October 2005
Hurricane Katrina
Subscribers Only One of the few organizations in a strong position to provide direct rescue and shelter to animals is the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge.
Canine Joint Health
Subscribers Only Western medicine’s mechanistic theory regards the body’s joints simply as the anatomic sites where the lever action of bones enables body movement. However, joints are much more complex than this, anatomically, mechanistically, and functionally. And when disease exists within any joint, the result can be completely disabling – not only to the local area but also to the entire body.
Communication With Your Dogs Vet Is Key
Subscribers Only Have you ever known exactly what your dog wanted or needed by simply looking into his or her sweet brown eyes? Most of us have experienced this with our dogs. An owner’s insight regarding whether a dog would rather play tug or eat an early dinner may seem relatively unimportant in the greater scheme of things. But for many of us who have a close relationship with our dogs, we may have experienced that intuition on a much deeper level.
How Coconut Oil Benefits Your Dog's Health
Subscribers Only What’s the hottest new health food for pets and people? If you’re like most Americans, it’s something you’ve been avoiding for years – either that or you think it’s a sun tan lotion, not a food. That’s right, we’re talking about coconut oil. An important ingredient in America’s processed foods for most of the 20th century, coconut oil is one of the world’s few saturated-fat vegetable oils. That designation gave it a terrible reputation, and by the 1980s and ’90s, it all but disappeared from our food supply.
Understanding Why Your Dog Growls
Subscribers Only Clients always appear a bit stunned at first when I tell them their dog’s growl is a good thing. In fact, a growl is something to be greatly treasured. These are my aggression consultation clients, who are in my office in desperation, as a last resort, hoping to find some magic pill that will turn their biting dog into a safe companion. They are often dismayed and alarmed to discover that the paradigm many of us grew up with – punish your dog harshly at the first sign of aggression – has contributed to and exacerbated the serious and dangerous behavior problem that has led them to my door.
Digestive Enzyme Supplements
Even when their formulas don’t change, there’s always something new to discover about old, familiar products. This month we’re updating information on the safety and uses of Wobenzym, a supplement that became a favorite of many WDJ readers after our article on the product (“Banking on Enzymes”) appeared in January 2001. Charles Green is America’s largest Wobenzym distributor. When his Las Vegas supplement store was listed as a resource in the article, over a thousand of us ordered the product for our dogs.
Establishing a Good Bite Inhibition
Subscribers Only Animal care professionals are fond of saying, “All dogs will bite, given the right (wrong) circumstances.” If that’s the case, how have I managed to suffer only two punctures in a 30-plus-year career working with dogs? Partly through reading and responding to canine body language well enough to avoid provoking an attack (see “How to Save Yourself,” September 2005). Partly, I’m sure, through luck. But largely, I suspect, because many dogs possess a wonderful quality known as “bite inhibition.”
Live and Learn
Subscribers Only When my beloved Border Collie, Rupert, was a puppy, I was pleased that he wasn’t one of those “sharky” pups who was forever putting his pin-sharp teeth through my skin. In fact, I was so grateful, I never ever stopped to wonder why he never tried to bite or chew on me, not even a tiny bit. …
