Phythiosis "Swamp Cancer" in Dogs

It is very common for customers to keep in touch with us after they adopt one of our Cockapoo puppies, and we really appreciate it, we love to see how the dogs grow and develop over time, and even if someone calls with a quick question we hope we are able to help in any way possible. A few weeks ago I had a customer call for some advice, his family had adopted a puppy named Linus from us two years ago and was encountering some health issues. Linus had lost his appetite, was throwing up, had diarrhea, and was lethargic so the family wanted to know if I had any ideas or advice as to what was going on. First we started off by going over the things the family was doing to treat and diagnose his issues. I asked if he had been taken to the vet, he was, and I wanted to know how the vet was handling the situation. When your pet develops health issues it is very important to be sure your vet is educated and doing the proper treatment. I wanted to be sure that Linus was being properly treated so I asked if the family had submitted a stool sample for testing, if blood tests were being done, and if lactated ringers (IV fluid) was administered to help him stay hydrated. Thankfully all the answers were 'yes,' and I was confident that the family, and their vet, were doing exactly what they should to try and find out what the problem was.
Since I am not a vet we just spoke about his symptoms and current treatments so that I could possibly come up with fresh ideas and offer any advice on what I thought what going on. I asked if they had changed his food, they had not too long ago, and their vet also changed it again to try and help battle his vomiting and loose stool. I asked if anything had changed in their household that he may be having a reaction to: new carpet, new cleaning products, did a pest control company treat their house or a close neighbors, had he been exposed to any new dogs recently? All of this was to try and help the owner see if any recent changes to the household or their activity could be affecting Linus. From all the information I was given I thought it would be a good idea to do an allergy test and also to test Linus for Lyme's disease. Their vet also thought that allergies may be affecting him and had rushed a blood sample to the lab for allergy tests. I asked that they keep in touch on the progress and let me know what they had found out about Linus.
After repeated visits to their vet and then a specialist Linus was determined to have contracted Phythiosis, otherwise knows as "Swamp Cancer," and unfortunately had to be put down. Of course I was very upset to hear the news and felt very bad for the family, they certainly were not given enough time to enjoy their wonderful puppy. I had never heard of Phythiosis so I went to work doing research on this potentially fatal disease and wanted to spread the word so that people become more aware of it and be sure to test their dogs if they develop any symptoms.
What is Phythiosis?
Phythiosis is an uncommon fungal infection that can occur in dogs, horses, and also rarely in cats. It is derived from an aquatic mold called Phythium Insidiosum that can be found in stagnant water. It is most commonly found in swampy/tropical areas of the Southern United States but has also been found in the Central Valley of California (Linus lived in Florida.) It generally enters the animals system through their sinuses, esophagus, or wounds on the skin and is most active in Fall or early Winter months where the fungus can thrive in ponds, wetlands, and swamps.
Symptoms and Types of Phythiosis:
There are two types of Phythiosis: Cutaneous and GI. Cutaneous causes non healing lesions on the animals legs, head, tail, neck, and inner thighs. These lesions eventually cause tissue death where the skin turns black and wastes away.
GI Phythiosis is more common and what Linus suffered from. GI Phythiosis affects the dogs digestive tract and symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, fever, and abdominal pain. GI is a chronic disease and it will cause the walls of the stomach and intestine to thicken.
Diagnosis:
One of the most scary parts about Phythiosis is that it is a relatively new and emerging infection that many vets may not be aware of. The symptoms caused by GI Phythiosis are often caused by lots of other ailments so your vet may not immediately consider, or be aware of this, and not test for it until it's too late, which was what happened with Linus. To test for this your vet can take a swab sample to be studied with a microscope or material can be cultured in a lab for study and testing. A blood sample can be sent in for testing, a urine sample can be tested, and an ultrasound can also be done to detect thickening in the walls of the intestine or stomach.
Treatment:
The sooner you get treatment the better, if the disease is not diagnosed in a timely manner it may be too late and unfortunately this is what happened with Linus. For the Cutaneous form of Phythiosis affected tissue will need to be surgically removed and any remaining, affected tissue will need further treatment via laser to kill any remaining fungus. For the GI type of Phythiosis your vet may choose to put your dog on Anti-Fungal medications but results may be minimal and can severely affect the liver and kidneys so regular blood tests will be required. Another, newer option, is an immunotherapeutic vaccine that has been approved by the USDA to treat Phythiosis, as soon as your dog is diagnosed as having Phythiosis it is important that they are vaccinated to help their immune system fight against the disease. Dogs may also be given anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and boost their appetite which will also help their immune system to fight against the disease.


I hope I never have to hear about another dog contracting this awful disease, please spread the word to your friends that have pets and also ask your vet if they are aware of it and hopefully we can help spread the word and avoid a late and fatal prognosis.


Since this was my first time ever hearing about Phythiosis I had to do a lot of research online and found the following websites to be very helpful:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2102&aid=345


http://pythiosis.com/


http://www.akcchf.org/news-events/library/articles/pythiosis.html

Health Insurance for Your Pet

Last week my 10 and 1/2 year old kitty, Abbey, started breathing abnormally and I knew something was very wrong, it was late at night, my vet's office was closed, so I grabbed my phone and started video taping her so that I could show my vet the next morning what was going on. Once we got to the vet's office he told me that it looked like she had pleural effusion- a build up of fluid in her chest cavity which could be a sign of heart disease. We did some imaging of her at his office, did some blood work, and the next day I took her to a specialist to do an Echocardiogram ( a test that uses sound waves to create images of the heart,) and in less than 24 hours I had spent $1,000 simply trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Don't get me wrong, she's worth every penny and I will continue to work on treating her but this brought up the thought I just recently had about Pet Insurance. I have lots of pets and do not have any form of pet insurance but have often been curious about it to see if it would benefit me or my customers in any way. Since I have had pets all my life I, unfortunately, have also lost them over time and have spent quite a large amount of money giving them the best care possible before it's time to say goodbye. For those of you who have only a few pets I think pet insurance is something you may want to consider. In doing my research I have discovered that there are tons of companies out there and very specific things that you should look for before purchasing a plan to be sure it is the right one for you. Here are a few things that I have discovered, hopefully they will help you when shopping for a plan:
There are two types of pet insurance plans available out there- Lifetime and Non-lifetime. A lifetime plan is exactly what it sounds like, a plan to cover your pet over the course of its life. A non-lifetime plan is on an annual basis that needs to be renewed, the catch with them is that if your pet has had a health issue in the previous year they may not cover it in the future when you renew your plan, think of it as a pre-existing condition, it can be excluded from any future payouts.

When shopping for a plan always be sure that they cover your breed, and if they do, see if they charge extra for one particular breed over the other. Some plans also have age limits, they may not allow a puppy to be covered until it is 8 weeks old and then they may also terminate coverage after a certain age to avoid the costs of elder care.

If you have multiple pets ask if they offer a multiple pet discount, it doesn't hurt to ask. Also see if they have a free trial period or a money back trail period if you are unhappy with what you get.

Most, if not all, plans will have some sort of deductible. Make sure you are clear about whether it is a straight forward deductible or if it is a per incident deductible. I noticed that one plan I was looking at had a $100 per incident deductible so if your pet has multiple different things wrong at the same time they may count those as individual incidents and you may have to pay $100 for each one to be taken care of.

See if the plan you are looking at has a cap on the amount of coverage. Some plans will only pay out so much and then you have to pick up the rest while other plans do not have limitation on spending. Also see if the plan excludes coverage for genetic or hereditary issues. If you own a breed that is known for something like hip dysplasia and the plan doesn't cover that then it may not be the right one for you. Plans also do not cover pre-existing conditions so if my kitty Abbey is diagnosed with heart disease I can't call up and insure her tomorrow and expect them to cover the cost of her care for that.

Check to see if the plan you are considering is one that just covers accidents or illnesses or if it also covers routine care like vet exams, vaccines, dental care, etc. Some plans that only cover accidents or illnesses also offer routine care coverage but it's an extra expense.

Finally see how you submit a claim and how the company handles payment. Some companies I looked at require you to pay the vet out of pocket and then you have to file a claim and wait for them to reimburse you. I would check to see if some allow the vet to directly bill them, and if they don't and you have to pay up front, see what the average wait time is until you get a check back from them.

There are a lot of companies out there with a wide variety of options to choose from. One website that I really liked is: www.petinsurancereviews.com
It gives real reviews and ratings from actual customers on a ton of different plans. It also has links to pet insurance websites so you can take a look at what everyone has to offer. I also found a website called: www.topconsumerreviews.com/pet-insurance
which also gives reviews of the top rated pet insurance companies. Do your research to see what options are out there and also read the customer reviews to see how they feel about the plans.

Here are links to what seemed to be the most popular pet insurance providers:
24 Pet Watch- www.24petwatch.com
AKC- www.akcpetinsurance.com
ASPCA- www.aspcapetinsurance.com
Embrace- www.embracepetinsurance.com
Healthy Paws- www.healthypawspetinsurance.com
Pet First- www.petfirst.com
Pet Plan- www.gopetplan.com
Pet Premium- www.petpremium.com
Pets Best- www.petsbest.com
Trupanion- www.trupanion.com
VPI- www.petinsurance.com


If you love your pets like I do then they are family and having an insurance plan can really help out in a time of need.

For information on our available Cockapoo Puppies please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale

Are My Cockapoo Puppies AKC Registered?!

When a person or family decides they want to adopt a Cockapoo Puppy the first thing they usually do, once they see a puppy they like, is to call or email the breeder for more information. This is a great idea and I always appreciate it when someone contacts me wanting to be sure that we are all on the same page about my puppies and they type of breeder that I am. People may not realize it but when they call to interview me I am also interviewing them to be sure I feel comfortable with them and that they will give my puppies a good home. Just because you are interested in one of my puppies does not mean that I will let you adopt one, I have to be sure that, I too, am comfortable with everything before I will let you adopt one. I often get asked a lot of the same questions over and over so I did type up a "FAQ" page on my website to help everyone out but not everyone reads it before calling me and it may not cover everything they want to know anyways so conversations are always good.
Since I've been doing this for awhile I can almost instantly tell if someone is experienced with looking for a dog or if this is totally new for them. I've had phone calls and emails where people ask questions that don't make sense or don't apply to the breed so after I do a little digging with them they tell me that they are new to buying a puppy and were told to ask questions by their friends or neighbors and they honestly don't know if they are relevant or not. One such question, that I just got asked again the other day, was "are your Cockapoos AKC registered?" this question tells me that the person asking it is not familiar with what AKC is or what they stand for and that they might not truly understand what a Cockapoo is. AKC- The American Kennel Club is a canine registration that was founded in 1884 to register Purebred dogs, this is their mission statement that can be found on their website:
(www.akc.org)
AKC Mission Statement

The American Kennel Club is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its Registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Founded in 1884, the AKC® and its affiliated organizations advocate for the purebred dog as a family companion, advance canine health and well-being, work to protect the rights of all dog owners and promote responsible dog ownership.

AKC’s Objective:

• Advance the study, breeding, exhibiting, running and maintenance of purebred dogs.

AKC's Core Values:

• We love purebred dogs
• We are committed to advancing the sport of the purebred dog
• We are dedicated to maintaining the integrity of our Registry
• We protect the health and well-being of all dogs
• We cherish dogs as companions
• We are committed to the interests of dog owners
• We uphold high standards for the administration and operation of the AKC
• We recognize the critical importance of our clubs and volunteers

Did you notice the parts that I highlighted in yellow? AKC is a registration for purebred dogs and Cockapoos are hybrids, not purebreds, so they are not currently recognized by AKC, or any other purebred registry, as a true breed meaning that they cannot be AKC registered and are also not accepted by other purebred registries. I think AKC has realized that they are losing a lot of potential income these days by not accepting mixed breeds in the past so they have recently started what they call the "AKC Canine Partners" program which allows you to submit information about your mixed breed dog, they send you a certificate, and then you are allowed to participate in AKC programs, here is what is listed on their website (www.akc.org):
                                                                  AKC Canine Partners
AKC Canine Partners offers ALL dogs to join the AKC family. Joining Canine Partners allows mixed breed dogs and non-eligible AKC registered dogs to participate and earn titles in dog sports such as Agility, Obedience, Rally, Tracking and Coursing Ability. Canine Partners provides for an enhanced relationship between people and their dogs and allows them to connect with other dog owners.


 Registration papers can be important to people adopting purebreds because they want to be sure they are actually getting what they are buying and they are also important to breeders so that they know for sure that they are breeding purebred dogs. Registration papers also help people like me obtain a pedigree so that I can see what colors are in my dog's background and possibly know what to expect when I have a litter of babies born. For a family just looking for a household pet registration papers can be a form of proof of ownership but there are also other ways of doing that with things like microchips which I highly suggest.
There are new registrations that have been formed that recognize mixed breeds including the Cockapoo and I think as time goes on organizations like AKC may also change their minds and start to recognize mixed breeds in more ways, time will tell. So to summarize, my Cockapoo puppies are not AKC registered because they cannot be, but I do register them with an organization that recognizes them as a breed. Anyone who adopts a puppy from me will get a registration application with their puppy and they can choose to register them if they feel the need. My parent dogs are purebred Cocker Spaniels and Mini Poodles and they are all registered, including with AKC and other purebred registries.

 

To see our available Cockapoo Puppies for Sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale

We are Moving in September 2014

I am going to be updating our website with new location and contact information this weekend and wanted to post this so that I don't get anyone confused when they are looking for a Cockapoo puppy from us! As you may know, once you post something online, like an ad, it seems to get spread everywhere so over the years of advertising our puppies I am sure there are ads all over that I don't even know about and it will take me some time to get everything corrected with our new location information. For those of you familiar with Cute Cockapoos we were originally located in Iola, Wisconsin but we are now moving our business to Manawa, Wisconsin which is actually only a few miles away from our original address. Sandy and I (Jamie) are a mother/daughter team that has raised our puppies together with most of the work and customer pickups being done at Sandy's house in Iola. Since there is so much work to do I have been driving back and forth to Sandy's house on a daily basis to do my part and then come home each night to take care of my own farm, etc. In 2010 my husband and I were finally able to purchase a farm of our own and have been steadily working on updating, remodeling, and doing some new construction to the point that we are ready to have the dogs and puppies here :) Sandy is starting to slow down a little bit and my husband and I are at a point that we can now handle things at home, in Manawa, hence the new location and phone number that will soon be posted to the website. Don't worry, Sandy and I will still be the same people raising the same wonderful Cockapoo Puppies, you will just be picking them up at a new location that will be slightly easier to find than Sandy's house (she's way out in the woods!) If you do encounter an old ad that I have not corrected or found yet you will still be able to get in touch with us, I am not changing our email address. Thank you for your patience while I work on getting all of our information switched over and please do contact us if you are looking for a Cockapoo puppy.
Our email address is:  cutecockapoos@gmail.com
Our website is: http://www.cutecockapoos.com
We are now located in Manawa, Wisconsin
Our new phone # is (920) 596-1730

Progression of a Cockapoo Puppy, Week by Week Photos

Due to the Cockapoo breed being so darn popular I often have people reserve puppies from us in advance, way before their puppy is born so that they can get ahead of the rush and get the color and sex that they desire. Quite often people have either had a Cockapoo, have met one of our Cockapoo puppies, or have done extensive research on the breed so they know they for sure want one and feel completely comfortable picking one out as a newborn without seeing how they grow first. If I am comfortable with a family I have no problem with them doing this but I always try to explain that when a puppy is first born I am not able to answer questions about their coat texture, the color of their eyes or noses, or anything about their personality, they are simply too young and all of that takes time to develop as the puppy grows. Like I said, most people are totally fine with that because they know how well the breed is but I do still get some people who want to know things that are just too hard to answer at a certain age so I have been photographing a puppy as he has grown to help show people how they progress over time, I hope this helps to better explain how the puppies change and develop over time.

The pictures above are of a Red Male Cockapoo that is less than 24 hours old. As you can see his coat is very flat and smooth, his eyes are closed, his skin is bright pink in some spots and his nose is a mix of pink and black, and not all of his hair is developed in places like the top of his nose and eyebrows. When I send people pictures of the babies this young they often ask me what their coats are going to look like and my answer is that it takes several weeks for it to develop. I don't have any way of knowing 100% how much texture his coat will have until it comes in. I also have people ask what color their noses will be and if a puppy is born with a black nose it will stay that way, if a puppy is born with a pink nose it can either turn darker pink or also turn black, this also takes some time. Because this puppy has a mix of colors on his nose I would guess that it will turn black. Their eyes don't open for about 2.5-3 weeks and when they do they are a cloudy blue/gray color, their true color comes later and usually they have brown eyes but we also get ones with Blue or Green eyes, it all depends on the color in their background. I have also had people ask me about personalities at this age and at this stage the puppies mostly eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom so there is not much to say about personality at this point. We sometimes have families want to visit and view the puppies before they pick one out and we do not allow them to come when the babies are this young, they are not vaccinated, need to be with their mom, and really there is not much to see other than what they look like which can be done by photos.

In the pictures above the puppy is now one week old and you can already see some differences in him compared to the earlier photos. All of his skin that was previously pink or a mix of black and pink has turned black and will stay that way. His hair on top of his nose and eyebrows has grown in more and you can see a texture starting to develop in his coat. His eyes are still closed and he still continues to spend most of his time eating, sleeping, and going to the bathroom. At this age we still do not allow visits, we like to wait until the babies begin receiving their vaccines before exposing them to people to try and keep them as healthy as possible.

In the pictures above the puppy is now 15 days old and his eyes have begun to open! His coat has grown longer and thicker and you can see even more texture throughout it as well. He is now starting to crawl around a bit and responds well to being held and having his belly rubbed.

In the photos above the puppy is now three and a half weeks old and has really begun to change. He went from a sleepy blob to looking and acting like a puppy! His eyes are fully opened now, his coat has even more texture and he's much more active. These were the first photos I got of him sitting up, he's beginning to walk around a bit now and responds to me by wagging his tail and kicking his little foot when I get the right spot on his belly. We will soon begin feeding him and his litter softened food so they can start getting used to that and give mom a break from nursing.

In the photos above he is now a bit over four weeks old and is getting more photogenic and active every day. When I first begin to take their photos they rarely pay attention to me, they crawl around and explore and are sometimes afraid of the noise of the camera but at this age he is responding to the sounds I make and poses great for the camera. He and his litter mates are eating soft food very well now, drinking water, beginning to play more, and starting to chew on things as their teeth develop. His coat is beautiful and his eyes are brown. Mom is still spending time with them but likes to take longer breaks from them as she begins her weaning process.

In the photos above he is a little over 5 weeks old and we were playing outside because the sun finally came out, but as you can see, sunlight fades their color and always makes them look lighter. Now that he's older you can really see the nice texture that has develop throughout his coat, much different from the first pictures I took when he was a newborn. At this age he is active, playful, loving, and everything you would expect in a puppy. He is now eating regular puppy food (no longer softened,) drinking water on his own and is getting ready to be weaned from mom. He plays with toys, wrestles with his siblings, and follows at my feet making good photos hard to get! They are very curious at this age and want to see and get into everything. Soon he will begin to receive his vaccines and then, if we have any available for sale at this age, we allow people to come for visits, all by appointment,  if and when we have some free time.

In the photos above he is about six and a half weeks old and will be leaving for his new home in a few days. As you can see, he is gorgeous!! His coat is has a soft and silky fluffy wave to it, his nose has stayed black, and his soft brown eyes are super sweet. Photos at this age are really hard to get because, even though they like to explore, Cockapoos are people puppies and they follow at your feet. The bottom picture where he is standing on my foot is a great example of what happens when I take them out for photo sessions. You may notice that he looks different colors in the pictures, that is because it all depends on whether I take them indoors or outdoors and what type of lighting I take them in. At this age he has begun to receive his vaccines, has been vet checked, and is fully weaned from mom. He and his siblings are eating regular puppy food (no longer softened,) are teething like crazy so we give them bones and pig ears to chew on, and they love, love, love to wrestle, run around, get belly rubs, and play with their toys. He loves people and your lap is his favorite place to be :)
I know I've already said this a million times to people and on my website but if you are very specific in what you are looking for in terms of color, coat, and eyes please let the babies grow and develop before you adopt one! Even though I am the breeder, own the parents, and have lots of experience I am not able to predict exactly what a newborn puppy will look like as an adult. Just like human children, baby puppies take time to grow and develop, so at 2 days old I cannot tell you what style of coat they will have or what their personality is like. As you've seen in the pictures above coat styles take several weeks to develop and even at 8 weeks when a puppy goes home they will still continue to grow and change. The last thing I want is someone to have buyers remorse because they picked out a puppy at a young age and they didn't turn out to have the type of style they were looking for. It's important to me that my puppies go to forever homes and are not loved simply based on their coat styles.
 To see the Cockapoo Puppies that we have for sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale

Flea and Tick Topicals

It's Flea and Tick season again. We have a horrible winter in Wisconsin this year, it was below zero for weeks at a time and when it did ever warm up (above freezing) we got covered in snow so we just felt like it would never end. It's now April 30th and we've had several days of rain with high temperatures in the 40's and lows in the 20's so it seems like Spring will never come. Since the weather has been so strange this year I figured it would affect all of the bugs and I was very surprised to find a tick on my cat the other day so I immediately got out the topicals and treated all of my dogs and cats. The market for flea and tick treatment has exploded, there are tons of brands out there, different forms of treatments, and a large variety in the prices so I have found some comparison charts to help you decide what is best for you. I personally prefer to use products that have ingredients that control flea development because if your pet is ever exposed you want to protect them as much as possible. Since I have both dogs and cats I also only use products that are not toxic to one or the other. Since doing my research I have found that some topicals for dogs can be deadly to cats so please be careful!!

Different Brands of Topicals   Kills Adult Fleas Controls Flea Development Kills Ticks(Lyme Disease vectors) Repels & KillsMosquitoes(Heartworm, West Nile Virus carriers) Dosage Minimum Age Active Ingredients K9 Advantix® II Yes Yes Yes Yes Monthly 7 wks or older imidacloprid, permethrin, IGR pyriproxyfen Frontline® Plus Yes Yes Yes No Monthly 8 wks or older fipronil, S-methoprene Advantage® II Yes Yes No No Monthly 7 wks or older imidacloprid, IGR pyriproxyfen FiproGuardTM MAX Yes No Yes No Monthly 12 wks or older fipronil, cyphenothrin FiproGuardTM Yes No Yes No Monthly 8 wks or older fipronil Bio Spot® ACTIVE CARE SPOT ON® Yes Yes Yes Yes Monthly 12 wks or older etofenprox, IGR pyriproxyfen, S-methoprene, piperonyl butoxide, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide PetArmor® Yes No Yes No Monthly 8 wks or older fipronil Hartz First Defense Yes No Yes No Monthly 8 wks or older fipronil Certifect Yes Yes Yes No Monthly 8 wks; at least 5lbs S-methoprene, amitraz Virbac Pyrethrin Dip Yes No Yes Yes 7 days 12 wks or older pyrethrins, piperonyl butoxide, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide, di-n-propyl isocinchomeronate Flea & Tick Collars   Kills Adult Fleas Controls Flea Development Kills Ticks(Lyme Disease vectors) Repels & KillsMosquitoes(Heartworm, West Nile Virus carriers) Dosage Minimum Age Active Ingredients Seresto® Flea & Tick Collars Yes Yes Yes No every 8 months 7 wks or older araricide, flumethrin, imidacloprid Preventic Tick Collar No No Yes No every 3 months 12 wks or older amitraz AdamsTM Plus Flea & Tick Collar Yes Yes Yes No up to every 5 months 12 wks or older propoxur, S-methoprene Sentry Pro Flea & Tick Collar Yes Yes Yes No up to every 6 months 12 wks or older propoxur, phenothrin, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide, pyriproxyfen Sentry Dual Action Flea & Tick Collar Yes No Yes No up to every 6 months 12 wks or older propoxur, phenothrin, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide Scalibor® Protector Band Yes No Yes No up to every 6 months 12 wks or older deltamethrin Spectra SHIELDTMFlea & Tick Collar Attached Medallion Yes No Yes No every 4 months 6 months or older zetacypermethrin, piperonyl butoxide Shampoos & Sprays   Kills Adult Fleas Controls Flea Development Kills Ticks(Lyme Disease vectors) Repels & KillsMosquitoes(Heartworm, West Nile Virus carriers) Dosage Minimum Age Active Ingredients Frontline® Spray Yes No Yes No monthly 8 wks or older fipronil Drs. Foster & Smith Advanced Formula Flea & Tick Shampoo Yes No Yes No 7 days 12 wks or older pyrethrins, piperonyl butoxide, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide, Adams Plus Flea & Tick Spray and Shampoo Yes Yes Yes spray repels spray protects up to 2 months; shampoo 7-10 days for adults, 28 days pre-adult 12 weeks or older Spray: etofenprox, S-methoprene, piperonyl butoxide. Shampoo: S-methoprene, piperonly butoxide Bio Spot® ACTIVE CARE Flea and Tick Spray for Dogs Yes Yes Yes repels from 2 wks (new adults) to 2 months (re-infestation) 10 wks or older etofenprox, S-methoprene, piperonly butoxide Flys Off®Mist Yes No Yes repels every 9 days 12 wks or older pyrethrins, piperonyl butoxide, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide, di-n-propyl isocinchomeronate Vet's Best Natural Flea & Tick Spray and Shampoo Yes Yes - spray only Yes repels Repeat as necessary 12 wks or older peppermint oil, clove extract, sodium lauryl sulfate ResultixTM Tick Spray from Bayer No No Yes No as often as needed all ages isopropyl myristate Bio-Groom Flea & Tick Shampoo by Bio-Derm Yes No Yes No weekly 12 wks or older pyrethrins, piperonyl butoxide, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide FiproGuard Flea & Tick Spray Yes No Yes No monthly 8 wks or older fipronil Virbac Ecto-Soothe®3X Shampoo Yes No Yes No 7 days 12 wks or older pyrethrins, piperonyl butoxide, n-octyl bicycloheptene dicarboximide Oral Preventatives   Kills Adult Fleas Controls Flea Development Kills Ticks(Lyme Disease vectors) Repels & KillsMosquitoes(Heartworm, West Nile Virus carriers) Dosage Minimum Age Active Ingredients Capstar® Tablets Yes No No No one time 4 weeks & older; 2 lbs nitenpyram

For information about the Cockapoo Puppies that we have for sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale

Sign up for our Facebook Contest!

***SWEEPSTAKES***

Check out our Brand New Sweepstakes contest! We are giving away a 6lb bag of Diamond Small Breed puppy food, a home made fleece blanket, and a large squeak toy! Just follow these steps:

1: Click this Link: http://a.pgtb.me/HkC5Z
2: Enter your email and click submit!
3: Share with your friends and receive 2 extra entries for each friend that enters. 

The contest runs from 3/25/14-5/6/14, the winner will be announced 5/6/14.
Even if you don't have a pet or don't use Diamond Brand dog food you can still enter and donate the prize to a local Humane Society or Shelter. Good luck to everyone!

How Our Waiting List for Cockapoo Puppies Works

During the Spring and Summer months and during certain Holidays we get really busy with families wanting to adopt our Cockapoo puppies so we generally develop a waiting list. People have paid attention to how fast our puppies are adopted and they have learned that the sooner they reserve in advance the better because that way they don't have to worry about not getting a puppy when they want one. As soon as I post online that we have a waiting list for puppies I get flooded with questions! People often want to know how long our list is, who the parents are, how many will I have, and what colors will the puppies be?? It's really hard to give specifics on exactly when a person on our waiting list will get a puppy because it all depends on what they want, how many puppies are born, and what color/sex combination they are. I'll have people call me wanting specific answers and I feel bad because I always have to tell them it depends on the litter and I have to wait until they arrive before I can go into specific details. I do not know how many puppies we will have or what color they will be until a litter is born. 

Here is how our waiting list works:
We have one waiting list for everyone. When a family gets on our waiting list to reserve a puppy in advance they place a Nonrefundable $300 deposit and I ask them to tell me if they are looking for a male or female or are open to either. If someone only wants a female I will only contact them about available females, if they only want a male, I will only contact them about available males, if they are open to either I will contact them about available males and females. Sometimes a family will get on the list but not want a puppy until a specific time of year so I will make a note of their preferences and wait to contact them until the timing is right.  Here is an example of a waiting list that I would have, I will explain how it all works as we go through it.


Family #1 wants a Female only and they don't want one until June
Family # 2 wants a Female starting in May
Family #3 wants a Male only, any time of year
Family #4 wants a Male, any time of year
Family #5 wants a Female, starting in May
Family #6 will take any sex as soon as possible
Family #7 will take a female as soon as possible
Family #8 wants a Male or Female as soon as possible
Family #9 wants a Male as soon as possible
Family #10 wants a Female any time of year


Okay, so the above is my pretend waiting list and lets say it's February 16th and I have a litter of puppies born with a total of 4 Females and one Male and they will be ready for home the beginning of April. Once I know what is born I go to my waiting list and see who is on it and what they are looking for. 

Family #1 is instantly skipped over because they don't want a puppy until June, Family #2 is skipped because they don't want a puppy until May, Family #3 is contacted first because I have one Male available, Family #4 is skipped because the male I had was taken by family #3, Family #5 is skipped because they don't want one until May, Family #6 is contacted second because they will take any gender as soon as possible, etc, and I keep moving on down the list until the puppies are all chosen or I'm out of families to contact. 

 

Once I figure out who is first to contact I send them an email with names of the parents, date that the puppies were born, date that the puppies will be ready for home, and pictures of the available puppies to choose from. I ask them to look the pictures over and let me know within 24 hours if they see a puppy they like. If they don't want any of the ones that are available I will move onto the next family in line.

 So now lets say that after contacting all of the people on my list that I have one Female available and no one on my list wants her, I will then post her for sale on the website for the public to view and adopt. The remaining people on my waiting list will be contacted when my next litter is born as long as the puppies match what they are looking for. From my example you can see that if you are more open minded about the gender and timing combination you can go from being lower on the list all the way up to the top because other people are very specific about what they want and you are not.


I hope this example makes it more clear as to why I cannot specifically tell you when I will have a puppy for you, it all depends on what you want and who is born, that is why I don't take deposits for a specific litter. I also hope that it makes the number of people on my waiting list less scary because your turn in line can change, again, all depending on what you want and what I get for puppies.


I have said this a million times but I will say it again, we do not know what color or sex combination we will get until the puppies are born! Our dogs have a ton of different colors in their bloodlines, we do this on purpose so that we can get a nice variety of colors, and each litter is a nice surprise! It's very common for us to have a couple of litters due around the same time so I do not announce parents until the babies are born and I contact you with pictures to choose from. I have had families in the past ask me which parents were due and when I told them they got their heart set on a specific litter that they did not get to choose from so I have decided just to keep quiet until the babies are here and available.

I do not accept deposits from people only wanting puppies with a certain eye color. When they first open their eyes (around 2.5-3 weeks old) they are a bluish grey color that eventually changes. 

I may also deny a deposit if someone is looking for a color that I don't have very often.

Please do contact us if you want to get on our waiting list and reserve a puppy in advance, we take nonrefundable deposits anytime and they are good for one year from the date that they are submitted, meaning that you have one year to actually pick out a puppy that you want.

 When a litter is born and it is your turn to pick I will email you pictures of the babies to look over and choose from, the names of the parents, and the dates that they are ready for home. You will have 24 hours from the time I email you to make your decision, if I don't hear back from you within that amount of time I will move onto the next family in line. If I do not hear back from you at all I will make one more attempt to contact you about available puppies and if I do not hear back from you a second time you will be removed from the waiting list and will forfeit your deposit. 

For health reasons I do not allow visits to pick out newborns in person so if you prefer to see a puppy in person before you adopt then the waiting list may not be the best option for you, please see our FAQ page for our policy on visits.

Deposits are non-refundable and good for one year from the date that they are submitted (for example March 6, 2020-March 6, 2021.) If you change your mind, get tired of waiting, or decide to go with someone else, etc. you forfeit your deposit. Once you pick out a puppy the deposit is applied to that specific puppy. We do not transfer deposits to another puppy if you later change your mind and want a different one, the deposit is an agreement that you are going to adopt a specific puppy and that I am not going to sell that specific puppy to anyone else.

One of the biggest things I ask of you when getting on the waiting list is to have patience and understand that you will have to wait for your turn to pick out a puppy. I've had people submit a deposit to get on the list and then email me three days later wondering when I will have a puppy for them. If  I have babies due in November and you submit a deposit in November that doesn't necessarily mean that you will get a puppy from that litter, it all depends on what color, sex, how many puppies are born, and how many people are ahead of you in line, so I never guarantee a date or month that I will have a puppy available for you. Patience is the key to being on a waiting list!

If you're interested in the Cockapoo Puppies that we have for sale please visit our website: https://www.cutecockapoos.com/puppies-for-sale