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Whole Dog Journal’s 2011 Canned Dog Food Review

By
Nancy Kerns
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Wet dog food is much more “natural” for dogs to eat than dry kibble. Its moisture content is closer to that of meats, eggs, fruits, and vegetables – the sort of things that canines have eaten for the tens of thousands of years before commercial dog foods were invented. Wet foods usually contain more animal protein – the optimum base of a carnivore’s diet – than even very high-quality dry foods. Even the varieties that are formulated with grain – not at all what dogs have eaten as they evolved – contain far less grain than dry foods.

Pound for pound, wet dog food is also more expensive to feed (especially large dogs) than dry foods. That’s because, with its high moisture content, the food is less “energy dense” than dry foods; you have to feed a larger volume of it to give your dog the calories and nutrients he needs. All that moisture is expensive to package and ship.

But the benefits of wet food are many. It’s therapeutic for dogs with kidney ailments, or any disorder that worsens if a dog gets dehydrated. Wet foods are generally far more palatable than dry foods, which can be a literal lifesaver when feeding very thin, sick, or picky dogs. Most dogs digest high-quality wet foods with fewer problems (gas, vomiting, and diarrhea) than dry foods. Wet foods also tend to be far less adulterated with synthetic ingredients than dry foods; artificial colors and flavors are rare in wet foods. And preservatives are not added to canned or pouched foods, since the oxygen-free packaging maintains their freshness. Even without preservatives, wet foods retain their nutrient value far longer than dry foods – two years or more. 

WDJ’s Selection Criteria

Because of all of these benefits, some holistic veterinarians are of the opinion that even a lower-quality wet food is healthier than good-quality dry foods.

We won’t go that far, because we like to see high-quality ingredients used in any food that’s fed to our canine companions. Not because we like to imagine that’s what we’d like to eat – the “humanization” marketing ploy – but because we know that diets comprised of a variety of locally sourced, fresh, unprocessed or lightly processed, unadulterated “real food” ingredients are healthiest for any living organism.

How do we determine whether a wet food contains these high-quality ingredients? There are two places on a product label we pay attention to: the ingredients panel and the “guaranteed analysis.” These sections of the label are required by law and tend to be subject to closer review and regulation by state feed control officials than the rest of the package.

We pay no attention to the pictures of the sort of ingredients that are purportedly in the food; they are almost never included in the form depicted on the label.

When looking at the ingredients list, we look for the following (these things are good):

WHOLE MEAT, FISH, OR POULTRY AS THE FIRST INGREDIENT. This means that by weight, there is more of this ingredient than anything else in the food. Wet foods are generally around 78 percent to 82 percent moisture.

There are some good wet foods with water (or broth) first on our “approved foods” list (starting on page 6), but since fresh meat is so high in moisture, most top-notch foods feature an animal protein (fresh meat) first on the list, and water or broth (required for processing) in the second or third position. The point is to look for products that contain as much meat as possible.

There has been a resurgence of popularity of complete and balanced wet foods that contain nothing but meat, water, and a vitamin/mineral supplement; many of these are labeled with a “95% meat” claim. Remember: while some dogs benefit from the inclusion of some carbohydrates in their diets, dogs have no dietary requirement for carbohydrates! They can thrive on diets that contain only protein and fat.

IF GRAINS OR VEGETABLES ARE USED, WE LOOK FOR THE USE OF WHOLE GRAINS AND VEGETABLES. This means we prefer foods that contain “rice” rather than rice flour, rice bran, brewer’s rice, etc. Also, if grains are used in a wet product, we don’t want to see a lot of them! Even a product with an animal protein first on its ingredients list may contain more grain than meat if it has several grains or grain “fragments” on the label, too.

THE WORDS “COMPLETE AND BALANCED” SHOULD APPEAR ON THE LABEL. Some manufacturers produce a few wet food products that are meant for “supplemental or intermittent” use only. These products do not meet the specifications for a “complete and balanced diet” as defined by the model regulations developed by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and adopted by each state. While these “supplemental” foods may be useful as part of a varied diet, they can’t be relied on to provide all the nutrients your dog needs.

There are also a number of things we look out for – attributes that would cause us to reject a wet food product (these things are bad):

PROTEINS OR FATS THAT ARE NOT IDENTIFIED BY SPECIES. “Animal fat” and “meat proteins” are euphemisms for low-quality, ingredients of uncertain origin.

MEAT BY-PRODUCTS OR POULTRY BY-PRODUCTS. There is a wide range in the quality and type of by-products that are available to pet food producers. And there is no way for the average dog owner (or anyone else) to find out, beyond a shadow of a doubt, whether the by-products used are kept clean, chilled, and used fresh within a day or two of slaughter (as some companies have told us), or are comprised of ingredients that were literally swept off a floor, dumped down the floor drains at the processing plant, and kept for hours or days on unrefrigerated loading docks and trucks.

In recent years, we’ve learned that there is far more variation than we knew in the quality of even named, “whole” meats used in pet foods – the ingredients we’ve described for years as ideal. We were under the impression that whole, named meats were far too expensive to be handled in anything less than a similar fashion to meats meant for human consumption (the legal description is “edible”). We were wrong; we learned this when we had a chance to tour a raw ingredient (meat) plant. We’ll discuss this more in our review of dry foods (in our February 2012 issue). But in the meantime, all we can say is that the whole, named meats tend to be of higher quality and are more likely be maintained in a clean, chilled state prior to processing.

WHEAT GLUTEN. Wet foods often contain some sort of thickener or binder. Various types of “gum” (such as guar gum, from the seed of the guar plant, and carrageenan gum, from seaweed) are common thickeners. Whole grains, potatoes, and sweet potatoes also can be used to thicken wet food. But wheat gluten (and some other glutens) are generally only used in wet foods to hold together artificially formed “chunks” meant to resemble chunks of meat – you know, those perfect cubes of meaty mush found in low-cost dog foods?

If chunks of meat are present in a wet dog food, they should be actual chunks of meat.

SUGAR OR OTHER SWEETENERS. A food that contains quality meats shouldn’t need additional palatants to entice dogs.

ARTIFICIAL COLORS, FLAVORS, or ADDED PRESERVATIVES. Fortunately, these are rare in wet foods!

Other Ingredients

Some ominous-sounding chemicals in a dog food turn out to be a source of a needed vitamin or mineral. Generally, all the vitamins and minerals on a good label are grouped together at the end of the ingredients list. If an ingredient appears after the vitamins and minerals, it’s just “window dressing” – present in the food in a completely insignificant amount.

What about products that contain a long, long list of vegetables and herbs and nutraceuticals? They make a food sound so appealing! Just keep in mind that the more of all this stuff there is in a food, the less room there is for meat – the main reason to feed a wet food.

Let’s Talk About Pet Food Manufacturing Sites

Since the infamous recalls of 2007, we have required any pet food company that wanted its products considered for our approval to disclose their manufacturing sites. Having this information can vastly reduce the panic and uncertainty a dog owner may experience upon hearing of a pet food recall stemming from a certain pet food manufacturing facility; you would know immediately whether your dog’s food was involved or not.

Not all pet food companies will disclose this information, however. Many fear that if any product made at that plant is recalled, their own foods will be “brushed” with the same tar reserved for the recalled products, even if their ingredients are procured and stored separately, and the production lines are well cleaned between their own manufacturing runs and those for other companies’ products. These are valid concerns. There are pet owners who, since the 2007 recalls of melamine-contaminated foods, have refused to buy anything that came out of a Menu plant (that’s the company that manufactured most – not all – of the recalled foods). (Note: those plants are now owned and operated by Simmons Pet Food, North America’s largest wet pet food private-label and contract manufacturer. Some of 2007’s recalled foods were manufactured at American Nutrition Inc.)

We’ve heard all sorts of reports of alleged misconduct at Evanger’s Dog & Cat Food Company. We’re also aware of a serious recall of foods made by Merrick Pet Care (in 2004).

You’ll notice that these three manufacturers (with 7 facilities among them) are responsible for making most of the products on our approved foods list; they are also responsible for making almost all of the high-quality wet pet food in this country. The fact is, there are fewer than a dozen “contract manufacturers” (also known as co-packers) in this whole country that manufacture wet pet food for companies that don’t own and operate their own plants. (All the corporate giants have their own plants.)

No matter where a product is made, preventing the production of a product that will cause a recall requires the procurement and management of top-quality ingredients, good manufacturing practices, and scrupulous oversight and auditing of the manufacturing process. It’s far more effective to ask a pet food company about what it does to accomplish those tasks than it is to blacklist every product made in any facility that ever had a recalled food. With the exception of the brand-new plant launched by Lotus Pet Foods this year, we’re not sure there are any other plants with a perfectly clean record.

Finally, speaking of Lotus, we recently toured its facility and observed the production of a batch of its food. An article describing exactly how wet pet food is made (and photos of the process) appears on the WDJ website.

The Approved Canned Food List

Below is our list of “approved wet foods” for 2011. All of these products have met our selection criteria and the company whose name is on the label has disclosed its manufacturer/s. There are probably more products that both meet our criteria (as described above) and whose makers would answer your questions about their manufacturers. Rest assured that any food that you find that meets our  selection criteria is just as good as any of the foods on our list.

We’ve listed the foods alphabetically by company name.

Some companies make several lines of food. We’ve listed each line that meets our selection criteria. We’ve also highlighted one variety from each company as a representative product, to show what sort of ingredients and macro-nutrient levels (protein, fat, fiber, and moisture) are typically found in that maker’s foods. Rather than try to list all the ingredients in each food we highlight, we’ve listed the first 10 ingredients – the major components of the food.

Remember, quality comes with a price. These foods may be expensive and can be difficult to find, depending on your location.

Rabies Vaccination and The Law

By
Nancy Kerns
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I saw a news item over the weekend announcing that my state’s governor (California’s Jerry Brown) signed “Molly’s Bill” (AB 258), exempting certain dogs from the rabies vaccine requirement. Dogs whose lives would be endangered by the vaccination “due to disease or other considerations that a veterinarian can verify and document” — as determined by a licensed veterinarian on an annual basis – now have a legal means of avoiding vaccination against rabies. California is the 14th state to sign such a bill into law.

This is great news for dogs who have suffered adverse reactions to rabies vaccines, and for debilitated senior dogs (who have perhaps the longest history or previous vaccinations, the least risk of coming into contact with rabid animals, AND the most risk of suffering side effects of the rabies vaccine). However, it’s NOT a tool that should be used to justify the failure to vaccinate just ANY dog against rabies, for a number of reasons:

1. According to the bill, any dog who receives this exemption would be required to be  “confined to the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer, and would require, if the dog is off the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer, the dog to be on a leash not to exceed 6 feet in length and to be under the direct physical control of an adult.” Also, “A dog that is exempt from the provisions of this section shall not have contact with a dog or cat that is not currently vaccinated against rabies.” That’s pretty restrictive for many adult dogs – although not necessarily a burden for others.

2. Dogs should be vaccinated against rabies; no responsible owner would forego vaccination altogether. Pet vaccination has reduced the incidence of the disease in pets, wildlife, and humans in this country over the past few decades, but rabies still afflicts plenty of wild animals and poses risks to dogs and cats who come into contact with infected wildlife.

3. Your dog may be vaccinated, and titer tests may show that he is adequately protected from contracting the disease…but if he has been exempted from vaccination by meeting the provisions of this law, he will be considered unvaccinated in the eyes of the law. This can have serious repercussions should he bite another dog or a human and a bite report is filed – or if he has an encounter with a wild animal. In some communities, a dog in these situations might be ordered to be quarantined for 10 days at home; in others, he might be seized by animal control officers and quarantined at an animal shelter.

Rabies vaccinations are a good thing; every dog should have at least two in his lifetime. It’s debatable whether more are needed for the dog’s protection (or to protect public health) – though far more vaccinations are required by state law. We strongly support the Rabies Challenge Fund, which is conducting research that should demonstrate that existing rabies vaccines convey much longer protection than their labels indicate. These studies may well provide the proof needed to further change state laws, so that fewer vaccinations against rabies are required during our dogs’ lifetimes. See rabieschallengefund.org for more details.

(The Power of Positive Dog Training #1) Reward The Behavior Your Want

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Why don’t more people train their dog? Surely everyone wants a well-mannered canine companion, and new dog owner’s intentions are usually good. Most dog owners make a genuine effort to train their dogs, only to give up because they find that training is more work or harder than they expected. Learning to communicate with your dog can be an awe-inspiring experience of mutual empowerment.

Did you know that by receiving rewards for desired behaviors your dog learns how to choose to do the right thing, rather than just how to avoid doing the wrong thing?

Take jumping on people. Lots of dogs jump up. Jumping up is one of their most annoying behaviors. Why do dogs jump up? To greet people, because face to face greetings are natural dog behavior, and because it’s exceptionally rewarding to them. And sometimes even yelling is attention, and they are rewarded often enough that it’s always worth a try. 

Remember: you want to reward the behaviors you want, and ignore or prevent the behaviors you don’t want. Instead of physically punishing your Jumping Jack, ignore him by not making eye contact, by not speaking to him, and by turning your back on him until he does something good like sits, and then you reward with treats and attention. If you do this consistently, Jack will learn to run up to you and sit as hard as he can for attention.  Dogs repeat behaviors that are rewarding to them. 

Whether you’ve never trained a dog or are just switching over to positive training, Pat Miller’s book, The Power of Positive Dog Training will show that training your four-legged friend with positive training tools is easy, fun and effective. Available now at Whole Dog Journal.

I Think I’m Going to Have to Write a Book

By
Nancy Kerns
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The good news: For each of the past two weekends, someone I know has come to my town from hundreds of miles away to adopt a dog from my local shelter. It’s not luck; it’s thanks to my relentless promotion of dogs I’ve met while volunteering – AND because I tell everyone I know who is looking for a dog that if they adopt from my shelter, they receive that dog’s lifetime of FREE “tech support” from me. 

The challenge: Actually finding the time to provide that promised support to new and somewhat inexperienced dog owners.

Just a few of the questions I’ve answered so far:

Why won’t she poop?

If he pees at 6:40 pm, but hasn’t pooped since this morning, should we let him loose in the house or does he have to go back in the crate?

How do I get her to pee on the side of the house that is dirt, rather than only the grass?

How soon can I take him for a long walk?

Does that stuff kill fleas, too? Because I just saw a flea on her!

Should the pet sitter/dog walker be bonded? Should I pass on this pet sitting company because they have a lot of employees and it might be a different walker every day?

How do I keep her out of the living room and dining room; I have an open floor plan and the entrances to these rooms are 20 feet wide!

My partner keeps telling the dog NO! How do I get him to stop that and “divert and distract” the dog — without getting in a huge fight?

When will all those puppy teeth fall out? The adult teeth are already pushing in! Should I be brushing them every day?

How many treats a day are too many?

How many hours in a crate is too many? How soon can he graduate to being loose in the kitchen with the crate door open, without ruining his potty-training?

And of course: What kind of food should I buy?

It’s been an exhausting but good reminder of just how much inexperienced dog owners need to learn, fast, if they have a strong desire to do everything right in order to produce a happy, healthy, well-behaved forever member of the family. I keep finding myself looking up and sending articles to them, and copying advice from this email and pasting it in that one . . .

It finally occurred to me: I need to write a book for new dog owners, so I can just send them the book. Now, how am I going to find time to do that? Hmmm…

(The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care #2) Your Dog’s Drinking Water

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

The purity of your pet’s drinking water is a serious consideration. In his book Pet Allergies, Alfred Plechner lists contaminated drinking water as a common cause of health problems. The simple act of replacing tap water with distilled, bottled or filtered water can bring surprising, dramatic improvements.

Water is the only thing to which your pet should have unlimited access. Animals know when they’re thirsty and they should have free access to clean containers of pure, healthy water.

Municipal water contamination has become a national concern now that chemical pesticides, fertilizers, industrial solvents, road salt, bacteria, parasites and heavy metals have found their way into kitchen faucets. Whatever you can do to improve your drinking water is worth the effort. Your own health as well as your pet’s health will improve.

Excerpted from long-time Whole Dog Journal contributor CJ Puotinen’s  incredible resource, The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care.  This  500+ page volume is everything you need to know to ensure good health and long life for your dog.

You can purchase this book right now from Whole Dog Journal, The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care.

Life With Canine Cancer – The New Normal

By
Barbara Dobbins
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0

It’s nine o’clock on Tuesday evening. I don’t know what to do with myself. The dishes are done, the dogs are fed. They are quite relaxed for Border Collies; they romped for hours in the warm spring air.

I don’t want to sleep. Tomorrow everything will change. But right now my two B&W companions are snoozing happily next me on the bed. I want to hold this moment still for as long as possible. I want it to stretch out and wrap its memories around me forever. Right now, this moment, all is right with the world.

Tomorrow at 8AM, I drop Daisy off for her chemotherapy treatment. This is our “normal.” She has cancer; we live with it. We treat it; we won’t be able to cure it. We play a lot of Frisbee and are still amazed at how much weight we are both gaining.

Tomorrow at 11AM, I take Daisy’s sibling Duncan in to see her internist/oncologist. We have him checked yearly for signs of the same type of cancer that Daisy has as it can be genetic. But that’s not the reason for this visit.

Duncan, aka Lad of the Lumps, has nine lipomas. When I found out that one in ten lipomas are malignant, I joked with his veterinarian that he has one more to go. I know it doesn’t work that way, but when you’re dealing with cancer on a regular basis, sometimes a warped sense of humor seeps out.

This past Sunday, I found the tenth growth. It is huge, almost baseball-sized, and located in an area that doesn’t seem typical for lipomas. I can’t believe that I’ve somehow missed this growth. I had just checked him on Saturday as he has an upcoming visit with his holistic veterinarian and I was searching for new lumps so they could be checked and aspirated during the visit.

I didn’t feel the growth on his shoulder then. How did I miss it? How long have I missed it?

About six months ago Duncan had his regular check up with the chiropractor. He’s a wild boy and has of late been getting a little creaky. His chiropractor examined him thoroughly, made a few minor adjustments and proclaimed him good to go for another six months or so.

Since then, I’ve noticed him limping slightly on his right front leg. Not enough to inhibit his all-out ball chasing, but just enough that I could see it ever so slightly. And then there was the overall stiffness during the evenings after these rambunctious games of fetch. It wasn’t consistent; it would come and go. But something about it kept nagging at me. So I made an appointment with his holistic vet to start the diagnostic process. That appointment is scheduled for this coming Saturday.

I’ve gotten really good over the past year at not anticipating diagnostics. Long-term cancer treatment has that effect I guess. Besides, the clinical reality and the dog reality can be two different things. I look to my girl to tell me how she is doing. I watch her play chase and inhale her food. I watch her snarfle in the pillows and wrestle with her brother. All is good.

It’s not that I forget she has cancer. It’s just that sometimes I don’t remember. And in between chemo treatments and ultrasounds and blood tests, I’ve learned not to worry about the next set of results. There’s nothing I can do about it. Besides, I think she’ll tell me long before a test will.

In this moment, everything is still okay. I cherish it. I want to drench myself in it like a favorite perfume with the scent lingering for days. I watch their deep synchronized breaths, their occasional sighs and stretches. They are happy, content, relaxed. They are not thinking about tomorrow. I really wish I could say the same.  — Barbara Dobbins

A Good Time for Feedback from You, Our Readers!

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

In my editorial in the September issue, I mentioned that both my writers and I have endured some various challenging life events this summer, which delayed the appearance of a few articles. Fortunately, other terrific pieces were prepared ahead of schedule, or in a few cases, appeared out of thin air from one of my regular contributors. Despite the drama, we’ve been able to bring you a full 24 pages of information you could immediately put into practice – even if it wasn’t on the topics we hinted at in the “what’s ahead” bar that appears on page 24. 

Mentioning these difficulties last month accomplished one nice side effect: I received a number of notes or email messages containing suggestions for other articles. It gave me an idea: While regrouping, I should take this opportunity to formally ask all of you about what you’d like to see in WDJ. And so I’ve asked the Web guys at our publishing HQ to add a link to WDJ’s home page (whole-dog-journal.com) for a short survey. Would you please go to the survey and answer just a few questions about what you’d like to see more of, or less of, in WDJ?

Just so you know: When planning each issue, I try to maintain a balance between dog-friendly, force-free training; holistic healthcare (including conventional medicine) for dogs; product reviews; and nutrition. In the best of all possible worlds, I’d have a bit of information about each of these in each issue.

Sometimes, however, the pendulum swings hard one way or the other for an issue or two. Last month, for example, we had a lot of training and behavior-related articles; this month, the issue is top-loaded with two in-depth articles having to do with health: chemotherapy for dogs with cancer, and Addison’s disease. We’re going to have a ton of food-related coverage in the next few months. It all evens out eventually – at least, I hope it does.

I also try to balance some of the very long, detailed feature articles with shorter offerings, such as the “5-Step Action Plan” column and “Canine News You Can Use.” Generally speaking, the idea with the long pieces is to give a reader who is struggling with that particular subject everything they need to know to really make a difference to their dog’s condition, whether the issue is health- or behavior-related. I understand that if you are not, yourself, dealing with that issue with your dog, these long pieces can be tedious. The idea is, though, that if your dog – or your brother’s dog, or your neighbor’s dog – ever did develop that condition, boom! You’d have an article on file that would really help address the problem.

Check out the “Survey” link on whole-dog-journal.com. And thanks for your interest in WDJ!

(The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care #1) – A Healthy Diet Leads to a Healthy Pet

By
CJ Puotinen
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0

Pet food manufacturers and the veterinarians courted by their sales representatives have convinced most Americans that because commercial pet foods are designed in laboratories by people with academic credentials and because their labels contain long lists of nutrients and claims of being “scientifically balanced” and “nutritionally complete,” they are superior to anything an animal might otherwise consume. Table scraps, raw food, “people food” and any supplements that might disrupt the commercial food’s precisely controlled distribution of vitamins and minerals are particularly frowned upon.

There is no doubt that commercial pet foods sustain life. Dogs, cats and other animals live for years on foods that come out of bags, can and boxes. But do these foods promote health? If they did, our companion animals would enjoy long, happy lives free of arthritis, hip dysplasia, eye problems, ear problems, fleas and other parasites, gum disease, lick granulomas, thyroid imbalances, skin and coat problems, personality disorders, birth defects, breeding problems, diabetes, cancer and other major and minor illnesses.

Before World War II, most Americans fed their pets raw bones and table scraps. Today, everyone uses convenience foods, and pet food companies are industry giants. Diet isn’t the only thing that has changed. So has life expectancy, with the life span of many breeds now less that half what it was two or three decades ago. Skin and coat problems are so common that we accept them as unavoidable, and today’s veterinarians routinely treat conditions that used to be unusual or even rare.

Of course, more has changed in the last 50 years than our pet’s diets. Environmental pollution, toxic chemicals and stress take their toll on companion animals as much as they do people. But a growing number of experts attribute the epidemics of modern animal illnesses in large part to diet.

Excerpted from long-time Whole Dog Journal contributor CJ Puotinen’s  incredible resource, The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care. This  500+ page volume is everything you need to know to ensure good health and long life for your dog.

You can purchase this book right now from Whole Dog Journal, The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care.

Download the Full October 2011 Issue PDF

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Nancy Kerns
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Chemotherapy for Dogs: What to Expect

By
Barbara Dobbins
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7
Chemotherapy for dogs is serious, but it isn't as horrible as you may think.

[Updated January 28, 2019]

In February 2010 my Border Collie, Daisy, became one of an estimated six million dogs diagnosed with cancer each year.

Chemotherapy. My stomach tumbled to my feet. The diagnosis was scary enough; how could I possibly consider chemotherapy? I had visions of a treatment worse than the disease itself.

dog getting chemotherapy

As it turns out, my preconceptions of chemotherapy were far worse than its reality. Chemo hasn’t cured my dog – more on that later – but it’s given us more than 18 months (and counting) of joyful, quality time together. It’s even given Daisy a dozen new friends and routines to look forward to, in the form of her oncologist and chemotherapy technicians and the special things they do to make her comfortable on her “chemo days.”

Chemotherapy for Dogs: Basics

Chemotherapy at its most basic definition is simply chemical treatment of an ailment. In this sense, we use chemotherapy everyday: antibiotics, NSAIDs, vitamins, herbs. Chemotherapy for the specific treatment of cancer involves infusing the dog’s system or a specific place in the dog’s body with cytotoxic chemicals in an attempt to destroy the cancer cells while hopefully doing as little damage as possible to normal healthy cells. Other than a few specially designed drugs for a couple of specific cancers, chemotherapy drugs attack cells in the process of rapid growth or division.

Cancer chemotherapy was developed in the 1940s when researchers became aware of the effects of mustard gas, which was being used as a chemical warfare agent. Those exposed to the gas were found to have very low white blood cell counts and researchers reasoned that if the chemical had an effect on the rapidly growing white blood cells, it might have a similar effect on the fast growing cells in some of the blood cancers. This led to further research and development of similar drug protocols.

Daisy has transitional cell carcinoma (cancer of the bladder). It is not curable, but it is treatable. I had to ask myself why I would treat her with toxic drugs. For this type of cancer, the first reason is to prevent metastasis – the spread of cancer to other parts of the body. The second reason was to control the disease and thereby increase her longevity and enhance her quality of life. For other types of cancer, chemotherapy might be used to reduce the size of the tumor so that surgery can be performed. Chemotherapy can also enhance the effectiveness of other cancer destroying treatments such as radiation. In some cases, it can rid the body of the disease, though this goal is not realistic at this time for many with the disease.

The goal of chemotherapy drugs is to kill the cancerous cells, while administering a dose that causes “tolerable” harm to the body’s normal tissues. Since a distinct trait of cancer cells is that they grow at a faster rate than most normal cells, chemotherapy agents usually affect the process of replication of these rapidly dividing cells by interfering with DNA or RNA at the cellular level. Most agents kill cancer cells by affecting DNA synthesis or function, a process that occurs during the cell cycle. The agent binds to the DNA and alters the replication process; the cellular activity is thereby halted and the cell dies. There is a balancing act between destroying as many malignant cells as possible and leaving enough normal cells to recover.

There are more than one hundred chemotherapy drugs being used to treat canine cancers and more are being developed all the time. Many years of research have resulted in established (but evolving) treatment protocols – treatment plans developed for a specific cancer type in which drugs are selected for their unique and complementary cancer-fighting properties and administered in a particular order and schedule. Combination chemotherapy is a protocol in which different drugs are rotated or given concurrently. With this approach, the drugs are given so as to attack the cancer cells in different ways thereby decreasing the possibility that the cancer cells will survive and become resistant to the beneficial effects of the agents.

There are many factors that your dog’s oncologist will take into account when selecting the protocol to use for your dog, including the type and extent of the cancer, the nature of the agents, published evidence of their efficacy, any potential adverse reactions, and your dog’s medical history and overall well-being. Your dog’s breed, too, may affect the protocol; some breeds with the MDR1 mutation cannot tolerate certain chemotherapy agents. (Get a list of commonly affected breeds and a test to identify affected individuals here.) And of course, the oncologist’s own training and experience plays a part in the decision.

If an oncologist does not see a response within a certain timeframe, the particular agent may be determined to be ineffective and another protocol may be administered or the treatment halted. The oncologist may even develop a protocol that isn’t standard but is the best way to treat your dog.

The common routes of drug administration are by mouth (orally), or by injection, which can be given through a vein (intravenous), into a muscle (intramuscular), or under the skin (subcutaneous). These are systemic treatments that travel throughout the body to reach the cancer cells wherever they may exist. More recently, other methods have been developed to increase the local concentration of the agent at the tumor site. Such site-specific applications can direct the agents to the affected areas of the abdomen, lungs, bladder, the central nervous system, and the skin. This process can reduce the systemic effects as well as provide a stronger action of the drug at the disease location.

Your dog’s specific dosage of a drug will be generally based on his body weight; other factors include your dog’s overall health and sensitivity to drugs. The dose must be high enough to be medically effective but not so high as to cause unnecessary damage to healthy cells.

Most plans begin intensive therapy with higher and more frequent doses of the agent in attempt to beat the disease back. The duration of the protocol depends on the type of cancer, the extent of disease, and how responsive it is to the treatment; the general recommendation is to administer 2-3 doses of a particular agent before determining if it is having an effect. Treatment periods can range from weeks to years. While the sound of “years of chemotherapy treatment” may sound daunting, remember that it means the treatment is working.

In addition to the chemotherapy administration itself, other exams and tests will be performed during the course of treatment. Some tests are done to see if your dog can safely receive treatment; others, such as ultrasounds, urinalysis, x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, and scopes monitor overall health and cancer status.

A routine checkup will take place during every visit. Like a report card, the following information should be relayed: your dog’s overall well-being, medications given, any changes in eating/drinking/elimination habits, any sign of illness, change in behavior, change in tumor (if visible). Report any changes to your veterinarian’s staff, no matter how insignificant the changes may seem. Thorough awareness and inspection of your dog is your responsibility. Veterinary technicians will perform a physical examination that will include obtaining heart rate, weight, and a blood sample.

Because many agents also affect healthy cells and organs, your dog’s laboratory data will be checked before each chemotherapy administration. In addition, an assessment of the effects on organs may be performed on a periodic basis. Abnormalities in any of these values may require dose adjustments or delay of therapy.

Clinical Trials of Cancer Drugs

The identification and development of effective nevv anticancer drugs is an ongoing process. Agents with a potential for antitumor activity are evaluated in clinical trials. Many veterinary teaching hospitals run such trials. lfyou are interested in having your dog participate in a trial, ask your oncologist or check caninecancer.com  for a list of links.

Weighing the Chemotherapy Option

– Is the expectation of the treatment worse than the treatment itself?

– How healthy is my dog?

– How does my dog handle trips to the veterinarian?

– How sensitive is my dog’s gastrointestinal system?

– Do l have emotional, financial, and/or time commitment constraints that will lessen my ability to commit myself fully to my dog?

Possible Chemo Side Effects on Dogs

Every dog will be different in his or her ability to handle treatment. Some dogs will experience side effects; some won’t. Side effects tend to be temporary, spanning just the amount of time that it takes normal cells to be replaced or to repair the damage incurred from the chemo.

chemotherapy for dogs

Canine oncologists have considerable experience with many of the standard drugs and how they affect dogs; they may prescribe medications to help prevent known potential issues. As with the administration of any drug, there can be a severe immediate reaction; this is extremely rare. This is why your dog will be monitored closely during the administration of the drug and observed for about an hour afterward. Other side effects can appear 1 to 3 days after administration and include lethargy, decreased stamina, diarrhea, nausea, and or/vomiting.

To counter the potential for nausea and vomiting, anti-nausea medication such as metoclopramide is often administered along with the chemotherapy agent or drugs such as Cerenia will be dispensed to give at home should these symptoms occur. Pepcid AC may also be suggested to prevent stomach upset. Bland diets can also help.

Guardians need to learn what the potential side effects are for the drugs their dog is receiving and how to watch for them. At times, it can be difficult to determine if a side effect is caused by the treatment or from the disease itself. Symptoms are especially difficult to evaluate during the beginning stage of treatment when there is nothing to compare them to. A day or two of nausea or a vomiting episode or two is not unexpected and is rarely dangerous. Notify your veterinarian immediately if your dog does not eat or drink for one day or longer, or if vomiting is continuous and water cannot be kept down, or if you notice blood in vomit or diarrhea. Record and report all your observations to the oncologist. If your dog does have a reaction, you may wonder whether to continue treatment; remember that the dosage can be adjusted or a different drug selected for use.

Unfortunately, the treatment drugs cannot distinguish between cancer cells and non-cancer cells. As a result, the destruction of the fast growing cells of the bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract becomes a concern. In addition, some drugs may damage the reproductive tract (not a problem in neutered or spayed dogs); others may affect specific organs such as the heart, liver, and/or kidneys and thus require frequent monitoring.

Some chemotherapy drugs affect the bone marrow, thus affecting the body’s ability to produce new white blood cells (WBCs). Your dog’s WBC count will generally be at its lowest 5 to 7 days after treatment. The lowering of the white blood cell count can make your dog more susceptible to infections, which generally arise from bacteria that normally live in the dog’s intestinal tract and on the skin, not from the environment. (So let your dog do the things he or she usually does, just use common sense and avoid known hazards such as dog parks with an outbreak of a contagion). Your veterinarian may also prescribe prophylactic antibiotics to prevent the possibility of infection if your dog’s neutrophil (a component of white blood cells) count is low (neutropenia), even if there is no evidence of infection.

Early detection of infection is important so that antibiotic treatment can be started immediately. Signs of infection can include loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, or depression. To help monitor for infection, familiarize yourself with how to take your pet’s temperature. Contact your vet immediately if the temperature is higher than 102.5°F (or otherwise indicated by your veterinarian), as a fever is an indication of infection. A dog’s normal temperature is about 100.5°F to 102.5°F. Again, severe vomiting or diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, or lethargy are indications you should contact your veterinarian immediately; severe infections may require hospitalization for intensive supportive care.

The cumulative effects of multiple doses of certain chemotherapy drugs can cause permanent side effects; if the risks outweigh benefits, treatment should be discontinued. Certain powerful drugs can only be used a limited number of times before the risk of toxicity to certain organs becomes too great. Other drugs may be inappropriate because of reactions or debilitating side effects. Sometimes, the cancer develops a resistance to the drug. The list of effective chemotherapy agents may diminish as treatment progresses; this is where the knowledge, experience, and creativity of your dog’s oncologist come in.

Does Fur Fall Out During Chemo?

The first question many people ask about canine chemotherapy is whether the dogs lose their hair! Most breeds have fur, not hair, and it grows and sheds in a cycle, not continuously. However, some curly-coated breeds with hair (such as Poodles) may experience hair loss. Chemotherapy drugs target fast growing cells (like hair); fur is not a fast growing cell. Sometimes dogs will lose their whiskers and shaved areas may not regrow as quickly, but that’s about it.

Find out how else chemo for dogs is like chemo for humans here.

Living with a Dog Undergoing Chemotherapy

As with humans being treated with chemotherapy, people and pets are not thought to be at risk from living and interacting with a chemotherapy-treated dog. Most chemotherapy drugs clear the system through the urinary and/or intestinal tract within 48 to 72 hours of administration. To limit exposure of these drugs to yourself and other pets, try to have your dog eliminate in one particular area, away from areas where children play and other pets frequent. Wear disposable gloves to pick up feces immediately and place in a plastic bag and seal before disposal. If possible, thoroughly rinse areas of elimination with running water to dilute any chemical residue.

If your dog vomits or eliminates in the house, wear disposable gloves and use paper towels to clean up as much of the waste as possible. Again, bag the gloves and soiled paper towels before disposing. Depending on the location of the accident, you may want to use a thorough water rinse to clean the area. If your pet is receiving daily doses of a drug that you administer orally, the drugs should be handled only while wearing protective gloves (and kept out of the reach of children and other pets). Always wash your hands after handling medications or waste! If any member of the household is pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or immune-compromised, she should not handle any treated animal’s waste or anti-cancer medications.

Paying for a Dog’s Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy treatment can be expensive as it involves professional time and expertise, the high costs of the drugs themselves, the duration of treatment, the associated procedures and diagnostics, as well as the removal of biomedical hazardous waste (including the leftover drugs, the catheters and needles used to deliver the drugs, the technicians’ smocks and gloves, etc.). Most veterinary centers will bill per treatment, not in one lump sum. If you have pet insurance, check your policy; some plans cover treatment. CareCredit also offers special financing for approved veterinary procedures. On her blog, Dr. Nancy Kay has a great resource page for “Financial Assistance for Veterinary Care.” This information also appear in her book, Speaking For Spot. Ask for an estimate of expected costs so that you can evaluate the financial impact and discuss any financial concerns you have with your veterinarian so that he or she can offer the best treatment options based on your budget.

Questions About Chemo to Ask Your Vet

1. What is the life expectancy without treatment?

2. What is the gained life expectancy with treatment?

3. What chemotherapy agents will my dog be given?

4. How are they administered?

5. What is the process?

6. How is the effectiveness evaluated?

7. How frequently will treatment be given?

8. How long will my dog receive treatment?

9. What is the estimated cost of treatment?

10. What side effects might my dog experience?

11. What clinical signs should I be concerned about?

12. What signs require me to bring my dog in immediately for examination?

13. Who should I contact after office hours if my dog has symptoms that worry me?

Supporting Chemo Recovery

Your dog’s body must work harder to maintain good health; not only is it battling a disease, it is working to repair the collateral damage from the chemotherapy agents.

Be especially aware of symptoms of pain; as we know, dogs are especially good at hiding any signs that they might be hurting. But pain can cause stress and stress can be detrimental to your dog’s overall health and healing process. Work with your veterinary team to prevent and treat it.

The presence of cancer can result in significant alterations in your dog’s digestion. There are some general concepts that can be followed to provide good nutritional support: provide a variety of foods that are aromatic and tasty; minimize the feeding of simple carbohydrates (starches and sugars – studies have shown these to be fuel for cancer); give foods with high quality protein sources; and consider the addition of omega 3 fatty acids. While optimal nutrition is ideal, it may come down to feeding whatever your dog will eat. There are a myriad of supplements that claim to be of benefit, but many of these are unfounded and unproven; discuss any supplements that you consider giving your dog with the oncologist.

If your dog is on chemotherapy for any period of time, you may find she needs non-cancer treatment or medications. While on chemotherapy, no regular vaccinations should be given, though heartworm and flea preventatives can be given as long as not contraindicated with the chemotherapy or your dog’s overall health. Always coordinate regular veterinary care with your oncologist.

Other areas of support you might want to consider include acupuncture, chiropractic, herbal, and homeopathic remedies. Daisy receives acupuncture twice a month and takes herbal supplements as prescribed by her holistic veterinarian, who works closely with her oncologist to check for drug interactions. Her herbal supplements are ceased 24 hours before and after chemotherapy administration to reduce the potential for any interactions.

One of the most important aspects of treatment is to maintain a positive attitude and keeping your dog’s life – and your life – as normal as possible. Exercise within your dog’s abilities, play, and enjoy every moment. While we have to remember the clinical reality, it’s best to focus on your dog’s reality!

Be Your Dog’s Advocate

– Be an informed guardian.

– Research your dog’s specific disease.

– Discuss your findings with your dog’s oncologist.

– Join or start an online support group.

– Record every detail about your dog’s behavior during treatment.

– Act quickly if immediate medical attention is needed.

– Familiarize yourself in advance about the potential side effects.

Living for Today, Preparing for Tomorrow

Chances are there has been research and studies (try searching online using Google Scholar) on your dog’s particular kind of cancer. These studies will often include statistics such as median survival times and side effects of particular agents. They can be disheartening or encouraging. Do discuss your findings with your dog’s oncologist, but remember there is no crystal ball to predict how your dog might react or respond. Each dog is unique and each cancer that develops is unique. A disease that develops in one dog may not be treatable in another for a variety of reasons such as location of disease, the dog’s age and health, and the cost and availability of treatment. That said, it can be helpful to review the statistics, however extensive or limited, and use them as guidelines for weighing potential risks and benefits.

Realistically, there are few cancers that can be cured by chemotherapy. Some can go into remission (no detectable evidence of the disease), and even multiple remissions (such as with lymphoma). Others can become static (reduction and or no advancement of the disease).

Remember, if you decide to embark on the chemotherapy route, you can stop at any time. When I started treatment with Daisy, my guiding principle was that if it affected her quality of life in any way, we would cease therapy immediately. She’s been receiving chemotherapy for over 16 months now, including intravenous mitoxantrone, carboplatin, and vinblastine; we also tried the oral drugs Leukeran (chlorambucil) and Palladia. Unfortunately none of these had the desired effect of combating the disease, but fortunately they did not have any detrimental affect to her well being. She’s also received piroxicam (an NSAID that has anticancer properties) for over a year; we’re not sure if this had any effect on the disease, but it did seem to have a palliative effect (she now takes Deramaxx instead).

There was a period when I did stop treating her with conventional chemotherapy agents, but that was because we had run out of drug options for her particular type of cancer. At that point, I put her on an herbal chemotherapy as recommended by her holistic veterinarian. She continues taking it now in conjunction with a special combination protocol of two chemotherapy agents as developed by her oncologist. We’re now at 18 months since diagnosis (her prognosis was less than a year) and I can joyfully report that her disease is static and she is happy and feisty. She comes home from her oncology visits ready to play frisbee.

The author wishes to extend her heartfelt thanks to Daisy’s amazing and caring oncologists, Jeffrey N. Bryan, DVM, MS, PhD, DACVIM (Oncology), at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri and Martin Crawford-Jakubiak, MLAS, DVM, DACVIM (Internal Medicine, Oncology), and his wonderful team at Sage Centers for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care in Concord, CA.

Author Barbara Dobbins is a dog trainer on hiatus who has been inspired to return to school to study veterinary oncology.

How to Manage Your Resource-Guarding Dog

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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7

RESOURCE GUARDING OVERVIEW

1. Manage. We cannot stress strongly enough the importance of managing your dogs’ behaviors to prevent the triggering of over-threshold guarding behavior.

2. Be observant. Watch your dog’s behavior around other dogs in the presence of valuable resources to determine if everyone is being appropriate or if intervention is needed.

3. Remember that it’s natural for dogs to guard their valuables. If appropriate “go away” signals are being given and the approaching dog defers, don’t interfere. That’s how it’s supposed to work!

Resource guarding is a natural, normal canine behavior. In fact it’s a natural behavior for most warm-blooded animals. Even we humans guard our resources – sometimes quite fiercely. Think about it. We lock our doors. Store clerks have loaded .22 rifles under checkout counters, while homeowners keep shotguns and baseball bats leaning in the corner by the back door. Companies hire security guards. Banks keep valuables in vaults. Some of us get insanely jealous if someone pays too much attention to our significant other. I could go on…

Resource Guarding

Dogs guard their resources as well, sometimes quite fiercely. This is most troublesome when they guard from humans, but can also get them in hot water when they guard from other dogs. That said, some dog-dog guarding behavior is quite appropriate and acceptable. The wise dog owner not only knows the difference between appropriate and inappropriate guarding, she also knows when and how to intervene, manage, and modify.

Resource Guarding Scenarios

If dogs didn’t guard their resources from other dogs they’d be in danger of starving – both in the wild and in multi-dog households. It’s this survival instinct that triggers everything from the canine dirty look known as a “hard stare” to the ferocious blood-letting, sometimes fatal battles that can occur when dogs fight over valuable, mutually-coveted resources: food, toys, objects, locations, beds, and human attention.

There are several different scenarios that can occur when one dog chooses to guard something from another dog, ranging from a very healthy, normal interaction, to those that risk the very lives of one or more of the combatants:

1) Ideal: Dog A and Dog B are both appropriate

The ideal resource-guarding scenario probably plays itself out frequently in multi-dog households, dog parks, doggie daycares, and anyplace dogs randomly gather. It looks something like this: Dog A is chewing happily on a (insert any valuable resource here). Curious, Dog B approaches. Dog A gives Dog B “the look.” Dog B quickly defers, saying, “Oh, excuse me!” by calmly turning and walking away. No harm done. Much of the time the dogs’ owner isn’t even aware that this occurred.

2) Second Best: Dog B is inappropriate but Dog A defers

Dog A is chewing on (insert resource). Dog B approaches. Dog A gives Dog B “the look.” Dog B gives Dog A “the look” back. Dog A defers, “Oops, sorry!” by dropping the resource and leaving. Dog B was inappropriate, but Dog A didn’t want to argue about it. The danger here is that somewhere along the line Dog A may get fed up with Dog B’s inappropriate behavior and decide not to defer.

3) Now We’re in Trouble, Part I: Dog A is inappropriate

Dog A is chewing on (insert valuable resource). Dog B approaches. Dog B would defer if warned, but rather than giving “the look,” Dog A leaps into action and attacks without giving Dog B the opportunity to defer.

4) Now We’re in Trouble, Part II: Dog B is socially inept

Dog A is chewing on (insert valuable resource). Dog B approaches. Dog A gives “the look.” Dog B is oblivious, and keeps blundering forward, until Dog A feels compelled to escalate the intensity of his message, to aggression if necessary, to get his point across.

5) Now We’re in Trouble, Part III: Dog B is inappropriate and Dog A doesn’t defer

Dog A is chewing on (insert valuable resource). Dog B approaches. Dog A gives “the look.” Dog B gives Dog A “the look” back. Instead of deferring, Dog A takes offense and escalates his aggressive behavior to maintain possession of his resource. Dog B reciprocates with increased aggression, and a serious fight ensues.

Resource Guarding

The same five scenarios can apply to other guarding situations – the dog who doesn’t want to share his sticks or toys; who becomes tense if another dog approaches him on his bed; or who claims his owner’s total and undivided attention. So whether it’s food or some other valuable possession your dog is guarding, what do you do about it?

Be Aware of Tension Between Dogs

First, you have to be aware of the guarding tension. It’s hard to miss in Scenarios 3, 4, and 5, but if you have dogs engaged in one of the first two you may have overlooked it. Time to sit up and take notice! With Scenario 1, where both dogs respond appropriately, all you need to do is keep an eye on things and breathe a sigh of relief. As long as the pattern repeats itself, you needn’t worry. You just need to stay calmly observant and take note if the pattern changes – if, for example, Dog B is slower to defer over time, which may cause an increase in Dog A’s tension and possibly escalate to higher-intensity guarding. Many dogs live happily together their entire lives politely signaling and deferring in relation to valuable resources. That’s how it’s supposed to work – perfectly appropriate and normal.

If you see subtle signs of increasing tension, however, or if you see Scenario 2 behavior, where Dog B is bullying Dog A into giving up the resource, you have potential trouble brewing. It’s possible that Dog B will calmly defer for the rest of the dogs’ lives together. You could continue to observe, and intervene only if things start to escalate. Maybe it never will. Or you could intervene with management and/or modification now, before you have significant relationship damage to repair, and a more difficult behavior modification challenge.

Of course, anything more dramatic than  Scenario 2 behavior requires immediate action in the form of management and, if you choose to do so, modification.

You Can Manage Resource Guarding

I’m a huge fan of management. If your dogs’ list of guardable items is relatively short and the dog-dog guarding interactions are reasonably predictable, then management may be a realistic option. Feed meals to your dogs or give them pig ears only when they are safely crated or closed in separate rooms. If you have a toy guarder, do toy-play with the dogs separately, and put coveted toys away when the dogs are together. Case closed.

Modification is in order, however, if battles grow increasing likely to erupt unexpectedly over an ever-growing list of miniscule triggers, such as a crumb dropped on the floor, a preferred resting spot on the rug, the hallway to the kitchen, equitably delivered treats to both dogs, or a rapidly growing radius around a valued human. Of course you’ll manage in the meantime, but since management always carriers a risk of failure and guarding battles can be fierce, the more generalized the guarding, the more critically important it becomes to convince your dogs to act appropriately with other dogs in the presence of high-value resources.

Modify Your Dogs’ Behavior

Aggression is caused by cumulative stress that pushes a dog over his aggression threshold. We’re all grumpier when we’re stressed. (See “Understanding Aggression in Dogs,” WDJ October 2010). Begin your modification program by minimizing as many other stressors as possible in your dogs’ world. That includes creating structure and predictability in their lives; exploring and treating any possible medical conditions that may cause pain or distress; and eliminating the use of any coercive or pain-causing training tools and methods (shock, choke and prong collars, physical or harsh verbal punishment).

At the same time, incorporate calmness-inducing products and procedures such as increased aerobic exercise, the “Through a Dog’s Ear” recordings, Thundershirts or Anxiety Wraps, calming massage, and TTouch.

There are a few different options for modifying resource-guarding behavior between dogs. You can classically condition Dog A (the guarder) to love having another dog around him even in the presence of valuable resources; you can operantly condition Dog A to perform a different response when he’s in possession of a valuable resource and another dog approaches; and you can operantly condition Dog B to avoid the guarder when he has a valuable resource. Here’s how each of these work.

Counter-Condition Dog A

The point of counter-conditioning is to change Dog A’s emotional response to the proximity of Dog B in the presence of a guardable resource. This procedure will require dogs with very solid sit-stays and down-stays. Alternatively, you can use tethers. It’s critically important that Dog A not be triggered to guard during these training sessions; awareness of threshold distance and the dogs’ proximity to each other is paramount.

Step 1: Start with the two dogs sitting a few feet from each other – farther, if necessary to avoid guarding behavior. Have a bowl of pea-sized, high-value treats. Give a treat to Dog B (the non-guarder), and then give one to Dog A, accompanied by happy-voice praise. If the dogs are so far apart you have to walk some distance to get to Dog A, start praising as you walk. Repeat until you see Dog A brighten noticeably when Dog B gets his treat; this tells you he’s made the association between Dog B getting a treat and the next delicious treat coming to him. This is a “conditioned emotional response” (CER) – the physical manifestation of the emotional change that happens because of the pairing between the presence of the other dog and the arrival of a high-value treat.

If you start with the dogs far apart, when you have established a consistent CER with Dog A, gradually move them closer together, continuing with the counter-conditioning and achieving CERs at each new distance until the dogs are happily taking treats a few feet apart. Depending on your dogs, this could take one session or many.

Step 2: Have a bowl of high-value treats. Hang out with Dog A in a good-sized quiet room with the door closed – watch TV, read a book, work on the computer – but don’t feed him any treats. In fact, ignore him completely. After 20 to 30 minutes, bring Dog B into the room on leash and have him sit. Feed him a treat, then spend 20-30 seconds giving generous treats and praise to Dog A. Then remove Dog B from the room.

At varying intervals, bring Dog B back into the room and repeat the procedure – always bringing Dog B into the room before you make any move to reach for the treats in the bowl. Repeat until Dog A looks consistently happy – the CER – as you move to bring in Dog B.

Step 3: Repeat Step 2, but this time Dog A is in possession of a guardable resource – a bone, a toy, a favorite bed. If there are things he guards less intensely than others, start with a lower-value resource.

Tether Dog A with his resource as far from the door as possible, and hang out for another 20 to 30 minutes before bringing in Dog B. Step in the door with Dog B, have him sit, feed him a treat, and then do your 20- to 30-second praise-and-treat routine with Dog A. Repeat until you have a consistent CER – Dog A brightens happily when you enter the room with Dog B.

As you do these repetitions, occasionally encourage brief eye contact between the dogs several times at each distance, so that trigger gets built into the procedure. If eye contact triggers significantly greater intensity from Dog A, stay at the door until that intensity goes away and you are getting consistent CERs even with eye contact.

Gradually move closer with Dog B, obtaining consistent CERs from Dog A at each new distance before moving closer again. Remember to look for and reward  some eye contact between the dogs.

When you have closed the distance by half, mark that spot and start over again at the full distance, but this time with Dog A untethered. This should not trigger any tension from Dog A, and you should be able to move closer to him with Dog B more quickly than before.

Step 4: Repeat Step 3 with the same value resource, in all the rooms in the house, until Dog A displays consistent CERs everywhere.

If you have multiple dogs who Dog A guards from, repeat Steps 1 to 4 with each of the dogs. Then do the same thing with multiple dogs in the presence of Dog A and a low-value guardable resource.

Step 5: Go back to Step 3, again with Dog A tethered, but now in possession of a somewhat more valuable resource. Repeat all steps with all dogs, individually at first, then in larger groups, until Dog A offers consistent CERs regardless of what dog or what room. Continue up the resource-value ladder until Dog A shows no sign of tension

Step 6: Do occasional “cold trials” without the set-up and repetition – a deliberate “management failure” in which counter-conditioning meets real life. Do at least one cold trial per day, and if you see tension reappearing, go back and do repetitions of the procedure at whatever step is necessary for your dog to regain his equilibrium. Then move through the steps to completion – probably much more quickly than the first time through.

Operantly Condition Dog A

Resource-guarding behavior lends itself beautifully to the “Constructional Aggression Treatment” (CAT) operant conditioning protocol developed by Dr. Jesus Rosales Ruiz and Kellie Snider, MA, a few years ago at the University of North Texas. (See “Build Better Behavior,” WDJ May 2008). Our Dog A gets tense and eventually aggressive because he is concerned that the approaching dog is a threat to his valuable resource. These aggressive distance-increasing signals are often successful in making the other dog go away, hence they are reinforced, and behaviors that are reinforced are repeated.

To use the CAT procedure, tether Dog A with a low-to-moderate-value guardable resource, and approach from a distance with Dog B. If you know that Dog A begins showing signs of guarding at a distance of 15 feet, start at 25 feet. As you approach, watch Dog A for any small sign of tension. The instant you see it, stop with Dog B, mark the spot, and wait. As soon as you see any decrease in Dog A’s tension, any sign of relaxation, quickly turn and walk away with Dog B, back to the 25-foot distance.

Pause there for at least 15 seconds (longer, if you think Dog A needs more recovery time), and then repeat, returning to the marker at the spot where you stopped before. Continue these repetitions until you see no sign of tension from Dog A when you arrive at the marker with Dog B.

On your next approach move four to six inches closer and mark that spot. You will likely see Dog A display signs of tension again at this distance. Repeat approaches and departures at this distance until the tension is gone, then decrease distance slightly again.

What you are doing with this procedure is teaching Dog A that a new behavior – acting calm and relaxed – makes the threat to his resource go away. As he continues to deliberately act calm and relaxed, he actually becomes calm and relaxed, and eventually no longer feels threatened by the approach of Dog B. Ideally you will see “crossover” behavior, where he acts very friendly and affiliative as Dog B approaches, offering distance-decreasing signals instead of his previous repertoire of distance-increasing signals. When you’ve worked through the procedure with low-to-moderate-value resources, repeat with high-value resources.

With counter-conditioning, you change your dog’s emotional response, and as a result his behavior changes. With operant conditioning (CAT), you change your dog’s behavioral response, and as a result his emotional response changes.

Operantly Condition Dog B

You can also operantly teach Dog B a new behavior in the presence of Dog A and a valuable resource. This is a useful second line of defense, in combination with modifying the behavior of the guarder. You can teach Dog B to withdraw on your cue; you can also teach Dog B to withdraw in response to any noticeable warnings from Dog A, such as a hard stare or a lip curl. The advantage of a cue from Dog A is that it happens, and Dog B responds by leaving, even if you’re not there to give your cue.

Eventually you may find that the mere presence of Dog A-with-resource becomes the cue for Dog B to leave, which is just fine and dandy. If you see Dog B leaving the room before the cue, go ahead and reinforce that – it’s a good thing!

When the cue is given (yours, or Dog A’s), guide (lure or prompt) Dog B to a specified target, ideally in another room. Throw a treat-and-praise fest there for Dog B, and hang out with him there for several minutes before returning to Dog A’s room and repeating the process. Dog B should soon be dashing to the other room when the cue is given – either yours, or Dog A’s lip curl.

So what happens if Dog A is in the designated target room with a valuable resource? Great question! It’s a good idea to operantly condition Dog B to a second target location in a different room. When Dog A is in Room X, Dog B learns to target to the spot in Room Y. But if Dog A is in Room Y, Dog B learns to target to a spot in Room X.

It’s Worth the Work

Keep in mind that you are likely to always need some degree of management, even with your successful modification programs. For example, even if you’ve done a great job of modifying the behavior of a dog who tends to guard toys, the high-arousal of a dog-to-dog game of tug carries a high likelihood of retriggering guarding aggression. Reserve his tug playing for games with you, and limit his play time with his canine pals to romping and running games. Be smart. Manage as needed, keep your eyes open for signs of returning tension, and be prepared to do a little remedial modification as needed.

So there you have it. Select the method(s) that appeal to you and get started. It will do your heart good to see the decreasing tension between your canine family members. It will also be gratifying to see your guarder gain new associations and learn new behaviors without fear of losing his valuables to his four-legged siblings.

Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is WDJ’s Training Editor. Author of numerous books on positive dog training, she lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, where she offers dog training classes and courses for trainers.

Thanks to Sarah Richardson, CPDT-KA, CDBC, of The Canine Connection in Chico, California, for modeling with Otto and Peanut.

Feed Back?

By
Nancy Kerns
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Can we talk? I need some advice about WDJ. Last month, I mentioned that both my writers and I have endured some various challenging life events this summer, which delayed the appearance of a few articles. Fortunately, other terrific pieces were prepared ahead of schedule, or in a few cases, appeared out of thin air from one of my regular contributors. Despite the drama, we’ve been able to bring you a full 24 pages of information you could immediately put into practice – even if it wasn’t on the topics we hinted at in the “what’s ahead” bar that appears on page 24. 

Nancy Kerns

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Mentioning these difficulties last month accomplished one nice side effect: I received a number of notes or email messages containing suggestions for other articles. It gave me an idea: While regrouping, I should take this opportunity to formally ask all of you about what you’d like to see in WDJ. And so I’ve asked the Web guys at our publishing HQ to add a link to WDJ’s home page (whole-dog-journal.com) for a short survey. Would you please go to the survey and answer just a few questions about what you’d like to see more of, or less of, in WDJ? We promise not to ask you any personal questions about your age or household income or weight, for goodness sakes! I just want to learn what you’d like more information about.

Just so you know: When planning each issue, I try to maintain a balance between dog-friendly, force-free training; holistic healthcare (including conventional medicine) for dogs; product reviews; and nutrition. In the best of all possible worlds, I’d have a bit of information about each of these in each issue.

Sometimes, however, the pendulum swings hard one way or the other for an issue or two. Last month, for example, we had a lot of training and behavior-related articles; this month, the issue is top-loaded with two in-depth articles having to do with health: chemotherapy for dogs with cancer, and Addison’s disease. We’re going to have a ton of food-related coverage in the next few months. It all evens out eventually – at least, I hope it does.

I also try to balance some of the very long, detailed feature articles with shorter offerings, such as the “5-Step Action Plan” column and “Canine News You Can Use.” Generally speaking, the idea with the long pieces is to give a reader who is struggling with that particular subject everything they need to know to really make a difference to their dog’s condition, whether the issue is health- or behavior-related. I understand that if you are not, yourself, dealing with that issue with your dog, these long pieces can be tedious. The idea is, though, that if your dog – or your brother’s dog, or your neighbor’s dog – ever did develop that condition, boom! You’d have an article on file that would really help address the problem.

Check out the “Survey” link on whole-dog-journal.com. And thanks for your interest in WDJ!

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