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Dogs cannot contract “mad cow disease” from eating food that was made from the rendered remains of an infected cow, say authorities from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Nor are dog owners at risk of contracting the disease from a dog who ate dry dog food made from infected meat.
These concerns spread like wildfire among dog owners upon hearing the news that two varieties of The Pet Pantry’s Canine Dry Food are being recalled by the company. Authorities in the CFIA recently traced rendered products from the Canadian cow discovered to be infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to The Pet Pantry, located in Carson City, Nevada, whose owners in turn traced the ingredients to specific batches of their products.
The voluntary return of the 1300 affected bags is a precaution to prevent discarded dog food from getting mixed with feed for cattle, goats, or sheep; cud-chewing ruminants ARE at risk of contracting the disease if they eat products that contain infected meat, even in foods that have been rendered. Customers who purchased dog food from The Pet Pantry since February should check their supplies and, if found, should call the company at 1-800-381-7387.
Affected Foods The Pet Pantry’s Canine Maintenance Diet, with a “use by” date of “17FEB04” The Pet Pantry’s Canine Beef with Barley, with a “use by” date of “05MAR04”
A recent visit to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, brought this months lead article (“Administer With Care”) home to me. I had made an appointment for my elderly dog Rupert, who is now living with my father in the heart of Californias heartworm country. Ive felt fine about not giving heartworm preventive drugs to Rupe for the past eight years; neither mosquitoes nor infection rates are enough of a concern where I live (in my experience and opinion) to warrant the medications. But in the foothills of the Sierra mountains where my dad lives, heartworms and the mosquitoes that perpetuate their life cycle are epidemic.
Weve published a number of articles on heartworm disease, and Im aware of the benefits and risks of the preventive drugs, as well as some of the alternatives available. However, I have to keep things simple for my dad; the only way Im going to feel confident that Rupert is fully protected from the disease is to obtain a heartworm preventive drug, and then call my dad once a month to tell him to give it to Rupe.
So I had Dad and Rupert meet me at the vet school in Davis, which is about halfway between our homes and the place where Rupert has had more than a few visits for treating and monitoring his cardiac arrythmia. I wanted to talk to a doctor who had the benefit of Rupes entire medical history and who could answer questions about potential problems with Ruperts taking medications for arrythmia and the heartworm preventive concurrently.
I was a little shocked when Rupe got out of my dads car. Hes 13 years old, and hes been getting less and less agile, but he was really quite stiff and lame after his two-hour car ride.
The veterinarian and vet students who examined Rupert were also concerned with his condition. After a thorough physical exam, they concluded that his lameness was due to a combination of arthritis and blown cruciate ligaments in both hind limbs. And they suggested giving Rupert a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as Rimadyl if his bloodwork indicated his liver function and blood chemistry was okay.
However, the tests revealed distressing signs indicating renal problems perhaps typical for an old dog, but definitely putting him at higher risk for complications from the medication. And since Im not certain my dad would notice subtle side effects of the medication if they developed, Im loath to try one of the NSAIDs yet.
For now, Im having my dad give Rupe a glucosamine/chondroitin supplement and some vitamin C. And Ive made an appointment for further tests to investigate his kidney problem.
1. Ask your dog-savvy friends about their favorite dog-friendly camping destinations.
2. Call campgrounds or park rangers before you go; rules regarding dogs may change from year to year.
3. Practice hanging out in a tent with your dog, in your living room or backyard. Working on this skill late at night in a cold, dark place when you are bone-tired is not ideal.
Camping is one of my favorite vacations. There is nothing better than heading out into the wilderness, sleeping under the stars and hiking your days away. And camping is one vacation that you can fully share with every member of the family, including your canine friends!
If I could take my dogs on a cruise ship, or if five-star luxury hotels catered to the needs of high-energy dogs, I might be more excited about those vacation options. But camping really is one of the few vacations that allows even the most boisterous of our four-legged friends to easily join us on the adventure. Plus, it’s a wonderfully inexpensive way to see the world – no hotel bills and no kennel or dog-sitting expenses.
Preparation is key to guaranteed enjoyment on your first few camping trips with your dog, however. I learned this about 20 years ago, on my very first dog-camping trip with my Border Collie/Lab cross, Charlie.
Charlie had come into my life only a few months earlier, but seemed to be the perfect dog for backpacking. He had energy and stamina and loved to hike as much as I did. From our many day hikes, his feet were tough and he was already used to wearing his dog pack.We headed out, following a deer trail up the Little Sur River in California’s Los Padres National Forest.
That night, I learned that hiking with dogs and camping with them can be two distinctly different activities. The biggest problem arose when he decided that my little tent was something to be avoided at any cost. Leaving him alone outside of the tent was not a safe option, and it was too cold and damp for me to sleep outside with him. I set to work convincing him that our tent really was an okay place to be. After what felt like hours of coaxing, he finally joined me inside the tent. Throughout what remained of the night, he woke me up by growling at every little nighttime noise.
Needless to say, neither of us slept much that first night. But we did see the raccoon family that came to visit at 3 a.m. and a doe with her fawn as they waded across the river shortly before dawn. And, that first sleepless night paid off. Charlie adapted quickly. By morning, he had learned to watch through the tent screen without growling, and he had discovered that my down jacket made a perfect dog bed. The next night he willingly followed me into the tent. From that time on, he was my champion backpacker and camper.
Charlie was my first canine camping companion and, in spite of that first sleepless night, he introduced me to the joys of camping with dogs. If you’ve camped with your dog friend, you probably know what I mean. You get to walk together, set up camp together, eat together, and even cuddle in the tent together. After being together every minute of a 24-hour day, you’ll get to know each other in a whole new way.
Of course Charlie also helped me realize that it would be much easier (and I’d be more likely to get a good night’s sleep) if I considered my dog’s needs before heading out on a camping adventure. A little preparation can really make the difference in everyone’s fun.
Dog-Friendly Camping Locations
Finding a great place that offers the experience you are looking for and allows dogs can sometimes be a trick. Many places have dog restrictions that limit access. One of the best ways to find a good spot in your area is to ask other people who camp with dogs. Ask your friends, the people who work at your local outdoor store or animal supply store, the folks who work in your vet’s office, or your dog trainer. You might be surprised at how many people know the perfect spot to camp with dogs.
In addition, check out camping guidebooks (try your local library!) or look on the Internet for information about camping in a specific area or park. Many guide sources will tell you if dogs are allowed, but if they do not, you can call the camp area and ask.
As a rule of thumb, National Forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands most often allow dogs. State parks, local parks, and private campgrounds vary from location to location. National Parks will often allow dogs in the actual campground, but usually ban dogs from any trails surrounding the campground.
Once you find a place in a guidebook or hear about a great spot through a friend, investigate a little further before you go. Rules and regulations about dogs are always changing. A place that accepted dogs last year might not this year. Call ahead and ask if dogs are allowed and if there is an additional fee for the dog. In addition, ask if there are any restrictions for dogs on the surrounding trails or beaches. It could be very disappointing if the only place you and your dog can hang out together is at the tent site.
Camping Comfort Levels for You and Your Dogs:
Not every dog (or person for that matter) will enjoy backpacking or other rugged adventures. But “ruffing” it doesn’t have to be too rough. You can make camping suit your comfort level, temperament, and lifestyle – from the wildest backcountry adventure to the tamest creature-comfort campground. All can be great fun with a dog, depending on your expectations and your level of preparation. One important note: While you can socialize and train most dogs to accept most situations, for infrequent vacations, you may want to choose a camping activity that will mesh with your canine’s personality.
If you’ve never been camping, how do you know what will fit your dog’s personality and temperament? Here’s a breakdown of a few different types of camping adventures:
Car Camping
This is a fun option for people who want an outdoor experience, but don’t have the interest or experience to rough it in the backcountry. When the weekend arrives, just throw a tent, sleeping bag, and a few dozen other essential items into your car and head off for a campground. For dogs, car camping is a great option because you can easily bring along all of their “stuff” – their comfy bed or crate, towels, grooming supplies, and even the Frisbee and tug toys. Car camping is an ideal option for older dogs and dogs with health limitations. During the day you can hike and explore the surrounding areas to both of your abilities and desires, and at night you return to the full comfort of a “tent city,” complete with running water, showers, and other comforts of home. Car camping in a busy campground, however, can be an unwise choice if you have a dog who is shy, aggressive, or particularly noisy. A dog who barks a lot will cause extra stress for you and aggravation for those camping around you.
Backpacking
Packing into a wilderness area is a great option for high-energy dogs and those of us who love to hike. Unlike car camping (where you can take whatever you can cram into your vehicle), backpacking forces you to take only what you absolutely need. It also takes a certain amount of “know-how” in terms of preparation. Many dogs who don’t do well in a crowded campground are relaxed and happy in the back country. Prepare your dog for backpacking the same way you prepare yourself, by getting into shape for the trip and getting your feet ready for hours of hiking. For dogs, that may mean working to toughen up their pads ahead of time, or getting them used to wearing booties.
Recreational Vehicles
On the opposite end of the spectrum from backpacking is traveling by RV. If you have a self-contained vehicle, you can pull off the road just about anywhere it’s legal, and still have most of the comforts of home. For dogs who are easily spooked by night noises, an RV offers a safe, quiet place to sleep.
Canoeing, Rafting, Bike Touring
Just about any traveling adventure can involve camping with your dog. If you are heading out on a wilderness boating trip, a little time spent teaching your dog to ride in the canoe, kayak, or raft can mean a fun adventure together. Small dogs can be taken along on bicycle trips by attaching a carrier to the rear rack. If you can dream of doing it with your dog, you can probably make it happen.
Preparing Your Dog to Camp with Training
Getting your dog ready for a camping trip can be as simple as throwing his bed and food in the back of the truck, or as extensive as spending weeks or months conditioning. It all depends on your dog’s experience and what type of trip you plan.
For dogs who haven’t been camping before, getting them used to the tent or camper ahead of time is a great idea – or you may find your first night anything but restful! Try setting the tent up in your living room or backyard for a few days and let your dog sniff and explore. If your dog is well socialized and adjusts easily to new situations, this may be all it takes. If your dog is a bit timid, you may want to specifically train your dog to sleep in the tent. (See “Getting Your Dog Used to a Tent,” below.)
One of the most common issues for dogs who are new to camping is the issue of nighttime noises. Some dogs will cower, growl, or bark at every rustle, bump, and bang – and not without reason. Camp noises are often the noises of wild animals. Many of our city dogs have not heard the chatter of a skunk or the rustle of a family of raccoons. So how can you help your dog settle in so that you both get a good night’s sleep?
First, have your dog sleep near you. I find that having a leash on my dog (and holding the leash while I sleep) is a good way to get a new dog used to the idea that you are still in charge, and they are still safe. Put your dog’s bed right next to you, near your head. Sometimes that’s all that is needed.
Second, make sure all of your dog’s basic needs are met. Make sure he has had lots of exercise, isn’t too hungry or thirsty, has gone to the bathroom, and is warm enough. A tired, well-fed, and comfortable dog is more likely to sleep soundly.
Third, try a socialization program specifically designed to help your dog get accustomed to being in the wild and the night noises that go with it. Start by taking regular walks in the woods or other wilderness areas. Visit different places so that your dog becomes comfortable anywhere, not just in one location. Once he is happy about his wild walks and relaxed about daytime noises, extend your outings to include picnics or other “hanging out” time. Start taking walks at dusk, when the animals and noises are at their height.
Fourth – and this is for the dog who really cannot settle! – plan on turning your first few nights camping into training sessions. Have great treats available. Try simply giving your dog a treat each time you hear a noise. Have your dog learn his “spot” in the tent. Offer the kind of reassurance that works best for your dog. For some dogs that may mean calm words; for others, a no-nonsense cue such as “go to bed” helps them feel safe. Teaching your dog to tolerate nighttime noises may seem like a lot of work, but it will be worth it when you can share years of camping fun with your dog friend.
You may also want to do a little daytime training to help him learn the camping ropes. Give your dog a place in camp to hang out. Show him his place and make it a pleasant experience by giving him a pleasant chew or stuffed Kong.
If you are in a crowded campground, help your dog understand that other campers passing by are friendly. Greet people with an upbeat tone and give your dog treats for remaining calm and quiet. You may even want to enlist the help of friendly campers, asking them to give your dog a few treats, too. Be sure to help your dog feel safe in his new environment by letting him know what is expected from the start. When your dog knows that you will be in charge in this new and exciting place, he will be much more likely to settle in.
How to Get Your Dog Used to a Tent
Dogs who have never slept in a tent may be nervous the first time. Use these tips to get your dog used to the tent – before you hit the camping trail.
1. Set up your tent in a place familiar to your dog (your backyard or even your living room floor). Let your dog freely sniff and explore the tent.
2. Put your dog’s bed or a familiar blanket or towel inside the tent. Crawl inside with a handful of your dog’s favorite treats. Call your dog into the tent and give him a treat.
3. If he is reluctant to go into the tent, or nervous about being inside it, let him come in and go out at will. Give him lots of great treats each time he volunteers to go inside. Take it slow and don’t force the issue. With you on the inside, he will quickly learn that the tent is a fun place to be.
4. When your dog is comfortable entering the tent, have him lie on the blanket or bed inside. Give treats for settling onto the bed. Repeat this several times, leaving the door to the tent open so he can go in and out easily.
5. When your dog is happy entering the tent and knows his place (on the bed), have him come inside with you and close the tent flap. Hang out for a while. Read a book or do a crossword puzzle. Give your dog a wonderful chew or a stuffed Kong to encourage him to hang out.
6. Teach your dog from the start that the tent is a place to be quiet and calm, not a place to play or get rowdy. This will save you a few headaches later!
Some dogs take to a tent right away, while others may be timid or even frightened. If you don’t know how your dog will react, take it slowly and offer praise and rewards for each small success. Soon your dog will figure out that the tent is just another great place to hang out with you, especially at night when it’s cold outside.
What Dog Camping Gear Do You Need?
When you camp, what you bring is all you have, so advance planning is needed to make certain you and your dog are comfortable. Your dog’s needs fall into a few categories:
Shelter and Sleeping Gear
A good shelter and a comfortable bed are essential ingredients for every camping adventure. I highly recommend that you have your dog sleep with you in your tent or RV, rather than leaving him alone outside or even in your car. He will be more comfortable, protected from the elements, safe from predators, and less likely to be riled by night sounds if he sleeps near you. If you are car camping or backpacking, you and your dog will need a good tent.
A caveat: Dog claws are hard on tent floors. Some of the best, lightest backpacking tents are most vulnerable to dog claws. You can extend the life of your tent by teaching your dog not to scratch at the floor, and by covering the floor with other gear so he walks and sleeps primarily on the bedding. Towel off a dog’s paws before he enters the tent. And, if your dog might race out of the tent, be sure to snap your dog’s leash on before you open your tent door to exit, especially in the middle of the night! There is nothing worse than having your dog charge off after an animal in the darkness, when other campers are around and you don’t want to yell!
If you are car camping or traveling by RV, bringing along your dog’s regular bed or sleeping crate can add to his comfort level, which can mean a good night’s sleep for you both. On backpacking trips, you can bring a lightweight dog bed or have your dog share your sleeping bag. Your jacket or parka can also double as a dog bed if you don’t mind dog hair.
Protection from the Elements
Your dog will, of course, need his basic fur coat for protection. Will he need additional camp clothing? For cold weather or heavy rain, consider bringing a sweater or coat for your dog. For warmth and comfort, those made from fleece are a good choice; for wet weather, a parka made of Gore-Tex or treated nylon can offer good protection.
Food, Treats, and Water
The basic rule of thumb for feeding dogs while camping is to give them the same food that they generally eat at home, and usually in the same quantity. The exception is if you are planning (and getting your dog into shape for) a strenuous excursion. Your dog may need extra energy for backpacking, sledding, or skijoring. Don’t forget to include your dog’s favorite training treats in with your supplies. Even if your dog is a camping veteran, you could encounter a new or unusual experience that would benefit from a few training sessions.
Camping generally involves lots of activity, so your dog may need to drink more water than usual. If the area you are heading to doesn’t have a drinking water source, carry or purify enough water for your dog, too. If you can prevent it, don’t let your dog drink straight from rivers, streams, or other natural water sources; dogs are as susceptible as humans to waterborne diseases such as giardia.
Grooming Supplies
Ticks, fleas, burrs, mud, and other natural things will find your dog when camping, no doubt about it. If you are car camping, bring along a brush, flea comb, towel, and a dry or wet shampoo. In addition to your regular flea or tick protection, consider adding some type of protection from biting insects such as mosquitoes and biting flies. If you are backpacking, you may choose to travel light and take a minimum of grooming supplies. But definitely leave a towel, shampoo, and extra water for grooming at your vehicle – just in case you need to clean off your dog before a long drive home.
Leashes and Other Restraints
You will need to have a regular leash and a flat collar for your dog. Even if you are going to an area where your dog is allowed off-leash, he may need to be restrained part of the time; you never know when you might meet up with a mama skunk and her babies on the trail! You may also want to bring an x-pen or crate to keep your dog confined while in camp.
Other Essential Camping Gear for Dogs
A food and water bowl, dog pack and booties, toys and balls, your clicker and treat pouch, sunscreen and insect repellent (for dogs), and health certificate or proof of vaccinations are all good ideas. Don’t forget to bring along plastic bags or a pooper-scooper. Even if you are traveling into the wilderness, it’s best to clean up after your pooch. (Note: If you are burying your waste, it’s usually okay to bury your dog’s, too. Don’t leave it exposed to contaminate the environment.) In addition, be sure to bring along a first aid kit with supplies for your dog, as well as for you.
Any time you travel, make sure your dog wears identification that includes a number that can be reached when you are away from home (like a cell phone or a relative’s phone number).
Fun for You, Fun for Your Dog
Camping is fun, and spending time with our dogs is fun. When you combine the two, the good times multiply. Special canine camping activities add to the enjoyment. Of course, hiking tops the list. After a great camp breakfast, setting out for a day of hiking and exploration can be a great time for you and your dog. But other activities and games lend themselves to camping adventures, too. Fetching sticks, balls, and Frisbees is always enjoyable, and a great way to wear out your dog so you can relax in camp, watch the birds, or snooze in the shade.
How about doing agility, wilderness style? You can teach your dog to hop over low branches, walk across logs, and climb up a rock “A-frame.” Think about a game of “find it” or “hide and seek.”
Perhaps the greatest enjoyment is that camping allows me to live a little more like my dogs and to see the world through their eyes. When I camp, I wake up with the sun, eat when I’m hungry, walk and explore just for fun, and rest when I’m tired – just like dogs do, most days! Sharing the experience with my dog friends is a great way for me to remember to simplify and take life a little slower. My dogs remind me to notice my surroundings and encourage me to stay in the moment. Truly a great way to spend a vacation!
Mardi Richmond is a writer, dog enthusiast, and trainer in Santa Cruz, California. She is the co-author of Ruffing It: The Complete Guide to Camping with Dogs, which is undoubtedly one of the most complete resources on camping, hiking, and other outdoor adventures with dogs.
Tamara McFarland, a dedicated vegetarian, spends several hours each week cooking up giant pots of barley or whole grains. She adds chopped tomatoes, avocados, sprouts, and other vegetables. Or she’ll try different kinds of rice, wheat bran, or oatmeal. But no matter the mix, she and her three dogs love the meals.
Oh, didn’t we mention that? Her three dogs are vegetarians, too.
McFarland – who recently went vegan, which means she eats no dairy, eggs, or flesh – is one of a growing number of dog owners who think that a meatless diet is right for their companions. She transitioned her dogs to a vegetarian meal plan a few months ago after extensive research convinced her it could work.
“I found enough information out there that I thought it would be safe,” says McFarland, the executive director of Friends for Life Animal Rescue in Eureka, California. “I could tell it would be more work than just feeding high-quality dry food, but I decided it was worth it. If I cared enough for my convictions and thought it was safe for my dogs, why not do it?”
She says her dogs – Hazel and Otis, who are 4-year-old Weimaraner mixes, and a 7-year-old Rottweiler mix, Rowdy – are doing very well on the diet. She says Hazel had always been a picky eater until she began eating vegetables – “I think for her it’s more than the taste, it’s the variety” – and Rowdy has shed a few extra pounds.
For some owners, like McFarland, feeding their pets vegetarian fare is a choice based on ethical beliefs. Horror stories about inhumane treatment of slaughter-bound animals are perennially leaked from the meat-packing industry, and many people are loath to support those processes, even through dog food. For others, its about health; they fear that the meat that finds its way into commercial dog foods may pose health risks to their pets.
It’s long been known that some of the meat found in pet foods (especially low-cost products) comes from animals that are known as “four D”: dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals unfit for human consumption. Chicken legs marred by tumors, for example, can’t be sold at your supermarket meat counter – but they can provide fodder for dog food.
In addition, many meat-based pet foods contain trace amounts of the same hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that are found in commercial meat products for humans. People who avoid such substances out of concern about potential health problems may want their pets to avoid them, also.
Not obligate carnivores
Still, at first blush, the idea of a dog feasting on tomatoes and rice might seem ludicrous. There’s a pervasive notion that dogs are carnivores and require meat for optimal health. However, that conventional wisdom doesn’t hold water, say some veterinarians.
“Dogs originally were carnivores, but we’ve evolved them to be omnivores,” explains Jean Dodds, DVM, an expert in canine nutrition and holistic medicine based in Santa Monica, California. “It’s possible for a dog to be a vegetarian, just as it’s possible for humans to be.” (The same cannot be said of cats, who are true obligate carnivores.)
Also, the belief that there are certain proteins that can be found only in meat is a fallacy.
“All meat and vegetable proteins are broken down in the gut into amino acids; it’s the amino acids that are absorbed,” says Tony Buffington, DVM, Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital. “It doesn’t matter where the proteins come from, and most vegetarians are very good about combining foods to create complete proteins.”
Allergic to meat
In fact, for some dogs – namely, those who have allergies to meat or other problems with a meat-based diet – vegetarian can be the best way to go. For example, Dr. Dodds recommends a vegetarian feeding plan for dogs suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.
“For bowel disease we use black-eyed peas or beans as a good protein source, multivitamins, plus a basic cereal (home-cooked rice or unusual grains, like flax, quinoa, and so on). Our classic inflammatory bowel disease diet would be a ratio of two-thirds white potatoes mixed with sweet potatoes or yams, with the other third (comprised of) vegetables with fish or eggs, cheese, black-eyed peas or beans, and a multivitamin,” describes Dr. Dodds.
Bones do, however, provide key nutrients that might be difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities in a completely flesh-free diet, says Dr. Dodds. As a compromise, some owners add supplements or feed their dogs a mainly vegetarian diet but include raw, meaty bones.
“That’s especially important for young, growing animals,” says Dr. Dodds. “I’d be a nervous if a large-breed, rapidly growing puppy were to go completely vegetarian.”
Covering the bases
Vegetarians, especially vegans, know it can be difficult and time-consuming to prepare well-rounded meals for themselves. It requires just as much work to give your dogs a healthy diet – and despite your best efforts, you can still leave gaps.
To fill the void, owners often turn to supplements. Dr. Buffington uses vitamin/mineral supplements intended for humans; “I usually use the one for 2- to 3-year-old children, but for a big dog an adult level is fine,” he says. Some companies have begun marketing canine-specific additives in liquid or powder form that can be mixed in with your dog’s meals to help shore up nutritional requirements.
James Peden owns Harbingers of a New Age, a company in Troy, Montana, that makes and markets the VegeDog supplement. He says adding nutrients to your dog’s diet is essential.
“Dogs have such different nutritional needs,” he explains. “If you feed them a vegetarian diet without supplementing it, chances are they won’t have enough minerals to keep their bones strong.”
Peden, a longtime vegetarian, created a supplement called VegeCat in 1986 after doing a year of research on animal nutrition at the University of Oregon at Corvallis. Shortly thereafter, he developed VegeDog.
“There were a little over 50 nutrients we’d try to meet requirements for,” he says. His findings were based in part on the National Research Council’s nutritional tables for dogs, published in 1985. He’s planning to update his formula when the new tables are published this year, he says.
Help is available
But while supplementation might help fill some gaps, it still can’t guarantee optimal nutrition. Some vets fear that a vegetarian diet, even coupled with supplemental vitamin and mineral pills, will fall short. And shortfalls in nutrition might not be readily apparent in the dog’s health. Dogs can adapt very well to a poor diet, says Dr. Buffington, whether it’s meat-based or vegetarian. He recalled once offering a colleague, whose dog was on a cottage cheese and rice diet, a vitamin and mineral supplement that he’d designed. When he asked how her dog was doing, she told him the animal was in great health. He observed that the dog must only have been on the diet a short while. “Oh yes,” she replied, “only about four years.”
Which goes to show that dogs, he says, can survive on just about anything. “There’s so much biological adaptivity built into the species that they can deal with almost anything we do to them, nutritionally,” he says. And that makes it hard to tell if your dog is really getting what he needs in his diet.
One valuable tool for helping dog owners put together a complete and balanced meat-free diet for their dogs is Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative, by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, Ph.D. (1999 Iowa State University Press). Dr. Strombeck practiced as a small animal clinician for more than 40 years, and is professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. He has received numerous awards in his career, including the Ralston Purina Award for research excellence for his work in gastroenterology.
In the preface of his book, Dr. Strombeck says that diet is the most important consideration is a pet’s care, determining both health and life expectancy. Further, he says, the pet food industry “believes that average owners cannot prepare and feed their pets a complete and balanced diet. Unfortunately, commercially prepared diets are not always complete and balanced, and just as important, they offer no choice about quality and wholesomeness, which are of the utmost importance.”
Dozens of complete and balanced diets that dog and cat owners can prepare at home are published in the book, each formulated by Dr. Strombeck, and each listing the diet’s caloric, protein, and fat content. This includes a number of vegetarian diets, as well as diets specifically formulated to benefit animals with special health considerations, including young animals and pets with skin problems. He also offers diets that can help with the management of gastrointestinal, renal, urinary, endocrine, heart, pancreatic, and hepatic disease.
Help in formulating a complete, healthy diet for your dog can also be obtained from university veterinary colleges. Some, including the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, will actually customize a diet for your dog’s needs, for a reasonable fee ($100). You have to seek this option through your veterinarian, however. For more information about the program, call the small animal hospital at (530) 752-1393 and ask for “Nutrition Services.” Or see vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/services/nutrition/nutrition.html.
Do vegetarians live longer?
It’s easy to find owners who say a vegetarian diet results in great health improvements in their dogs. McFarland says Hazel, one of her Weimaraner mixes, hasn’t had a flare-up of her arthritis since switching to a meatless diet. Peden relates how his Yorkie, adopted two years ago, slimmed down from a hefty 17 pounds to 11 pounds and overcame extreme halitosis. And some credit unusual longevity to a diet focused on greens and grains.
Stephanie Burns of Traverse City, Michigan, celebrated her dog Tykie’s 24th birthday on March 15, 2003. The 25-pound, Terrier/Schnauzer/Husky mix has been the recent subject of the media spotlight, earning mentions nationwide as one of the oldest dogs in the United States. Burns credits Tykie’s diet – he’s been a vegetarian since he was 8 weeks old – and plenty of exercise as the keys to his longevity. And in addition to being old, she hastens to add, he’s still healthy.
“His eyes are clear, his bloodwork is perfect, he has no tumors,” she says. “He’s deaf, so I have to use sign language, and he has a little arthritis, but other than that he’s in great shape.”
Tykie’s typical diet includes rolled oats and bulgur wheat, shredded carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and ground nuts. Burns also adds a variety of enhancements including molasses, ginger, garlic, lecithin, yeast, flaxseed, and wheatgrass.
A pooch thought to be the oldest dog in the world – a Border Collie in England named Bramble, said to be 27 in news reports last summer – is a vegan.
But all the owner testimonials in the world won’t convince Lisa Freeman, DVM, an associate professor of clinical science at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN). Freeman is a vegetarian herself but doesn’t recommend vegetarian diets for dogs. “There are lots of anecdotal reports, but it’s very easy to point out examples of anything,” she says. “What really needs to be done is a scientific study.”
A 14-year study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (May 1, 2002) did find that a calorie-restricted diet in dogs resulted in an increased median life span. The study did not examine vegetarian diets, although proponents of plant-based diets are quick to point out that they tend to be lower in calories than diets that incorporate meat.
This brings up a final caution for owners considering going green: There are no formal studies that examine vegetarian diets over the long haul. And informally, commercial, meat-based foods have been tested in the real world much more extensively than vegetarian diets.
“Commercially prepared (meat-based) diets in the United States are tested on 60 million dogs a day,” says Dr. Buffington. “Vegetarian diets are probably tested on 6,000 or 60,000 or whatever, so there’s an order of magnitude there. We know more about the effects of commercially prepared foods than we do about vegetarian food.”
While there are plenty of caution signs out there when it comes to feeding your dog green, owners like Tamara McFarland and Stephanie Burns are convinced they’re doing the right thing. In fact, spurred by numerous requests about Tykie’s diet after he became famous, Burns is planning to market her own line of ready-made, vegetarian meals for dogs.
Meanwhile, McFarland is making up another batch of barley. She says switching her dogs to a meat-free diet has been one of the best things she’s done for them.
“I’m definitely happy I did this, and I think the dogs are happy too,” she says. “They really seem to enjoy it and are the better for it.”
C.C. Holland is a freelance writer from Oakland, CA, who enjoys applying what she learns about canine health and behavior to her own mixed-breed dog, Lucky.
Training is about relationship. While basic good manners and other more complex lessons are undeniably an important part of training, the most successful dog/owner teams are those who have cultivated their relationships with each other while they learn the ins and outs of “Sit,” Down,” “Stay,” and all the other things a dog needs to know. In other words, the best teams are those who remember to have fun together along the way.
By the way: Just about everything presented here regarding dogs also applies to puppies – it especially applies to pups! That’s because puppies are irrepressible fun machines. They romp, they play, they chase, they chew, they wrestle – in fact for a good part of your first six to 12 months with your new pup you will probably spend a lot of time trying to convince him to have a little less fun!
Be careful that you don’t go overboard. If you insist that he be too serious, he’ll forget how to play, and you’ll end up with a lump of overweight canine who doesn’t even want to accompany you on your walks around the block. Instead, engage your pup – and later, your dog – in structured games that direct his play-energy into appropriate channels, reinforce his play behaviors, reward his sense of humor, and keep the relationship flames burning bright.
Fun games for Fido go far beyond fetching a tennis ball or a Frisbee. We’re going to assume you know the old stand-bys, and introduce you to some that you may not have thought of. There are games you and Fido can play together, games the whole family can play, and games you and Fido can play with your friends and their dogs. Some of the best games also have practical applications, but don’t let the practical aspects override the play. Have fun!
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GAMES FOR YOU AND FIDO:
Ever wonder how those drug dogs do what they do? You can teach your dog to find stuff and wow your friends with his prowess. Dogs’ noses are a bazillion times more sensitive than ours, so this is easy for Fido, once he understands what you want.
Find It!
Step 1: Have Fido wait and watch while you “hide” a strong-smelling treat in plain view, 5-10 feet away from him. Return to his side, tell him to “Find it!” and encourage him to go get the treat. Repeat this a few times until he seems to have the idea. Most dogs catch onto this pretty quickly.
Step 2: Have Fido wait and watch you hide the treat in a less obvious place, such as behind a chair leg, under the edge of a cushion, or next to a toy. Return to his side, tell him to “Find it!” and encourage him to go get the treat. When he can do this, hide several treats while he watches, and keep encouraging him to “Find it!” until he has found them all. Repeat this until he is doing it easily. If he has trouble, don’t show him where the treats are – you will teach him to wait for you to point them out, rather than use his nose to find them himself! Move in the general direction of the hidden treat, but don’t show it to him.
Step 3: Have Fido wait where he can’t see you. Hide several treats in the same places you hid them before. Bring him into the room and tell him to “Find it!” Keep encouraging him until he has found them all. If he has trouble, move in the general direction of the treat, but don’t show it to him.
Step 4: Try “Find it!” with other things – a ball, or a favorite chew toy. Show your dog the ball, have him wait and watch while you hide it in an easy place, then tell him “Find the ball!” Once he gets the idea, hide it without him watching, and tell him to “Find the ball!”
Practical applications: Are you forever forgetting where you left your car keys or the remote control? Let Fido find them for you. Teach him to find your kids, other family members, and friends! Our dog Josie learned how to find lost turtles; we didn’t even realize we were teaching her, but it sure came in handy when our turtles escaped! (See “Is Your Dog Hiding a Talent?” WDJ August 1999.)
If you have a dog who exhibits mild separation anxiety when you leave, you can hide several treats and a stuffed Kong or two. Ask her to “Find it!” just before you leave, and she will be too busy looking for hidden goodies to worry about you leaving.
Caution: Don’t hide treats in places that will encourage your dog to dig into carpets or cushions or chew furniture to get to them.
Jumping Jacks
When I was a kid, my favorite game was to put mop handles and broomsticks across chairs and run through the house jumping over them with my Collie. Great exercise for both of us!
You may not choose to jump over jumps with your dog (although you might be surprised to discover how much fun it is), but you can create jumps from broomsticks, scraps of woods, boxes, and other household items. You can buy materials and build simple jumps if you are handy, or splurge and buy a set of agility or flyball jumps to play with – as long as you promise not to get all serious just because you paid real money for them!
Step 1: Set up one low jump. If your dog is very cautious, just lay the bar on the floor and encourage your dog to step over it by luring him with a treat. As he gets braver, toss treats on one side of the low jump, then the other, until he is jumping it easily. Use lots of verbal praise as well, to keep it cheerful, exciting and fun.
Step 2: When he is jumping the low jump smoothly, add a verbal cue such as “Jump!,” “Hup!,” or “Over!” Start using the cue just before you toss the treat.
Step 3: To fade the use of the treat, make a motion with your hand as if you were tossing the treat, then give the verbal cue. After your dog jumps, then toss the treat. Eventually move to random reinforcement, where he gets a treat sometimes, but not every time he jumps. Remember to use verbal praise – your excitement will keep him enthusiastic about jumping.
Step 4: Gradually raise the jump to a height that is suitable for your dog. Vary the location and type of jumps, so your dog is very jump-versatile. You can hang towels or jackets over jump bars to change the look, put flower pots or children’s toys under them – be creative.
Practical applications: Hopping over small obstacles when you are hiking in the woods; and hey, Lassie jumped over fences when she ran home to tell everyone that Timmy was in the well!
Caution: Puppies should not jump too much or too high; it can damage their soft baby bones and joints. Even adult dogs should jump primarily on giving surfaces (grass, not concrete; carpet, not hardwood floors) with good traction to avoid injury and arthritis, and should not be asked to jump higher than is comfortable and safe for them. Ask your veterinarian how much jumping your dog should do.
Hide and Seek
This is easy and great fun, especially if you start with a young puppy who is still very dependent on you.
Step 1: Take your dog for a walk in an area with some trees and other objects you can hide behind. When he is busy sniffing or bird watching, hide behind a tree. Be quiet and still, but peek out so you can watch him.
Step 2: When your dog notices that you are gone, he should start searching for you. Let him search and find you, then make a big fuss over him with lots of yummy treats, tug with a tug toy, chase a ball, or whatever other reward is very meaningful to him. If he can’t find you or doesn’t look for you, help him – but just a little – by calling his name softly or making some other small sound that will get him started in the right direction.
Practical applications: This game teaches your dog to keep his eye on you – he never knows when you might disappear! It also teaches him to look for and find you if you happen to get separated accidentally.
Caution: Some dogs panic if they can’t find you, especially dogs prone to separation anxiety. Remember to watch your dog, and help him if he is looking anxious, before full-fledged panic sets in. Also, some dogs could care less about where you are. If you think your dog might just run off into the woods when you play this game, keep him on a long line when you hide so you can prevent him from leaving.
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GROUP GAMES:
Most of the following games can be played with the whole family, or are games you and Fido can play with your friends and their dogs. If your family has just one dog, pass him from one person to the next. Or get a group of your friends together with their dogs! Some of the following games are great party activities for 4-H or dog training club get-togethers.
Sit Around the World
This game is not only fun, but it also practices that all-important “coming when called” behavior and reinforces polite greetings.
Step 1: Arrange all available human players in a large circle in a safely enclosed area. Begin with Fido sitting in front of one person.
Step 2: Have the next person in the circle call the dog with a cheerful, enthusiastic, “Fido, come!” You can use toys and squeakers initially, if necessary, to get Fido excited about playing the game. When Fido comes, he must sit before he gets his treat reward. Lure the sit, rather than giving the “Sit” cue, so he learns to sit in greeting without being asked.
Step 3: Have the next person in the circle call the dog.
Step 4: When Fido is really good about coming around the circle, you can start calling him randomly across the circle.
Step 5: To play this game as a competition, be sure the humans are equally spaced, and then use a stopwatch to keep track of the time it takes for Fido to come and sit for each person. The holder of the fastest time, or fastest average times, is the winner.
Practical applications: Coming when called and polite greetings – how much more practical can you get? If you have a multi-dog household, try this with two or more dogs at a time, after each dog has learned the game individually.
Caution: If Fido is large and tends to jump up, small children may not be able to play this game until the dog understands the rules.
Musical Sits
For a group of dog people, this is far more fun than the human-only version of musical chairs. It can be played on several different levels, from beginner to advanced. As a another variation, each game can be played with downs instead of sits.
Easy version: Have dogs and handlers walk to the music around orange cones in a large circle. When the music stops, all players ask the dogs to sit. Luring with treats is allowed; physically forcing the dogs to sit is not. First dog to sit wins! Repeat until everyone has had enough play.
Intermediate version: Space rug sample squares evenly around a large circle, with one fewer rug than there are dog/handler teams. Have dogs and handlers walk to the music, outside the circle of rugs. When the music stops, players must proceed to the next available rug square and have their dogs sit. The team that doesn’t get a rug is out. Repeat until one team wins.
Advanced version: Set out a double line of chairs back to back, in the center of the room, with one fewer chair than dog/handler teams. Put rug sample squares in a large circle around the chairs, one rug per team. Have dog and handlers walk to the music outside the circle of rugs. When the music stops, players must proceed to the next available rug, put their dogs on a sit-stay, and run for a chair. Player who doesn’t get a chair is out. However, if a dog breaks his sit-stay, the player must return to the dog, re-establish the sit-stay, and then return to her chair. Meanwhile, of course, another player can sit in the chair.
Practical applications: Great opportunity to practice leash-walking in groups, fast sits, downs, and reliable stays with lots of distractions.
Caution: Players can get pretty enthusiastic with this game. You may need to establish safety rules based on the footing of the play area, and the energy level, size, and strength of various players.
Diving For Dogs
Our Pomeranian loves this one so much that he starts trembling with joy and anticipation when he sees us setting it up!
Step 1: Slice several hotdogs into an equal number of pennies. Keep each hot dog separate from the others.
Step 2: Put 2 to 12 inches of water in a pan or tub. Small dogs will require a shallower “pool.”
Step 3: Drop one hot dog’s worth of pennies into the pan. Let the dog watch you do this. Be sure he knows they are hotdogs.
Step 4: With your stopwatch in hand, say, “Ready, set, go!” and start the stopwatch. On “Go,” the handler releases the dog and encourages him to get the hotdogs out of the water and eat them. The dog who eats all his hotdog pieces the fastest wins.
Practical applications: None I can think of, but it sure is fun and the dogs love it! Actually, if you want to teach your dog to retrieve under water, this can get him started.
Caution: I have never seen it happen, but you might want to watch for a dog who risks drowning himself while “diving for dogs.” Stop the game if a dog starts sputtering.
My Dog Can Do That
This is a commercially produced board game that you play with your dog. The game consists of three decks of cards – beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Any dog with basic good manners training can play.
Each card has a behavior described on it that you have to try to get your dog to do – from simple “Sit on a verbal cue” from the beginner deck, to “Pick up a toy and drop it in a basket” in the advanced deck. The value is listed on the card (3 spaces, 5 spaces, 12 spaces, etc.); generally the more difficult the behavior, the higher the value.
You have 30 seconds to get your dog to perform the task on the card you’ve drawn. If you and your dog succeed, you can move your marker that many spaces on the board (or earn that many points, if you just keep score).
If you don’t succeed, the next player in line – if she thinks her dog can perform the behavior – says “My Dog Can Do That!” (It is perfectly acceptable to use a superior tone of voice when saying “My Dog Can Do That!”) If she and her dog succeed, she moves double the number of spaces or earns double the number of points. The team that reaches “Finish” on the board or who has the most number of points at the previously agreed-upon ending time of the game, wins.
My Dog Can Do That is available from many pet supply sources, including DogWise (www.dogwise.com or 800-776-2665).
Practical applications: Lots of opportunities to practice a wide variety of good manners behaviors. Great motivator for teaching your dog tricks, including “Roll over,” “Say your prayers,” and “Balance a treat on your nose.”
Caution: Official rules say to play off-leash. Depending on level of players and security of your playing field you may want to modify this to allow leashes some or all of the time.
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Personal preferences
Different types of games appeal to different human and canine personalities. There are many more games to be played than the ones we have described for you here, although we hope you found some that you like. Talk to your dog friends and see what ideas they have. Look up “dog training games” on the Internet and see if you can find more. Pick out the ones you and your dog are most likely to enjoy, gather the equipment you need to set them up – and then go play in the yard!
1. Use integrated pest management techniques, rather than pesticides, to control fleas in your environment.
2. Work to strengthen your dog’s immune system, to engage his natural resistance to fleas.
3. Use gentle herbal supplements and rinses that help promote your dog’s healthy skin and coat.
Summertime – a season of outdoor fun, warm nights, plenty of sunshine, and fleas.
Although they prefer a warm, humid climate, fleas can thrive virtually anywhere, even places where they seemingly have nothing to eat. When food (like your dog) is not available, fleas will feed upon the bodies of each other as they lay in wait for a larger meal, nestled within the ground covers, carpets, and cracks they call home.
These tough, relentless survivors spend most of their time in the environment, not on the actual host – which is exactly why so many conventional anti-flea treatments don’t work well in the long term. Most conventional approaches to flea control involve killing the tiny ectoparasites where they feed – on the dog. However, many people remain unaware of the possible downsides of using chemical insecticides on their pets. After all, these are products that are freely offered over-the-counter at pet stores, grooming salons, and across the front desks of veterinary clinics – they must be safe, right?
Unfortunately, they are not as safe as one might think. How could they be? After all, we are talking about chemicals powerful enough to kill an ancient, highly adaptable parasite that has survived, and will continue to survive, beyond the extinction of thousands of host species.
Many of the most widely used commercial flea killers on the market are very effective poisons with long-term effects that remain unknown or are seldom discussed. This includes many of the popular anti-flea remedies that are absorbed through an animal’s skin. These products are toxic enough to require manufacturing employees to be outfitted with respirators and protective clothing. Warnings against skin contact are printed right on the labels, based from caution that is derived from animal testing – yet millions of people feel comfortable with allowing these chemicals to course through a dog’s body and impregnate every inch of their dog’s skin.
Other conventional approaches to providing dogs with some relief from flea bites include medicated shampoos, corticoid ointments, or corticosteroid therapies. The problem is, Prednisone and other corticosteroid drugs don’t just suppress uncomfortable itching and inflammation, they suppress the immune system as well. Add to this the possible long-term side effects of water retention, hypertension, liver damage, thyroid dysfunction, obesity, and heart attack, and suddenly the corticosteroid option doesn’t sound so kind.
The Whole Dog Approach to Flea Removal
When approached from a holistic perspective, long-term flea control does not begin with insecticide flea sprays, dips, or shampoos. It begins only after the caregiver reaches an understanding of how fleas live, behave, and how they select their hosts. From this perspective we can see that it is the effects of fleas, and not their existence, that cause so much misery to our dogs – the fleas themselves are only a single symptom of deep-seated and complex health problem.
To clarify, let’s take a look at what I call the “Flea vs. Host Dog” scenario.
Dogs have been host to fleas, as well as thousands of other parasites, for millions of years. Certainly, like all cross-species relationships, nature maintains certain checks and balances that allow parasites and their hosts to coexist in symbiotic harmony.
But in the case of fleas and domesticated canines, we keep seeing the same scenario repeat itself: Host Dog is completely tormented by fleas while his canine companion, although in the same house, seems relatively trouble-free. Why? Because the natural countermeasures that exist between Flea and Host Dog are no longer working. The parasite-host relationship is out of balance.
Flea problems do not actually stem from the mere presence of fleas, but from health-related and environmental circumstances that allow parasites to wreak havoc upon a weakened host.
Like all parasites, fleas are opportunistic, preying on the easiest meal they can find. While it is true that dogs with healthy skins and coats are usually less bothered by fleas than those with flaky, dry skin and constantly shedding coats, this is only part of the picture. Deeper toward the root of the problem are issues involving Host Dog’s immune system and the way his body reacts to flea bites. Host Dog is allergic to flea bites, and for reasons that have little to do with the fleas themselves, his body system can neither repel nor tolerate their bites.
Strengthen Your Dog’s Health for Better Flea Resistance
If your dog’s body is overburdened with problems of poor digestion, inadequate waste elimination, over-vaccination, or food allergies, his immune system’s ability to deal with fleas and their saliva will be greatly reduced. This is why properly nourished dogs with well-balanced immune systems aren’t bothered by the bites of fleas.
In many cases, switching from kibble to a raw or home-cooked diet will bring a world of positive change to dogs who suffer from flea allergies. Changing the type of meat you feed and weeding out allergens from the diet can bring quick positive results. Common food allergens include grains, yeast, soy, and synthetic preservatives.
Supplementing your dog’s diet with a well-balanced essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement is also important. In fact, EFAs may be the most important of all dietary supplements for flea allergy sufferers. The Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids contained in fish and vegetable oils play critical roles in how your companion’s immune system responds to the introduction of flea saliva and other antigenic compounds that enter the body. EFAs are also important in building a strong, healthy, flea-resistant skin and coat – making the feeding ground less attractive to hungry opportunists.
Probiotics (Bifidus, Acidophilus, etc.) and digestive enzyme supplements are also strongly indicated for flea sufferers. These two groups of supplements assist the transport of nutrients throughout the body and the breakdown and removal of waste materials that might otherwise contribute to food-related allergies. Among the best products I’ve seen is the new Plant Enzymes & Probiotics Supplement for Dogs & Cats by Animal Essentials, which combines both supplements into a concentrated, easy-to-feed powder. (Note: I have served Animal Essentials as an independent contractor, but do not receive any compensation for this product.)
Treat Your Environment for Fleas
Remember, fleas spend about 80 percent of their time not on the host, but in the surrounding environment. Furthermore, flea eggs can remain dormant for several months. This means that you must be relentless at hitting them where they sleep and reproduce. (See “Eliminate Fleas Without Poison: Integrated Pest Management,” March 2002, for more information on this topic.)
There are also several herbal products available that can be applied to the dog’s bedding, carpet, or outdoor areas to help repel or even kill fleas. Look for those that contain oils and/or extracts of juniper, citronella, eucalyptus, cedar, Canadian fleabane, or citrus oil (the latter two contain d-Limonene, which can kill fleas).
Herbal Support as a Flea Deterrent
A small pinch of garlic powder can be added to your companion’s food to help support the immune system, skin, and liver – systems that work overtime to weed out and eliminate allergens. However, contrary to what some people believe, garlic should not be fed in quantities so great that garlic odor exudes from your dog’s skin. This is not only an unnecessary waste of garlic, it can be harmful to your dog, especially if continued over an extended period. Just use a pinch of garlic powder – Rover does not need to smell like a delicatessen to benefit from this herb!
Also, try adding apple cider vinegar to the animals’ water dish – some people swear by this, as it may add some nutrients that help the animal deal with the fleas. Animals supplemented with B-complex, trace minerals, and zinc also seem to have fewer problems with fleas.
Alterative herbs, such as burdock root (Arctium spp.), Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale), or Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) may also be used to help eliminate waste and allow natural defense systems to work more freely toward coping with flea bites. I like using these herbs in the form of a low-alcohol liquid tincture, which can be added to the food according to the manufacturer’s directions, or squirted directly into the dog’s mouth.
Nettle (Urtica spp.) is one of my favorites for treating any type of allergy (see “Prove Your Nettle,” May 2003). The dried herb (easily accessed at the health food store) can be sprinkled onto your animal’s food to lend nutritive support. One-half teaspoon of the dried herb for each cup of food fed is a good amount.
Nettle is also thought to reduce the severity of an allergic response. If your animal won’t eat dried nettle, you can steep it in hot water or salt-free meat broth, which is then added to your companion’s food.
If flea bite allergies are severe, itching is persistent, and the skin is red and inflamed, licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) can be used as an internal anti-inflammatory (see “Licorice Soothes and Heals,” January 2003).
To help relieve itching and promote healing externally, a calendula flower rinse is a good choice, as is aloe juice, which can be diluted with four parts water (e.g., 1 cup aloe juice to 4 parts water). Dried peppermint or lavender flowers may also be added to bring relief as well.
To make the rinse, simply brew a strong tea from the dried herbs of your choice (¼ cup herbs to one quart of boiling water), let steep until cool, then pour the cooled liquid into your companion’s coat. If scratching has left oozing, infected scabs, yarrow (Achillea spp.), rosemary, or thyme can be generously added to the rinse formula.
Bathing Your Dog for Flea Relief
Bathe your dog only with shampoos that are meant for use on dogs – shampoos for humans can be too harsh and irritate the skin, and may add to the allergies that already contribute to your companion’s misery.
There are many very good herbal dog shampoos on the market. These can be very useful for cleaning flea and body waste build-ups from the skin, and for bringing soothing relief. However, don’t shampoo your dog too often, as this can dry out her skin and cause added irritation.
Overuse can also result in microbial imbalances on the surface of the body. Your companion’s skin supports a natural community of interdependent organisms, many of which serve anti-parasitic or cleansing purposes. In fact, fleas get their own type of parasites – tiny mites that crawl beneath their body armor.
Let the flea’s fleas do their job; it’s part of the grand scheme, and part of dealing with an ancient, highly adaptable species – on their own bloodsucking terms!
Greg Tilford is a well-known veterinary herbalist, lecturer, and author. He serves as a consultant and formulator to hundreds of holistic veterinarians throughout the world, and is CEO of Animal’s Apawthecary, a company that develops herbal products specifically for use in animals. He is author of four books on herbs, including All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets (Bowtie, 1999), which he co-authored with his wife, Mary.
Regarding Pat Millers article on flying with dogs (Fearless Flying, March 2003): What I have learned after at least 10 round trips on at least 3 airlines with a 14-pound Norwich Terrier is that they are all different.
Some have a 10-inch maximum, some a 10-pound maximum, some 14 or 15 pounds. Basically, they just look to see if your dog will reasonably fit into the crate.
The Texas health certificate asks only for a rabies shot and a statement that the pet is free of communicable disease, which allows for titer test results. (By the way, Texas has just become enlightened enough to change the rabies vaccination requirement from every year to every three years!)
Most airlines now require a health certificate within 10 days of the beginning of the trip only.
When you make your reservation, you get a confirmation number for you and another one for your dog. Make sure you have both.
I always warn the person in front of me that there is a dog under their seat in the event (which has never happened so far) that, if the dog barks, that person will not have a heart attack.
Not all airports are alike. All the security checks that I have been through require me to take the dog out of the carrier to go through the security gate. And some are downright dog friendly. Salt Lake City, for instance, is happy to have your dog on a leash anywhere in the airport.
Until airlines and airports recognize that dogs are good people to have aboard, we should treat bringing our dog with us as a privilege and not abuse it by, for instance, taking our pets out of the carrier where this is not allowed.
-Carlynn Ricks via e-mail
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Many years ago I began asking flight attendants if they would check their dogs. Not one said yes. So when I got a Bedlington Terrier, my vacation plans received a new, very restrictive constraint.
The other trouble I run into is that USDA regulations, which apply only to cargo, not to in-cabin travel, say the dog must be able to stand up and turn around in the carrier. Many flight people are ill informed about this and it can cause problems at check-in for a full grown Bedlington.
Youve probably heard there is a new private airline, Companion Air, that would solve all our problems, but it is a bit pricey. They will start flying soon; for more information, see www.companionair.com.
-Suzanne Haggerty Cape May, NJ
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We would never ship our dogs by air, either, unless we were in a privately chartered aircraft allowing dogs in the passenger cabin or had our dogs with us in a commercial aircraft passenger cabin.
However, the article failed to mention several problems. More animals than just dogs and cats are shipped by air. Exactly how are airline personnel expected to inspect and verify the health status of snakes, birds, fish, rats, turtles, etc., prior to and after shipment? In most commercial passenger aircraft during fight there is no access to baggage compartments. How are airline personnel supposed to accomplish closer observation of animals in flight?
Commercial airlines are in the business of transporting people, not animals. The reason airlines restrict the number of pets allowed in the passenger cabin is because some passengers are allergic to pets. The best the airline can do is limit the number of animals allowed on a particular flight and keep allergic people as far away as possible.
-Gail Miller Round Hill, VA
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From a practical point of view, many of us are in a position where we have to transport our dogs via cargo or excess baggage; I cant fit an 80-pound German Shepherd under the seat! My last dog took about a dozen flights in the hold six of them overseas. All were, fortunately, uneventful, although one took some strong intervention on my part to ensure my dog was not left behind.
I know many individuals who are in the same position as I am. While this unquestionably involves more risk than taking a dog in the cabin, there are many things that can be done to minimize potential problems.
The following is my checklist for when I must fly and my dog cannot travel in the cabin with me (traveling as excess baggage, not cargo):
• Book in advance • Direct flight only if at all possible • Know type of equipment (plane) and temperature regulations • Acclimatizing dog • Health papers • Selection of crate • Accustoming dog to crate • Labeling/information on crate • Food/instructions attached to crate • Unique identifying markings on crate • Airport arrival • Checking in • Remaining with dog until baggage handlers come for him • Checking in at gate, notifying agent • Watching for dog to be loaded • Notifying agent on board • Receiving notification that dog is on plane • If necessary, refusing to allow plane to leave gate w/o notification • Know exactly where dog will come in at end point (oversize baggage door) • Know approximate time to unload • Inquire if time excessive to unload • Take food/medications/clean-up • Have phone number and location of emergency vet if necessary • Thank baggage office/personnel if time allows
When the Norwegian Elkhound rescue came to me and my husband, she couldn’t climb stairs. Attempts to lift the old dog resulted in snaps at our hands. Radiographs revealed that she had severe hip dysplasia and an unrepaired pelvis, broken when she was hit by a car sometime in her past. As a result, Shadow had crippling arthritis. On good days, she would lie in the sun without panting from pain; on bad days, her stiffness rendered her incontinent. We observed her misery and wondered what could be done.
Our veterinarian prescribed Rimadyl®. Within a few days, Shadow was running in the yard, playing with the other dogs. She bounded up the steps on her own and we no longer had to clean up urine puddles where she napped. The improvement was amazing, so for months, we kept Shadow on a twice-daily dose of the popular canine drug.
One morning we found vomit around her bed. She refused to eat or drink and had to be carried outside, where she laid down instead of emptying her bladder. A rushed visit to the veterinarian and blood tests indicated that Shadow’s liver enzymes where elevated “off the charts.”
Shadow’s liver failure was so extreme, her condition was hopeless. In complete shock, we gave our permission for Shadow to be euthanized.
Because stories about Rimadyl-related deaths were making pet news, we asked if the arthritis drug could be responsible. Our veterinarian was uncertain.
What is certain is that between 20 to 50 percent of older dogs develop osteoarthritis. And, as with human arthritis sufferers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help dogs by reducing the inflammation caused by arthritis, thereby relieving stiffness and discomfort. In many veterinary clinics the recommended therapy may be Rimadyl®, EtoGesic®, or Deramaxx™. But, like all medications, these drugs can cause serious side effects, and should not be used without a thorough understanding of their risks.
A Safe Everyday Painkiller for Dogs: Too Good to Be True?
In January 1997, when carprofen was first introduced by Pfizer to the veterinary market as Rimadyl, it appeared to be nothing less than a wonder drug. Initial trial results indicated that dogs who were given the drug had increased mobility and decreased pain, and indeed, many dog owners who sought prescriptions for their arthritic dogs were thrilled to see their beloved pets running, jumping, and playing again as they had in pre-arthritic days. Rimadyl became one of the most widely prescribed veterinary drugs of all times.
But with increased usage came an increasing number of reports of dogs who became ill after taking Rimadyl. The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM) tallied hundreds of “adverse drug experience” (ADE) reports noting side effects including vomiting, altered kidney or liver enzymes, loss of appetite, lethargy, increased urination, diarrhea (often bloody), weakness, confusion, and convulsions.
At first there seemed to be no cause for alarm because the side effects were common to NSAID usage and were similar to those observed during pre-approval testing. Then dogs started dying.
One of the earliest casualties was George, an arthritic Labrador Retriever rescued by Jean Townsend of South Carolina. “I’d read the brochures in my vet’s office about Rimadyl. It sounded like a miracle drug,” says Townsend, “I decided this drug would help George.”
At the end of a 10-day trial period in September of 1997, Townsend returned to her veterinarian to have the dog’s twice daily, 75 milligram (mg) prescription refilled. “George was better,” she says.
One night about 20 days later, Townsend was wakened by a “horrible scratching sound.” She found George crawling in the hall, unable to walk. The next morning, because she thought he had pulled a muscle, she gave him his usual dose of Rimadyl. That night he didn’t eat, and the following day began vomiting. Townsend took him to her veterinarian, who hospitalized the dog.
Despite aggressive treatment, George progressively disintegrated over six days at the vet clinic. Townsend visited her dog daily, but couldn’t stand to see him suffer any longer. “He couldn’t hold his head up. He’d had a blood-filled bowel movement and the whites of his eyes were yellow, his gums were yellow, his skin was yellow. I will never forget the look in his eyes – such hurt and despair,” describes Townsend. “I told them, ‘No more. I have to let him go.’ “
Townsend’s dog and others like him seemed rare exceptions. Over the next few years, thanks in part to an aggressive marketing campaign by Pfizer, Rimadyl became the drug of choice for 1 million, then 2.5 million arthritic dogs.
Center for Veterinary Medicine Asks for Changes in Carprofen Labeling
By December 1999, a CVM update noted that the CVM had received “a substantial number” of ADE reports for carprofen. In fact, a full 39 percent of the ADE reports in 1998 involved Rimadyl – some 3,626 cases – “considerably more than that received for other animal drugs.” Of these, 13 percent (about 471 cases) resulted in the death or euthanasia of the dogs.
Based on the early ADE reports for Rimadyl, CVM veterinarians met with Pfizer representatives and made several suggestions for changes to the product’s labeling and package inserts. Accordingly, Pfizer issued “Dear Doctor” letters to veterinarians, Animal Health Technical Bulletins detailing “Clinical Experience with Rimadyl,” and patient handouts. New information was inserted into the “Adverse Reaction” sections of the product label.
Because of the possibility for adverse reactions, Pfizer began to (and continues to) recommend that, prior to treatment, dogs be given a complete physical examination, including baseline blood tests. Owners are also advised that periodic monitoring should be done while their pet takes the drug.
One CVM veterinarian went so far, in a January 2000 article in DVM Magazine, to suggest that (in his own opinion) a complete blood profile be taken monthly as long as a dog is given Rimadyl. This is not the CVM’s present recommendation, however. “The labeling has recommendations for baseline testing for preexisting disease and periodic monitoring, which should be determined on a case-by-case basis,” says Dr. John D. Baker, Acting Team Leader in the CVM’s Division of Surveillance.
The use of Rimadyl continues to increase. Today, an estimated 4 million dogs in the United States are given the drug.
Adverse Drug Experience (ADE) Reports
Veterinary drugs are approved and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM). The CVM reviews premarket studies of animal medications, approves drugs it deems safe, and oversees the drug makers’ reports of these studies, which are required in the product package inserts for consumers’ review.
However, not all problems with a drug will surface during premarket approval studies. This is due to several factors. First, trials for canine drugs usually have fewer subjects than do those for human drugs, sometimes 80 percent fewer. Also, many studies run for only a few days or weeks, less time than patients normally take the drug. And dogs in the test studies are typically healthy, young dogs, most under two years of age. Since osteoarthritis is a condition most often found in senior dogs – dogs whose bodies may not metabolize drugs as efficiently or who are more likely to have multiple health issues – drug trials conducted using young dogs may not accurately predict what problems might occur with older dogs.
To augment the information provided to consumers regarding the drugs’ premarket studies, the CVM also maintains a database of “adverse drug experience” (ADE) reports. These reports are provided voluntarily by veterinarians and even dog owners (“direct” reports), whose patients or pets have suffered an unexpected or unwanted side effect while taking a drug. If a drug maker is informed of an ADE by a vet or dog owner, federal law requires the company to forward the report to the CVM (“manufacturer reports”).
According to the CVM, the primary purpose for maintaining the ADE database is to provide an early warning or signaling system for adverse effects not detected during premarket testing of FDA-approved animal drugs and for monitoring the performance of drugs not approved for use in animals. The CVM is also clear about what the ADE data should not be used for: making direct correlations between the adverse experiences and any involved drugs. According to the introduction of each year’s ADE report,
“For any given ADE report, there is no certainty that the suspected drug caused the ADE. This is because veterinarians and animal owners are encouraged to report all suspected ADEs, not just those that are already known to be caused by the drug. The adverse event may have been related primarily to an underlying disease for which the drug was given, to other concomitant drugs, or may have occurred by chance at the same time the suspect drug was administered.”
Further, “Accumulated ADE reports should not be used to calculate incidence rates or estimates of drug risk.” In other words, the ADE reports are only “raw numbers,” with no conclusions drawn from the data. Reports may be influenced by a variety of factors including the prevalence of dogs using a drug, number of cases reported, time that has passed since introduction of the drug, and even public perception of a drug’s risks.
More NSAIDs for Dogs Enter the Market
Rimadyl wasn’t the only canine NSAID on the market for long. EtoGesic® is the NSAID entry of Fort Dodge Animal Health, a division of pharmaceutical giant Wyeth. The drug, etodolac, known as Lodine in its human application, was tested and approved for veterinary use in 1998. Fort Dodge claims the drug causes fewer adverse reactions than other NSAID drugs, and notes as a benefit that the drug is given only once a day. Today, according to Fort Dodge, about 1 million dogs take EtoGesic.
The events in the first years following the drug’s approval resembled Rimadyl’s. As the number of dogs who were given EtoGesic increased, so did ADE reports. As with other NSAIDs, its most frequently reported side effects are vomiting, loss of appetite, bloody diarrhea, lethargy, altered liver and kidney enzymes or function, dry eyes, convulsions, and death.
Within two years of the drug’s approval, Fort Dodge was advised to distribute “Dear Doctor” letters and revise the product’s labeling to strengthen the cautions and warnings to veterinarians and dog owners. The “Dear Doctor” letters asked veterinarians to consider baseline lab tests before prescribing EtoGesic and to recommend periodic monitoring tests. A Client Information Sheet was also provided for client handouts.
Despite its smaller market penetration (compared to Rimadyl), in 1999 the CVM listed EtoGesic as the third most commonly reported drug for adverse experiences, detailing 492 ADE reports.
Like Pfizer, Fort Dodge Animal Health continues its veterinarian and dog owner education efforts. Responding to our questions, the company released the following statement:
“The comments you listed including veterinary examinations for proper diagnosis and appropriate prescribing, blood tests for patients, and client education on the importance of early detection of side effects and ongoing veterinary monitoring, are all important issues to assure a beneficial experience with any nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
“Another consideration is to give the NSAID with food. Studies show EtoGesic is readily absorbed with or without food. Owners have found that providing it during feeding is convenient and may help reduce short-term GI upset post-administration. In a study evaluating the development of GI lesions by endoscopy, no significant difference between EtoGesic and the placebo was found over a 28-day dosing period.
“We also stress the importance of regular patient monitoring by a veterinarian and client education. Fort Dodge Animal Health provides education materials to both veterinary clinics and dog owners to provide them with the most current information on the safety, efficacy, and benefits of EtoGesic for the management of pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis in dogs.”
New Hope or New Problems?
Now there is an even newer NSAID. In 2002, Novartis introduced Deramaxx™. Although the product’s initial CVM approval was for post-orthopedic-surgical pain, with treatment lasting five to seven days, expectations are that extra-label approval for treatment of chronic osteoarthritis will be complete by this summer. The drug, deracoxib, is nearly identical in chemical structure to Celebrex, a human arthritis drug in the new COX-2 class of NSAIDs.
Most NSAIDs inhibit the production of two forms of an enzyme called cyclooxy-genase (COX-1 and COX-2), which catalyzes the first two steps in the biosynthesis of agents that result in inflammation. According to their manufacturers, COX-2 drugs inhibit only the COX-2 enzyme, which appears to play a larger role in causing inflammation, and interfere less with the COX-1 enzyme, which appears to be more responsible for normal physiological functions such as maintenance of the gut mucosal barrier, blood clotting, and kidney function. Theoretically, by blocking only the COX-2 enzymes, the COX-1 enzymes are free to work as usual, resulting in fewer side effects such as gastric ulcers or renal failure.
Promising as this sounds, considering its short career, there have been a surprising number of ADE reports filed on Deramaxx. From its introduction (including approved and extra-label use) in August 2002 through mid-February 2003, the CVM received more than 100 ADE reports involving Deramaxx.
The adverse experiences are typical for NSAIDs: vomiting, inappetence, lethargy, and altered kidney and liver enzymes. According to a CVM coordinator, death is eighth on the list of side effects reported in the ADEs. If dogs who were euthanized are added to the total of dogs who died, it jumps to third on the list.
However, until estimates of the number of dogs who have taken the drug are tallied, it can’t be known what percentage of dogs have experienced side effects. Until then, Novartis can only observe the trends provided by the ADE reports.
According to Dr. Guy Tebbit, Vice President of Research and Development at Novartis Animal Health, the trends that its “pharmaco-vigilance” team has witnessed so far indicate that the drug is performing in line with its makers’ expectations. “What we have seen thus far has been very normal,” says Dr. Tebbit. “It’s tracking right along the lines for the information on the label that accompanies the drug.”
According to Dr. Tebbit, Novartis has no current plans for altering the label warnings or information sheets that accompany the drug, since, thus far, Deramaxx is behaving as expected and as already described on the current labels. “If we saw a trend in the ADEs that was different from what we expect, then we would have to sit down with the FDA and agree to new label language. But, so far, the trends we are seeing are very consistent with the existing labeling,” he says.
Dr. Tebbit adds, “We’re delighted with the drug and its performance. We have a lot of confidence in Deramaxx – confidence derived from our experience with it in our pre-market testing. We are very happy with the results.”
Understand the Drugs You’re Giving Your Dogs
The moral of the story is to make certain you – your dog’s guardian – completely understand the potential for benefits and risks of the medication prescribed by your veterinarian. In order to do this effectively, you need to read and understand the product label, or be thoroughly briefed by your veterinarian (who should read and understand the material).
Unfortunately, busy veterinarians may fail to give a new product more than a cursory look at its insert information. Most vets are happy to be able to offer effective products for keeping their patients comfortable. And unless one of their own patients suffers a drug-related complication, some veterinarians may not closely review the information listed for the products’ contraindications, precautions, and adverse reactions.
Even a curious, committed veterinarian or dog owner who reads all the manufacturers’ literature describing the veterinary drugs may be unable to successfully interpret the statistics regarding the drug’s premarket studies. Most of the pharmaceutical companies do not publish actual numbers of ADE reports, but express the cases in ratios – a practice (intentional or not) that minimizes the impact of the actual number of problems.
For example, Pfizer’s reporting (in its August 1999 Technical Bulletin on Rimadyl) that death was reported in 1.8 cases per 10,000 dogs treated with Rimadyl in 1997. In the same report, the company claimed Rimadyl had been (at that time) prescribed for more than 2.5 million canine patients. If the 1997 ratio held, one could extrapolate that as many as 450 of those 2.5 million dogs could have been expected to die as a result of being given Rimadyl.
The CVM, at least, uses actual numbers, not ratios, when expressing the ADEs for veterinary drugs. The CVM ADE reports on carprofen (Rimadyl) break out 371 canine deaths in 1999, 470 in 2000, and 537 in 2001. Its ADE reports on etodolac (EtoGesic) for 1998 through 2001 indicate that 1,224 cases were reviewed and 135 dogs died.
NSAIDs Can Bring Tragedy for Dogs
Given that death is a potential result of NSAID use, dog owners and veterinarians alike should pay close attention to the warnings and suggestions for these and any other drug products. However, for a number of reasons, many dog owners fail to hear this information.
Veterinarians must accept some of the blame. With millions of dogs experiencing relief from the drugs, and with side effects occurring in only a small percentage of these patients, some veterinarians fail to heed the warnings or take them seriously enough to discuss them at length with their clients. Some are lax about insisting on periodic lab tests that can indicate whether problems are beginning to develop.
“Most owners are not told what the side effects are and their pets are not monitored with blood and urine tests,” alleges Shawn Messonier, DVM, owner of the Paws and Claws Animal Hospital in Plano, Texas, and author of The Arthritis Solution for Dogs.
But owners should also be held responsible for failing to practice due diligence before medicating their pets. Every drug – and every herb, homeopathic remedy, nutraceutical supplement, etc. – can cause unwanted or unexpected side effects, and owners need to educate themselves about the potential for harm before blindly accepting any treatment for their dogs.
Possible Side Effects of NSAIDs
If your dog displays any of these signs while taking any NSAID, discontinue the drug’s use immediately and get your dog to the veterinarian for tests. The majority of patients with drug-related adverse reactions recover when the side effects are recognized quickly, the drug use is discontinued immediately, and veterinary care is initiated.
■ Gastrointestinal problems: Signs include vomiting, loss of appetite, abnormal stools (especially bloody or black diarrhea)
■ Liver abnormalities: Signs include vomiting; lack of appetite; yellowing of the gums, skin, or whites of eyes; and lethargy. Lab tests reveal elevated serum bilirubin and/ or liver enzymes, and/or abnormal liver function tests. (Note: One-third of hepatic-related reports for Rimadyl involved Labrador Retrievers)
■ Urinary abnormalities: Signs include urinary incontinence and increased water consumption. Lab tests reveal electrolyte and fluid imbalances; renal failure may occur
■ Hematological abnormalities: Signs include pale gums. Lab tests reveal anemia (below-normal concentration of platelets in the blood), hemolytic anemia (anemia resulting from destruction of platelets in the blood), thrombocytopenia (abnormally small number of platelets in the blood), prolonged bleeding time. (Rimadyl is not recommended for dogs with bleeding disorders, especially von Willebrand’s disease. NSAIDs should be used only with extreme care in breeds that are at risk for von Willebrand’s disease, such as Scottish Terriers and Dobermans.)
■ Behavioral abnormalities: Signs include lethargy, hyperactivity, restlessness, aggressiveness
■ Neurological abnormalities: Signs include incoordination, seizure, paralysis
■ Dermatological abnormalities:Signs include pruritis (itching), increased shedding, alopecia (baldness), pyotraumatic moist dermatitis (hot spots), inflammation of the subcutaneous layer of connective tissue and fat in the abdominal wall (panniculitis) or blood vessels (vasculitis)
Stop Use Immediately If Side Effects Occur
When dogs are given an NSAID to relieve painful conditions such as arthritis or even an acute injury, it can be difficult to ascertain whether some of the dog’s abnormal behavior is due to the original condition or a side effect of the drug. But it’s critical to observe the dog carefully to determine the difference.
Lewis Fadale, of Highland, Michigan, learned the hard way. Oslo, his 12- year-old Norwegian Elkhound “pulled his shoulder” from barreling downstairs and sliding across a tile floor. Although Fadale asked his veterinarian for Rimadyl, a drug that Oslo had safely taken before for a similar condition, his veterinarian prescribed Deramaxx. “He told me it was the new drug of choice and said there were minimal side effects,” Fadale said.
After two weeks, Fadale saw no appreciable improvement in Oslo’s condition, and noticed that Oslo was stumbling, slipping, and having trouble getting up. Fadale stopped the drug and took Oslo back to the vet. Tests indicated that the Elkhound’s blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine were elevated, indicating kidney failure. Two months earlier there had been no indication of a preexisting problem when levels were normal in preoperative testing for teeth cleaning. Oslo was placed on continuous IV solutions in an attempt to stabilize him, but after 48 hours, rising levels of enzymes indicated that kidney failure was still progressing.
“He was howling in pain. The vet told me his chance of recovery was so slim that he didn’t think it was worth putting him through any more,” said Fadale, “I chose to spare Oslo any further suffering.”
Because Fadale was unaware that some of the side effects of NSAIDs could be so similar to the signs of his dog’s original problem (including lethargy and ataxia), he failed to discontinue the drug’s use early enough to save his dog. “If I had known there could be serious, adverse reactions,” he says, “I would have paid closer attention and stopped the drug earlier.”
Reducing the Risks of NSAID Toxicity for Your Dog
My husband and I had heard stories about NSAID-related deaths and health complications when we administered Rimadyl to our rescued Elkhound, Shadow, and knew there was a possibility that she could suffer side effects if she stayed on the drug. Yet, without Rimadyl, the quality of her life was poor. We thought we made the right decision. In retrospect, had we been armed with more information, we could have made different choices about her treatment plan.
If, like Shadow, your dog could benefit from treatment with one of these drugs, take the following steps to reduce their risk:
• Get a proper diagnosis. Not all lameness is caused by arthritis. Have your dog evaluated, with x-rays, to rule out injury, bone cancer, or other causes of joint disease.
• Have laboratory tests done prior to treatment. The labels of all canine NSAIDs indicate that blood tests are required for safe prescribing. A blood and urine profile is needed to check your dog’s hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and pancreatic function. That’s because you must . . .
• Give NSAIDs only to healthy dogs. Dogs with bleeding disorders, or kidney, liver, and/or cardiac disease are not good candidates for NSAID therapy. Extreme caution should be taken with dogs who have even borderline high-normal liver enzymes, or chronic disease, such as mild kidney disease – conditions that are common in older dogs, who are more susceptible to problems with these drugs.
• Monitor liver and kidney enzymes during treatment. Your veterinarian should run periodic blood tests to make certain that no problems develop. How often depends on the health of your pet, possibly every three, four, or six months.
• Give NSAIDs with a meal. This can reduce the chance of stomach upset.
• Be cautious with concurrent drug use. Some drugs, like those used to treat epilepsy or certain anesthetics, may not be compatible with NSAIDs. Because of the potential to cause gastrointestinal ulcers, the combined use of aspirin, multiple NSAIDs, or steroids is not advised. Ask your veterinarian to advise you as to which drug combinations are safe and which are not.
• We’ll say it again: Read the drug’s client information sheet. If you are not handed one when you receive your dog’s prescribed drug, ask for it. Some veterinary practices buy the drugs in bulk and repackage them when dispensing. That’s okay, but they should also make a copy of the original product package insert for you.
• Familiarize yourself with signs of all the possible adverse reactions to NSAIDs. If your dog exhibits any one of these signs, discontinue the drug’s use and seek veterinary care immediately.
• Discuss the risks, benefits, and alternatives to NSAID use with your veterinarian. If your vet doesn’t take time to discuss your concerns, or brushes them off without answering, find another vet.
Do NOT Switch NSAIDs Quickly
NSAIDs should not be administered with corticosteroids or other NSAIDs. (Note: This includes aspirin, which is also an NSAID, whether it is plain, buffered, or enteric coated.) If a dog owner wants to try a different NSAID, she should discontinue using the first drug for at least two weeks before administering the second drug. Serious health complications can arise if this minimal time frame is not observed.
Jeff Levine periodically gave his Golden Retriever, Rudy, EtoGesic to prevent occasional pain related to the surgery Rudy had undergone to treat his hip dysplasia. Levine also gave Rudy the drug sometimes prior to hiking.
When Rudy stepped in a hole and twisted his leg on a hike, Levine carried him out of the woods and to the veterinarian’s office. Although the leg appeared better when they arrived, the vet prescribed Deramaxx. “I told the vet that Rudy had taken an EtoGesic that morning,” says Levine, but the veterinarian apparently was unaware that a complication could occur from the administration of the two drugs so close in time.
As instructed, Levine gave Rudy Deramaxx that evening. By the next morning, the Retriever’s leg was better, but he was groggy and lethargic, and Levine decided not to give the dog any more of either drug. During the next night, Rudy insisted on going outside, where he suffered black diarrhea and dry retching.
Blood tests at the clinic in the morning indicated that Rudy was hemorrhaging and a transfusion was required to save his life. Over the next few weeks the dog had multiple tests. An endoscopy revealed that he had over 150 ulcerations in his stomach. Rudy also had developed a platelet aggregation (clotting) disorder. He was given multiple medications and transfusions, but failed to recover. The veterinarian informed Levine that his dog would likely bleed to death, and suggested he consider euthanizing the dog.
“Rudy couldn’t walk anymore. He wasn’t eating or drinking. His gums and eyes were grey,” said Levine, “He was miserable, so I told the vet it was time.”
Alternatives to NSAID Therapy
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are not the only treatments for arthritis. If your dog suffers from any condition that would contraindicate NSAID use – such as less-thanperfect cardiac, hepatic, or renal function; a bleeding disorder; concurrent use of corticosteroids or diuretics; or a previous exhibition of hypersensitivity to NSAIDs – use the following alternatives. (Heck, use them anyway!)
Weight loss. The first and possibly most overlooked treatment for arthritic dogs is to control their weight. Extra pounds add extra stress to inflamed joints.
Nutritional supplements. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin help many arthritic dogs, although few clinical studies have been conducted to support the overwhelming anecdotal evidence offered by thousands of dog owners.
Methyl-sulfonylmethane (MSM) is often used alone or in combination with GAG supplements as a pain reliever, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory.
“I like the nutritional approach,” says Dr. Messonier, “because you give the joint nutrition at the same time so it’s not just trying to heal on its own.” He also explained that nutritional therapy is affordable and doesn’t require frequent trips to a clinic.
Complementary therapies. Periodic acupuncture treatments, magnetic therapy, herbs, or homeopathic remedies may also relieve symptoms of pain and stiffness related to your dog’s arthritic conditions. Find an experienced holistic veterinarian who can offer complementary therapies through the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Reduced dosing. “It’s advertised how NSAIDs can help a dog walk normally again,” says Shawn Messonier, DVM, author of The Arthritis Solution for Dogs, “but they are not meant to be on them for life.”
Dr. Messonier prefers to use NSAIDs for only five to seven days to relieve an exacerbation of symptoms. If a pet’s discomfort is severe he may prescribe them for 30 to 60 days until other therapies have a chance to work. And the dose will be the minimum possible. “Some pets can’t tolerate the recommended per pound dosage,” he says.
Are NSAIDs Ever A Viable Choice?
Veterinarians at the CVM regard canine NSAIDs to be safe and effective as long as consumers take precautions and pay attention to the labels and insert warnings. The CVM’s 1999 “Update on Rimadyl” goes so far as to say that NSAID therapy should not be considered as an elective therapeutic choice, but rather the “primary therapy available for maintaining an acceptable standard of life due to the long-term debilitating effects of osteoarthritis.”
Most veterinarians interviewed about NSAIDs report seeing improvement in their patients. Many state that they have not seen cases of adverse reactions to the drugs in their clinics, and believe that the risks are worth taking for many dogs.
“I have seen hundreds of dogs who would have been euthanized without these drugs,” says Tammy Smith, DVM, of the Colonial Animal Hospital in Belpre, Ohio.
Even one owner whose dog died after being given NSAID therapy recognizes the drugs can be helpful. Elsa Norton, of Saugerties, New York, said her veterinarian thought that her geriatric dog’s health problems leading up to his death “possibly” may have been triggered by NSAID use.
Norton says she wishes she made a different choice regarding her dog’s treatment, but adds, “Rimadyl has been a miracle drug for some dogs and I’m grateful that those animals have been helped. If I had it to do over, I would have started with alternative treatments. Anyone considering (NSAIDs) should research these alternatives first. But, if your animal is in such pain that the other option is euthanasia, then by all means try the medication.”
NSAIDs can be effective tools in relieving the pain and stiffness of arthritis when used properly and measures are taken to prevent problems. Weigh the benefits against the risks – and don’t forget there are effective alternatives available.
NSAIDS FOR DOGS: OVERVIEW
1. If your dog seems arthritic, schedule a full examination and consultation with your vet.
2. Try some of the alternatives to using NSAIDs to reduce your dog’s discomfort and manage his condition.
3. Prior to trying any NSAID, insist on complete lab tests to establish that your dog has good liver function and normal biochemistry. Without these, NSAIDs may be dangerous to your dog.
4. Do not use more than one NSAID at the same time. Do not switch from one NSAID to another without a gap of at least two drug-free weeks.
5. At the first sign of ANY health or behavior abnormality, discontinue NSAID use immediately and get more blood tests.
Lexiann Grant is a member of the Dog Writers Association of America and an eight-time recipient of the Maxwell Medallion for excellence in dog writing. She and her husband live in southeastern Ohio with their four dogs and two cats.
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Every cloud has a silver lining, even clouds of war and pestilence. Here’s an example. We can thank the Vietnam War and a malaria plague for the development of an herbal extract that may be your dog’s best new treatment for cancer. Thirty years ago, mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites bred in rain water that collected in underground tunnels built by the army of North Vietnam.
When that country lost more soldiers to malaria than to military weapons, it turned to China for help. Soon China’s top scientists were analyzing the problem from every perspective. When researchers at the Chinese Institute of Material Medicine discovered a region of China that did not have malaria, they found that its people drank a decoction (simmered tea) of Artemesia annua L. at the first sign of malarial symptoms. Artemesia annua L. is known as Qinghao in China and as sweet wormwood, annual wormwood, or sweet Annie in the West. (Its cousin Artemesia absinthium, or perennial wormwood, is an ingredient in herbal worming products for dogs and people.) In 1972, Chinese scientists isolated four chemical compounds in Artemesia annua: the natural compound artemisinin and three synthetic or semisynthetic compounds: artesunate, artemether, and arteether. Artemisinin became North Vietnam’s drug of choice for malaria. It has since become popular throughout Southeast Asia and Africa, where malaria is resistant to nearly all antimalarial drugs, including chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, and Fansidar. So far, malaria has not developed resistance to artemisinin. In 1993, a University of Michigan researcher discovered the biochemical mechanism that makes artemisinin effective. Dr. Steven R. Meshnick, a parasitologist at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, found that the malaria parasite survives in its host by consuming approximately 25 percent of the hemoglobin in the host’s red blood cells. However, it does not metabolize the heme (iron) in the hemoglobin. Instead, it stores the iron in the form of a polymer, called hemozoin, inside a food vacuole. “We discovered that when artemisinin comes into contact with the iron in the hemozoin,” reports Dr. Meshnick, “the iron converts the artemisinin into a toxic chemical, releasing a free radical that destroys the parasite.” In Dr. Meshnick’s clinical study of 638 malarial patients in Vietnam, artemisinin eliminated 98 percent of malarial parasites within 24 hours and did so without significant side effects. “The parasite reappeared in only 10 to 23 percent of the group that took artemisinin for 5 to 10 days,” Dr. Meshnick says. “It may well be that the reappearance of the disease was due to a new infection rather than a flare-up of the prior one.” Artemisinin was equally effective against both the falciparum and vivax strains of malaria. Cancer needs iron, too Artemisinin’s reaction to iron molecules interested research professors Henry Lai, Ph.D., and Narendra Singh, MBBS, at the University of Washington in Seattle because cancer cells, like malaria parasites, collect and store iron. “Cancer cells need extra iron to replicate DNA when they divide,” explains Professor Lai. “As a result, cancer cells have a much higher concentration of iron than normal cells. When we began to understand how artemisinin works, I wondered if we could use that knowledge to target cancer cells.” In research published in 1995 in the journal Cancer Letters and in the November 2001 journal Life Sciences, Professors Lai and Singh found that artemisinin killed all of the human leukemia and breast cancer cells in a test tube within 8 to 16 hours while leaving nearly all of the normal cells unharmed. Artemisinin has been shown in test tube studies to be most effective against leukemia and colon cancer. Preliminary tests suggest that artemisinin will be effective against melanoma, breast, ovarian, prostate, renal, and central nervous system cancers such as glioblastoma and neuroblastoma. Working with veterinarians In 1999, Professors Lai and Singh pioneered canine research on artemisinin when, in collaboration with Tejinder Sodhi, DVM, of the Animal Hospital of Lynnwood in Lynnwood, Washington, they treated a male Golden Retriever with acute lameness of the right front leg. “The xray showed exostosis below the humeral neck with general sunburst osteolytic appearance,” reported Dr. Sodhi. “Fine-needle aspirate showed cells resembling osteoblasts and satisfied the criteria of malignancy.” Despite a very low dose of artemisinin and only 10 days of treatment (artemisinin was then expensive and the project lacked funding to buy more), the dog recovered within a week, gaining weight and walking normally, with xrays taken on the tenth day showing signs of bone remodeling. In another case, a seven-year-old male Basset Hound was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma of the lymph nodes. After three five-day treatments separated by intervals of three to five days, the diameter of the left and right linguinal and submandibular lymph nodes was reduced to half. Both dogs recovered without further treatment. As this article goes to press, the Washington Cancer Institute Department of Orthopedic Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, and a fellowship-trained veterinary surgical oncologist in Washington, DC, are collaborating on a project to determine whether artemisinin is an effective compound in the treatment of canine osteosarcoma. “We are performing in vitro or laboratory assays, the results of which will be determined by June 2003,” says Senior Clinical Researcher Kristen Kellar-Graney at the Washington Cancer Institute. “If these results prove favorable, it is our intention to perform a small, double-blinded, randomized study with pet canines who are not eligible for other forms of conventional treatment or pets whose owners are not interested in or cannot afford more conventional methods of treatment.” Using artemisinin The recommended human dose is approximately 1 milligram (mg) artemisinin per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight twice per day. The dose recommended for most dogs is 50 mg or 100 mg twice per day for at least one month, continued for up to 6 to 12 months at a time.
Vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, pancreatic enzymes, and other supplements used in holistic cancer therapies are compatible with artemisinin, though some practitioners recommend separating artemisinin and high doses of vitamin C by at least three hours. Some healthcare practitioners recommend giving cod liver oil or other fat with artemisinin to improve its assimilation, but Professor Lai says that this is not necessary. Artemisinin should not be combined with radiation therapy because radiation treatments release iron stored in cancer cells to surrounding tissue. For best results, patients are encouraged to wait until at least two months after their last radiation treatment before beginning artemisinin. However, artemisinin is compatible with chemotherapy. In a study published last year, German researcher T. Efferth, Ph.D., tested artemisinin in combination with 22 chemotherapy drugs and found that artemisinin enhanced the drugs’ effectiveness. When artemisinin is used in combination with chemotherapy, it should be taken several hours after the chemotherapy treatment ends. When taken in combination with chemotherapy, artemisinin does not alleviate chemotherapy’s side effects. Cancer case history: Gus In the spring of 2002, Karen and Greg Moore of Bar Harbor, Maine, noticed that Gus, their seven-year-old German Shepherd Dog, was drinking large quantities of water and urinating more than usual. “He was having some accidents in the house,” Karen Moore recalls, “and he had never done that before. We went to the veterinarian, but it took quite a while to find out what the problem was. Only one of Gus’s lab tests showed an unusual result, and that was his calcium level, which was extremely high. At the end of April, our vet referred us to a clinic in Bath, Maine, where Gus underwent ultrasound and other tests.” The examination revealed apocrine gland adenocarcinoma, an anal gland tumor, with lymph node involvement. “The mass was then about the size of a plum,” says Moore, “and they could see that it had metastasized. The diagnosis was devastating. They basically had him dead and buried. They told us it was inoperable because it had already spread to the lymph nodes, there was nothing they could do, and he would die within a few weeks. They said we could try chemotherapy, but we would be fighting a very aggressive tumor, so it probably wouldn’t buy much time.” The Moores decided in favor of chemotherapy, and in May, Gus received his first of five treatments. “He couldn’t have more than that,” she says, “because they didn’t want it to affect his organs. In August, he had his final treatment, and that was that. He was still hanging in there. Now we were playing a wait-and-see game.” Three months later, while talking with the owner of a Bar Harbor health food store, Moore mentioned her dog. “I said I wished we could do something more for him,” she says. “That’s when the owner told me about the research of Dr. Henry Lai at the University of Washington. He gave me an e-mail address, and that’s how I got in touch with Holley Pharmaceuticals, the company that imports the artemisinin Gus takes.” On December 7, Gus received his first dose of artemisinin. “He’s taking 100 mg twice a day,” says Moore. “It’s been only three months so far, but we’ve been amazed at the improvements we see. His energy level is high, and his eyes are as clear as can be. They had gotten very foggy and unhealthy looking, but now they’re not cloudy at all. His calcium level went back to normal. The tumor grew after the chemotherapy treatments were stopped, but it hasn’t grown since we started the artemisinin. Gus is active, he plays ball, and he hikes with us. We really thought he would be slowing down by now. We never thought he would last this long or this well.” If Gus maintains his improved condition, Moore plans to continue his current dose of artemisinin. “On the protocol we’re following,” she says, “the dog takes it for up to a year and then you begin a weaning process and discontinue the treatment. Gus goes to the vet every six to eight weeks for checkups, so his condition is being monitored. It’s reassuring to have the vet keep an eye on him to be sure he’s doing well. Gus is now eight years old and thriving, which is something we never expected.” Cancer case history: Zoe Zoe, a Great Pyrenees, recently moved with Shirley and Mike Driggs to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. On April 19, 2002, when she was five and a half years old and they lived in Indiana, Zoe was diagnosed with osteo-sarcoma in her right front leg. “We took her to the vet because she was limping,” says Shirley Driggs. “The diagnosis was terrible news because bone cancer spreads really fast. Most dogs die within a month or two.” Driggs considered conventional treatments, including amputation, chemotherapy, and radiation. “From everything I could find about these options,” she says, “they only give dogs five or six more months of life, and the treatments’ side effects are so awful, the quality of that life is questionable at best. My mother died of bone cancer, so I’ve seen this disease up close. There was no way I could put Zoe through any of the conventional therapies.” Instead, she searched the Internet to learn everything she could about the disease. “On page after page and site after site,” she says, “I hit a message board that discussed artemisinin. Further searches led me to Dr. Lai. I called him up and discussed the herb, and he gave me some background information. I later e-mailed Dr. Lai with Zoe’s weight and medical background, and he advised me of the dosage he felt was suitable for her.” When Driggs returned to Zoe’s veterinarian with this information, he looked skeptical but said he had no problem with her trying it. “Since I had no other course of action,” she says, “and I was told this treatment had no adverse side effects, I thought, why not?!” Zoe’s response to artemisinin was immediate and dramatic. “We started her on 50 mg twice a day,” says Driggs, “and she literally quit limping on the second day. She ran, jumped, barked, played, fought with the other dogs, and had a wonderful time. You would never know she had bone cancer.” Zoe continued to be symptom-free for the next eight months. In fact, a radiograph taken last October showed that her bone tumor had begun to shrink. Two veterinarians examined her xrays and confirmed this. “When bone cancer metastasizes, it usually spreads to the lungs,” says Driggs, “and all of Zoe’s lung xrays, including one taken in February 2003, show that her lungs are completely clear. This has really amazed her doctors.” But in January 2003, just after the move to Arizona, Zoe’s limp came back. “We gave her a prescription anti-inflammatory,” says Driggs, “because we don’t want her to be in pain, but we knew this was a serious symptom.” Driggs contacted Dr. Lai, who recommended that they either stop the artemisinin for seven days and then continue at the same 50-mg dose twice a day, or increase the dose to 100 mg twice per day. They increased the artemisinin. On March 14, Driggs was petting Zoe when she noticed a hard, grape-sized lump under the dog’s left armpit. “We went straight to our veterinarian, who explained that what I found was a lymph node and that the cancer had spread,” explains Driggs. “But Zoe is still looking good. She is still eating well, still has her appetite, still comes outside, and still enjoys life. We’ll just take one day at a time.” In the meantime, Driggs says she is thoroughly satisfied with her experience using the artemisinin for Zoe’s cancer. “I have no regrets about having used it,” she says. “When your dog is diagnosed with bone cancer and you reject all conventional treatment, the odds are you won’t have more than a few weeks together. Instead of declining, Zoe has had a wonderful year. She may be living on borrowed time, but her borrowed time has stretched out considerably, and every day has been a blessing.”
1. Be the trainer when you are with your dog more often than you are the trainee.
2. Control the “good stuff” and generously share it with your dog when he offers polite behaviors.
3. Teach your dog that he needs to “Say please” in order to get the good stuff.
4. Prevent him from being rewarded for undesirable behaviors to avoid spoiling.
When a new client calls me seeking a private consultation, I often hear a litany of canine woes that includes: barking, chewing, digging, counter surfing, house soiling, jumping up, biting, running away, and other destructive and inappropriate behaviors. With amazing consistency, clients conclude by confessing that they allow their dogs on the furniture and feed them people food; then sheepishly claim, “I guess I’ve spoiled him.” I always respond with, “My dogs are allowed on the furniture and I feed them people food. If allowing dogs on the bed and feeding them human food equals spoiling, then I passionately believe that dogs should be spoiled.”
Contrary to what you may have read in some dog training books, letting your dog get on the sofa and feeding him real food does not mean he will turn into a raving dominant maniac-dog, nor does it teach him to drool at your dinner table. It simply means that you have made a conscious decision to grant him furniture privileges and provide him with a diet that goes beyond processed kibble. These deliberate choices on your part do not give rise to behavior problems. Spoiling a dog in a manner that leads to undesirable behaviors is something else entirely.
In her excellent new book, Click for Joy, author and clicker trainer Melissa Alexander says, “Spoiling occurs when you give something for nothing.”
I would add to her definition that spoiling also occurs when you allow behaviors to be rewarded that you will sooner or later come to regret. While a client who calls me about behavior problems may indeed have “spoiled” her dog, the problems are far more likely a result of giving a dog the opportunity to practice and be rewarded for inappropriate behavior than they are a result of furniture privileges and dietary selections.
Who Controls the Goods?
Whenever you are with your dog, one of you is training the other. The healthiest dog/human relationships generally occur when the human is the trainer and the dog the trainee the vast majority of the time. This means that the human controls most of the “good stuff” in the dog’s life, and decides when, where, and how the dog gets it. The dog can earn the good stuff by doing things that please the human.
Important note: The dog is not intrinsically trying to please the human. The dog is just doing whatever he needs to do to get the good stuff and thereby please himself. It is incidental to him that he pleases his human in the process.
I would identify a “spoiled” dog as one who is allowed to be the trainer more often than he is the trainee, when the resulting behaviors are damaging to the relationship. The spoiled dog does things that don’t please his human and gets the good stuff anyway.
This is the dog who “demand-barks” to go out, come back in, get a treat or a toy – and the human gives him what he wants because she knows the barking will just escalate if she doesn’t.
It’s the dog who digs at his owner’s arm for attention – and gets it. It’s the dog who jumps up on the bed next to the wife and growls at the husband when he tries to get in his side (especially if the husband then goes and sleeps on the sofa).
It’s the dog who wakes up at 3:00 a.m., barks to go out – even though he is a healthy adult dog well able to “hold it” all night – and then whines and barks in his crate when he comes back in until his humans let him out to spend the rest of the night in the bed with them. It’s the dog who drags his protesting owner around the block at the end of the leash, accosting every human, peeing on every bush, and eating every bit of garbage he can find along the way. You get the idea.
Get Your Dog to Say Please
You may have a new dog or pup and are determined not to spoil her. Or perhaps you are realizing that you have already made some mistakes and now have a dog who is slightly or seriously spoiled. In any case, a “Say please” program is a great way to prevent or overcome the challenges of living with a spoiled dog.
Also known as “Nothing in Life Is Free” or “No Free Lunch,” a “Say please” program teaches your dog that she must ask for good stuff – politely – by performing a desirable behavior, rather than by demanding – and getting – what she wants. “Sit” is the most versatile “Say please” behavior, and by far the easiest to install. Most dogs can learn to offer a sit in a few minutes or less (see “Sit Happens,” WDJ February 2001).
As soon as your dog learns that sitting is a very rewardable behavior, it’s a simple matter to wait for her to sit before bestowing good stuff on her. Breakfast time? Hold up her food dish and wait for her to sit; that’s a “Say please” behavior. Time for a walk? Sit gets you to attach the leash. Want to go out? Sitting politely makes the door open. Want to be petted? Dogs who sit get pets, treats, and attention.
You may be tempted to ask for the sit, but don’t! Instead, use a little body language if necessary; hold a treat, the food bowl, or your hand, up near your chest – and wait until she offers the sit of her own accord. Then work quickly to “fade” (progressively eliminate) the treat and body language. You want your dog to realize that she has to initiate the request for the good stuff.
One of the goals of positive reinforcement training is to create dogs who learn to control their own behavior, so that you don’t have to constantly tell them what to do. If you must usually tell your dog to sit, she won’t learn to “Say please” without being asked, and she won’t generalize her polite “Say please” behavior to other people and other situations.
Sit is not your only “Say please” option. It doesn’t matter so much what you ask her to do. What matters is that she learns she has to earn the good stuff, it doesn’t just happen gratuitously. You can use any desirable behavior that your dog can do easily – or a variety of behaviors in a variety of situations. Our Scottie, Dubhy, used to grumble at me from my office doorway when he wanted to go outside. I found this a little pushy and annoying, so I taught him to “Say please,” by coming into the office and lying quietly at my feet. Tucker, our cattle dog mix, does a lovely “Say please” play bow when he asks to go outside. And both of them “Say please” again by sitting politely at the door when I go to let them out.
Be Firm About It
“Sounds simple,” you may say, “but when I pick up my leash my dog Bonkers leaps and cavorts about, barks at the top of her lungs, and body-slams me. She’s not going to offer a sit!”
At this point Bonkers thinks that cavorting is what causes the door to open. It’s been working for a long time, so why wouldn’t she think that? It is certainly more challenging to reprogram an already-established undesirable behavior than it is to install the desirable one from the start, but it’s not impossible.
You can make it easier by separating the environmental cues that tell her it’s “walk-time.” Perhaps you always keep the leash on the hook by the front door and put it on her collar in the entryway when you take her for her daily walk at 5:30 pm after you get home from work. Try moving the leash to the kitchen drawer. At 7:00 in the morning on a day when you don’t have to rush off to work or school, take the leash out of the drawer and, using your “Sit” body language, help her to “Say please.” If she leaps and cavorts about uncontrollably, cheerfully say “Too bad!” set the leash on the counter and go about your morning kitchen business.
As soon as she calms down, pick up the leash again and try for another “Say please.” Every time she revs up, say “Too bad!” and set the leash down. Every time she calms down, restart the leash process. This teaches her that cavorting makes the leash go away, and that sitting makes the leash happen. You will probably be surprised by how quickly she figures it out. This is the opposite of what she learned in the past, so be patient.
As soon as she will stay reasonably calm when you pick up the leash, encourage her to sit so you can attach it to her collar. If she leaps up again when you start to clip it on, give her another cheerful “Too bad!” and set the leash down again. When she will remain sitting calmly as you attach the leash, take her to a different door from the one you usually exit through with her, and help her “Say please” at the door to make the door open. Take her out for at least a short walk as a reward.
Feel free to take breaks during the reprogramming process. Training sessions are generally most productive if they last no more than 10-15 minutes at a stretch. Some dogs (and humans!) do best with sessions that last 5 minutes or less. Try to take your breaks following one or more successes, rather than waiting until you or Bonkers are so frustrated you can’t take any more. If you find yourself getting frustrated, ask Bonkers to do something that she loves and does really well, and take a break after that.
Bonkers may need several short sessions to understand that she needs to sit and stay sitting in order to get the good stuff (leash and walk), or she may get it in one session. When she will reliably sit for you in the kitchen for the leash and at the alternate door to make it open, continue to put the leash on in the kitchen, but return to using the door that you normally use to take her out, at her regularly scheduled walk time. When that part of the walk routine is reprogrammed, take the leash out of the kitchen drawer, but walk to the entryway and clip it on her collar – after she does a polite “Say please” sit, of course. When she can do that calmly, hang the leash on its old hook by the door, and you’re back in business!
The Art of Dog Training
Most “spoiled” behaviors can be addressed by creating a reprogramming protocol similar to the one described above that teaches your dog to “Say please” in order to get whatever the good stuff is that she wants at the moment. Keep in mind, however, that many dogs will exhibit a behavior known as an “extinction burst,” which is akin to the temper tantrum that a toddler might throw when she doesn’t get her way.
For example, let’s say your dog is in the habit of barking at you to get you to let her outside. In your new reprogramming mode, you carefully ignore her when she barks by turning away from her, so that she is no longer rewarded for this undesirable behavior. Your dog knows that barking has gotten her what she wants in the past, and she can’t figure out why, all of a sudden, it’s not working now. So she tries harder, sure that if she just tries hard, loud, and long enough, it will work again.
Hearing the increased intensity and volume in the dog’s voice, you may become convinced that the new training program isn’t working and, tired of listening to the racket, open the door and let the dog out. You have just rewarded your dog’s increased level of barking, reinforcing “louder and longer” and making it that much more difficult to reprogram the barking behavior.
Simply ignoring the dog’s previously successful behavior leaves her frustrated and noisy, and stresses you both until you give in to her. This is where the “Say please” program is so valuable. Teaching her an alternative successful behavior gives her something else to do – an acceptable way to make good stuff happen. However, if you respond to her barking by asking her to sit and then letting her out, you are simply teaching a “behavior chain” of, “I bark, I sit, and then the door opens.” In order to avoid this dilemma, you must blend the science of behavior with the art of training.
Think About It
We tend to ignore our dogs when they are being polite, and pay attention to them when they are rude. That’s how they get to be spoiled in the first place – they learn that they have to be pushy to get what they want. If you are working to unspoil your dog or to prevent spoiling, you must keep your eyes open, watch for the polite “Say please” behavior to happen, and reward it a lot. When your dog does “Say please,” sometimes reward her with a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ear, sometimes with a yummy treat or a game of fetch, and sometimes by letting her out or giving her whatever other good stuff she politely asks for.
However, this doesn’t mean she always gets what she wants; the art of training is in finding the balance between controlling the good stuff and sharing it with your canine pal on your terms. In time, the new behaviors will be solidly programmed and you can reduce the rate of positive reinforcement without losing the new behaviors.
A “Say please” program won’t fix all behavior problems. The dog who doesn’t let hubby on the bed can certainly benefit from learning to “Say please,” but his owners may also need the assistance of a trainer/behaviorist to resolve the bed guarding. It will, without a doubt prevent a lot of problems from ever occurring in the first place, and even implemented after-the-fact, can help make the trainer/behaviorist’s job easier with the more challenging behavior problems.
If your dog doesn’t know how to “Say please,” perhaps it’s time to teach him. Then you can say, “Spoiled? Not my dog,” as he sits politely on the sofa next to you, smiling and eating pieces of carrot and chicken.
Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is also a freelance author and Certified Pet Dog Trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is the president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and published her first book, The Power of Positive Dog Training, in 2002.
A couple of days ago, I received a text from a dog-training client, wondering about a video she had just watched—and which she linked in the text. “Is meat meal bad for dogs?” she asked. She followed that message with, “I get that she’s selling her own pet food, but is it (meat meal) that bad?”
