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All About Allergies in Dogs

By
Catherine Ashe, DVM
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16
signs of allergies in dogs
While all allergies cause dogs to itch, flea allergy often focuses a dog's chewing and scratching in the areas where fleas most frequently bite: flanks, base of tail, and inner thighs. Photo Credit: Cunaplus/ Dreamstime.com

There are few things that make dogs (and their veterinarians) tear their hair out like skin allergies. Skin conditions are the top cause for veterinary visits in the United States, and most of those skin problems are symptoms of allergies. Signs of allergies in dogs include itching – called pruritus – redness, hair loss, and damaged and infected skin. Vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss are other but less common effects and are generally associated with food allergies in dogs. 

WHAT CAUSES ALLERGIES IN DOGS

In the simplest terms, allergy is the result of an immune system gone awry. When it’s functioning as it should, immune system agents patrol the body, checking the identification (as it were) of every molecule in the body. The immune-system patrollers allow the body’s own molecules and harmless foreign substances to go about their business, but when they are operating properly, they detect, recognize, and attack potentially harmful agents such as viruses and pathogenic bacteria.

When a dog develops an allergy, the immune system becomes hypersensitive and malfunctions. It may mistake benign agents (such as pollen or nutritious food) for harmful ones and sound the alarm, calling in all the body’s defenses in a misguided, one-sided battle that ultimately harms the body’s tissues or disrupts the body’s usual tasks. Or the immune system may fail to recognize normal agents of the body itself and start a biochemical war against those agents (an “autoimmune” response).

Allergies can be very frustrating to diagnose, manage, and treat. Just as in humans, allergies are usually a lifelong condition without a cure. Management is focused on identifying the causative allergen(s) (often through extensive testing), eliminating the allergen(s) from the dog’s environment when possible – or, if not possible, reducing the dog’s exposure to the allergen(s) as much as possible, and treating secondary effects of allergies, such as infections and discomfort. 

In theory, this is very simple; in reality, it can be difficult and frustrating. Any breakthrough in controlling the dog’s exposure to the allergens (assuming they even can be determined!) can lead to itching and infections. Whenever I am counseling an owner on managing a dog’s allergies, I start with the caveat that we will never cure the allergy. We will only keep it under control.

Choose Wisely; Be An Informed Owner

I wish that more dog owners were aware of their preferred breeds’ genetic predisposition to allergy and planned accordingly when buying or adopting. 

Breeds to consider as particularly prone to allergies include West Highland White Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Boxers, Shar-Peis, Lhasa Apsos, Shih-Tzus, Boston Terriers, Staffordshire Terriers, and Bulldogs. There are many others as well, so thoroughly research any breed that you are interested in owning. If possible, ask about the parents and other offspring that have resulted from the same matings; if the parents or siblings have severe allergies, chances are better than even that the puppies will develop them, too.

SIGNS OF ALLERGIES IN DOGS

irritated paw from dog allergies
Many dogs with allergies lick and chew their feet, causing raw swollen irritated skin and secondary infections.
Photo Credit: Raquelsfranca/
Dreamstime.com

So how do you know if your dog has allergies? Allergies generally manifest as dermatitis – meaning skin inflammation. In particular, skin infections are called pyoderma, meaning “pus skin.” A one-time skin infection that responds to treatment is not a reason to suspect allergies. That can happen to any dog! It is when infections recur again and again that makes allergies the prime suspect as the underlying cause. 

Allergies and pyoderma are a vicious cycle. When a dog is exposed to whatever substance(s) to which he is allergic (whether it be fleas, food, or an environmental allergen like dust mites), his first and most intense symptom will be itchy skin. (In contrast, the most common symptoms of allergy in humans are sneezing and an itchy, runny nose and eyes.) As a result, the allergic dog will scratch and chew at his skin, damaging the skin’s protective barrier. 

Once the skin is broken, opportunistic bacteria, particularly Staphylococcus (which commonly lives harmlessly on the skin in some amount), enter the damaged area and colonize it. This stimulates the immune system to release white blood cells to fight off the invaders. The white blood cells release inflammatory substances to kill the bacteria – but they also irritate the surrounding tissue and cause more pruritus. The itching continues, the dog continues to scratch, and more bacteria enter the broken skin. The cycle continues.

Intense itching and discomfort, redness, and skin infections that recur despite appropriate treatment are the hallmarks of allergies. In the case of severe allergies, it may be hard to distract a dog from the maddening itch. 

Recurrent ear infections can also be associated with allergies. Or your allergic dog may scratch behind his ears, along his belly, or chew on his feet. The skin is often moist and red and may have a yeast-like odor. Epidermal collarettes – small, flaky circles – may be seen; these are most often noted on the belly, where there is less hair. 

DIAGNOSING ALLERGIES IN DOGS

When you take your dog into the veterinarian for itching and red skin, an initial skin work-up will be done. This includes three important steps: a skin scrape, tape cytology, and skin impression. This will determine if there is an easily treatable cause for the discomfort and if pyoderma is present. Mite infections can lead to these symptoms and are easy to treat. 

For a skin smear, a glass slide is pressed against the infected area, dried, stained, and examined under a microscope. 

A skin tape cytology is similar. A piece of acetate tape is pressed to a place on the dog’s skin in an infected area or where a pustule is seen; then the tape is removed and examined microscopically. The veterinarian is looking for the presence of mites, yeast, or bacteria to determine the cause and treatment for the infection. 

If mites are not suspected to be the cause and none are found on the scrape, the veterinarian will treat the infection based on the skin cytology and impression.

If bacteria are found, a topical shampoo with antibacterial effects may be used. Chlorhexidine shampoos are inexpensive and readily available in most veterinary clinics. Alternatively, if the infection is widespread and/or severe, an oral antibiotic like a cephalosporin may be more appropriate. 

If yeast is also present, a topical shampoo or mousse treatment with an antifungal agent will be needed. In some cases, oral antifungals such as itraconazole are also used. 

A one-time skin infection does not indicate allergies, but when infections recur – especially in susceptible breeds – allergies are the most likely diagnosis. At that point, it becomes necessary to try to identify what substances the dog is allergic to. 

We’ll discuss food and substances that are inhaled or that come into contact with the skin (such as dust mites, pollen, grass, mold, and other common environmental substances) that commonly cause canine allergies in upcoming issues. Below, we’ll discuss the most common canine allergy: Flea allergy.

DON’T BE IN “FLEANIAL” – SIGNS YOUR DOG MIGHT HAVE FLEAS

flea comb for dog
Flea combs have fine teeth that are very close together. If you comb through the coat of a dog who has fleas, you may or may not capture a flea between the fine teeth; flea actually spend only a small amount of time on the dog, and hop off shortly after feeding. But if you see dark specks like those seen in this photo of a few comb, you are looking at flea “dirt” – the feces of the flea, which contains dried blood.

As vexing as they may be, fleas are the simplest cause of canine allergy to diagnose and treat. The offending agent is the flea’s saliva: When they bite into a dog, they inject a small amount of saliva into the dog’s skin, and the dog’s immune system responds to this material. 

Flea allergy typically develops when a dog is between the ages of 2 and 5 years, though dogs who are as young as 1 year or are senior dogs can also develop flea allergies. 

Some dogs are so intensely allergic to flea saliva that one flea bite can lead to widespread, severe itching and self-trauma, setting up the pyoderma cycle. (These dogs in particular need to be kept on flea prevention year round in most parts of the United States. Fleas can be a year long problem in many parts of the United States that stay warm or have warm days during the winter.)

signs of fleas on dogs
If you are in doubt, drop those specks in a saucer of water. If the water turns a rusty red, it’s flea poop – and you need to address the flea infestation STAT.

Generally, diagnosing flea allergy is fairly simple. It presents with symptoms in the “flea triangle”– the base of the tail, rear legs, and inner thighs. There is hair loss in those areas, where fleas tend to congregate. Sometimes, live fleas can be seen crawling around in those areas, but not always.

Your veterinarian may use a fine-toothed comb (called a flea comb) to detect and expose living fleas. Whether or not fleas are found with a comb, she will also conduct a skin scrape, tape, and cytology as outlined above to determine what infectious agents may be present. The pruritus caused by fleas leads to the vicious cycle of skin trauma and pyoderma, so that must be treated in conjunction with eliminating fleas. 

It’s important to remember that just because you don’t see fleas doesn’t mean that they are not present. Fleas remain on a dog for only a few minutes to an hour while they are feeding. Once they feed, they return to their environment. By the time you begin seeing live fleas crawling on your dog, the infestation is severe. It is common for owners to be certain that their dog cannot have fleas, just for us to use a comb and find several live ones. (We veterinarians call this “fleanial.”) 

TREATMENT FOR FLEAS IN DOGS

Flea treatment obviously involves killing the fleas. (See “Quick, Make Fleas Flee.“)

In addition to recommending products that kill the fleas, your vet may also prescribe a medication to help with the itching. Older medications like oral steroids are very effective but do come with significant side effects such as increased drinking, urinating, panting, restlessness, and the risk of inducing diabetes with long-term use. Some dogs also experience temporary behavioral changes. Steroids are very inexpensive, and generics are available. 

Newer medications such as Apoquel (oral tablet) and Cytopoint (injectable) specifically target the factors that cause itching, are safer, and are extremely effective without the side effects of steroids. They are also more costly, as no generics are yet available. 

But the pyoderma caused by self-trauma must also be treated. This is called flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). Treatment involves either topical shampoos or mousses and/or oral medications, depending on what the veterinarian finds on microscopic examination. 

FLEAS ARE THE EASIEST CANINE ALLERGY TO TREAT

If your dog has flea allergies, consider yourself (somewhat) lucky! Of the three main causes of allergies in dogs, flea allergy is the easiest to treat and manage. With careful attention to preventives, maintaining a flea-free house and yard through regular treatments, dogs with FAD can live a happy and itch-free existence. 

Food and Friends

By
Nancy Kerns
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Woody and Samson recently. The big dog is an exuberant goofball, but he's always careful not to step on his little buddy.

My friend Leonora owns my dog Woody’s best friend, tiny Samson. Woody and Samson are the exact same age, and both are “foster fails” – Leonora and I were raising foster litters for our local shelter at exactly the same time, and we both kept one pup from the litters we were raising. As it happened, I kept the largest of the nine Lab/Pit-mix pups I was fostering, and Leonora kept the smallest of the six Chihuahua-mix pups she fostered. Our two dogs grew up playing together and we even took them to puppy kindergarten and “first grade” classes together. Five and a half years later, they are still best buds, even with the 65-pound difference between them.

But there is one little wrinkle in their friendship: their very different relationships with food.

Woody at 8 weeks, when I decided I had to keep him.

Pardon me for saying it so bluntly, Woody, but my dog is a bottomless pit. He will eat anything at any time anywhere. He’s never too anxious to eat and never too full to turn down food. I usually soak his food or feed him in a snuffle mat or slow-feeding bowl, because otherwise he eats way too fast. My husband and I often amuse ourselves by offering him strange things to eat – asparagus, cherries, plums, lettuce, ice cubes, you name it – and I don’t think that we’ve ever found anything that Woody will turn down.

In contrast, Samson is a fussy little grazer. Leonora gives him food in the morning, and if she’s home (whether on a weekend or during the work-from-home COVID period), he will pick up a kibble every once in a while, but he doesn’t really eat more than a couple at a time. And when she works at her usual work site, he doesn’t eat all day! When she gets home from work, he will greet her at the door, and then run to his food dish, and eat a couple of kibbles. Over the next few hours of the evening, he will eat a few more. Even when she leaves him with a tiny Kong toy filled with peanut butter and treats, he doesn’t touch it until she gets home. Then he will rush to enjoy it.

I interpret this as low-level anxiety with her absence, given that many dogs who display symptoms of separation anxiety often don’t eat when they are left alone.

Leonora often gives Samson carrots to nibble and chew, and the first thing he does is stash them under his blankets in one of his several beds around Leonora’s house. Same if she gives him a Milk Bone-type cookie. He eats them when he’s ready, often when Leonora is relaxing in the evening while reading or watching TV.

Samson at about 8 weeks, when Leonora decided she had to keep him!

Leonora also often dog-sits Woody for me; when I travel anywhere, that’s where Woody stays. He’s as comfortable at her house as he is at mine – but he’s learned all of his little buddy’s food-caching tricks. So much so that now, when we go over to Leonora’s house, Woody will first excitedly greet Leonora, and then rush around raiding all of little Samson’s stashes. Then, he’ll empty Samson’s tiny food dish (Samson’s total daily diet is but an appetizer for Woody).

But don’t feel sorry for Samson! He will usually choose one cache to guard – the best thing he’s hiding – and go after the much-larger dog with the ferocity of a weasel if Woody tries to get it. Though Leonora and I both are ready to intervene if needed, so far, Woody hasn’t ever seemed to mind being attacked by his little friend. It’s almost as if he doesn’t even notice! His tail keeps wagging and he just lifts his big head out of Samson’s reach; he knows that Samson will get distracted and he’ll go for the food when Samson isn’t paying attention.

Woody and Samson snuggling when they were about year old.

Samson doesn’t seem to hold it against Woody; they are still friends and enjoy each other. When it’s cold, Samson curls up into Woody’s tummy, or climbs on top of Woody’s big sleeping body to try to stay warm. Woody “self-handicaps” when playing with his little friend, by laying down and keeping his movements gentle. When they play bitey-face, Samson is usually the one who gets too rough, going “full weasel” and biting Woody all over his face while snarling hysterically. To defend himself, Woody often just opens his huge jaws and lifts his head out of the way – when Samson gets carried away, he somehow often ends up with his whole head in Woody’s mouth! Yet the only way that Woody has ever accidentally hurt his buddy is by squashing him with a big paw, which he uses only in a last-ditch effort to control Samson’s occasional bout of outsized ferocity.

Do your dogs have different attitudes about food? Do you have an indiscriminate chow hound, a selective foodie, or a dog who always has something cached for a rainy day?

How To Properly Pick Up Your Dog

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Please don't ever lift dogs or puppies by the armpits like this! It's uncomfortable for must - and painful for many dogs, especially those with neck or back pain. (It's also a great way to get bitten in the face.) Photo Credit: Lesia Sementsova/Dreamstime.com

Imagine living in a world where you are surrounded and controlled by creatures who are 10, 20, even 30 times your size. Now imagine that from time to time, without warning, one of those creatures suddenly reaches down, snatches you off your feet and lifts you up into the air. Now you know how many of our dogs feel – especially our smaller dogs – and why you need to rethink if (and how) you should pick up your dog.

I’ve had a rash of clients recently whose dogs were objecting to being picked up. The dogs’ feelings about being lifted have ranged from avoidance, tense body language, growls, snarls, and snaps, all the way to serious bites and visits to the emergency clinic for the unfortunate humans who chose to ignore the earlier warning signs. (To learn more about early warning signs that dogs may give when they are uncomfortable, see “Dog Growling Is a Good Thing,” WDJ December 2016, and “Learn to Read Your Dog’s Body Signals,” August 2011.)

Suffering the indignity of being unceremoniously grabbed off the ground is primarily an affliction of small dogs, but there are a surprising number of medium-to-large dogs whose humans also feel compelled to lift and carry them. Certainly, there are times when a dog needs to be carried – for example, when she’s injured or can’t otherwise negotiate the terrain on her own for some reason. In anticipation of those times, it’s worth taking the time to learn how to do it properly – and to help your dog be happy about the process. 

Other than in times of necessity due to some calamity, with the exception of those dogs who actually do enjoy being carried, it’s best to minimize the times you sweep your dog off her feet. If you’re not sure how your dog feels about being picked up, ask an experienced force-free professional to help you interpret her body language. Does she truly enjoy it, or is she just tolerating the snatch and lift?

PAIN MAY BE THE ROOT CAUSE

Although we suggest not lifting most dogs unless absolutely necessary, there may be occasions when your dog must be lifted. Those occasions will go a lot smoother if you have invested the time in helping your dog be comfortable about being picked up.

 The most important part of your dog-pick-up technique is to make sure you’re not causing your dog any discomfort – physical or emotional. Let’s look at the physical part first: 

First, never lift a dog by their armpits. This is the best way to give your dog a negative association with being picked up – it hurts! 

If your dog growls or tries to avoid being picked up, she may very well be experiencing pain during the lift. At her next check-up, ask your veterinarian to do a thorough physical examination to determination if a physical problem could be causing her reluctance to be picked up. If she’s hurting from arthritis, a strain, sprain, or any number of other conditions that can cause pain, you are guaranteed to give her a negative association if you try to pick her up. 

While arthritis or a misalignment in the spine are probably the most common causes of pain in dogs who are picked up, even something like an ear infection or imbedded foxtail can cause her to be wary of the close contact required when being lifted. Treat or manage any pain-causing conditions before starting new lifting procedures. And be aware that even a painful event that happened in the past can sour your dog on the idea of being lifted; she may anticipate that the action might hurt her badly again. 

BETTER WAYS TO LIFT YOUR LOVED ONES

The following methods for picking up your dog are less likely to cause pain and will make your dog more comfortable when being lifted:

This is approximately how you would do a “chest cradle” – but it shouldn’t be done with a dog who is this large! While the dog appears to be enduring this treatment, his weight is not well supported and he cannot be comfortable.
Photo Credit: Lifeontheside/
Dreasmstime.com

* The Chest Cradle. To lift a medium or large dog comfortably, you want to cradle her in your arms – with one arm around the front of the chest and the other around her hind legs, below her tail and above her hocks, mid-thigh. Press the dog’s body against your chest and lift, making sure the entire dog is well-supported so she feels safe. Be sure to bend your knees and rise straight up (as much as possible); the more you bend at the waist the less secure your dog will feel. 

A second option is to lift with one arm around the front of the chest and one around the dog’s waist – but this has more potential for causing discomfort, because the dog’s weight is resting on your arm and pressing on her underbelly.

* The Ribcage Lift. You can use the above-described Chest Cradle to pick up your small dog, too. The Ribcage lift is another acceptable alternative. For this one, place one hand under the ribcage just behind your dog’s front legs and cup that hand around the elbow of her front leg on the far side. Put your other arm over the top of and around your dog’s body just in front of the hind legs, with your hand around the entire ribcage. As you lift, hold her close and press your elbow against her hip to support her body securely against yours.

Contrast the dog above with this one, who has been trained to leap joyfully into his owner’s arms as a trick that they both obviously enjoy. If your dog is athletic enough to do this, it can be a crowd-pleasing and useful behavior.

* Lift Alternatives. There are alternatives to lifting your dog. I encourage you to use these as much as possible. 

• You can invite her to jump up on your bed, the sofa, or into your car rather than lifting her in. 

• If your dog can’t jump for some reason (or can’t jump high enough), use a ramp!

• If your small dog prefers not to be lifted, you can invite her to happily go into her crate (or jump in a laundry basket) and carry her that way. 

• Another option for your small dog is to teach her to jump into your lap while you’re sitting – and then stand up while holding her, well-supported against your chest.

• If your dog is athletic, you can teach her to leap into your arms. Sunny, our 30-pound Pomeranian/American Eskimo Dog-mix, delights in jumping into my arms from the ground. (Of course that wouldn’t work if he were injured, so I still want him to be happy about being lifted when necessary.)

• Some small dogs may be more comfortable in one of the various front or backpacks designed for canine carrying, rather than being held in your arms. 

• Many veterinary exam rooms have tables that can be lowered and raised. Ask your vet if she can lower the table and invite your dog to hop up on her own, rather than lifting her up. 

• Similarly, a lift tailgate on a truck can be used the same way. 

PICK UP TRICKS

Then there’s the training part. You can help your dog be happy about being lifted by giving her a new, positive association with the procedure and allowing her to have a choice in the process.

We’ll put our reliable old friends counter-conditioning and desensitization to good use here. (Technically, if your dog has no prior association with being picked up, you are conditioning – that is, creating an association – rather than counter-conditioning, which is changing an already existing association, usually from negative to positive.) 

Break the picking-up process into small increments and get your dog happy at each step by pairing it with high-value treats (chicken is my favorite – low fat, low calorie, and high value for most dogs). 

Start by reaching toward your dog, then feed a treat while your reaching hand is still offered. Repeat this step until she eagerly looks for chicken each time you reach. The next step will be to touch her and feed her a bit of chicken. 

Gradually add steps that move you toward picking her up, making sure she is happy (not just tolerant) at each step before proceeding to the next.

When you are ready to actually begin lifting, add a cue. “Up” may come to mind, but if you use “up” to mean jump up on something (like I do) then you need to use something else. I use “Lift” for this, but you can use any cue you want as long as it’s unique to this behavior.

Say your “Lift!” cue and put very gentle upward pressure on your dog’s body, regardless of which lift procedure you have elected to use. Then feed a chicken treat (you are still doing counter-conditioning). As you continue, look for signs that your dog is participating in the process – perhaps moving into your hands when you lower them for the lift – and eventually boosting herself up when you give the “Lift” cue. 

When she regularly offers those moves, you have established a cooperative care procedure; she is a willing partner in the lift. Congratulations! This is our goal with all the things we do with our dogs; we are always looking for signs that they are happy participants in the activities we ask them to do with us. 

Of course, now you have an obligation to her. When you say “Lift!” watch for her to offer her signal that she is ready and willing to be lifted. When she signals, proceed with the lift. If she doesn’t offer the signal, she is telling you she’s not ready or not comfortable. Don’t pick her up. Reposition and try again. 

If she repeatedly declines to be lifted, look for an alternative option – one of the several described above. Only if it’s an absolute emergency will you pick her up without her approval signal. For example, if she’s injured and needs to be rushed to the vet, the flood waters are quickly rising, or the wildfire is rapidly advancing on your home and you have to evacuate now. In that case, by all means pick her up – gently and carefully – and make a mental note to go back to refresh her pick-up training when there are no pressing emergencies. 

Note: If your dog is seriously injured, I recommend muzzling her before picking her up. Pain can cause even the gentlest dog in the word to bite if the injury is jostled. If you don’t have a muzzle, a leash may do. Animal-control officers routinely leash-muzzle the injured dogs they pick up, by wrapping the leash snugly around the dog’s muzzle and holding it tightly while lifting the dog.

TRAIN ANY METHOD

As long as they can be habituated to being carried in this way, it can be incredibly helpful to train a little dog to jump into a carrier of some kind, so you don’t have to lift her by her body at all!
Photo Credit: AleksandrZyablitskiy/
Dreamstime.com

If you plan to use alternatives to lifting, you’ll need to train those also. Your dog needs to already be very happy about her crate before you use it to physically move her, and you’ll still want to do lots of crate games with her, without moving the crate so that any trepidation caused by the moving crate is greatly outweighed by all the fun stuff. 

Teach her the fun game of jumping into a laundry basket and play the game with her regularly, so the fun far outweighs any stress that might be caused by carrying her in it. If you plan to use a ramp or a lift board, introduce her to it and take the time (with treats, of course) to show her how to use it. If you want to use a pack or carrier, teach your dog to happily jump in on her own, so you don’t have to lift her to put her in it.

If your vet uses a table lift, ask if you can do happy vet visits where you introduce her to the table without it being part of an intrusive exam, and continue to occasionally drop by (during the clinic’s slow times) so you can play more fun table games with your dog. We recommend happy vet visits anyway, so this is just one more thing to include in your vet-visit repertoire. (See “Fear Free Veterinary Care,” August 2019.)

CARRIED AWAY

Compared to many of the behavior challenges I see with my clients’ dogs, the lifting problem is a relatively easy fix. The inappropriate dog-lifting I have seen with recent clients has been due solely to a lack of awareness on the humans’ part. I gently suggest to them that just because they can pick up their dogs doesn’t mean they should. Once educated about proper dog-lifting, each of them has jumped on board with protocols to minimize the need to lift and to help their dogs be more comfortable with being picked up if/when necessary. 

Sleeping With Your New Puppy

By
Kathy Callahan, CPDT-KA, FDM
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2
This is how almost all puppies sleep, every day of their lives, before they go home with you.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this confession from an adopter of one of my foster puppies: “I know it’s wrong, but we allowed the puppy to sleep with us last night. I’ve read about how I must crate him. But he was crying! And he seemed so sad. And when we took him in with us he settled down and I finally got some sleep. But what should I do tonight?”

Almost every new puppy owner I counsel has searched the internet’s dog-training sites and emerged with the sternly delivered rule:

“Crate your new 8-week-old puppy at night. You’ll have to get up once or twice to let them out to go to the bathroom, but put them right back in. Ignore them when they cry. They’ll get used to it.” [Editor’s note: No one has ever read that on the WDJ site!]

If you have followed that advice and it’s working beautifully for you . . . fabulous. Happy trails. You can skip reading this.

If, however, this feels wrong to you, or you are dying to soothe your crying puppy, I’m here to give you permission to listen to your gut. Please do create a softer alternative for those first few nights. In fact, here’s the shocking advice I give to clients: If you want to, go ahead and bring that pup into bed with you. It’s what we do at our house, and here’s why.

HOW PUPPIES SLEEP

My family and I have now fostered close to 200 puppies, mostly moms with their litters. I spend countless hours watching the way puppies sleep and I can tell you this: It is never alone. It is in a warm, snuggled, co-breathing, ever-shifting pile of the beings they know and love best. There are puppy sighs, and – as they stretch – the sweetest little groans. Sometimes somebody staggers over for a cooler spot, but an hour later they’re back, burrowing into a nook they create just between their sister’s head and their brother’s butt. It is clearly bliss.

Alas, this can’t last forever, and one day, after two months spent sleeping exactly in this manner, the puppy goes “home” with his new humans. They are kind and responsible, and they are simply trying to follow expert advice when they take that confused puppy and stick him into a crate, alone, for hours, at night, with nothing to distract him. The puppy has nothing to do but miss his (real) family.

Of course he cries.

It’s not the end of the world. Eventually, probably, he will get over it. It might be in an hour, or a week, but eventually – probably – the puppy will sleep alone in the crate without crying (except for those pups who are triggered by their terror in a crate into developing separation anxiety). The “crate them right away” approach works fine for many, and it has its advantages. But there are other, kinder options. 

BENEFITS OF CO-SLEEPING

I love crates and couldn’t do puppyhood without them! That’s why I introduce them slowly, at the pup’s own pace, resulting in a dog who sees the crate as a calm, happy spot. Here are my 7-week-old foster pups seeking out the open crate for their group nap.

At our house, when we have a pup just separated from the litter, we don’t do the alone-in-a-crate-all-night thing. Instead, we do our best to recreate that puppy pile they’re so used to, right in our own bed. We pop that puppy in between us. Soon enough, we are the littermates. After a very confusing first day without the comfort of her original family, you can almost feel the puppy sighing, thinking, “Okay, now this feels right.” 

There is no crying, which means we get lots more sleep. Sure, we wake from time to time when the puppy readjusts, burrows in under an arm, or perhaps licks our face. But seriously? Those moments are delicious. If you are inclined to love that, don’t let that stern internet advice deprive you of one of the sweetest times in the world. Treat yourself, and your puppy, to six hours of easy bonding. You may well find that it advances your daytime interactions too.

WON’T HE PEE IN MY BED?

A big objection to this approach is that everyone’s sure the puppy will pee or poop in the bed. After all, when folks using a crate take the crying puppy out at 2 a.m., he always pees. They draw the conclusion that the pup was crying because he had to pee. Maybe! But more likely, he was crying because he was sad and lonely – most can easily hold it from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. 

How do I know? Because we do it all the time. With us, 8-week-old pups sleep soundly for those six hours with no bathroom break, happily snuggled into a family pile. Here’s how to make that happen:

✓ No food after 7 p.m.

✓ No water after 8:30. (Maybe a sip, but no big glugs.)

✓ Commit to a long, frisky play session outside just before bed. Not a quick step outside for a little pee, but a nice, action-filled adventure. (Motion encourages pees and poops!)

When we follow those rules, the puppies do not have to go out in the middle of the night. (The one exception is pups with diarrhea. If your pup doesn’t have a solid stool then this is risky indeed for obvious reasons.)

Mind you, once the pup truly awakens in the morning – more than just the reshuffling for a better spot, but walking around on the bed at 5 a.m. – it’s time to sprint into action. Jump out of bed – this is no time for your own bathroom break! Pick up that puppy and carry him outside quick. Whatever you do, don’t make the puppy walk to the door, because the motion of walking will mean “game over.” Carry the pup to the outdoor potty area and then be ready to reward him for what will naturally and quickly follow! 

DON’T WANT TO SLEEP WITH A GROWN DOG?

Often folks are open to the idea of sleeping with a little puppy, but the idea of sharing the bed forever with a 70-lb grown dog is a hard “No!” They worry that once that barrier is broken, there’s no going back.

Not true. If you’d like, you can create a plan to transition the pup to the crate in a couple of weeks. By then, two incredibly important things will have happened:

1. Your pup will be happy at your house, understanding that you’re her new family.

2. You will have accustomed the pup to her crate with positive sessions during the daytime, so that she’s used to napping alone in there. It’s no longer such a big stretch to do it at night too. To make it easier, move an extra crate next to your bed, start using that every now and then during the day, and then one night – after a particularly adventurous, exhausting day – pop her in to sleep in there at night. 

Perhaps you’re thinking, if she’s going to be sleeping alone in her crate soon, why not just bite the bullet and do it from the get-go? My answer is just … empathy. Surely you remember very sad moments of your life, times filled with fear. Just because they turned out okay later doesn’t mean they weren’t horrible. So why not keep your puppy from having that moment if you possibly can? Just because you know it’s all going to be okay doesn’t mean the puppy does. 

FIRST NIGHTS ARE SCARY

After that first adjustment week, I find a crate absolutely indispensable for daily life with a puppy. And I’m also a big fan of letting a pup experience a slight feeling of discomfort before getting to the other side of a challenge. That builds confidence and resilience. 

But when it comes to the very long night spent alone the exact moment the pup goes through the most shocking transition of her life? That’s one time where I’m going to err on the side of emotional comfort. 

Download The Full July 2021 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
-
1
  • ONCE BITTEN
  • SLEEP WITH YOUR PUPPY?
  • PICK-UP LINES
  • ALL ABOUT ALLERGIES
  • QUICK, MAKE FLEAS FLEE
  • SCABIES
  • DOG TOOTHPASTE
  • FOOD FOR THOUGHT
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Dog Bites: What To Do If a Dog Bites You

By
Lisa Rodier
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3
dog bite on hand - what to do when a dog bites you
Veterinarian Amy Shumaker's hand bite, courtesy of a 30-lb-Beagle-mix, required an ER visit for flushing of the wound, radiographs due to the depth of the bite, a tetanus booster, and antibiotics. Photo Credit: Amy Shumaker, DVM,DACVD

When he got bitten by a dog who had jumped out of a car in a shopping plaza parking lot, at least family medicine physician David Wolpaw didn’t have to go to a hospital for treatment. After calling the police so they could locate the owner and take a report, Dr. Wolpaw tended to the bite himself at his office in Manchester, Connecticut. 

Few of us are lucky or confident enough to be able to provide our own emergency medical care in the case of a serious dog bite. But thanks to his education and experience treating other dog-bite victims, Dr. Wolpaw knew what to do – and not just in regard to the wound itself. He knew it was also important to report the bite to the proper authorities.

WHAT TO DO IMMEDIATELY AFTER A DOG BITE

There are two things to do right away should you get bitten by a dog: contact the proper authorities and get medical attention for the bite. Dog bites can cause a puncture, scratch, or laceration. In addition, there may be bruising from the force of the bite.

With any luck, the dog’s owner is present and cooperative. In the best of worlds, you will be able to get the dog owner’s name, address, phone number, information about the dog (name, age, breed or breed-mix, and veterinarian’s name). If the dog happens to be wearing a license and/or rabies tag, you can photograph these for a quick way to get this information. 

However, you may have to be quick. It’s all too common today for people to try to avoid responsibility or consequences in the case of a mishap. Though you are likely to be shocked and upset in the aftermath of a bite, if it looks like the dog’s owner might try to flee with the dog, be ready to take photos or video of the dog, the owner, any of the owner’s companions who were present, and the owner’s car. If it’s possible, ask your companion or any willing bystanders if they can call the police while you are taking pictures or vice versa.

There are several reasons you need information about the dog and owner. The first has to do with rabies. 

In the United States, it’s very unlikely for a dog to transmit rabies to a human, but there are mandatory reporting and quarantine requirements for dog bites in most jurisdictions. These public-health laws trace back to a time when rabies vaccination was less common; if an unvaccinated dog (or a stray dog without identification) bit someone, and the dog showed signs of illness during a quarantine period, the person would be advised to receive post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) – injections of human rabies immune globulin and rabies vaccine. 

If the dog’s vaccination can be verified and he displays no sign of illness during his quarantine, the bite victim won’t need PEP. 

 If the owner is being antagonistic, don’t hesitate to call police and/or animal control for assistance. Public safety officers will also be needed if the dog who bit you seemed to be a stray, with no owner in sight. Do not try to chase or capture the dog, but photograph the dog if you possibly can; photos can help animal-control officers identify the dog.

SEE: WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DOG BITES SOMEONE

Dog Bites Are Very Common - and Can Be Costly

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are about 4.5 million dog bites in the U.S. per year, with about 18% (800,000) of those serious enough to require medical attention. 

Children are the most common victim of dog bites and are more likely than adults to be severely injured by a bite. Bites to the head, neck, or face represent about half of the cases that require medical intervention. 

Benjamin Phillips, MD, MPH, of Wakefield, Rhode Island, a board-certified plastic surgeon with a sub-specialization in hand and peripheral nerve surgery, describes this statistic as simply a function of proximity of the child’s head to a dog’s face: A child is the “right height,” and they tend to do things like put their faces up close to dogs, hug or try to kiss dogs, or approach dogs as they are eating or are near their food bowls. 

In contrast, adults most frequently suffer bites to the body – particularly on the hands or arms – from breaking up dog fights, or simply acting to defend themselves from a dog attack, which children are less able to do.

Dog bites are not just traumatic, their treatment is costly. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, insurance companies paid out $854 million in liability claims related to dog bites and dog-related injuries in 2020 alone. And the average cost of a dog-bite insurance claim in 2020 was $50,245. 

WHAT TO DO WHEN A DOG BITES YOU: SEEKING MEDICAL ATTENTION

Though it may sound a little mercenary, before the wound is cleaned or treated, take pictures of your injuries. Continue to document the bite wound and any other bruises or abrasions you may have received. This evidence might be needed in case of any litigation – or to help prove the extent of the injury to the dog owner’s insurance company. 

Assuming you’re not in need of an ambulance, the next step is deciding whether you are capable of dealing with the wound yourself or if you need to get to an emergency room. 

Facial wounds require immediate emergency medical treatment for both cosmetic reasons and high risk of infection. For other wounds, both Drs. Phillips and Wolpaw advocate cleansing the wound with warm, soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes thoroughly to flush out any debris or foreign bacteria. If the wound is bleeding, Dr. Phillips advises elevation first – particularly if the bite is to a hand or arm – and applying pressure to the area for 15 minutes, then washing with warm, soapy water. If the wound continues to bleed, seek professional medical care right away.

If the wound stops bleeding, and you opt not to seek professional medical care, Dr. Phillips advises watching for redness around the wound, especially if the bite is on your hand. If an infection sets in, you may see red streaks running toward your forearm, you may develop a fever, or your hand or fingers may feel numb. All these signs necessitate medical intervention as soon as possible.

Once cleaned, the wound can be covered with a loose bandage, changed multiple times a day as needed. Fluids should be allowed to seep out of the wound. Dr. Phillips is not a proponent of topical ointments because patients tend to overdo it, and the ointment sometimes acts as a stopper, leading to an infection. 

For bites other than facial wounds, both doctors agree that it is never a bad idea to be seen by a medical professional right away, or, at most, within 24 hours of the bite. This goes double for people with diabetes or compromised immune systems. Tetanus is a consideration, and while not all dog bites require antibiotics, oral antibiotics may be indicated, or prescribed prophylactically. 

Also, if the wound is significant and legal action ensues, you will want to have a record that you sought care. Dr. Wolpaw notes that in case of a lawsuit over the costs of treating the bite, if the victim failed to get immediate medical attention, the defense attorney will surely seek to mitigate her client’s responsibility and suggest that the victim is partly responsible for failing to get prompt care. 

Reluctant to Report?

There are a number of reasons that some people might be reluctant to report a dog bite. 

Some people might be fearful of the potential consequences for the dog. This reluctance might be understandable, especially if the bite was the result of bad timing and/or unlucky circumstances, rather than an owner’s clearly negligent management of a dangerous dog or willful disregard for the safety of others. But as long as the dog had no former bite record, in most cases, the worst thing that the dog might suffer is a quarantine in strict confinement for 10 days, often at home; the dog’s owner may have to pay fines (for an unlicensed dog, a dog at large, or any other applicable violations). 

Dogs with more than one public-safety offense may be required to be registered as a “dangerous dog.” Dogs who have been designated as “dangerous” may be allowed in public only when wearing a muzzle, or subjected to other restrictions. 

If it turns out that the dog has a history of several previous bites and insufficient management, in our opinion, the report and any potential consequences for the repeat offense are especially necessary. A dog with several serious bites to his credit, in the hands of a person who is incapable or unwilling to provide adequate management and control of the dog, is a deadly threat to the public. 

What if the dog who bit you or someone in your family was a friend’s dog? Admittedly, this is a sticky situation. If your relationship is strong and the friend agrees to and is able to take financial responsibility for your medical treatment, you may decide to decline to report the bite – especially if you feel reasonably confident that the dog is not a threat to other people. Understand, though, that this is taking a risk. For example, a dog bite to the hand that gets infected can cause nerve damage that would preclude a person from being able to use that hand for certain tasks (playing guitar, say) or occupations. Lacking any official report or record of the bite, it’s unlikely you could get your friend’s insurance company to cover your extensive medical costs.

However, you may not have a choice in the matter, since in most states, medical providers are required by law to report dog bites to local animal-control officials. Their mandatory reporting may save you from having to make a socially uncomfortable choice.

UNSEEN WOUNDS WHEN A DOG BITES YOU

person standing with dog
Don’t discount the effects of emotional trauma after being bitten. The author’s sister was bitten by a dog while out on a walk many years ago, yet is still anxious around dogs, save for the author’s own Bouvier!

Dr. Phillips says he has seen some “gruesome stuff,” but he is quick to acknowledge that the emotional component associated with dog bites is sometimes worse than the physical ones – at least the physical wounds usually heal more quickly than the emotional ones. It may take some time before the victim realizes that they experienced a traumatic event. Dr. Phillips says he has had patients develop crippling anxiety after being bitten – severe-enough anxiety that they required a referral to a mental-health provider. 

My own sister was bitten by a dog while on a walk, and years later, still feels highly anxious when approached by off-leash dogs. Fortunately, she is comfortable with my dog, and she has learned to “be a tree” and avoid eye contact if an unfamiliar dog approaches her during beach walks.

Dr. Wolpaw believes that emotional fallout is another reason to seek medical care right away. He has seen cases of people dealing with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that required treatment; credible medical documentation is helpful should liability issues arise.

His final advice: Keep good records and take care of your medical issues, especially if the dog is not known to you. “You shouldn’t minimize the situation because there could be problems down the road. Better safe than sorry,” he says. 

Consider Getting a Canine Liability Policy

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), a homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy will typically cover dog-bite-liability expenses, unless the claim exceeds the policy’s liability limits (usually $100,000 to $300,000) – or unless you’re one of the unlucky ones whose insurance company doesn’t cover dog-bite claims.

It pays to know what you have for coverage. Los Angeles-based attorney Kenneth M. Phillips, owner of DogBiteLaw.com, recommends that dog owners have coverage of at least $100,000 for liability plus $1,000 for no-fault medical payments, although he prefers at least $300,000 plus $5,000. Getting this coverage may require a primary policy (homeowner’s, renter’s, or a specific canine liability policy), and a secondary policy (umbrella or excess policy).

A “canine liability policy” is an option if you’re unable to get a homeowner’s or renter’s policy because you have a dog or a certain breed of dog, your insurer doesn’t cover dog bites, or if your umbrella policy doesn’t cover dog bites. At least two states (Pennsylvania and Michigan) have laws prohibiting insurers from canceling or denying coverage to the owners of certain breeds of dogs, while some states allow coverage exclusions after a dog bites.

Phillips recommends that you speak with your agent about what your policy specifically covers and what it excludes. He also advises that you review the language in your policy to understand whether dog bites are excluded; look for the “Personal Liability” section and review the policy exclusions. The declarations section will show the limit of the policy. 

Pay attention to updates and notices from your insurance company – “riders” or policy amendments – as they may declare coverage changes. 

State legislation varies widely in terms of liability if your dog causes injury – whether from a bite or other incident (i.e., knocking down an elderly person, chasing someone into traffic). According to the III, as of March 2021, 29 states have strict liability dog-bite statutes in which the dog owner is held liable for any injury or property damage that the dog causes, although some states have exceptions, such as if the dog was provoked or the victim was trespassing. In 17 states and the District of Columbia, the III states, “Liability is not automatically granted but attacks are classified as misdemeanors or, in extreme cases, as felonies, with fines,” and four states have no dog-bite laws. On top of that, local ordinances can add another layer of complexity. 

New Solutions

By
Nancy Kerns
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0
Whole Dog Journal Editor-In-Chief Nancy Kerns

After 23 years of editing this publication, there are some topics I could speak knowledgeably about for hours to any random crowd of dog owners. Crate-training, house-training, heartworm disease, nail-trimming, vaccination – these topics are throughly in my wheelhouse, and when I read the articles on these topics that are submitted by my expert contributors, I rarely learn facts that are brand new to me (though they will be super useful to people with less dog-owning experience). 

But I am also happy to report that, pretty much every month, at least one (and usually more) of the articles that are submitted to me contains completely novel information and time/money/heartache-saving advice I’ve never read elsewhere. 

The first article appearing in the July 2021 issue is one such piece. In the process of researching advice for people who had been bitten by someone else’s dog, author Lisa Rodier not only answered the question of what dog-bite victims should do, but also what most dog owners should do to protect themselves in case their dogs should bite someone. A lifelong dog owner, I never knew there was such a thing as dog-bite liability insurance or that I should confirm whether my homeowner’s insurance would adequately protect me if one of my dogs bit someone (as unlikely as I hope that would be!). 

It may not be easy to discover this information. When, to take this advice myself, I asked our insurance agent these questions, he referred me to our carrier’s underwriting department – he couldn’t tell me whether we were covered if one of our dogs bit someone! It took some time to reach a human in the underwriting department – and then more time to thoroughly convince that person that neither of my dogs had bitten anyone, that I was just trying to get information! – before I was able to ascertain that, yes, our umbrella policy would protect us if one of our dogs bit someone. Sheesh!

But it’s our goal to bring value and an effective and uniquely dog-friendly approach to all of our articles, even those that discuss topics that you may be very familiar with yourself. Take, for example, the article by trainer Kathy Callahan, discussing whether it’s a good idea to allow your new puppy to sleep in bed with you. Search that topic online and you will find a wealth of articles saying, “Don’t do it! Crate that puppy! Close your ears to the crying and stiffen your resolve!” But that’s outdated advice. Today’s educated trainers like Callahan understand that such a rigid recommendation is as likely to trigger a young puppy’s separation anxiety as it is to work out without any further drama. Count on WDJ to bring you an effective, modern look at perennial problems. 

If your dog gets distressed by fireworks, take action now!

By
Nancy Kerns
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2

For the first 8 or so years of his life, my senior dog, Otto, was not bothered by fireworks. Honestly, he couldn’t care less, even though our town is the only one in our county that allows people to set off their own fireworks in the city limits. Every night for a week before Independence Day, people all over town are lighting firecrackers and fireworks – and on the big day itself, it seriously sounds like a war is going on. Every big parking lot in town gets PACKED with people who come here from all over the county to play with their fireworks, and watch those being set off by other people. Otto used to sleep through it all.

But around age 9 or 10, Otto started forming a different opinion about all the sounds that fireworks made, from the crackling and sizzling sounds to the pops and booms, and his fear has gotten worse every year. We’ve gone from simple steps like closing the house up tight, turning on fans, putting on loud TV shows, and dosing him with a calming cannabis product for dogs, to making darn sure that I have prescriptions for both Trazodone and Sileo to give him.

Trazodone is a serotonin 2A antagonist and reuptake inhibitor that has been used in human medicine as a prescription therapy for depression, aggression, sleeplessness, and anxiety since the early 1980s. In 2008, a study reported that Trazodone could be used successfully in dogs with good therapeutic benefit and minimal adverse effects. Since then, it has gotten increasingly popular as a prescribed drug to reduce anxiety and increase calm behavior in dogs who are recovering from surgery or injuries. It works particularly well in many dogs in combination with Sileo.

Sileo (dexmedetomidine oromucosal gel) was approved by the FDA in 2016 for specific use as a treatment for noise aversion. It helps calm dogs without any sedating effects, so they can continue to be fully functional.

Many veterinarians still prescribe the tranquilizer Acepromazine for dogs who panic during fireworks displays. Unfortunately, “Ace” (as it is commonly called) works in a very different way than both Trazodone and Sileo. Acepromazine is often referred to as a “chemical straitjacket” because it typically immobilizes the dog but they are still fully aware of everything going on around them, and may, in fact, be terrified but unable to show this. How do we know this? Because some dogs who have been given Acepromazine become more and more sensitized to the sounds each time they have been “Aced” for fireworks.

Last year, Trazodone and Sileo worked great

We moved a few years ago out of town into a more rural area where fireworks are strictly forbidden by law. We can no longer hear any crackling sounds of small fireworks, but there are definitely still idiots within a half mile or so who set off big booming things that sound like cannon fire. Trazodone helps Otto calm down and stop shaking and panting after he hears one of these booms, and helps him go to sleep. But the year before last, even with the Trazodone and everything else we did to try to keep the noise of the peak July 4th fireworks from reaching his ears, he kept us up almost all night, whining, panting, and shaking. He wanted to get in bed with me (which he never does normally) but he wouldn’t stay for more than a minute. His responses were slowed by the Trazodone, but not eliminated.

So last year, at the beginning of June, I called my veterinarian and asked if I could get a prescription for Sileo, which I had heard great things about. Long story short, even starting a month early, it took three weeks to get the drug. Because my vet doesn’t carry it, I had to mail a paper prescription to an online pharmacy, and their stock was backordered…. I finally received the medication three weeks after I saw the vet!

It made all the difference in the world. On the night of the 4th, I gave Otto one tablet of the Trazodone around 7 p.m.; it seems to take about an hour to start having a visible effect on Otto, making him sleepy. It’s not really dark until about 9 p.m., but the directions for the Sileo say to give an initial dose about 30 to 60 minutes before the concerning noises begin. I gave Otto a dose at about 8 p.m., and by the time all the big firework noises began, the meds had definitely kicked in. He might raise his head and look a little wide-eyed at the loudest booms, but would immediately put his head down and close his eyes again afterward.

A little after 10:00 p.m., he started getting up and pacing a bit when he heard a big boom. You can give additional doses of the Sileo in as little as two to three hours after the first dose. I gave Otto one more dose at 10:30 p.m., and by 11, he was out for the rest of the night, thank goodness! So you can believe me that I started early again this year, getting another prescription for Trazodone and Sileo.

There are many other over-the-counter products that help dogs with the noise of fireworks: ThunderShirts or other products that tightly wrap the dog’s body, which seems to have a calming effect on them; Adaptil, a synthetic pheromone product that seems to have an anxiety-reducing effect on some dogs; and a wide variety of supplements that are supposed to help calm dogs. These products can readily be tested on dogs who have phobias to more common noises or events such as thunderstorms, but when it’s critical to have reliable help on the BIG night, for my dog, I want the proven efficacy of the big prescription drugs.

How about you? If you have a fireworks-phobic dog, are you ready with tools to help him or her cope? What do you use?

Pitfalls of Retractable Leashes

By
Nancy Kerns
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93
photo credit: © Hafakot | Dreamstime.com

I know it’s low-hanging fruit to criticize people for misuse of retractable leashes – but there are an awful lot of first-time dog owners out there who may have been tempted by the highly convenient devices and who don’t know their pitfalls. And because I’m traveling at the moment and just saw a near-disaster out my hotel window involving one of these products, allow me to explain. And then, for those of you who have been around a while, why don’t you tell us your favorite “Never use a retractable leash!” story in the comments?

I heard some hubbub and glanced out the window to see what was up. There was a moving van towing a trailer with a car on it, and an SUV towing a trailer with a small  car on that, and a group of people all getting ready to hit the road for another fun day of (apparently) moving their household in the summer heat. A number of adults were milling around, putting their bags in the various vehicles. The fact that they had dogs held my eye: A pretty Golden Retriever and a tall and young-looking Great Dane who was wearing a harness, both attached to young women who were holding retractable leashes. As I watched, another person came out of the hotel with two metal bowls full of water and offered them to the dogs: drink up, dogs, it’s your last chance for a bit!

I was just about to leave the window when the action of one of the young women held my eye: She put the handle of the leash that was attached to the Great Dane on the fender of the trailer, and walked around the moving van to do something else. Oh no! I said helplessly from my third-floor window, and sure enough, it happened. The dog turned her head, which pulled the handle of the leash off the fender so that it fell toward the dog’s head, spooking her and making her bolt.

HOW MANY TIMES have I seen a dog running in a panic, being “chased” by a rattling plastic retractable leash handle that was bouncing along the ground and bumping the dog’s heels? (Answer: Too many to count.)

Thank dog, the Dane only ran backward a few feet before the other young woman yelled and the dog stopped, shaking with fright. Thank dog again, because this hotel is within a few hundred yards of a busy intersection and a highway.

I get that these devices are great for what we like to call “sniff walks,” where you allow the dog to stop and start and wander at will. But most trainers hate them because they also condition a dog to pull against the pressure of the spring-loaded leash to reach what they want to smell or see. When the holy grail for most dog walkers is walking with a dog who doesn’t pull and drag you around, this is counter-productive.

Also, if the dog suddenly pulls toward something, unless the owner is paying absolute attention, is ready with the button that operates the brake, and the brake actually works (the “bargain” models tend to break down), the dog can bolt into the street (we’ve heard stories of dogs getting hit and killed by a car while on  one of these leashes), bolt toward a frightened person or a person with a fearful dog (starting a dog fight, making a person fall, etc.), or “clothesline” a person who might be jogging, skateboarding, or riding a bike.

The biggest problem is that there is not a good way to reel the dog back in, if he’s already out at the end of the leash. The models that have a cord inside can get wrapped around dog or people legs and can cut deeply; if you grab one, trying to control the dog, the cord can slice your hand open. The ones with a “tape” or flat line inside are safer, but there is still no good way to shorten the leash quickly if the dog is pulling away, only if he comes back toward you or if you can catch quickly up to him.

And, of course, if someone lets go of the handle, an inexperienced dog tends to panic and run blindly with the leash handle chasing it.

Some of you may defend them. I must say I find them to be very helpful for walking smallish dogs out in the areas where my dogs can safely walk off-leash (no other people, no roads nearby, they have great recall). But, in my opinion, they should never be used with a big dog (they don’t give you enough control), and never never never around other dog walkers, pedestrians, cyclists, etc. They are just an accident waiting to happen in crowded environments.

What’s your favorite cautionary tale about these leashes? What circumstances do you think they are perfect for?

Keep Emergency Contact Numbers On Your Dog’s Tags or Collars Up-To-Date

By
Nancy Kerns
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22
I order these personalized collars, which all guest and foster dogs wear while staying with me, from snazzyfido.com. The price varies throughout the year but I wait until they are on sale. I’ve paid as little as $6 apiece for them and at most $10. They get shipped from China so it’s not quick.

Hello! Here’s a reminder to update your contact information on your dog’s tags or collars – and with your dog’s microchip registry. Have you moved? Changed phone numbers? Is there a number that you could add to the registry as a backup?

Two stories from this week have inspired this reminder:

I took a siesta the other day (that sounds cooler than a nap, right?). When I woke up, I looked at my phone and saw six missed calls from one out-of-the-area area code and three missed calls from another number in that same area code. As I mulled over that information, the phone started flashing (I had the ringer off) with an incoming call from one of those numbers. Shoot! What is happening? I answered with trepidation.

A very upset-sounding person responded, “I have your dog here, and it was in a fight, and it may have taken the other dog’s EYE out!”

I jumped out of bed and dashed into the living room. Both of my dogs looked up from their respective couches, where THEY were having a siesta. Whew!

I said, “I live in Oroville, and both of my dogs are with me. But I work with several rescues and I often send dogs that I fostered to their new homes with collars that have my number stitched on them… Does this dog have a collar with my phone number?”

Long story short, that was exactly the case. As the person described the dog, I remembered what dog they were describing. I was able to pull up that dog’s owner’s information and send them HIS number. It turned out that he had left the dog with his parents, the dog had escaped their yard and wandered into some other dog’s yard, and a fight ensued. Thank goodness, as it turned out, the dog who had been injured just had sand in his eye. Both dogs were ok, and the dog who was wearing the collar with my number on it was returned to his owner’s parents.

I suggested to his owner, “Hey, it’s been about 18 months… maybe you should get your dog a collar with YOUR number on it? And if your dog stays with your parents regularly, maybe get him a tag with THEIR number on it, for him to wear when he’s there?”

Make sure you check your dog’s tags to make sure they are still current AND legible. Engraved numbers rub off after a few years.

Backup or alternative contact numbers are critical. I just read an account of a young man who left his service dog in his car at a gas station, with the car and the air conditioning turned on. Someone jumped into the car and drove away, stealing the young man’s car and dog. The dog was turned loose many miles away and was picked up by a shelter; shelter staffers called the number on the dog’s tags, but alas, the owner couldn’t get those calls for a few panicky days, because his cell phone was also stolen.

Fortunately, he finally was able to get the messages and the dog was returned, but what if it had been in an area where the dogs don’t have much time in a shelter before the unthinkable? So scary to contemplate.

MANY of us need to put a tag with a backup number on our dog’s collar. It occurred to me one day as I was driving with my dogs: If we got into an accident and I was killed and my dogs survived, who would the first responders call? Only MY number is on my dogs’ collars! Though I’m not a fan of tags (hence my large collection of collars with my number stitched into them), I’m having some tags made with my husband’s and my son’s number engraved on them, to use when I am driving with my dogs. Just in case!

Tempting Treats

By
Nancy Kerns
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1

A couple of months ago, I was in the house, gathering stuff to take with me and the dogs on a hike: Bait bag for training treats, the treats themselves, collars and leashes, and poop bags. Oh, and sunglasses for me. One of my friends was on her way to my house; we were going to meet and put all our dogs in one of our cars and drive to one of our favorite trails. I was still looking for my sunglasses when I heard barking outside and thought to myself, “Shoot! Is she here already?” 

I looked out the window and saw my dogs – senior Otto, middle-aged Woody, and my young foster dog du jour – running along the fence, barking at a man who was walking with two dogs on leashes. The dogs were pulling and jumping and giving the man a bit of a hard time. I opened a window and yelled at my dogs, “Hey! What are you guys doing?” All three dogs looked over their shoulders at me, but instead of running back to me as they usually would, they returned to their own yelling. Their eyes were not fixed on the man with the dogs, but on something else. Something unusual was going on out there. 

I went outside to see what was up. There was a loose dog on the other side of the fence, standing in the middle of the country road. It looked like maybe he had been following the dog-walking guy when he got distracted by my dogs, but was too intimidated by all the barking to approach the fence. When he saw me, he took off running in the direction of the dog-walking guy, who had turned onto the busier of the two roads my house is situated on. Well, I had leashes in my hand and was wearing a treat pouch full of treats. Let’s go catch that dog, I thought! 

All three of my dogs were leaping about in excitement. That wasn’t going to help me catch the dog, so I opened my car door and told them all to load up, and they all leaped in, clearly convinced we were going to have a car chase. And so we were; by this time, the dog-walker and the loose dog were well out of sight. So I opened the gate and drove out of my driveway and down the busy road, passing the dog-walker and the loose dog, and parking in a driveway ahead of them. 

Long story short: Thanks to the treats I had loaded in my bait bag, I caught the dog, asked the dog-walker if he knew where the dog belonged (he didn’t), called the shelter to see if anyone had reported losing a dog of this description (no one had), and called my friend to ask her to come to this address instead of mine, since I couldn’t convince this dog to get into my already dog-infested car. By the time I got all of my dogs put away (our hike was now canceled) and my friend and I were just leaving to take the stray to the shelter, some people drove by looking for their escaped dog. The moral of my story? Always have leashes and dog treats on hand! Check out our article fordog treat suggestions.

By Nancy Kerns 

Can Dogs Eat Strawberries?

By
Beth Ann Mayer
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can dogs eat strawberries
Can dogs eat strawberries? Photo: Fertnig/Getty Images

Strawberry season will soon be here again. Fresh, sweet and juicy, the berries are perfect plain, in pies, smoothies and homemade ice creams. They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that give your immune system a boost, hydrate your skin, and contribute to good gut health.  But can dogs eat strawberries? Should you be concerned if you drop one on the floor and Fido grabs it before you do?

Can dogs eat strawberries?

Though it’s always good to check with your vet before feeding your dog something new, strawberries aren’t harmful to dogs.

“Strawberries in their whole, natural, off-the-stem version are safe,” says Antoinette Martin, DVM, head veterinarian at Hello Ralphie, a Telehealth company that connects dog owners to licensed veterinarians. 

Dr. Martin spills on some sweet benefits your dog might get from eating strawberries as well as some red flags to watch out for.

can dogs eat strawberries?
Though it’s always good to check with your vet before feeding your dog something new, strawberries aren’t harmful to dogs. Photo: SolStock/Getty Images

Benefits of strawberries for dogs

Strawberries boast many of the same benefits for dogs as they do for humans.

“There’s fiber in them and Vitamin C,” Dr. Martin says.

In other words, strawberries can aid in digestion and immune health.

Are strawberries ever harmful to dogs?

While the answer to, “can dogs eat strawberries?,” is yes, it’s not a free-for-all. Fresh or defrosted berries are fine, but Dr. Martin advises pup parents to steer clear of anything canned or in syrups. 

“It may have xylitol and other sweeteners that aren’t safe for dogs,” she says.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are also a no-no for dogs.

How to introduce strawberries

First, you’ll want to get clearance from your vet before intentionally letting your dog eat strawberries. 

“Some dogs are just more likely to have issues with certain dietary things,” Dr. Martin says. “It’s always a good idea to make sure that any specific disease your dog might have or be predisposed to that you don’t risk setting it off by feeding them something different.”

After getting the vet’s okay, start small. “Small” will be relative to your dog’s breed. 

“Somewhere between a small piece and a whole strawberry,” Dr. Martin says.

If your dog does not have an adverse reaction to the strawberry, you can give more the next day — just don’t overdo it.

“Anything you choose to add to the diet should only make up a maximum of 10 percent of their total daily food intake,” Dr. Martin says.

For small breeds, always cut the strawberries before feeding.

“They can be choking hazards,” Dr. Martin says.

Are strawberries bad for dogs?

Though dogs can eat strawberries, not all pups should. The biggest drawback of feeding your dog strawberries is the potential for a stomach ache.

“Symptoms include diarrhea or loose stool,” Dr. Martin says, adding these issues will usually present within 24 hours. “Also, any time you introduce anything new, there’s a small possibility of an allergic reaction.”

If you notice your dog having issues, call the vet.

Depending on the severity, it might be as simple as monitoring and making sure they get enough fluids for a couple of days, or they might ask you to bring the dog in for a closer look,” Dr. Martin says.

Read Next: Can Dogs Eat Pineapple?

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Too Old to Adopt?

Nancy Kerns 26
I’ve had a number of older owners book lessons with me lately—more than half a dozen individuals and couples in their 70s and even 80s, all wanting some training help with their new dogs or puppies.
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