Editorial

I now can honestly say I'm a dog person

One of the great things about working with writer Susan Eskew, who prepared “Drawing Blood,” the informative article about blood testing in this issue, is that her articles always come with a veterinarian’s review for no extra charge. Eskew’s husband, Bill, is a veterinarian, and while he would never describe himself as a “holistic” veterinarian, he says he enjoys reading WDJ. “I was afraid the whole thing was going to be full of wacky stuff,” he once told me. “But most of the subjects you talk about are just common sense.”

Most of us were exposed to “If,” the famous poem by Rudyard Kipling, when we were in high school. If you weren’t required to read it in a literature course, you probably saw it on a poster on a childhood friend’s bedroom wall.

One of the best things you can do for your new puppy is enroll them in a puppy training class to help socialize them for life. Nancy Kern reflects on one of her biggest regrets with her dog Rupert.

You might notice a small theme running through this issue. We planned it so it would be just in time for Christmas – Christmas puppies, that is! It started with a conversation between Pat Miller, WDJ’s product reviewer and most frequent contributor, and me. Pat is usually working on at least three articles for WDJ at any given time; our planning for these articles generally starts months and months ahead. Back in August, I asked Pat whether she thought we ought to prepare anything specifically for the holidays.

January 26 was a bad day for dogs everywhere. That was the day the now-infamous pair of Presa Canario mastiffs attacked and brutally killed...

One of the reasons I feel so much for the readers who send us Case Histories about the trials and tribulations they have been through with their dogs is that I’ve also “gone through it” – and I’m still “going through it” – with my 10-year-old Border Collie, Rupert. A typical overachieving, restless, slightly anxious representative of his breed, Rupe has on-and-off problems with itching and scratching his whole life. About three years ago, I thought we had the problem whipped. I found a food that agreed with him for the first time in his life! He liked it, and he stopped itching. But about six months ago, Rupert started itching again. I got out the old flea comb and started looking for pests. He’s always been oversensitive to flea bites; if we have ONE flea in the house, I swear, he goes nuts. But I didn’t find a single flea.

and I didn't want to revaccinate him.

Long story short? Rupe got a ticket for walking off leash and for being unlicensed.

Had this been

We introduce dog owners to the concept of pediatric spay and neuter surgery – performed when a puppy is just six to 14 weeks old. Animal protection professionals regard the procedure as the tool that may finally make a significant dent in the animal overpopulation problem, a cause we wholeheartedly support. Immediately following that article, however, is one that addresses concerns about the procedure that some holistic veterinarians have (“Can I Spay Later?”). Is it more important to take the action that will help the entire canine population, or the one that will be best for your individual dog? We try to help you find a win/win solution.

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Opening the mail can make my day dreary – when people write in to point out a phone number is incorrect, say, or when they are just plain angry about something we’ve published. But the mail can also brighten my day considerably, like when someone drops me a line to say, “Good job!” Recently, a friend sent me the following bit of doggerel that I’m still smiling about.

including: fatty acids