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How to Find Relief for Arthritis in Dogs

By
CJ Puotinen
-
17
overweight dog with arthritis
Providing your arthritic dog with an especially thick bed will make her more comfortable. But helping her gain fitness and lose weight, fitness and weight will help even if she isn’t morbidly obese (like this dog), will help her stay mobile, be in less pain, and live longer. © Nancy Kerns.

Just like the humans they live with, dogs often develop arthritis as they age. The most common form is osteoarthritis, also called degenerative joint disease, in which cushioning cartilage within the joints becomes brittle and breaks down, resulting in painful inflammation that interferes with every canine activity.

How Long Can a Dog Live With Arthritis?

Arthritis isn’t fatal, so your dog won’t die of it. In fact, dogs with arthritis can live well into their teens, but they may lead restricted and pain-filled lives. Our challenge as caregivers is to help our best friends stay active for as long as possible. Become familiar with the risk factors and symptoms of arthritis so that you can anticipate, recognize, document, and treat the signs of arthritis before they incapacitate your dog.

Risk factors for osteoarthritis include the dog’s size (larger breeds and overweight dogs are more likely to develop joint pain), age (the risk increases over time), genetics (some breeds are associated with joint abnormalities such as hip dysplasia that lead to arthritis in Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherd Dogs), stress and trauma injuries, an inflammatory diet, diabetes, and diseases transmitted by tick bites.

Symptoms of arthritis in dogs vary from one patient to the next but as the illness progresses, most dogs experience:

  • intermittent lameness
  • “hopping” or three-legged gait
  • stiffness after rest or after vigorous exercise
  • abnormal stance when walking
  • reluctance to rise or move
  • depression or lack of interest
  • joints that hurt when touched or swollen joints that are tender and warm to the touch

Veterinary Treatments for Dog Arthritis

dog with knee braces
Light exercise under the supervision of a veterinary physical therapist helps this senior dog maintain mobility. Custom knee braces help provide stability. (see “Canine Knee Injury? Brace Yourself,” WDJ December 2020, for information about braces.) © Dorothy Merrimon Crawford | dreamstime.com.

A thorough veterinary examination is needed to rule out physical injuries or non-arthritic conditions that can cause pain, make a diagnosis, and suggest treatment options. Those are likely to include prescription pain-relieving, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as carprofen, firocoxib, meloxicam, grapiprant, or etodolac. These are the most effective treatments for arthritis, hands-down.

For severe, chronic arthritis, more and more vets are prescribing amantadine, an N-Methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist that works in combination with other drugs to treat chronic pain (see “Amantadine: Now for Relief of Chronic Pain,” WDJ August 2022).

In addition, your veterinarian may recommend the following for dog arthritis relief:

  • nutritional supplements
  • hydrotherapy (swimming or the use of an underwater treadmill)
  • chiropractic adjustments
  • acupuncture
  • regular low-impact exercise
  • laser treatments

How to Help a Dog With Arthritis at Home

There are quite a few things you can do at home to help your dog with their arthritis symptoms.

Help your dog lose weight. This sounds simple, but it is one of the most powerful things you can do to help her stay active because being overweight stresses the joints. Foods with high protein and moderate fat levels are better for overweight dogs than typical high-carbohydrate, low-protein weight-loss diets.

Keep your dog hydrated. Dehydration complicates joint problems, so it’s important to provide fresh water in clean bowls at all times. To encourage your dog to drink more water, add small amounts of bone broth or other flavorings.

Provide resting areas with extra padding. Dogs sleep more than people, an estimated 12 to 18 hours a day, and their beds make a difference. Some orthopedic mattresses consist of a memory foam base and a layer of gel memory foam, while others use an egg-crate-shaped orthopedic foam, support foam, or layers of shredded memory foam. Egg-crate memory foam helps keep sleeping dogs from overheating by increasing air circulation.

To be sure your dog’s orthopedic mattress will be a good fit, check the manufacturer’s measurement guidelines and buy the right size. In general, sturdy lightweight materials are easy to clean. For dogs with reduced mobility and possible in-house accidents, beds with waterproof liners and removable, machine washable covers simplify cleanup.

Provide traction. Slick floors, whether polished wood or shiny vinyl, pose health risks to dogs with arthritis. Use carpet or sisal grass runners in hallways or wherever your dog needs traction. Surround his food and water bowls with a rubber-backed rug so he can lower his head to eat or drink without his hind legs slipping out from under him.

Raise the bowl. If your dog has started hesitating at the food bowl or loses his balance as he eats, try a raised feeder. We’re not fans of raised bowls for all dogs, as they have been shown to increase the incidence of bloat, but a raised platform for feeding can help a very arthritic dog reach his food more comfortably.

Keep him moving! Make light but regular exercise part of your dog’s everyday routine. The less an arthritic dog moves, the more muscle mass is lost, and the less stable the joints become. Exercise rebuilds and maintains muscle strength, helps with weight reduction, and improves circulation to affected joints. The goal is to provide the benefits of exercise without overdoing it, as too much exercise can damage the joints, causing pain or injury. The key words here are “slow and steady.” Ask your veterinarian about physical activities that are appropriate for your dog.

Use a harness. Attaching a leash to your dog’s collar can stress the neck muscles and vertebrae. Instead, use a harness and reduce the risk of neck injury by attaching the leash to your dog’s chest or back.

Massage that dog! Arthritis is associated with a lack of lymph circulation, and an effective way to help improve your dog’s condition is with massage. See “10 ways to improve your dog’s lymph circulation,” WDJ January 2022.

Help him up. For dogs with advanced arthritis, climbing stairs or standing up after lying down can be painful. Dog-lift slings or harnesses remove pressure from painful joints by allowing handlers to physically lift the dog’s hindquarters. Ramps and steps help dogs jump into cars or onto the bed or sofa.

Keep him warm. Because cold temperatures can worsen arthritis pain, a sweater, jacket, or heated dog bed can help aching joints feel better in cold weather.

Helpful Supplements to Help a Dog With Arthritis

There are a number of supplements that you can give your dog in addition to the prescription pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory drugs that your veterinarian prescribes.

The most widely recommended supplements for dogs with arthritis are glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Also known as mucopolysaccharides, these nutraceutical supplements include glucosamine sulfate, glucosamine HCl, and chondroitin sulfate. Sometimes the unprocessed sources of GAG supplements, such as beef cartilage and green-lipped mussels, are used.

“GAGs are important because they actually protect the joint rather than just reduce symptoms by helping rebuild cartilage and restore synovial (joint) fluid,” explains canine health researcher Mary Straus at dogaware.com. “GAGs may also have some preventive effect on arthritis, though this is speculative.”

GAG supplements may be most effective given between meals, though they can be fed with food if needed. “Always start with high doses,” says Straus, “so you will be able to tell whether your dog responds. If you see improvement, reduce the dosage to see if the improvement can be maintained at a lower dose. If you don’t see any improvement within three to four weeks, try another supplement.”

S-adenosylmethione (SAMe, pronounced “SAM-ee”) is a pain-relieving compound found naturally in the body that helps regulate hormones and maintain cell membranes. Products containing 200 mg SAM-e are appropriate for most dogs weighing more than 15 pounds.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a naturally occurring sulfur produced by ocean planktons and which is also found in cow’s milk, meat, sea vegetables, fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Sulfur deficiencies result in canine skin and coat problems, poor gastrointestinal and immune responses, joint pain, and arthritis. MSM supplements are sold as powders and capsules with a recommended dose for dogs of 50 to 100 mg per 10 pounds of body weight.

Salmon and other fish oils are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids that reduce inflammation, in contrast to the omega-6 fatty acids in polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Fish oils contain eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which block inflammatory cytokines and prostaglandins and are converted by the body into powerful anti-inflammatory chemicals called resolvins.

Omega-3 supplements with 300 mg combined EPA and DHA are widely prescribed for dogs. Give up to 1 gelcap per 10 pounds of body weight daily or, if using a product containing 500 mg EPA/DHA, give 1 gelcap per 15 to 20 pounds of body weight daily. Adjust liquid fish oil dosages to 300 mg combined EPA/DHA per 10 pounds of body weight. Higher doses can interfere with platelets and increase bleeding as well as increase rather than reduce inflammation.

“You must supplement with vitamin E whenever you give polyunsaturated fatty acids or PUFAs such as fish oils, as otherwise the body will be depleted of this vitamin,” says Straus. “Give a maximum of 7 international units (IUs) per pound of body weight for small dogs and 3 to 4 IUs per pound for large dogs. You can also give equivalent amounts less often. For example, a dog weighing 100 pounds might get as much as 400 IUs daily, while a 10-pound dog could be given a maximum of 200 IUs every three or four days.”

Pancreatin, bromelain, papain, amylase, protease, and other enzymes are familiar digestive aids that can be added to your dog’s dinner to improve the assimilation of nutrients. Clinical trials and anecdotal reports support the use of digestive enzymes with food, digestive enzymes without food between meals, and enteric-coated enzymes between meals for the treatment of arthritis.

Natural Remedies for Arthritis in Dogs

Can adding herbs to your stiff old dog’s dinner help him run, jump, and play like a puppy? Plants were the original pharmacy for humans and animals, and over thousands of years, cultures around the world developed remedies that remain in use today.

Search the medical literature or the websites of educational organizations like the American Botanical Council (herbalgram.com) and you’ll find many studies examining the effect of medicinal plants on humans with arthritis. But while canine arthritis is a popular veterinary research topic, only a few studies have examined plant-based therapies for dogs.

A 2004 Swiss examination of 29 dogs with degenerative osteoarthritis showed that a resin extract of Indian frankincense (Boswellia serrata) significantly reduced symptoms and increased mobility in more than 70% of the canine patients.

In 2014, a randomized placebo-controlled trial at the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine tested 32 dogs diagnosed with arthritis by x-ray and orthopedic exams. The researchers developed combinations of devil’s claw root (Harpagophytum procumbens), Indian frankincense, and other herbs, and after eight weeks the strength of dogs receiving treatment improved to the equivalent of a kilo of extra strength per paw. None of the treated dogs saw their health decline, unlike 25.8% of the dogs who were given a placebo. In addition, the placebo dogs became less physically active while the treated dogs became significantly more active.

Popular herbal products for dogs with arthritis include those mentioned above plus cannabis (Cannabis sativa), feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), turmeric (Curcuma longa), yucca (yucca schidigera), and various Chinese herbal blends. Most pet supply stores and natural food markets sell a variety of herbal products for pets and so do online retailers.

To discover which products work best for your dog, follow label directions and complete one course of treatment (typically four to six weeks) before starting another candidate treatment. Take notes about your dog’s arthritis symptoms, such as her willingness or ability to get in the car or jump up on the couch, or how long it takes her to get on her feet after a nap, before beginning a new remedy and again at weekly intervals.

Another good way to track the effectiveness of a new product is to take a video of your dog walking, turning, or playing before and after a course of treatment.

Evaluating The Options to Treat Your Dog’s Arthritis

With dozens of alternatives to choose from, it’s hard to decide what to try for your dog. In 2009 the journal veterinary record assessed the efficacy of therapies used in the management of canine osteoarthrosis based on 68 papers published in peer-reviewed journals. The studies found strong evidence for the efficacy of NSAIDs in treating osteoarthritis. There was moderate support for the efficacy of glycosaminoglycan polysulphate (the injectable drug Adequan), elk antler velvet, and a food containing green-lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus, a natural source of GAGs).

In contrast, the studies found weak or no evidence to support the use of many other treatments. None of the reports offered final answers about what works and what doesn’t, and all of them concluded that additional research is needed.

This review accurately reflects the lack of well-designed research examining the effectiveness of treatments for arthritis in dogs. As new products and procedures are developed, we who love our arthritic dogs will continue to experiment with treatments and combinations of treatments that help our dogs stay active and pain-free through old age.

Unhealthy Gums? It Could Be Canine Gum Disease

By
CJ Puotinen
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0
toothbrushes for dogs
Don’t buy toothbrushes that are sold in pet-supply stores that are specifically meant for dogs (like the three brushes on the bottom in this photo). Their bristles tend to be far too stiff and cause bleeding. Instead, buy soft human toothbrushes; these work better and without abrading the gums. © Nancy Kerns.

We often pay attention to our dog’s teeth, but the gums supporting those teeth are just as important. Unfortunately, they’re frequently ignored. As a result, gum disease is epidemic in dogs. Recent studies show that by the time they are two years old, almost 90% of America’s dogs have some type of periodontal disease.

This progressive illness is caused by mouth bacteria that harm gums and bones. Unfortunately, periodontal disease is invisible to the untrained eye until it causes significant damage, so prevention is an important strategy.

For more on what unhealthy dog gums look like, read our companion article, Healthy Dog Gums vs Unhealthy Dog Gums: The Colors to Watch Out For. 

The causes of periodontal disease in dogs include:

  • poor dental hygiene
  • genetics
  • malocclusion (having a misaligned bite)
  • the shape of a dog’s mouth.

Brachycephalic breeds (those with shortened snouts) and small or toy breeds are at greater risk than other dogs, as are older and overweight dogs in general.

How Periodontal Disease in Dogs is Diagnosed

gum disease in dogs
The dark red line immediately above this dog’s tartar-encrusted canine tooth (the “fang”) indicates the presence of periodontal disease below the gum line. © Nancy Kerns

Veterinarians diagnose four stages of periodontal disease by checking for abnormal spaces between teeth and gums and by taking x-rays while the dog is under general anesthesia. Without dental x-rays, it’s impossible to accurately diagnose periodontal disease.

Stage 1, also known as gingivitis, consists of gum inflammation with no bone loss or tooth detachment. The symptoms include red or puffy gums, bad breath, and gums that bleed during chewing or brushing. This is the only periodontal stage that can be reversed; the others cause permanent damage.

Stage 2 produces up to a 25% loss of tooth attachments, mild bone loss, and mildly abnormal periodontal pocket depths, which are spaces around teeth below the gum line. In addition to Stage 1 symptoms, Stage 2 patients have receding gums.

Stage 3 shows a loss of 25 to 50% of the tooth’s support. In addition to the preceding symptoms, this stage results in loose teeth. Advanced dental procedures and daily home care are needed to save affected teeth, which are otherwise pulled at this stage.

Stage 4 is the final and most serious stage of periodontal disease, with X-rays and periodontal probing showing more than 50% loss of tooth attachments. Stage 4 symptoms include tooth root exposure, missing and loose teeth, and pus oozing from around the teeth. The treatment for this phase is tooth extraction, and the prognosis for dogs in this condition is poor.

As periodontal disease in dogs progresses:

  • dogs flinch or pull away when anyone tries to inspect their teeth
  • their chewing patterns change
  • they smack their gums
  • they don’t tolerate having their teeth brushed because the gums are painful
  • they no longer enjoy playing with chew toys
  • their behavior may become more withdrawn or aggressive

Left untreated, dental disease adversely affects all of the body’s organs, including the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. The constant release of bacterial infections from the mouth to the rest of the body is a form of systemic poisoning. A study published in the April-June 2021 Open Veterinary Journal found that periodontal disease is associated with cognitive dysfunction in aging dogs. Keeping your dog’s gums healthy makes a rewarding investment in his old age.

Experts Warn Against Anesthesia-Free Tooth Cleaning for Dogs

Anesthesa-free dentals are popular with owners who worry about putting their dogs under anesthesia, but it’s impossible to get even the best-mannered dog to hold still for cleaning their teeth below the gum line – which is the most critical area to clean in order to prevent periodontal disease. Says canine health researcher and owner of the DogAware.com website Mary Straus, “Anesthesia-free dentals are cosmetic procedures that do not contribute to your dog’s health and may even disguise problems, since the teeth look clean.”

How to Keep Dog’s Gums and Teeth Healthy

To help prevent oral health problems, check your dog’s mouth for signs of gingivitis, plaque, and tartar. This is easy to do if you brush your dog’s teeth every day. If not, gently lift her upper lip to look at her front and side teeth, then pull the corner of her mouth back so you can see top and bottom teeth further back in her mouth. Repeat on the other side. Frequent checks will call your attention to something that needs immediate attention, such as a broken tooth or something caught between the teeth.

An early symptom of gingivitis is a thin red line along the gumline, which can increase in width if the illness progresses. A thorough exam, including x-rays, will show the extent of periodontal disease and determine appropriate treatment. Prompt veterinary attention can prevent further damage, and your at-home attention will help as well.

Dental plaque is a sticky, colorless biofilm of microorganisms that grows between, in front of, and behind teeth, on chewing surfaces, and along and below the gumline. It continuously forms on tooth enamel and unless removed by brushing, flossing, or other mechanical means, plaque hardens and forms tartar. Also known as dental calculus, tartar builds up on teeth, often turning brown or pale yellow.

Brushing your dog’s teeth can be an important step in preventing the accumulation of plaque and tarter. It’s easier to introduce brushing to puppies and young dogs but even older dogs can learn to sit still for brushing. For an inspiring story about how powerful this home care can bee, see “Save Your Dog’s Teeth With Home Care,” WDJ December 2014.

Alternatives to Using a Toothbrush On Your Dog’s Teeth

If a gentle approach, poultry-flavored toothpaste, and a soft toothbrush convince your dog to go along with brushing, consider supplements that can be added to food or water to address plaque and gingivitis.

Pet water additives sold as breath fresheners claim to enhance digestive health, improve nutrient absorption, and help dogs smell better. A small amount, such as a capful, is added to every bowl of drinking water. Some contain digestive enzymes, micronized minerals, or ingredients known to minimize plaque and tartar buildup.

Unfortunately, some of these additives contain xylitol, a no-calorie sweetener that is toxic to dogs. While the small amounts used according to label directions are considered safe for dogs, some veterinarians are concerned that the daily ingestion of xylitol may pose a risk. Check the label to make sure the product you buy does not contain xylitol.

Success depends on the product as well as how it is introduced to your dog; start with smaller-than-recommended quantities and respect your dog’s preferences.

Studies published in the medical literature show that probiotics (“friendly” or beneficial bacteria) can help prevent the buildup of plaque and tartar in humans, leading some manufacturers to create oral health supplements for dogs. No specific strains of probiotics have been proven to remove canine plaque and tarter, but some veterinarians who recommend probiotics for dogs have reported improvement in their patients’ oral health.

What to Know About Dogs, Bones and Chewing

Raw bones can clean teeth and gums while providing chewing pleasure and jaw exercise. However, bones can cause broken teeth, especially if their size and shape allow dogs to get them between their molars and crunch down. Marrow bones are a particular risk. Knuckle bones may be safer because of their shape, especially for large dogs and aggressive chewers. For best results, feed raw, fresh bones and remove them once the meat has been eaten, before they dry out. Cooked bones can splinter and are not recommended.

Chew toys can keep your dog busy and some, like Zesty Paws Probiotic OraStix, provide beneficial bacteria that support the oral microbiome. Nylabone Dental Chew Bones, made of a flexible thermoplastic polymer, feature dental tips that reduce plaque and help prevent tarter buildup. Offer your dog a choice of safe chew toys to help improve her gum health.

For Better Dog-Behavior Training: Pretend Your Dog Is a Tiger

By
Kathy Callahan, CPDT-KA, FDM
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27

Owners often turn to dog trainers when they’re feeling exasperated. They report that their dog has the following behavior and training issues:

  • Has no idea how to walk on a leash!
  • Chews their shoes!
  • Jumps all over the guests!
  • Barks wildly at other dogs!
  • Chases the cat!

Of course, we trainers have detailed behavior-modification dog training plans for all of those things. But to start with, I like to suggest this all-purpose, magic tip:

Pretend you have a tiger, not a dog.

Dog training – like so much of life – is all about expectations. If you’re in the wrong headspace, it’ll ruin any training plan you try. The right mindset is your greatest advantage when it comes to creating a home where you and your dog are living happily together. That’s where the tiger exercise comes in.

If This Were a Tiger, Would You Be Mad?

tiger in cage
You wouldn’t expect a tiger to immediately blend into a human household. If you adopted a tiger, you’d work incredibly hard to set everyone up for success, always keeping in mind that this is not the tiger’s natural environment. Rather than feeling angry at a chewed shoe, you’d be thrilled it wasn’t worse, reminding yourself to better tiger-proof next time. © Anankkml | Dreamstime.com.

Close your eyes. Think about that last unfortunate incident with your dog. Now, adjust that visualization, and picture your dog as a tiger you took into your home.

How does that tiger alter your reaction? You’d probably feel a little less mad, and it’s likely that your thoughts would shift like this:

  • He has no idea how to walk on a leash.

“Well of course he doesn’t! It’s amazing we’re out and about together at all, given how unnatural this is for him.”

  • She chews all of our shoes.

“Good Lord, why did we leave our shoes out where the tiger could get them?”

  • He jumps on the guests.

“How did we not realize that it was ridiculous to put the tiger in that situation when a tiger’s method of greeting is utterly unlike anything we humans would want to see?”

  • She barks wildly at dogs.

“It’s natural that she’d have big feelings about those other animals. Clearly we should help her with carefully guided experiences before expecting her to just be chill.”

  • He chases the cat.

“Why did we let those two species meet and interact without supervision?”

Don’t Expect a Dog to Know Our Human Ways

Obviously, your dog really isn’t a tiger, but every one of the empathetic reactions you’d probably have to a tiger’s behavior is 100% appropriate for a dog. Like captive tigers, dogs are a different species of animal just trying to adjust to living in a human world. Our expectations that dogs should immediately fold into our lives like Lassie are worse than silly; they’re terribly harmful – both to the dogs who are set up to fail and the humans who feel like they’ve blown it because their dogs aren’t perfect.

That’s why it helps to remind yourself (and everyone in your home) that you have a tiger in the house! A tiger is serious business, so:

You’re going to be proactive and set that animal up for success.

You’re going to think hard about how to manage guests.

You’re going to work diligently to tiger-proof the house.

You’re going to expect to be “on duty” when young kids or other animals are around.

You’re going to understand how completely weird all of this is for a creature who’s not in his native habitat, so you’ll expect those bumps in the road.

Finally, realizing you have a tiger who’s missing out on what he’d get if he were out in the wild, you would think like a good zookeeper would. “How can I better meet the needs of this captive animal, who wasn’t designed to Netflix on the couch?”

How Your Tiger Becomes the Best Dog

Flipping that mental switch from dog to tiger makes owners smarter, kinder, and more open to problem-solving. Do you know what that kind of nurturing does after a while? It turns that tiger into a dog who’s a pleasure to live with.

Mind you, most owners will still benefit tremendously from a great trainer with a dog behavior modification training plan, now that you have the right mindset. But the best trainer in the world can’t help you when you have impossible expectations about a member of another species who landed in your human home.

Why Your Dog Licks You – And How to Stop It

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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8
dog licking person's face
Dogs lick you out of affection, tasting you or appeasement — just avoid letting your dog lick your lips. © Nancy Kerns

Licking is a natural behavior for dogs. The puppies of wild canids (or feral or street dogs) lick their parents’ mouths, which prompt the parents to regurgitate food for them. Mother dogs also instinctively lick their pups to clean them, and pups lick their moms in return. Licking is also a sign of affection which causes a release of oxytocin; it feels good to the dog who licks as well as the dog who gets licked! Dogs also explore the world with tongue – tasting their surroundings.

But what about licking humans? Yes, your dog may be showing her affection for you when she licks you – and she may be getting a little oxytocin boost as well. She might also lick as an appeasement gesture if she thinks you’re upset with her. She could be attention-seeking, or simply washing off good flavors – anything from that peanut butter on your lips to skin lotion you put on this morning.

Is a dog licking you dangerous?

Allowing a dog to lick you, particularly in the face, has the potential to expose you to pathogenic, food-borne bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Pasteurella, as well as Leptospira, the bacteria that causes leptospirosis and is found in the urine or body fluids of infected animals. If you’re confident that your dog has not been exposed to pathogenic bacteria, and are non immune-compromised, you may feel fine about taking those risks. Just remember that dogs also eat yucky stuff, including a variety of animal feces, dead things, and random garbage – and they lick their own nether ends, to keep them tidy. When they lick your face they share all that with you! However, you can minimize the risk by avoiding the dog’s tongue contacting with your mouth and nose.

Conversely, if you use any medicated cream or topical oil, allowing your dog to lick your skin could be harmful to your dog. People who use topical forms of hormones or pain medications should check with their veterinarian before allowing their dogs to lick them. It may be worth asking them about sunscreen and other topicals, too.

How to stop my dog from licking me

Fortunately, if you’re not a fan of being licked by your dog, there are a number of gentle methods to discourage this behavior:

  1. Give your dog something else to do with her mouth. Preoccupy her tongue with a tasty chewie, a food-stuffed toy, or a snuffle mat.
  2. Teach her to target – and then reward her for touching her nose to targets that are a short distance from your body. (See: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/training/on-target-training/)
  3. Enrichment! A tired dog is a happy owner. Mental and physical exercise is likely to reduce her need to lick.
  4. Turn away when she licks. If she’s attention-seeking, pre-empt her licking by giving her attention before the tongue appears. Then turn away if it does.
  5. Change your soap or lotion. Your dog may be attracted to whatever scent you are using; you might find one she likes less.

Finally, if your dog’s licking is excessive, consider whether it could be a symptom of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). If that’s the case, you’re best off seeking the assistance of a qualified dog behavior professional to find tactics to discourage your dog’s persistent licking behavior. But if you’re a fan of normal dog licks, go ahead – enjoy those kisses!

Trazodone for Dogs: Usage, Dosage, and Side Effects

By
Dr. Eileen Fatcheric, DVM
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0
trazodone for dogs
If your dog suffers from chronic pain or requires repeated veterinary procedures that are painful or stressful, ask your veterinarian if trazodone might be helpful. Trazodone dosage for dogs depends on your dog’s weight, the health issue it is being prescribed for and your dog’s overall health. ©Nancy Kerns

Trazodone is an anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) medication that is also used for short-term sedation. It’s not classified as an analgesic (pain-relieving medication), so why are we seeing it prescribed more and more as part of comprehensive, combination pain protocols for dogs?

One possible reason is because pain has an emotional aspect. The somatosensory (physical) component of pain has to do with the location and intensity of pain. The affective (emotional) component is the fear, anxiety, and distress that accompanies physical pain.

Trazodone is a serotonin-modulating drug. It inhibits reuptake of serotonin and blocks serotonin receptor sites, thereby increasing the amount of serotonin available in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for promoting feelings of calmness and well being. The more serotonin hanging around in your brain, the better, calmer, and less anxious you feel. This is the same for dogs.

Jump to: Trazodone for dogs dosage chart

What does Trazodone do for Dogs?

Adding trazodone to acute pain protocols for dogs helps manage the affective side of pain. If dogs wake up from a painful surgical procedure with trazodone on board, they suffer less fear and distress associated with any pain they may feel. The sedating effect of trazodone also makes it useful post-operatively for the rest and restricted activity recommended after most surgical procedures. This is especially helpful for young, exuberant dogs.

The same goes for dogs who have to undergo repeated, uncomfortable procedures; this can make dogs suffer fear and anxiety in anticipation of the procedure. A perfect example is frequent bandage changes on a painful wound. Pre-treating with trazodone minimizes the negative emotional experience for these patients, which makes them less likely to anticipate the procedure with fear and anxiety and generally more cooperative throughout the process.

Chronic pain conditions have a huge emotional component, taking their toll over time. Additionally, chronicity is known to increase pain perception sensitivity within the central nervous system. These facts suggest adding trazodone to chronic pain protocols may be helpful as well.

Studies have looked at whether trazodone may have its own antinociceptive (pain perception blocking) effect. One such study published in 2021 (“Synergistic interaction between trazodone and gabapentin in rodent models of neuropathic pain,” Garrone et al) looked at trazodone used in combination with gabapentin, a popular neuropathic pain-reliever. The results from this study were suggestive that trazodone does have some antinociceptive effects and that the combination was effective for treating chronic neuropathic pain with no serious adverse effects.

Trazodone Dosages for dogs

There is a wide range of acceptable Trazodone dosages for dogs, although you should never exceed 300 mg per dose or 600 mg per day, regardless of how big your dog is. It is always best to do a trial run, and start with a lower dose to gauge your dog’s response. If not getting the response you need, gradually increase the dose, staying within the recommended dosage range. Trazodone should be given 1.5-2 hours before you need the desired effect.

The suggested dosage range for Trazodone is 3-7 mg/kg of body weight, not to exceed 300 mg per dose or 600 mg per day. Trazodone is usually administered every 12 hours or twice a day, but can be administered every 8 hours ( three times a day) if necessary.

Trazodone tablets come in 50, 100, 150, and 300 mg sizes. The following chart provides dosing guidelines for dogs based on suggested dosage range, body weight, and tablet sizes:

Body weight (lbs) Starting dose (mgs) Target dose (mgs) Maximum dose (mgs)
5 7** 12.5 16**
10 12.5 25 32**
15 25 37.5 50
20 25 50 62.5
25 37.5 50 75
30 50 62.5 100
35 50 75 100
40 50 100 125
45 62.5 100 150
50 75 125 150
55 75 125 175
60 75 150 200
65 100 150 200
70 100 150 225
75 100 175 250
80 100 200 250
85 125 200 250
90 125 200 250
95 125 200 300
100 150 225 300
105 150 250 300
110 150 250 300
115 150 250 300
120 162.5 275 300

** Compounding pharmacy required for these dosages

Dogs who are taking MAO inhibitors, SSRIs, or Tramadol should be dosed lower to avoid serotonin syndrome, which can be life-threatening.

Trazodone for Dogs: Side Effects

Trazodone is not addictive and side effects are uncommon, with up to 80% of dogs having none. Reported side effects include mild increased hunger, nausea, and diarrhea. An increased risk of bleeding when used with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) has been reported.

The biggest caution with trazodone comes with using it in combination with other serotonin-enhancing drugs like fluoxetine (Prozac) and clomipramine (Clomicalm), and with tramadol, an opioid pain-reliever. The concern with these combinations is an adverse reaction called serotonin syndrome, where dogs with too much circulating serotonin suffer extreme agitation; generalized tremors; elevated heart rate, temperature, and blood pressure; dilated pupils; and trouble breathing. Serotonin syndrome can be life-threatening, so be sure to tell your veterinarian about all medications your dog is on.

In summary, trazodone is a complex, interesting medication with multiple potential clinical applications in veterinary medicine. There certainly is enough information out there suggesting trazodone may be a useful addition to both acute and chronic comprehensive, combination pain management protocols in dogs.

Cultural differences (and what are we doing wrong?)

By
Nancy Kerns
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61
two dogs in paris
Dogs in France appear slender and healthy looking. ©Nancy Kerns | Whole Dog Journal

Last month, my sister-in-law and my almost-13-year-old niece, Ava, spent two weeks in France, visiting my sister-in-law’s mother and stepfather, who live in Paris. Ava has been a dog lover since before she could walk, so I gave her an assignment, to take photos of dogs in Paris.

I’ve always been interested in the cultural differences between how dogs are handled and treated in different countries and I discussed this with her a bit; she and her mom stopped at my house on their way to the airport, because I dog-sat their little dog, Alice, while they were gone. But, in truth, I wasn’t actually concerned with the photos that Ava might get for me; I had an ulterior motive. Mostly I was trying to give Ava a photography job that would (I hoped) keep her engaged with the living scenery when traveling, to keep her eyes open. Ava has an artistic eye, and as someone who studied photojournalism, I know that being given an assignment to take pictures can sharpen and focus your awareness on your surroundings.

Ava did take and send me some pictures of dogs and dog owners. We’re going to be looking at them and discussing her trip to France at the end of this week, when our family will get together again to celebrate her 13th birthday. But here’s the funny thing: Ava must have told her grandmother that she was taking photos of dogs for me. This morning I received a photo and email from her grandmother, Olivia.

dog walker in france
© Whole Dog Journal

“I heard you need pictures of dogs in France,” Olivia explained. Well, I guess my covert mission needed to be exposed, and I’ve written back to Olivia to recuse her from the assignment and sharing the actual purpose of my assignment for Ava with her.

But after writing the email, I looked at Olivia’s snapshot again. She had actually captured several very interesting things. The longer I look at this photo, which she captioned as “a dog walker in Paris,” the more I see. Look: What do you see?

dog walker with several dogs
A dog walker in Paris. © Whole Dog Journal

Here are the things that are most interesting to me:

Of the seven dogs visible in the photo, only one (possibly two) is leashed. Despite this, they are all just hanging out in a relaxed fashion, waiting for their walker, who appears to be taking a snack break.

The two dogs on the right may or may not be with the walker; they are slightly removed from her, whereas the other dogs are arranged in a circle around her. So those two unleashed dogs may simply be waiting for their owners to come out of the store or restaurant. They are unleashed but perfectly safe and comfortable waiting on the sidewalk.

All but one of the dogs resemble purebreds. The dog on the far right might be, too; I’m not familiar enough with all the bully-type breeds to know what she is or might be.

All seven of the dogs are in good weight and look fit. Even French dogs look more slender than their American counterparts!

The white dog on the right appears to be a French Bulldog – but he or she has much more of a nose than the French Bulldogs you see here. I love that the dog’s face isn’t as smushed in the exaggerated way the dogs here often appear.

How do dogs become so habituated and well-behaved that they can safely be taken out with a dog-walker off leash in the middle of a busy city? Are dogs being lost and hit by cars at a rate we Americans would find unacceptable? I’m fascinated – and I just might have to go to Paris to find out! I’m pretty sure I could stay with Olivia…

family in london
Olivia, Leslie, and Ava took a day trip to London. ©Whole Dog Journal

Are Eggs Good for Dogs?

By
CJ Puotinen
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2
dog with egg in mouth
Eggs are good for dogs, and dogs can even eat eggshells. ©Nancy Kerns

Dogs have been stealing eggs for thousands of years, and for good reason. Eggs from chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, quail, and other birds are safe, nutrition-boosting additions to any dog’s diet. They can be served raw or cooked, alone or combined with other foods. It’s hard to go wrong with these convenient, affordable, versatile ingredients.

Eggs are high in nutrients that support every part of the canine body. The yolks contain the egg’s vitamins and fatty acids, the whites are almost pure protein, and the shells contain calcium carbonate with a few other minerals. Eggs can be added to dry, canned, frozen, or refrigerated dog foods, fed as between-meal snacks, or used as training treats.

The average large chicken egg (the size sold in most markets) contains 72 calories, 6 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat. How often and how many eggs to feed depends on your dog’s size, health, condition, and activity level. Some dogs are allergic to eggs but for most dogs, eggs are a tasty and nutritious food.

The US Department of Agriculture recommends storing eggs in their cartons in the coldest part of your refrigerator (not the door) at 40 degrees F or slightly below that. Properly stored raw eggs last three to five weeks from the time you bring them home. After cooking, refrigerated hard-boiled eggs last safely for a week.

How much egg should you feed to your dog?

Individual reactions vary, so start with a small amount and, if you have questions or health concerns, check with your veterinarian. Add a hard-boiled egg or part of one to your pup’s dinner or offer it as a treat and pay attention to her response. Most dogs will want more, and that’s a good sign. If your dog shows any symptoms of indigestion or an allergic reaction, check with your veterinarian.

Assuming your dog enjoys her egg, wait a day or two before offering another. The egg can be poached, fried in a small amount of oil or butter, scrambled, hard-boiled, or soft-boiled.

Canine nutrition researcher Mary Straus at dogaware.com says, “Dogs weighing 40 pounds or more can handle a whole egg, so I’d recommend half an egg (or a whole egg every other day) for dogs weighing 20 to 40 pounds and proportionately less for smaller dogs.”

Can dogs eat raw eggs?

Because raw eggs are associated with salmonella, a bacterial infection that causes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and lethargy, most veterinarians recommend that eggs be cooked before feeding to your dog. However, many dog owners feed their dogs raw eggs with no ill effects, and veterinarians who promote raw diets claim that the benefit of raw eggs are that they are more nutritious than cooked eggs and that they are usually safe for dogs to eat. Factory farms, in which thousands of chickens are housed close together, are blamed for salmonella outbreaks, while chickens raised outdoors on a small scale are unlikely to be infected.

Another argument against feeding raw eggs is that egg whites contain an enzyme that prevents the absorption of the B vitamin biotin, potentially leading to a deficiency that adversely affects skin, coat, and nail health. However, egg yolks contain large amounts of biotin, so feeding the entire egg eliminates that risk. Biotin deficiencies, while theoretically possible, are rare in dogs.

The easiest way to give your dog a raw egg is to crack one over his dinner.

Can dogs eat eggshells?

Eggshells contain approximately 2,000 mg of elemental calcium per shell, enough to meet the daily needs of an 85-pound dog. Home-prepared diets for dogs that do not include raw bone need to be supplemented with a calcium source, and many people use eggshells for this purpose. The shells should be ground to a powder in a clean coffee grinder or blender.

It’s important to provide a calcium source in your dog’s home-prepared diet –but it’s equally important to provide enough and not too much. To calculate the appropriate amount of eggshells to use as a calcium source for a homemade diet, please see “Calcium in Homemade Dog Food,” WDJ May 2019.

Eggshell powder should never be added to the diet of dogs already eating a nutritionally complete commercial diet, as they will end up receiving far too much calcium. Large-breed puppies in particular can be harmed by excess calcium, especially during the first six months when they’re growing rapidly and aren’t able to control their calcium uptake.

What’s the difference between factory farmed, free-range, and pastured eggs?

The nutritional value of eggs depends on the health of the birds that lay them.

According to Factory Farm Awareness Coalition, most layer hens in the United States spend the bulk of their lives, about two or three years, in closely stacked cages in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Layer hens are bred to lay more than 300 eggs a year. In crowded cages, hens are unable to spread their wings, take dust baths, perch, nest, or lay eggs as they would in nature. When their egg production declines, they are sent to a slaughterhouse.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines “free range” chickens as those having access to the outdoors for at least some part of the day, whether the chickens choose to go outside or not. There are no requirements for length of time the chicken must spend outdoors, the size of the outdoor area, or the type of groundcover. Less than 1% of chickens nationwide are raised as “free range.” The remaining 99% spend their lives confined to indoor pens.

The terms “pastured” and “pasture-raised” apply to farm animals that live in grassy fields. While there is no legal definition for the term, pastured chickens are ideally raised on deep-rooted green grass and moved every few days to fresh areas. They are physically active and consume a variety of seeds, insects, worms, and other live foods that they forage themselves.

Small local farms, farmer’s markets, and natural food stores are great sources for maximally nutritious eggs from healthy chickens, ducks, and other birds. Their nutritional quality is reflected in their dark orange yolks and hard shells, and they’re as good for you as they are for your dog.

To find pastured eggs locally and to learn how pastured chicken and their eggs are raised, search online for “pastured eggs” in your area and visit websites such as eatwild.com, getrealchicken.com, theveggan.com/pasture-raised-egg-brands, and localharvest.org. Prices vary by region, but the public’s growing support for pasture-raised poultry, the increasing availability of pastured eggs, and their affordability provide an important nutritional bonus for our best friends.

Do Dogs Need Sunscreen?

By
CJ Puotinen
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0
dog with thin coat
Dogs with very thin coats and pink skin should be discouraged from soaking up the sun, and protected with a dog-safe sunscreen or sun-blocking coat when avoiding the sun is not an option. © Kim Christensen | Dreamstime.com

On sunny days, we rub sunscreen on ourselves and our kids, but what about our dogs? Should we protect them, too? Yes! – some dogs absolutely benefit from sunscreen!

What dogs need sunscreen?

Hairless breeds, dogs with white or thin coats, and dogs with pink or light-pigmented noses and eyelids are at higher risk of sunburn and sun damage than other dogs. So are dogs experiencing hair loss from seasonal shedding, shaving, or health conditions that cause coat thinning. And dogs with “snow nose,” a seasonal pigment change from black to pink, may need winter sun protection.

What sunscreen is safe for dogs?

Sunscreen made specifically for dog is safe for dogs. Unheard of a few decades ago, sun protection products for dogs are widely sold as lotions, sprays, sticks, balms, ointments, and clothing. Some brands claim an “SPF equivalent” rating that compares their products to human sunscreens, such as SPF 15, 30, or 40.

dog with pink skin on nose
Some dogs need sunscreen only where their hair is thin and their skin is pink, like on the bridge of this dog’s nose. ©Nancy Kerns

Dog-safe sunscreens do not contain zinc oxide or para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), which are commonly found in human sunscreens and which are toxic to dogs.

When comparing products, look for sunscreens that match your dog’s lifestyle. Some have to be applied 15 to 20 minutes before sun exposure, while quick-drying sprays offer instant protection. Waterproof products are recommended for swimming dogs.

If your dog has sensitive skin, test new products for allergic reactions by applying sunscreen to a small area of bare skin. Check it after 24 to 48 hours for signs of irritation and if it causes a reaction, try a different product.

If your dog’s skin proves too sensitive for any topical sunscreen product, look for sun shirts or sun suits for dogs that cover most of the body. Some protective clothing also repels mosquitoes and other insects. Hats and goggles designed for canine use can be useful as well.

How to protect your dog from the sun

There are two main ways to protect your dog from the sun: dog-safe sunscreen and avoid or limiting intense sun exposure.

  1. Dog sunscreen: Labels indicate how often a sunscreen should be reapplied. Apply sunscreen to areas that will be most exposed to sunlight, yet avoiding eye areas:
  • the bridge and tip of your dog’s nose
  • ear tips
  • skin around the lips
  • inner thigh
  • groin
  • wherever pigmentation is light

If using a lotion that needs time to be absorbed, keep your dog distracted (so he doesn’t lick it off) by playing in the shade or indoors.

  1. Limit sun exposure: Avoid or limit activities during the sun’s most intense exposure times, which are mid-day between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Whenever possible, keep your dog in the shade during those hours – and as much as your dog may enjoy soaking up some rays, don’t let your dog lie in the sun, especially on concrete or light-colored surfaces.

How to treat sunburn on dogs

Sunburns develop when dogs are overexposed to ultraviolet light; this can happen in as little as half an hour of sun exposure. Whenever you notice reddened, flaking, or warm-feeling skin, bring your dog indoors or into the shade. Treat your dog with:

  • Cool water
  • cool compresses,
  • dog-safe soothing ointments
  • aloe vera gel (can help relieve initial sunburn symptoms

Call your veterinarian if the burn is serious. Sunburns worsen allergic dermatitis, autoimmune skin conditions, and mange, and sunlight can trigger discomfort or complications at surgery sites. Any dog with a history of sunburn should be protected from future sun exposure to prevent complications.

What do Ticks Look Like on Dogs?

By
Dr. Jennifer Bailey, DVM
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1
What do ticks look like on dogs, depends on the type of tick and how long it has had to eat.

It’s been a long day and you’re finally enjoying some quiet time with your dog. Your fingers are coursing through his coat when you feel a small lump on his skin. Parting his fur, you find something fastened to your dog’s skin that looks like a tick. But how do you know it’s a tick?

If a tick has been attached to your dog for more than a day or two, it will be engorged with your dog’s blood. Engorged ticks will have a gray, oval-shaped body with a brown or black head and legs – but note that when a tick is biting and attached to your dog, you won’t be able to see its head. Using a magnifying glass – or perhaps just the zoom feature on your cell phone – you may be able to see a row of waving legs on either side of the engorged body (ticks have eight legs, with four on either side of their bodies, like spiders). If the tick has only recently bitten your dog, it may be as small as the kernel inside a sunflower seed; if it’s been attached for longer, it may be as plump as a grape.

Be cautious if you’ve found a small brown, black, or pink lump on the underside of your dog’s chest or belly; it might be a nipple! Both male and female dogs have nipples. If you are not sure if what you have found is a tick, please contact your veterinarian. They may ask you to send them a picture of what you have found.

What are the different types of ticks found on dogs?

close up of engorged tick
Engorged ticks may be as fat as grapes – grapes with tiny, waving legs on the sides. Removing engorged ticks from a dog without squeezing their swollen bodies can be a challenge. ©Nancy Kerns

There are a number of species of ticks that are frequently found on dogs; most common are “deer ticks” (also informally called black-legged ticks) and “dog ticks” (Dermacentor variabilis, also called American Dog Ticks, and Brown Dog Ticks, Rhipicephalus sanguineus). Deer ticks are small – before they’ve had a blood meal, they may be as small as a poppy seed. Dog ticks are larger, perhaps as broad as a single pea (though nearly flat before they’ve fed). Depending on the species, dog ticks may have a plain brown body or be brown with red-dotted bodies and a grey “shield” on the back of its “neck” area. Each species of tick carries different bacterial species that can cause disease in the animals that the tick feeds on.

Ticks await their prey by climbing onto grass, trees, and brush and quickly grab onto anything that brushes by them. They can crawl pretty rapidly through your dog’s fur – or equally fast up the leg of your pants!

Ideally, dog owners groom their dogs after they’ve been in any environment frequented by ticks. Brush your dog while looking for any loose or attached ticks – or use a brush and a tape roller in alternating strokes, to loosen and then capture any crawling ticks.

How to Remove a Tick from a Dog

using lint roller to remove ticks from dog
Alternating stokes of a brush with a tape roller (the kind often used to remove dog hair from clothing) can capture loose ticks, preventing them from biting your dog. ©Dr. Eileen Fatcheric

Don’t delay if you find a tick attached to your dog. Remove it right away with a pair of tweezers or use a tick removal tool, such as the Tick Twister, Tick Tornado, or our favorite, the Pro-Tick Remedy. Tick removal tools are available for purchase online or at your favorite pet supply retailer. (See our review of tick-removing tools, “How to Get the Tick Out,” WDJ July 2019.)

Tick removal tools come with instructions on how to remove the tick. If you are using tweezers, hold the tweezers parallel to the skin. Grasp the head of the tick as close to the skin as possible. Pull the tick straight up and away from the skin to remove it.

Once the tick is removed, place the tick in rubbing alcohol or a zipper storage bag and discard it in the trash. You may also flush the tick down the toilet. Do not squeeze the tick! Squeezing the tick could expose you and your dog to the bacteria contained within it.

How NOT To Remove a Tick from a Dog

When it comes to tick removal, there are a number of well-known methods that should be avoided. Don’t use the end of a burnt match or lit cigarette or try to smother the tick with petroleum jelly or nail polish. These old-timey techniques can hurt your dog, increase the amount of time the tick is attached, and cause the tick to release more bacteria or protozoa into the bite site—both of which increase the risk of disease transmission. – Kim Thornton from “Dog Owner’s Guide to Types of Ticks“

Care for a Tick Bite on a Dog After Removal

The dog’s skin where the tick was attached may become raised and red. A scab may develop over the tick attachment site and remain there for a few days. These spots do not typically become infected and do not require an antibiotic cream or ointment. Contact your veterinarian if the tick attachment site grows larger or develops a yellow or green discharge.

Dogs do not develop the red, bullseye rash that some humans do when they have been bitten by a tick that transmitted Lyme disease. However, dogs will sometimes develop a red bullseye lesion about ½-inch in diameter when they have been bitten by black flies or horse flies. These are usually seen on the underbelly of the dog where their fur is thinner and the skin is easier to see. These lesions are typically not itchy and will resolve on their own in a few days.

If you found an attached tick – and especially if you found more than one attached tick – have your dog tested for Lyme and the other tick-borne diseases that are prevalent in your area about four to six weeks after you have removed the tick/s. Talk to your veterinarian about what high quality flea/tick preventative they recommend and use that preventative all year, even in winter. Adult ticks remain active during the winter months in most areas of the United States.

The New Dog and “Youngest Child Syndrome”

By
Nancy Kerns
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16
two dogs napping
Middle-child Woody gets all the credit for raising this youngest kid. ©Nancy Kerns

I’m the youngest in my family of origin. My siblings are seven, six, and five years older than me. When I became an adult, my mom said to me more than once, “I hardly remember raising you!” – and the funny thing is, I’m not certain she did! When I was little, it was my middle sister Susan who told me to take showers, brush my teeth, brush my hair, and put on clean clothes in the morning. When I was in high school and she was in college, she was the one asked about the courses I was taking (and what grades I was getting) and talked to me about college. It seems to me that by the time I came along, my parents were tired of raising kids to the high standards they had when my older siblings were little – there are no photographs of me in pristine red velvet dresses with white lace collars and black patent-leather shoes, standing alongside my brother, resplendent in his tiny red velvet suit jacket with matching shorts! There are hardly any pictures of me when I was little at all!

It just occurred to me that other day that I have unwittingly replicated this pattern with my current dogs.

When I first adopted Otto from my local shelter in June 2008, he was about 7 months old. I had been editing WDJ for 10 years at that point, and had learned a lot about care and feeding and training with positive reinforcement. As a “crossover trainer” (someone who originally learned about training dogs with a lot of yanking on choke chains), I was eager to train my new dog “from scratch” as a new convert to positive training. Otto had some behavioral quirks, and I read everything about modifying his anxious behaviors to maximize his confidence. I paid exquisite attention to his diet, vaccinations, dental health – you name it. (This is the canine equivalent of parenting those perfectly coiffed kids in their matching red-velvet outfits and glossy patent-leather shoes.)

When I “foster failed” with Woody in January 2016, I felt a strong responsibility to make sure that my new bully-breed-mix developed into a social dog who would be safe with humans of any and all descriptions. I enrolled him in puppy kindergarten and puppy socials and took pains to introduce him to all kinds of different people and places.

This became my most urgent priority when my friendly, happy-go-lucky puppy entered adolescence and started displaying behaviors that revealed new apprehensions about meeting unfamiliar humans. When he hit about 7 or 8 months old, my super-socialized, confident puppy began hanging back from meeting new people, growling while wagging his tail, with the hair on the back of his neck and shoulders raised. Piloerection (the proper name for that raised hair) is the most compelling evidence that his behavior was due to anxiety; dogs can’t intentionally raise their hackles! (It’s an involuntary response of the sympathetic nervous system associated with a number of emotional states, including fear, arousal, insecurity, defensiveness, and unfamiliarity.)

For our first three years together, I took Woody everywhere, while micromanaging his meetings with anyone new, to make sure he was always comfortable and never scared. Eventually, about 95% of his anxiety when meeting new people has dissipated. Given his size, strength, and intimidating appearance (in the opinion of some people), I still strive to make sure that he’s never put in a position to be scared of humans and that no one is frightened of him, so that all parties concerned can behave normally and not freak each other out.

In other words, I “parented” the heck out of my first two dogs.

Which brings me to Boone – the youngest child in the family. Somehow, with the demands of work, family-related travel, and Covid, I never got him signed up for puppy classes or puppy socials (he attended two puppy socials with a friend who was thinking about adopting him, back when I was still on the fence about keeping him). I keep saying I will sign up for an adolescent dog training class, but haven’t yet! (I have more travel on the horizon! And my son’s wedding coming up! And likely more excuses!)

dog and statue
We stayed at a hotel near Jack London Square, and not even this statue of a wolf near a replica of Jack London’s cabin unnerved Boone. ©Nancy Kerns

By this age, Otto and Woody both had snappy sits, solid downs, and reliable recalls. They walked nicely with me on leash and off. And speaking of “Off,” we worked on this behavior all the time, so when we saw a snake on the trail, I could ask them to “leave it” and knew that they would come right back to me on cue. Oy! Boone has a nice sit and down, and comes when I call when he’s out wandering around my property, but we’ve barely worked on any formal behaviors.

scruffy dog sitting in front of sunset
Since I haven’t taken the time to teach him to “stay” yet, his portraits tend to be a bit blurry. Here he is at the edge of the bay overlooking San Francisco. ©Nancy Kerns

And yet, with barely any training or conscious socializing at all, he’s done just fine anywhere I’ve taken him, from a dog-related conference at a hotel in the San Francisco Bay Area, to friends’ houses in towns and the country, in cars, trucks, and elevators. He walks nicely on leash – even though I have worked on this behavior only twice that I can recall. No matter where we go or what we do, he’s relaxed, confident, and friendly – with only one exception: He has a tendency to be “guardy” about high-value food around other dogs, so I manage any situation where I have food and other dogs are present fairly assiduously. Other than that he’s been easy-peasy!

I’m not proud of the fact that Boone is growing up with little planned education or checklisted socialization plans – but I am pleased with how he’s turning out, regardless. I think I have to give all the credit to middle-child Woody for raising this puppy!

On Guard – What to Do When Your Dog Starts Resource Guarding

By
Nancy Kerns
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1

I confess: Every once in a while, I take advantage of my role as WDJ’s editor and ask an author to write about something that I, personally, need to learn about for the health of my own dog or dogs. There is an article in this very issue that meets this description. 

Nope, it’s not the one that my new puppy modeled for (that’s Boone on page 8, hanging out in our outdoor kennel). I have long used a kennel to contain stray dogs (while looking for their owners) and for litters of foster puppies (when I have them). And I’ve long been a fan of teaching my dogs to chill and be chill when kept in short-term confinement in a kennel. 

But this does concern Boone. For months now, he’s been exhibiting a behavior that none of my other dogs have ever been prone to: resource-guarding. And the first time I saw it was sort of dramatic. 

One day, when Boone was about 14 weeks old, I was helping an 84-year-old friend with the 10-month-old Border Collie she had recently adopted from our local shelter (that’s a story for another day). After a session of showing my friend how to improve her dog’s on-leash behavior by engaging and rewarding the dog’s attention while walking off-leash (one of my favorite training techniques), I asked my friend if she’d like her pup to play with my pup. I let Boone out of my office, and the two young dogs started to romp and wrestle. It was all fun and games, until my friend happened to give Boone a treat when he approached her in greeting. 

In his aroused state, he immediately decided my friend and her treats were a resource that were well-worth guarding from the visiting dog – her own dog! – and he went from playful to hostile in a split second. He spun around and went right after the little Border Collie, growling and snarling. She ran away, yelping, and he came right back to stand guard next to my astonished friend, wagging his tail but with all his fur standing on end. “Don’t worry, ma’am, our treats are safe from that dog!”

Fortunately, I knew enough not to punish Boone. I picked him up and carried him back to my office to let him calm down. No harm was done, the young dogs have played together without incident (and without treats on hand!) several times since then, and I now have knowledge about Boone that I need to be aware of. And, boy, am I conscious about this, because the last thing in the world I want is for Boone to covet and make a play for anything that rightfully belongs to the king of the castle, my senior dog, Otto. I asked WDJ’s Training Editor, Pat Miller to write the article about resource-guarding in puppies; I’ve learned a lot, and it has really helped. I hope it helps you, too.

How To Help Your Dog Lose Weight

By
Nancy Kerns
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20
Helping your dog lose weight is important for them to be able to live happily and healthily.
This dog is less than 3 years old and already looks and moves like a senior citizen. He also gets hot and winded from the slightest amount of exercise or excitement. He belongs to the owner of a livestock feed and pet food store and spends all day in the store snacking and panting – not really a great advertisement for the store. ©Whole Dog Journal

You would think by now I’d have learned my lesson and stopped telling people that their dogs are overweight. After all, I nearly lost one of my best friends over a spontaneous comment I made when I saw her dog for the first time in months – and the dog had positively ballooned in size since I had last seen her. (I blurted, “OMG! What happened to Carly? She got so fat!” And my friend didn’t talk to me for months after that.) But it seems like people just don’t recognize fat dogs when they have one! 

I usually manage to hold my tongue when it comes to strangers’ fat dogs. But not long ago I was attending a “puppy social” class with my new puppy Boone, and I saw a Labrador who probably weighed 50 pounds. Mind you, this was a class for puppies who were less than 20 weeks old. I felt that itch. “NO!” I told myself, “Don’t say anything!” But after the owner of the Lab asked how old Boone was, and I politely asked how old her pup was, it just burst out of me. “How much does your pup weigh?” I asked. And I added (tactfully, I thought), “She’s gigantic!”

“Oh, yes, she’s going to be a big dog,” the owner replied, laughing. “Both of her parents weigh more than 100 pounds. She’s just big!” But the puppy wasn’t just big, she was positively obese! 

 Anywhere there are dogs, whether at the pet supply store, dog park, or dog-training class, I find myself channeling the spirit of a combination Oprah Winfrey/canine diet proponent and pronouncing (but just inside my head): “Your dog is fat! And your dog is fat! And your dog is fat!” 

Look, I’m overweight, too. But this is a result of fully conscious choices I make for myself; I know what the result will be when I consume too many calories and don’t exercise enough. But our dogs don’t have any such understanding; their food intake and access to exercise – and thus, their body weight and condition – are completely up to us. When our dogs are overweight, it’s our fault. Period!

is my dog fat chart of dog weights
Get your dog to stand still and look at him from above. What’s the shape of his body from that view? It should have some indents at the shoulder and waist, not appear as a straight tube, nor bulge out like an overinflated balloon. ©Whole Dog Journal

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL IF MY DOG IS FAT?

Why do I care? How have I turned into the fat-dog sheriff? Why does it bother me so much when people allow their dogs to become so overweight? 

Here’s why: Dogs who are maintained at a healthy weight have a lower risk than fat dogs for many life-threatening health problems, including diabetes, kidney disease, metabolic and endocrine disorders, hypertension, and some forms of cancer. Older dogs with arthritis can remain ambulatory and active much longer if they are slender. Dogs with a lean body mass have fewer injuries to bones, muscles, and tendons than dogs who are carrying excess weight – and studies have shown that they live, on average, about two years longer than overweight dogs.

And it’s bad enough to see overweight older dogs. You are doing your dog a huge disservice if he’s under a year old and is already overweight. Make a growing puppy carry a lot of extra weight on his immature joints and you are practically signing him up for the development of painful arthritis at a prematurely young age.

HOW TO HELP YOUR DOG LOSE WEIGHT

So what how do you help your dog to lose weight? I thought you’d never ask.

1. Get an accurate, honest assessment of your dog’s condition. Make an appointment for your dog’s annual health examination. At that visit, let your veterinarian know that you are concerned about your dog’s weight and want her professional opinion: How much should your dog weigh, ideally? 

Every time I have offered my opinion to friends or family that I think their dogs are overweight – I’ve already admitted that this happens a lot – their first response is always the same: “Really? My vet has never mentioned that!” 

I suspect that many veterinarians are gun-shy when it comes to bringing up this topic with their clients; it probably makes most people defensive! But if you ask your vet for her opinion, and remain open and receptive to her answer, you just might learn that she’s been keeping her true opinion about your dog’s condition to herself. If she hesitates or waffles at all, ask a different question: “Do you think he should lose a little weight? Would he be healthier if he lost some weight?” 

2  Record a baseline and set a goal. Using the scales at your vet’s office, get an accurate weight for your dog. Write it down, along with the date. You could also use a cloth tape measure and record your dog’s girth just behind his front legs, at the widest place around his ribs, and where his “waist” is supposed to be (just behind his ribs).

Knowing your dog’s ideal waist measurement is probably impossible, but your vet should have been able to give you a number to strive for in terms of an ideal weight for your dog.

3. Aim for a weight loss of 3% to 5% of your dog’s body weight per month, or 1% per week. A 50-pound dog should lose about half a pound per week, or 2 pounds per month. 

4.  Feed your dog fewer calories. The number of calories your dog should be fed in order to maintain her ideal weight – not her current weight – is referred to as her “resting energy requirement (RER).” To determine your dog’s RER, convert her ideal weight in pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2. Then multiply that number by 30 and add 70.

Say I have a dog who weighs 100 pounds, but who should weigh about 90 pounds. Ninety pounds divided by 2.2 is 40.9 kg. Now I multiply by 30 and add 70:

40.9 x 30 = 1,227 + 70 = 1,297

1,297. That’s how many calories per day I should feed the 100-pound dog whose ideal weight is around 90 pounds. Now go check the number of calories in the food you give your dog. The food my dog is eating right now contains 380 calories per cup. So I’ll divide the number of calories my hypothetical fat dog should be getting by the number of calories in each cup of food:

1,297 ÷ 380 = 3.41 cups of food

“But wait!,” you say. “On the label of the food I feed my dog, it says I should be feeding a dog who weighs between 75 and 100 pounds between 4 3/4 and 5 1/2 cups of food per day!” What can I say? That’s probably how your dog ended up overweight! The sad fact is, most dog food labels overestimate dogs’ RER. They generally cover for this by adding the note, “Adjust feeding for optimal body weight.” 

 The moral of my example: Look at your dog’s food label to get the caloric content of the food, and calculate how much you should be feeding him based on his RER.

This amount may need to be adjusted in some cases. Dogs who are substantially overweight may do best with an interim target weight (rather than their ultimate ideal weight) to start with. Very active dogs may require up to 1.4 times their RER to keep their weight loss at a safe rate of no more than 5% per month. Puppies who are 4 months and older may need as much as 2 times their RER.

Of course, this addresses only the dog’s basic diet. If you feed a lot of treats, check the caloric content of the treats and reduce your dog’s food by about the amount of calories you are feeding him in treats. Because dog foods are complete and balanced and treats are not, however, you shouldn’t replace too many of his food calories with treats.

Most dogs care more about the number of treats they get than the size of each treat; it’s more rewarding for a dog to receive several small treats than one big one. Using tiny treats will help you reward your dog without adding too many extra calories. 

5. Weigh your dog frequently, especially when first starting a weight-loss program – at least once a week. If your dog is too heavy to pick up, you’ll need to go to your veterinarian’s office in order to get an accurate weight. 

Once your dog begins losing weight steadily, you can go longer between weigh-ins, but recheck at least twice a month to make sure you’re still on track. It’s easy to slip back into giving too much food and undo much of the good you’ve done if you rely solely on how your dog looks and feels. By the time you notice a difference, your dog could have gained a lot of weight back. 

6. Increase your dog’s exercise –but slowly. Regular exercise is also an essential component of a successful weight-loss program. Proper exercise not only burns calories, but also helps to burn fat and build muscle, improving body condition. As your dog loses weight and gains muscle, he will feel better and become more active, which will speed up the weight-loss process.

If your dog is not used to exercise, don’t try to do too much too soon. Start with very short sessions tailored to your dog’s capabilities, such as on-leash walks that gradually lengthen as your dog’s exercise tolerance increases. Don’t exercise your dog to the point where he is sore afterward. Non-weight-bearing exercise, such as swimming, is ideal for dogs with joint problems, and for other dogs as well. Again, start slowly, using a dog life jacket if that helps him to feel more comfortable in the water. 

If your dog is older or has health problems, consult with your veterinarian before beginning an exercise program. If your dog is really reluctant to exercise, it could be a sign that something’s wrong. A trial of pain medication can help you figure out whether your dog’s lack of activity is related to discomfort.

7. Keep your eyes on the prize: more time to enjoy with a healthier, happier dog. Your dog may not be happy about his new diet at first; he may start begging, counter-surfing, and even going through the kitchen trash, looking for a few extra calories. Give him a carrot to munch on – but don’t give in and give him fatty treats. Soon enough, as you begin to spend more time with him walking, and as his body begins to feel lighter and less burdened with all that extra weight, he’ll start to enjoy those walks more and worry less about how many kibbles are in his bowl. 

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