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10 Ways to Improve Your Dog’s Lymph Circulation

By
CJ Puotinen
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3
lymphatic massage for dogs
Most dogs particularly enjoy the physical therapies of exercise, massage, dry skin brushing, and acupressure, all of which can help stimulate the flow of lymph. But don't discount the nutritional, nutraceutical, high, and energetic contributors to moving lymph. Photo Credit: Viacheslav Iacobchuk / Dreamstime.com

Most of us appreciate the circulatory system and understand how the heart pumps blood through arteries, veins, and capillaries, but few of us know nearly as much about the lymphatic system. Well, it’s time to catch up! The lymphatic system is essential to health and well-being, so learning how to support this often-overlooked system will help your dog live a longer, more active, and healthier life.

Lymph is a clear or milky fluid that flows through a network of vessels known as lymphatics as well as through lymph nodes, bone marrow, the thymus gland, and the spleen. Lymph contains fats, proteins, and white blood cells called lymphocytes. While often described as the body’s garbage or sanitation system, it also delivers nutrients to muscles and tissues. 

The lymphatic system absorbs excess fluid and returns it to the bloodstream, absorbs fat from the digestive tract, transports white blood cells and certain proteins, and produces antibodies or immunoglobulins.

When lymph circulation is impaired because of illness or accidents, health problems develop. The most common lymph-related disorders in dogs include:

  • Lymphoma or lymphosarcoma (a malignant cancer)
  • Lymphadenopathy (a lymph node enlargement)
  • Lymphadenitis (inflammation of the lymph nodes)
  • Lymphedema (an accumulation of lymph in the soft tissues of one or more legs) 

While those conditions require medical diagnosis and treatment, learning how to improve your dog’s lymph circulation can help prevent problems before they occur. Some signs of lymph stagnation include arthritis, painful joints, eye drainage, crusty or itchy skin, dull eyes, lethargy, and frequent infections reflecting low immune function. 

Here are 10 approaches you can use at home or with the help of veterinary experts to give your dog’s lymphatic system a tune-up:

1. Exercise is, hands down, the fastest way to improve lymph circulation in dogs. Vigorous exercise stimulates the movement of both blood and lymph, increasing the supply of oxygen to tissues throughout the body and enhancing the removal of toxins from organs and muscles. Deep breathing increases the flow of lymph, which is why the rib cage is considered a major lymphatic pump and one of the reasons why breathing exercises are recommended for humans. 

Dogs in motion have no trouble breathing deeply and activating their rib cages, so whatever physical movement your dog can comfortably manage will help. Sedentary dogs are at risk because when lymph becomes stagnant, pathogenic substances, inflammatory markers, and cellular debris can interfere with the immune response. Daily exercise, even at a moderate pace, can improve your dog’s lymph circulation, as can stretching and bowing.

2. Dry skin brushing is an Ayurvedic practice from ancient India that has become popular in alternative and complementary medicine. The lymphatic system is close to the surface of the skin, so moving the lymph doesn’t require the deep pressure used for massaging muscles. In humans, a coarse bristle brush, such as a traditional Japanese bath brush, is moved along the skin in sweeping strokes from the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands toward the heart. 

Similarly, daily brushing with a firm-bristle grooming brush can stimulate your dog’s lymph system. Try brushing from the feet toward the heart, and brush gently over the abdomen’s bare skin. 

3. Lymphatic massage is another popular lymph-moving technique, and it’s so effective that you may want to become an expert. In her book Canine Massage for the Athlete in Every Dog, C. Sue Furman, Ph.D., describes how to apply effleurage, the most frequently used Swedish massage stroke, to stimulate the flow of lymph. 

Effleurage resembles petting, Furman explains, which is why it is referred to as “petting with a purpose.” Glide over the surface of the coat with your open hand, always moving toward the heart, which is how the venous blood flows. “This is why effleurage of the limbs is performed from the knee toward the hip and from the toes toward the knee,” she explains in her book. “This may feel unusual as hands move opposite to the direction that the dog’s hair grows, but it is important to maintain healthy vessels in the circulatory and lymph systems.”

North Carolina veterinarian Roger DeHaan, DVM, an expert on holistic pet care, recommends vigorously rubbing your dog’s right side, over the last three ribs, for 10 to 15 seconds once a day to stimulate the flow of lymph. Again, deep pressure is not required.

For a 10-minute demonstration of lymphatic canine massage using manual manipulation, check out the video by PetMassage founder Jonathan Rudinger at bit.ly/WDJ-dog-lymph-massage. He recommends simple motions such as gently lifting the dog’s legs, turning the neck, and rocking the body, especially for older dogs, those recovering from injuries, and dogs who may not be able to get much outdoor exercise. 

For additional dog-massage resources, see “Dog Massage Instruction,” WDJ August 2021.

acupuncture for dogs
A growing number of veterinarians offer acupuncture for their canine patients. This ancient modality has been scientifically proven to increase blood flow and reduce pain. Practitioners believe it can also stimulate lymph movement.
Photo Credit: Sylvie Pabion /Dreamstime.com

4. Acupuncture is widely recommended for its stimulating effect on lymph circulation. “When a needle is inserted,” explains Montana veterinary acupuncturist Kelli Ator, DVM, “the initial mechanical stimulation to the cells induces a neurochemical release that causes biochemical and physiological changes through the stimulation of the nervous system. This neurostimulation results in both local and systemic effects resulting in vasodilation, thereby increasing venous and lymphatic return.” 

To find a licensed veterinary acupuncturist, visit the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association at AHVMA.org, click on “Find a Vet,” and search for acupuncture. You can also find veterinary acupuncturists through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, IVAS.org.

5. Acupressure is a form of acupuncture but without needles. It uses the same “acupoints” as acupuncture and applies gentle finger pressure to specific points for half a minute or so. Acu-Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure by Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis (2011, Tallgrass Publishers, 188 pages) is a good introductory/how-to book about canine acupressure.

6. Red light therapy, also known as Photobiomodulation Therapy (PBMT), Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT), or cold laser therapy, is growing in popularity for both human and canine patients. “Rather than using a mechanical stimulus,” says Dr. Ator, “a laser uses specific light wavelengths to induce a photochemical reaction in the mitochondria when the light photons are absorbed by the cell’s chromophores. The result of this cellular reaction is akin to the chain of events that occurs once the cells are stimulated by acupuncture, whereby the neurochemical process leads to improved circulation, decreased inflammation and edema, and decreased pain.” 

Between 1967 and 2009, more than 100 phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials supported by over 1,000 laboratory studies investigated the effectiveness of Low Level Laser Therapy, leading researchers to conclude that further advances will lead to greater acceptance of LLLT in mainstream medicine. 

Red light therapy is recommended for the treatment of lymph-related conditions, but the marketplace is confusing. There are so many options – not just lasers but also medical-grade LED lights and infrared red lights – and no clinical trials have been conducted to determine which device might be most effective for which specific conditions in dogs. Veterinary lasers can cost $30,000 or more, outside the means of most dog owners. The best way to try red light therapy may be to work with a veterinary chiropractor or veterinary acupuncturist who offers this therapy.

7. Improving the diet is a sensible strategy because inferior ingredients can interfere with lymph circulation. For dogs, upgrading the diet often means reducing or eliminating corn, soy, and other inexpensive grains while improving the quality of protein. WDJ’s reviews of dry, canned, frozen, freeze-dried, and home-prepared diets can keep you up to date on trends in canine nutrition. 

Adding enzyme supplements, prebiotics, probiotics, and other digestive aids can help as well. Beets are known for their ability to help cleanse the liver, and Dr. DeHaan adds beets to food to help the lymph system capture toxins and transport them to the liver for removal. His recommendation for long-term administration calls for adding 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh raw beets per 15 pounds of body weight once a day for five days, letting the body rest for two days, and resuming in a five days on, two days off pattern for as long as desired.

8. Hydration is as important as nutrition when it comes to lymph circulation. Water is the principal ingredient in blood and lymph, so having enough of it helps the body transport oxygen, move infection-fighting white blood cells, and aid digestion. 

Unfortunately, water from less-than-perfect sources can introduce contaminants such as prescription drug residues, preservatives, radioactive substances, heavy metals, organic chemicals, parasites, and harmful microorganisms. 

Is your water safe to drink? Check with local sources to learn what’s in your tap or well water. You may decide to purchase bottled water (look for well-known brands that document their products’ safety) or purify your tap water with a whole-house, faucet, or counter-top filter, or investigate home water distillers. For options, see “Drinking the Purest Water Possible Is Important to Your Dog’s Health,” March 2002. Improving the quality of your dog’s water can pay important health dividends.

cleavers for dogs lymphatic system
This glycerin-based cleavers tincture is available from iHerb.com

9. Medicinal herbs have been used for centuries to help people and animals maintain their health, and one of the herbs most associated with the lymph system is cleavers (Galium aparine), which is available freshly grown or as a tincture sold in natural markets, herb shops, and online retailers. 

According to Mary Wulff and Greg Tilford in their book Herbs for Pets: The Natural Way to Enhance Your Pet’s Life, “Cleavers is used in virtually any condition that is characterized by general or localized swelling or in situations where lymphatic circulation has been impaired by the formation of scar tissue, ulceration, or infection. Although the activities of cleavers are subtle, the herb is believed to increase circulation of lymph in impaired areas of the body through dilation of small, almost cellular-level capillaries.” 

A typical starting dose of a glycerin tincture of cleavers for dogs (preferred by many herbalists over alcohol tinctures when feeding animals) is 0.5 to 1.0 milliliter (10 to 20 drops) per 50 pounds of body weight, twice daily. Check labels to be sure your tincture was produced from the fresh (not dried) plant, as recommended by Wulff and Tilford.

Another lymph-friendly herb is calendula (Calendula officinalis), whose cheerful orange and yellow flowers brighten any garden. “Calendula tea or tincture is my favorite herbal treatment for lymph system support,” said Vermont herbalist Rosemary Gladstar in “How to Use Calendula on Dogs,” WDJ April 2008. 

Wulff and Tilford recommend adding up to 1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon fresh flower petals per 20 pounds of body weight daily to food.

10. Topical application of essential oils can support lymph circulation and immune function. Essential oils are the highly concentrated distilled essences of plants. Colorado aromatherapist Frances Fitzgerald Cleveland, who educates pet owners on the use of essential oils, calls grapefruit her go-to essential oil for the lymph system. She dilutes seven drops of grapefruit essential oil in 5 ml (1 teaspoon) safflower oil and stores the blend in an airtight glass container or in a 5-ml self-dispensing dropper bottle.

“I place a dime-size amount in the palm of my hand,” she says, “rub my hands together, let my dog sniff my hands, and then lightly place my hands on his hind paws and slowly and lightly move my hands up his legs, over his back, to the top of his head. I repeat this same touch from the back of the stomach to his chest, repeat on his sides, and repeat from the front of his paws up to his chin.” 

Cleveland calls this treatment “feather massage,” and says her dogs enjoy it. “I use this approach for pain, lethargy, edema in the feet or limbs, sluggish digestion, support while taking pain medications, plus for comfort, insomnia, depression, and recovering from an injury or surgery.” To boost a dog’s immunity or to treat a specific condition, she recommends doing this once per day, and for routine maintenance, one to three times per week. 

Why Do Dogs Chew – And What to Do About It

By
Nancy Kerns
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3
dog chewing on things

Recently, I was surprised and happy to receive some photos and a report from one of the families who adopted a puppy from the last litter I fostered for my local shelter. Predictably, their only complaint (if they could be said to complain about an already beloved member of the family) was his voracious appetite for chewing. Even the wood furniture was at risk, they said.

why do puppies chew
My former foster puppy with his family.

I had to laugh at that. When my dog Woody was a pup, he, too, was drawn to chewing on anything wood – and no, that’s not how he got his name. He was named when he was very small for his fantastic brindled coat, which looked like a gorgeous wood grain. When, a few months later, it developed that he was particularly drawn to chewing on anything made out of wood, it was just a bit of irony.

There are three main reasons why puppies chew:

  • To explore the world (remember, they don’t have hands to use to pick up things),
  • Because dogs have evolved as (mostly) carnivores who use their teeth to tear the flesh of prey animals and crack open bones to eat the marrow,
  • And to relieve what we can only guess is a strange and unrelenting sensation in their gums, caused by the eruption of their many pointy teeth. When puppies are so drawn to chewing, we call this teething, because we’ve observed that human babies, too, seem to experience discomfort from the eruption of teeth.

Usually, all the dog’s adult teeth have erupted by the time he’s 7 months old (though small-breed dogs, with very crowded mouths, sometimes have retained deciduous teeth that need to be removed by a veterinarian). But as dogs continue to mature and grow, their skulls and jaws grow, too, so their teeth continue to shift and settle throughout their first year. The puppy teething experience seems to persist well into the dog’s second year.

Most puppies and adolescent dogs naturally chew. If you pass them an unfamiliar item with a novel texture, chances are they will take it and immediately lie down to give it a bit of a chew. Some dogs prefer hard items, some prefer to chew up soft things. Some are drawn to leather, some like plastic. As I said before, Woody went for wooden items, ranging from a cute wooden dog house that I thought he might enjoy hanging out in when in the yard, to our deck, furniture, and even trees in the yard. The variation in chewing preferences is why we recommend making sure you have a variety of “legal” chew items for pups to explore; once you discover what textures they like to chew on most, you can get more of those things to occupy their time and teeth.

furniture chewed by dog
Woody’s dog house bears the marks of his wood chewing preference.

Everyone asks: What are the safest chews to give my puppy? The fact is, depending on their jaw strength and how much unsupervised time they have on their hands, or jaws, nothing is completely safe! Your job is to find items that they like to chew and that they cannot destroy too quickly, and to supervise them closely with these items. Some pups chew only to destroy, and swallow very little of what they are chewing up. Others swallow far too much of what they chew and can end up with intestinal obstructions or perforations (both are very bad things).

Take chew items away (permanently) if your pup can destroy them too quickly; while you always need to supervise, if the pup can’t be safely left with the item for a literal five minutes, with our attention-challenged days, it’s probably not safe enough for him to have at all! The same goes for items that are even remotely close enough to be swallowed whole. I take away chew sticks when they get close to six inches; that’s getting too small for comfort with any but the smallest puppies.

“Six inches?!” you may say. But half the stuff in the pet supply store is that size or less! Yes, I say, and I’m sorry. But I wouldn’t give 90% of what’s in pet supply stores to my puppies to chew.

Toys to chew on are easier to find than the animal-source chews that most dogs and puppies prefer. But animal-sourced chews are also the source of most chewing-related medical emergencies caused by puppies swallowing things they shouldn’t. People love to see dogs chomp up those dried (and brittle) pigs’ ears as if they were potato chips. I don’t! Those dried edges are sharp – and they get swallowed when still hard and sharp. And most rawhide chews or “bully sticks” (dried cattle penises) are sold in small sizes – far too easily swallowed.

tree chewed by dog
Trees were not safe from Woody either.

I like to buy the most enormous chew items I can find, no matter what size the puppy is. In my experience, it’s best to find the largest fresh, raw, meaty bone you can find – something so huge that it’s impossible for your pup to get between his molars and break pieces off of. It’s difficult to find these! You may have to search high and low, asking local butchers if they can procure some for you. (Today, much of the meat supply is shipped to store already butchered and packaged; the shops that still cut up whole animal carcasses in their stores are in short supply.)

Until last year, I had a favorite source for giant, thick rawhide puppy chews – and it’s gone out of business. Rawhide is fraught with problems; it can be processed with toxic chemicals and contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. The one source I had used only American beef hides that were fresh from a slaughterhouse – not already treated hides from a tannery. Since that company went out of business, I’m not using any rawhide products! I haven’t found a safe alternative that I trust yet.

In the meantime, I look for rubbery alternatives that don’t come apart quickly even under the sharpest teeth. I have an Orbee Tuff toy made by Planet Dog that has lasted through at least four litters of foster puppies. The Zogoflex line of toys by West Paw is terrific. Recently, I found a line of natural rubber toys made by Indi Pets that I love.

There are lots of things you can do to direct your puppy and adolescent dog to appropriate chew items, and away from the apple trees and furniture. See these articles for help!

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/pre_puppy_prep/take-control-of-puppy-chewing/

https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/behavior/dogs-and-puppies-chew-for-a-number-of-reasons-learn-to-properly-channel-this-activity/

Teach Your Dog Hand Signals

By
Nancy Kerns
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21
otto dog at sunset

My just-turned 14-year-old dog Otto has lost most of his hearing. Our communication is very limited now. He can no longer hear me tell him what a good dog he is or how much I love him. True, I can shout these things at him, and speak them right into his adorably fuzzy ears, but a loving tone just isn’t the same when you have to raise your voice, or someone is speaking to you with their lips on your head! But thank goodness we have hand signals so I can help him understand what I want him to do.

dog focused on hand signals for dogs
Otto’s concentrating “What is she saying?” expression.

He can still hear the loudest of handclaps, and this is what I still use to get his attention when I need him to look at me – we won’t discuss how much these claps tend to make my husband jump out of his skin and swear under his breath. When I clap loudly enough, Otto will look at me for information. Then I can signal, “Stay!” with a crossing guard’s “stop” gesture; this now means everything from, “Don’t try to follow me outside, you’re not coming with me to the store,” to “Wait there for a second, I have to run back inside to get my coat.” (I’ve started using the “stay” signal followed by holding up my index finger in a “We’re number one!” gesture to mean something more like our old verbal “wait” cue.)

happy dog responding to hand signal
Relaxing into, “Yeah, I’m a good dog, I know.”

He’s always been rock-solid on the hand signals for “sit” and “down” and “stand” – but I honestly don’t ask him to do these behaviors much anymore. His arthritis makes it increasingly difficult to stand up from a down and to lower himself into a sit. Now he gets treats just for showing up and standing with us attentively when I ask my younger dog to sit, down, and stand. He likes that a lot!

I never really taught him a hand signal for “Come.” My cue has always been a verbal “Here!” or a whistle. That was a bad oversight, because “come to me” is something I ask him to do many times a day, especially now that it’s cold and I no longer leave doors open for him to come into my office or into the house whenever he gets around to it. Sometimes he stands outside 50 yards away, trying to decide if he’s going to hang out outside (he’s got the run of our fenced two acres) or follow me into my warm office. I stand in my office doorway grumbling. “All the heat is escaping! What are you going to do?” So I’ve started teaching him a physical recall cue. Spontaneously, it turned into something a bit theatrical. I reach my arms out toward him, and then pull them back to my chest, like an endangered woman in a silent film, imploring the hero to come back and save her.  It looks a little silly, but he can see it from a good distance away, and he’s picked it up quickly.

dog asking for treats
Otto’s “Where’s my treat?” expression. He didn’t DO anything, he just gets treats for showing up when the other dogs are asked to do stuff.

I’ve long used a “thumbs up” gesture as an alternative to a click or “Yes!” to mark the moment he does a behavior I’ve cued or, to be honest, anything else that I like. I’m so grateful that I taught him that alternative to ”Yes!” because, basically, in my eyes, he can’t do anything “wrong” anymore. He’s always a good boy, and I give him the “thumbs up” and a big smile many times a day. Again, thank goodness he knows that one, because it’s one of the few things I can do now to make his “concentrating” expression soften and his tail wag.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to teach your dog hand signals – if for no other reason than as a hedge for his or her old age. You can thank me later.

Here are just a few of the many articles we’ve done on teaching hand signals for your cues:

How to Train Hearing Impaired Dogs Using Hand Signals and Simple Gestures

Dog Training With Hand Signals

Special Needs Training: Training Dogs with Hand Signals

Dogs Are People, Too!

By
Nancy Kerns
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28
dogs are people too
We can't say for sure what our dog friends are thinking or feeling – but it's clear they do think and feel.

An author recently asked for the rationale behind an edit I made to her article. The sentence originally referenced something that worked well “in dogs and people.” I changed the sentence to read “…in dogs and humans.” I explained that “Dogs are people, too!” – but I don’t blame her for her confusion. Language constantly evolves to reflect the knowledge and ethics of the day, and we’ve taken some steps at WDJ that she was unaware of – and some of my writers have taken steps that I’m still not quite ready to take.

In most dictionaries, the definition of “people” implicitly means “humans” – so perhaps my edit was not necessary. But even dictionaries have to be taken with a grain of historical salt! I saw one definition that I scoffed at: “People: Human beings, as distinguished from animals or other beings.” (First off, humans are animals! And what “other beings” was the dictionary referring to?)

But I have a hard time differentiating between “personhood” and “people” – and I agree with the modern behavior scientists and ethicists who think we should extend our definition of “personhood” to our animal companions. There’s a great quote from the famed primatologist Jane Goodall: “You cannot share your life with a dog, as I had done in Bournemouth, or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.” Goodall started her career in an age when scientists were forbidden to attribute any sort of emotions or intentions to the non-human animals she was observing – this was termed “anthropomorphism” and was deprecated as indicating a lack of objectivity – and she found this limitation ridiculous.

Today, the idea that our animal companions should be referred to with the same terms as inanimate objects (“it”) is preposterous. This is one of the reasons we have always used gendered pronouns for dogs in the magazine (he, she, and if we don’t know the gender, they). And it’s clear to anyone who loves dogs that they also feel love, jealousy, rage, fear, anxiety, sorrow, joy, mischievousness, and more.

If we acknowledge that all dogs (and all animals) have a “personality” – a unique set of behavioral traits, expressions, reactions, and emotions – why can’t they be “people”?

Angst With Your Adolescent Dog

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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2
adolescent dog
This couple grew increasingly frustrated with their adolescent dog during a visit to a beach where dozens of dogs were running and playing off-leash. After she failed to heed their calls to come to them, the man grew angry and, after catching her, spent a long minute angrily chastising her. A better plan? Practice more at home with low distraction at first, slowly increasing them as she succeeds – and make “Come” the most exciting and highly rewarding game ever.

Congratulations! You’ve made it through the puppy months pretty much in one piece and hopefully laid a solid foundation for your many years together to come. You breathed a sigh of relief when the last of those needle-sharp puppy daggers were replaced by pearly-white adult canines as your pup turned 6 months. You posted photos on social media when she graduated with honors from her puppy kindergarten class with a repertoire of solid good-manners behaviors including sit, down, polite greeting, come-when-called, and more. 

But suddenly, your lovely pup has turned into an apparent wild and crazy stranger. She’s jumping on visitors, no longer waits politely for her food bowl, she’s chewing up household items more than ever, and when you call her to come back to you on your hikes, she doesn’t even look over her shoulder as she takes off down the trail. What happened? 

In one word: Adolescence. The scientific term for this is “adolescent-phase conflict behavior.” A 2020 study conducted by a team of researchers from several universities in the United Kingdom confirmed a reduced canine responsiveness to well-known cues during this period.

WHAT’S DRIVING THIS?

Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development. It generally begins around the onset of puberty and ends when the individual is considered an adult. Though there are no hard and fast demarcations for these canine life stages (puppyhood, adolescence, adulthood), most animal behavior experts consider dogs to be adolescents at around 5 to 6 months of age. Depending on individual and breed development, adolescence usually finishes around 18 months to 2 years. (Smaller breeds tend to develop and mature more quickly than large-breed dogs.)

Dogs, like many other species (including humans), are programmed to start becoming more independent as they mature. This is a necessary part of mammalian development, as they cannot be dependent on their parents forever – they are supposed to grow up, leave home, and have their own adult lives. Their brains are programmed to prepare them for independence.

Here’s the rub: Most dogs – and other domesticated species – don’t ever really get to grow up and leave home. We don’t let them have their own lives or even make many decisions for themselves; we control almost every aspect of their lives and keep them dependent on us forever. They just don’t know that! And so, until their natural urges to pursue independence subside and are channeled into behaviors we approve of, our wishes often conflict with theirs. 

THINGS THAT HELP ADOLESCENT DOGS

Of course, not all dogs seem to go through this phase – or, at least, not all dogs are as challenging during adolescence. And when there are variations within a population, researchers try to investigate the factors that account for those variations. That’s how the researchers in the study I referred to earlier found that adolescent conflict behavior was more likely to occur with dogs who have less secure attachments to their caregivers. 

Sadly (but not surprisingly), the researchers also confirmed that this is the period of time when caregivers are most likely to relinquish their dogs to an animal shelter, often citing “not enough time” as the main justification – which could very easily translate to “I don’t know how to cope with this wild and crazy dog who used to be so sweet!”

The good news is that, if you’ve done all the right things with your puppy early on, you’re less likely to be overwhelmed by your adolescent dog’s natural, normal process of testing and maturing. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen – it just, we hope, won’t be as serious. If you’ve been consistent and diligent about training and properly socializing your puppy, it shouldn’t be as difficult to get her back on track when she’s experiencing adolescence. Keep in mind that she’s not being “bad.” Don’t get mad at her; she’s just being a teenager, and this too shall pass, aided by your continuing attention to training, good management, and relationship-building.

With these explanations for her “wild child” behavior in mind, let’s look at how you can negotiate some of the most frequent teen-dog behavior challenges with a secure relationship between you and your adolescent dog intact! 

  • Housetraining and chewing

If you’ve done a good job up until now, your pup rarely has accidents in the house and has learned to focus her teeth on appropriate chew objects.  Don’t stop now! 

I don’t consider a well-managed dog fully housetrained until she is at least a year old. Don’t push your young dog’s limits; continue to take her out more often than she has to go. If you set her up to fail (have accidents in the house) during adolescence, she’s likely to be much less reliable about housetraining for the rest of her life. 

As for chewing, while it’s easy to think that your dog will stop chewing now that all her permanent teeth are in, those teeth will continue to settle in her mouth for several more months. You can expect her to engage in intense chewing until she’s at least 18 months old. (Though most dogs will enjoy chewing for the rest of their entire adult lives, the extreme drive to do so fades a bit after adolescence.)

Until you see the intensity of her chewing start to diminish, continue to manage your dog’s environment so she has access only to appropriate chew objects. Then, and only then, can you stop holding your breath and start relaxing about leaving your valuables within her reach.

Beware the Adolescent Fear Period

It can be quite perplexing to have your outgoing, confident young dog suddenly start acting cautious and fearful in response to people and things she was previously quite comfortable with. Careful – she’s probably entering a fear period! It is critically important to pay attention to this. 

While not as fixed as once thought, we now know that fear periods can occur anytime during the first 18 to 24 months of a dog’s life. The first fear period often occurs between the ages of 8 to 11 weeks. Your adolescent canine is well past that. One or more additional fear periods may occur between 6 to 24 months, depending on your dog’s individual rate of maturity and growth.

It’s important to be aware if your dog is entering a fear period (which will usually last two to three weeks) and to protect her from significant negative experiences during this time. During a fear period, a single intimidating or painful experience can have a lifelong impact on the way your dog responds to that stimulus. This phenomenon (referred to as “single-event learning”) means that it can take only one negative fear-causing incident with a particular trigger to cause an intense, permanent emotional response to that trigger in the future, regardless of the circumstances.

If your dog should, unfortunately, experience a negative incident during this time, studies indicate that the sooner you work to repair the damage, the better able your dog is to recover. This would be a good time to seek the assistance of a qualified force-free professional.

TEEN TRAINING

What about your previously well-trained, star-of-her-puppy-class who now seems to have forgotten everything you taught her? She hasn’t really forgotten; she has just put things on hold while attending to the biological priority of finding her place in the world. She’s not being stubborn, she’s not doing things to spite you – she is genetically driven to spread her wings at this time in her life (or her paws, as the case may be), and she can’t help it.

How should you deal with it? Keep training, while you add management safeguards – and remember to make training irresistibly fun! 

Sometimes we get too serious during training and can end up turning it into a battle of wills about getting those cued behaviors the moment we ask for them, rather than a conversation and time enjoyed between friends. We want them to respond to our cues,  but teenagers just want to have fun. To get what we both want, use lots of happy praise after the mark and treat. Play! Toss a toy, play chase, play tug, act silly, cheer on your dog – in every way possible, make your training super fun.

Here are some tips for getting through common training tasks during the adolescent phase:

  • Recall If your dog has suddenly forgotten how to come when you call her, put her back on a long line. This will both keep her safe and prevent her from enjoying the excitement of running away from you when you call. Instead, make your “come when called” practice even more fun with “run away recalls.” 

Start with her close to you, say her name, and when she looks at you say “Come!” in your happiest voice and run away fast so she can chase you. For more fun and excitement, squeak a squeaky toy and toss it to her as she runs after you. Use high-value treat reinforcers so “Come” means “Chicken!” – or whatever her all-time favorite treat is. 

  • Review. Do several short remedial review sessions daily with the basic good-manners behaviors your dog used to perform so reliably: sit, down, wait, touch, and polite greeting. Note that I use the word “short,” which means just a few minutes at a time. 

If you practice only in “real life,” you risk distractions and lack of focus. If you practice in a controlled environment, you (and your dog) are more likely to be successful – and your dog will be better able to generalize that success to the real world. (And remember, keep it fun!)

Playing “Chase me!” games is a much better way to get your dog to come to you and/or with you in an environment that offers your teen dog many other fun options. If you’ve practiced at home, your dog should be familiar with this as a cue to the most fun.

  • Play. Find new ways to have fun with your dog. Since her brain is encouraging her to explore her world now, do things to encourage exploration, like scent work, solving puzzle toys, eating from food-dispensing toys, and cognition games. Play hide & seek, and let your dog use her nose to find you. Name her favorite toy, hide it, and ask her to find it. Hide treats around your house or yard and ask your dog to find them. Use your lawn as a grassy snuffle mat. Discover the fun of teaching your dog object, color, and shape discrimination. 
  • Exercise. Providing adequate exercise will help minimize your dog’s high-energy adolescent hijinks. Structured exercise can help avoid ever-escalating arousal; this is easier than it might sound – just ask her to “sit” before you throw the toy or “wait” before you invite her to grab the tug toy. 

Important note: Remember to check with your veterinarian to determine how much exercise is appropriate for your dog’s age; you don’t want to damage those young joints! Swimming is an excellent low-impact exercise for youngsters. 

Play sessions with carefully selected compatible playmates are also an excellent exercise option and nurture your dog’s developing social skills. 

And don’t forget mental exercise! Those previously mentioned cognition games are surprisingly tiring as well as fun.

  • Empowerment. A frequently overlooked piece of the adolescent puzzle is about empowering your dog to make her own choices as much as reasonably possible. At this point in her development, when she is programmed to become more in charge of her own world, the more agency you can give her, the more emotionally and behaviorally sound she will be. 

We tend to exert tight control over everything our dogs do, much to their detriment. Think about how you would feel if your life were as controlled as most of our dogs’ lives are. Then ponder how you might be able to give her more choices. Which toy would she rather play with? Which treat would she rather eat? Which path would she rather take on your hike? Would she prefer to stay inside or go out in the back yard?

Combine empowerment with all the above suggestions for management and training, and you and your canine companion are likely to make it through her adolescence with flying colors, and your relationship not just  intact, but stronger than ever. Go on, get started on it right now – there’s not a moment to lose! 

Past WDJ Articles For More Information

“Games for Building a Reliable Recall Behavior for Your Dog,” Sept 2014. Tips on making recall practice fun and effective.

“Best Food-Dispensing Toys,” April 2019, and “Five Tips for Food-Stuffed Dog Toys,” Sept 2021.  How to harness a dog’s drive to forage for food in order to keep him out of trouble, fill his alone-time, and enrich his life.

“Understanding Your Dog’s Nose,” September 2019.  Putting your dog’s nose to work is a fun and effective way to improve his behavior and responsiveness to you. 

“Are Canines Cognitive?” October 2017. Dogs have greater powers of reasoning and intelligence than we usually give them credit for. Learn how to teach your dog to show you how and what he thinks! Teach your dog object, shape, and color discrimination.

“Training a Dog to Make Choices,” November  2016. How empowering your dog to make small decisions in his life can lead to a big, positive change in your relationship.

Happy Thanksgiving from a Dog-Loving Family

By
Nancy Kerns
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14
I am most grateful for my local off-leash trails and hardly anyone out here on them with me, my dogs, and my family and friends (canine and human).

Like many of us dog lovers, my relationship with dogs started when I was just a lonely kid. My siblings were five, six, and seven years older than me. We lived in a rural area and the closest kid around my age lived a mile away – and when I was a kid, believe me, no parents were driving kids anyplace for play dates! But our family had a lot of dogs – too many! – and so dogs were my daily playmates, co-conspirators, troops to boss around (sorry, dogs), and source of comfort and solace when I had hurt feelings (and the baby in the family almost always has hurt feelings, right?).

Just out of college, I once reconnected with a friend I hadn’t spoken to for many years. He asked if I was still bringing dogs with me everywhere I went. “What?” I replied, not recognizing this absolutely accurate description of myself. I had to think about it; why was his experience of me so full of dogs? I guess every time I visited him at his house, I usually did have a dog or two with me . . . and every time he visited my home, there were three or four dogs (or more) . . . and when he used to come visit, we used to drive out to the beach near Bodega Bay and so of course I’d bring a dog or two with us to the beach! I realize now that young people don’t always see themselves the way other people see them; at the time, my friend’s assessment was a total surprise to me. Today, that’s hilarious!

My mother and her first dog, acquired shortly after she was married. I think the dog is posed thusly because my oldest sister is “on the way” and people didn’t used to take pregnancy pictures!

I’m not alone in this; everyone in my family loves dogs. I think we were conditioned by my mom, who was a huge animal lover who had never been allowed to have a pet as a child – and who got a dog the minute she was married and out of her parents’ home. Both of my parents were good observers of behavior, and very loving and indulgent of our dogs’ various quirks, and to this day my siblings and I enjoy watching our dogs interact and appreciating our dogs’ personalities. And of course, we dog-sit each other’s dogs when we travel.

When I have to leave town, my old dog Otto stays with my sister Pam. For many years, she and her husband Dean have enjoyed watching Otto as he forgets all his dignity and plays with their three little dogs in an unrestrained way he never displays at my house. My young dog Woody, who is like a bull in a china shop, used to have to always stay with my friend Leonora, because once, after an overnight stay at Pam and Dean’s home, Woody’s strong wagging tail and physical displays of affection left Dean (who was on blood thinners) absolutely covered with dramatic bruises. Dean passed away earlier this year from a stroke, and now my sister likes to have Woody come and stay with her; his affectionate attempts to be a lap dog (a 70-pound lap dog) and clownish antics, which inspire total bedlam among her barky little terriers, are a welcome diversion these days.

A traffic jam on the trail caused by my sister-in-law Lauren handing out treats to my dogs Otto and Woody, her Boxer Rosie, and my son’s dog Cole. Thanksgiving 2016.

Welcome to the family

My brother had been single for a number of years when he met a woman who sounded like she might be the one. He asked me if I would dog-sit his big, young, rowdy dog, Hannah, for a few days while he showed his new love around the San Francisco Bay Area. At the time, he lived north of Sacramento, and he picked up his friend at the Sacramento Airport, and drove with her (and Hannah) to my home near San Francisco (she could have flown into the airport in San Francisco, but I think she had the flight to see him before the SF plan was hatched). My brother drove a small pickup truck with a king cab, and Hannah rode in that behind-the-seats area for the hour-plus drive from the Sacramento airport to my house. Here’s how I knew my brother’s new girlfriend was a keeper: Hannah bounded out of Keith’s truck and up my front stairs – REEKING of skunk!

I said to my brother, “Oh my god, Keith!” and he said “What?” My brother had ZERO sense of smell – he either lost it as a child or never had it.

I said, “Hannah’s covered with skunk! She smells terrible! I’ll have to go get some peroxide!”

Now he looked at his new girlfriend with true puzzlement on his face. “Did you smell it?” he asked her. I looked at her, too – how did she survive that hour-plus drive in a small truck with that smell?!

Leslie calmly smiled and said, “Yes, I smelled it – and I knew that you didn’t. And there was nothing we could do about it until we got here anyway, and I love Hannah, so why get you upset about it?”

I can’t remember now whether I said it out loud or just in my head, but I distinctly remember thinking, “Oh my dog, Keith, you better marry this woman! She’s amazing!” Keith and Hannah have both left this earth; they passed away within months of each other almost six years ago, but Leslie is and always will be my beloved sister-in-law. And I dog-sit her tiny dog when she and my darling niece Ava travel.

My nice Ava (who obviously loves dogs) and Otto on the Thanksgiving trail in 2015.

Our other brother Keith

I was so excited when my husband’s younger brother (whose name, confusingly, is also Keith) and his wife Lauren bought a home and adopted their first dog. We hadn’t had all that much in common before they got into dogs, but now we can chat and laugh for days when they come visit with their dogs – a few times during the Thanksgiving week.

They jumped into the dog world with all four feet, volunteering for a breed rescue (they chose Boxers to be their breed), and soon, fostering and then adopting several Boxers whose placement prospects were made more difficult by health and/or behavior issues. Their first adoptee was Rosie, who had been hit by a car as a stray; the breed rescue had paid for her initial care after a good Samaritan brought her to a vet’s office, but she required numerous surgeries over several years (paid for by Keith and Lauren) to be returned to full health. Then came Filbert, whose boisterous behavior and mild dog-aggression had prevented his placement elsewhere. After Rosie passed away, they adopted Zoey, a white Boxer with severe allergies, who, despite her ongoing medical needs, has proven to be a joyous addition to their family.

When they have come up to our rural home during past Thanksgiving weeks, we would go for multiple car, many-dog off-leash hikes every day. When they first got Filbert, it was here and on a Thanksgiving-week dog-hike that they first dared to take off his leash, hoping that all the recall training and work on a long-line they had been doing in preparation would mean they could start walking him off-leash (in legal off-leash areas) safely. Our hopes all plunged when Lauren unclipped his leash and he immediately took off at high speed for the horizon. It didn’t matter one iota to him that the rest of the dogs didn’t follow him, or that we all ran excitedly making big party noises in the opposite direction. He just made a beeline out of our sight.

For the day after Thanksgiving in 2016, we took a gnarly mountain hike to a remote spot on a wild river, with my son and his dog Cole, and my sister- and brother-in-law and their Boxer Rosie.

Fortunately, there was a mile of open fields and a body of water between him and any roads; I was certain we’d find him soon enough if we just kept walking and occasionally calling. We walked that whole mile without a sighting, but as we approached the water, we could hear enthusiastic splashing . . . and as we called him from the lake’s edge, he came happily bounding to us. “You guys! Look what I found! A lake! For swimming! With ducks! Oh my gosh!” (I’m happy to report that he got more reliable off-leash with every hike that week. Our Instagram page has photographic evidence of Rosie and Filbert on a thanksgiving off-leash hike in 2017: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb7AQF4h5Y6/)

This Thanksgiving, I’m going to be missing Keith and Lauren and their Boxers, and even my son, his fiancé, and their dog Cole – they are all going elsewhere – but the Thanksgiving dog-walks will go on, Thursday through Sunday. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year: It’s all good company and good food, without any materialism present. We’ve got miles and miles of off-leash trails to hike, the skies have been clear here lately and the weather is perfect: not hot and not freezing, so if a dog feels like taking a swim in the lake or river we walk by, it’s not a problem, they should be dry by the time we get back to the cars. My sister Pam will have her three little dogs, and Leslie and Ava will be here with their tiny dog Alice. I’ll invite any of my local friends who aren’t traveling to come with their dogs on our walks, and hope to see Jake and Jessie and their dogs Nova and Nix (both of whom are my former foster puppies, from litters that were three years apart!) and my friend Leonora, who owns my dog Woody’s best friend, Samson. And as always, all of these dogs (and of course their humans) will be my comfort and amusement, my companions in fun, and solace in remembrance for those we have loved and lost and miss dearly at this time of year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you have a chance to get out there and take your dogs for a nice long walk!

Using Kinesiology Tape On Your Dog

By
CJ Puotinen
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6
kinesiology tape
Learning to apply kinesiology tape works best if you have a dog who is willing to be patient and stationary while you practice. Reinforce him richly for his helpful behavior!

If you pay attention to sports, you know that athletes around the world are wearing colorful tape on their arms, legs, shoulders, and torsos as part of treatments to heal muscle sprains, prevent injuries, relieve pain, and enhance performance. 

Kinesiology tape, which was developed in the late 1970s by chiropractor Kenzo Kase, D.C., gained an international audience when Dr. Kase donated Kinesio Tape to the 2008 Bejing Summer Olympics. Taping looked strange then, but it’s commonplace now wherever athletes compete. And the athletes aren’t all humans, for taping has become popular for horses, dogs, and other animals. Might taping make a difference for your pup?

Also known as elastic therapeutic tape or kinesiology therapeutic tape, kinesiology tape is made of thin elastic cotton with an acrylic adhesive. The combination of stretch and adhesion makes kinesiology tape different from elastic bandages that treat injuries by reducing blood flow and applying pressure to prevent swelling. Instead of restricting movement, kinesiology tape moves with the body and, unlike elastic bandages, it can be left in place for days at a time.

Kinesiology tape is stretched as it’s applied, so once in place it contracts like a rubber band that pulls the skin, an action said to create more space for the flow of blood and lymph, speeding healing by increasing circulation. 

Does Kinesiology Taping Work?

These are early days in taping research, and the evidence so far is inconclusive. PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) cites more than 200 clinical trials that tested kinesiology taping on humans, most of which concluded that the tape did little to improve sports performance, prevent injuries, relieve pain, or improve proprioception, strength, flexibility, circulation, blood flow, or lymphatic drainage, all of which are commonly made claims. All of the studies were small – and none involved dogs. 

This lack of evidence hasn’t prevented some advertisers from making dramatic, exaggerated claims, so it’s worth remembering that kinesiology taping is not a magic cure-all, it doesn’t work for everyone, and it isn’t a substitute for veterinary diagnosis and treatment. 

At the same time, veterinarians, canine rehabilitation therapists, and canine massage therapists who routinely use kinesiology tape report that many of their patients improve as a result. Taping is easily incorporated into other hands-on treatments, most dogs quickly adapt to it, and it can be done at home by family members between treatment visits.

Angelique Barbara, D.C., a chiropractor for humans whose training includes a bachelor’s degree in veterinary science and a master’s in veterinary pathobiology, specializes in hands-on treatments for dogs and horses. Her online program for health-care professionals and pet owners includes courses in canine kinesiology taping (see holisticanimalstudies.org). 

“I think kinesiology tape is a fantastic modality that is currently underutilized with animals,” says Dr. Barbara. “I would love to see it become more mainstream with pet owners. Animals respond really well to taping, and it can provide them with a form of natural pain relief and provide them with support that can help them heal faster and prevent injuries in healthy pets.”

kinesiology tape
Users of kinesiology tape frequently cut the tape into four main shapes (in order from left to right: I,X,Y, and Fan). Each provides support in a different way for a specific purpose.

HOW TO USE KINESIOLOGY TAPE

Most kinesiology tape is two inches wide and sold in a 13- to 16-foot roll or precut in various shapes and sizes. While convenient for human athletes, precut shapes seldom match canine anatomy, so a two-inch roll may work well for you and your dog. The tape is sold in different adhesive strengths and stretch capacities, which makes for a confusing marketplace. Some brands are labeled specifically for dogs or horses, but brands sold for human use often work well for dogs. One challenges in taping dogs is their furry coats, so consider tapes labeled extra-sticky or for use with horses, and if your dog swims, look for water-resistant tapes. 

“It is important for dog owners to familiarize themselves with kinesiology tape before attempting to tape their dogs,” says Dr. Barbara. “There are specific ways to cut and handle the tape that will facilitate the application process. The more hands-on time they have with the tape, the better the experience will be. The great thing about kinesiology tape is that it is a really safe modality and if you do not get the application you wanted right away, you can remove the tape and try again.”

Armed with a roll or piece of kinesiology tape, practice cutting the basic treatment shapes with non-stick scissors. (The adhesive can collect on regular scissors and interfere with cutting.) Start by rounding the ends, removing sharp corners. The length of your strips will depend on your dog’s size and the area being treated.

  • The “I” Strip is a single piece of tape with rounded edges. An “I” strip can serve as an anchor if placed across another piece of tape, reinforcing and holding that tape securely in place.
  • The “X” strip resembles two connected “Y” strips with a base in the center.
  • The “Y” strip is an “I” strip that’s cut down the middle, leaving a base at one end. 
  • The “Fan Cut” is a “Y” strip with additional longitudinal cuts creating a fan shape.

Kinesiology tape has a paper backing that tears easily. To expose the adhesive, pull both ends of the tape away from each other until its paper backing breaks, twist the center until the paper tears, or hold the tape vertically and pull the tape away from its paper backing from the top.

Stretching is an important part of the taping process, but how much should the tape stretch? While most brands refer to percentages, such as 10, 20, 50, 100, or 150% stretch, Katja Bredlau-Morich, a certified animal physiotherapist, prefers the terms light, medium, and strong. Becoming familiar with stretch takes practice and experience, she explains in her colorfully illustrated book Kinesiology Taping for Dogs, adding that kinesiology tape comes with a 10% pre-stretch on the paper backing, and this built-in 10% stretch is sufficient for many dog taping applications.

In general, canine muscles and fascia respond to tape that has been lightly stretched, while tendons and ligaments respond to light-to-medium stretch, and bones and joints respond to medium-to-heavy stretch. In many cases, less is more because too much stretch can cause irritation and discomfort.

To become familiar with your kinesiology tape, practice stretching it to different lengths and press it into position on a practice surface. Then rub the tape because friction helps activate the adhesive. Kinesiology tape cannot be reused, so whenever you practice applying it or whenever you apply tape incorrectly, remove and discard it. Always use fresh tape on your dog.

Most taping instructions recommend that you leave the tape in place until it falls off on its own, or, if it’s still in place after three or four days, remove it manually. To do so, peel the base with gentle pressure using one hand while pressing with the other hand to pull fur away from the tape, or pull the base away from fur and remove the tape strip in the direction of hair growth, or curl the base away from the coat while gently gathering or pinching fur between thumb and forefinger. Don’t yank the tape off. Instead, use gentle, steady movements to remove it.

WHEN NOT TO TAPE

While kinesiology tape is generally considered safe for use on dogs, it should not be applied over a skin disease outbreak, irritation, open wound, lesion, malignant tumor, infection, area of hair loss due to injury, or hot spot. Consult with your veterinarian before using tape on a pregnant dog or dogs with diabetes, respiratory infections, breathing problems, or ringworm. 

Taping is not recommended for dogs with cancer, kidney disease, or any condition that could be worsened by an increase of blood circulation or lymph flow. 

Remove tape at once if your dog shows any sign of discomfort. 

Occasionally a dog chews off and swallows a piece of tape. If this happens, watch to be sure the tape passes through your dog’s system and contact your veterinarian if it doesn’t. 

PREPARING YOUR DOG

kinesiology tape
Many dog owners find kinesiology tape to be a helpful, stabilizing adjunct to other therapies for torn ligaments in the knee.

For best results, your dog’s coat should be clean, dry, and well brushed because dust, mud, dirt, loose hair, humidity, and damp weather interfere with adhesion. If bathing is necessary, Bredlau-Morich recommends bathing a day before taping so the coat can be completely dry, and she warns that detangling sprays and similar grooming products prevent tape from sticking and should not be used before taping.

The easiest dogs to tape are those with short hair, but even dogs with medium-length or curly hair may not need special attention. “I have successfully taped Australian Shepherds, Poodles, and other fuzzy mixed-breed dogs without clipping their hair,” she says. “The tape stuck firmly and you could see the improvement in gait and posture.”

Very long hair makes taping impossible, so Bredlau-Morich recommends clipping but not shaving the coat in affected areas, leaving about half an inch of hair so that it rests flat on the body. 

While some taping instructions recommend applying a medical adhesive spray when tape doesn’t adhere to a dog’s coat, Bredlau-Morich prefers to remove the tape, spread baby powder over the application area, massage it in gently, and after a few minutes thoroughly wipe it away with a dry microfiber cloth. When the powder is entirely removed, the hair is dry, and the skin no longer greasy or oily, start over with new tape.

POPULAR USES

According to Dr. Barbara, “General back pain, hind-limb weakness, and knee pain tend to respond very well to kinesiology taping. Most owners are able to successfully and efficiently apply these tape applications after minimal guidance.” 

In an online demonstration (see bit.ly/WDJ_knee_support), Dr. Barbara tapes a dog’s knee to provide support and stability using Rock Tape made for horses. “It’s extra sticky,” she explains, “and it works well for dogs, especially when we’re taping the joint area.” 

After cutting a Y strip, she removes the paper backing from the base of the Y. Because many people mistake a dog’s ankle for the knee joint, Dr. Barbara bends the knee to show the patella (kneecap) location. After placing the base of the Y directly on the knee joint slightly below the patella, she peels the backing paper from the two Y strips and presses them to either side of the leg above the knee. Then she adds an anchor or stabilizer by peeling most of the paper from an I strip before stretching the tape by 50% and pressing it over the patella. Her final step is to rub the tape to help activate its glue.

In his book Kinesio Taping Canine for Dog Lovers, Dr. Kenzo Kase demonstrates how to tape forelimb injuries, biceps injuries, chest wall and abdominal muscles, Achilles tendons, cruciate ligaments, knee joints, whiplash, abnormal spinal curvature, and numerous other conditions. Each instruction is illustrated with photographs and anatomical drawings that describe the injury, the respective positions of dog and owner, and the application of tape to the targeted tissue. 

Katja Bredlau-Morich illustrates several taping applications in her book, such as the taping of muscle, lymph, scars, fascia, hematomas, and tendons, plus taping for decompression, stabilization, and proprioception. She concludes with a chapter of detailed case studies. 

As the kinesiology taping of dogs grows in popularity and research continues, we’ll see more dogs wearing tape. To learn more, take advantage of books, videos, reports, and descriptions from experienced instructors. You may be inspired to learn how to apply tape to your own body in the process! 

Human Grade Dog Food: What You Should Know

By
Linda P. Case, MS
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9
human grade dog food label
The Honest Kitchen pioneered the now-burgeoning market for human-grade dog foods. It took years of battling with regulators and a lawsuit against the Ohio Department of Agriculture, who initially refused to allow the phrase "human grade" to appear on THK's labels, but the company prevailed. The court determined that the labels were not untruthful or misleading in any way.

In a world of commercial pet food industry-specific jargon that is often incomprehensible to the average dog owner, the term “human grade,” which is popping up on more and more pet food labels, would seem to be self-explanatory. 

So, what is human grade dog food? In reality, while the term is in increasing use on labels and in marketing materials, “human grade dog food” has no legal definition. The regulated – legal – terms that are used to discriminate between foods that are processed, marketed, and sold for human consumption and those that are intended for consumption by pets and other non-human animals are “edible” (humans can eat) and “inedible” (animals can eat). Let’s clear these waters so you understand the difference between the legal terms and the potential for wiggle room provided by the use of the more casual phrase “human grade.” It’s important to know the difference

Still, when you see the words “human grade” on a dog food package, these words do have important meaning and should be given careful consideration – not least because, as one might expect, it turns out that these foods have something special to offer.

See Human Grade Dog Food Brands

“Edible” Defined for Dog Food

Foods that are edible are handled, processed, transported and stored under a set of regulations that are specifically designed to keep products both nutritious and safe. In contrast, inedible foods enter a separate supply stream that is demonstrably more relaxed in its requirements for preserving nutrient value and preventing microbial contamination during handling and transport.

  • Edible = Highly regulated; safe to consume as food; ends up in your supermarket.
  • Inedible = Less intensely regulated; not considered safe for humans to consume as food; ends up in pet foods.

For obvious reasons, the terms edible and inedible, while technically correct, do not sit well with most pet owners. Enter the term “human-grade.” Although the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) does not yet have a formal definition for this phrase, they have accepted its use in the pet food industry and allow it to be included on pet food labels provided the following standards are met:

“The term “human grade” represents the product to be human edible. For a product to be human edible, all ingredients in the product must be human edible and the product must be manufactured, packed and held in accordance with federal regulations in 21 CFR 110, Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food.”

Is Human Grade Dog Food Better?

So the bar is set very high for including this claim on a pet food label. Still, a number of companies are meeting these standards and are producing human-grade dog foods of a variety of types, including dehydrated, freeze-dried, and fresh cooked/frozen. The underlying assumption with all foods that carry a “human-grade” claim is that because of the types of ingredients, regulatory oversight, sanitation methods, and processing that are used, the end product will be safer and of greater nutritional quality than other foods that do not carry a human-grade claim.

Dog foods that are produced with human-grade ingredients have increased in number and popularity in recent years. In addition to containing food ingredients that are classified and handled differently than typical pet food ingredients, these products are usually less highly processed when compared with extruded kibble.

To date, there are only a few studies that have examined differences between traditional (pet-grade) foods and foods produced with human-grade ingredients. Here are short summaries of two of these studies:

  • Digestibility Assay Study1. A validated biological assay was used to measure macronutrient digestibilities of a set of fresh-cooked, human grade foods (Just Food For Dogs). Although dry matter digestibility values were not spectacular (possibly due to fiber content), the protein digestibility and amino acid availability values – indicators of protein quality – were very high in the human-grade foods.
  • Feeding Study with Dogs2. In this study, two varieties of Just Food For Dogs were compared with either an extruded dry dog food or with a fresh-cooked food produced with pet-grade ingredients. The two human-grade foods performed better than the extruded dry food and than the pet-grade fresh-cooked food. Digestibility values of the human-grade products were rock stars (greater than 90%), so less total food was needed to maintain dogs’ body condition, and the human-grade foods produced lower volume of feces.

Is Human Grade Dog Food Better Than Kibble?

Recently, another producer of fresh-cooked foods added their data to the growing science on this topic. The study3 compared the performance of four varieties of foods produced with human-grade ingredients (Nom Nom Now) to a chicken-based extruded kibble. The brand of the dry kibble was not identified. Dogs were fed each food for a period of 10 days. Collected data included measures of digestibility, energy, and fecal quality. The results of eating a diet of human grade dog food vs normal, dry dog food?

Digestibility values: When fed to dogs, the extruded kibble had significantly lower digestibility values for dry matter, protein, fat, and nitrogen-free extract (NFE, an estimate of carbohydrates) compared with all four of the fresh-cooked products. The differences were dramatic. For example, dry-matter digestibility of the kibble was about 82%. Dry-matter digestibility values of all four fresh-cooked foods were 90% or higher.

Protein: Similarly, protein digestibility of the kibble was about 85%. Protein digestibility values for the four fresh foods were between 92% and 94% (rock-star values again).

Feces: Dogs fed the fresh-cooked foods had significantly lower defecation frequencies (numbers of poops per day) and lower fecal volumes than when they were fed the kibble.

Human Grade Dog Food: Takeaway Points

As with the earlier studies, these results suggest that foods made with human-grade ingredients that are produced with minimal processing perform well when fed to dogs. This is information that dog owners can use when evaluating and selecting healthful foods for their dogs.

In my opinion, we still need controlled studies that tease out and quantify the respective influences of food processing versus initial ingredient quality. However, we do have a growing body of evidence telling us that both processing and ingredient quality matter in pet foods – a lot. (Remember, science loves replication.) Moreover, these papers, published in academic, refereed journals, and either conducted or supported by actual pet food companies, provide great examples of industry transparency that is sadly often in short supply. Which brings me to my soap box…

Cited Studies

1. Oba PM, Utterback PL, Parsons CM, Swanson KS. “True nutrient and amino acid digestibility of dog foods made with human-grade ingredients using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay.” Journal of Animal Science 2020; 4:442-451.

2. Do S, Phungviwatniku T, de Godoy MRC, Swanson KS. “Nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics, microbiota, and metabolites in dogs fed human-grade foods.” Journal of Animal Science 2021; 99

3. Tanprasertsuk J, Perry LM, Tate DE, Honaker RW, Shmalberg J. “Apparent total tract nutrient digestibility and metabolizable energy estimation in commercial fresh and extruded dry kibble dog foods.” Translational Animal Science, 2021; 5

Show Us the Studies on Human Grade Dog Food

The three previously described independent studies of commercially produced, fresh-cooked human-grade dog foods identified the companies and the brands that were tested. The data they reported included total digestibility values, protein/amino acid digestibility information, defecation frequency, and fecal scores (important to many dog folks), among other values. 

The first study showed mixed results, while the latter two demonstrated some clear wins for human-grade foods. Moreover, although there were limitations, one study helped to tease apart the influence of ingredient quality versus that of processing. This is all good, practical, applicable information needed by dog folks and nutritionists alike.

So, here’s my beef (pun intended).

A common and highly (overly) shared assertion today regarding pet food selection centers on nutrition research and who exactly is doing that research. A frequent form that this “advice” takes is something along these lines (I’m paraphrasing):

“It is the large companies that employ nutritionists and that are conducting all of the research on pet food and nutrition. Therefore, consumers should trust those companies to produce safe and nutritious foods.”

There is a problem with this belief: It is not true. 

The type of information that we need to know about the foods that we select for our dogs is not being provided by the large multi-national companies. Really, it’s not.

In contrast, in recent years, academic researchers (and to a lesser degree, small companies) have been providing us with boatloads of practical information about dog nutrition, pet foods, and pet food ingredients. The published research includes evidence regarding protein quality, the digestibility of dried-protein meals, damage due to processing, fish oils, the type of starches that are used in pet food, new processing methods such as freeze-drying and freezing, the effects of high-pressure processing (HPP) on raw foods, the potential health risks of excessive copper, mercury, and contaminating thyroid hormone in pet foods, and most recently, data regarding the use of new ingredients such as insect proteins and human-grade ingredients. 

In contrast, with the exception of a single paper (published by nutritionists with Hills) that questioned current protein levels in pet foods, I have found no published studies by the large companies that address the nutritional value, digestibility, ingredient quality, or safety of their foods or their food ingredients.

For all of the marketing gimmicks, label claims, and emotional appeals that we hear from the multi-national corporations regarding the superiority of their products, where are the studies that report digestibility values, protein quality indices, and poop scores? Where are the data to support claims of nutritious and healthy foods? If we are expected to believe their marketing claims, then it is time for the companies (and their nutritionist spokespersons) to step up and show us the data. 

Human Grade Dog Food Brands

The following companies manufacture and market foods for dogs that carry a label or website claim of “human grade” – a term that regulators have accepted for now as the same as the legal term, “(human) edible.” This means that all of the ingredients in the product must be human edible and the product must be “manufactured, packed and held in accordance with federal regulations in 21 CFR 110, Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food.” Some of these companies own and operate their own “kitchens.” Some have their products made in plants that also make human foods!

COMPANY INFORMATIONDESCRIPTION OF FOODCOMPANY CLAIMS
CARU
Vero Beach, FL
(855) 330-2278
carupetfood.com		Canned food (stews), cooked in Tetra Paks. Made in the USA by a family-owned company. Eight varieties available.“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed detailed documentation and concluded that Caru Natural Stews for Dogs are made with 100% human-grade ingredients. The FDA further concurred that these recipes are processed and handled in accordance with FDA regulations for human food. This means that we offer the only ready-to-eat dog food that is made with 100% human-grade ingredients and is prepared in a human-food-grade facility.”
EVERMORE PET FOOD
Oakland, CA and Brooklyn, NY
(718) 596-6788
evermorepetfood.com		Four varieties of cooked food, steamed and then frozen in vacuum-sealed pouches, are available. Made in Evermore’s own USDA/FDA-inspected kitchen in Oakland, CA.“Gently cooked in a USDA ‘people food’ kitchen. Evermore uses only humanely raised meats; 100% grass-fed beef and lamb; free-range, antibiotic-free turkey and chicken; and eggs from pasture-raised chickens. Formulas include many organic ingredients, no GMO ingredients, and no ingredients from China.”
JUST FOOD FOR DOGS
Irvine, CA
(866) 726-9509
justfoodfordogs.com		Just Food For Dogs offers six varieties of cooked diets that are sold frozen in sealed pouches and eight “Pantry Fresh” stew-like varieties that are cooked and sold in Tetra Paks. For an additional, one-time formulation fee, owners can also have the company’s veterinary nutritionists customize a diet for your dog.“Our food is crafted by hand in our open-to-the-public kitchens that you can visit, as well as in our own kitchens in Irvine, California, and New Castle, Delaware .... Human-edible ingredients. All of our daily diets for dogs have passed AAFCO-protocol feeding trials at Cal Poly Pomona. JFFD is the first pet food company ever to conduct humane feeding trials at a major university using faculty and student dogs living happily in their own homes.”
NOM NOM NOW
Oakland, CA
(415) 991-0669
nomnomnow.com		Four varieties of food are cooked in vacuum-sealed pouches and then frozen and shipped direct to consumers. Made in Nom Nom Now’s own kitchen facilities in Nashville, TN, and Pittsburg, CA.“Every meal is prepared fresh in kitchen facilities we own and operate in Nashville, Tennessee, and the San Francisco Bay Area .... We only use whole-food ingredients, processed in the USA and fit for human consumption.”
NULO
Austin, TX
(512) 476-6856
nulo.com		Three canned food varieties – Nulo’s “Challenger” Stews – are cooked and sold in Tetra Paks. (Note that Nulo’s canned foods that are cooked and sold in standard cans are not human-grade.)“100% human grade. Produced in a human-food facility.”
OLLIE
New York, NY
(844) 886-5543
myollie.com		Answer an online questionnaire about your dog first; then pricing for the four varieties offered by Ollie becomes available. Food is packaged in “modified atmospheric packaging” that is airtight to keep the fresh-cooked food fresh; refrigerate after opening.“Custom meal plans: We tailor your dog’s plan based on their weight, age, breed, activity level, and allergies, recommending a precise portion according to how many calories they need.... Human-grade: You could eat it with a fork. (But save it for your pup!).... Minimal processing: Whole foods, gently cooked to preserve nutrients.... We carefully source our ingredients, cook them at low temperatures in small batches at our facility in New Jersey, and hand-pack them.”
OPEN FARM
Toronto, Ontario
(833) 399-3403
openfarmpet.com		Open Farm offers four varieties in its “Gently Cooked” line. The food is cooked “sous vide” in its sealed pouches, then frozen and shipped. Open Farm also has six varieties of “Rustic Stews,” cooked and sold in Tetra Paks.“Gently prepared with minimal processing and 100% human-grade ingredients.”
PET PLATE
New York, NY
(855) 981-6109
petplate.com		Answer an online questionnaire about your dog first; then pricing will be available for two weeks’ worth of food. Each day’s serving is packaged individually in an appropriate amount for your dog. Four varieties available.“Our meals are made with 100% human-grade ingredients and are kettle-cooked in a USDA kitchen, following the same safety standards used to make human food.... Every meal is hot-filled to ensure safety and flash-frozen to lock in freshness.”
SPOT FARMS
Kings Mountain, NC
(855) 880-7768
spotfarmspet.com		Two varieties of dehydrated, grain-free, “just add water” varieties are available.“Human grade means that our products are made using only human grade food ingredients AND that our food is made to the same standards required for human edible food. You won’t find any feed grade ingredients like chicken meal, lamb meal, or fish meal here.... We believe knowing where your dog’s food comes from is just as important as knowing what’s in it. That’s why we go right to the source, working closely with small family farmers across the USA. Our farmers raise their animals the right way, feeding them an all-vegetarian diet and never using antibiotics.”
STELLA & CHEWY'S
Oak Creek, WI
(888) 477-8977
stellaandchewys.com		Six stew varieties, cooked and sold in Tetra Paks, are available. (Note that S&C’s canned foods that are sold in cans or plastic tubs, and toppers sold in pouches, are not human-grade.)“Wholesome, nutritious, and 100% human-grade recipes cooked in small batches..... The animal proteins in our recipes are always grass-fed, cage-free, wild-caught, and farm-raised and responsibly sourced from trusted partners.”
THE FARMER'S DOG
New York, NY
(646) 780-7957
thefarmersdog.com		Answer an online questionnaire about your dog first; then the company recommends several customized recipes of food, cooked and sealed in pouches and shipped to you fresh.“Real Food: Human-grade meat and veggies in simple recipes, made for dogs... USDA Kitchens: Safety and quality never before available to pets.... Human-grade food in human-friendly packaging. Less processing, higher safety standards, and easy serving.... Your food is delivered to you within days of cooking. Never deep frozen. Never stored on a shelf for months.”
THE HONEST KITCHEN
San Diego, CA
(866) 437-9729
thehonestkitchen.com		Originally, The Honest Kitchen made dehydrated food mixes; you’d just add water before serving these complete and balanced diets to your dog. They still make *18* of these foods, including varieties that contain grain, are grain-free, and some that are limited-ingredient. Today, they also offer nine varieties of “Clusters,” a kibble-like food that is mixed, cold-pressed, and dehydrated; five varieties of “One Pot Stews,” which are stew-like canned foods cooked and sold in Tetra Paks; five varieties of “Butcher Block Pâtè,” which are loaf-style canned foods, also cooked and sold in Tetra Paks; and 13 “pour overs” and meal “toppers” – all of which are human-grade.THK was first dog food to earn the right to label its foods as human grade, way back in 2003. “Unlike feed-grade pet food, which is a lower quality than human food, being human-grade means a whole host of extra measures to ensure the quality and safety standards for all our complete and balanced foods. Since our foods, supplements, and toppers are actually made in plants that conform to all human food standards, our quality-assurance program is designed to attest to the necessary standards that would apply if a human were to be the end consumer.... No matter how popular we become or how many products we offer, we’ll never move away from our original goal of bringing the highest quality standards of ‘people food’ to pets. It’s something we call ‘The Honest Difference.’”

Related Articles

What To Do When Your Dog Has a Seizure

By
Dr. Eileen Fatcheric, DVM
-
17
The first thing to do when your dog has a seizure is to ensure that both of you are safe.
If your dog starts to have a seizure in a dangerous place where he could fall hurt himself, such as this couch or at the top of a staircase, it's important to block him so that he cannot fall. credit: Nikita Burdenkov | Getty Images

If you’re dog is having a seizure, stay calm and work to keep both of you safe. Follow these guidelines to help your dog in a seizure:

Stay away from your dog’s mouth to avoid inadvertently being bitten. The natural tendency is to want to comfort your dog by hugging and/or stroking his head. But your dog is not aware during a seizure, nor is he in control of his violent jaw movements.

 

Remove any items near him that are breakable or that may fall on him.

Keep him away from stairs. If he is near a set of stairs, try to move below him on the stairs so you can prevent him from falling, if you are safely able to do that.

Time the seizure. First, you need to time the seizure because of the possibility of a life-threatening condition called status epilepticus, which is a seizure that doesn’t self-resolve. A good rule of thumb is that if a dog has been seizing for five minutes, you need to get to a veterinary clinic. Call the office tell the staff you are on your way (more on status epilepticus below). Second, you want to keep track of your dog’s seizures in a log or journal. This will be used to determine when the seizures are becoming more severe or more frequent.

Note: In the minutes to hours after a seizure, called the post-ictal phase, your dog may be disoriented or demented, which can be expressed as aggressive behavior, even rage. You need to be careful both during the seizure and in the aftermath.

Video the event, if you can. Capturing the seizure on video is immensely helpful to your veterinarian because it helps him or her ascertain that the event was indeed a seizure. The biggest differential for a seizure episode is a cardiac event. If a dog suffers an intermittent cardiac arrhythmia, it can result in confusion, weakness, and collapse, which can sometimes be mistaken for seizure activity. Generally speaking, cardiac collapse tends to be softer than seizure activity, more like fainting, and the dog usually recovers much more quickly.

Signs Your Dog Is Having a Seizure

Try to document what you see when your dog is having a seizure. This may help the veterinarian determine what type of seizure the dog may have experienced.

The grand mal seizure is a generalized seizure with widespread excessive, aberrant electrical activity occurring in both sides of the brain. Also known as tonic-clonic or convulsive seizure, these dog seizure symptoms include:

  • Suddenly falling over
  • Violent, jerking spasms of all four limbs
  • Paddling
  • Frothing at the mouth
  • Losing control of bladder and bowels
  • Full loss of consciousness

Jump to: Causes | Medication

what to do if your dog has a seizure
Click image to view in full size.

Life-Threatening Seizures

As noted above, if a dog is in status epilepticus for too long, he will die, much the way he would die from heat stroke. There is so much intense, violent physical activity going on that the core body temperature rises to life-threatening levels. Status epilepticus requires emergency veterinary intervention with an intravenous medication, usually a benzodiazepine like diazepam (Valium), to break the ongoing seizure.

If he is still seizing when you get to the veterinary clinic, he is in dire need of emergency help. If the seizure resolves while you are on your way and the dog remains quiet, the life-threatening status epilepticus emergency is over.

Generalized Dog Seizures

Additional generalized seizure types include:

  • Tonic (stiff, extended limbs that don’t move or jerk)
  • Clonic (hyperflexed, non-jerking limbs)
  • Myoclonic (jerking limbs)
  • Atonic (dog standing, staring, non-responsive)
  • Focal seizures (this occurs when the abnormal electrical activity is localized to just one spot in the brain, can look like a lot of different things)
  • “Fly-biting” (this is a classic one, where the dog looks like he is seeing and repeatedly snapping at flies)
  • “Chewing gum fit” (the jaw repeatedly clacks; a focal seizure might just be repeated twitching of an eyelid, lip, or ear. There is not necessarily loss of consciousness) 

These types of seizures rarely present a big problem and usually don’t require treatment. A focal seizure, however, can segue into a generalized seizure, so be sure to keep a close watch until it passes.

Additional Care Tips for a Dog Who Experiences Seizures

  • Ask your veterinarian about dispensing a dose of diazepam (Valium) that you can keep on hand at home, for rectal administration in the event of a seizure. This will be dispensed to you in a syringe with a rubber tube attached. All you need to do is introduce the tip of the rubber tube about an inch into the rectum and dispense the medicine. This will often shorten and lessen the severity of the seizure.
  • If your dog is prone to cluster seizures while on an anti-convulsant, ask your veterinarian about keeping a supply of levetiracetam (Keppra) on hand. A few doses of this short-acting anti-convulsant can be given after a seizure to prevent a cluster.
  • Stimulating your dog’s vagal nerve may help lessen the duration and severity of a seizure. If you can safely do this, gently push on your dog’s eyes, with closed lids, for 10 to 60 seconds. This can be repeated every five minutes. If you recognize your dog’s pre-ictal signs, you may even be able to stave off a seizure with this maneuver.
  • Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TCVM) can be used adjunctively, either to improve seizure control for dogs with refractory seizures in spite of anti-convulsant medication or to help lower the dose of anti-convulsant medications. Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine are the mainstays of this approach, which require a trained specialist.
  • Consider feeding your dog Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Diet NeuroCare (NC), especially if your dog has refractory seizures in spite of anti-convulsant medication. This unique diet uses medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) as a fat source. MCTs are known to block one of the receptors in the brain responsible for seizures. Studies have shown a significant reduction in seizure activity when epileptic dogs are fed this diet. 

Causes of Seizures in Dogs

Reactive seizures are caused by metabolic disorders like hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hypocalcemia (low blood calcium), liver disease, liver shunts, and kidney disease. In these cases, the brain itself is normal, and if the metabolic disorder can be corrected, the seizures go away. Some drugs can cause seizures by lowering the seizure threshold in the brain. Discontinuing the drug resolves these reactive seizures.

Toxins can cause seizures. Culprits include dark chocolate, caffeine, xylitol (sugar-free sweetener), ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), bromethalin (rat poison), and ethanol. Removing and treating for the toxin eliminates the seizures.

Abnormalities in the brain can result in structural seizures. The may be brought on by tumors, head trauma, inflammatory diseases like granulomatous meningoencephalitis, and infectious diseases like rabies and canine distemper.

Congenital defect. This is an abnormality that develops during gestation.

Epilepsy Is the Most Common Cause

Epilepsy is defined as seizures of unknown origin, which means no structural lesions in the brain, no infections, metabolic disorders, drugs, or toxins are to blame. A diagnosis of epilepsy is typically made after every other possible cause of seizures has been ruled out.

In addition to a normal physical exam, neurological exam, and bloodwork, the age at onset of seizures may help your veterinarian diagnose epilepsy. Epilepsy usually starts between 1 and 6 years of age. 

Dogs less than 1 year old are more likely to have either a congenital defect, an intoxication, or an infectious disease like canine distemper. Dogs who are more than 6 years of age when they have their first seizure are more likely to have a metabolic disorder or a structural brain lesion like a tumor.

Breed predilection toward epilepsy is another clue. Schnauzers, Collies, Bassett Hounds, Cocker Spaniels, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers are over-represented among dogs with epilepsy.

Should You Treat for Seizures?

dog seizures
An accidental lineup of some other epilepsy-prone breeds: Schnauzers, Golden Retrievers, and Border Collies are over-represented among seizure-prone dogs.

Will your vet recommend that your dog be medicated in an effort to reduce or eliminate his seizures? It depends.

If your veterinarian agrees it was a seizure, she will conduct a physical exam and a thorough neurological exam. Baseline bloodwork should be done to rule out metabolic causes of seizures. Further diagnostics may be recommended from there and could include infectious disease testing, CT scan, or MRI.

Let’s say your dog is between 1 and 6 years of age, all testing is normal, and a diagnosis of epilepsy is made. Most veterinarians agree starting anti-convulsant drug therapy is generally not indicated after just one seizure. However, the following are exceptions to this rule:

  • Cluster seizures, described as more than three seizures in a 24-hour period, warrant treatment
  • If the seizure was particularly violent, or if it lasted a long time (5 minutes or more) treatment should be considered right away
  • Certain breeds are notorious for having difficult-to-control seizures (German Shepherd Dog, Border Collie, Irish Setter, Golden Retriever, Siberian Husky, Keeshond, and Saint Bernard)

For all the others, keep a seizure log where you write down the date and time it happened, now long it lasted, how severe it was, and any other information you think might be pertinent. This log will be used to determine when it might be time to start anti-convulsant therapy.

Why wouldn’t you just start your dog on anti-convulsants? After all, you don’t want him to have another seizure. But consider this: Your dog may never have another seizure! Or he may have a mild one once a year. You don’t know until you see how it plays out. And once an anti-convulsant is started, it is generally necessary for life. 

If your dog is one of those epileptics who only has a rare, occasional seizure, you are taxing his body with a medication he really doesn’t need, and you are paying for it! Not to mention that well-managed epileptic dogs on anticonvulsants may still have breakthrough seizures occasionally. A seizure-free future is not guaranteed, even with long-term medication.

In my opinion, if a dog is seizing as often as twice a month, I think it’s too much for his quality of life, and for yours! I usually recommend starting an anticonvulsant in this case. However, as the person living with and loving the dog, you can and should be the ultimate decider of when enough is enough and it’s time to start.

Medications for Dog Seizures

There are several different anticonvulsants available for dogs. Zonisamide has become the most popular, as it works well with minimal side effects. Phenobarbital, potassium bromide, and levetiracetam (Keppra) are other medications your veterinarian may discuss with you. 

Some dogs may require more than one medication to manage their seizures. Levetiracetam is frequently used as a second medication. It is short-acting, which means it must be dosed three times a day. This can be challenging for dog owners. The extended-release formula, Keppra XR, which is dosed twice a day is much easier. 

A couple of notes on Keppra XR: You cannot split or cut the pills as this destroys the extended-release function. Also, a funny thing about it: You may see the tablet in your dog’s poop, seemingly whole and undigested. Don’t be alarmed. This is OK! The active drug is inside the non-digestible tablet, which has a hole in it. Digestive juices enter through the hole and dissolve the drug, which is then slowly released to be absorbed by the body. This is how the extended-release version works. Once the non-digestible tablet has done its job, it passes safely out with your dog’s feces.

Sometimes, a previously well-managed epileptic starts having more breakthrough seizures. Unfortunately, some dogs will develop tolerance to their anticonvulsant medication over time. In these cases, the liver continuously increases the rate at which it metabolizes the drug, making increasingly higher doses necessary. Higher doses mean more and worse side effects. This can be frustrating and challenging to manage.

Seizures in dogs are frightening and difficult to watch. Luckily, there are many tools at our disposal to help diagnose and manage this heart-breaking condition. If your dog experiences a seizure, even if it’s not life-threatening, make an appointment with your veterinarian to get a jump on deciding what’s best for your dog.

High Visibility Clothing and Gear For You and Your Dog

By
Stephanie Colman
-
0
high visibility clothing and dog walking gear
If you walk at night in areas with a lot of traffic, or where cars are often being driven too fast, the more you can light yourself and your dog, the better!

As winter deepens its grip, many of us find ourselves navigating dark pre-dawn and/or post-dusk dog walks. While the increased darkness makes it tempting to skip the dog’s walk, our canine friends still need the exercise, stimulation, and training that walks provide. 

But depending on where you live, walking in the early morning or after work can expose you to certain challenges and potential dangers, including wildlife and uneven footing. The biggest danger, however, is the potential for being hit by traffic on dark streets. The National Center for Health Statistics reports that in 2019 more than 7,660 people died in car vs. pedestrian accidents. Of those, 82 percent of deaths occurred in urban settings and 80 percent involved dark conditions.

Fortunately, a variety of high visibility products exist to help make both people and pets safer when walking in the dark. 

HIGH VISIBILITY GEAR FOR DOGS

dog collar lights

Attachable collar lights

One of the easiest ways to shine a little light on your early morning or nighttime dog walk is by attaching a light to your dog’s collar. There are many brands and styles to choose from in both battery-operated and rechargeable models. Most quickly attach to the D-ring of the dog’s collar or harness, feature LED bulbs for maximum brightness, and are available in a variety of colors. Many can toggle between solid and flashing illumination settings. 

Light-up collars, leashes, and vests

light up reflective dog collar

Another bright idea to make your dog easier to see and keep yourselves safer in low-light conditions is the use of LED collars and leashes. Like collar lights, they come in a variety of colors and most have the ability to select either solid or flashing illumination patterns. It’s common to find both battery-operated and rechargeable options. If your dog’s coat obscures the glow from a light-up collar, try a light-up leash.

Reflective dog collars and leashes

For low-light walks near traffic, consider reflective products instead of or in addition to light-up styles. A car’s headlights may wash out the light produced by a light-up collar or leash. With reflective products, light sources such as headlights cause retroreflection, making the material look brightest to observers closest to the source of the light – the drivers. 

light up dog collar
light up dog leash

High-visibility and reflective dog vests

dog reflective vest

Bright orange vests are often placed on dogs during hunting season to help prevent tragic misidentification accidents, but they can be used anytime to maximize your dog’s visibility. The best ones are bright enough to stand out in low-light situations and are made with strips of reflective material, so they reflect car headlights brightly once the sun has gone down. 

Some vests, such as Ruffwear’s Lumenglow High-Vis Dog Jacket Plus, are made from water-repellent material, so they double as a protective rain layer. The jacket’s durable 600 denier polyester fabric also offers protection from cuts and scrapes, making it a great choice for off-leash adventures when safe to do so. 

HIGH VISIBILITY CLOTHING FOR HUMANS

When looking to maximize safety in low-light conditions, it’s important to make ourselves as visible as we make our dogs. As the taller member of the dog-handler team, we’re in a better position to be seen by drivers, especially those in taller vehicles like trucks and SUVs. Consider adding these products to your winter walking wardrobe:

High visibility safety vest

reflective vest for walking

Durable, lightweight, inexpensive, and easy to wear over a sweatshirt or jacket, safety vests offer a dramatic pop of visibility with their bright colors and reflective material. Plus, many styles come with multiple pockets, handy for stashing poop bags, treats, keys, and more. 

LED runner’s and cyclist’s gear

reflective vests for walking

Runners and cyclists are well-versed in making themselves visible when sharing the road with drivers, and the market is full of gear that can help you illuminate yourself from top to bottom. You can choose from high-visibility reflective beanies, light-up belts, low-profile vests, clip-on lights, wrist and ankle bands, and more.

reflective dog collar

head lamp for walking

Head Lamps and LED Beanies

A little extra light is always helpful, especially when it comes to navigating uneven terrain or picking up poop on dark streets. Relying on the flashlight app of a cell phone can quickly drain the battery. Instead, try a headlamp or LED beanie for the benefit of hands-free illumination. 

HIGH VISIBILITY PRODUCT SELECTION

reflective walking gear
This photo was taken with a flash; the white highlights in each leash are reflective material. The reflective threads woven into the rope-type leash(left picture( don’t contribute much visibility. The better choice is Lupine Pet’s 6′ Reflective Dog Leash (right), which contains much more reflective material. $20 from LupinePet.

Not all high visibility gear is equally useful. When choosing light-up dog gear (collars, harnesses, and/or leashes), look for these attributes:

  • Extended battery life. Explore manufacturer claims and see how they compare to consumer experience as reported in product reviews. 
  • Standard cables for rechargeable products. Standard micro-USB or similar cables are far more useful than products that require a proprietary cable. With universal cables, you can use any of the cables most of us already have around the house.
  • As much illumination as possible. When comparing products, count the lights and/or estimate the distance between them. In the case of attachable (pendant) collar lights, check to determine whether the protective casing affects the product’s illumination. 

When buying reflective gear, look for these features:

  • Maximum amount of reflective material. A reflective dog collar or leash with a wide strip or multiple strips of reflective material will provide better retroreflection than a product with a tastefully thin strip of reflective piping or reflective threads woven throughout a leash. 
  • Reflective material on both sides of a leash. Look for leashes with reflective material on both sides, as leashes can easily turn and twist and you want to maintain maximum visibility no matter how the leash is oriented. 
  • High-Quality reflective material. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” Many of our favorite reflective products feature top-quality 3M Scotchlite reflective materials. 

PROS AND CONS OF VARIOUS NIGHT-VISIBILITY PRODUCTS

PRODUCT TYPEEXAMPLES WE LIKEBENEFITSDRAWBACKS
LIGHT-UP PRODUCTS
Attachable LightsNite Ize Spotlit LED Collar Light. $9 from Amazon.These are often very bright. Very easy to clip onto a dog’s collar or harness.When attached to the dog’s collar, these tend to illuminate the ground in front of the dog in a way that some dog walkers find disorienting; the dangling, swinging light can make it more difficult to see one’s path.
Light-Up CollarBSEEN LED Dog Collar. Available in three colors. Collar is one-size-fits-all (cut it to length). USB rechargeable. $13 from Amazon.Helps viewers identify the lighted object as a dog.May be obscured by the coat of a long-haired dog. Some, like the example listed here, are an “extra” collar meant for visibility only; they slip over the dog’s head and there is no leash attachment.
Light-Up LeashIllumiseen LED Leash. USB rechargeable. Available in 4' and 6'; multiple colors to choose from. $25 from Amazon.Length of leash increases visibility. Particularly helpful for long-coated breeds, whose coats may reduce visibility of a light-up collar.Not as flexible as a standard leash; not likely to work if chewed by a dog. Lighted on only one side (but it’s pretty bright, so it may light up enough even when twisted).
Light-Up Vest or Harness (for dogs)Lighthound from Noxgear. USB rechargeable harness (with leash attachment) stays charged for 12 hours. Numerous flashing and color-changing modes. $50 from noxgear.com.Vests and harnesses provide maximum lighted surface area for drivers to see; also aids in identifying the lighted creature as a dog. This is helpful for other pedestrians or dog walkers who are trying to avoid other dogs.Vests or harnesses whose primary purpose is lighting may not be designed well for the dog’s comfort and may not provide a leash attachment.
Light-Up Belt (for humans)Illumiseen LED Reflective Belt. USB rechargeable. $20 from illumiseen.com.As the taller member of a walking pair, the human provides a more easily seen site for a light-up garment. Product example listed here has both LED illumination and reflective accents.A light-up belt can easily be hidden by outer layers if worn as a belt. Can be worn over one shoulder, crossing the body, for better visibility.
Light-Up Vest (for humans)Noxgear’s Tracer 2. USB Rechargeable. Comes in 3 sizes. $50 from noxgear.com.Some products (like the example listed here) have flashing and color-changing options for the greatest visibility.Light-up vests help you be seen but don’t light your way.
Headlamp or LED BeanieNite Ize Radiant 170 Rechargeable Headlamp. $25 from niteize.com.Headlamps work best for lighting the human’s path. They also help you find your dog’s poop and free up your hands for easy pick-up.Some people find it distracting to walk with a headlamp or find them uncomfortable to wear. (As an alternative to a head strap, Nite Ize offers a model that clips onto a trucker-hat brim.)
REFLECTIVE PRODUCTS
Reflective Gear for Dog (vest, leash, collar)Ruffwear’s Lumenglow High-Vis Dog Jacket. Comes in 6 sizes, 3 colors. $45 from Ruffwear.Reflective products offer increased visibility to drivers, where light-up products may get “washed out” by the headlights. Look for products with as much reflective material as possible. The Lumenglow Jacket has a wide strip of reflective material.The dog isn’t very visible until a light hits the reflective material. Pedestrians (or other dog walkers) who are walking without lights won’t know the dog is present until they are close.
Reflective Gear for HumansJK Safety 9-Pocket Safety Vest. Comes in 7 sizes, up to 5X-Large. $15 from Amazon.High-visibility vests are available in multiple styles for outdoor workers in many fields. Most are lightweight and offer wide reflective strips and piping. We like the example product for its many pockets (handy for treats, poop bags, keys, etc.).EVERYONE will see you coming! Some people don’t want to wear an additional layer. You might be mistaken for a transportation worker and get asked about the most recent road closures or construction projects.
Safety Tips for Walking Dogs at Night

  • Use a leash! Even the best-trained dogs can be led astray by the scent of a critter, many of which are most active at dawn and dusk.
  • Bring your phone for emergencies, but keep it in your pocket as you walk. Pay attention to your dog and your surroundings, not your text messages. 
  • Skip the headphones. Use all your senses to survey your surroundings.
  • Walk against traffic so you can see what’s coming up ahead.
  • Take a familiar route. Save exploration for daylight hours.
  • Carry identification of some sort, including emergency instructions for your dog should you be incapacitated in an accident. Consider adding this information to the emergency setting on your cell phone. 

How To Get Cats and Dogs to Get Along

By
Kathy Callahan, CPDT-KA, FDM
-
13
How To Get Cats and Dogs to Get Along
A very tall cat tree and a well-trained dog help smooth a canine/feline introduction. Our kitty Bo and dog Mojo have been friends for years, but we often host foster dogs, so the tree and the baby gate on the other side of it help give our cat a quick path to safety.

According to family lore, when my husband was a little boy, his bedtime request was always the same: “Tell me a story about a doggy and a kitty who made friends.” Those of us who have navigated the doggy-kitty waters know that he was definitely onto something. This topic has drama, surprise, even a bit of danger – all with the potential for a gleefully happy ending. Luckily, in real life, there’s much you can do to short-circuit the suspense and get to the “happily ever after” as soon as possible. 

1. Plan carefully for the first minute, and stick to the plan.

If you take away only one thing from this article, make it this: You don’t get a second chance at the first minute.

The time to think about facilitating a good canine-feline introduction is way before you add the new pet. The very first moments in the house together can set the tone for this new dynamic. If you’ve taken a spontaneous, “Oh, they’ll work it out” approach, and the all-but-inevitable giant chase scene takes place, you have already blown it. 

That’s so easy to prevent with just a little upfront planning. Remember that you’re going to have a lot on your mind as you enter the house with that new pet. The most frustrating call I get is this one: “Oh, I meant to have the dog in the crate when we came in with the new kitty, but we were so excited we just forgot. There was a chase. Honestly, Rover just wanted to play! He didn’t mean any harm. But, um, Fluffy hasn’t come out from under the bed for two days. What do we do now?” You’ll wish you could get that first hour back.

2. How to introduce a dog to a cat

The new pet in question, whether the dog or the cat, has a lot to take in at first: New people, new home, new vibe. It makes sense to postpone the much-anticipated dog-cat introduction until there’s been time settle in. For example, if a kitty is the newcomer to the home, you may want to keep her in a bedroom for anywhere from an afternoon to a few days as you bond with her. 

In some cases, allowing the dog and the cat to sniff each other under a bedroom door can be a perfect start. Without that intense visual stimulus, the interaction is often calmer. You can exchange bedding materials to allow even closer investigation via the nose. 

Once the new kid is a bit settled, it’s time for a formal introduction. Ideally, you’ll get a ho-hum reaction along the lines of “Oh, it’s the dude from under the door.”

3. Contain the dog.

There are two keys to the best introductions: canine containment and feline confidence. Think hard about how you can reinforce both at your house.

Typically, a dog is the more excited part of the new duo, which is why that’s the side you’ll want to contain. Please don’t assume the rules are different for a little puppy! People often discount the emotional trauma an exuberant (if physically harmless) puppy can cause. The bottom line is that if you want a dog and a cat to become friends, you’ll start by keeping the dog from getting in the cat’s space. 

If your dog is comfortable with a crate, that’s the ideal place for him when he’s first meeting the cat. Alternatively, you can use gates or pens to establish a safe separation. Either option has the advantage of leaving you hands-free and able to move between the pets to manage the situation and deliver treats. 

While keeping a dog on leash for the intro might be fine with a completely uninterested dog or the tiniest of puppies, it might be a challenge, and here’s why:

      • Your hands are occupied with the leash, making it difficult to manage treats or petting.
      • You get tired of holding on, which could lead to a slip-up. 
      • If you let your leashed dog pull you around after the cat, the cat will feel there’s no place that is dog-free, so her anxiety stays through the roof. 

Tethering the leash to something fixed in place can mitigate some of these issues. Still, crates and gates will likely give you a better experience for the initial phase.

This cat tree is not tall enough to keep the cat safe – and she knows it, if she’s tense and scared, she’ll run – and almost any dog will give chase to a running cat. You need a much taller tree.

4.  Give the cat a safe, high place to retreat to.

With the exception of the very young and the very old, most cats will be able to jump and climb up to spots a dog can’t reach. The faster the cat figures that out, the faster you’re on your way to a peaceful home. A high, safe perch gives the cat that all-important confidence that she’s got some control over the situation, which will allow her to entertain the idea of exploring a friendship. 

Before the big day, ponder the possible cat perches in your house. The size and agility of the dog will determine whether that will be a chair, a table, a counter, or the top of the refrigerator! You may need to do a little rearranging to make sure it’s easy for the cat to reach and impossible for the dog to get to. Help the cat learn that this is her spot by putting a bed there and bringing her there often for treats and petting. (She can eventually learn that many tall spots will do the trick, but at first we want her to know about one for sure.)

If it’s in your budget and you can get over the impact it has on your decor, get a giant kitty condo tree. It’ll have a carpet grip that a scared cat can count on when seeking a climb to safety. The most fun ones have landings at different heights, too, so that as your cat gains confidence she can choose to hang out just a bit closer to the dog. If you’re handy you might want to consider stylish cat climbing shelves which have the same utility, but may work better with your home’s decor.

I bought a monstrosity from Chewy.com that I adore. (Goodbye, nice dining room.) It’s brought me peace of mind because Mr. Bojangles knows he can streak to his tall treehouse if some new foster dog decides to chase him. Bonus: We also feed him up there, which is a great way to keep the dogs out of the cat food.

5. Take a crash course in dog and cat body language.

Now that you’ve figured out how you’ll contain the dog and where you’ll encourage your cat to stay out of reach, it’s time to introduce the two. Sometimes, that moment will be such a non-event that you’ll feel off-duty almost immediately. More likely, though, you’ll be spending hours to days – and even weeks – watching body language and being ready to intervene. 

Familiarize yourself with the big warning signs:

      • If your dog stiffens and stares, take a break, because that’s what it looks like when his predatory behavior is kicking in. 
      • If the cat’s ears are pinned back and her tail swishes back and forth, take a break, because she’s very concerned. (Remember that the cat may be the one to do some harm!) 

6.  Introduce the cohabitants and reward calm behavior.

While you want to be ready to take action if you see too much intensity, also be ready to reward calm. Plan to have amazing treats ready near the introduction/bonding area. If possible, have a second person available for this moment, so that each pet has a handler throughout the session. 

Here’s what it might look like: Perhaps your dog is in a crate with you sitting next to him, and another family member calmly brings the cat to her now-familiar spot up in her kitty condo tree. Or we’ve got the cat on her now-familiar kitchen counter area, and we bring the dog to the gate just outside the kitchen. 

The moment the cat is in sight, offer your dog bites of hot dog, feta cheese, ham, or whatever is new and exciting to him. This is a three-prong strategy as you are:

      • Distracting him from the cat.
      • Rewarding him for doing something other than obsessively focusing on the cat.
      • Building a positive association with the cat. “Oh! So the presence of this cat means I get amazing treats I’ve never had before! What do you know? I like this cat.”

Use tiny pea-sized pieces so you can keep up a stream of activity. If he’s too excited to take them, increase his distance from the cat. If he’s eating them, you can begin asking for sits, downs, spins, and touches to help take his mind off the cat.

Have one person standing near the cat, offering a sense of security, petting, and treats. If the cat realizes the dog can be in sight without being a threat, she may well go into “boring kitty” mode, which is ideal. The last thing we want is a cat who darts very provocatively – which is why you want to do everything you can to calm the cat without restraining her, which would set this whole scenario way back.

It may be that one 5-minute session is plenty for now. Help everyone go back to their separate areas of your home, and repeat this every few hours. Soon enough, both will anticipate what’s next. Ideally, your dog will run over and – rather than thinking “Oooh, a kitty to chase!” – he’ll think, “Oooh, time for me to sit for a hot dog!” As the cat sees the dog approach her perch, rather than thinking, “Oh no!” she should be thinking, “This is where he sits and doesn’t bother me, and I get those crunchy treats I never get any other time!” 

HARD WORK PAYS LIFELONG DIVIDENDS

Make no mistake: These early sessions are a lot of work for the human. It’s fascinating, though, and in the end it can pay off dramatically with a smooth and relatively quick path to calm. As you witness both parties relaxing, it’s time to slow the stream of treats, and let them begin to focus on each other from time to time without trying to distract them. 

If you’re lucky, your cat will decide it might be fun to reach down and experiment. You’ll know things are going well when the cat starts to dangle a tail, or a paw . . . You’re on your way to the two of them figuring out just how they can play together.

BRAVE CATS, CALM DOGS

Shadow the wolf hybrid, snuggling with his pal Fritzy, against all odds.

Even if you do everything right, there are some dogs who will never be safe around any cat, and  cats who will never be able to relax around a dog. When considering getting a second pet, think carefully about both personalities before you take the leap. 

If you are in a position to choose the new animal (as opposed to, say, needing to take in your Aunt Matilda’s old cat) then you’ll want to stack the deck in your favor by picking wisely. The cat or dog who has already happily lived in a “mixed” canine/feline home is an ideal choice. Try to fall in love with that one! 

If you don’t have a candidate who has demonstrated that she can live with the “other side” already, look for positive-indicator traits. The ideal cat will be confident and interested in new things. She’ll stand her ground, look at a dog calmly and say, “Nope, I’m not prey.” The nervous cat who runs is a disaster, because she’ll turn a dog who was otherwise inclined to be mellow into a drooling, chasing mess.

The ideal dog will be on the calmer side, exhibit some impulse control, and will respond to a few cues like sit, down, touch, shake, or spin.

DOGS AND CATS: HAPPILY EVER AFTER

With enough effort, a multi-species household can work out even when, on the face of it, the candidates don’t seem ideally suited for long-term cohabitation. 

About 18 years ago, we had two dogs and a desire for a cat. On the face of it, it looked a wee bit ill-advised, since Shadow was a strong, athletic wolf hybrid (don’t ask) whose intensity around small running things indicated this could be dicey. On the plus side, though, our dogs were well-trained, and we knew Piper, the little yellow Lab, would be BFFs with the cat in no time.

I was wildly interested in this prospect from all angles, and I was the one who was home all the time to do the work.

So we headed to the shelter with the kids and asked those smart folks which of the 30 or so cats might be a good choice for us. They pointed out two. We chose one and headed home to start a months-long journey of gates and leashes and treats. 

At first Shadow was a shaking, drooling mess any time he was near the kitty. But Fritzy the cat just looked at him calmly – almost rolling his eyes – waiting for him to become civilized. 

At some point, the novelty wore off just enough, the treats smelled just delicious enough, and Shadow’s pack instinct kicked in just enough. His body language no longer worried me. Still, I wasn’t about to remove our gates. But then … Fritzy started leaping over those gates to be with the dogs – and Shadow paid him no mind. Once my heart returned from my throat, I realized we’d done it. 

Soon they were the classic “doggy and kitty who made friends” curled up together on the bed, much to my grown husband’s delight. 

Download The Full December 2021 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
-
5
  • DOGS AND CATS
  • GET LIT
  • DON'T HAVE A SEIZURE
  • HUMAN-GRADE DOG FOOD
  • TAPE ME UP, COACH!
  • ADOLESCENT ANGST
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