supplements added to meals
• Regular injections from the vet
• Vet prescribed kibble that supports joints and bones
• Reducing exercise
• Water exercise 
• Weight management 

The same as humans, dogs can be diabetics. In almost every case, a diabetic dog is a Type 1 Diabetic, that cannot be controlled or managed with diet or oral medication alone. They will require insulin injections on a regular basis, in most cases every 12 hours but every case is different.

 Diabetes in people and dogs occurs when the pancreas no longer produces insulin for the body, meaning it needs to be added to by body a different way - via an injection. 
The causes of diabetes in dogs can vary and can be one or a combination of the following issues.  

• Obesity 
• Pre disposed genetically 
• Infection
• Pancreatic issues
  

Signs of a diabetic dog before being diagnosed can include:

• Increase water consumption
• Increased urination
• Increase in hunger
• Fast weight loss
• Cataracts 

It can take some time to get a dog's diabetic condition under control once first diagnosed. Once a stable insulin amount and safe, low fat diet is established, a diabetic dog can continue to live their life reasonably normal, compared to how it was before.
Meals and insulin injections must be kept to a strict schedule and snacks and treats throughout the day will need to stop as well as ensuring they are kept at a healthy weight. 
With the advancements in modern medicine, there are now many tools on the market that can help manage and maintain a dog's diabetes, including blood glucose monitors and insulin pets, that hold and draw down the exact amount of insulin needed for each injection. 

With a team of trained Doggy Doaters available to our guests 24/7 - day and night we can attend to diabetic needs. For more information on our special medical needs care, contact us or visit accommodation options page HERE!

As the winter chill sets in, we all start to feel it. It's important that all members of the family are kept warm, but not too warm! Dog's naturally have an ability to regulate their temperature in hot and cold climates, however depending on their age, aliments and their coat condition, they may need help to keep themselves warm in the cooler months.

The most important thing is to understand your dog's coat. For example, a breed such as a Husky who has a thick double coat, designed to protect the dog from sub temperatures, don't need assistance in keeping warm. However a breed such as a beagle or an older dog with a lighter coat will feel the cold a lot more.

Ways that you can help to keep your dog warm include:

• Keeping them out of the cold. When possible, having your dog indoors will help them to keep their body temperature up. If using heating in your home, you should be setting the temperature to simply take the chill out of the air. Having the room too warm can cause your dog to overheat.
• Placing a coat on your dog. There are lots of stylish options available now for dogs in lots of different sizes to fit all different body shapes. If your dog needs to stay outside, be sure to go for a waterproof option to avoid a wet coat being stuck on your dog. 
• Booties are great to keep your dogs feet warm if you are walking them. As with the heat of the concrete, dogs feel the chill of the cold ground. 
• Providing a windproof shelter. Should your dog need to stay outside, ensure they have a safe, sheltered and protected area to keep them out of the elements. 
• Warm bedding, including thick blankets to snuggle into or heat mats that can be placed under your dogs bedding (to act like an electric blanket) are a great way to keep your pooch snug. Especially if they are elderly and suffer from arthritis, this is a great way to warm their cold joints. 
• Check for drafts in your house. As your dog may be on their bed located on the ground, it's important to make sure there are no cold drafts coming under the doors or around the windows that could be affecting them. Cover any drafts to help keep the cold out. 

Things to AVOID that could pose a danger to your dog include:

• Overheating is very easy to do, especially when you are cold yourself and want to have the heater nice and high. There are varying suggestions on what the 'ideal' room temperature is for a dog and again this will vary depending on their coats and body condition. You want to set the room temperature to have the chill out of the air. 
• Hot water bottles or wheat bags are a danger to pets. They can easily be burst by a tooth or claw and can cause burns. If you are needing to heat your pets bed, stick to a pet heat mat only. Electric blankets are not safe to be used either. 

Hots Spots are a bacterial infection on a dog's skin, that can start very small and often go un-noticed until they are larger in size. 
A dog will lose fur in the area of the hot spot. In the early stages, the skin will be red and moist and will often appear round. The skin will be warm and your dog will constantly be itching at the area. Because of the irritation and the constant itching of the area, the bacteria  and infection spreads fast. 
As the hot spot progresses it can start to ooze pus and smell. 

The two main causes of Hot Spots are Moisture and Irritations. Sometimes the initial cause is one or both of these issues.
Moisture sitting on a dogs skin, especially under a thick coat of fur, is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Dogs who are water lovers are especially prone to hot spots, due to the constant moisture within their coat. Additional factors that help keep moisture on a dog's skin is thick, knotted, matted or unmaintained fur, collars that don't allow the skin to breath or wearing coats/jackets without having a totally dry coat underneath. 
Irritations  that cause a dog to scratch and itch constantly can lead to a hot spot in that area. Obsessive itching can be caused from a number of different reasons, including skin irritations, allergies, fleas, parasites etc. 
In this case, the hot spot and the cause of the irritation need to be treated at the same time, to prevent reoccurrence.  

A visit to your vet is needed. The area will likely be shaved to allow it to air and heal fast and your vet will prescribe the appropriate medication needed for a speedy recovery. 
It's also important to provide your vet with as much information as possible about the possible cause of the hot spot, as preventative measures may be able to be taken to prevent a flare up in the future. 

You can find more information on Hot Spots from our information brochure HERE. 

Our Dog of the Month Abby is spending her recovery time, following knee surgery, with us. This is an amazing service we are lucky enough to offer families who may not be able to or would struggle to provide all necessary areas of post operative care in their home environment.
Using our amazing 7 Star Luxury Suites, we are able to accommodate guests at any stage of their post operative rehabilitation. Some guests that we have cared for following surgery include TPLO (Abby's surgery) and ACL surgeries, spinal surgery, open wound recoveries and broken bones.
Our Rehabilitation and Special Needs Suites have been designed to give our team control of how much space guest's can have access to during their recovery. For guests coming straight out of surgery who need restricted movement, our small recovery rooms offer the perfect, relaxing environment. With a TV and heating and cooling to keep them comfortable, our Doggy Doaters are able to take the guests out for their short leash walks ( as approved by their attending vet) and return them safely back into their room to relax and recover. As they move through their recovery and may be allowed more area to move in between, we can open up to our small recovery outside, undercover court yard areas to help build up strength and mobility.
Our K9 Limousine service offers the easiest and most comfortable way for your recovering pooch to travel. We are able to collect from your home or the vet clinic that the surgery has taken place at. We pride ourselves on our strong and open communication with both your regular vet and also the vet that has conducted your dog's surgery (should these be different) and are able to return your dog to their clinic at anytime should a check up be required. We also like to keep communication open with you as their owner to keep you up to date with any changes should this be your wishes.
With our K9 Limousine service, we are also able to transport your dog to any post operative rehabilitation services and also welcome these services to the Resort should they need to work on your dog whilst they are with us. This includes, but is not limited to, hydro therapy, bowen therapy, red light therapy and massage.
All of our Doggy Doaters are trained in all areas of medication administration and post operative care which includes:

• Confinement – with lead walking for toileting and recovery exercises
• Medication Administration – any time of the day or night as required, including eye and ear ointments, oral tablets and liquids and injections (including insulin for diabetics)
• Observation of progress and reporting to the treating Vet as required
• Transporting to/from the Vet or Treating Specialist (including Rehab services) for planned appointments
• Daily required exercises as prescribed by treating Vet or Specialist
• Bandage checking and changes if required
• 24 / 7 Monitoring with Managers living on site
• Monitoring of weight, breathing, and other physical signs of change
  
  

Should you run into the unfortunate situation of your dog needing surgery and are unsure how to handle their recovery, we are always here to offer help. Don't hesitate to reach out to see how we can be of assistance for you during what can be a very difficult time.

We understand that one of the scariest parts of going on holiday is having to leave your dog in the care of someone else, especially if they have special medical needs.
Part of our care includes our Advanced Medical Needs option, which allows us to accommodate guests regardless of what medical requirements they have.
With Doggy Doaters attending to our guests 365 days of the year and a manager living on site, we can attend to any guests 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
This includes our diabetic guests who require insulin to be administered 12 hours apart and epileptic guests who also require their medication every 12 hours.
Our dedicated team of Doggy Doaters are trained to administer all types of medication, including oral tablets and liquids, ear and eye ointments and injections.
We also welcome any extra professional care to come and visit your dog whilst in our care, this can include (but is not limited to) bowen therapy, red light therapy and massages. Our K9 Limousine service also means that your pooch can be transported, in style of course, to any appointments they may require during their stay.
With our Luxury facilities and experienced staff, you can be assured that no matter what your dog's medical needs are whilst they are on holidays, that they will be attended to with love whilst on holidays at We Love Dogs Resort.

One of the scariest parts of dog ownership is when our beloved pooch becomes ill and in some circumstances needs surgery.
With the growing demand from our customers to assist in these situations, our Post Operative Rehabilitation Care came about.
Using our amazing 7 Star Luxury Suites, we are able to accommodate guests at any stage of their post operative rehabilitation. Some guests that we have cared for following surgery include TPLO and ACL surgeries, spinal surgery, open wound recoveries and broken bones.
Our Rehabilitation and Special Needs Suites have been designed to give our team control of how much space guest's can have access to during their recovery. For guests coming straight out of surgery who need restricted movement, our small recovery rooms offer the perfect, relaxing environment. With a TV and heating and cooling to keep them comfortable, our Doggy Doaters are able to take the guests out for their short leash walks ( as approved by their attending vet) and return them safely back into their room to relax and recover. As they move through their recovery and may be allowed more area to move in between, we can open up to our small recovery outside, undercover court yard areas to help build up strength and mobility.
Our K9 Limousine service offers the easiest and most comfortable way for your recovering pooch to travel. We are able to collect from your home or the vet clinic that the surgery has taken place at. We pride ourselves on our strong and open communication with both your regular vet and also the vet that has conducted your dog's surgery (should these be different) and are able to return your dog to their clinic at anytime should a check up be required. We also like to keep communication open with you as their owner to keep you up to date with any changes should this be your wishes.
With our K9 Limousine service, we are also able to transport your dog to any post operative rehabilitation services and also welcome these services to the Resort should they need to work on your dog whilst they are with us. This includes, but is not limited to, hydro therapy, bowen therapy, red light therapy and massage.
All of our Doggy Doaters are trained in all areas of medication administration and post operative care which includes:

• Confinement – with lead walking for toileting and recovery exercises
• Medication Administration – any time of the day or night as required, including eye and ear ointments, oral tablets and liquids and injections (including insulin for diabetics)
• Observation of progress and reporting to the treating Vet as required
• Transporting to/from the Vet or Treating Specialist (including Rehab services) for planned appointments
• Daily required exercises as prescribed by treating Vet or Specialist
• Bandage checking and changes if required
• 24 / 7 Monitoring with Managers living on site
• Monitoring of weight, breathing, and other physical signs of change

Should you run into the unfortunate situation of your dog needing surgery and are unsure how to handle their recovery, we are always here to offer help. Don't hesitate to reach out to see how we can be of assistance for you during what can be a very difficult time.

A very special part of our Doggy Doater's role is to be able to care for our Golden Oldie guests as they enter their 'golden' years of life. We offer care and accommodation for any breed and size guest who are in their senior years.
This is a job that we are honored to be able to do and understand what a hard time it can be to leave your oldie when you have to travel.
With 24 hour care you can be sure your 'Golden Oldie' will be given the highest level of attention and love whilst enjoying their holiday with us. 
We offer easy to access low line bedding for those suffering arthritis. Movement from inside to outside through our large human size doors throughout the day is easily accessible with no ramps or stairs and comfortable bedding available throughout all areas. 
Our oldies enjoy the same 7 star luxury suites as our other guests, with fully heated and cooled rooms so we can temperature control their inside space all year round.  A TV to provide light background noise and of course, the love and care of our Doggy Doaters all day long.
We understand the needs of our Golden Oldies can vary and our Doggy Doaters are fully trained and equip to help in anyway they can, this includes but is not limited to assistance with mobility, getting up and down and moving around, assistance with going to the bathroom, massages and gentle walks to help those sore joints and administering medication, including oral, liquid and injections.
With assistance from the minute they arrive to the minute they depart, you can find comfort in knowing your Golden Oldie is getting the 7 star treatment they deserve whenever they come to holiday at We Love Dogs.