For Reservation Dog Owners

Requirements for a Happy Healthy Dog

1. Your dog needs at least 4 cups of dog food, or meat DAILY (Bones, fat, fruit, or vegetables not included in measurement.) Please be responsible and buy/provide your own dog food. Make sure it is your dog who eats the food. It is best if you give it twice a day. If you have 2 or more dogs, please watch to make sure each dog eats its own portion.

2. Your dog(s) need fresh clean water available at all times. Frozen water is not good enough. It may take a while for your dog to get used to drinking water out of a bowl. Encourage him/her by calling, “Here’s a drink of water for you.” Dip your finger in it and lift it to its mouth.

If you have a nursing dog, it is essential that she drinks lots of water, and has all the food she can eat, to produce enough milk for the babies to be healthy. Eating snow does not give enough moisture.

Pregnant dogs need lots of good food and water as well, or the pups will not be healthy. To be able to give her pups immunity for their first 2 weeks of life, your dog needs to be immunized and dewormed.

3. Your dog NEEDS affection from you, and regular exercise.

4. Dog house - each outside dog needs its own dog house. Warmth does not come from blankets but from straw. The straw should be changed frequently to keep it unmatted, fresh and clean.

5. Your dog or puppy needs to be de-wormed. Little puppies need to be given 3 doses, one week apart, of an oral dewormer called "Pyranne". At 6 weeks old your puppy needs to be given a Lopatol* pill to kill all the worms (including tape worms) it has injested. Then 4 weeks later it needs another Lopatol pill to get rid of the rest that have hatched out. After that it only needs Lopatol every six months. The same proceedure applies to your dog, except more pills need to be given, according to the weight of the dog.

Lopatol kills internal worms/parasites. Ivomec* injections get rid of external parasites. Worms can be spread to people, especially to children, who have their fingers close to their mouths. If your dog always seems to be hungry, it may be because it has too many worms inside eating its food.

6. Regular Vaccinations and preventative measures:

Disease strikes those with low immunity. Lack of proper nutrition and clean water is the leading cause of illness and death. Dogs under the age of 2 years have not developed strong immune systems. All dogs in the populated areas of the reserve will be carriers of disease, though not all will die from them: Coccidiosis – is a fatal disease which is spread through the feces of infected animals and through contaminated water. Prevention: 6 drops of Amporal per gal of water ( 25cc Amporal to 5 gal water) for 7 days. This must be stirred twice each day, and given every 3 months for proper immunity. Amporal can also be administered with a syringe into the dogs’ mouth. 20cc water with 6 drops of Amporal given once a day for 5 days. This works out to be only about $2.00 per dog per time. Treatment: if disease is detected early enough - 1 cc of Nova Amoxic per 5 kg (10 lbs), given twice daily. Distemper is another fatal disease. There is no cure for distemper, only a vaccine for prevention. Two DPV vaccinations (to guard against Distemper and Parvo, another fatal disease) must be administered one month apart, then 1 vaccination every year for continued immunity. Both of these viruses are at this reserve. Mange can be prevented and cured. Prevention: 4 Ivomec shots, one week apart. Cure: Ivomel given by mouth, for 6 weeks. Cost: about $50. (After being medicated for 2 weeks, the animal is not contagious anymore.) Anytime an antibiotic is given, the animal must have probiotics. The easiest way is to give ½ cup yogurt each day. Fleas are rampant during the late Spring, summer and fall seasons. Left uncontrolled, they bring disease to the community. Prevention and Control of Fleas: Wash all dogs with flea shampoo every week. Revolution, in a vial administered to the skin on the back of the neck, every 30 days - $20 per vial. This kills lice also. Cedar chips help repel fleas. Flea powder brushed into the dog's hair. Flea spray – for animals and another for areas. To rid house and pets of fleas: spray flea spray on every surface, wash all bedding in hot water, and dry in dryer on hot setting. Uncontrolled fleas cause Flea Bite Dermatitis. The dog will continue to scratch itself even after all fleas are gone. It may never go away and is very, very uncomfortable for the dog. Parasites, both internal and external, are spread throughout the dog and people community. These can be controlled with proper de-worming care: Pyranne is safe to give puppies. Three dosages once a week for 3 weeks. Lopatol – an internal dewormer given to dogs 3 months and older. 1 tablet per 20 lbs, given twice a year. This kills tape, round, and hook worm. Ivomec - for external parasites – some mange, ear mites, biting fleas, some biting lice, and biting flies. Provides good protection for 50 days. Dosage ½ cc per 20 lbs. Vets still give rabies shots, even though they say the dog population in Alberta has not had rabies for many years. There is always the possibility of being infected by the wildlife. Consult your veterinarian.

7. To be a responsible pet owner you need to have your dog spayed or neutered. Often we let our children have a puppy, or our animals have babies because we think they are so cute. But puppies get big fast, and then they are not so cute. They cost money that you may not want to spend on them. Arrangements have been made with a Barrhead vet to spay or neuter your dogs. You will need to tell me you need this done before you make your appointment, and I will arrange for a reduction in fees.

Your chief and councillars have authorized me to bring these services to you, as well as to remove dogs who are not being adequately cared for in my opinion. I am most concerned about those who are not receiving enough food, water, affection, exercise or are being physically abused.

You are not being responsible if you decide you don’t want your dog anymore, and just stop feeding it. According to the law, you must find it another home. Also, if your dog is injured, you must provide veterinary care for it, or you can be charged with breaking the law.

I believe God created the earth and entrusted us with the responsibility of looking after it, and the animals He created. We should take our responsibility seriously, and teach our children to do the same.


Barrhead Vet - Phone 780-674-5335. Box 28 Site 11, RR#1, Barrhead AB, T7N 1N2.