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An Update on Recent Foster Dogs & Rescues

By
Nancy Kerns
-
21
foster dogs
From left: Sophie the Maltipp, my dog Woody, Delilah the Great Pyrenees, and tiny Samson, my friend Leonora's dog.

I’ve been doing a lot of fostering and co-fostering and rescuing lately, and I’ve written about it here and on the WDJ Instagram page, and a bunch of the dogs have been placed now, so I’m going to update all their stories here:

In mid-January, my friend Leonora and I went to our local shelter to look at a few older puppies that were there – and we ended up bringing home a super shut-down Great Pyrenees who had come into the shelter as a stray and had been adopted and returned twice. We felt so sorry for her; she was just terrified at being back at the shelter. Leonora has a large section of her property fenced with a six-foot chain link fence, so we brought the dog to her house to hang out for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., three-day weekend – and this dog has turned into a larger project than either of us imagined she might.

Great Pyrenees Delilah
Delilah is about two or three years old. It looks like she’s had puppies in the past. She was brought into the shelter as a stray and has been adopted three times now, but keeps flunking for some reason. Her most recent adopter found her anxiety to be too much.

Leonora has a tiny dog named Samson, so we started calling the Pyrenees Delilah, just for fun. Delilah started out afraid of everything – we had to push and pull her through doorways to get her into and then out of the house, and she slept in Leonora’s bathroom at first. Sometimes she would run right to us for affection and petting – and other times, especially if she sensed you wanted to put her on a leash (whether to take a walk or get in the car), she would run away and refuse to come even for the nicest treats, pacing just out of our reach. Once she learned Leonora’s schedule, and anticipating being locked up either in the house or the very large outdoor yard (with shelter) so Leonora could go to work, she started running away (within the fenced acre) as soon as she would be taken outside to go potty. Leonora had to leash her on work mornings so she couldn’t delay Leonora’s departure. This annoying habit aside, she very slowly started to reveal more and more of her anxious but sweet disposition, and so Leonora kept her on for some weeks, allowing her to decompress from her past and apparently traumatic experiences.

At the same time, I was fostering a Maltese/Poodle-mix that a friend had adopted and then had second thoughts about. Sophie had been adopted from a home where she was neglected and insufficiently trained or supervised; she had lots of unpleasant behaviors when I first brought her home. She would get distracted and tense outdoors and not go potty, waiting until I brought her back in the house; then she would sneak off into a back bedroom and go. (Obviously, once I realized that was her pattern, I made sure to wait outside with her until she “went,” and only then would bring her back in.) She was prone to screaming when put in a crate, and had some separation anxiety. She would also bark and scream in the car, and let out a piercing BARK when anything startled her (which would startle a statue, I swear). I committed to keeping her for a month of training and then started looking for a good home for her.

I started her behavior-modification plan with TONS of exercise. We went for off-leash walks daily and played fetch several times daily, for a total of at least an hour a day. With her exercise needs finally met, her behavior improved by the day.

In early February, Leonora and I were taking our dogs (my old Otto and middle-aged Woody, and her middle-aged tiny Samson, plus our fosters Delilah and Sophie) for an off-leash (except for Delilah) walk in our local wildlife area near the Feather River, when we found a young dog who had been apparently dumped (or perhaps just lost) out there. He was adorable, and desperate to come with us, so we loaded him (somehow) into Leonora’s car and took him to our local shelter. I returned the next day and put up fliers in that area, and I checked the shelter website weekly, hoping someone would come to claim him, but no luck. The shelter named him River and he spent weeks and weeks on the adoption row.

shaved maltese poodle mix
Sophie was less cute all shaved down, but given her love of fetching and rough-and-tumble play style, she was constantly full of burs and mats. After it took an hour to get all stickers out of her coat one night, I brought her to a groomer for a total shave. She liked it!

The challenge of re-homing Sophie was that she looked like a gorgeous little lap dog for an older person – but behaved like a field-bred Labrador who wanted nothing more than to run for hours every day, preferably chasing a ball. I knew that if she were rehomed with someone who didn’t give her enough exercise, all of her not-very-enjoyable traits would come back.

I started promoting her through my personal Facebook page, with no takers. Another friend who has a nonprofit rescue offered to promote her through her group’s Petfinder account – and almost immediately we were inundated with emails and calls from older people. We had stated in the post that this was an active, barky dog who needed miles and miles of exercise daily, so almost every inquiry started, “I’m an active older person…” The problem was, all of these people went on to say they walk a mile a day, or they could walk her three miles a day and throw a ball in their backyard – and since I was walking her about 4 miles off leash every day (where she probably walked 6 miles) and throwing the ball all the way across my two acres with a Chuckit for about an hour day, none of those options sounded like enough. I didn’t want to set up Sophie for failure again, so I stuck to my guns (even though it was really hard, people were so nice!). But I felt strongly we needed someone younger and more active.

In mid-February, I was at the shelter, training a new volunteer, when some people came in with a big plastic Rubbermaid storage tub. We dread seeing tubs like this; they are always full of puppies and this was no exception. ELEVEN puppies, to be exact. Of course, the people said they “found” the puppies, who looked to be about five weeks old. The shelter staffers and I were dubious about this – I pick up strays all the time but have never found a litter of puppies! – but the shelter would rather have people bring unwanted puppies into the shelter than abandon them or sell them, unfixed. But given that we already had three litters of puppies at the shelter, and since I already had a foster dog keeping me mostly at home, I said I could foster the litter until they were old enough to get adopted. The staff took the pups into the treatment room to deworm them and get “weights, temps, and pics” of each pup. I kept working with the volunteer.

scruffy dog with puppies
Scruffy and some of the 11 foster pups pups. They 11 were about five weeks old when brought into the shelter. Scruffy was maybe 8 or 9 weeks old.

About an hour later, someone else brought another, older puppy into the shelter, saying they found him sitting in the middle of a street. A staffer came to find me, where I was still working with the volunteer. “Look,” she said, “It’s a baby Otto!” And indeed, the scruffy-faced youngster, perhaps about 8 weeks old, did look like Otto. “Could you take him home, too? What’s the difference between 11 and 12 puppies?” she asked. I said, “Sure, ok, but I better get out of here before any more puppies get brought in!”

Thank goodness for a mild spring. I was able to set up all the puppies in a large covered pen outdoors, with a special heating pad for dogs at the bottom of the dog house for cooler nighttime temperatures. I put down a thick layer of wood shavings on the bottom of the pen, and let them out to eat morning to eat from the puppy “donut” pans while I pick up all the poop in the pen. Every few days I remove all the shavings and hose the pen and let it dry completely before bedding it again.

puppies eating from donut pan
Early meal of food soaked with formula, eating from the “donut pan,” which has a round trough and a raised center. This is supposed to keep the pups from walking in the food, ha ha.

My son was born in early March, and he turned 30 this year – astonishing because he was just five when I was hired to edit the inaugural issue of Whole Dog Journal. His fiancée threw him a surprise party, and I hired a young person I know, who used to rent a room from me at my office/house, to look after the puppies for a night so my husband and I could go to the Bay Area and attend the surprise party and see some friends. The adult dogs got split between my sister’s house and Leonora’s house. My husband had fun telling everyone, “Well, we have to get home. You know Nancy has 15 dogs at home, don’t you?” Shoot, he was right: Otto and Woody, the Maltipoo, and 12 puppies. Oy!

newly adopted maltese poodle mix
A newly shaved Sophie with her new family, hurray!

In mid-March, I received an application for the Maltipoo from a couple who lived about four hours from me. They appeared to be in their late 40s, no kids. They worked at home. They lived on acreage. They walk a lot – and had owned hunting dogs in the past, as well as little dogs in the very recent past. To make a long story short, I ended up driving to their house and meeting them and their other little dog, and was satisfied that they were home enough, committed enough, active enough, and knowledgeable enough to take on Sophie and all her crazy behaviors. They loved her at first sight and I left her with them that day. They love and appreciate her sweetness and activity level and interest in playing and learning tricks. It was a perfect adoption, and I’m grateful to my friend for sharing her post.

Then another friend who runs a small rescue group contacted me about the litter of 11, offering to take some of them for her group to adopt. I contacted the shelter and asked if they’d like to transfer some of the pups to this other group. This would make things much easier when it came time to adopt them all; we wouldn’t have such a glut of very similar-looking puppies. My friend’s group took four of the pups – and I couldn’t believe how much easier it was to feed and clean up after eight puppies than 12 of them.

2 dogs laying in grass together
Scruffy and Woody, hanging out.

I started keeping the unrelated, older puppy with me and my adult dogs for much of the day. The age difference between him and the smaller, younger pups meant that they were starting to whine and run from him when he bounded toward them. I let him work that out with fun Uncle Woody, who was happy to roll the chunky pup over and let him blow off some steam by chewing more-or-less gently on each other’s limbs.

By this time, my friend Leonora had been fostering Delilah for two months. The beautiful dog was completely out of her shell now, racing in and out of the house with ease. She had finally become comfortable with every room in the house, would enter the living room and sleep on the couch, get in and out of the car with ease, and was getting a little better at meeting new people without running or freezing. We started promoting her on the shelter’s social media, emphasizing that she needed a soft landing due to her past failed placements.

great pyrenes and puppy
Delilah has been a dream babysitter with Scruffy. They sleep together in my office at night. Note Otto keeping a safe distance in the doorway on his no-slip mats.

The shelter took a call from one person who sounded great, who had a very securely fenced property of more than five acres; if she could live with horses, goats, chickens, barn cats, and other dogs, she could live there! Leonora and I drove her for an interview, to see how she would do, and it appeared as if she would be happy to live peacefully with all of those other species. We warned the adopter that with yet another change of home, she might be anxious again for a while. We begged her to give the big dog some time to adjust, but the adopter struggled with Delilah’s unpredictable, on-and-off habit of being hard to catch and difficult to convince to, alternately, come into the house or go out of the house. After not quite two weeks, she pulled the plug and returned the dog. This time, she came back to my house to stay here for a while.

But by now, the puppies were old enough and big enough for spay/neuter and adoption. The shelter had me send three puppies a week to the shelter, starting with the biggest ones, and they got snapped up as quickly as they got altered, with the last ones (except for the scruffy guy) going to their new families this week.

adopted dog with new family
River and his new family.

And get this! I went by the shelter on Monday evening, the one day they are open late, to bring in the last pup who was going to get neutered – just in time to see a young couple walking out the door with a dog they just adopted: It was River, the stray Leonora and I rescued from where he had been (presumably) dumped out in the wildlife area! A happy ending for that guy, too.

So what about the scruffy guy, who has been big enough and old enough, really, to go back to the shelter for adoption ever since his “stray dog hold” expired, a week into his stay with me? He’s got a predictable hold on my heart – predictable because dang, he looks so much like a baby Otto. I sent out his DNA to Wisdom Panel, and he even has some similarities in his VERY mixed mix.

Otto’s Mix (according to Wisdom Panel)

12.5% American Staffordshire Terrier
12.5% Australian Cattle Dog
12.5% Border Collie
12.5% Chow Chow
12.5 German Shepherd Dog
37.5% Breed Groups: Asian Terrier, Sporting, Guard

Scruffy’s Mix (according to Wisdom Panel)

36% American Staffordshire Terrier
29% American Pit Bull Terrier
6% Boxer
6% German Wirehaired Pointer
5% American Bulldog
4% Great Dane
3% Australian Cattle Dog
2% Chow Chow

I’ve been wrestling all this time with the decision: To adopt, or not to adopt? If Otto had already passed on, there would be no question; I’d love to keep him. He’s an extraordinarily calm, even-tempered pup, smart and confident without being at all cocky. He’s affectionate and playful – everything I’d want in a puppy!

scruffy puppy
Eye contact is ALWAYS a clincher for me. I am having a hard time resisting this pup.

But as Otto slows down and the puppy grows, there have been more moments where the puppy has annoyed Otto, or made him have to stop or turn suddenly. Otto hasn’t particularly enjoyed puppies since he was a very young dog, and in the past few years, he’s been openly impatient and intolerant of them. When they get within 10 feet of him, he starts growling; within four feet and he starts snarling and grrrrRUFFing at them. It’s been easy to keep the little puppies mostly away from him; they’ve come into close contact only outside, where there are plenty of more fun things for them to do and plenty of places where he can escape them. But obviously, if I keep the scruffy guy, the pup will be integrated into the household, where Otto can’t help but cross paths with him many times a day. I don’t want to see Otto unhappy.

I can’t say I’ve made a decision yet, but I’m starting to promote the scruffy pup to people I know, and asking them to promote him to dog-savvy people they know. In the meantime, he and Delilah have been spending nights together in my office; during the day, my office door is open and all the dogs – just four now! – can roam my two acres or snooze in my office with me while I work. We’ll see what the next few weeks bring.

Protein and Senior Dogs: Does My Dog Need a High, Moderate, or Low Protein Dog Food?

By
Nancy Kerns
-
15
best dog food for senior dogs
Should your senior dog be eating a high protein or low protein dog food? A moderate protein diet is likely best.

I just used WDJ’s new searchable dry dog food database to look for potential new foods to feed my 14-year-old dog, Otto. One goal when feeding most senior dogs is to find a food with a moderate amount of high-quality protein. I used the “minimum protein content” column to help me zero in on the foods that contain the amount of protein I want to feed Otto, and then looked at the ingredients of each of the candidate foods. All of that information, organized for you (and me!) in one handy place!

But allow me to explain those italicized terms a bit.

Protein levels in Dog Food: Low, high, moderate

The minimum requirement for crude protein in an adult dog maintenance diet is 18% on a dry matter basis, which (assuming an average moisture content of 10%) is 16.2% “as fed” (as it is in the package). The minimum requirement for crude protein for dogs in a “growth/reproduction” phase (or “all life stages,” which includes puppies and moms) is 22.5% dry matter, which is 20.25% “as fed” (assuming 10% moisture).

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) does not state a maximum level for protein.

We’d define “moderate” as something near the midpoint between the legal minimum and the highest amount of protein you can find in any dry dog food on the market.

Using the WDJ searchable database of approved dry dog foods, you can click on the top of the “minimum % protein content” column to make all the 1,100-plus foods appear in order by protein content. When ordered so that the foods with the lowest amount of protein appear at the top, you’ll see just a few products with just 17% and 18% protein – and these are mostly “weight control” foods. (However, a few of them are labeled as being appropriate for senior dogs, which, in our opinion, is sad. Senior dogs definitely need more protein than the minimum allowed.)

By clicking on the top of that column again, so that the foods with the highest amount of protein appear at the top, we can find products with very high amounts of protein in them, with numbers in the low 40s (43%, 42%, 41%).

The exact midpoint, in this case, is 30%. We think this is a good, moderate amount of protein for most senior dogs.

Note that there are more opinions about protein levels in dog food than there are veterinary nutritionists. This shouldn’t be a surprise; there is little consensus among experts in human nutrition about ideal protein levels, too.

Older veterinarians tend to regard foods with even moderate protein levels as potentially dangerous, or, at a minimum, a waste of money. When you feed a lower-protein diet to a dog, you decrease the amount of nitrogenous waste delivered to the kidneys for excretion in the urine; it was speculated that one could preserve the dwindling kidney function of dogs with chronic kidney disease by giving their kidneys less work to do (by feeding a lower-protein food to the dog).

However, according to veterinary nutritionists Andrea Fascetti and Sean Delaney, “the effect of protein restriction on the progression of renal damage in dogs and cats remains controversial and no definitive study exists on this matter.” (Quoted from “Nutritional Management of Chronic Renal Disease” on the website for the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.)

While it’s been demonstrated that some dogs with chronic kidney disease improve when their dietary protein is moderately restricted, this has frequently (and tragically, in our opinion) been extended to all older dogs, whether or not they have any kidney problems at all. Today, it’s well-accepted that most older dogs actually benefit from diets that contain more protein – as long as it’s a high-quality protein – than young adult dogs.

However, there is newer evidence, based on newer criteria, very high protein dog food diets is potentially harmful for dogs to eat. (See this post by Linda Case, MS, Canine/Feline Nutrition, for details.) This give us even more confidence in our advice to look for foods with moderate protein levels.

SUBSCRIBERS ONLY: Whole Dog Journal’s 2022 Approved Dry Dog Foods

What constitutes a high-quality protein?

Broadly speaking, the quality of a protein depends on its digestibility and its amino acid profile – that is, whether it contains adequate amounts of the amino acids that dogs require. In general, animal-sourced proteins contain more of the amino acids that are essential to dogs (and they are supplied in proper ratios for benefitting dogs) than do plant-sourced proteins.

The digestibility of ingredients depends on a number of factors, too numerous to explain here. (If you’re especially curious, read Linda Case’s 2017 piece for WDJ about digestibility here.) The bottom line: Pet food companies typically conduct digestibility studies on their finished products; they should know how digestible their products are, and they should be able to furnish consumers with that information. We should all be asking for this information!

A final thing to keep in mind

The amount of protein listed on a dog food label is the guaranteed minimum present in the food. It may contain much more! To be certain, ask the company for the amount of protein in their products – a number from an actual nutrient analysis.

Pet Food Companies: Show Us the Analyses of Your Dog Foods

By
Nancy Kerns
-
0
nancy kerns with dog

Last month, I encouraged you to ask the makers of the foods you feed your dogs for complete nutrient analyses of those products. If you found companies refusing to answer or representatives without information, know your attempt was not wasted. You helped make manufacturers aware we want answers. 

The purpose of the exercise was not to frustrate you or to annoy the pet food companies. What I hoped to do is to highlight the fact that the industry whose products are fed to 95% of the dogs in this country can’t be bothered to provide consumers with accurate, understandable information about those products. I am outraged at that fact – and I hope that more of you will join me in my fight, in hope of pushing the industry to change. The idea that even companies with billions of dollars of annual sales can’t or won’t make nutritional information about their products available to consumers is appalling. 

While researching the article that appears on page 22 of this issue (“Drilling for Dietary Copper”), I checked the websites of every pet food maker on our “Approved Dry Dog Food” list, and found “typical” nutrient analyses on only about a third of their websites. I also searched the websites of the largest pet food companies in the world, whose products generally do not get included on our “Approved Foods” lists. Even fewer of their sites include typical or “expected” nutrient analyses for their products – and nobody provides “actual” nutrient analyses, which are the results of laboratory tests of their finished products. 

A pet food company representative, irritated with my questions, once asked me, “Do you get this information from the makers of the canned soups or breakfast cereals in your cupboard?” No, I don’t, I told him – but then, my diet mostly consists of home-prepared fresh foods. By eating a wide variety of foods, I can readily achieve “nutritional balance over time.” In contrast, the dogs who subsist almost entirely on commercial dog foods are solely dependent on the makers of those products for all of their nutrients. If there’s too much of something potentially deadly in the food that dogs eat every day, year in and year out, something that can accumulate in the bodies of some dogs, such as dietary copper – well, I’d like to know, so I can avoid that product – or at the very least, lobby for change. Or start feeding my dogs a home-prepared diet, which I should be doing, anyway!

Doesn’t it seem reasonable to ask that the companies that ostensibly provide “complete and balanced nutrition for dogs” show us, the consumers that provide their ever-increasing annual earnings, what that nutrition actually consists of? 

Please Don’t “Alpha” Your Dog

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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19
owner with dog
Author, Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, is WDJ's Training Editor and author of many books on dog-friendly dog training. See "Resources," page 24, for book and contact information.

For over a decade, the scientific behavior community has been telling us that trying to be the human “alpha” is a seriously flawed approach to changing your dog’s behavior. Despite this, there is still a plethora of information online and in books that purport to teach you how to be an alpha to your dog. 

Reading through some of that advice in preparation for writing this article, I feel physically chilled. I can’t imagine living in a home where I had to “demand respect” and “assert my dominance in everything I do” around my dog, to “make him get out of my way” if he’s lying in my path, or other equally absurd recommendations. And I don’t think I’m alone; I don’t know many dog owners who want to live in some sort of canine detention center, where the dogs must be reminded at every turn that I’m the boss! 

I’m not going to go on and on; I just want to give some encouragement to anyone who has fallen prey to this sort of indoctrination. If you have been intimidated by an instructor into yanking on your dog’s leash, or told that your “softness” is the reason your dog is misbehaving, know this: These are outdated methods that are no longer recommended by today’s behavior experts. 

WE CAN ALL JUST GET ALONG

Today’s humane, successful, and enjoyable approach utilizes methods that create a relationship with your dog based on mutual trust, love, and respect. Real leadership looks like:

  • Showing and teaching. Use lure-shaping to teach your dog to lie down on cue, rather than pushing on her shoulders or pulling down on her collar. Or “capture” the down by “marking” it with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!” and giving her a treat whenever she lies down on her own, until she understands this is a great way to win more rewards and starts offering the “down” more frequently. Then just add your cue! (See “The Allure of the Lure,” WDJ July 2018, and “How to Get a Dog to Behave,” August 2014.)
  • Understanding. Recognize that when your dog doesn’t do something you ask her to do, it’s because something is interfering with her ability to do so – she may be stressed, distracted, in pain, or simply hasn’t learned the behavior as well as you thought.
  • Empathizing. Comfort your dog when she is stressed, hurting, or confused instead of insisting that she perform.
  • Forgiving. If your dog did something that upset you, whether she soiled your carpet or snapped at you when you picked up a shoe she had snagged, don’t hold it against her. Our dogs are doing their best to make sense of a human world that often makes no sense to them. They are, however, really good at reading our body language, and if you stay angry about something your dog has done she’ll know you’re upset with her (and be stressed about it), but she won’t know why.

Do your dog a life-enhancing favor and eschew the use of force and intimidation in favor of cooperation and trust. In the end, your role as a benevolent leader rather than an alpha dictator will make life better for both of you.

Author Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT‑KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor and author of many books on dog-friendly dog training. See “Resources,” page 24, for book and contact information.

No Need for Force: How to Stop Your Dog From Pulling on the Leash and More

By
Kathy Callahan, CPDT-KA, FDM
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16
Stop your dog from pulling on a leash with positive reinforcement and communication.
When our dogs pull, perhaps because they weren’t done smelling something or wanted to watch that squirrel for a minute longer, many of us are guilty of pulling right back –and with our superior strength (or pain-inducing gear), we usually win the battle. But let’s cancel the war, shall we? It’s easy to forget in the heat of the moment, but it’s actually more expedient – and much more enjoyable for everyone concerned – to use our brains, not our brawn, and teach our dogs to come along with us on cue.

One of the most common requests humans bring to dog trainers is this: “Can you just stop my dog from pulling on the leash so much?” 

The funny thing is, if dogs could hire human trainers, here’s what they’d say: “Can you just stop him from pulling on the leash so much?” They might even add, “Come to think of it, can you just stop him from constantly manhandling my body, when a simple, polite request would do?”

There are many times when it seems more expedient to use your superior strength (or training tools that increase your ability to physically control your dog) instead of using your intelligence to get your dog to do what you’d like. How often do you tug, pull, push, or lift your dog (perhaps using his leash as a steering wheel or his collar or harness as a handle) to get your dog to do something that they were slow to do by themselves? 

Don’t feel too bad; even people who consider themselves to be entirely committed to force-free training techniques resort to picking up a dawdling small dog sometimes. Impatience is a very human condition! 

But if your dog frequently uses his body to get what he wants – by knocking into you, pawing at you, jumping on you, or pulling on leash – I beg you to take just one day to notice that this dynamic works both ways. Folks, your dogs are learning this world’s rules from you. 

There’s a better way. Instead of relying on physical force, employ that big brain of yours. How many times today can you resist the quick and easy way of getting your dog where you want him and instead begin creating a collaborative dynamic that serves you both beautifully? Challenge yourself to use your voice, your body language, your treats, and your bond with your dog to communicate your desires regarding his behavior – and to let him know how much you appreciate his cooperation.

GIVE A HEADS-UP: HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR DOG

Pro tip: Start by using your words! 

Let’s say, on your dog walk, you’ve stopped to chat with a friend or to wait for the signal to cross the street. Your dog is waiting patiently, sitting politely or standing quietly, perhaps watching some kids down the street – when suddenly you’re done with the conversation or the crossing indicator turns green, and you yank him out of his reverie to begin walking again. Rude! 

Here’s what that tug-out-of-nowhere teaches your dog: First, it drives home the point that weird and sudden leash pressure is a way of life – so now it won’t feel strange to him when he creates that pressure himself by pulling or dashing. Second, it teaches him to be on guard for one of those yanks, to never fully relax on a walk with you. That makes your walks open season for pull-and-yank, plus a bit of anxiety. I’ll argue that’s not a small thing. 

It’s so easy to do better. Simply give your dog a heads-up – an invitation. That’s all! Before taking a step, just cue your dog. It’s as easy as saying, “Okay, Spot, let’s go!” You could also pat your thigh or make a clicking or kissing noise – any kind of communication that loops your pup into the plan. 

This change may seem miniscule, but when you watch it in action, you suddenly see a team. It’s huge. 

(I’m focusing here on just a single moment of the walk, but for a whole article on teaching loose-leash walking, see “Polite Leash Walking,” September 2021.)

USE YOUR BRAIN TO MOVE YOUR DOG

loose knot leash to stop pulling
Try this exercise. Put a big loose know in the middle of your leash, and walk around your house with your dog. How far can you get before that know tightens? Now visualize that challenge on your real walks.

Just today one of my favorite clients mentioned that her dog gets testy whenever her collar is grabbed. My question: Why are you grabbing her collar so much? 

As simple as it feels to us to snag our dogs by that omnipresent handle, in the long run, it’s interfering with the behavior and the relationship we want. Try using your brain to move your dog, not your muscles: 

  • Want your dog to get off the couch? Don’t grab his collar, just stick out your hand and say “touch.” (If you haven’t taught this most useful of all cues, do it today! See “On Target Training,” September 2021.)
  • Want your dog to hold still so you can put on the leash? Don’t grab his collar, just ask for a sit.
  • Want to interrupt your dog’s chase of the cat? Don’t grab his collar, just scoot in the opposite direction with a toy and call him in a crazy-happy tone of voice. Reward him when he comes to you!

The collar grab, like the leash yank, is an instinctive, lowest-common-denominator way we humans get control. It’s easy to be in the habit of using this kind of low-level physical force all day long. If you don’t think about it very much, it seems normal. 

But I implore you to think about it. The more you do, the stranger it seems to so casually and frequently use our superior physical strength to force our best friends – these sentient, intelligent souls who are fully capable of learning the most intricate behaviors – to put their bodies exactly where we want them. 

Some dogs accept this constant contact with resignation, but many others mentally tune out when they can’t seem to escape these unpleasant physical intrusions, and even come to rely on the barrage of yanks, pushes, and pulls for direction. A few, like my client’s dog, start to growl or show other signs of defensive aggression in an effort to stop the assaults. 

Remember, in every interaction we have with our dogs, we are teaching them who we are. Ponder what vibe you want to teach. Personally, I want to have a friendly, fun, trusting, and respectful relationship with my dogs – and I see plenty of evidence that makes me believe that they want that, too.

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH YOUR DOG!

Years ago, in one of the most fun dog-training classes I’ve been to, the instructor had us all tie a loose knot – maybe four inches in diameter – in the middle of our leashes. Then we spent 10 minutes walking around the facility in a line, passing each other over and over. The winner was the one who had the loosest knot after all of that. 

To accomplish this, we used happy voices, kissy noises, and dancing steps. We made the most of cues like “touch” and “look” and “heel” and “side” and “walk with me.” There was cheese and chicken, along with a robust history of positive reinforcement in this scenario. It was a blast. Why? Because it showed us how very far we had come from the days when we, too, thought it was normal to just pull your dog around. It was a reflection of how much more rewarding and cooperative our relationships with our dogs had become. 

So, give it a try. Watch what happens when you start communicating with your dog, rather than using your superior physicality to go places and/or do things with him. I think you’ll find that your time with your dog quickly becomes less of a struggle and more enjoyable, as it should be when you experience life in sync with a respected friend. 

How loose is your knot? 

Does Your Dog Opt In? How to Communicate With Your Dog

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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6
does your dog like to be pet
We like to see clear evidence that our dogs are completely on board with whatever activity we’re subjecting them to. Enthusiasm and engagement, like what’s written all over this dog pictured above, are ideal. If your dog is looking ambivalent or stressed about what you two are doing together, it’s time to reassess. © Sonya Etchison | Dreamstime.com

You may have acquired your dog with the intent of competing in agility, doing therapy-dog work, or having fun with musical freestyle (dancing with dogs). Or perhaps you’ve decided to try a new sport with your current dog. These are admirable goals; it’s good to do stuff with your dog! Sometimes, though, your dog isn’t as excited about the activity as you are. What then?

In recent years, dog owners have gotten far better at recognizing the value of giving their dogs choices about their participation in husbandry procedures (see “Care to Cooperate,” WDJ February 2021). Increasingly, we also appreciate the importance of giving our dogs choices about all the other activities we ask them to engage in. We need to remember that just because an activity is fun for us doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fun for them.

Decoding Your Dog’s Communication

I confess I was blind to my own dog’s lack of enthusiasm for agility. I thought we were having a great time! It wasn’t until our Kelpie, Kai, declined to move off the start line in our training class that I realized he wasn’t enjoying the sport at all. I stopped going to class and looked for other activities for us to enjoy together. Now I watch all my dogs more closely to make sure they are having as much fun as I am when we train and play together.

You can find similar examples all over social media. Someone proudly shares a video of their dog doing therapy work at a children’s hospital. The humans are happily smiling as a child hugs the dog – but the expression on the dog’s face says, “Please get me out of here!” Someone else is showing off their recent competitive obedience run, and while the dog is walking in perfect heel position, the stress signals are obvious: panting, tail down, lowered body posture . . .

Starting immediately (if you don’t already!), make it a practice to watch your dogs closely during their encounters with others and activities with you. If you see reluctance to engage or other signs of stress, it’s time to take a step back and rethink your dog’s participation in the activity.

The Consent Test

How do you know if your dog is loving the things you’re asking her to do? Rather than waiting for her to shout her unhappiness as I did with Kai, you can check in with her using an increasingly popular procedure known as “consent testing.” A classic situation where you might use this procedure is when petting your dog or allowing someone else to pet your dog. We humans love to pet dogs, and indeed, some dogs do love being petted – other dogs, not so much. Here’s how a consent test might look for petting:

  1. Sit down in an enclosed space with your dog off-leash. Be patient.
  2. Rest one open hand on your leg or lap, palm up. Ideally, the dog will approach you, but you can call her if necessary. No luring with treats.
  3. When the dog approaches, initiate contact. The best first contact is usually a scratch on the chest. Do not pet the dog on top of her head.
  4. Use the three-second rule. Scratch/pet for three seconds, then remove your hand. If the dog moves closer or nudges your hand and has a relaxed facial expression, she is inviting more attention.
  5. Repeat several times, continuing to use the three-second rule. Dogs can change their minds, so even if yours invited additional petting at first, be alert for signs that she has had enough and wants the petting to stop. (This is often when people get bitten – when they fail to notice the “all done” signs!)

Repeat this process when allowing other people to pet your dog.

Here are some other situations where you can apply consent testing:

Interacting with another dog. If two dogs are playing exuberantly and you’re not sure one is having a good time, separate the dogs and move them about six feet apart. Restrain the more active dog and release the one you’re not sure is enjoying the interaction. If that dog stays still or moves away, she’s saying she’s had enough. If she moves forward and re-engages with the other dog she’s saying yes, she wants to play more.

Participating in an activity. Invite your dog to walk toward the hospital (if she’s a therapy dog), training grounds, etc. If she moves eagerly forward, you’re good to go. If she shows any reluctance to move, moves with tension, or exhibits stress signals, you may want to rethink that activity, or start a rehabilitation process.

Rehabilitating Consent

If your dog is telling you she doesn’t want to participate in an activity that you had your heart set on, you have a couple of choices.

You may be able to slowly and carefully work to rehabilitate her association with the activity to help her love it as much as you do. First, have a thorough medical checkup to be sure there’s not a physical reason (pain) for your dog’s reluctance to run fast or jump over jumps or whatever you’re asking her to do. If her vet check is clear, start incorporating small bits of the sport into other activities that your dog really loves.

For example, if your dog loves running in the woods, set an agility jump on the hiking trail and let her hop over it on your hike. Incorporate other play activities with an occasional dance move or dash through a tunnel – play tug, toss a ball, do a quick dance move, and toss the ball again. Do her favorite tricks, run through a tunnel, and do more tricks.

But be careful! If you try to do too much too soon you can poison the beloved activity (give it a negative association) and your dog could end up disliking that activity as well. Go slow, and remember to keep it fun and light. Our dogs often become worried because we seem tense and worried. Keep it fun – and keep doing those consent tests. If you can get your dog to love it, you’re good to go.

Your other choice? Get another dog. Seriously. Keep the first one, of course, but if you have your heart set on doing agility and your current dog is telling you she hates it, your best option may be to adopt another dog who has great agility potential. Do some consent testing first to be sure she isn’t going to tell you “No thanks” from the start, and then go for it. And for your first dog – take some time to find out what she wants to do, and then do that with her.

Consent Test: Does Your Dog Like Petting?

Signs That Your Dog Likes Petting

  • Asks to be petted by moving into your space
  • Shoves nose or puts whole body under your hand
  • Pulls your hand toward him or her with a paw
  • Body is relaxed
  • Does a happy-butt dance under your hand
  • Eyes get droopy when being petted
  • Flops happily onto the floor while being petted
  • Flops happily onto you while being petted

Signs That Your Dog Doesn’t Like Petting

  • Stands still but doesn’t actively engage with you
  • Ducks away when you reach for him or her
  • Body is tense
  • Moves body away
  • Looks away
  • Yawns, scratches, licks lips, pants, and/or exhibits other stress signals
  • Anything more obvious like growling and snapping

What Causes Excessive Thirst and Urination in Dogs?

By
Dr. Eileen Fatcheric, DVM
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7
excessive thirst in dogs
Dogs with true polydipsia (excessive drinking) don't just drink after exercise and when they constantly crave water and may stand at their water bowls for many long minutes. After "tanking up" like this, they will obviously have an increased need to urinate, too.

Excessive thirst and urination (polyuria/polydipsia or PU/PD in veterinary terms) is a common complaint in dogs. Sometimes the owner doesn’t perceive it as a problem until the dog starts urinating in the house – then it’s a big problem! There are many – at least 25 – possible causes for poluria and polydipsia in dogs. This means your veterinarian needs to systematically rule things out one by one, until finally arriving at a diagnosis. It can be a process, so you’ll need to be patient and work with your veterinarian to get to the answers you need.

CONFIRMING PU/PD IN YOUR DOG

First, your veterinarian will need to confirm that your dog really has PU/PD. How much water dogs need in a day varies a lot, depending on activity level, the moisture level of the dog’s food, exercise, environmental temperature and humidity. However, a good general guideline for normal water consumption is about an ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. So, 10 ounces for a 10-pound dog, 60 ounces for a 60-pound dog, etc.

Polydipsia in dogs is officially defined as drinking more than 100 mls of water per kg of the dog’s body weight per day. Veterinarians use milliliters and kilograms (kg) rather than ounces and pounds, but when you convert these values to those more familiar to dog owners, it works out to about 15 ounces for a 10-pound dog and 91 ounces for a 60-pound dog, etc. 

Water intake is easy to measure if you have just one dog and you close the toilet lids, but not so easy with multiple pets in the house. 

Another way to confirm true PU/PD is to collect a specimen of the very first urine your dog produces in the morning, before he starts drinking for the day, and bring it to your vet in order to run a test (called a urine specific gravity, USG) on this sample.

USG is a measure of the concentration of the urine. If your dog truly has PU/PD, the urine will be dilute. Your veterinarian may want you to drop off samples for this test for three or four days in a row for confirmation.

Next, your vet needs to make sure the PU/PD you’re observing isn’t simply a side effect of a medication your dog may be on. Phenobarbital, oral steroids like prednisone, diuretics like furosemide (Lasix), potassium bromide, and thyroid medication are all drugs that can cause excessive thirst and urination as a side effect. Topical steroids can do it, too, so eye drops, ear drops, and skin creams with cortisone may be the culprit. If you’re using cortisone cream on your own skin, don’t let your dog lick you!

FIRST TESTS FOR PU/PD IN DOGS

urinalysis for diagnosing pu pd in dogs
Assuming your dog slept all night and wasn’t up several times to drink water, the first urine she passes in the morning should be fairly concentrated and yellow. First morning urine samples that are very dilute will look very pale in comparison.

When you bring your dog in for his exam and PU/PD workup, be sure to bring a fresh “free catch” urine specimen with you. The workup starts with a physical examination, urinalysis, and blood work (chemistry screen and complete blood count or CBC). This combination can eliminate or confirm several of the causes of PU/PD in dogs right out of the gate, including two of the top three causes of PU/PD in dogs:

1. Chronic kidney disease 

2. Diabetes mellitus 

3. Cushing’s syndrome

Chronic kidney disease can usually be diagnosed based on the blood and urine samples, although the underlying cause may require further testing, such as urine culture and abdominal ultrasound. 

Ruling out diabetes mellitus (DM) is easy: If there’s no sugar in the urine and the blood sugar is normal, there’s no DM.

At this point, your veterinarian will have plenty of hints regarding the likelihood of Cushing’s syndrome (more technically known as hyperadrenocorticism or HAC; i.e., overactive adrenal glands), including physical exam findings like classic skin and coat changes and a pot-bellied appearance, certain blood and urine abnormalities suggestive of HAC, and history of excessive hunger and panting at home. Definitive diagnosis requires further testing. 

If needed, a low-dose dexamethasone suppression (LDDS) test should be done next to rule out HAC. This test requires a day-long stay in the hospital, with blood samples drawn at 0, 4, and 8 hours after a cortisone injection. If the baseline cortisol at 0 hours is not abnormally low, this effectively rules out the opposite adrenal gland disorder that can also cause PU/PD called Addison’s disease, which is underactive adrenal glands.

Other causes of PU/PD in dogs that can be easily determined with initial veterinary diagnostics include high blood calcium (hypercalcemia), which can occur with lymphoma and anal gland tumors (these are usually apparent on physical exam), uterine infection (pyometra) in unspayed females (this sometimes requires x-ray or ultrasound for confirmation), and liver disease.

FINAL ROUND OF TESTS FOR DIAGNOSING PU/PD IN DOGS

Let’s say you’ve done all this and everything up to this point is normal. The next possible causes of PU/PD in dogs that your veterinarian needs to rule out with specific blood tests are thyroid disease and leptospirosis. The latter is an infectious disease that often makes dogs very sick with kidney and liver disease, but sometimes causes only PU/PD in an otherwise apparently healthy dog. 

If you’ve gotten this far without reaching a diagnosis, it’s time to rule out the final and least likely causes of PU/PD in dogs: central diabetes insipidus (CDI) and psychogenic polydipsia.

CDI happens when the dog’s body lacks a natural antidiuretic hormone (ADH), which is produced in the brain and released by the pituitary gland. ADH is necessary in order for the kidneys to concentrate urine. Without it, large volumes of dilute urine are excreted, regardless of hydration status or other physiologic demands for water. The dog then drinks copious amounts of water in a futile effort to replace what’s being lost in the urine. The result is PU/PD. CDI is often idiopathic (meaning we don’t know what causes it) but can occur with trauma, inflammation, or cancer in the brain.

Diagnosing CDI requires a trial with DDAVP (Desmopressin), which is a synthetic analog of ADH. It can be administered orally, by injection under the skin, or as a nasal or ocular drop, but it must always be administered under the direct supervision of a veterinarian, due to the possibility of severe complications. These include dehydration and dangerous electrolyte derangements, particularly during the trial. If the dog’s urine concentration increases and water consumption decreases during the trial, CDI is the diagnosis, and DDAVP is the treatment for life. 

If the dog does not respond to DDAVP, psychogenic polydipsia is the presumptive diagnosis. This is a behavioral issue, where the dog starts drinking excessive amounts of water for no apparent reason. It can be quite extreme – all that water passing through can actually wash out the kidney’s ability to concentrate urine (this is called medullary washout). Once this happens, it’s a vicious cycle and requires time and gradual water deprivation (again, only under the direct supervision of a veterinarian) to reestablish normal urine concentrating ability.

IT’S A PROCESS

If your dog suffers from excessive thirst and urination, and you’re lucky, you’ll get answers with the first few steps and there will be a treatment for your dog’s underlying disorder. Remember that with each step in the process you’re ruling out diseases, which is a good thing! 

With patience, you and your veterinarian can whittle away at all the things on the list until you reach a diagnosis and specific treatment. Then you can finally take a break from refilling the water bowl and letting the dog in and out. It will be a happy day! 

How to Choose CBD For Dogs

By
Nancy Kerns
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0
cbd oil for dogs
We're fans of this company's products (see holistic hound.com). Holistic Hound has a long history in this market (starting with pet products and moving into CBD products for pets, rather than starting with CBD and then learning about animals). Certificates of analysis from third-party labs for every product are posted on the company website.

Supplements for pets that contain cannabidiol (CBD) – a derivative of the Cannabis plant that contains no psychoactive compounds – have exploded in popularity. 

According to the Packaged Facts survey “Pet Supplements in the U.S.,” 21 percent of dog owners purchased CBD supplements in 2020. Packaged Facts estimated the sales of CBD pet products in 2020 at $95 million, a 217% increase from the year prior. And Pet Product News recently reported that the nation’s largest pet supply store chains have all formed retail relationships with CBD supplement manufacturers. Petco sells CBD products from Pet Releaf, PetSmart stores (in some areas only) sell CBD products from Mary’s Tails, and Pet Supplies Plus carry Medterra and Kradle. Even Martha Stewart is hawking a line of CBD products for pets (made by Canopy Animal Health, a subsidiary of Canopy Growth).

So, clearly, you have a lot of CBD pet product to pick from. How do you choose?

  • First, read the label or product description carefully to make sure the product contains CBD. There are hundreds of products on the market (many of which you can find with an online search for “CBD pet supplements) that do not contain CBD. Sure, the label may hype the “hemp” in the product, but unless it specifically says it contains CBD, it doesn’t. Hint: Neither Chewy.com nor Amazon.com sell pet supplements that contain CBD – lots of hemp-containing products, but no CBD.

lab analysis of canine cbd

There may be health benefits from hemp-sourced products that do not contain CBD, but if you’re looking for the specific benefits of CBD for your dog, you need to buy a CBD-containing product! 

  • Now look for a report from an independent laboratory that tested the product. Don’t buy products if they have not been tested by a third-party lab, or if the results are not dated and code-matched to the batch of product you are considering. 

Reputable manufacturers post their products’ lab reports on their websites or have QR codes that take you to online reports – but check the dates! The report should include the date, clearly identify the product that was tested, and  state the name, address, and phone number of the test provider.

  • Check the lab reports for microbial contaminants, heavy metals, pesticides, and potency. Hemp plants are susceptible to fungal growth, which can lead to the presence of carcinogenic mycotoxins, and readily absorb heavy metals from their environment. Inadvertent adulteration with heavy metals is also possible during manufacturing. And pesticide use is common in the farming of hemp. So the third-party lab reports should indicate that the products contain no microbial contaminants, heavy metals, or pesticides.
  • Check the independent lab results to confirm the type and amount of CBD in the product. There are an estimated 80 to 100 cannabinoid substances (chemicals that are capable of binding with the cannabinoid receptors in our bodies and our dogs’ bodies) in hemp plants; the presence and amount of these substances vary according with the variety of the hemp plant. CBD product makers strive to use plant strains that produce none of the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cannabinoids; supplements that contain more than 0.3% THC cannot be legally sold. 

The lab report should specify which cannabinoids are present in the product and in what amount, so you can administer consistent dosages for a predictable effect.

  • Don’t buy products that make claims to prevent, cure, or manage disease. Any substance that makes therapeutic claims must be approved by the FDA. This process does not apply to products that are considered to be supplements, which is how CBD products are currently treated. By virtue of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), supplements may not be labeled or marketed for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, mitigation, or cure of disease.

If a product label or company literature makes the product sound like a cure for anything that ails your dog, avoid that company’s products. Similarly, avoid products labeled as “treats,” which are regulated as food and cannot legally contain CBD. An example would be “CBD dog treats for anxiety.” Violations of labeling laws indicate either an inexperienced or unscrupulous product manufacturer. Either way, avoid that company.

  • Look for clear indications for use, dosage information, and instructions. 
  • If you can, ask a company representative what makes their products better than their competitors’. Listen for exaggerated claims – and ask for substantiation! The best companies should be at least participating in research studies of their products, if they don’t already have study results to tell you about. 
  • Look for products from companies who have been at this for more than a few years. Many CBD-product manufacturers are here today and gone tomorrow. Longevity alone doesn’t prove the efficacy of a product; some companies were launched with massive investments from venture capital companies, helping some start-ups survive even with ineffective products. But time in the industry lends experience and credence to a company’s mission.
  • Look for a seal of approval from the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), which identifies products from companies that are committed to quality and continuous improvement. To earn an NASC Quality Seal, the supplement maker must, among other things, have a quality control manual in place, which helps ensure the company is providing a consistent and quality product; have an adverse event reporting/complaint system in place to monitor and evaluate products in real time; and pass an independent third-party audit every two years. 

In 2021, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) published the results of a study that analyzed products that contained hemp or cannabidiol substances. Almost 150 products were subjected to tests to determine which cannabinoids were present in the products. Fewer than half of products surveyed contained cannabidiol concentrations within 20% of their label declarations. 

Third-party lab testing and certification from the NASC are meant to prevent such results.

  • We recommend buying CBD pet supplements from independent pet supply stores with have staff members who are familiar with the products – who have used them on their own pets. If this is not possible for you (if you live in an area where no such store exists), contact the makers of the products you are considering for support. 

First-time users will benefit from guidance regarding dosage and what type of product will work best for their dogs – and since veterinarians are prohibited in most states from even discussing CBD with their clients, much less recommending a particular product, the next-best guide is an experienced user of the products with a close, long-term retail relationship with conscientious product suppliers. 

Potential Benefits of CBD for Dogs

The growing number of CBD’s dog-owner fans believe that CBD relieves pain, anxiety, seizure activity, and allergies, and combats immune-mediated syndromes and cancer. But makers of CBD supplements, which are regulated under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), may not legally say that CBD treats or cures any disease or any medical symptom; those are “drug” claims, which fall under the purview of the FDA.

Until recently, CBD’s popularity has been driven largely by anecdotal evidence, because there were significant legal impediments for both academic and commercial research into CBD, as well as barriers for growing and harvesting these plants, then refining and selling products that contain CBD. Passage of the Agriculture Improvement Act (better known as the Farm Bill) in 2018 descheduled Cannabis species with less than 0.3% dry weight of the Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which removed these barriers and opened the floodgates of both research into CBD’s safety and benefits and commercial production of CBD-containing products. 

So far, studies have been promising. A 2018 study by Cornell University researchers on dogs with osteoarthritis showed no observable side effects, a significant decrease in the dogs’ pain, and an increase in activity. A small Colorado State University study (16 dogs) investigated the use of CBD to treat idiopathic seizures in dogs and found an 89% reduction in seizure frequency in dogs receiving CBD.

It’s hard to imagine that the CBD for dogs industry could have grown so quickly without ample anecdotal evidence that at least some of the products are helping dogs. Scoundrels abound in any new, fast-growing industry, but few people are repeat buyers of things that don’t work. The spectacular growth of the industry suggests they do work – and the stunning lack of adverse experience reports should encourage you to give CBD a try for your dog. 

Thanks to Annabell Bivens of The Dog Store in Alexandria, Virginia, for her help with this article. Nancy Kerns is the editor of WDJ.

Leaving Your Dog Home Alone: How To Set Up Your Dog’s Space

By
Nancy Tucker, CDBC, CPDT-KA
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4
leaving dog home alone
The dog you see lying peacefully on the rug is the author's late dog Chili, who was a stressed-out patroller until window film was installed, and then she was finally able to relax. The film is on the narrow glass panes on each side of the door as well as on the bottom half of the window above the couch on the left.

Many dog owners routinely leave their dogs home alone without giving it a second thought. They put on their shoes, grab their coat and keys, tell the dog “See you later!” – and off they go.

Some of us need to put a little more thought into our departures for various reasons. Special arrangements might be necessary to accommodate a puppy, a curious adolescent, or multiple dogs (or dogs and cats) who are safest if they’re separated when the humans are out. The right setup is particularly critical for dogs who experience distress when isolated (often referred to as “separation anxiety”), as they can be destructive to their environment and themselves. 

But perhaps you are just planning to get a new dog or puppy and are fretting about how or whether you can leave her home alone  when you go to work or school. No matter what type of dog you have (or will have), thoughtfully setting up a designated space for your dog will maximize her ability to relax when she’s home alone.  

WHAT’S YOUR DOG’S MOST COMFORTABLE SPOT?

For many dogs, leaving them loose in the home is just not an option, as they get into all kinds of shenanigans, especially if they’re young. This is where you can get creative with the use of barriers such as baby gates or even some crafty home-made solutions. You might need to do some experimenting to see what works best for your dog (see “Creative Confinement,” WDJ March 2022).

Most people tend to choose a location in the home that’s convenient for them (the owner), and then they’ll work really hard to try to help their dog learn to like that area, or to feel comfortable in it. 

Instead of choosing a location that’s most convenient for me, I prefer to begin by identifying the dog’s favorite spots. Where does she feel most comfortable? Where does she like to hang out and nap? That’s where your dog should be taught to spend time when she’s alone, whether it’s a crate, a room, or a large open space that you block off somehow. 

Should You Use a Crate?

You may have heard that a crate is like a dog’s “natural den,” providing a dog with an enclosed environment will stir innate feelings of safety and security. 

In reality, dogs don’t live in dens on a regular basis. In feral dog communities, a den is a location away from the usual resting places, where females birth and care for their puppies. Adolescent and adult feral dogs don’t live in dens. And consider this: Even those animals that are den animals are never actually confined to the den. They don’t get locked in; they can exit whenever they choose.

Comfort in crates is an individual matter. Some dogs love their crates and seek them out when they are tired or stressed. In contrast, some dogs who show anxious behaviors when they’re crated do a whole lot better when they’re not confined. In other words, being left home alone isn’t the problem, confinement is. They’re able to relax if left loose in the home.

One thing is absolutely certain: If your dog regularly panics inside a crate, bending metal bars or chewing through plastic, that crate is doing far more harm than good, and I recommend you put it away and consider other confinement solutions. 

ACCLIMATING TO THE SPACE

If you’re thinking about using a space in your home where your dog has never before hung out, or maybe a room or a section of your home that she’s not really familiar with, start by building a positive association with that location. Begin feeding your dog her meals there, completely unconfined, with no barriers or closed doors. Spend some quiet time there with your dog. Let her work on a food toy, chew on a bone, or nap while you sit close by and work on your laptop, read a magazine, or engage in whatever quiet activity you want.

In order for a new space to become familiar, a place where your dog will be able to fully relax, spend a lot of time there creating this positive association. This won’t happen overnight, or even in a week. It’s going to take some time; it can’t be rushed.

I went through this process myself with my own dog Bennigan when he was just a puppy. He was too young to be left loose in the house, but he was terribly claustrophobic and couldn’t comfortably be confined in a crate. I chose the entire dining room as his home-alone area, but it needed to be enclosed for his safety. I installed a baby gate separating the kitchen from the dining room (which I still use for management purposes). I have French doors that separate the dining room from the living room. Under normal circumstances, these doors are open. But during training, it was important that these doors were closed now and then so that Bennigan could get used to seeing them closed.

Bennigan has a large bed in the dining room that he loves and uses regularly. This is partly why I had chosen the dining room as his home-alone space, because I was confident that he already enjoyed relaxing in this room. If you currently use a crate with your dog and she really loves to spend time in it, consider placing it in a larger enclosed space and leave the crate door open for her to snooze in it if she chooses to. 

During my practice sessions with Bennigan in the enclosed dining room, I’d give him an interactive food toy like some kibble in a snuffle mat or I’d smear something yummy on a Lickimat. While he was busy with that, I’d work on my laptop at the dining room table for a while. We’d spend time quietly in the room together, but not interacting. These practice sessions helped to acclimate him to the enclosed dining room before I ever left him alone in there. 

HOME-ALONE AMBIANCE

Making sure that things feel normal, safe, and familiar when your dog is left alone involves more than just a prime location. Pay attention to the overall ambiance, too. But consider this: Creating a comforting ambiance for your dog while he’s home alone has less to do with trying to create what we think is a relaxing setting and more to do with retaining a sense of normalcy within his environment.

When you leave your home, does it create a stark contrast to when you were there just moments before? Does the level of noise and activity generated by your presence suddenly drop to nothing? Think about what a typical morning scene might sound like in your home. There might be clanking dishes and cutlery, running tap water, cupboard doors and drawers opening and closing, footsteps, floor creaks, door latches, TV or radio commercials, and conversations. And then suddenly, when everyone is gone, all that’s left is silence. The contrast may be unnerving to your dog.

Try to notice what types of sounds are “normal” in your dog’s home environment. Can you safely leave some of those sounds behind when you step out? Some appliances shouldn’t be operating when we’re not home, such as the washing machine or the dryer. But how about the radio? Is there usually a ceiling fan spinning and whirring when you’re home?

People often advise leaving the TV on for your dog. But would the TV be on if you were home? If not, and you’re turning it on only when you leave, you’re not really imitating the true sounds of when you’re home. If the TV is usually on when you’re home, then by all means, go ahead and leave it on. Be mindful, however, of sounds that might upset or excite your dog, like doorbells or dogs barking during commercials. Maybe a cable movie channel, or a continuous source of music without commercials, might be best in this case. Be mindful of the volume, though. Dogs’ ears are more sensitive than ours, and a low volume will do just fine.

For dogs who become stressed by outside noises, any sound or white noise that you can leave inside your home will help to mask the outside noises and can prevent your dog from becoming frightened or excited. White noise machines produce sound that contains equal amounts of all frequencies audible to the human ear. Some offer a variety of “colored” noises, including brown noise (which contains more lower-frequency sounds) and pink noise (which sits somewhere between brown and white noise). With their predominant lower frequencies, pink and brown noise are better for masking outdoor noises. These inexpensive machines can be purchased online.

ROOM WITH A VIEW?

The last element to consider depends on whether or not your dog is a window patroller. While some dogs are able to just casually look outside and remain calm, dogs who are prone to feeling stressed or anxious tend to do more than just enjoy the view. These dogs might feel a sense of obligation to “patrol” what happens outside the window. They stay vigilant the entire time you’re gone. That takes a lot of mental energy! And it can create far more stress than you think.

If this is your dog, I recommend obstructing her view to the outside. Consider installing frosted window film that allows daylight to stream in but blurs the view to outside. Get the non-adhesive type that you can easily remove whenever you like without damaging the window or being left with sticky residue on the glass. It’s very easy to install with some soapy water in a spray bottle and an item with a hard edge, like a bank card.

If your dog likes to hang out next to a window and gaze out, do a few tests by blocking her view to see if she really “enjoys” it, or if she’s actually calmer if she can’t see what’s happening out there. You might be surprised to learn that your dog is grateful to finally be retired from window patrol! She might actually sleep if she can’t see outside. 

12 Items to Include in Your DIY Dog First-Aid Kit

By
CJ Puotinen
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1
build a diy dog first aid kit
Whether it's hidden among the pebbles in a rocky creekbed or on a sidewalk, broken glass poses a major threat to dog paws. Wherever you are with your dog, it helps immeasurably to know you are equipped to clean and wrap an injury like this, even if you still need to get to a veterinary hospital for stitches. Photo credit: Lovelyday12/ Dreamstime.com

Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase items through links on our site we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews.

Have you ever witnessed a dog fight, a dog getting hit by a car, or falling out of an open truck bed? Has your dog ever sustained a deep cut on his paw pad from stepping on a sharp shard of glass or metal, or gashed himself on some innocuous item in the yard while playing with a dog friend or chasing a ball?

Accidents and unexpected events can happen anytime and anywhere, so having first-aid supplies for dogs readily available is important. A DIY dog first aid kit can be kept in a box, backpack, shoulder bag, fanny pack, or other container, and you may want more than one for convenience: a small first aid kit for hiking, a larger one for the car (handy in an emergency evacuation), and one containing all the bells and whistles for home use. 

Start by focusing on items you’re comfortable with and that fit your dog’s lifestyle. For example, an active hunting dog’s field kit will be different from one for an elderly lap dog. Once your kit is assembled and in a convenient location, examine its contents every few months and replace expired items while refreshing your memory about what you have and what to do with it.

Here are a dozen general categories that can be the foundation of your dog’s DIY first-aid kit: 

  1. Documentation
  2. Towels or blankets
  3. Bandages
  4. Tools
  5. Hydrogen peroxide
  6. Cleanser
  7. Antibiotic ointment
  8. Styptic powder
  9. Bottled water
  10. Wet wipes
  11. Cold packs
  12. First aid guide

Start with the most important items and build from there.

1. Documentation. Your dog’s license, vaccination records, medical records, and veterinarian contact information along with your own contact information can help in an emergency, especially when the details are up to date and in one place. Your phone may be a convenient storage location, but if it isn’t accessible or if internet service is interrupted, you’ll want those hard-copy backups. 

2. A towel or blanket and a thermal blanket. An injured or panicking dog can be soothed and calmed by being gently wrapped in a soft blanket or thick towel, which can also protect a dog lying on a hot or cold, hard, or rocky surface. 

Keeping an injured animal warm is important to prevent the life-threatening effects of shock, a state in which the animal becomes hypothermic and his blood flow is severely impaired. Low blood flow  can lead to damage of the vital organs like the brain and the heart.  On any but very hot days, use a thermal blanket (also known as emergency, rescue, or space blanket) to keep the injured dog warm. These blankets are waterproof, lightweight, and take up very little room in first-aid kits.

first aid kit
A commercial first-aid kit can be used as the foundation of a more complete kit that you add to and customize for your needs. While there are many to choose from, look for one that contains as many of the specialized tools or items that would cost more if

3. Bandages.  Gauze (sterile gauze pads or gauze rolls), elastic bandages, self-adhesive bandage material such as Vetrap, cotton balls, and fabric strips can control or absorb blood, support sprained muscles, and create a makeshift muzzle if one is needed. Wooden splints can be added to support suspected bone fractures. Note that too-tight taping interferes with circulation.

4. Tools. This category includes blunt-tip bandage scissors, tweezers, needle-nose pliers, a tick-removal tool, disposable gloves, syringes, an eyedropper, protective glasses or goggles, a flashlight with fresh batteries, a magnifying glass, an expired credit card (useful for scraping away stingers), collapsible food or water bowls, pickup bags, and a spare leash and collar.  

A soft muzzle that fits your dog is a good companion piece because any dog can bite or snap when in pain, so having one on your dog while he’s being moved or examined can help prevent injury to human helpers.

5. Hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide has long been used as a disinfecting rinse for cuts and abrasions, but its topical application has become controversial. Research shows that hydrogen peroxide may not affect all harmful bacteria, leaving some to infect treated wounds, and it damages fibroblasts, which are cells essential to the healing process.

However, hydrogen peroxide still has an important place in your first-aid kit because, when swallowed, it induces vomiting making it useful in cases of poisoning. Vomiting is not appropriate for all toxic exposures, so be sure to follow the advice of your veterinarian, poison control center, or first-aid handbook.

When vomiting is recommended, the usual dose is 1 teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide (widely available in grocery and drug stores) per 5 pounds of body weight with a maximum dose of 3 tablespoons for dogs who weigh more than 45 pounds (there are three teaspoons in a tablespoon). 

Lift your dog’s chin and squirt the hydrogen peroxide into the side of your dog’s mouth with a syringe or eyedropper. Some foaming at the mouth may occur. If vomiting doesn’t begin within 15 minutes, the treatment can be repeated once.

To be sure hydrogen peroxide is effective when you need it, purchase small rather than large bottles and keep track of expiration dates. Hydrogen peroxide loses its effectiveness with age and after opening.

For more details about situations when you might have to make your dog vomit and when you shouldn’t, see “How to Make a Dog Throw Up,” WDJ January 2014.

6. Wound cleaner, antiseptic rinse, saline solution.  The first step in treating most wounds is removing dust, sand, gravel, mud, or other debris. Rinse the wound with plain water or a saline solution, especially if you can apply it with a hose, syringe, turkey baster, or squeeze bottle. Medical-grade saline solution, which is sold in pharmacies, has many first-aid uses, including rinsing the eyes. Scissors or clippers can be used to remove hair around the wound, if necessary. 

Once the wound is rinsed, blot it with a clean towel, gauze, or cotton balls. For minor wounds, apply a non-stinging antiseptic rinse or spray. Most first-aid kits include chlorhexidine products, but you may prefer a colloidal silver spray or a treatment you can make yourself. 

For more information about treating minor cuts and abrasions, see “First Aid Care,” WDJ October 2021.

7. Antibiotic ointment.  Conventional first-aid kits generally come with an antibiotic ointment like Neosporin, which can be applied to cuts, abrasions, puncture wounds, and other injuries to prevent infection. For those who prefer alternative wound dressings, products that contain medical-grade Manuka honey, colloidal silver, or other natural disinfectants are widely available. 

Ointments are typically applied to a wound that has been rinsed and blotted or air-dried and then, if needed, protected with a nonstick gauze pad that’s taped or wrapped in place. Most wound-salve instructions recommend replacing ointment and bandages twice or three times per day while the injury heals. 

8. Styptic powder or collagen hydrolysate. Styptics are antiseptic clotting agents such as alum, ferric subsulfate, or herbs such as powdered goldenseal or yarrow. Styptic pencils, which place styptic powder directly on bleeding wounds, are convenient, but any styptic powder can be applied in small amounts using a cotton swab or spoon as an applicator. Dog groomers use styptic powder to control the bleeding of over-trimmed nails, and other styptics reduce bleeding after medical procedures such as biopsies. 

A recent development in the treatment of bleeding wounds is a medical hydrolysate Type I collagen that acts as a tissue adhesive that stops bleeding, protects wounds, reduces scarring, and conforms to any wound site. The Hymed Group (hymed.com) manufactures EMT Gel and EMT Spray for general wound care and Collasate gel and spray for surgical, traumatic, and superficial wounds, first- and second-degree burns, foot-pad injuries, hot spots, and lick granulomas. 

9. Bottled water and hydrating fluid. Water is an essential ingredient in any first-aid kit because it has so many practical uses, from rinsing wounds to helping prevent dehydration. 

Some veterinarians recommend Pedialyte (an electrolyte replacement fluid for infants and children) because its combination of water and minerals can help dogs recover from diarrhea or shock. However, Pedialyte contains more salt and sugar than is recommended for dogs, so look for liquid or powdered hydration products designed for pet use. 

10. Wet wipes or grooming wipes. Keep a supply of pet grooming wipes; they come in handy for many purposes. Don’t use alcohol-based disinfecting wipes, because alcohol stings and can damage injured tissue. Instead, look for products that soothe while they clean. We like the Earth Rated Dog Wipes, which are plant-based, compostable, and unscented.

11. Hot and cold packs. Cold packs can help cool sprains, bruises, and other injuries and reduce inflammation and swelling. Hot packs can increase circulation, help the dog feel warm and comfortable, support a dog recovering from shock or injury, and speed healing.

These treatments are easy to provide at home, where you can keep a cold pack in the freezer and heat a hot pack in the microwave, wrap a hot water bottle in a towel, or use an electric heating pad designed for animals. But if you’re away, a few instant hot packs and instant cold packs will be convenient. They are sold in pharmacies and pet supply stores. To activate either product, squeeze or massage the pack, wrap it in a towel, and apply it to the affected area. Replace as needed (they’re small and don’t last long, so you may need several).

12. A pet first-aid guide or handbook. First-aid references will help you make right decisions when the unexpected happens. These can be short (covering the most common conditions) or comprehensive, and they’re most useful when you’re familiar with their layout and contents. Popular handbooks include:

  • First Aid for Dogs: An invaluable guide for all dog lovers by Emma Hammett,  FirstAidforPets.net, 2016. 
  • Canine Field Medicine: First Aid for Your Active Dog by Sid Gustafson,  Mountaineers Books, 2018.
  • Essential First Aid for Dog Owners by Lorrie Boldrick DVM, All Publishing Company, 2010. 
  • The First-Aid Companion for Dogs and Cats by Amy Shojai, Rodale Books, 2001.

Keep the phone numbers of 24/7 poison control services with your handbook and use them if you know or suspect that your dog has swallowed something toxic and you can’t reach your veterinarian:

ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, aspca.org, (888) 426-4435. Consulting fee may apply.

Pet Poison Helpline,  petpoisonhelpline.com, (855) 764-7661. $65 incident fee.

And there’s more. Wherever you live, your dog’s first-aid kit can be part of your disaster preparedness plan. Add backup supplies of medications along with packages of food or treats, a familiar toy or favorite object, spare harness and leash, and other items that will help your dog adjust in an emergency. 

Your dog’s first-aid kit can be as basic or complicated as you like. Its purpose is simple – to be prepared for any emergency – and it will make a difference. 

What is the Best Flea and Tick Prevention for Dogs?

By
Nancy Kerns
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20
flea control for dogs
A flea infestation can quickly destroy a dog's quality of life and health- but so can an adverse reaction to treatment with a flea-killing product. Dog owners must make their own risk/benefit calculations - but we have tips for making the use of these products as safe as possible. photo credit: Nonoandjessi/ Dreamstime.com

Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase through links on our site we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews.

There is a great 2015 TED talk by Susan Little, DVM, PhD, DACVM, in which she posits that modern parasite preventatives are largely responsible for bringing dogs (and cats) into our homes over the past few decades. 

“The advances that the veterinary profession has made in achieving parasite control for pets has done more to support the human/animal bond – to really change at a fundamental level the way we interact with our pets – than anything since the rabies vaccine,” she says. Quick and easy prevention of fleas and ticks (which prevents zoonotic transmission of flea-borne and tick-borne diseases, as well as internal parasites such as the tapeworm) has enabled us to bring our pets not just into our homes but also onto our sofas and beds. 

“It’s because we’ve taken parasites out of the equation that we’re able to have that close relationship with them,” says Dr. Little, a veterinary parasitology professor at Oklahoma State University. 

Perhaps you have to be a certain age to appreciate this point. My own son, who recently turned 30, grew up with a dog on his bed; he’s never known a time when almost every dog had fleas. But I grew up with dogs who all had teeth that were worn flat from chewing their itchy flea bites by the time they were middle-aged. And those dogs all lived outside; the thought of inviting them into the house (much less our beds) makes me itch just to think about it. Fleas were as common as stars in the sky and likely as numerous.

Today’s owners may never have seen a seriously flea-infested dog (with or without tapeworms) – and just as people who have never seen a polio or tuberculosis victim may eschew vaccinations for those diseases, many people seem to regard any use of flea preventatives as dangerous and unnecessary. 

Ticks are also a very dangerous parasite to dogs and humans alike. Learn more about potentially fatal tick-borne diseases on dogs.

My generation, I guess, is the bridge. I am familiar with how fleas can sharply decrease the quality of life for a dog and cause secondary health conditions such as flea allergy dermatitis and infected “hot spots.” And in the age of social media, I’ve also seen Facebook groups populated by tens of thousands of dog owners who are certain that modern flea-preventative chemicals killed their dogs. While the numbers of dog deaths directly attributable to these products can’t possibly be as many as alleged, it’s clear that they do sometimes cause adverse health effects and even death.

What’s a responsible dog owner to do?

TAKE REASONABLE ACTION AGAINST FLEAS

A middle-ground, common-sense tactic is to use one of the modern-miracle flea-control products, but only when needed, and only as minimally as you can while still preventing fleas. If you’ve never seen a flea on your dog or in your home, don’t introduce these pesticides or medications for no reason! 

If, on the other hand, you’ve found fleas on your dog, or you just moved into a home with a carpet that’s literally hopping with fleas (the latter has happened to me more than once!), it makes sense to protect your dog as quickly as possible from the tiny blood-suckers. 

There are fewer than two dozen reputable flea-control products on the market and many more disreputable ones. It’s wise to familiarize yourself with the active ingredients in and potential side effects of these products, so you can be alert to any signs that they are working as they should, or causing adverse reactions that warrant further action to protect your dog.

Note: Any approach to a flea infestation will have the best chance of success if the dog’s entire environment is addressed. See this article for crucial steps in getting rid of an existing infestation: Getting Rid of Fleas in the House.

TYPES OF FLEA AND TICK PREVENTION PRODUCTS AVAILABLE

There are any number of tools at our disposal for controlling flea and tick populations, but beware! Each of them offers benefits and poses risks:

  • Pesticide-laden (flea-killing) soaps, shampoos, dips, rinses, sprays, and powders. These products were the flea treatments of my youth and are just as dated. These early-generation insecticides may have contained highly toxic carbamates such as carbaryl and propoxur and/or bioaccumulating organophosphates such as chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and tetrachlorvinphos. Many of these products still are sold, even though they are more toxic to animals and less effective at killing fleas than the newer-generation products. 
  • Pesticide-laden collars. The first plastic “flea collars” for dogs were coated with toxic, yet highly ineffective pesticides. Today, the material of the Seresto collar (originally introduced by Bayer, now owned by Elanco) is impregnated with pesticides (flumethrin and imidicloprid)that are slowly distributed over the dog’s skin over a period of months. 
  • Topical “spot-on” pesticides. These products are administered in a small volume of fluid that is dripped out of a tube into one or more spots on the dog’s back in the area of his shoulder blades. The active ingredients generally constitute a fraction of the volume; the oily carrier liquid helps the product spread over the surface of the dog’s skin. The active ingredients in these products are neurotoxins specific to adult parasites. Some products also contain insect growth regulators, which prevent flea larvae from developing into adults. 

These products are regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Some are available as over-the-counter products; some require a veterinary prescription.

  • Long-acting oral medications. These products are fed to the dog; the active ingredients spread systemically through the dog. When the target species (flea and/or tick) bites the dog, it ingests some of the active ingredient and dies. This parasite-killing action generally lasts about a month. These products are available by veterinary prescription only.

Oral medications are regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST FLEA TREATMENT FOR YOUR DOG

Of course, your veterinarian’s recommendation of a product that’s familiar to them is a good start. If your vet strongly promotes a particular product, ask why she likes that one for your dog over all the other possibilities. If she has a sound rationale, great! But take the time to examine the product and compare it to others; unless fleas are hopping all over the vet in the exam room, it won’t hurt to take a day so you can read up on the product she suggests, and possibly call back with any questions you have about other products. 

When considering your options, we also suggest:

  • Don’t buy inexpensive flea-control products from grocery stores or “big-box” retail chains. Low-cost products are associated with a disproportionate number of adverse health effects. We don’t recommend products from the following companies: Adams, Hartz, Sentry, Sergeants, or Zodiak.  
  • Keep it simple. While it may seem appealing to address as many parasites as possible with a single product, our bias is to go the other way – to treat your dog for only the parasites you know him to have (or those for which you have good evidence to support a suspicion of their presence). If, for example, your dog has fleas, but ticks are not present in your urban environment and you’re certain your dog does not have worms, treat him with something that’s just for fleas!

More ingredients are not necessarily better, despite what the pharmaceutical companies want you to think. When a pharmaceutical company’s patent on a new drug expires, other companies can create and sell generic versions of the same product, usually for less money. When a patent expiration draws close, their owners often add something to the original product, in an effort to create a new patent that will continue to earn money for the company in a protected market. 

This is the main reason that the pharmaceutical companies keep rolling out new products that address more parasites. In almost every case, they’ve added another pesticide, insect growth regulator, or flea-killing medication to an older product. 

The obvious problem from our view is that the more active ingredients a product contains, the more likely it is to have an adverse effect on your dog. So pick the simplest product that addresses your dog’s issue.

  • Keep track of any adverse reaction your dog has had to any topical or oral flea-control product. If your dog ever experienced diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy, or any other reaction within a few days of treatment with a particular product, make a big note for yourself in your dog’s health records. Let your veterinarian know, too, so you both make sure you don’t give your dog any products that contain the same problematic active ingredient. 

If your dog has a bad reaction to another product whose active ingredient is in the same class of drugs as the one that caused his first adverse event, make sure you switch to a product with an active ingredient of another chemical class. 

Below, we’ve listed the active ingredients in each of the best-quality products available, along with descriptions of what they do.

  • Our bias is in favor of the Seresto collar over a spot-on pesticide, which we’d take over an oral drug. Why? Because if a dog seems to be having an adverse reaction, we can take the collar off and give him a series of baths in an effort to remove as much of the product as possible. The dog can be thoroughly washed if he’s had an adverse reaction after application of a topically applied product, too. 

For a further review on Seresto collars, read our article Are Seresto Flea and Tick Collars Harmful to Dogs?

In contrast, after a dog has digested an oral product, the full dose is working systemically in his body for a few weeks; there’s no mitigating his exposure to the medication.

That said, there are reasons that someone might choose an oral product over a topical one: 

  • You may not want to have contact with a topical product as you (or your kids) pet the dog. This could also be true in a multi-pet household where pets groom each other.
  • Dogs with longer coats often sport a “greasy spot” for several days after a topical product has been applied. This increases the concern of petting the dog and coming into contact with the pesticide.
  • Bathing or swimming soon after application may reduce the effectiveness of topicals.
  • Some ingredients used to kill ticks, such as permethrin, are toxic to cats. This can be a problem in a household that includes both, especially if they are friendly with each other. In that case, giving the dog an oral product would be safer for the cat.

HOW TO TREAT FLEAS ONCE YOU’VE SELECTED A PRODUCT

Here are more safety tips to observe after you’ve decided what product you’re going to use on your dog: 

  • Don’t leave any flea-control product within the reach of any dog. This goes double for chewable oral medications that contain flavoring agents (which make them more tempting to your dog.) A kitchen counter or dining room table is not a safe place; a motivated dog who has never counter-surfed before can be fatally poisoned by chewing up and consuming a topical product, or suffer serious adverse effects from eating several months’ worth of medication. 
  • Read all the label instructions for any product carefully before administering, especially the part about contraindications. 
  • If your dog’s weight puts him near a border for the next-higher dosage, we’d recommend using the lower-dosage product. If your dog is at the low end of the weight range, consider doing the math and splitting the chew or tablet to give your dog an effective dose that’s appropriate for her size. 
  • If you live in a place where a flea population is entrenched, keep your dog’s protection continuous while you use integrated pest management (IPM) to reduce the environmental population, indoors and outside, too. Management of fleas on pets must occur in conjunction with regular, thorough cleaning of pet resting areas indoors and out. Once fleas infest a home, total control will require a vigilant program that includes vacuuming, eliminating fleas on all the pets in the home, washing the dog’s bedding frequently, and treating outdoor areas where pets rest. 

Using a flea comb on your dog at regular intervals is a good way to monitor the flea population and help you decide when other control measures might be necessary. 

Short-Acting Oral Medications

For years, there was just one oral medication that could kill fleas on a dog very rapidly: Capstar. Its active ingredient (nitenpyram) was approved in 1990, so it’s since lost its patent protection, and now there are dozens of products containing nitenpyram available as an over-the-counter drug and sold under many names. 

When given orally as a tablet, nitenpyram gets rapidly absorbed into the dog’s bloodstream from his gastrointestinal tract. Fleas that are on the dog start dying within about 15 minutes of the product’s administration to the dog, with all the fleas on the dog dying in less than two hours. These products work fast, but only for about 24 hours; nitenpyram is eliminated in the dog’s urine within a day. It can be given daily, if needed.

Because they are so fast-acting and have such a short span of activity in the dog’s body, these medications are commonly used when a dog who is heavily flea-infested needs to be cleared of fleas fast – perhaps so he could be transported or kenneled without fear of introducing fleas into a previously flea-free environment. These products are also a good choice to eliminate fleas quickly, without leaving a pesticide on or in the dog’s body for weeks to come. Nitenpyram products can be given to puppies as young as 4 weeks old and as small as 2 pounds.

In 2020, Elanco introduced another product with a similar fast-acting, quick-clearing mode of action. Advantus comes in a soft chew and contains a different active ingredient – imidicloprid, which is more typically used in topical flea-killing products. Advantus can’t be given to puppies less than 10 weeks old  or less than 4 pounds. 

When we can choose between an older drug with a long record of safe use and a newer drug being used in a very new way, we recommend using the older drug. 


Active Ingredients in Flea-Control Products

Afoxolaner, Fluralaner, Lotilaner, and Sarolaner are all isoxazolines, the newest class of insecticides that are selectively toxic to insects (fleas) and acarines (mites and ticks) in a way that is not supposed to pose a risk to mammals.However, they have been associated with neurologic adverse reactions and are contraindicated for dogs who are prone to seizures.

Fipronil is a broad use insecticide first registered in 1996. Fleas die when they come into contact with it on the dog’s skin and coat; they don’t have to bite the dog.

Imidacloprid is a neonicotinoid insecticide first registered for use for topical applications in1994; recently it was registered for oral use. Imidacloprid spreads over the skin and coat to kill fleas on contact.

Indoxacarb kills all stages of fleas, including eggs and larvae on contact.

Lufenuron, Pyriproxyfen, and (S) Methoprene are insect growth regulators (IGRs), a class of chemicals that do not kill fleas; they prevent flea eggs and larvae from developing.

Milbemycin oxime, Praziquantel, and Pyrantel are used to kill internal parasites. Milbemycin oxime kills a developing stage of the heartworm, as well as hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms. Praziquantel is used to eliminate tapeworms, which infect dogs via the flea, an intermediate host. Pyrantel is used to eliminate roundworms and hookworms.

Moxidectin is absorbed through the skin into the subcutaneous fat and bloodstream; it kills hookworms, roundworms, and whipworms, as well as a developing stage of heartworms; it also treats sarcoptic mange.

Permethrin kills fleas, tick, and lice and is said to repel mosquitoes and flies. Permethrin may be more likely to cause problems for small dogs and is overrepresented in adverse incidents. It is extremely toxic to cats and aquatic animals.

Spinosad is a natural substance made by a soil bacterium that can be toxic to insects. It is a mixture of two chemicals called spinosyn A and spinosyn D. Spinosad has been registered for use in pesticides since 1997.


OVER-THE-COUNTER TOPICAL FLEA-KILLING PRODUCTS

Product Name/MakerEffective AgainstActive Ingredient/sFrequency of AdministrationYear ApprovedMinimum Age and Weight
Activyl
Merck		FleasIndoxacarbMonthly20118 weeks, 4 lbs
Advantage II
Bayer		Fleas, liceImidacloprid, PyriproxyfenMonthly7 weeks, 3 lbs
Effitix Plus
Virbac		Fleas, ticks, lice, biting flies, mosquitoesFipronil, Permethrin, PyriproxyfenMonthly20158 weeks, 5 lbs
Frontline Gold
Merial Ltd.		Fleas, ticksFipronil, (S) Methoprene, PyriproxyfenMonthly20158 weeks, 5 lbs
Frontline Plus
Merial Ltd.		Fleas, ticks, liceFipronil, (S) MethopreneMonthly20008 weeks, 5 lbs
Frontline Shield
Merial Ltd.		Ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, stable fliesFipronil, Permethrin,Monthly20209 weeks, 5 lbs
K9 Advantix II
Bayer		Fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, biting flies, liceImidacloprid, Permethrin, PyriproxyfenMonthly20117 weeks, 4 lbs

PRESCRIPTION TOPICAL FLEA-KILLING PRODUCTS

Product Name/MakerEffective AgainstActive Ingredient/sFrequency of AdministrationYear ApprovedMinimum Age and Weight
Advantage Multi
Bayer		Fleas, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, sarcoptic mangeImidacloprid, MoxidectinMonthly20067 weeks, 3 lbs
Bravecto
Merck		Fleas, ticksFluralanerEvery 3 months20166 months, 4.4 lbs
Revolution
Zoetis		Fleas, ticks, heartworms, ear mites, sarcoptic mangeSelamectinMonthly20146 weeks, 5 lbs

PRESCRIPTION ORAL FLEA-CONTROL MEDICATIONS

*Not yet approved in the U.S. for control of these parasites, though veterinarians might suggest them as “off-label” treatments
1. Acuguard is the same product as Comfortis. Elanco sells Comfortis as “Acuguard” under the brand name Vethical in VCA veterinary hospitals.
2. Comboguard is the same product as Trifexs. Elanco sells Trifexis as “Comboguard” under the brand name Vethical in VCA veterinary hospitals.
Product Name/MakerEffective AgainstActive Ingredient/sFrequency of AdministrationYear ApprovedMinimum Age and Weight
AcuGuard (See Comfortis1)
Bravecto
Merck		Fleas, ticks, demodex*FluralanerUp to 12 weeks20146 months and 4.4 lbs
ComboGuard (See Trifexis2)
Comfortis
Elanco		FleasSpinosadMonthly200714 weeks and 3.3 lbs
Credelio
Elanco		Fleas, ticksLotilanerMonthly20188 weeks and 4.4 lbs
NexGard
Merial		Fleas, ticks, demodex*AfoxolanerMonthly20138 weeks and 4 lbs
Sentinel Flavor Tabs
Merck		Fleas, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipwormsLufenuron, Milbemycin oximeMonthly20116 weeks and 2 lbs
Sentinel Spectrum Chews
Merck		Fleas, heartworms, hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, tapewormsLufenuron, Milbemycin oxime, PraziquantelMonthly20116 weeks and 2 lbs
Simparica
Zoetis		Fleas, ticks, demodex*, scabies*, ear mites*SarolanerMonthly20166 months and 2.8 lbs
Simparica Trio
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If Your Dog Has an Adverse Response, Report It

Animal drugs and pesticides are subjected to tests to establish their safety and efficacy. However, this evaluation process is typically conducted on a relatively small number of animals prior to being approved and marketed. As a result, there is potential for previously unobserved problems to emerge post-approval. Reports that are filed with the appropriate agency help act as an alert system.

An adverse event (AE) in animals is any unfavorable or unintended occurrence that happens during or after use of an animal drug or veterinary product or device. Suspected lack of efficacy and reactions by humans exposed to the product or treated animals also qualify as adverse events.

Side effects are secondary undesired effects that may occur when using a specific drug and have been shown to be associated with the product by scientific studies. Side effects are tracked and investigated extensively during clinical trials before entering the market. In contrast, adverse events are not consistent with applicable product information or characteristics of the drug.

Veterinary drugs are regulated by the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. When a pet has an unexpected reaction to a veterinary drug, it is important to file an Adverse Drug Event (ADE) report. This report can be filed directly with the FDA by pet owners. For instructions on filing a report electronically, see bit.ly/WDJ_report_drug.

Topical products are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. These can be identified by the EPA Registration Number (sometimes written as EPA Reg. No.) printed on the label. Adverse events associated with these products, as well as other pesticides, are reported to the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC).

The NPIC’s electronic reporting system is restricted for use by qualified professionals, such as veterinarians or their staff. Pet owners can report an adverse effect by a pesticide on their pet by calling the NPIC directly at (800) 858-7378 and filing a report over the phone.

How to Find a Low Copper Dog Food

By
Nancy Kerns
-
13
AAFCO dog food nutrient profile
The Association of American Feed Control (AAFCO) is responsible for establishing the nutritional standards for dogs and cats.

Last month, in “Excessive Copper in Dog Food,” we told you how high copper levels in dog food can cause a serious, potentially lethal, illness called dietary-induced, copper-associated hepatopathy (CAH, also known as copper storage disease). The incidence of CAH is increasing at a rate that’s causing alarm among veterinarians and dog owners, with one study showing 30% of canine liver biopsies revealing evidence of CAH. 

In that article, we stated that currently, the “recommendation” for the amount of copper in dog food is 7.3 mg/kg (milligrams of copper per kilogram of food).

wdj march 2021 copper in dog food article
As we detailed in the March issue of WDJ, veterinary nutrition experts say that copper storage disease (more technically called copper-associated hepatopathy) is being diagnosed at ever-increasing rates. It’s important for owners to know whether their dogs are at an increased risk of this condition – or if the diet they feed to their dogs puts them at higher risk.

That’s not quite right – but only because the American organization that sets the standards for what constitutes a complete and balanced diet doesn’t publish recommended levels of any nutrient, just minimums and a few maximums. We should have said that the current legal minimum for copper in non-prescription dog food is 7.3 mg/kg – and owners of dogs who are at risk of developing CAH would be wise to feed only foods with copper levels as close to the minimum as possible.

 

The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) uses a similar number (a small range, actually) for a minimum copper value in dog diets (7.2 to 8.3 mg/kg) – but it also imposes a maximum value for copper: 28.0 mg/kg. In contrast, the U.S. does not currently impose a maximum allowed value for copper, and it’s easy to find dry dog foods in the U.S. that contain copper levels that far exceed that amount. 

Labrador Retrievers are considered at high risk of CAH, as are Bedlington Terriers, Dalmatians, Doberman Pinschers, and West Highland White Terriers. But CAH has been diagnosed with increasing frequency during the past decade in various pure and mixed-breed dogs that are not typically considered predisposed to pathologic copper accumulation. So this issue should be of concern to everyone who feeds their dog a commercial diet.

WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT COPPER IN DOG FOOD? 

To protect your dog, the first step is to learn how much copper is in your dog’s food; the second is to make sure you feed products with lower copper levels. Taking that first step, unfortunately, often means contacting the maker of your dog’s food and asking about its copper content. And to appreciate the answers to these questions, you first need to understand the terms that may be used in those answers. 

Nutritional values may be reported in one of three ways. To compare products, you may have to convert the values reported to you into a different form (or ask the pet food company if they can give you the values in the specific form you need). The three ways that nutrient values may be expressed are:

  • As fed. The nutrient levels that are printed on dog food labels are expressed “as fed” – the values given are for the food in its packaged form. For example, Royal Canin’s dry prescription “Hepatic” diet lists its copper content as 7 mg/kg (max) as fed. This means there are a maximum of 7 milligrams of copper per kilogram of the food. 

Note: Some food companies may use “parts per million (PPM)” instead of mg/kg. Mathematically, parts per million is equivalent to milligrams per kilogram; 4 ppm is the same thing as 4 mg/kg.

  • Dry matter (DM). These values represent the amount of a nutrient present in the food after all the moisture (water) has been removed. Dry dog foods typically contain about 10% moisture; if the moisture was dehydrated away, the weight of the food would be different enough to increase the milligrams per kilogram numbers by about 10%. To use the Royal Canin Hepatic dry food example again, the dry matter value would be reported as 7.8 mg/kg DM (max).
  • Caloric basis (kcals). Some companies report their nutrient values on a caloric basis. Copper would be reported as the number of milligrams of copper per 1,000 calories. Reported this way, the Royal Canin Hepatic dry food contains 1.9 mg/1,000 kcal (max). 

To review: These are three ways of expressing the same amount of copper in a given food. If you ask a pet food maker for a product’s copper content, you need to be able to recognize their answer as an as-fed, DM, or kcal value so you can make apples-to-apples comparisons to other foods. 

CANINE NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS

The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is the organization responsible for establishing the nutritional standards that legally define “complete and balanced diets” for dogs and cats in the U.S. These standards are comprised of minimum values for each of the nutrients currently known to be required for dogs; they also include maximum values for a few of the nutrients known to be harmful to dogs if fed in excessive amounts. (AAFCO does not publish or attempt to guide pet food makers as to “ideal” or target amounts of any nutrients.)

These standards are published in tables called the AAFCO Dog Food Nutrient Profiles. There are two tables, with the required nutrient values expressed by dry matter in one and by calorie content (kcal) in the other. Each table contains a column with nutrient values for adult dogs (“adult maintenance”) and one for “growth and reproduction” (meaning puppies and pregnant and nursing mothers). 

Here are AAFCO’s minimum requirements for copper, for growth and adult maintenance, expressed on a dry matter and caloric basis: 

DMKCAL
Growth/Reproduction Minimum12.4 mg/kg3.1 mg/1,000 kcal
Adult Maintenance Minimum7.3 mg/kg1.83 mg/1,000 kcal

LOW COPPER DOG FOOD DIETS

Prescription diets are formulated to help manage a specific health condition. Sometimes this calls for certain nutrients to be included at levels that are above or below the legally required amounts – so much so that the product may not meet the AAFCO requirements. (That’s why they are sold by prescription only; dogs without the condition for which they are formulated could potentially develop a deficiency or excess of the nutrient/ that are out of the legal limits.) 

The treatment for dogs who have been diagnosed with CAH includes a diet that’s especially low in copper, as well as medicines that help the dog’s liver rid itself of its abnormal accumulation of copper. 

To our knowledge, there are only three companies that make low-copper dry food for dogs who have CAH (Just Food For Dogs makes a fresh-cooked Hepatic Support diet). Two of these dry foods are prescription diets that also have very low minimum protein levels (around 14% as fed). The third low-copper diet has a more average amount of protein (26% as fed). These dry diets and their copper values are indicated in the white stripes in the table below. 

We’re not fans of the ingredients generally used in prescription diets (which always contain more plant-sourced proteins, food fractions, and by-products than we like to see). That’s why, in our opinion, the best dietary option for a dog who has CAH – or is a predisposed breed – would be a home-prepared diet that is made complete and balanced with a veterinary-formulated supplement called “Balance IT Canine -cu” (“cu” is chemistry’s abbreviation for copper, and the minus sign indicates that it contains no copper). Particularly cool: Balanceit.com features a recipe-generating tool that owners can use to create their own complete and balanced home-prepared diets. 

CHECK YOUR DOG’S DIET

Sadly, we can’t count on many pet food manufacturers – not even those who make copper-restricted dog foods! – to be immediately transparent about the amount of copper in their foods. Even the companies that make copper-restricted diets often fail to publish their products’ copper levels on their websites! Fortunately, they do respond to inquiries. 

We checked the websites of all the companies whose products are presently on our “Approved Dry Dog Foods” list. Just 19 of them (a little less than one-third of the companies on our 2022 list) provide nutrient analyses that include copper values for their foods on their websites. We’ve listed a few random sample products and their copper values in the table below.

Ask the makers of your dog’s food about the copper content in their products, especially if your dog is at higher risk of CAH. If his food contains more copper than the FEDIAF maximum (28 mg/kg), we recommend changing foods to one with less copper. And regardless of breed, switching to a food with a copper content that’s closer to the minimum allowed seems wise.

Copper content in a random sample of dry dog foods (products in orange rows are low-copper foods)

Company and Sample Dry Dog FoodCopper as fed mg/kgCopper DM mg/kg
Annamaet Small Breed12.613.49
Hill’s L/D Chicken Flavor Dry Dog Food (Liver Care)7Not provided
Nulo Grain-Free Chicken & Peas Recipe19.4921.42
Royal Canin Hepatic Dry Dog Food7Not provided
Stella & Chewy’s Chicken Raw-Coated Kibble (Small Breed)44Not provided
The Scoop Chicken VarietyNot provided7.4
Wellness Complete Health Deboned Chicken & Oatmeal21.6523.53

Whole Dog Journal is reader-supported. If you purchase items through links on our site we may earn a commission. Whole Dog Journal does not accept money for its food and product reviews.

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