Could you publish something about hip dysplasia? We have a 14-month-old pit bull mix (with German Shepherd, we believe) who has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. She is a very sweet, loving, active dog whom we adopted when she was seven months old.
Evelyn Goodwin Oakland, CA
We asked Phyllis Giroux, DVM, of Goldvein, VA, to answer this question. Dr. Giroux is a certified member of the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association. She and her partner also breed and train retrievers at their home, Deep Run Farm. Dr. Giroux’s response:
First, I need to make it clear that there are many types of rear end lamenesses that may end up being diagnosed as hip dysplasia, but you really can’t accept the diagnosis of hip dysplasia without hip x-rays. Hip dysplasia is a radiographic diagnosis, not a clinical diagnosis. That may be splitting hairs, but I see many dogs with conditions such as ruptured and improperly healed cruciate ligaments or lower back arthritis that have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia. Only radiographs can determine whether or not a dog has hip dysplasia.
Radiographs are not necessarily definitive, however. Sometimes what we see on the radiograph does not correlate with the dog’s clinical signs. For instance, sometimes we see dogs that exhibit severe lameness but have only minimally visible arthritic changes in their hips, and sometimes we see dogs that exhibit minimal signs of discomfort yet have severe changes showing in the radiographs. A lot of it has to do with the individual, his tolerance for pain, and his exercise level. But in the case of a dog with severe lameness whose X-rays look OK, I am really tempted to keep looking for some other cause of his pain.
Typically the diagnostic radiograph for hip dysplasia is taken with the dog lying on his back with his legs extended. This is a non-anatomic position for the dog, but it offers one of the best views of the hip joints.
What is Hip Dysplasia?
In the dog’s hind legs, the head of the femur (or thigh bone) is shaped like a ball, and it is supposed to fit tightly into the acetabulum (socket); it’s a classic ball and socket joint. Hip dysplasia is a catch-all term for a variety of problems with that ball and socket joint.
Sometimes, we can see the socket appearing shallower than normal, so that the ball can not get well seated in the socket. The ball may become flattened or become distorted. Many times we can see changes where the joint capsule attaches to the neck of the femur; there may be calcium deposits collecting there. In more advanced cases, we can actually see the arthritic deposits in the radiographs, where excess calcium has been deposited along the rim of the socket, and sometimes on the head of the ball itself.
In a classic case, you may also see a number of accompanying signs, including a bunny-hopping gait in the rear limbs, a dog shifting a large proportion of his weight to his front legs, wasting of the muscle mass in the thigh area, stiffness and soreness when the dog gets up after resting, and a reluctance to jump up – to either jump up on his hind legs, or to jump up onto a couch or into a car.
Prevention Starts Before Birth
I raise retrievers, and so I have pretty strong feelings about preventing hip dysplasia. I believe that hip dysplasia prevention starts way back when a puppy is only theoretical – when the breeder plans the mating! If you are going to buy a purebred dog, as opposed to getting a rescued dog, you should start by looking for a puppy with good, healthy, sound parents. Take the time to do some research on the parents, and to make sure you are buying puppies from OFA-certified stock. (OFA is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals, established in 1966. It is a not-for-profit organization originally created to assist breeders in addressing hip dysplasia.) In certain popular breeds, such as Labradors, I think only those dogs with the higher ratings (OFA-Excellent, OFA-Good) should be bred. I won’t consider breeding even an OFA-Fair Labrador.
The OFA ratings are extremely helpful in selecting breeding stock, but you have to remember that the rating is not accurate forever. Hips, like all body parts, are dynamic. Many dogs who get an OFA rating at two years old, especially if it is one of the lower ratings, like OFA-Fair, will continue to show degenerative changes in those hips throughout their lives. Many dogs that will get a passing score with OFA at two years old are not able to pass when they are aged five, six, or seven.
In the best possible world, we would require recertification later in life, perhaps every 24 to 48 months. I think would give us a better handle on what we are doing. When you breed dogs at two years old, you don’t really know what is going to happen to them when they are eight.
I also suggest using dogs that have been evaluated by the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PennHIP). A dog that is OFA-Excellent and scored in the top 90th percentile on the PennHIP scale is a good choice for breeding stock, assuming they have all the other qualities you want! Breeders have a responsibility to get as much information as they can about their breeding stock. They should feel confident that all the dogs that are breeding will remain sound throughout their lives. And if the offspring starts showing problems that appear to have some hereditary nature, the owners should stop breeding the parents.
Good Nutrition for Good Hips
Once you get your puppy or young dog, there are a number of things you can do to reduce the likelihood that he develops dysplasia, or improves the condition in the case of a dog who already has dysplasia. Proper nutrition is the first and foremost consideration.
All puppies and dogs should be fed a good quality diet with a balanced calcium-phosphorous ratio (about 1.2:1.0). Entire books have been written about what constitutes a “good quality diet,” but since this issue of WDJ already contains an article about choosing good dry dog foods, I’ll just say that good foods are rarely inexpensive. Quality sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fat – that is, foods that are highly digestible, easily absorbed and utilized by the dog – are more costly than low quality foods; there is just no way around it.
I use a couple of dietary supplements as a matter of course, including the antioxidant vitamins C and E. I have also had success using Perna canaliculus supplementation (I use a supplement called Glyco-Flex).
Perna is a food product containing 57 nutrients, among them glucosamine precursors. Perna seems to be effective for our joints in the same way aloe is good for wounds in the skin: as a complex of nutrients for which the whole result is greater than a sum of the parts. We start all of our puppies on Perna when they start on food, at five weeks, and keep them on this supplement throughout their whole lives. The puppies receive about 20 mg. per pound of body weight crushed in their food. I continue this throughout their lives, although I may double or even triple that dosage if they show evidence of certain problems.
Research has certainly proven that dogs that are kept significantly lean during their first year of life have a reduced risk for developing hip problems later in life. All young dogs should be kept thin – I call it painfully thin. They should look skinny. People who grew up in my era, people who were children in the 1950s, tend to feel very uncomfortable looking at puppies who are that thin. In our era, babies and puppies were all supposed to be chubby. Here at our farm, we keep our young dogs thin and active, and this approach has been very successful.
Hope for Dysplastic Dogs
But the reader’s dog has already been diagnosed with hip dysplasia; the horse is already out of the barn. Don’t panic; there are many things you can do for a dysplastic dog.
Start with all the things I mentioned for preventing dysplasia. A better diet, glucosamine supplements, and supplemental antioxidants will all help this dog. So will keeping the dog thin. Do not underestimate the importance of keeping the dog thin. I owned a Labrador who was a field champion – and, later in his life, severely dysplastic. The dog lived to be 12, and what made the biggest improvement in his quality of life during his last two years was being thin. When he weighed 73 pounds, he could not get up off the floor. He would stumble and fall, and we would have to resort to giving him cortisone injections to be able to get around at all. When he was down around 65 pounds, he got around well, he was quite mobile and felt good. Joints are made to move. If they do not move, they degenerate further.
Pain Relief is Therapeutic
Speaking of anti-inflammatories and other analgesic agents: My opinion is that if a young dog requires them in order to feel more comfortable and be more active, I think he should receive them. It’s true that these drugs can cause side effects when used over a long time. But exercise will build up the dog’s muscle tone, and strong muscles help support joints, whether they are normal or weak. Dogs who are kept quiet will only get worse and feel worse. Give the dog at least enough to get him fit and comfortable, and then taper or eliminate the dosage whenever possible.
Even if they are in pain, these dogs need exercise. Swimming is a great thing for dysplastic dogs, because it is nonconcussive.
Many veterinarians will tell you to let the dog rest, but that opinion is changing. I graduated from veterinary school in 1977, and at that time, they were still teaching us that abnormal joints need rest, just like broken bones and other injuries need rest. Today, we realize that we did a lot of harm with that advice. Certainly, as a chiropractor, I know that joints have to move. For a long time, deep in my soul, I knew that resting these things was not making them better. Even if we can’t make the joints right, we need to make them functional, so that we can help the dog preserve good muscle tone, good nerve tone, and good energy flow throughout the body.
To that end, regular chiropractic care can be of huge benefit to dysplastic dogs. Certainly it helps keep the body balanced and the joints functional. Many of these dogs are also helped by acupuncture, which is very effective to alleviate pain in dysplastic dogs. Plus, acupuncture has no deleterious side effects, and can be used for as long as it provides good results. And even if a patient quits responding to acupuncture, one could explore other possibilities, such as gold bead implants at acupuncture points.
Surgical Options
There are a number of surgical procedures that are of benefit to some dogs with certain types of dysplasia. Since this in itself is a rather large topic, I’ll discuss it in the next issue.
My husband and I acquired two (temporary) canine foundlings last week. Julie is a five-month-old purebred Akita puppy that we rescued from our local shelter, where her cage card identified her as a Shepherd/Husky mix. Her prospects for adoption were dismal, given that the shelter euthanizes 85-90 percent of incoming animals.
Our second castaway, Princess, is a three-year-old Beagle mix. My husband and I were driving down a busy highway when we spotted her, hunched in the middle of the road, defecating while cars swerved around her on both sides. Princess was wearing a collar and tag, but her owners had moved, and she ended up staying at our house for several days while we tracked down their new phone number and location.
While Princess was with us, I took her out on several occasions to cruise the neighborhood where she was found, to look for her home and to tack up “Found Dog” signs. Each time we went for a walk, I was amazed by the determination with which this little 30-pound dog could pull on a leash. I work with dogs who pull all the time in my dog training business, and believe me, Princess is an Olympic-class puller.
In contrast, Julie (the shelter rescue) heels beautifully. From the moment I took her out of the shelter on a leash, she has shown no desire to pull. Her natural inclination is to stay close to me when we walk, and it was a simple matter, in one short week, to teach her to heel nicely by my side and sit every time I halt, whether she’s on or off leash.
The stark contrast between the walking styles of these two wayward woofers prompted me to ponder the whys and wherefores of leash-pulling behavior.
The gene pull
Dogs pull on their leashes for lots of reasons. Some leash-pulling is attributable, at least in part, to genetics. Scent Hounds – the category into which Beagles fall, and from which at least some of Princess’ ancestors claim heritage – tend toward pulling. They are bred to put their noses to the ground and go, ignoring the discomfort of brambles, briars, icy creeks, or the minor bother of a leash. (Indeed, I once had a Bloodhound, Otis, who was an invaluable hiking companion in California’s rugged coastal hills. When I felt my strength waning, I could put a hand on his collar and let him pull me up the steep paths.) The Arctic breeds – Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds and the like – were bred to haul sleds, and are also natural candidates for pulling. Akitas, on the other hand, were Japanese hunting and guarding dogs. They tend to be dignified and docile, albeit protective. Hence, Julie’s genes make her less likely to pull.
Genes aren’t the whole story, however. Genetics are responsible only for our dogs’ predisposition toward certain behaviors. The way we interact with them can influence them toward, or away from, their preprogrammed tendencies – at least to some degree. I know a couple Malamutes and Samoyeds who heel beautifully, and I’ve seen Akitas flying their owners behind them like kites.
Like most behaviors, it’s easiest to teach our dogs good leash manners if we start with blank slates – young puppies who have not yet learned to pull. All of the basic training principles we use in positive dog training apply to the leash challenge. Here’s a quick review of some of the key ones:
• All living things repeat behaviors that are rewarding to them. Behaviors that are consistently rewarded increase in frequency.
• Behaviors that are not rewarded will diminish and eventually extinguish.
• It’s easier and more effective to manage or prevent behaviors we don’t want than it is to correct them after they have become established. (This is why it’s easier to start with puppies, before they have already learned undesirable behaviors like pulling.)
• Rewards (or reward markers, such as the Click! of the clicker) must ideally occur when the behavior happens (or within one to two seconds) in order for the dog to associate the reward with the desired behavior. (See “Clicks for Tricks,” WDJ May 2000.)
• We can train more effectively if we think in terms of what we want our dog to do rather than what we want him not to do. Instead of thinking that we want our dog not to pull on the leash, think about wanting him to walk nicely by our side. Focus on the positive.
Taffy pull
Most dogs who pull do so, whatever their genetics, because we humans are relatively slow and boring. Dogs want to explore their environment, and they want to do it a lot faster than we can move. Think about it. If you take your dog for a hike off-leash, does he trudge along next to you, or does he range ahead, run circles around you, dash up hills and down vales, leaving you to eat his dust? Chances are good that unless he’s in his twilight years or physically impaired he’s still doing donuts around you even when you’re dragging your tired body back to the car at the tail end of the hike.
He also finds the environment to be infinitely rewarding. All the while he’s charging about, he’s being rewarded with great smells to sniff, deer poop to roll in and eat, squirrels to chase, ball and sticks to fetch, other dogs to romp with, ponds to swim in and puddles to splash in. We can only imagine all the spectacular sensory stimuli that thrill our dog during a good romp. It’s no wonder that a sedate walk on leash around the block is dull for him!
Dogs pull because we let them pull. More accurately, we teach them to pull. When John Q. Dog Owner brings eight-week-old Taffy home, he puts on the collar and six-foot leash and takes her out for her very-first-ever walk. A neighbor stops to admire the pup, and stands chatting with John for a few minutes. Taffy gets bored, and spots a beetle 10 feet away that catches her interest. She wanders to the end of the leash and leans into her collar. John eventually notices the pressure, and, still talking to his neighbor, moves in the direction of the Taffy pull. Taffy gets to play with her beetle, and files away a critically important bit of information in her puppy brain: “Pulling gets you where you want to go.” She’ll test this hypothesis several times, and each time it works – when she pulls on the leash to investigate something, John follows. Taffy is soon convinced that pulling on leash is very rewarding – it gets you what you want!
To make things worse, John subconsciously develops a comfort level with a tight lead. Tension on the leash lets him know where Taffy is. So even on those occasions when she is not pulling, John lifts his arm or pulls it back to keep tension in the leash. Taffy eventually accepts that a tight leash is the norm. Not a good foundation for polite leash-walking!
Pulling your own weight
Whenever you and your dog are together, one of you is training the other. The ideal arrangement is that you are the trainer and Taffy is the trainee, at least the majority of the time. From Day One, you need to make sure that Taffy gets rewarded for desirable behaviors, and that you prevent her from being rewarded by undesirable ones.
In terms of leash-walking, this means that you need to make yourself infinitely more rewarding than the environment, at least at first, in order to program “loose-leash walking is the norm” into Taffy’s puppy brain. You need to make a conscious effort to reward her for staying near you (loose leash) and not let her be rewarded when she goes too far away (tight leash). At the same time you have to avoid falling into the common trap of taking up the slack in order to keep tabs on Taffy. That’s what eyeballs are for. Let’s take another look at our friend John Q. to see how he can accomplish this:
John brings Taffy home, puts on her collar and six-foot leash, and takes her out for her very-first-ever walk. In his pocket he has a large supply of tasty treats and a clicker. He heads out the back door to practice in the back yard where he won’t be distracted by neighbors. As soon as he and Taffy reach the patio, he stops and clicks the clicker in his pocket. The sharp sound catches Taffy’s ear and she looks up at him, curious. He feeds her an irresistible treat. “Great game!” Taffy thinks, and keeps her eyes glued to John. He clicks and treats again, several times in a row.
Given this sort of interaction, Taffy has no interest in the surrounding environment – she’s enchanted by this living, breathing treat machine and the funny noise that signals to her that another treat is about to magically appear. She sits so she can watch the man’s face more easily, and the Click! happens again. Cool! She stands up to eat the treat, then sits again to watch John. Click!
A light bulb goes off in Taffy’s head. “Hey!” she thinks. “Every time I put my bottom on the ground, the Click! happens and a treat appears. This ‘bottom-on-the ground’ thing is a great gig!”
Now John starts to walk forward, making sure to keep his hand down by his side and a valley in the leash. Taffy, eager to keep the treat machine in sight, hustles to keep up with him. John clicks the clicker and feeds her a treat. He takes another step, and Taffy is right there with him. Click! and treat.
“Hey!” thinks Taffy. “There’s more than one way to get a treat! I’m stickin’ close to this guy!”
Pushing the envelope, slowly
Just then a leaf falls from a nearby tree, catching Taffy’s attention. The pup’s ears perk up, and she bounces toward the leaf. The leash tightens, and stops her forward progress. Taffy strains toward the leaf – she really wants it! John doesn’t budge. Finally, frustrated, Taffy backs up a step and sits. Click! John lets her know that a loose leash earns a reward. Taffy spins on her tail at the beloved sound and bounces back to John for the tidbit.
As soon as she eats the treat he moves forward quickly so she can reach the leaf without tightening the leash. She sniffs it briefly, decides it isn’t all that wonderful after all, and looks back up at John. He clicks and treats her for turning her attention back to him, then walks forward again, clicking and treating – every one to three steps – to teach Taffy that staying near him with the leash loose is a very rewarding behavior.
If she starts to move out in front of him, he sometimes turns around and goes the other direction. Now she’s behind him again, and he has lots more opportunities to Click! her for keeping the leash loose. He also talks to her in a happy voice, not a commanding one, so that staying near him is fun for her. If Taffy does reach the end of the leash and starts to pull, he stops again, waits for her to put slack in the lead, clicks, treats, and starts forward once more.
After five minutes of this, John stops, unhooks Taffy’s leash, and spends another 10 minutes playing “chase the squeaky” with her. Every once in a while he walks a few steps, and if she walks next to him, he clicks the clicker and feeds her a treat. Taffy starts to realize that it’s rewarding to be near John when she is free as well as when she is on leash. When she takes a time-out from play to pee in the corner, John clicks and rewards her for that as well.
“Wow,” Taffy thinks. “There are lots of things I can do to make that wonderful Click! happen and treats appear – this is very cool!”
Later that day, John decides to try Taffy on the front sidewalk, since she did so well in the back yard. As he works with her, the neighbor comes out to chat. John stops to talk, but keeps an eye on Taffy at the same time. As long as Taffy is sitting or standing quietly near him, he gives an occasional Click! and treat. He hands the neighbor a couple of treats, and tells her that when Taffy sits she can feed Taffy a goodie and pet her. Taffy has no desire to leave. After a short conversation, John politely excuses himself from the neighbor so he can return his full attention to Taffy’s training session.
John has already laid the beginnings for a very solid foundation for Taffy to grow into a well-mannered and well-educated canine companion. If he keeps it up, she will never learn to pull on her leash.
Pulling your leg
The same method that John Q. used for Taffy also works on adult dogs, but you can expect to take more time and make more of an effort to convince the adult dog that pulling isn’t going to pay off any more. The longer a dog like our foundling Beagle, Princess, has been reinforced for pulling, the greater the challenge to persuade her to stop. It can sometimes seem like pulling hen’s teeth – difficult to do and not very productive.
It can be done, however, especially with the help of the right preparation. You may need to find an arsenal of irresistible treats to compete with the known rewards of Princess’ environment. Freeze-dried liver, chicken, steak and roast beef generally rank high for most dogs. You will also need to start working with her in a very low-distraction environment, and graduate to the front sidewalk only after Princess seems to be getting the hang of it. You may also need the help of one of the many helpful no-pull products on the market.
There is a long list of products that – according to their makers – will single-handedly teach your dog not to pull. If you believe these manufacturers, I know of a lovely bridge for sale . . . In truth, no-pull products can help you control your dog while you reprogram her to adopt a more civilized walking style. Head halters (see “Head Halters, Right And Wrong,” WDJ June 2000 and “What A Drag,” WDJ July 1998), stretchy leashes, beepers, and no-pull harnesses can all offer a greater degree of immediate control. Unfortunately, they can also become a crutch – so that your dog will walk nicely while wearing the special equipment, but pull with just as much determination as ever when you take off the halter or harness.
This doesn’t mean that your no-pull equipment of choice is worthless. It can help you teach Princess to walk politely on leash – as long as you combine it with a positive reinforcement training program to teach her to walk nicely, with or without the crutch. Princess needs to decide that it is more rewarding to walk with you than to pull. Combine your favorite gentle control tool with clicks and treats, be consistent about never rewarding her for pulling by allowing her to get where she wants to go, and your Pulling Princess will, in time, be content to prance by your side instead of trying to drag you down the drive.
Our Princess didn’t learn to stop pulling during the short three days she was with us. She returned home to her family, people who love her just the way she is and don’t care if she pulls. She will be an Olympic-class puller for the rest of her life. Julie, the rescued Akita puppy, will be with us for a few more weeks, recovering from kennel cough and getting spayed before we place her in a new, carefully screened home with an owner who will continue to reinforce her good leash behavior. If you’d rather have a Gentle Julie than a Pulling Princess, get out your clicker and treats, and start your leash training program – the sooner the better.
-By Pat Miller
Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is also a freelance author and professional dog trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
There are hundreds of brands and flavors of dog food out there. You can find them everywhere, from the corner convenience store to the members-only warehouse center to the hard-to-find health food store for pets. And by golly, you’ve tried what seems like all of them! Yet you’re still not sure which are the best ones for your dog.
On the other hand, your dog seems to have a definite opinion about it, and really prefers one of the less expensive grocery store brands. That’s great, you think, he loves the food and he’s saving me money! But is he? Is your dog’s preference for a particular food a good indication of the quality of the food?
Sorry, Rover, the answer is an emphatic “No!” A food that is avidly consumed and preferred over all other offerings is more likely to be coated or infused with palatability enhancers than it is to be a truly nutritious and healthful food.
Palatability is a highly developed science in the pet food industry. Extensive resources are poured into this aspect of food production. The trade publication Pet Food Industry publishes articles about palatability in every issue, and many of the companies that place full-page, color ads in the publication produce palatability enhancers. To quote just a few:
• American Dehydrated Foods, Inc., “the quality leader in providing high-performance palatability enhancers”
• Optimizor Brand Flavors, “Raising the palatability bar faster through superior technology”
• BioProducts, Inc., “Palatability enhancers for the new millennium”
And think about pet food commercials on TV: every one features a dog tearing into a bowl of food like it’s his last meal. Pet food makers know that to appeal to us, they have to appeal to our dogs.
Palatability enhancers
The taste of a dog food depends on a variety of factors, from the quality and composition of the raw materials, how they are ground; blended and “preconditioned” (which refers to the moisture and temperature of the dough entering the extruder); the density, texture, shape, moisture content, and size of the finished product; and the application of fats and other palatability enhancers or “palatants.”
Desirable palatants improve animal acceptance while still being easy to apply, safe, inexpensive, and not aversive to the human nose. There are dozens of palatants marketed to pet food manufacturers. These fall into several broad categories: digests (chemically or enzymatically digested animal tissues that provide a meaty taste), processed meat flavors, oil-based flavors, yeast products, other “savory” flavors (garlic, cheese, bacon), and “masking” flavors which are intended to disguise unpleasant odors.
Dog food flavors must also be stable over time, and under various potential storage conditions (from a hot warehouse to a cold basement). So preservatives are considered in the palatability picture, since they defend against ingredient decay; and the oxidation of fats, which produces a rancid odor and taste, must be prevented with antioxidants. Antimicrobial agents defend the food from mold. The tendency to get stale must be overcome by adding certain emulsifiers. All of these chemicals factor into the food’s appeal from when the packaging is first opened to the bottom of the bag.
Fewer additives in canned
Speaking of packaging, canned foods usually contain a greater proportion of (and more appealing) meat or animal-based ingredients than dry food, and the moisture in canned food also appeals to dogs, so canned foods generally contain fewer palatants.
Dry foods, in contrast, are generally comprised of at least half corn or other cereal grains – not high on the typical canine list of favorites – and so palatants are important if the food is to be appetizing to dogs. A great deal of research has gone into dry dog food bags in order for them to preserve the food at an optimum level of attractiveness to the dog, resulting in innovations such as zip-lock or other resealable closures and vacuum-packed foods.
Dog food manufacturers typically perform “taste tests” for each given flavor or variety of their products on 20 or more dogs. And these are not just ordinary dogs! They have been trained to sample food from each bowl offered to them, and the testing procedures are repeatedly examined to ensure the tests are free of unintentional bias; for example, that the testers unwittingly set up the test prefer whatever is in the bowl on the right, or the presence of some other obscure cue. Three to five trials are done over several days to allow for normal fluctuations in the dogs’ physiological states.
Taste can steer a dog wrong
While wild canids like wolves and foxes are savvy about what is good for them and what isn’t, the many disguises that palatants and preservatives provide to dry food can confuse the dog’s senses. Palatants can (and do) make poor quality foods smell and taste good. One could probably spray-coat wood chips or shredded rubber with tasty, oily palatants that would have dogs wolfing them down, with little or no nutritional benefit.
Think it through: You wouldn’t give a three-year-old child sole control of her menu – given her taste and lack of nutritional knowledge, she would likely end up subsisting on a diet of Cocoa Puffs, Cheetos, and Hawaiian Punch. Neither should you trust your dog to choose his food by taste or smell. It’s up to you to do the investigation needed to assure him of good nutrition.
Oddly, in 1998, the usually reliable Consumer Reports fell into this very trap, imagining that taste is indicative of quality. In its survey of pet foods, the magazine’s reporters referred to some scientifically valid chemical analysis of various foods. But they also included a listing of food choices made by dogs and cats belonging to staff members. This article drew strong criticism from both veterinarians and pet food makers, who universally complained about the unprofessional methodology of Consumer Union’s taste tests. (The winner in the Consumer Reports taste tests? Heinz Pet Products’ Kibbles ‘N Bits, a food that is loaded with sugar, salt, digests, and other palatants, as well as artificial colors, preservatives, and emulsifiers.)
Another drawback of a really delicious food is that your dog is liable to overeat. He may eat with such gusto that you’ll treat him to an extra handful – and dry food is a very dense source of calories. Do that often enough, and he’ll start putting on the pounds. That’s not doing him any favors! Obesity is one of the most common health problems seen by veterinarians, and leads to extra stress on the joints, heart, liver, and kidneys. It’s a whole lot easier to avoid that extra fat than it is to get rid of it once it’s there – and don’t we all have experience with that?! To your pup, a little is as good as a lot, and he’ll probably be just as thrilled with a little less as a little more.
Not a selection factor
We’re certainly not advocating the purchase of foods that your dog doesn’t like. Palatants have a place in dog food production; after all, without them, dogs might not eat many of the commercial foods on the market today. Although advocates of raw food diets might consider this a good thing, it’s certainly important that a food be tasty enough to attract a dog to eat enough to provide for his basic nutritional needs. Just don’t let his preference become your main criteria.
-By Jean Hofve, DVM
Until recently, Dr. Jean Hofve had a holistic veterinary practice in Denver, Colorado. Now she gets to advocate for animals in a new way, as the Companion Animal Program Coordinator for the Animal Protection Institute, located in Sacramento, California.
About once a week, I spend an hour or two perusing letters and notes from participants of the various electronic “discussion groups” I have joined. I have a favorite canine health and feeding group and a favorite dog training group that I like to eavesdrop on. Mostly, I’m what they call a “lurker,” someone who reads other people’s letters and rarely contributes. I feel like I contribute enough in this forum!
A couple of weeks ago, on the health and feeding list, I was skimming through comments from people on opposite sides of the “raw feeding” issue when I saw a simple but profound comment that made me catch my breath.
As it often happens, a newcomer to the list had asked a basic question: What do you feed your dogs? And several people had described the rather detailed, complex diets they prepare for their dogs, including fresh ground raw meat and bones, fresh vegetables, whole ground grains, and supplements. And, as the case often goes, several other people jumped in so they could hoot at the people who so devotedly prepared these lavish meals for their dogs. One person wrote in a slightly condescending tone, “Who has TIME to buy and prepare meals for their dogs? I sure don’t!” She clearly thought that anyone who took the time to do this must have an exceedingly boring or over-soft life.
And then came the quiet comment, from another member of the group, that set me on my heels:
“We all have the same amount of time. “We all choose how we use it.”
You see, I use the “I don’t have TIME” excuse ALL the time! In the last week alone, I’ve caught myself saying I didn’t have enough time to exercise, to cook dinner, to attend a Little League meeting, to help with a class party at my son’s elementary school, or to go visit the friend of a friend, who has invited me to come over and ogle her dog’s litter of four five-week-old puppies. (And good gracious! If you don’t have time to go snuggle with puppies, what’s wrong with you?)
It’s difficult to take full responsibility for our choices; saying you “don’t have time” is a common cop-out, a way to say “That’s not very important to me,” without sounding bad, to yourself or to those around you. As much as I love my dog, I have to be honest in saying that he is not the most important member of the family, and thus, he’s not going to get fed as if he were. I have not yet constructed my life in such a way as to MAKE the time to shop for and prepare whole, nutritious foods for myself, my husband, or my son on a daily basis – about four nights a week is average, and the dog and the cat eat well on those occasions, too. But at least I’m aware that it would be beneficial for ALL of us, pets included, to eat better, fresher food, and I have it in mind to start trying to arrange it.
The homemade dog food people have an expression that they like to use to convince the nonbelievers: “Spend your money on good dog food, and you won’t be spending it on vet bills.” Replace “money” with “time” in that statement and it’s just as accurate. Replace “dog food” and “vet bills” with “human food” and “doctor’s bills” and it’s just as on-target.
I’ve almost convinced myself to take the leap and make Rupert’s food from scratch. He’s been “testing” the raw, frozen diets discussed on the next page, and he’s thrilled with the upgrade from dry food. When I go food shopping this Saturday, I’m going to check out the meat department (a place I rarely visit) and compare prices.
That is, right after I get home from a visit to those four puppies.
About frozen raw meat diets for dogs: We’ve got some good news, and some bad news.
Here’s the good news: raw meat-based diets are really “what’s best” for dogs. With their sharp, tearing teeth, jaws capable of crushing bones, and short, highly acidic digestive systems, dogs are made to eat and thrive on diets that are made mostly of meat and bones.
Every holistic veterinarian we know suggests feeding a raw meat-based diet, both to improve a dog’s existing health, or to recover it. Vital amino acids and food enzymes, vital for superior digestion and nutrient absorption, are present in raw meat, and survive the freezing/defrosting process beautifully.
Many, many people today buy their own fresh, raw meat and bones to feed to their dogs. But others find this chore to be expensive or time-consuming or, frankly, so much more difficult than opening a container and serving a nutritionally complete food in one gesture that they just stick with dry or canned foods. And even though they know kibble isn’t the healthiest diet in the world, they buy the best dry food they can (or can afford), and rationalize that it’s the best they can do.
It’s OK! I’m right there with you!
The kernel of good news I promised? For all of us in this latter category, there are now raw meat-based diets available in frozen form, that can be purchased by telephone and shipped to our doors.
The bad news? These products vary widely in quality, formulation, and price. As usual, discerning consumers must know what they are looking for and use the products wisely in order for their dogs to receive the full benefits of this feeding method.
Know what you’re getting
Some of the products currently available are intended to be used solely as the meat component of a meat-based diet; you add your own vegetables, grains, or supplements as you see fit. While you could, of course, just go buy meat yourself, these suppliers have the advantage of buying in bulk (which may result in savings to you, even after shipping costs are figured in).
Also, as experienced “raw feeders” know, a complete diet that is based on raw meats should contain a mix of (mostly) muscle tissue, with a small but important addition of organ tissues (heart and liver) and bone, as well as as a certain amount of vegetables. While many of us are comfortable adding meat and vegetables for the dog to our shopping lists, it takes a very dedicated dog owner to purchase fresh raw organs and grind bones, so commercial sources of meat that include these components are worth the cost to many of us.
Some of the products are formulated as “complete” diets; labeled as such, they are required to meet the minimum nutritional profiles set by the American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).
A few of the smallest companies formulate their foods as complete diets, but do not represent them as such, in order to duck under the AAFCO radar. In their defense, most of these appear to be good foods, but without a full-scale commitment to a professional commercial operation, consumers may be left wondering about the consistency and reliability of the foods.
Note: As WDJ went to press, we just heard some breaking news concerning the formation of the Raw Pet Foods Association (RPFA), the brainchild of one of the most professional raw/frozen food makers, Steve Brown of Steve’s Real Food for Dogs. Brown is attempting to form a coalition of raw food makers, retailers, and consumers (that’s us!) to share information intended to help manufacturers improve their products. Brown also visualizes the RPFA as functioning something like a political action group that can respond in an organized fashion to legislation or other regulations that may affect the industry down the road. (As this method of feeding dogs grows more popular, distant rumblings are arising from dry food headquarters around the country.
Several raw food manufacturers suspect that the kibble industry may begin to organize against the budding raw-foods industry soon. We’ll announce contact numbers for the organization as it takes shape; in the meantime, interested parties are encouraged to contact Steve Brown, at Steve’s Real Food For Dogs, listed on the next page.)
Finally, just as with dry dog food makers, the raw food manufacturers use meats of varying quality. Many claim to use human-quality meats; a few claim to use only totally organic, antibiotic-free, or growth-hormone-free meats. Again, each individual dog warrants a slightly different game plan. Holistic veterinarians suggest using the purest, most organic foods available for dogs with immune-compromised conditions. This is speculation, but we’d guess that, given the superior bioavailability of the nutrients in these foods, even meats of a lesser quality (not organic nor human grade) would be better for the average healthy dog than cereal-based dry dog foods.
Keeping cold
Let’s consider for a moment, the frozen state of food. Most of the companies sell their products directly to consumers in their local areas, and a few have freezer-equipped retailers that can widen their distribution direct from their freezers to yours. Blessed are those who live close to one of these manufacturers.
Those of us who will receive our frozen meats via UPS, FedEx, or even Priority Mail have more to worry about. Anyone who has ever purchased fresh food from a “shipped direct” manufacturer knows that sometimes, problems with shipping occur. Planes are grounded, storms close highways, etc., etc. About 80 percent of the samples sent to us by the food makers arrived to our editorial office in fine frozen form. Two arrived slightly softened, but still very cold. One, in a classic shipping company mishap, was delivered a day late, and to a neighbor’s door – a neighbor who wasn’t home for a few days. By the time we got the box, the ice packs within had all melted, and the food was thoroughly defrosted. (Good thing that the discovery coincided with our street’s garbage collection day!)
Before you order any product, we suggest that you question the maker closely as to the company policy on shipping problems. Who will pay for defrosted meat? Also, ask them to call you before they ship to give you an estimated time of arrival. It doesn’t do you much good to have a frozen box of meat dropped off on your front porch after you’ve left for work on a hot day!
Safety precautions
Remember: All of these foods contain raw meat, so all of the normal precautions of handling raw meat apply for you and your family, including:
• Keep the foods frozen until you are ready to feed them; then, defrost small amounts (only what your dog will eat within a couple of days) in the refrigerator. Don’t allow food to sit at room temperature.
• People who are immune-compromised should probably avoid handling raw meat.
• Discard any food your dog leaves in his bowl after eating.
• Wash your hands with hot water and soap after preparing the dog’s food.
• Clean countertops or any other surface in the kitchen that comes in contact with raw meat (chopping blocks, knives, grinders, etc.) with a disinfectant, such as a mild bleach solution.
• Wash all the dog’s bowls or other utensils that contacted the food with hot water and soap promptly.
All these precautions are in place to protect you and your family from bacteria such as salmonella or E-coli, if it happens to be present in the food. Can these bacteria harm your dog? According to all the makers of commercial raw meat diets, the chances of a dog getting sick from such bacteria is very slim. First, because freezing reportedly kills these bacteria, and second, because dogs are equipped with powerful stomach acids that can kill harmful bacteria.
Professional advice
Last but not least: Experienced raw feeders will be able to look at the list of manufacturers below and know instantly which foods might be of use to them in planning their dogs’ diets. Those who are new to this method of feeding should, ideally, discuss the idea and plan an appropriate diet with their holistic veterinarian or a professional veterinary nutritional consultant who has experience with raw diets.
For more information on feeding raw meat-based diets, see “A Winning Diet,” WDJ November 1998, “The Meat of the Matter,” January 1999, and “Converting to a Raw Food Diet,” September 1999. The last article listed also contains a list of the best books available on raw meat diets for dogs. We’re sure that the companies listed below are not the only ones selling frozen, raw meat for dogs; let us know about any we’ve missed and we’ll update the list periodically. Please note that we have not ranked the products in any way; due to the “apples and oranges” nature of the products, we are merely sharing our observations and comments about them.
The second attempt to find a home for Suki, a five-month-old Akita, had met with failure. The well-intended, very loving couple were in tears as they brought her back to the Akita Rescue Family in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. The normal expectations they had of her falling into place as the puppy of their “pack” had been quickly dashed. Suki had relentlessly attacked Lika, their 13-year-old spayed Chow mix, so viscously that the formerly “alpha” female became fearful and intimidated. She spent the last days of Suki’s short stay in a hiding place under the stairwell.
The woman who ran the rescue center from her home had an in-depth history with dogs. Her immediate family of 13 included dogs in a variety of shapes and sizes, but she adored Akitas. Over a 10-year period she trained them, showed in obedience, coached problem behaviors, and had researched their predisposition to certain health imbalances; she knew this breed well.
However, even after three years of experience in rescue work, she was completely baffled by this puppy. Without provocation, Suki would suddenly attack other dogs regardless of their gender, age, size, or social position in the pack. She was a perfect sweetheart with adult humans, but having her around children was out of the question.
Nearly at her wits’ end, the rescue volunteer asked for my help as an animal communicator and intuitive healer. She asked me to “tell” Suki that if she persisted in her aggressive behavior, “it will probably result in her death.”
Taking a deep breath, I bent my head in prayer. I knew that the hoped-for outcome – the desired intention – was out of my hands. But I prayed that things would work out for Suki.
About two months later, on an evening when I was in my office later than usual, the phone rang. It was the rescue volunteer calling with a report on Suki. The Akita youngster had just been placed in a new home, one with another dog and children. As I listened to the heartening changes that Suki had made, I closed my eyes, smiled, and nodded my head in gratitude. Suki had developed an attitude of graciousness with other dogs and overcame her need to challenge their pack rank. She had developed her ability to be more present in the moment and respond accordingly in each individual situation, rather than reacting from some “program” from her past.
Teamwork really helped this case along. Suki is an exceptional dog possessing a focused mind and a deep desire to act in a “correct” manner, one worthy of her high level of self-esteem. Her caretaker had the ability to put the insights and suggestions from our session into action immediately. My role was to provide prayerful intent, which, like a radio, fine tunes and amplifies the link between the good intention of a person, the challenges faced by an animal she loves, and the mystery of the Divine.
What qualifies as prayer?
Intention means fixing the mind to a particular outcome. Prayer can be offering devout, sincere praise or thanks to God (or any vision of a higher power), or making a petition or request for something in a humble manner. These two words have only subtle distinctions and seem to stem from the same core. In my mind, the intentions of our thoughts can be considered prayers. Most of us want “what’s best” for our animal companions, just as we want our human loved ones to be safe from harm and illness. Directing our thoughts of safety and wellness toward others is what’s known as intercessory prayer, and there have been a number of scientific, double-blind studies confirming that this kind of prayer can have power.
One of the most frequently reported studies, published in 1988, showed that heart patients who were prayed for had fewer complications than patients who did not receive prayers, even though the patients in the study did not know which group they were in (the prayer or no-prayer group).
Mental energies
A more recent report, published in the December 15, 1999 Western Journal of Medicine, confirmed the power of intercessory prayer. The study, conducted at the California Pacific Medical Center’s Complementary Medicine Research Institute, focused on 40 patients with advanced AIDS symptoms. For each patient, the organizers of the study recruited “volunteer healers,” people who would focus their mental energies on a single patient’s health and well being for one hour a day, six days a week, for 10 weeks. The healers were given only each patient’s first name and photograph, and the sessions were organized on a rotating basis with different patients being treated by a different healer each week.
The volunteer healers, who had not met the patients receiving their treatments, worked long distance from various locations throughout the United States and Canada. Between themselves they had an average of 17 years experience and represented eight different healing traditions including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Native American, and Shamanic, as well as graduates of bioenergetic and meditative healing schools. Following the same rigorous criteria for double-blind studies established by the FDA for the approval of new drugs, neither the patients nor their physicians knew who would receive the distant healing. Since this method removes the possibility of the outcome being influenced by a belief or intention, doctors conducting research in this manner work under the assumption that the information collected provides more accurate results.
As this study drew toward its close the data showed that the patients who received long distance healing experienced fewer and less severe illnesses, a decreased need for hospital visits and had longer periods of improved mental outlook and emotional disposition. The conclusion establishes that healing through intention produced documented, substantial improvements in patients with advanced AIDS symptoms.
The science of prayer
At a 1998 course on “Spirituality and Healing in Medicine,” David Larson, of the National Institute for Healthcare Research, called the power of faith the “forgotten factor,” and says that it has been “neglected and mishandled” because of scientists’ attitudes toward religion. He also joked that such research can be called “the anti-tenure factor,” because if you study it, “you can actually go backward” in your career.
But the fact that the conference, sponsored by the Mind/Body Institute and the Institute of Religion at the Texas Medical Center, drew some 700 medical professionals to learn about the healing practices of several faiths, may be a sign that even scientists are opening their minds to the practice of prayer. William Tiller, Ph.D., a physics professor at Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California, might seem at first glance to be an unlikely advocate of the power of something as obscure as prayer. However, his studies of quantum physics have led him to believe that one can explain consciousness mathematically, and that the power of thought can have a measureable effect on physical reality.
In his book, Science and Human Transfomation: Subtle Energies, Intentionality, and Consciousness, Dr. Tiller describes his studies of the fundamental subatomic building blocks of our universe and the processes which involve the transference or transformation of energy between these particles in an atomic or molecular state. Professor Tiller says that he has seen evidence which draws his attention toward the elusive link between thought and matter. “I think that consciousness will eventually be discovered to be a quality of the universe that has the capability of generating radiations which eventually beget matter,” Tiller says. Intention, he says, is “a desire to imprint from the level of Spirit.” Dr. Tiller has reported that he is convinced that even DNA (the genetic codes that make us who we are and instruct each cell in our body to perform their unique functions) are susceptible to intention.
Intercessory prayer
I have found that even though my clients usually have a desired result in mind when they ask for my help with an animal, I do not focus on any specific outcome. Instead, I pray that the situation be resolved in a way which provides the highest good for all concerned. In his book Healing Words: The Power of Prayer and the Practice of Medicine, author and medical doctor Larry Dossey calls this type of request an “open-ended prayer,” and claims that these open-ended prayers are the most powerful of all.
In Healing Words, Dr. Dossey describes a simple study of seeds that had been soaked in salt water before planting. This practice is harmful to most plants. The seeds were then divided into three groups. The first group received no prayers whatsoever. The second group received prayers of a very specific nature, with predetermined outcomes offered for them. These intentions directed the seedlings to reject the salt water, grow sound and plump, and encouraged them to grow to a certain height.
The third group received an open-ended prayer, to wit: “We surrender these seeds to the goodness of the universe, so they may manifest their highest potential and whatever is in the highest good.”
Dossey reports that the seeds that received no prayers died. The ones that received prayers pinpointing specific requirements and outcomes did much better; most sprouted and actually grew a little bit. However, the seeds that simply had open-ended, good intentions wished for them surpassed the others. Comparatively, those that received the attachment-focused prayers grew only a fraction when compared to the seeds that had been tenderly and lovingly surrendered to their highest good in the universe.
These results demonstrate the importance of being unattached to the outcome occurring in a specific way. Letting go of these ideas helps us build more trust in the process of life. This also allows the unpredictable synchronicity of life to provide us with an outcome that often surpasses our plans.
Emotional detachment
Acquiring the ability for being detached is vital when our intentions are focused on the well being of another we love dearly. Caring for and about an ill or emotionally unwell animal companion can be upsetting. The intense emotional waves rising within us are an integral part of us which must be accepted and honored in order to heal. But as physical beings, we must learn the value of expressing these powerful shifts appropriately, or they can begin directing our thoughts and actions.
When contacted to help with situations that can involve behavior, communication, or health imbalances, I stress that each individual (person or animal) chooses their own path to wellness. I cannot predict what their needed time frame will be. Some move forward one step at a time over a period of weeks or months; others benefit from annual check-ins. These situations produce the best results when periodic infusions of focused healing are provided. Others achieve such dramatic improvements that their stories of recovery are often described as miraculous.
Two years ago when Brightdot’s caretaker asked for my assistance, she was considering euthanasia for the older female Spaniel mix. Brightdot had endured the results of a stroke for several months. Watching her stumble when she walked, having difficulty getting up, and shifting into periods of mental confusion were sad indications that her quality of life was decreasing. Simply supporting the weight of her medium-large frame was strenuous for the Spaniel, and her guardian, who had cared for Brightdot since puppyhood, felt limited in being able to help lift or carry her.
I believe that each time I connect with an animal the work is Divinely guided. Every situation is unique in how I am led to help resolve the existing challenges for the highest good of all concerned. In this situation, Brightdot clearly had an underlying zest for life which aided her in completely transforming her situation. Within a few weeks her caretaker told me, “After your session with her all her problems just went away.”
Trust the outcome
What happens when prayers appear to go unanswered? I think that when the intentions of our prayers – important ones – are passed over, the answers we seek are still within us, not outside of us. Each individual is a unique blend of his or her past, present and hopes for the future, as well as physical, emotional, mental and spiritual qualities. Our attempts at communicating with the Divine can bring us moments of crystal clarity where we know, as if by instinct, what our Higher Self is directing us to do, while at other times we wander without direction or intent. What we believe, choose to turn away from, or are drawn toward is a significant part of our personal growth and development. Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, we carry with us the ability to return to our Source whenever we want. There are numerous religious and spiritually based practices which provide an opportunity for each of us to discover our own path.
The years have given me an approach for coping with the sense of disappointment that I used to experience when my carefully offered prayers rise like wisps of smoke, never to be heard from again. Although some insight can be gained from briefly asking why things turned out a certain way, little is gained by digging deeply into this question. Of course, each individual chooses his own path to wellness, even when his instinctive need is different from our desired intentions.
After moving through this, I accept the situation more and can begin relying on trust. I trust that the existence of synchronicity in our universe, which defies explanation, will prevail. I have an unquestioning belief that everything does happen for the highest good of all concerned. I have developed this understanding because I hold hope that one day I may be given clearer perceptions of why things happened the way they did. Through having repeatedly received the gift of hindsight, I have come to know that our perceptions limit us by only allowing us to see a small corner of the total view. Our spiritual petitions, giving acknowledgment, thanks or asking for help, serve as a vehicle for connecting us with the mystery of the infinite. Through this link we receive insights which help us grow in the knowledge that we are all a part of something much greater than ourselves . . . and sometimes our prayers are answered along the way.
-By Leslie Morán
Rev. Leslie Morán describes herself as a holistic animal intuitive and a natural animal care educator from Truckee, California. She is also a Reiki Master Teacher.
All dogs instinctively know how to stretch and do so with great enjoyment. Dogs stretch without fail upon awakening and whenever the mood strikes during the rest of the day. Who hasn’t watched a dog inch his front paws out in front of him as far as possible leaning into the stretch until it literally ripples along the length of his trunk? When the stretch finally reaches the hips, the hind legs are extended far behind the body in what appears to be total ecstasy. The dog completes the routine by dropping to his elbows and stretching the back in a doggy bow that temporarily elevates the rump. Then, the hindquarters flop to the floor in a grand finale to the stretch.
Since dogs seem to have their own very efficient and obviously satisfying stretch routine, why should we stretch them?
A stretch is a relaxing move that reduces muscle tension and stiffness, improves circulation of blood and lymph, and increases flexibility and range of motion. These benefits reduce the risk of injury and can help in the rehabilitative process following injury or surgery. (But remember: Always ask your veterinarian for approval before massaging or stretching an injured dog, or one that has recently had surgery.)
In this article, we will consider two types of stretches that can benefit your dog. Passive stretches require you to do the work, while active stretches have the dog do the work with your guidance.
All stretches, passive and active, should be done after the dog’s muscles are warmed up and circulation is increased. A massage, romp, or short walk are perfect ways to prepare your dog. Stretching should always be done gently, with caution, and within the anatomical limitations of the joint.
-By C. Sue Furman
Author Sue Furman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, CO. In addition to her academic career, she is active as a free-lance writer and teaches equine and canine massage classes. This article is adapted from material in her new book, Canine Massage, that will be available in spring 2000.
Regular readers of Whole Dog Journal know that my dog, Rupert (who is usually pictured here with me), is pretty much perfect. Aside from very occasional, very minor infractions of the rules (such as sneaking the cat’s food), he is a total joy to be around: affectionate, obedient, fun-loving, and well-mannered in every environment.
It wasn’t always like this, however. Rupie’s first two years were trying. He got violently carsick, suffered from submissive urination (you couldn’t even give him a hard look without making him pee), had an uncanny instinct for selecting only precious items to chew, and he would hit the end of his leash like a wild trout if you tried to make him walk across (or even near) irregularities in concrete, such as manhole covers, basement doors, or even grooved non-slip ramps. He was one strange pup.
But Rupert started blooming around age two, and he’s gotten better every year. He’s currently 10 years old, and the only time I ever have to correct him now is when he guesses wrong about what I want from him – before I have asked him to do anything!
All of which explains why I’m having such a difficult time adjusting to having Paws here. Paws is a seven-month-old yellow Lab who belongs to John and Kathy and their daughter, Lisa, a family I know through my son’s school. Through social chat at a school function, Kathy found out that I edit a dog magazine, and before I knew it, I was being regaled with stories about Paws. It sounded like he was a real handful. The family had enrolled in a puppy training class, only to have Paws dubbed the “problem dog” of the class and confined to a leash when all the other puppies got to run free. He was rambunctious and oblivious to verbal commands, difficult to walk even wearing a pinch collar, and prone to chewing the kitchen floor or cupboards when left home alone.
So when Kathy asked me if I knew anyone who might be able to provide daycare for Paws on the two days a week that no one was home with him all day, I thought, “Why not me?” I work in an office on the ground floor under my house, I have a big (and completely unlandscaped) backyard, and I have Rupert, who could provide mentoring. How hard could it be?
I can only compare those first few days to a grandmother’s experience baby-sitting the grandkids: You may have raised children yourself, but oh my, what a long time ago that was! I had completely forgotten how exhausting it is to have a puppy around! And how they get into EVERYTHING within reach! And how they can’t be left alone for five minutes without doing something you don’t want them to do!
I thought my backyard was dogproof – but come to think of it, I really don’t want a huge hole dug right next to the neighbor’s fence or a “Squirrel in the Tree!” alarm every two minutes. I thought my office was a safe place to leave a snoozing dog – but came back from a 15-minute trip to the photo lab to find three different items taken off the shelves and chewed on. I thought I was thoroughly educated about the benefits of using only positive training techniques – but couldn’t help myself from delivering a swift swat when Paws leaped up and planted his garden-fresh feet on my clean white shirt. It’s been a bit of a trial.
On the other hand, it’s been fun, too. It’s good for me to remember what it’s like to spend time with a less-than-perfect dog, and given me an opportunity to try out the training techniques I’ve learned in the last two years (but were pointless to subject Rupert to). It’s also cooled my son’s fever for a puppy of his own; now that he sees how much work puppies are, he’s started talking about getting “a grown-up dog from the pound.” For now, a two-days-a-week puppy fits the bill.
The choices you make in selecting which foods to feed your pooch are probably more important than any others in terms of your influence on your dog’s health, no question about it. And yet, trying to get some straight information about how one can identify and select a high-quality, healthful dog food is like trying to get the president of the United States to admit he’s done something wrong: you’ll hear lies and innuendo, you’ll be led down false trails, you’ll hear conflicting information. You’ll also hear some true statements. The problem is, you’ll never know which statements are true, and which aren’t.
The dog food industry, like our nation’s capitol, is a fragmented and bizarre community. In one corner, you have the establishment. These companies, representing the majority of the industry, could be described as entrenched conservatives who have a large stake in preserving the status quo: protecting the interests of the industry leaders while paying lip service to meeting the needs of the people – or, in this case, dogs. We’ll not be coy; we’re talking about the Purinas and the Pedigrees and the Science Diets and the Iams of the dog food world.
In our opinion, the foods these companies make are not “what’s best for your dog.” Their foods contain more grain than meat (the ancestral food of canines), and the majority of the grain they use consists of heavily processed fractions – leftover scraps from the human food industry – rather than healthful (and more costly) whole grains. The meats they use, too, are low quality leftovers; you can identify the low grade sources by their euphemistic names (see “Is A Rose By-Product Still A Rose?”, page 4). And many of these industry giants use sweeteners and artificial preservatives, colors, and flavors, hallmarks of poor-quality foods.
What’s ‘good enough’?
Of course, it’s hard to convince some people that most grocery store and pet store foods are not “good” for dogs. After all, they argue, dogs aren’t dying from eating these foods, and the industry is regulated, isn’t it?
According to holistic veterinarians, dogs ARE dying from substandard foods; they just aren’t dying right away. Most veterinarians will tell you that the number of dogs they see with allergies, skin problems, behavior problems (aggression, separation anxiety, etc.), autoimmune and immune-deficient conditions, cancers, and diseases of internal organs are on the rise. Just because a dog doesn’t exhibit a nutritional deficiency doesn’t mean it is vibrantly healthy.
And while there is an agency looking over food makers’ shoulders, it doesn’t really have the resources or the regulatory “teeth” to police the industry. The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), is a non-governmental advisory committee that sets the standards that all foods must meet. Dog food makers must comply with one of two types of AAFCO standards, and state which type of standard they met on the food label. The problem is, the standards are really not all that tough.
The first is a feeding trial, wherein a small number of dogs (it’s less than a dozen) are fed nothing but the food in question for six months. For the food to pass the trial, none of the dogs can lose more than 15 percent of their body weight, die, or be removed from the test due to “nutritional deficiencies,” although two dogs may be removed from the test for other reasons. When a food passes this test, the label can state, “Animal feeding tests using AAFCO procedure substantiate that (this food) provides complete and balanced nutrition for all life stages.”
The second standard is when a maker formulates his food to meet the nutritional requirements set by AAFCO as a sort of minimum daily allowance for dogs. When a maker has met this standard, the label will state something like, “(This food) is formulated to meet the nutritional level by the AAFCO dog nutrient profiles for all stages of a dog’s life.”
Here’s the problem: Virtually no one (aside from the food makers I’ve labeled the “establishment”) likes AAFCO’s dog nutrient profiles. The profiles are a product of tests (some of which were conducted decades ago) wherein a certain nutrient was decreased in the diet of a population of research dogs until tests (or poor health) indicated a deficiency. The minimum level of the nutrient in question was then determined to be just above that point. In some cases, a maximum level of a nutrient was similarly determined. But these tests were not about what is optimum for canine health; indeed, such a test would be difficult to conduct.
Foremost in our minds is the question of how two foods whose ingredients are of vastly differing quality could be regarded as equals by the regulators, just because their vitamin, mineral, protein, and fat levels fell within an acceptable range. It seems to us that there ought to be some official grading of dog food quality, some way for the average consumer to tell the difference between a food containing the cheapest, worst-quality castoff fractions and a food filled with high-quality, healthful, whole foods.
The independents
So far, we described only the establishment. It should come as no surprise that we think that most of the truly good- and high-quality foods are produced by the minority group of radicals and activists of the industry, small (or even tiny) companies. These companies are truly trying to formulate and sell healthy food, shunning the shoddy ingredients that their larger rivals routinely employ. They set out to make food from clean, fresh meat and whole ground grains and vegetables.
Unfortunately, many of these companies’ founders quickly learn that it’s not easy to make a great dog food at a price people are willing to pay. Quality ingredients are expensive, and when consumers realize that the price of a food with high-quality meats and vegetables and grains in it may well cost more than buying high quality meats and vegetables and grains, many of them either settle for a lesser-quality food, or begin preparing their own food from scratch.
So, in order to keep the price of the food in line with what they know they can get people to pay – and still keep the business in the black – most food manufacturers compromise on some ingredients. They cut corners on the ingredients that are less critical (in their eyes) to the overall value of the food, so you’ll see a food that has fantastic protein sources, say, whole, human quality chicken meat, and one or two whole grains, but also has a grain or vegetable “fraction” rounding out the formula. In a purist’s eyes, this compromises the quality of the food; from our perspective, these foods are still light years ahead of the “establishment” foods, which contain NO whole foods.
All of this goes to explain why, on the next pages, you’ll see foods on our “Top Picks” list that have qualities that are on our “Foods Should Not Contain” list. Unfortunately, foods that have ALL of our “Food Should Contain” items and none of our “Foods Should Not Contain” items don’t seem to exist.
Things you should know
Before we discuss our selections, there are a few things you should know: First, we do not conduct either feeding trials or laboratory tests on the foods. We selected our favorites by conducting a thorough label review, and holding this data up to the criteria listed in the “Foods Should Contain” and “Foods Should NOT Contain” boxes below. We suggest you use the same criteria to analyze any foods you do not see listed here.
We have not selected foods on the basis of protein or fat content. Some food makers have tried to promote the concept of high-protein foods as being of higher quality; this is not necessarily so. It’s true that higher-quality protein sources (beef, say) will provide more digestible protein in higher amounts than lower-quality sources (corn gluten meal, for instance). But high-protein diets are contraindicated for some dogs, giant breeds, for instance, where too-rapid growth can cause health problems. And some dogs shouldn’t have diets that are too high in fat. Note the amounts of protein and fat in your dog’s old and new foods, and monitor his weight and condition accordingly. (To help you determine how much fat and protein is best for your dog, see “What’s the Best ‘Zone’ for Dogs?” WDJ July 1999.)
Space precludes our listing every ingredient in every food, but this is unnecessary. According to law, ingredients are listed on dog food labels in descending order of weight; the ingredient responsible for the greatest amount of weight in the bag is listed first. The items that are 10 or so ingredients down the list are far less meaningful to the overall food quality that the first few ingredients. The exception to this rule is the presence, no matter how small, of chemical preservatives, color, and flavors. We don’t think they should be present in dog foods at all.
Be aware that food manufacturers often “split” lesser-quality foods into two components, in order to list them in smaller quantities than another, higher-quality food. For example, if a label reads, “Beef, ground yellow corn, rice, corn gluten meal,” it appears that there is more beef than anything else in the sack, but the total weight of the corn (ground yellow corn plus corn gluten meal) may outweigh the beef. And because the labels don’t have to list the relative percentages of each ingredient, it’s impossible to know how much more corn than beef there may be.
A note about allergies: NO dog food ingredient in the world can cause “allergies” in every dog. ANY food can be an “allergen” to some dogs. Allergies are an individual thing. One dog may be allergic to potato; another, to tomato. True, there are more dogs that are allergic to wheat and corn than any other ingredients. But the vast majority of dogs can eat wheat and corn without problems.
Finally, remember that we have not seen every dog food on the market. New foods emerge on a monthly basis, some are available on a regional scale only. We’ve tried to list foods that are good examples of the kinds of foods you should be looking for. But for those who refuse to compare their own dog food’s list of ingredients with our list of items a food “Should Contain” and Should Not Contain,” we’ve prepared a short list of foods we don’t like, and the reasons why these foods appear on this list.
To view WDJ’s Approved Dry Dog Food List, click here.
My son and I were late getting him to school one morning, so, even though we live only about six blocks from his elementary school, we hopped into the car. When we drive, rather than walk, its usually an effort to try to make up for lost time time spent looking for his shoes or my keys, as the case may be. But a small event on the way to school delayed us further one morning, a few weeks ago.
About a block away from our house, a small ball of fluff caught my eye. I couldnt make out what it was at first, since it was backlit with the rising sun, which shone directly in my eyes. But, judging from the blaring horns and brake lights all across the intersection in front of us, I gathered that it was an animal of some sort, panicked and running through the cars.
As I inched up to the intersection, I saw the fluffball, now on the sidewalk and running straight away, fast. I said to my son, Oh shoot, Eli. Look, a little dog. We looked at each other for about a tenth of a second in my rearview mirror, and we decided the same thing: Lets get it. I turned to follow the dog, and told Eli to look in the back of the car for a bag of liver treats I knew was there.
It took a little doing, catching the little dog. I drove past its fleet form, stopped the car, jumped out, and casually kneeled down on the sidewalk well ahead of it, holding out some treats and calling cheerfully. The dog, a beautifully groomed tan and white Shetland Sheepdog, took one look at me and reversed direction, running down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. The only reason we ended up catching her (for the dog proved to be a sweet little female) was because she stopped to vomit clearly out of great distress. I made a grab for her and Eli stepped up with a leash. Once she was captured, she resigned herself to our control, trembling.
We wiped her off, put her in the car, and I dropped Eli off at school now, very late, but with a better excuse! I examined the Shelties collar, and thank goodness, she was wearing an ID tag with her name, address, and phone number on it.
As it turned out, the Sheltie had escaped from a dog sitter hired to care for her and the other two dogs in her family while her owners were on vacation. With two other dogs in tow, the walker wasnt able to pursue her quickly enough when she slipped out of the slip collar/leash she was wearing, and she disappeared into traffic. I turned her back over to the sitter, and when her owners returned from vacation the next day and heard the whole story, they immediately came over with flowers and dog biscuits for thanks.
The little episode reminded me of how much Ive learned from the dog training and dog care experts Ive had the good fortune to work with over the past three years. I know from reading WDJ articles that your dog should ALWAYS wear ID, whether a tag, tattoo, microchip, or all three; that limited slip collars are a must for every dog that has ever tried to slip its collar; that socializing your dog to accept friendly strangers just may save his or her life at some point. I hope our readers are getting as much out of WDJ as I am!
But it also reminded me of how bereft a dog is when hes lost his home, whether its for minutes or months. The smartest dog in the world loses his mind pretty quickly when he loses his connection with someone he trusts.
If your dog is sitting nearby, go ahead and give him a hug from us; were glad hes home for the holidays, and every day. If youre currently dogless, do yourself and the world a favor, and go get a new canine friend from your local shelter. Neither one of you should be alone at this time of year.
Each year as the holidays approach, we review the long list of products we’ve evaluated during the year in order to highlight the best and the brightest for you. You might find some that would make perfect gifts for your hard-to-shop-for dog friends, a few to add to your own list for Santa, and several that you can stuff into your favorite canine companions’ stockings. Just remember that the best gift you can give your dog, after all the shopping and wrapping is done, is a lifelong loving home.
Quick: What’s the number one canine disease complaint heard by veterinarians? That’s right, it’s itching and scratching. “My dog is ripping himself to shreds!” “She’s almost bald from chewing herself!” “He’s rubbing himself on the carpet, the furniture, and even the walls!”
Many people seem to think that all dogs scratch themselves. Of course, pretty much every dog will scratch for a moment if they get a little itch, but that’s not what we’re discussing. The scratching we’re discussing – the scratching that is of real concern – is not occasional or casual. We’re going to talk about real scratching: the urgent kind that makes your dog stop walking in mid-stride to scratch, the frantic kind that makes him whine and moan while he strives to put out the flames under his skin, the single-minded kind that causes him to traumatize his skin (often initiating secondary bacterial infections), ruin his coat, and wear down his incisors.
Hair loss is most often, but not always, associated with self-trauma caused by itching. This happens in one of two ways: Either the hair follicles themselves become physically damaged when the dog scratches or chews himself, or the trauma-induced inflammation in the skin around the hair follicles causes the hair to fall out. Hair loss not associated with itching or scratching can be caused by drug reactions, endocrine, metabolic, systemic diseases, or nutritional factors, but these conditions are in the minority. It is far more common for hair loss in dogs to be associated with self-trauma due to pruritis (itchiness).
Severe pruritis can also change a dog’s behavior, causing a lack of usual tolerance, aggressive behavior, or increased anxiousness. The dog may become frantic and easily distractible, compulsively engaging in a frenzied fit of scratching and chewing.
Some environmental conditions can amplify the itching, including heat, cold, and low humidity. Boredom or anxiety (especially separation anxiety) can trigger a fit of itching, too.
Allergies are the most common cause of itching, scratching, chewing, and any other sort of self-inflicted skin trauma, but these problems can also be triggered by internal diseases such as hypothyroidism, hyperadrenocorticism, liver, pancreatic, or renal disease; bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infections; immune-mediated disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a drug reaction, or a contact dermatitis from exposure to a caustic agent. For this reason, if your normally non-itchy dog suddenly begins losing hair in patches and scratching himself, your first course of action ought to be making an appointment with your favorite veterinarian.
The veterinary examination
To determine the cause of your dog’s itching, a veterinarian will need to take a thorough history and conduct a thorough physical examination. She may also want to take some tests, and will probably suggest trying at least a short-term course of corticosteroids and/or antibiotics, avenues of treatment which is also somewhat diagnostic (food allergies are less responsive to corticosteroids than atopic dermatitis or flea allergy dermatitis, and pyoderma diminishes with antibiotics).
To compile your dog’s health history, the veterinarian will ask about the dog’s diet, environment, and past history of skin conditions. Where does the dog sleep? How often does he get a bath (too-frequent shampoos can dry the skin and make it pruritic)? What sort of heating system warms your home (non-humidified forced air and wood stoves can dry the skin)? She’ll also want to know about the presence of any other pets in the household (some dogs are allergic to birds or bird feathers, for instance), and she’ll probably ask whether any person in the household has allergies or itching of any kind (scabies infections can be transferred from people to pets and vice versa).
Then she’ll need information about the onset of the condition your dog currently exhibits. Have there been any changes in the dog’s life? Diet changes? A new bed? A new cat in the house? A new shampoo? A different floor or carpet cleaner used? She’ll want to know when the dog seems more or less affected by itching (when it’s hot? cold? indoors? outdoors? morning? night? spring? fall?). All the answers to these questions may be indicative of certain diagnoses.
In building a diagnosis, your veterinarian will also take your dog’s age into account, since some skin diseases, such as mange, are more common to younger dogs, and some are more commonly seen in older dogs, such as food allergies and pyoderma. She will also consider the dog’s breed, since some skin diseases are more common to some breeds than others, for genetic reasons.
And, obviously, the veterinarian will also examine your dog’s skin, from nose to tail, including a careful look at the dog’s ears, genitals, and paws (which are often inflamed with certain allergies). She’ll look in the dog’s mouth (worn teeth are often indicative of a dog who chews himself chronically), and check the dog’s lymph nodes for swelling. She’ll look at the dog’s pattern of hair loss and quality of the skin, including any skin lesions.
Laboratory tests for a pruritic dog may include skin scrapings (which are examined under a microscope), smears or tape preparations (in which any skin exudates are smeared and stained on a slide and examined microscopically); or skin biopsy (contraindicated in lesions are present). Dermatology specialists are generally best qualified to conduct intradermal skin testing, in which the dog is deliberately exposed to minute amounts of various antigens and any resulting reactions are noted.
General recommendations
for an itchy dog
We can’t possibly comment on every treatment for every cause of canine itching and scratching, but we will offer our opinion of some traditional medical treatments, as well as some general recommendations for holistic complementary and alternative treatments for an over-itchy dog.
Keep this important concept in mind as you deal with a pruritic dog: An intense itching sensation is a serious symptom of ill health; it’s not a disease in itself. Your goal with any course of treatment – traditional or alternative – should be to determine and solve the underlying health problem that caused the itching, not to simply “stop the itch.” Eliminating the only obvious expression of ill health that the dog’s body is making will not make his health any better. It might make his coat grow in and let you sleep at night, uninterrupted by his fits of scratching, but the basic imbalance that caused the pruritis will still be present, and it may well find an even more noxious outlet in the dog’s body.
Ridding your dog of fleas
Fleas are one of the leading causes of canine pruritis. They can make a dog itch through two mechanisms: through an allergic reaction to flea saliva, and from chemical and mechanical irritation. Flea saliva contains an anticoagulant substance that keeps the blood in the tiny bite wound from clotting, thus permitting the flea to take a nice, long drink, at the dog’s expense. The flea saliva also contains other substances that can irritate the dog’s skin. Flea bite dermatitis is the name for the condition characterized by inflammatory papules (a small, raised, pimple-like skin bump) at the site of the flea bites. The amount of irritation with this condition is directly correlated to the size of the dog’s flea population.
On the other hand, a dog that is allergic to flea saliva – one who is said to suffer from flea allergy dermatitis – may have a response that is completely out of proportion to the severity of the flea infestation; the dog may react as badly to the bite of a single flea as it would to an army of the tiny insects.
The dog owner’s first priority, no matter which type of reaction his dog may be exhibiting, is to eliminate fleas in the dog’s environment. Frequent vacuuming (to get rid of flea eggs), routine washing of the dog’s bedding (water destroys flea eggs, too), and the use of a non-toxic flea killer such as diatomaceous earth in your carpets will help you keep the upper hand in the battle. (See “Flee, Evil Flea,” WDJ June 1998 for a complete discussion of non-toxic methods of ridding fleas from your home.)
Should I “Spot” the dog?
As for the “miraculous” new chemicals used for flea control (the ones that are applied to the dog’s back, once a month), we’ll just comment that among holistic practitioners, the advent of the new substances is not generally considered an altogether positive development. While these treatments have demonstrated an admirable effectiveness in wiping out resident flea populations, many holistic veterinarians are concerned with the long-term effects that these powerful chemicals may have on dogs, and some dog owners and vets have seen dogs who have suffered serious reactions following their application.
Like all toxic treatments, these chemicals ought to be used sparingly; some people use one-quarter the recommended amount, and only when fleas are seen in the environment (as opposed to once a month application, whether needed or not, as suggested on the labels!) with good results.
Corticosteroids
There are almost as many opinions among veterinarians concerning the use of corticosteroids as there are veterinarians. Some feel that these drugs – prednisone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone, and dexamethasone foremost among them – are invaluable to every dog who itches; some feel that corticosteroids ought to be used only as a last resort, and only for short periods and in small amounts. Still others, most holistic practitioners among them, regard them as verboten.
Corticosteroids, also known as glucocorticoids, are used mainly for their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. They have been modeled on the substances manufactured by the adrenal cortex, and can be administered in an indictable, oral, or topical form. These are powerful drugs that exert amazing effects on pruritic dogs – sometimes overwhelmingly positive, and sometimes negative. They can halt inflammation and itchiness within just a day or two, and, thorough a complex process, interrupt the out-of-whack cycle of allergic overreactions to environmental triggers (pollen, dust, fleas, mold, fungi, etc.).
However, due to their immunosuppressive action (which is responsible for quieting the allergic cycle), they can also leave a dog vulnerable to infections, and can cause a host of other metabolic imbalances. They affect water and electrolyte balance (making many dogs excessively thirsty, and thus, excessively in need of “going outside”); they can cause extracellular fluid retention (some dogs will take on a puffy appearance); and they often increase the dog’s appetite (and without owner awareness of the potential for problems, resultant gain of unhealthy pounds). The long-term use of these drugs also prompts the adrenal glands to stop producing its own corticosteroids, effectively ruining the dog’s ability to produce a natural and appropriate supply of these substances by himself.
Some veterinarians, frustrated with a lack of willingness on the part of some owners to engage in a multi-pronged, active course of therapy for their itchy dog, will prescribe the drugs in order to – at least temporarily – stop the dog’s itching and increase his quality of life, at least in the short term.
In general, it makes sense to regard these drugs as “heavy artillery,” even if your own veterinarian is casual about prescribing them on an initial visit. Holistic veterinarians generally advise using them as a last resort and just for a short time (two weeks or so), to help halt the itch/scratch cycle plaguing a severely pruritic dog. This, in turn, can give his skin time to heal, and other therapies time to begin working.
Antibiotics
Antibiotics are sometimes recommended in cases of severe trauma to the skin, and when there are indications that a secondary infection is overwhelming the dog’s ability to heal itself. Again, these drugs are generally considered by holistic veterinarians to be a last-ditch approach, and only when the dog appears incapable of mounting an appropriate response when supported by more natural therapies. Holistic practitioners often recommend that a course of antibiotics is always supplemented and followed with a course of oral probiotics, to help beneficial bacteria killed by the antibiotics re-colonize in the dog’s digestive tract.
Antihistamines
Histamine blockers can be beneficial in the treatment of allergic pruritis, by inhibiting the excessive histamine that causes most of the signs commonly attributed to allergy: itching, watery eyes, and runny nose. However, in order to be most effectively prescribed, the veterinarian should have conducted enough tests and observed the dog’s signs over enough time to have a high degree of confidence that the pruritis is allergic in origin.
The usefulness of antihistamines – even in dogs known to be allergic to a certain substance – is reduced by the fact that studies have shown that only about 30 percent of any given group of allergic dogs will respond to any given antihistamine. In other words, a veterinarian might have to try several drugs before one is found to be effective for a given dog.
Just because many people use antihistamines on a very casual basis should not lead one to believe that their use in dogs can be similarly indiscriminate. Antihistamines are contraindicated for dogs with glaucoma, cardiac arrhythmia, disorders of the central nervous, gastric, urinary, or hepatic (liver) systems, and pregnant dogs.
Diet considerations
Dog foods can contribute to skin problems in two major ways: through food allergies, and through poor nutrition. We’ll deal with food allergies first. When veterinarians begin to pinpoint food allergies as contributing to a dog’s pruritis, their usual recommendation is to feed the dog what is called an “elimination diet,” a food consisting of just one protein source and one carbohydrate source that are not present in the dog’s regular food.
Elimination diets, whether commercial or homemade can be a fantastic tool for determining which foods your itchy dog should avoid. If the dog’s itching seems to decrease on this diet, then other ingredients may be added to the dog’s food one at a time until the dog reacts with increased itching. Whichever ingredients were most recently added are then suspected of causing the allergy.
Several commercial food makers have developed foods consisting of simple combinations of offbeat ingredients (duck and potato, for instance, or venison and amaranth) in order to assist the dog owner in identifying a specific food allergy, so the owner can avoid the implicated food ingredients in the dog’s food forever after. It should be noted that these foods are not “hypoallergenic” as some people think; they simply contain foods that the dog is not likely to have encountered before in the usual dog foods. Some dogs may be allergic to these offbeat ingredients, too.
People should also be aware that it is possible for a dog to be allergic to some small, overlooked component of commercially prepared foods: a certain preservative, for instance, or a specific source of certain vitamins or minerals. For this reason, there is a distinct advantage to homemade elimination diets, in which you can control every ingredient.
Few people like to hear that many problems of the dog’s skin are related to poor nutrition and/or poor quality foods. The most common retort to this accusation? “I spend a lot of money on dog food – I get the most expensive one at the grocery store!”
As we discussed in “Top Dry Dog Foods,” (on page 3 of this issue), only a tiny percentage of the commercially prepared dog foods sold today are as healthful as these foods could and should be. Most foods are laden with artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, and other chemicals that can trigger allergic reactions in dogs, or create extra work for the dog’s hepatic (liver) system to filter these chemicals out of the dog’s system. Over years of eating foods that are laden with these unneeded substances, the body’s toxin-removal systems get overworked and “backed up;” toxins begin to accumulate in the body. Since the skin is, among other things, an organ of elimination, the toxic backup may result in poor skin health.
Holistic practitioners recommend switching any itchy dog to a home-prepared, “real foods” diet in order to decrease the dog’s exposure to unnecessary chemicals and to give his body the opportunity to utilize the higher-quality nutrients present in fresh foods. While some advocate diets consisting mostly of raw meat with some vegetables and grains (see “The Meat of the Matter,” WDJ January 1999 and “Getting a Raw Deal,” WDJ September 1999) others prefer home cooked foods. Whether the food is cooked or not, the increased nutrient quality and availability of real, fresh meats, vegetables, and grains will improve the health of any dog who is currently receiving even the “best” dry or canned foods.
Herbs
Renowned herbalists Mary Wulff-Tilford and Greg Tilford, co-authors of the incredible 1999 book, All You Ever Wanted To Know About Herbs For Pets, characterize herbs as being one of the most useful complementary therapies for pruritis and all other canine maladies, due to their unique, gentle, synergistic action within the body. In the book’s section on skin problems, the authors write: “The function of the herbalist is not to substitute the body’s natural methods of treating disease with new methods, but to assist the body in healing itself naturally.”
To this end, the Tilfords suggest first improving the pruritic dog’s diet, and then attempting to rule out certain allergens, before adding herbs to your therapeutic regimen. This will set the stage for success with herbs such as horsetail and gotu kola to help regenerate and strengthen the skin structure; nutritive herbs such as spirulina, nettle, alfalfa, and red clover to provide trace minerals and antioxidant vitamins, and fresh burdock root as a blood cleanser.
An entire issue of WDJ could be devoted to herbal remedies for various skin problems. Those who are inclined to use herbs should seriously consider the purchase of the Tilford’s book, which offers detailed instructions on sources, dosages, and preparation of herbal remedies for animals. (See “Resources for Healthy Skin,” below, for ordering information.)
Acupuncture
Scientific studies are revealing what holistic practitioners have seen for themselves for ages: This ancient Chinese art has unlimited gifts for dogs. Chief among them is the ability to somehow trigger the dog’s own healing process from a variety of illnesses.
Following acupuncture for allergies or other causes of pruritis, practitioners of this traditional Chinese medicine would attribute improvements in the dog’s health to the ability of acupuncture to restore the healthy flow of internal energy, known as qi or chi.
Western practitioners of this 3500-year-old practice might prefer to credit the improvements to the ability of acupuncture to increase circulation, and to reduce pain and inflammation by increasing the production and release of the body’s own pain-killing, mood-elevating chemicals.
Either way, it is certain that acupuncture is an important part of many formerly itchy dog’s ongoing therapy (see “Hard Work, Huge Rewards,” the case history of a chronically pruritic dog).
To locate a qualified veterinary acupuncturist near you, see “Resources for Healthy Skin,” below.
Reducing exposure to toxins
Anything you can do to lessen the detoxifying burden placed on the dog’s liver will help the dog in the long run. Keep your vaccination program to the safest minimum. Try to eliminate any unnecessary chemicals that your dog might be exposed to in your house and garden, including toxic flea killers, chemical insecticides of any other kind (fly, ant, or cockroach killers, fertilizers or weed killers, floor polishes or carpet cleaners, disinfectants, deodorizers and “carpet fresheners,” fabric softeners, medicated shampoos, etc. In many cases, non-toxic yet effective alternatives exist for these substances.
Recording changes
Perhaps the most valuable thing a dog owner can do is to keep track of all the changes in his dog’s life in an attempt to correlate the problems with a cause. Keeping a “canine health diary” is the best way to do this. Record any changes in his appearance and behavior, and note any changes in the household that might affect him: Are you using a new floor wax in the kitchen? Did you baby-sit a friend’s dog for a few days, one that might have brought in a new flea population? Did you leave your dog in the care of a petsitter while you were out of town on a business trip, triggering a major episode of separation anxiety?
In particular, you should note any changes in the dog’s diet. Indicate when you may have added or subtracted something from his diet, or even when you brought home a new sack of the same kind of dog food. (After two weeks of my dog’s unexplainable itching, I finally looked at the label of the sack of the “same old food” I had bought two weeks before . . and discovered that the maker had added ONE new ingredient, and one that old Rupert apparently could not handle.)
Hopefully, this sort of health journal will yield a clue as to the identity of any substance that aggravates your dog’s allergy or hypersensitivity. It may also help you determine which treatments are not improving his condition. At the very least, it will make it a lot easier to report your dog’s history to any veterinary practitioner you consult.
Don’t give up!
Perhaps the worst experience of preparing this article was my visit to my local animal shelter to look for dogs with skin problems that I could photograph.
Out of the 30 or so dogs in the shelter on the day I went, I was able to find at least 10 or so that exhibited some scratching or chewing, and three that had fairly major skin problems: A stately older Dalmatian with red, inflamed feet and bumpy blemishes all over his back, a young, sweet but frantically active Chow with several large bare and bleeding patches of skin that she attacked with her teeth every few minutes, and a very old Springer Spaniel who was, as the shelter staff described him sympathetically, “a total mess.” When compared to their blemish-free shelter companions, their chances of making it out of the shelter and into a home were pretty slim.
The old Spaniel had been, in fact, released to the shelter by his owner, who had been either what I would regard as criminally negligent in attempting to help his dog, or, perhaps, completely unable to find (or afford) treatments that helped the dog. With pus-filled eyes and goopy, painful infected ears, hideously inflamed and thickened skin, and an odor that could knock you over, this poor old dog was scheduled to be humanely euthanized as soon as the state-mandated “hold period” had passed.
I spent almost an hour with the dog, holding my breath as I petted and fussed over him, but he was so distracted by his own frantic attempts to relieve his itching that he seemed to hardly notice me. After I had photographed him, I had to go home and throw all my clothes in the washing machine and take a shower, the smell was so bad. I wept with sadness for the poor dog, who had to live in that skin. He was a living illustration of the fact that allergies and skin problems caused by other conditions only get worse as dogs get older, as their immune systems grow weaker and less able to respond appropriately.
Treating skin problems can be a long, slow, costly experience, but, as I saw at the shelter, “stopping the itch” is not just a matter of making the dog more comfortable, and making you more comfortable being around him, it may actually be a matter of life or death. But no matter how frustrating the process is, don’t give up: a calm dog with a shiny coat may be just one more treatment away.
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?”
