Frequently Asked Questions

We do not, sorry.

Topical flea and tick treatments are applied onto the skin of your dog or cat. Chewable treatments are fed to your pet like a treat and work from the inside out.

• Also known as acute moist dermatitis, hot spots are localized areas of skin inflammation and bacterial infection. Often a hot spot will begin as a small red area that owners may mistake for an insect bite. Unlike an insect bite, a hot spot will rapidly worsen and spread, developing into a hot, red, oozing, and painful lesion.

• Hot spots are often triggered by scratching, licking, or chewing the affected area. The resulting trauma to the skin causes inflammation and secondary bacterial infections. Unfortunately, this self-trauma only makes the area itchier, which causes a self-perpetuating cycle of itching and scratching. Thus, any condition that causes your dog to feel itchy has the potential to result in a hot spot. Common causes of the itching/scratching cycle in dogs include:

  • Parasites

  • Flea allergy dermatitis

  • Food Alergies

  • Atopic dermatitis

  • Ear or skin infections

  • Anal sac diseases

  • Contact irritants

  • Stress or boredom resulting in excessive licking

  • Coat that is dirty or matted

  • Moisture trapped in the coat from swimming or bathing

• Healing a hotspot is a tricky and tiresome task at times. Identifying the cause is the only way to truly resolve the issue once and for all.

• First treating for parasites like fleas is the best place to start.

• Food changes are often helpful. Switching to a high-quality pet food that does not contain by-products or excessive amounts of grain is a great place to start.

• Be sure to switch correctly to avoid digestive upset – How should I switch foods

• Topical solutions may assist in relieving the pain and discomfort while you try some different. Lemos offers many different solutions, swing by any location to discuss your specific situation.

• A visit to your veterinarian is always a good option as well.

  (source: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/treating-and-preventing-hot-spots-on-dogs/).

• The more aggressive the chewer the tougher the toy needs to be to last. Keep in mind that a toy that is never destroyed or offers no reward to the dog may be abandoned by your pet as though of as boring. Some of the tougher toys we have are made by Kong, Fluff & Tuff, Play Strong by Ethical, Benebone, Everlasting products by Starmark and the Busy Buddy line from PetSafe.

• Some natural alternatives are the Buffalo Hornz, Antlerz, Natural Bones and American made Rawhide.

• *Monitoring your pet while giving chews and offering them in limited supply is always recommended. Do not allow your pet to swallow large pieces and discard any pieces that could be easily swallowed whether it be a natural chew or other type of toy.

The best option for puppies is always variety. We carry many options that are puppy specific since normally a puppy product is slightly softer. Giving your puppy 2 or 3 different toys each day in rotation will keep their curious and growing minds occupied much better than the same toy for days on end.

• Raw diets are the best alternative animals with few to no teeth. We carry Primal Pet Foods and Stella & Chewy’s frozen and freeze-dried raw diets. These diets offer the most complete nutrition with little chewing required.

• Canned food is another alternative to dry kibble. Keep in mind that canned food has a high water content and reading the label for daily requirements is necessary.

SLOWLY! The ideal process is changing 10% over 10 days starting with 90% old food and 10% new food. Over the course of 10 days, you decrease the old food by 10% each day and add 10% of the new accordingly. This can be challenging when you get to 70/30, 60/40, etc. A safe and easier option is 75% old/25% new for a few days, then 50/50 for a few days and finally 75% new/25% old for a few more days. You can stretch if you need to use all the old food. We have a simple printable version of that process here:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/nutrition/right-way-switch-dog-foods/

• The two best places to start chasing down and solving the itchy skin issue are flea control and diet. We can help with both.

• The primary reason pets itch are parasites (most commonly fleas). Even if you don’t see any, one flea can cause a lot of discomfort to your animal. We suggest using a topical flea control product to eliminate that issue. Great examples are the Advantage II, Advantix II and Seresto products from Elanco.

• Next, take a look at what your pet is eating, look at everything! Foods or treats with low quality ingredients like by-products, often can contribute to itchy skin.

• Spring & Summer are the most common seasons for fleas and ticks.

CBD Stands for Cannabinoids:

Cannabinoids are a group of naturally occurring chemical compounds present in both animals and the plant genus cannabis, which includes both hemp and cannabis. The prefix phyto means plant. Phytocannabinoids are cannabinoids derived from plants.

Full spectrum hemp CBD can be very beneficial in helping to ease anxiety, promoting healthy joints and digestion, maintaining the body’s normal inflammatory response, addressing discomfort, loss of appetite and more.

For more information regarding CBD for pets, please click here: FAQs (treatibles.com)

All the raw foods we carry have been through HPP (High Pressure Processing) as they are made. A great in depth explanation is here: [Five Ways Primal Delivers Quality & Food Safety – Primal Pet Foods]

Daily brushing is the best way to keep a dogs teeth healthy. Providing plenty of dental chews on an ongoing basis will help as well. An annual teeth cleaning is another great aid. Check out our schedule with Howell’n Good Doggie Dentals.

The instructions on the tag are specific and can change, but a good rule of thumb is 14 weeks. Be sure that you do not eat any eggs from chickens that have been on a medicated feed for a minimum of 2-weeks after you’ve switched them to a non-medicated feed.

Be sure to monitor you dog as they work through the chew. Always throw out any chew that can be swallowed whole. Rawhide takes longer to work it’s way through your dogs digestive system, so give it to them sparingly.

Do you really want to know? True “bully sticks” are the penis of a steer.