September 2005
Letters 09/05: Debate About Kidney Diets
Subscribers Only Dear readers: In May 2005, we published an article by longtime WDJ writer and book author CJ Puotinen about dietary considerations for dogs with renal failure. Quoted several times in “When to Say No to Low-Protein,” was dog owner Mary Straus, a researcher who has exhaustively studied the veterinary literature regarding treatments for chronic renal failure (CRF). …
Building Healthy Bone Structure
Subscribers Only The bones that dog owners are most familiar with are the ones they buy for their dogs to chew; ideally, these are moist, fresh (or frozen) cattle bones, still sporting tissues that dogs can tear and gnaw off and nutritious marrow to extract. Posing a great deal more risk to a dog’s teeth are the dead, nearly fossilized bones sold in many pet supply stores.
Swim Party?
Subscribers Only Whether inviting a swim-crazy dog into the pool is a good idea (and how to keep him out of the pool when it’s NOT).
Help for the Home-Alone Dog
Subscribers Only As soon as the kids went back to school and Carly was left home alone during the day, things in and around the Hoye’s house began to get chewed. Initially, they thought it was just puppy teething, and to save the rugs and furniture (not to mention the hardwood floors and woodwork around the doors and windows in their restored Victorian) the Hoyes started leaving Carly outside during the day. But she soon advanced to chewing the lattice off the sides of the deck and the shingles off the sides of the house.
Save Yourself in a Dog Attack
Subscribers Only The tragedy of the 12-year-old boy killed by his family’s Pit Bulls in San Francisco once again highlights the importance of providing information that will help people survive such dog attacks – and perhaps the need for laws that encourage and require dog owners to be responsible for their dogs. Any large, powerful breed of dog will, occasionally, cause serious injury, even death. Small dogs can certainly bite, too, though they normally have less potential to do serious harm (the Pomeranian who killed a six-week-old infant in California in 2000 notwithstanding).
Household Foods and Other Items That Can Harm Your Dog
When the yeast rolls finish rising, we’ll put them in the oven. Then we’ll move on to garlic-smothered chicken, French onion soup, and for dessert, grapes and xylitol-sweetened chocolate-covered raisins and macadamia nuts. “That sounds delicious – and potentially deadly,” says Dana Farbman, certified veterinary technician and senior manager of client relations at the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center.
Pre-Puppy Preparation
Most people spend months preparing for the arrival of a new baby. They’re just as likely, however, to bring a baby dog home on a whim, without any preparation at all. Small wonder they find themselves playing catch-up for weeks, months, years, or even “getting rid of” the dog as they struggle to recover from the mistakes made in the pup’s formative months.
Field Study
Subscribers Only The highlight of my summer vacation (two weeks in Italy and Greece, accompanying my 13-year-old son on a school-related trip) was observing the feral dogs in the ruins of the ancient city of Pompei. I did learn a little history as we strolled through streets that were buried under ash and lava in A.D. 79, and have been progressively excavated since 1748, but I can admit to you that mostly I was dog-watching. …
