Brandy and Val

At Brandy and Val, LLC, we are always looking for organizations that do good deeds that benefit the lives of animals, especially those abandoned and abused.  I was watching Animal Planet’s Dogs 101 the other evening and learned about Pilots and Paws rescue services and thought I’d share/spread the word about them.  Essentially pilots and plane owners who wish to help rescues do so through the transporting of animals to new homes or shelters around the country.  The pilots volunteer their time and aircraft to make this possible and rescues can post their requests.  Pilots read the postings and, if they can accommodate, contact the rescue and make appropriate arrangements.

Read about the heartwarming story of Belle, an English Setter, to find out how these wonderful pilots make a difference to animals and families who are looking for that “perfect” canine addition to their home.

As for DOGS 101, I stumbled upon that show while channel surfing and enjoy it every time I stop to watch.  It’s a kind of video primer on all things dog and each week, a few breeds are looked at in depth, especially in terms of what kind of pets they would make.  The videos of the pups are adorable to watch and there’s always something interesting to learn.  Trainers, veterinarians and groomers are usually interviewed and at the end of each segment, a quick summary  of the pros/cons of the dog is posted.     For example, the Australian Dingo is a very controversial dog and doesn’t make a good pet.  Find out why! On the other hand, the Keeshond, a dog I didn’t even know,  makes a great pet, are good pet therapy dogs who even provided emotional support to the rescue workers in 9/11.    Definitely a show worth tuning into…..

Brandy and Val, LLC supports animal shelters throughout the country through the sales of their toys and books: BRANDY AND VAL: BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS; BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY. Brandy and Val are two real dogs who went from being down on their luck to very fortunate pooches.  To learn more about them visit their website, Brandy and Val.

Over the last few weeks, Val has acquired an oily coat. During the summer, after doing a lot of swimming, he started smelling like a musty dog when he dried. The vet gave us some medicated soap to shampoo him with and all seemed fine. Kind of confused since he’s been swimming for years without any problem. Now, we have this oily coat thing, so we’re back to bathing him with the medicated soap. Some research online suggested that he may have canine seborrhea, a very common skin problem in dogs which falls into three categories:

Seborrhea sicca – “Dry seborrhea” which shows scaliness only.
Seborrhea oleosa – “Oily seborrhea” which not only shows scaliness but also greasy skin with a distinct odor, due to excessive oil production by the skin.
Seborrheic dermatitis – Greasy and flaky skin accompanied by inflammation.

Well, Val seems to have the oily type and seborrhea is commonly seen in certain breeds including the Spaniels (American Cocker Spaniels and English Springer Spaniels), Labrador Retrievers, German Shepherds, West Highland White Terriers, Basset Hounds, Irish Setters, and Shar-peis. I am not entirely convinced, though, since he has very few of the other symptoms which include excessive licking and scratching, redness, skin flaking and ear redness or secretions. Again, since this is of recent vintage, I’m guessing its’ cause is not of the heredity variety but may be the result of one of the indicators:

hypothyroidism (maybe his thyroid needs to be retested? He’s already on medication for that but maybe something has changed), a nutritional imbalance or allergy, a parasite or a flea or tic.

Luckily, his annual check-up is next week so we can pursue this further with a professional! Please, make sure that you always consult a professional as self-diagnosis can lead to a lot more problems than it’s worth and, don’t forget those regular check-ups to ensure the health of your pooch! Will keep you posted on the remedy (other than the medicated shampoo) and diagnosis, but in the meantime, if anyone has any other ideas or experiences with various treatments we’d love to hear from you.

Our mission at Brandy and Val, LLC is “to do good where good is needed.”  It is through our pet therapy  duties and the sales of our books and toys that we try to benefit the lives  of children and animals.  Visit our website to see what we’re all about: