Subscribe

The best in health, wellness, and positive training from America’s leading dog experts

Home Blog Page 147

Tips on Living With and Training a Blind Dog

By
Mardi Richmond, CPDT-KA
-
26
Orbit and his people excelled in the puppy classes offered by the author’s training business, “Good Dog Santa Cruz” – so much so, that she decided Orbit and his family should be the inspiration for this article about training and living with blind dogs.

When Orbit came into one of the classes I offer for puppies and their owners, in Santa Cruz, California, he was in most ways just like all of the other puppies. He bounced around excitedly, wanted to sniff the other pups, and was thrilled with the treat tidbits that were offered for certain behaviors. But Orbit did one thing just a little differently. He would make tight circles near his people, Melissa and Arielle, gradually spiraling outward.

Orbit, a Havanese-mix who was born blind, couldn’t visually scan his surroundings. Instead of sight, Orbit was using cognitive mapping, sounds, and scent to figure out what was going on in his immediate environment. Like many animals, dogs possess the ability to develop a mental map of their surroundings, even when they cannot see. Through exploration of the space, they learn where things are and how to navigate safely.

Orbit was born without sight due to retinal dysplasia and optic nerve coloboma. Dogs who are born blind may have a genetic component or may have developed the problem while in the womb. Dogs can also lose their sight later in life due to genetic conditions, diseases, injuries, and other changes in the eye as they get older. Some of the more common causes of vision issues include cataracts, glaucoma, progressive retinal atrophy, and suddenly acquired retinal degeneration (SARDS).

blind dog
Since Orbit can’t see another dog’s body language, he can miss some social cues that would otherwise warn him that the other dog is not friendly – or that his friend isn’t in the mood for fun.

Dogs = Dogs, Sighted or Not

There is a belief that blind dogs will be more prone to behavior problems. But this really is a myth. Blind dogs are dogs first, and blind second. Some are happy, some are serious. Some are easy going, some are more easily stressed. Some like to play, others prefer to cuddle. Many love their walks, car rides, hanging out with friends, and a good chew.

Pups who are born blind may have an easier time because they do not have to adjust to a change. Being blind is their norm. A dog who becomes blind later in life may need some time and help with the adjustment, but most dogs who are blind adapt well, perhaps in part because they already rely heavily on other senses.

“Orbit is a happy-go-lucky guy,” says Melissa. “He is trusting and approaches life with gusto.” Melissa said that her family’s first consideration when thinking of adopting Orbit was whether they were really ready for a puppy. Their second consideration was how would having a blind pup be different from having a sighted pup.

“What would a blind puppy need that a sighted puppy might not need? What would be different? Could we keep him safe?” Melissa says that in some ways he’s actually been easier than the pups she’s had in foster care. For example, he doesn’t get into stuff as much as other puppies, maybe because he can’t see the things to get into. But in other ways, they have had to think differently.

What’s different?

One of the big differences has been in their awareness of ambient noise. Orbit uses his hearing to orient himself in new environments and to keep track of Melissa. For example, Melissa wears keys on her belt that jingle, giving him a sound to orient to as they move through life. If there is traffic noise, he may have a harder time following her footsteps or the jingle of the keys.

Melissa recalls going to new locations to socialize Orbit – a friend’s backyard and a downtown shopping area. What Melissa considered to be a normal amount of noise – such as dogs barking in the background or cars going by on the street nearby – was a symphony of sound for Orbit. The sounds created an environment that was disorienting and overwhelming.

“We learned that we have to take him out in gradients. Slowly increasing the challenges. But he likes going places. He is very friendly, social, and gregarious. I think he would be sad if he wasn’t allowed to go out and embrace life the way he does. You just have to modify it a bit.” Melissa notes that Orbit will usually have a new place mapped and be comfortable within three or four visits.

blind dog
Orbit is independent and intrepid, not afraid to try new things or explore new places.

Socializing Orbit with other dogs has also been a little different. He will not see the other dog’s social cues. And when he attempts to give cues, they may be a little awkward. “He does some of the right things, but in the wrong way,” Melissa says. For example, he may do play bows facing away from the other dog or walk up to sniff a dog and instead bump into their side. Dogs he interacts with have to be patient and unflappable.

Physical safety is another big concern. For example, the family has guards on their stairs and baby gates to prevent accidents. When walking down the street, Melissa has to be very aware of things that Orbit could run into, such as bushes or poles.

Training Modifications for Blind Dogs

When using methods such as lure and reward or reward-marker (clicker) training, teaching a blind dog is remarkably similar to working with a sighted dog, though you may obviously rely more heavily on verbal cues (or touch cues for dogs that are both deaf and blind) than on hand signals or body language.

  • A new behavior may be initially lured, captured, or shaped. For example, you might use a treat lure to prompt a “sit.” You can capture the dog orienting to a sound such as the dog’s name or a touch such as a shoulder tap. These can be introduced much the same way you might introduce them to a sighted dog.
  • Using a reward marker, such as a clicker or the word “yes,” to let the dog know what behavior is being rewarded already relies on sound rather than sight. For a dog that is both deaf and blind, a specific signal such as a touch on the chest can be used for the reward marker.
  • You can reinforce behaviors with food, praise, touch, play, or other things that the dog finds rewarding, just as you would with a sighted dog.

Training is similar enough that Orbit attended my puppy, beginning life skills, and intermediate life skills classes and excelled at all of the exercises with only a few minor modifications.

In puppy class, where the pups interacted with each other, we made sure that approaches were done slowly and carefully (something that is really a good idea for all pups!). When teaching impulse-control behaviors such as stay and leave it, we quickly discovered that adding a verbal cue immediately (rather than waiting until we had the finished behavior) actually accelerated the training, as he couldn’t respond to the initial body language cues.

blind dog
A seeing eye cat? Orbit loves his kitty housemates, and they seem to understand and accept him perfectly.

With a blind dog, using multiple cues (which goes against conventional training advice) can be very helpful for certain behaviors, notably orienting skills such as attention and recall. Melissa will call Orbit repeatedly when he is at a distance so that he can follow the sound of her voice to find her.

While most of us strive to have our dogs walk on a leash while the leash is loose, with Orbit, Melissa uses gentle tension on the leash to help him navigate around objects. She trained him to follow the leash pressure.

In addition, when training a blind dog, you might consider teaching some cues that you might not need with a sighted dog. Here are a few examples:

  • Careful. “Careful!” can be used to let a dog know if there is something in front of him. This can be helpful in new environments or if there is something that has changed in an environment that the pup has already mapped. While there are several ways to train a dog to stop in motion, one simple way with a blind dog is to use a physical prompt.

Have your dog on a leash next to you. Walk forward with your dog toward an object such as a piece of furniture. Say, “Careful!” and then with either gentle pressure on the leash or your hand on your dog’s chest, stop his forward motion. Click and reward the stop. Then pat the item in front of your dog so that he will walk toward it and investigate. With repetition, your dog will soon understand that the cue “Careful!” means slow down or stop and look for something in front of him.
[post-sticky note-id=’377221′]

  • Go see. This cue can be used to help a dog know there is someone or something in front of him that is safe to check out. You might start this with a friend. Walk your dog toward the friend, say, “Go see!,” and then your friend will encourage your dog to come closer to say hello.

Another easy way to train it is to have a small box or platform in front of your dog. Place one or more treats on the platform. Say, “Go see!,” and then encourage your dog to go up and explore the box. Within a few repetitions, most dogs will get the idea that “Go see!” means there is something in front of them that is interesting and safe to explore.

  • Step up and step down. Using a single small step, a curb, or a training platform, encourage your pup to explore going up and down, on and off the step. Using treats to prompt or lure your dog may be helpful. When your dog is happily going up and down on the step, you can click and treat each time he offers the behavior.

Once he is predictably going up and down, you can add the cue just before he does the behavior. Say, “Step up!” just before he goes up, then click and treat. Say, “Step down!” just before he goes down, then click and treat.

Practice in a few locations with different steps. Once he understands it in several locations, you can practice with two or more steps, eventually adding the cue “Stairs!” to mean there are multiple steps in front of you.

  • Run (or Go). This is a good cue to let your dog know that he is safe to run, and may be an especially important cue for a young or high-energy dog. You can practice this in your yard or another safe open area. Just before releasing your dog to run, say the word “Go!” or “Run!” Your dog will soon learn to associate the word with a wide-open space, free of obstacles and dangers.
  • Names of things. You might consider teaching a blind dog the names of things such as specific pieces of furniture, toys, people, or other animals. While this is something that many people also do with sighted dogs, many of us rely more on pointing, patting, looking, and other body-language cues.

Teaching the name of a person, animal, or item is a simple matter of creating an association. For example, to teach the name of a person, you might say the person’s name, then that person can talk to the dog in a happy voice. Repeated pairings and the dog will likely hear the person’s name and check to see if that person is nearby.

With items, you can start with pairing the name in everyday occurrences. Say, “Squeaky!” before playing with a specific squeaky toy, and soon your pup may associate the word with that particular item or action.

Living a Full Life

blind dog
Photo credit: @orbitseeswithhisheart

Blind dogs, like all dogs, can live full, active lives. With a little modification, blind dogs can participate in many of the same activities sighted dogs enjoy. Dogs who have lost their sight later in life may enjoy similar activities as before losing their sight. For example, a dog who enjoys retrieve games may still enjoy fetch, finding their toys by sound and smell. Scented toys and toys that make noises may be particularly attractive for a blind dog.

Scent discrimination games are also a great option for blind dogs. From casual “Find the treat!” games in your living room, to hide and seek in the garden, to formal or competitive K9 Nose Work, scenting activities can enhance a blind dog’s life by encouraging the use of another sense.

Many blind dogs also enjoy adventures outside of the home. Orbit has gone to training classes, travels with Melissa through her day-to-day life, and even goes to work with her. “I would encourage people not to limit their blind dog’s life,” Melissa says. “Orbit loves being out, visiting with people, and going on a ‘sniffari.’”

When Is the Right Time for Euthanasia?

By
Nancy Kerns
-
69
Beau

I have a number of friends (and a family member) who have dogs who are nearing the end of their days. I’m noting and processing the events and feelings they are experiencing – and hoping it is several years before I’m in a similar situation (my heart dog, Otto, will be 12 years old in November).

Beau

My sister and her husband have a really old Schnauzer-mix named Beau. He might even be a real Schnauzer. He’s so old, it’s hard to tell! They took in Beau when a friend in distress couldn’t keep him. The friend had gotten Beau as a puppy when her son was 10 years old, and that son is in his late twenties now, so… Beau is old. He has limited vision, limited hearing, has had several strokes and can’t walk a straight line, and is growing increasingly incontinent. On his bad days, it seems almost cruel that he is being kept alive. He may stagger or not be able to get up, he acts like he doesn’t know where he is and is anxious, and he may just suddenly completely empty his bladder on the carpet while standing still, seemingly unaware he is doing so.

But on his good days, he runs up the hall with the rest of his housemates, eats with gusto, goes outside through the dog door and potties without assistance or a reminder to do so, and enjoys his time on the sofa and in bed with his human and canine housemates. So they are very much afraid that if they call the vet to make a euthanasia appointment on one of his bad days, and he’s having a good day on the day of the appointment, the vet may decline to euthanize, or the staff may make them feel like creeps! In fact, they feel sort of pre-emptively guilty about even just talking about “Beau’s time.” My sister and brother-in-law love Beau and want him to have a good end. But when is the right time?

Chaco and Lena

There is Chaco, one of my former foster dogs. She’s younger than Otto, but has two failing knees and severe arthritis, and her owner lacks the health insurance or budget to pay for two knee surgeries. Her declining mobility has contributed, it seems, to weight gain, which compounds her problems.

Another friend is in a similar position with Lena, Otto’s very first playmate and friend. She has had one ACL surgically repaired, and underwent “conservative management” when the second one tore; her veterinarian says her hips, too, are quite dysplastic, and would have benefitted from surgery. Both hips and both knees, too? Her very devoted owner, my friend, could not have possibly paid for four surgeries – nor could she have gotten or afforded insurance after the first knee injury and x-rays showed the hip problems. Lena is maintained on daily pain medication and various joint supplements, and my friend takes her for frequent drives to places where she can take short, gentle walks. My friend has also been shopping for some sort of wagon or cart she could use to take the 70-pound dog on walks, so she at least can enjoy the changing scenery and odors. Lena, like Chaco, is getting fairly crippled, but is in otherwise good health and appetite. How long can my friends maintain them in this condition?

How to know when to let them go

Super dedicated owners can provide hospice care for dogs, if they are physically and emotionally able and have an appropriate home and time to do so. We ran a great article about this in 2010; it holds up well today. But not everyone has a schedule and home that would permit, as just one example, helping a large non-ambulatory dog outside to potty several times a day.

Not unrelated: Between all my dog-loving friends, I am aware of exactly ONE DOG who died peacefully in his sleep.

I just went looking; here are some links for information on how to know when “the time” is right for euthanasia:

https://www.americanhumane.org/fact-sheet/euthanasia-making-the-decision/

https://www.petmd.com/blogs/fullyvetted/2009/march/ten-ways-you-know-its-time-euthanize-your-pet-6745

https://www.lapoflove.com/Quality-of-Life/How-Will-I-Know-It-Is-Time

When it is getting close to time to make an appointment for euthanasia, we have some other helpful articles to read. This one is by a long-time contributor to WDJ, trainer Lisa Rodier.

Also, trainer Jill Breitner’s article on what to ask before making an appointment for euthanasia and the companion piece to that article by Dr. Sally J. Foote are excellent sources of information about what you should know in advance.

Interesting Reads for Dog Lovers

By
Nancy Kerns
-
15

It’s probably self-evident that most writers and editors enjoy reading. We read professionally, and also for fun.

Lately, though, my reading has been getting in the way of writing! There has been an absolute plethora of fantastic articles about dogs in the past few weeks, and just today, I got a message from my browser indicating that it was going slow due to the sheer number of open tabs. I often leave articles open on the screen, so when I have a few spare minutes, I can click on one and read something great and not lose it. But there were just too many open and unread! So I had an idea: I can share some of the reading that has been tempting and then fascinating me with you! And hopefully get to the end of some of these pieces!

“Rotating diets: antidote to pet-food recall risks?”

Well, I loved this one – by a writer I hugely admire on a site that consistently presents great writing on veterinary topics – but also because I was happy to read about veterinarians who agree with WDJ’s long-standing advice to rotate diets, and not just feed the same food (or even different products from the same company) year after year. I didn’t agree with every point in the piece, but I was just happy to see the concept of changing foods to try to hedge one’s bets, nutritionally speaking, that, over time, one’s dog will get everything he needs, and not too much of other nutrients.

One fact about “complete and balanced diets” that rarely gets pointed out: The nutrient levels in foods that meet the standards required in order to make the “complete and balanced” claim are NOT ALL THE SAME. There is tremendous variation in the amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as the macronutrients (protein, fat, and fiber) found in dog foods. A product’s qualification as “complete and balanced” in no way guarantees that it will be an appropriate diet for every dog for the dog’s entire lifetime.

“Rabies Kills Tens of Thousands Yearly. Vaccinating Dogs Could Stop It.”

This is interesting, and something that few of us consider in the U.S. and Canada (where the bulk of our subscribers live). Our rabies vaccination rates are so high, that canine rabies is considered eradicated. The phrase “eradicated” is sort of a misnomer, however, because rabies is still common in wildlife, including bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, and if an unvaccinated dog is bitten by a rabid wild animal and goes untreated, he absolutely will develop rabies and die. What they mean in the article by “eradicated” is that the strain of rabies most commonly seen in dogs is eradicated in the U.S., but any strain of rabies (such as the strains most commonly seen in bats or skunks) can infect and kill any other species of mammal.

Anyway, in this country, we regard rabies as an uncommon, even rare, threat presented by wildlife. But in other parts of the world, dogs themselves are the carriers (and of course victims), and startling numbers of human deaths are directly attributable to bites from rabid dogs.

Just for fun, here is another link, from the Centers for Disease Control, about the rabies threat from wildlife in the U.S.

“How a 6,000 year old Dog Cancer Spread Around the World.”

One of our long-time contributors, Barbara Dobbins, has been writing a series of long, in-depth articles about the most common canine cancers. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say about this one. Really interesting stuff. Kind of above my pay grade, but fascinating.

“Bad Science and Big Business Are Behind the Biggest Pet Food Story in a Decade”

This author has some fascinating observations to make about the FDA’s news releases about canine dilated cardiomyopathy and diet. In my opinion, he’s not right about everything, and he admits that he has a particular bias regarding the topic (he makes and sells a pea-heavy, grain-free line of dog foods, and has published a book bashing the pet food industry.) But he raises some very good points – in particular, #6, #7, and #9. See what you think.

You may need a free account to view the next article, but I wanted to share it anyway:

“Why Are There So Many Books About Dogs?”

A question I have asked myself many times! Here, the mystery is addressed by canine cognition researchers Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare (themselves the authors of the book, The Genius of Dogs). It’s a soft piece that basically just celebrates our modern closeness to and love and appreciation of dogs. Nice.

There are more tabs, but I think you get the idea. I feel very lucky, to be living in the  era so well described by Woods and Hare, when there is so much good information about writing about dogs out there for the reading.

Plan ahead to socialize your puppy early!

By
Nancy Kerns
-
24
Puppy in class

Recently, I witnessed an older couple struggling to carry a crate into a puppy kindergarten class. Once inside, they opened the crate and a large and beautiful Poodle puppy emerged – a pup who was not particularly young, nor disabled in any way. When asked about the puppy and why they carried her inside the training center inside a crate, the couple said she was 14 weeks old, and had received three “puppy” vaccinations so far, but that their veterinarian had told them that the puppy shouldn’t be taken anywhere until she had received her last puppy vaccination at 16 weeks. They looked a little guilty, as if they expected to be admonished for bringing her to a puppy kindergarten class before the last “shot.”

It’s 2019! Why are veterinarians still telling this nonsense to dog owners?!!

The owners were reassured they had absolutely done the right thing to bring the puppy to class, and encouraged to allow her to walk into and out of the training center on her own four legs, and given assistance to show the very able puppy how to get back into her owners’ car after class without them having to struggle to lift her in a crate into the back seat. And I vowed to write this post, which I seem to recall writing every few years for the past 22 years!

Don’t Keep That Puppy in a Bubble

Folks, please tell your friends and relatives: The risk of dogs developing serious behavior problems (and subsequent relinquishment and/or euthanasia) due to inadequate early socialization and minimal exposure to the outside world is far, far higher than the risk of contracting a fatal disease before the pup has become fully immunized. While parvovirus and distemper certainly still exist in the world, and are still quite problematic in pockets of certain communities, there are many steps one can take to prevent a puppy from becoming exposed to disease while taking the very important steps to carefully and positively expose the pup to novel places, people, and other animals.

Puppies should absolutely be taken out into the world before the age of 12 weeks, and ideally, would be attending a well-run puppy play/puppy kindergarten training class as early as 8 weeks old! They certainly should not spend this incredibly critical period of development wrapped in cotton wool in their new owners’ homes!

Don’t believe me? That’s fine. Take it from the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB): “Because the first three months are the period when sociability outweighs fear, this is the primary window of opportunity for puppies to adapt to new people, animals, and experiences. Incomplete or improper socialization during this important time can increase the risk of behavioral problems later in life including fear, avoidance, and/or aggression. Behavioral problems are the greatest threat to the owner-dog bond. In fact, behavioral problems are the number one cause of relinquishment to shelters. Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.”

AVSAB’s position statement on puppy socialization also says, “The primary and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli, and environments as can be achieved safely and without causing over-stimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated [our emphasis].”

What Do Veterinarians Say?

Strong words from the veterinary behaviorists… Do “regular” veterinarians agree? Here is a quote from a literature review from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA): “By 8-9 weeks of age most dogs are sufficiently neurologically developed that they are ready to start exploring unfamiliar social and physical environments. Data show that if they are prohibited from doing so until after 14 weeks of age they lose such flexibility and may be forever fearful in these situations. Such dogs may function well within extremely restricted social situations but will be fearful and reactive among unfamiliar people, pets or in environments outside of the house.”

The AVMA paper goes on to explain how one should ideally socialize and expose puppies safely, as well as how to provide remedial socialization to puppies or dogs who were not given these opportunities. No, all is not lost when owners fail to properly plan ahead and sign up for a class well before they procure their puppy. But as any trainer or good breeder can tell you, there is usually an astounding difference in the amount of confidence displayed in a puppy who has had well-managed, positive exposures to many different persons, places, and things – and especially opportunities to meet and play with other puppies and dogs of appropriate size and play styles – and one who has only begun to interact with the world in a meaningful way after the age of 16 weeks (or older!).

It takes forethought and planning, however, and many families don’t even think about training and socializing until the puppy is four months old or so. Then they look for a trainer and try to book the next class and find out that the next available spot is for a class some six or eight weeks hence. It’s not “too late” to socialize or train them at that stage, but it’s somewhat akin to signing up a third- or fourth-grade kid for kindergarten. It’s great that their education will finally get underway, but what they could have been already had they started their education on time!

So, how should it be done?

  1. Plan ahead: Find a good positive trainer early, before you ever get a puppy. Find out about his or her schedule and get signed up for a class that will start when your puppy-to-be will be 8 or 9 or 10 weeks old.
  2. Plan ahead: Find a veterinarian who will administer your puppy’s vaccinations on a schedule that will facilitate the pup’s timely admission to puppy kindergarten – and who can speak to the importance of your puppy’s behavioral health and support your efforts to build a behaviorally confident puppy through a well-run puppy class. (If you can, interview vets before you procure your puppy. Younger, more recently educated veterinarians tend to be more aware of the AVMA’s and ASVAB’s recommendations.)
  3. Do as much thoughtful, structured socializing as possible with the puppy at your home, and/or in the homes of friends or family members who have no dogs or healthy, vaccinated, reliably dog-friendly dogs who can be trusted to not scare or harm the puppy. Here are some past articles in WDJ on this topic:

    The Complete Puppy Socialization Guide
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/pre_puppy_prep/the-complete-puppy-socialization-guide/

    The 10 Most Important Things to Teach a Puppy
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/puppy_training/the-10-most-important-things-to-teach-a-puppy/

    Puppies in Public – Risk Factors
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/puppies-in-public-risk-factors/

    Puppy Socialization Schedule
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/pre_puppy_prep/the-guide-dogs-of-americas-puppy-socialization-schedule/

  4. Educate yourself about puppy diseases and how to keep your puppy safe without sequestering him or her. Here are some past articles that have been published in WDJ on this topic.

    Why Your Puppy Needs So Many Shots
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/puppy-health/puppy-vaccines-why-your-puppy-needs-so-many-shots/

    The Deal With Puppy Shots
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/the-deal-with-puppy-shots/

    Time to Vaccinate the Dog
    https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/health/time-to-vaccinate-the-dog/

Download the Full August 2019 PDF Issue

By
Nancy Kerns
-
1
  • Know Your CBDs
  • Keeping Kids and Dogs Safe
  • When He Can't "Go"
  • Fear Not At The Vet
  • Osteosarcoma
To continue reading this article or issue you must be a paid subscriber. Sign in
If you are logged in but cannot access this content, a) your subscription may have expired; b) you may have duplicate accounts (emails) in our system. Please check your account status here or contact customer service.

Subscribe

Subscribe to Whole Dog Journal

With your Whole Dog Journal order you’ll get:

  • Immediate access to this article and 20+ years of archives.
  • Recommendations for the best dog food for your dog.
  • Dry food, homemade diets and recipes, dehydrated and raw options, canned food and more.
  • Brands, formulations and ingredients all searchable in an easy-to-use, searchable database.

Plus, you’ll receive training and care guidance to keep your dog healthy and happy. You’ll feed with less stress…train with greater success…and know you are giving your dog the care he deserves.

Subscribe now and save 72%! Its like getting 8 issues free!

Already Subscribed?

Click Here to Sign In | Forgot your password? | Activate Web Access

Know Your CBDs

By
Catherine Ashe, DVM
-
46
CBD “supplements” for dogs come in many forms; the most common are liquids that are meant to be administered from a syringe or dropper, and liquid that has been mixed into edible treats or chews.

It’s everywhere: CBD, the “miracle” drug. Each week, I probably have several clients inform me – their veterinarian – that they are giving this supplement to their dogs. Their intention and hope is that the supplement will cure their dogs of a vast array of disorders, including allergies, seizures, immune-mediated syndromes, and cancer. Despite the fact that the treatment was their idea, and that they found the product on their own – in a health food store, online, or made in a kitchen by someone they know – they often ask me, “What is it, exactly? Do you think it works?”

If you decide to administer products that contain CBD to your dog, you need to be aware that they are untested and unapproved, and that your veterinarian may not have any experience or reliable information about any adverse reactions your dog experiences.

The History of CBD Research and Discoveries

It’s hard to believe that a complex chemical signaling system that helps our bodies maintain homeostasis by sending protein messages between cells was only recently discovered – in the late 1980s, in fact – by researchers who were trying to learn why and how marijuana makes humans high. Weird, but true: The first piece of what has been named the endocannabinoid system (ECS) was discovered by researchers who were trying to figure out what part of the brain is affected by marijuana.

Actually, the word “marijuana” is a pejorative name, popularized in the 1920s, for dried parts of Cannabis plants. Marijuana became the commonly accepted name for the dried flowers and leaves of Cannabis plants,  just as tobacco has become the commonly accepted name of the dried leaves of Nicotiana plants. 

In 1964, scientists first isolated the chemical compound in Cannabis that causes psychoactive effects in humans and other mammals; it was named Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). This chemical, in both a version that is derived from Cannabis plants and synthetic, chemically reconstructed versions, have been widely studied because of their behavioral effects on humans.

In the late 1980s, still trying to figure out what is responsible for the psychoactive effect that THC has on mammals, researchers found, in the brain of rats, unequivocal evidence for the presence of a specific receptor that “takes up” (responds to) THC. Receptors are chemical structures that receive and transduce signals, and cause some form of cellular/tissue response. The receptor that responded to THC was named CB1 (cannabinoid 1).

The CB1 receptor was subsequently identified in other mammalian brains, including those of humans.

Once the receptor was identified in mammal brains, researchers began to realize that mammal brains contained a lot of these receptors. In fact, once they knew what to look for, they found CB1 to be present in a similar density to receptors for other critical neurotransmitters, including glutamate, GABA, and dopamine. Why on earth do mammals have such a wealth of receptors for chemicals found in Cannabis?

A second cannabinoid receptor, CB2, was discovered in 1993, in a surprising place: a rat spleen. In a very short time, researchers looking specifically for these receptors in humans found a wealth of them – and in a variety of places in the body! CB1 receptors are most plentiful in the brain and central nervous system; CB2 receptors are found widely in the immune system and peripheral organs. Both receptors are also found in the gut.

Of course, the presence of chemical receptors in the body suggests there are endogenous chemicals (chemicals produced in the body – “endo” means inside) that are interacting with those receptors. Molecules that bind to receptors are called ligands, and soon enough, scientists discovered the endogenous ligands for those receptors.

Research into the function of this signaling/responding system – what has been named the endocannabinoid system (ECS) – is current and ongoing. In recent years, scientists have learned that the ECS plays a role in regulating a number and variety of physiological functions, including appetite, temperature, motor control, fertility, mood, and pain, to name a few.  

When activated by a loss of homeostasis, the body produces  and releases endocannabinoid ligands (cannabinoids made inside the dog’s body), which bring the affected system back into normal balance. Once they are finished with their job, there are also enzymes that help break down the endocannabinoids.

According to “Review of the neurological benefits of phytocannabinoids,” published in Surgical Neurology International in 2018, “Manipulations of endocannabinoid degradative enzymes, CB1 and CB2 receptors, and their endogenous ligands have shown promise in modulating numerous processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.”

We’re getting to CBD . . .

The ingestion of derivatives of Cannabis plants affect humans and other mammals (like our dogs) because they contain ligands that just happen to interact with CB1 and CB2 receptors in our bodies. These chemicals may be referred to as exogenous cannabinoids (“exo” means outside; exogenous means they were made outside the body) or phytocannabinoids (“phyto” means “of a plant”).

Here is a fact that might surprise you: There are more than 100 different cannabinoids found in Cannabis plants. Again, because of its significant psychoactive effects on mammals, THC is the best-known. But the first cannabinoid compound that was identified in Cannabis was dubbed cannabidiol (CBD). Though it is quickly rising in the Cannabis-sourced cannabinoid popularity contest, when it was first identified (in 1940!), it was more or less dismissed by the chemists who mapped its chemical structure as having “no marihuana activity.” 

They were correct: CBD does not have psychoactive effects. But its growing population of fans in the medical community think it may have benefits in relieving pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, and seizure activity, among many other potential benefits in animals that have cannabinoid receptors in their bodies (humans and dogs among them).

Let’s talk about what is known about CBD, what is yet unproven, and why I can’t make any recommendations to my clients, pro or con, about CBD products.

Popularity Boom

The rapidly growing population of CBD fans in the medical community think it may relieve pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, and seizure activity. You may hear even more claims for its purported benefits, but these are the ones that, so far, have the most scientific evidence to support them.

Those claims sound amazing! So why isn’t the veterinary community jumping on the use of CBD for pets? Well, it’s complicated.

For the most part, the claims of CBD’s health benefits for pets are being made on the strength of pharmaceutical company research that has used synthetic analogues of cannabinoids; widespread anecdotal evidence; and very small, very recent studies of CBD on dogs.

The ability to study CBD in research labs was highly compromised until very recently. For many years, pharmaceutical companies that wanted to investigate cannabinoids have had to use synthetic versions. That’s because, in the United States, Cannabis was officially outlawed for any use (medical included) with the passage of the Controlled Substances Act of 1970.

However, in 2018, plants classified as “hemp” – Cannabis species with less than 0.3% dry weight of the psychoactive cannabinoid substance, Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – were descheduled as controlled substances by the 2018 Farm Bill. This removed significant research barriers for both academic and commercial research into CBD, as well as legal barriers for growing and harvesting these plants, then refining and selling products that contain CBD to the public. In response, the market has been flooded with CBD-containing products for humans and – of particular interest to readers of this journal – dogs!

Supplemental Problems

While this might be a good thing, it does introduce new problems. First, these products are not subject to any regulatory oversight. Why? Because they have been classified as “supplements,” not “drugs.”

Any drug that makes therapeutic claims (prevents, cures, or manages disease) must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This ensures that the drug is safe and effective.

However, this process does not apply to products that are considered to be supplements, which is how most CBD products are currently treated. By virtue of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), supplements may not be labeled or marketed for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, mitigation, or cure of disease.

Instead, supplement manufacturers can make only “structure or function” claims: They may only “describe the role of a nutrient or dietary ingredient intended to affect the structure or function in humans” (or pets) or “characterize the documented mechanism by which a nutrient or dietary ingredient acts to maintain such structure or function.”

Does that sound like gibberish? A 2018 article entitled “How to Market CBD Products in a Sea of Uncertainty,” published in Cannabis Business Executive (it’s an actual thing) clarified the difference and offered these tips to companies that aspire to produce and sell CBD-containing companies:

What are the Dos for a CBD vendor?

  • Do utilize cosmetic claims (“beautifies,” “improves”).
  • Do refer to emotions (“decreases irritability”).
  • Do use words like “wellness,” “supports,” “maintains.”
  • Do refer to general body parts including systems.
  • Do use qualifiers like “mild” and “occasional” to differentiate a temporary condition from the symptoms of the disease.
  • Do use FDA disclaimer but only with structure/function claims: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.”

What are the Don’ts for a CBD vendor?

  • Don’t use words like “treat,” “cures,” “repairs,” “acute,” “disease,” “chronic.”
  • Don’t mention diseases like cancer, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis.
  • Don’t refer to symptoms like fever, coughing, sneezing.
  • Don’t use disease claims.
  • Don’t recommend any product to augment another drug.
  • Don’t recommend a product as a substitution for another drug.

Further, since there is no legally required pre-sale testing or oversight of the production or labeling of supplements, it’s quite possible that there is no resemblance between what a label says and what is actually in the product. No tests are required to determine the purity or safety of any of these CBD supplements – or to confirm the reliability of any testing that a manufacturer may claim to have conducted.

It’s the wild, wild west out there! A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2015 found that CBD/hemp products were significantly mislabeled and often contained much more or less CBD than reported. Other concerns include purity and adulteration with substances possibly toxic to dogs, such as xylitol.

Current Studies

Those of us who like our supplements to be served along with a healthy dose of scientific data supporting their use are holding off on trying out these products for a bit longer. Other than a handful of small-scale studies looking at the use of CBD oil in dogs, there is no data on veterinary usage. Most available information is individual case studies and/or anecdotal.

So far, there have been only three studies that have evaluated the use of CBD in dogs.

It’s big business: This is just one of more than 40 booths at the 2019 Global Pet Expo pet products trade show for a company that is marketing CBD supplements for dogs.

 

The earliest was published in January 2018 in Frontiers in Veterinary Medicine and evaluated the oral pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of CBD oil. The results showed that CBD in the concentrations used appeared safe, well-tolerated, and to decrease pain associated with osteoarthritis. Serum alkaline phosphatase, a liver value (SAP or ALP) was noted to increase, but this is not uncommon with many drugs, including phenobarbital and prednisone. This is called liver induction and can occur with drugs that rely heavily on liver metabolism. The significance of this finding is not known.

A second study, published in September 2018, evaluated adverse effects when CBD oil was given to a group of 30 healthy research dogs. Several different formulations were used, and despite the differences, all the dogs in the study developed diarrhea. Some also developed elevations in SAP, as in the first study. Overall, the CBD was considered to be well-tolerated but more research is needed on the significance of the associated diarrhea, as well as the liver enzyme increases.

A random sample: CBD supplements for dogs come in oils, tinctures, chews, cookies, and more.

 

Very recently (June 2019), a study was released evaluating CBD oil used in combination with antiseizure medications in dogs with intractable epilepsy. One group received CBD-infused oil, and the other received a placebo. The seizure frequency did decrease in the CBD oil group, but the results need further study. As in previous studies, SAP was increased in many of the patients.

The American Veterinary Medical Association is actively encouraging well-controlled studies into the uses of cannabinoids at this time. It is also working with the FDA to encourage the development of veterinary-specific products. State veterinary associates are making strides, as well, in addressing the sudden abundance of products and claims.

Veterinary Constraints

Veterinarians and “Legal” CBD Products

There is not a single medication containing CBD that is approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for animals.

In 1994, the FDA introduced the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA), which allows veterinarians to use medications in patients “off-label”  – using the drug in a manner that is not in accordance with the approved label directions. Using a drug in this manner can include using a drug in a dose, frequency, or route of administration that is not on the label or in a species for which it is not labeled. So, for example, we may use drugs that are FDA-approved for humans on our animal patients. This must be done within the bounds of a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship.

There is only one Cannabis-derived medication containing CBD that is FDA-approved, and so could conceivably be prescribed or recommended legally “off-label” by a veterinarian for a dog. That drug is Epidiolex, and it is used for the management of seizures in humans with specific types of abnormalities. But the estimated annual cost of this medication is $32,500, making it prohibitively expensive for the majority of dog owners.

One more thing you must know: By law, veterinarians are currently prohibited in every state from dispensing or administering cannabis or cannabis products to an animal patient. It doesn’t matter if your dog suffers a chronic, painful condition or seizures. It doesn’t matter if the product is a supplement (rather than a drug), and you were able to buy it in a pet supply store.

Except for veterinarians licensed in California, Colorado, and Oregon, we can’t even legally discuss CBD products with our clients. Why are veterinarians in those states allowed to talk about it?

In late 2018, California became the first state to pass veterinary-specific legislation that amended the state’s Business and Professions code to allow veterinarians to discuss Cannabis and its derivatives. It also requires that the California Veterinary Medical Board develop guidelines for these discussions by the year 2020. Like every other state, however, California’s code also specifically “prohibits a licensed veterinarian from dispensing or administering Cannabis or Cannabis products to an animal patient.”

The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association’s position statement on what it calls “marijuana and marijuana-derived products” says that the state “recognizes the interest of companion animal lovers and veterinarians regarding the potential benefits of marijuana therapies for a variety of animal medical conditions. Similar to human medicine, there is extremely limited data on the medical benefits and side effects of marijuana products in companion animals.”

Further, the Colorado position statement clarifies that veterinarians licensed in that state “have an obligation to provide companion animal owners with complete education in regard to the potential risks and benefits of marijuana products in animals. . . . Any discussion regarding a specific marijuana product as part of a companion animal’s therapeutic regimen should be consistent with a valid veterinarian-client-patient (VCP) relationship.”

Veterinarians and “Legal” CBD Products

There is not a single medication containing CBD that is approved by the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for animals.

In 1994, the FDA introduced the Animal Medicinal Drug Use Clarification Act (AMDUCA), which allows veterinarians to use medications in patients “off-label”  – using the drug in a manner that is not in accordance with the approved label directions. Using a drug in this manner can include using a drug in a dose, frequency, or route of administration that is not on the label or in a species for which it is not labeled. So, for example, we may use drugs that are FDA-approved for humans on our animal patients. This must be done within the bounds of a valid veterinary-client-patient relationship.

There is only one Cannabis-derived medication containing CBD that is FDA-approved, and so could conceivably be prescribed or recommended legally “off-label” by a veterinarian for a dog. That drug is Epidiolex, and it is used for the management of seizures in humans with specific types of abnormalities. But the estimated annual cost of this medication is $32,500, making it prohibitively expensive for the majority of dog owners.

Oregon’s Veterinary Medical Examining Board emailed its members a memo in August 2016 stating, “Veterinarians may discuss veterinary use of Cannabis with clients, and are advised to inform clients about published data on toxicity in animals, as well as lack of scientific data on benefits. Please be aware that a client’s written consent is needed for any unorthodox treatment.”

The states’ legislation and veterinary medical board rulings will likely change quickly, as the landscape of Cannabis use is rapidly evolving. But at the moment, with many veterinarians fearing that they could face legal repercussions for violating their state regulations, few pet owners have much recourse for discussion about CBD with veterinarians.

You Are On Your Own

I’ll repeat this: If you decide to administer products that contain CBD to your dog, you need to be aware that they are untested and unapproved, and that your veterinarian may not have any experience or reliable information about any adverse reactions your dog experiences.

If you are taking your dog to a veterinarian for treatment, tests, or advice and your dog is receiving CBD products of any kind, make sure that the veterinarian is aware of this; ideally, she can alert you to the dangers of any potential adverse drug interactions between the CBD and any prescription drugs (or other supplements) that you may be giving your dog.

Your veterinarian also should be alerted to help you be the lookout for side effects – or perhaps, one would hope, to recognize any signs of improvement in your dog’s health and/or comfort.

Osteosarcoma: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment

By
Barbara Dobbins
-
12
Don’t wait to investigate if your dog develops a chronic or intermittent limp, especially in large-breed dog, and especially if it’s in a front leg. Too often, this is a sign of osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OSA) has been found in every vertebrate class and has even been identified in dinosaur fossils, but it appears to be more prevalent in dogs than in any other species. While there are different types of bone cancer, more than 85% of the bone malignancies diagnosed in dogs are OSA.

When compared to other types of cancers found in dogs, the incidence rate of primary OSA is low, with an estimated 10,000 dogs newly diagnosed each year. Its survival rate varies considerably depending on which treatments are used, but, unfortunately, none of the current treatments have high rates of success. Many promising new treatments are in the works, however.

The most common clinical signs associated with OSA are pain, swelling, and lameness in the affected leg. Lameness occurs due to pain, inflammation, microfractures, or pathologic fractures (fractures caused by normal movements due to bone deterioration caused by disease). If swelling is present, it is likely due to the spread of the tumor into the surrounding soft tissues.

Where OSA Is Found

OSA can develop in any bone, but the most common form – the appendicular (limb) form – occurs in the long bones of the legs and accounts for 75 to 85% of cases. Within this subtype, the rate of occurrence in the forelimbs is twice that of the hindlimbs, often located at the top of the humerus (shoulder) or the bottom of the radius (wrist). On the hindlimbs, knee and ankle areas are common locations. These locations are at the ends of bones, at or near the growth plates where cell turnover is high during growth.

While the majority of the remaining cases occur in the axial skeleton (the bones of the head and trunk), there have been cases of OSA documented in extraskeletal sites including the skin and subcutaneous tissues, as well as the lungs, liver, mammary glands, and other organs and glands.
[post-sticky note-id=’365174′]
Osteosarcoma affects mostly middle-aged and older dogs; 80% of cases occur in dogs over 7 years of age, with 50% of cases occurring in dogs over 9 years old. Younger dogs are not immune; approximately 6 to 8% of OSA cases develop in dogs who are just 1 to 2 years of age. OSA of the rib bones also tends to occur in more often in younger dogs with a median age of 4.5 to 5.4 years.

Cause

As with most canine cancers, the cause is unknown. There has been no gender predisposition documented. There does appear to be a genetic component as OSA predominates in long-limbed breeds. Large and giant breeds have an increased risk of OSA because of their size and weight. Small dogs can develop OSA as well, but it is far less common.

Notably, the forelimbs support about 60% of total body weight of the dog and are the most common limbs to develop OSA. It is theorized that in addition to body size, the fast growth rate to create the longer bones in large breeds might contribute directly to OSA risk. Rapid bone growth results in increased bone remodeling and increased cell turnover; high cell division and turnover occurs naturally at and near the growth plates, which are also the most common sites for tumor development.

A dog’s risk also appears to increase if he has had surgery for a fracture repair or an orthopedic implant. These conditions spur the proliferation of bone-forming cells. OSA also has been associated with fractures in which no internal repair was performed. Other possible causes include chronic bone and bone marrow infections, microscopic injury in the weight-bearing bones of young growing dogs, ionizing radiation, phenotypical variations in interleukin-6 (a protein produced by various cells), abnormalities in the p53 tumor-suppressor gene, viral infections, and chemical carcinogens.

Hormonal risk factors are being actively explored in an effort to determine if there is an increased risk for OSA based on the age of spay or neuter (gonadectomy). In May 2019 Makielski et al. authored a comparative review of OSA risk factors and included this commentary on trending current hormonal studies (Veterinary Sciences Vet Sci 2019, 6, 48):

 

“Similarly, associations between reproductive status and development of osteosarcoma have been inconsistent. Although several reports suggest that spayed and/or neutered dogs have higher incidence of certain cancers, including osteosarcoma, the relationship between reproductive status and cancer risk may be confounded by other variables, such as the documented tendency toward increased adiposity and body condition in gonadectomized dogs. Increased load combined with delayed physeal (growth plate) closure, a result of gonadectomy prior to skeletal maturity, could theoretically contribute to increased osteosarcoma risk in dogs.”

Diagnosis and Staging

Clinical presentation of canine OSA typically appears as lameness of the affected limb, with or without visible swelling or mass at the affected area.

[post-sticky note-id=’365169′]
Diagnostic exams usually include a physical exam, an orthopedic and neurological examination (to eliminate other causes of lameness), and radiographs (x-rays). Radiographs may allow for a presumptive diagnosis as OSA frequently has a characteristic appearance in the bones: patterns of bone destruction, abnormal bone growth, and sometimes fractures.

If a tentative diagnosis of OSA has been made, additional screening tests are recommended to ensure your dog is otherwise healthy; these may include a blood panel, thoracic radiographs, and CT scan. Ultrasounds are often performed but early metastasis to the abdomen is very rare. A bone aspirate for cytology with alkaline phosphate stain is common and recommended. This may occur as part of the screening process or obtained during surgery.

OSA is extremely aggressive and typically metastatic. While only 10 to 15% of dogs will have measurable metastasis, it is believed that up to 95% of dogs have undetectable metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Because of this high metastatic risk, additional assessment is recommended. Most metastatic spread appears in the lungs so thoracic radiographs are warranted.  Survey radiographs also may be recommended due to an 8% risk of metastasis to other bones. Metastasis may also be seen in lymph nodes (5%) and internal organs.

If available, PET scans or nuclear scintigraphy (sometimes referred to as a “bone scan” or “Gamma scan”) are even more sensitive diagnostic tools that can identify diseases not visible with other imaging methods. It can be useful for the detection of metastasis in dogs as it can distinguish any region of osteoblastic activity, including osteoarthritis and infection.

While there are several published histologic grading systems for OSA, there is no universally accepted system, making the predictive value of routine grading of OSA questionable.

Staging of OSA utilizes the TNM (Tumor-Node-Metastasis) System, the standard system used for most tumor staging in veterinary medicine. Three stages of OSA can be differentiated:

Stage I indicates a low-grade tumor (G1) with no evidence of metastasis (M0)

Stage II indicates a high-grade tumor (G2) without metastasis.

Stages I and II are further divided into two subgroups: Group A indicates that the tumor has stayed within the bone (T1). Group B indicates that the tumor has spread beyond the bone into other nearby structures (T2). Most dogs are diagnosed with Stage IIB OSA.

Stage III is a tumor with metastatic disease (M1).

Treatment

The primary considerations for treatment of OSA should include an understanding of how far the disease has metastasized, how to treat the bone tumor itself, and how to curb, delay, or prevent recurrence or spread of the disease. The disease develops deep in the bone and destroys it from the inside; as a result, it can be extremely painful and treating that pain can be a challenge. Above all, any approach should ensure that the dog maintains excellent quality of life.

  • Surgical

Wide-margin surgery, by either limb amputation or limb-sparing surgery, is indicated as the standard initial treatment of canine appendicular OSA. While biopsies are typically recommended prior to surgery for most types of cancer, it is not a necessity with OSA when there are other diagnostic indicators.

  • Amputation

Two “tripod dogs” meet at the dog park: What are the odds? Amputation of a limb affected by OSA is the quickest way to relieve the dog’s pain and most of the destructive processes of the disease.

Removal of the limb extracts the local cancer immediately and is the quickest and most effective way of alleviating pain and most of the destructive processes of OSA. It also removes the risk of a painful pathological fracture, which often occurs as the disease progresses.

Because pain inhibits quality of life, amputation is considered a quality of life choice. The majority of dogs recover quickly and resume a normal life on three legs. Amputation completely removes the primary tumor, is not a complicated surgery and requires less anesthesia time, offers a decreased risk of postoperative complications, and is a less expensive procedure than limb-sparing surgery (discussed next).

  • Limb-Sparing Surgery

Limb sparing can be preferable to amputation for dogs who suffer from existing severe orthopedic or neurological diseases; candidates for limb-sparing surgery should be in otherwise good health with a primary tumor confined to the bone. This surgical procedure replaces the diseased bone with a metal implant or bone graft or combination of the two to reconstruct a functional limb.

[post-sticky note-id=’365172′]

Limb sparing surgery temporarily improves the overall condition of the leg, but eventually the cancer will progress and the bone will deteriorate. Limb function is preserved in more than 80% of dogs. However, complications are fairly common with this procedure. Infections occur in 30 to 50% of cases, implant failure in 20 to 40%, and 15 to 25% of dogs will experience tumor recurrence. Subsequent chemotherapy and radiation treatments also may be recommended.

  • Stereotactic Radiosurgery (aka SRS, Stereotactic Radiotherapy/SRT, Cyberknife)

Stereotactic radiosurgery is an alternative to amputation or limb-sparing surgery; it also may be used as an adjunct therapy following amputation. It is a nonsurgical procedure (but does require anesthesia) that delivers radiation directly to the tumor site. Radiation acts by making cancer cells unable to reproduce.

SRS precisely transmits several beams of radiation aimed from various angles to deliver a high dose of radiation to a designated tumor target. The delivery system is effective and efficient and therefore reduces the chance of damage to surrounding normal structures and tissues. Potential downsides to SRS include fracture from radiation-induced bone degradation and possible tumor regrowth. Early reports suggest that the outcomes of SRS followed by chemotherapy may be comparable to those achieved with amputation and chemotherapy.

  • Chemotherapy

The best outcomes for dogs with OSA to date have been for those undergoing amputation followed by chemotherapy. Since tumor removal does not address metastasis, systemic treatment via chemotherapy can be vital to a treatment plan. Several studies have reported prolonged survival rates using cytostatic drug protocols, with carboplatin, cisplatin, and doxorubicin the most commonly used.

Side effects from chemotherapy tend to occur infrequently; when they do, they are usually predictable, minor, and manageable. A dog undergoing chemotherapy can expect to have excellent quality of life.

  • Immunotherapy

For the latest in immunotherapy treatment for OSA, see WDJ March 2019 “A New Bone Cancer Vaccine for Dogs.”

Other Treatments

  • Palliative Radiation

The primary goal of palliative radiation is to maintain good quality of life for cancer patients, whether human or canine. It is used to control clinical signs and pain associated with tumors that either cannot be treated by other techniques or where more aggressive treatments have been declined.

As an added benefit, palliative radiation may slow the rate of progression and reduce the size of the tumor, thereby further contributing to the well-being of the patient. Dogs with OSA initially undergo two to five treatment sessions (requiring anesthetic) and are typically administered in lower dosages than that used for stereotactic radiosurgery.

Most dogs will achieve some degree of pain relief within the first one to two weeks following treatment, with the potential for it to be effective for a couple of months. When pain returns, radiation can be re-administered for if deemed appropriate.

  • Bisphosonate Drugs

Bisphosphonates, such as pamidronate and zoledronate, are easily administered through intravenous (IV) infusions and are aimed at preventing or slowing bone destruction and reducing pain and risk of fracture, therefore prolonging the dog’s life. This treatment is relatively inexpensive, has a wide safety margin, and can even be used on dogs with renal or liver insufficiency.

These drugs are usually used in combination with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy but may be used alone. Additionally, bisphononates appear to have potential cancer-suppression effects by impeding proliferation and inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death); as a result, they have become a targeted area for new research.

  • Pain Management

Again, because OSA can be extremely painful, recognition and alleviation of pain is essential for maintaining quality of life. Dogs with OSA may experience pain due to a number of causes: the cancer itself, a treatment modality, or a concurrent disease such as osteoarthritis. To preemptively and adequately control pain, more than one medication is often required.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) are typically a mainstay for controlling pain – but aren’t the best choice for the type of pain associated with OSA. However, they may be used to address other forms of pain being experienced concurrently. Gabapentin, amitriptyline, duloxetine, and amantadine are better suited to alleviating OSA-related pain.

Weight control can help by relieving the extra pressure on joints; supplements also may be recommended to help support the unaffected joints. Physical therapy and massage can be beneficial, especially for the compensating joints and muscles. Acupuncture, having been shown to increase endorphins (which inhibit pain perception), also can provide an avenue for pain management.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is an approach that prioritizes measures to relieve symptoms (without curative intent) and improve comfort. It is a valid and respected choice for care; only owners can decide what is best their dogs. Palliative care also can be provided to dogs who are at the end stage of their disease.

Prognosis

The heartbreaking reality is that the vast majority of dogs affected by OSA will succumb to the disease or be released through euthanasia due to disease progression. Dogs who do not receive any form of cancer-specific treatment are usually euthanized within one to two months of diagnosis due to uncontrolled pain.

Those treated with surgery alone (amputation) have an average survival period of about four to five months; almost all die within a year and only 2% live past two years.

Dogs receiving surgery and chemotherapy have average survival times of approximately 10 months, with up to 28% alive after two years.

The median survival time for dogs receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy is about seven months.

In general, dogs between 7 and 10 years old tend to have longer survival times than younger and older dogs.

The prognosis is very poor for dogs with Stage III OSA; the average survival time is 2.5 months. Dogs less than 7 years old with a large tumor located at the top of the humerus also have a very poor prognosis. Dogs with axial OSA have an average survival time of four to five months as complete surgery is usually prohibitive due to tumor location and likely recurrence. If regional lymph node metastasis has been found, survival time is only about 1.5 months.

This Is A Tough One

With the increasing amount of research being conducted on OSA, there is hope for new therapies, increased survival times, and improved outcomes. But for many, it won’t be soon enough. Bear, my friend Keri’s dog, succumbed to OSA while I was writing this. He lived 16 months after diagnosis with palliative care and lots of love. He is very much missed.

Fear Free Veterinary Care

By
Sassafras Lowrey
-
26
Too frequently, this is what our dogs look like while waiting for or during a veterinary examination. Can you imagine being terrified or full of dread during every doctor visit? (Maybe some of you are!) Fortunately for our dogs, there is a movement afoot to change how our pets are handled and treated in veterinary hospitals.

Does your dog know when you are approaching the veterinary clinic? Sadly, many dogs are nervous, anxious, or just uncomfortable at the vet’s office.

Thankfully there is a movement of veterinary professionals who are working hard to create positive, low-stress experiences for dogs entering veterinary hospitals, reducing stress for dogs (and owners!). And the organization that is providing formal training to veterinarians and their staff members also teaches dog owners how to help their dogs feel more comfortable at the vet.

Visionary Veterinary Visits

Fear Free is the brainchild of Marty Becker, DVM, whose veterinary practice is the North Idaho Animal Hospital in Sandpoint, Idaho.  Dr. Becker is better known for his weekly nationally syndicated newspaper feature “Pet Connection” and his 17-year stint as the resident veterinary contributor on “Good Morning America.” He is also the author of some 25 books on pets and pet health.

“The idea for Fear Free and the slogan ‘Taking the pet out of petrified,’ came out of a lecture by a boarded veterinary behaviorist, Dr. Karen Overall,” says Dr. Becker. “Previously, I, like the vast majority of my colleagues, thought of pet’s distress at the veterinary office as unavoidable collateral damage. Through her lecture, I knew that we – all of us who deal with animals including veterinarians, veterinary nurses, trainers, groomers, boarding personnel – were causing repeat, severe, irreversible psychological damage to the animals we care for. Nobody gets into a career of working with animals to make life worse for them.”

Dr. Becker began envisioning an organization that could educate pet professionals of all kinds about how to recognize the signs of fear, anxiety, and stress, and how to handle pets in ways that at least reduce, and at best, eliminate these emotions and the negative behavioral fallout that often results from handling that does not consider or prioritize the animal’s experience.

Fear Free’s founder, Dr. Marty Becker, says “Fear Free is where state-of-the-art veterinary medicine meets state-of-the-heart veterinary medicine.”

“Once we realized the damage we were doing to pets, and the potential physical and emotional benefit we left unrealized, hundreds of top veterinary professionals and others involved in animal care committed to bringing a science-based, compassionate approach to pet care,” Dr. Becker says. He collaborated with veterinarians, veterinary behaviorists, and force-free trainers to create a curriculum, and offered the first Fear Free certification course in 2016.

Today, Fear Free provides education and certification to veterinary professionals in methodologies developed by board-certified veterinary behaviorists, anesthesiologists, pain experts, and more. According to the organization, more than 48,000 veterinary and pet professionals (including groomers, trainers, and more) have been certified in Fear Free dog-handling techniques.

Ultimately, the Fear Free approach to handling dogs in any situation is beneficial to the dog population as a whole, but its most potent gifts may lie in improving our pets’ veterinary visit experience.

“Fear Free veterinary visits make taking the dog to the hospital fun for the dog and fun for the dog’s guardian, for the veterinarian and for veterinary personnel, too,” says Kenneth Martin, DVM, DACVB, a co-owner of Veterinary Behavior Consultations, in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Martin explains that the Fear Free practices “take the fear, anxiety, and/or stress out of waiting to be seen by the veterinarian. Dogs are provided with non-slip surfaces, calming pheromones, aromatherapy, and soothing music. Greetings include a considerate approach to interactions with the dog, who is touched and handled in ways that reduce stress. Treats, toys, and various distraction techniques are used to keep the dog comfortable and make the visit enjoyable.”

Unless you know in advance that your vet hospital supplies its patients with comfy mats for the waiting and exam rooms, bring one from home!

This is not business as usual in a vet clinic! Every interaction between the dog, owner, and clinic staff is intentional, and “the dog’s emotional response to the veterinary visit is noted to make each and every veterinary visit a more enjoyable experience, from the trip to the hospital until arriving back home,” Dr. Martin says.

Fear Free Certification

Fear Free offers courses for veterinary professionals  and staff on how to improve animal hospital encounters for their patients. Fear Free has considered every aspect of the patients’ veterinary hospital experience and has suggestions for changes that result in a drastic drop in the patients’ stress and discomfort.

Veterinary staff members who take the courses learn how to recognize the signs of stress and fear in their patients, understand how a patient’s perception affects its behavior in the veterinary hospital setting, assess their own hospitals for stress-provoking infrastructure and practices, and employ dozens of new tactics to improve the vet-hospital experience for their clients’ pets. There are currently eight modules in the course, with an examination at the end of each module. A veterinary provider must pass each exam with a score of 80% or more in order to continue. Upon successful completion of all the modules, a Fear Free certificate is awarded. The certification is valid for one year; continuing education units and examinations must be completed annually for the practitioner’s certification to remain current.

Hospital Certification

A veterinarian working in a group practice can become certified individually, but if there are other staff members with an interest in Fear Free precepts, they might want to pursue a Fear Free practice certification, described on FearFreePets.com:

 

“Practice Certification takes Fear Free implementation to the next level – from an individual to a joint effort that requires the entire practice team to work together to safeguard the emotional wellbeing of their patients, clients, and team members.”

 

In order for a practice to become certified, more than 25% of the staff must be Fear Free Certified with active memberships; this must include 100% of the practice’s leadership and/or management team and 50% + 1 of the practice’s full-time veterinarians.

Once a practice has achieved this and completed an online self-assessment of the standards, Fear Free will send a Fear Free Practice Certification Veterinarian to conduct an on-site visit and evaluation of the practice. The results will be submitted to Fear Free for review and final determination of pass or fail.

The basic Fear Free certification course costs $279 for an individual; the price per person for the certification decreases when the number of people working in the same veterinary practice who also seek certification increases.

Maintaining an active membership requires an annual fee of $99 per person and completion of four continuing education units each year from Fear Free’s large library of educational offerings. All of this adds up to a significant investment of money, time, and interest in providing a stress- and fear-free veterinary experience to the practice’s patients.

Dr. Patricia Slanga, a Fear Free certified veterinarian, recently opened this beautiful practice she designed and built according to Fear Free precepts: Noah’s Glen Animal Hospital in Morgantown, Pennsylvania.

Fear Free Veterinary Visits Are Different

In many ways a Fear Free approach to veterinary care is about prioritizing the needs of your dog above all else and ensuring that he is comfortable in any veterinary setting. “We have made huge advancements that have allowed us to help dogs live longer and healthier lives by looking after their physical well-being,” says Jonathan Bloom, DVM, a Fear Free certified practitioner at the Willowdale Animal Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. “Now it’s time for us to help dogs live happier lives, by looking after their emotional well-being.”
[post-sticky note-id=’365150′]
Employing a Fear Free approach to veterinary care gives our dogs agency at the vet office, instead of being forced to comply. Dr. Bloom explains how Fear Free protocols put the needs of the pet first – and how this requires veterinary practitioners to shift their approach to ensure the dog is comfortable.

“If pets don’t like being up on exam room tables, we examine them on the floor. If they don’t like liver treats, then we offer them chicken treats. If they feel more secure being near their owners, then we do their entire exam, vaccine, blood sample collection, etc., beside their owners,” he says.

Fear Free practitioners generally book longer appointments times and require their technicians to use Fear Free restraint and handling methods so their patients are not rushed or intimidated into compliance during examination procedures. Because more time is taken with the animals, the practitioner may charge more for visits than vets who spend just a few minutes with the patient, leaving the collection of vital signs and biological samples (blood, urine, feces) to the technicians.

When an entire practice is Fear Free-certified, the client should notice even more departures from conventional veterinary clinics. Waiting rooms are arranged in a manner that gives dog and cat clients plenty of room so they feel safe and not overstimulated, and provisions are on hand to make any wait comfortable for the patients, with soft beds or mats and non-slip paths that facilitate a smooth flow of patient traffic. Species-specific appeasing pheromone diffusers and/or aromatherapeutic diffusers will likely be in use in waiting and exam rooms.

When the visit is complete, a technician may invite you and your dog to relax and enjoy some treats in the exam room while your bill is being prepared; you can make a payment, receive medications and instructions, and make a follow up appointment (if needed) in the same room, so when all of this business is complete, you and your dog can make a smooth exit to your car, instead of having to stand in line back in the waiting room to do these things.

Even the disinfectants in a Fear Free certified practice are likely to be different from those used in veterinary hospitals that don’t adhere to Fear Free protocols.

“When you embrace Fear Free certification, you begin to realize that our patients can suffer sensory overload during their veterinary visit. Overwhelming sights, sounds, and smells need to be eliminated when you make a commitment to Fear Free,” says Julie Reck, DVM, owner of the Veterinary Medical Center of Fort Mill (South Carolina).

Dr. Reck switched all the cleaning products in her hospital to an accelerated hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant that kills pathogens but does not leave a lingering chemical smell, and pheromone diffusers are used throughout the facility. The disinfectant is not only less overwhelming for the patients, she says, it’s safer for the clients and staff.

Dr. Reck is also a huge proponent of Fear Free practice certification; not only is her practice Fear Free certified, she joined the Fear Free Executive Council and is on the organization’s speaker’s bureau.

Emotional Health Complements Physical Health

It’s scary to think about how one negative experience at a vet clinic, or even just a couple uncomfortable ones, can adversely affect how your dog regards vet visits for the rest of his life. I witnessed this with my youngest dog, who needed major surgery before her second birthday. She went from a puppy who loved going to the vet to a dog who became wary of vet visits after several stressful and painful  diagnostic visits and consultations before bilateral TPLO surgery.

Dr. Martin says that this type of negative experience isn’t necessary. “In the past, the veterinarian and dog owner alike have justified the stress of the veterinary visit and/or procedure as being in the best interest of the dog – but the dog doesn’t know that!” says Dr. Martin. In contrast, he describes the Fear Free protocols for a vet visit as “a feel-good sensory experience, incorporating pleasant sights, sounds, smells, taste, and touch.”

But Fear Free veterinary visits aren’t just about making dog feel better emotionally; they also can have measurable impacts on your dog’s physiological health – and your veterinarian’s ability to accurately diagnose or monitor your dog’s health.

“Stress negatively influences physical parameters such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature,” says Dr. Martin. “In the stressed individual, these parameters, routinely checked with most veterinary visits, are not an accurate representation of the dog’s overall health. And stress suppresses the immune response.”

Canine Constipation

By
Catherine Ashe, DVM
-
5
You need to investigate if your dog seems to be straining and/or staying in the “poop posture” for a long time. Constipation becomes more serious over time, so start home treatment ASAP, and don’t wait too long to seek veterinary attention if your dog hasn’t produced stool within a few days.

Constipation seems like it should be a straightforward medical problem, but this is far from the case! Constipation occurs when there is difficulty or inability to empty the bowels. Stools may be extremely firm. A dog will strain and remain in the “poop posture” for quite some time before producing a bowel movement. In some cases, only mucus will pass.
There are many possible causes, including:

  • Eating indigestible material or very dry material such as pork bones
  • Arthritis pain that makes “assuming the posture” difficult
  • Dehydration
  • Malformations of the pelvic canal (congenital or acquired)
  • Drugs such as opioids
  • Behavioral
  • Neurological disease leading to weakness

The normal frequency of bowel movements (BMs) can vary hugely among individual dogs. In general, one to two BMs per day is the minimum, with some dogs going much more frequently. Because the large intestine is such a stretchy organ, a dog can go several days between bowel movements without significant issue. If a dog goes an exceptionally long time without defecating (a week or longer), though, obstipation – a severe form of constipation – can result. This is when the colon is packed with extremely hard, dry feces and passing them is not possible without assistance.

Are you sure it’s constipation?

Diarrhea may be mistaken for constipation, especially if a dog usually is unsupervised at potty time. Persistent diarrhea causes inflammation of the intestines and leads to discomfort and straining, even when there is no stool in the colon. Monitoring your dog’s bathroom habits is important and should be done at least daily.

One easy thing to consider any time you are worried about constipation is a fecalith. Sometimes, especially in small dogs with very long hair, a firm fecal ball can become stuck to the hair around the anus and obstruct the outside. In dogs with dark hair, this is easy to miss! This is a quick and simple fix with a pair of scissors and gloves. Anytime you see your dog straining at home, a quick look at the perianal area can identify the cause in some cases.

Symptoms of constipation you might see at home include posturing without producing any feces, straining but producing only small amounts of stool or no stool at all, bright red blood on the outside of the stool (due to inflammation and colon trauma), and in severe cases, decreased appetite and vomiting.

If you suspect constipation, check in with your veterinarian. The symptoms of straining and frequent trips outside might indicate constipation or a urinary problem, which also can be life-threatening.

Preliminary Home Treatment

Home remedies that can help with constipation are numerous and varied in their success. Do not administer over-the-counter laxatives. Instead, you can add plain canned pumpkin to your dog’s food, anywhere from one to two tablespoons per meal. This adds fiber and bulk while increasing colon motility.

If you think dehydration is playing a role, increase your dog’s water intake by adding some canned food to his meals (mix in a little more water for greater effect), dropping a few ice cubes to his water to encourage drinking, and using a recirculating water fountain. A gentle increase in exercise can also improve bowel motility, so take your canine companion for a walk! If this doesn’t accelerate your pet’s gastrointestinal (GI) motility, it’s time to visit a veterinarian.

See Your Vet!

During the examination, your veterinarian will start with a complete history. Questions will include the diet your dog is currently eating including any treats, any medications and supplements that you give, normal frequency of BMs, and what changes you’ve noticed.

Then your veterinarian will assess every system from head to toe. Once the basic system exam is completed, your veterinarian should focus on abdominal palpation and a rectal exam. While it’s not pleasant for your dog (or for you to see!), this is very important. This digital exam can detect many abnormalities and possible causes. It allows the veterinarian to palpate the urethra where it runs underneath the colon, the sublumbar lymph nodes, the prostate (in male dogs), the anal glands, and the mucosal surface of the rectum and colon. The pelvic canal can also be felt.

As with most diseases in dogs, common causes can be ruled in or out based on the signalment (the age and breed).

Very young puppies (less than 6 weeks) with constipation should be evaluated for a congenital abnormality of the rectum and/or colon. Some breeds that may be predisposed include any with short “screw tails” like Pugs and English Bulldogs. When the tail is exceptionally short, there can be underlying spinal abnormalities that cause nerve dysfunction.

Another abnormality is atresia ani, when the anus doesn’t form, and there is nowhere for feces to exit. Puppies who are being bottle raised may also deal with constipation from the puppy milk replacer.

Other Possible Causes

In older puppies who are chewing and eating food, checking for ingestion of foreign material that might lead to fecal impaction is important. This can include sand, rocks, and bone.

Trauma to young dogs that free roam is also a possibility. It isn’t uncommon for a stray pup to be adopted from a shelter situation only to discover old, healed injuries. Pelvic fractures can be one of these types of injuries, leading to a narrow pelvic inlet, and difficulty passing feces.

As dogs age the causes of constipation often become more systemic in nature and may include organ disease such as kidney failure and diabetes mellitus leading to dehydration, neurological disease like  degenerative myelopathy, and arthritis pain can all contribute. This is why a head-to-tail-tip examination is so important!

Reproductive status can also play a role. Intact male dogs develop two particular problems as they age: benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and perineal hernia. Both can lead to difficulty defecating (and urinating).

In the case of BPH, the influence of testosterone causes the prostate to enlarge symmetrically. The condition is not cancerous and non-painful, but if the prostate becomes large enough, it can make defecating and urinating difficult. Treatment is removal of the testosterone source via neutering.

Perineal hernia is also caused by the influence of testosterone. The muscles surrounding the rectum (the perineal muscles) become weak with age and can separate. Abdominal organs, particularly the bladder and colon, can herniate through and lead to difficulty with urinating and defecating. The symptoms are straining and a soft, reducible bulge on one or both sides of the rectum. Again, neutering and surgical repair are the treatments of choice.

Treatment

General constipation treatment depends on the underlying cause. If the constipation is fairly recent in onset, in a young dog, the initial diagnostic testing may just include a physical exam, history, and x-rays to rule out a foreign object. Therapy can then be directed at relieving the discomfort.

Several ways to do this exist including administration of enemas with warm water (sometimes including soap or lubrication), increasing fiber in the diet by adding canned pumpkin or switching to a high fiber diet, increasing water intake, and administration of medications such as lactulose, a stool softener.

If the constipation has been ongoing for a while, and the dog is older, other tests will likely be recommended. These include bloodwork to evaluate for systemic diseases as mentioned above, and possibly an abdominal ultrasound to look for a cause of obstruction.

In severe cases, it might be necessary to manually disimpact. This should be done under heavy sedation and/or general anesthesia. It is painful and invasive, and a dog must be fully relaxed for the best outcome. Prior to disimpaction, the veterinarian may treat with intravenous (IV) fluids to rehydrate first, as well as administer an enema to allow the feces to soften as much as possible. Lactulose may also be added prior to surgery to help with removing the feces. Bloodwork will be reviewed for any electrolyte abnormalities that need correction.

It is not common in dogs, but a condition called megacolon can develop. This describes a syndrome in which there is persistent dilation and slow to no motility. It can happen as a result of long-term, unresolved constipation causing stretching and damage of the nerves. Unfortunately, this can be difficult to resolve. In some cases, the megacolon is reversible if there is a definite underlying cause (such as a pelvic fracture) that can be surgically repaired. The earlier this is done, the better the chances for a good outcome.

Kids and Dogs

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
-
16
Dog Bites
Is the child about to be bitten? Or does the dog adore the kid? We don’t know! This is a stock photo! The dog may be trying to avoid the child, or just turning her head . . . However, we can say that this isn’t something that you should allow your child to do with any but the most rock-solid, kid-loving dog – and if this is the only type of dog your child has experience with, you will have to make sure he doesn’t have the opportunity to try it with dogs whose kid-tolerance is unknown.

These days, it seems that every time someone posts a picture on social media of a child with a dog it is immediately followed by a spate of posts expressing horror at the anticipated savage attack likely to follow.

Granted, some of those photos do, indeed, show dogs displaying body language signals that suggest a significant amount of discomfort at the proximity of the child, and real potential for injury. But many of them also, in my opinion, depict normal, healthy interactions between dogs and young humans.

Dogs and kids have been happy buddies for centuries. While dog bites to children are nothing new (I was bitten by a stray puppy at age five, in 1956) we seem to be much more reactive to them as a culture than we used to be. When did we become a society so phobic about any dog/kid interaction? And, perhaps more important, how do we help people recognize and create safe, healthy relationships between dogs and children?

It’s Not Cute, It’s Abuse

There is a truly horrendous video on YouTube of parents encouraging their very young child to abuse their Rottweiler. The child runs over to the dog, who is lying on the floor, climbs on his back, hugs him violently – and when the dog gets up to try to move away from the abuse, the adults call him back and make him lie down for more child torture. Meanwhile the child has lost interest and walked away and the parents insist that he come back and interact with the dog more.

This time the dog is lying on his side, and for the remainder of the two-minute clip the child climbs on and violently bounces up and down on the dog’s ribcage; grabs his jowls, cheek, and nose; and puts his face directly in the dog’s face, all the while with encouragement and laughter from the parents. Through it all, the dog is giving off constant signs of stress and distress – whale eye, panting, tongue flicks, gasping for air, and more. (If you really want to see it, we made a shortcut to a copy of the original video that someone captioned with notes about the dog’s warning signs: tinyurl.com/WDJ-abuse.)

This should be prosecutable child endangerment as well as animal abuse. Someday, if the incredibly tolerant Rottweiler has finally had enough and bites the child, the parents will be aghast. “We don’t know what happened – he was always so good with little Bobby!” And if the defensive bite is serious enough, the dog is likely to lose his life as a result . Meanwhile, if the child tries this incredibly inappropriate behavior with a less tolerant dog (which would include most dogs on the planet), he’s likely to be very badly bitten, and again, the unfortunate dog might easily pay with his life. What were these parents thinking?

A commonly quoted statistic states that some 4.7 million dog bites occur in the U.S. annually, with 42% of the victims age 14 or under.

As staggering as though those numbers may be, and as sensational as the “Dog Mauls Toddler” headlines are, they are also somewhat misleading. A very large percentage of those millions of bites are relatively minor, so the situation isn’t nearly as dire as it first appears.

Still, even one preventable child-mauling incident is one too many, and many of them are, in fact, quite preventable.

Supervisor Needed

Supervision of interactions between dogs and children is, indeed, critically important, at least until it is crystal clear that the child and dog are safe together. The “You must supervise kids and dogs!” mantra has been repeated so many times I would be surprised if there’s even one parent in the Western world who hasn’t heard it.

But here’s the rub: A significant number of kids suffer from dog bites even when the parent or other caretaker is directly supervising the interaction. If “supervision” is the holy grail of dog-kid interactions, how does this happen?

It seems that, over the years, as we trainers and behaviorists have repeated “Supervise, supervise, supervise!” until we’re blue in the face, we have somehow neglected to do a thorough job of helping parents and caretakers understand exactly what they are looking for when they are supervising.

It’s not just about being present, it’s also about watching closely, preventing the child from interacting inappropriately with the dog, and watching the dog for body language signals that communicate some level of discomfort with the child’s presence and/or interactions.

Upper Level Management

Management – controlling your dog’s environment and access to unsafe or undesirable things or practices – is a vital part of any successful behavior and training program. With kids and dogs, it’s even more critical. When you aren’t able to actively supervise (no TV! no texting!), you must manage. The price for management failure is simply too high.

A DICTIONARY OF CANINE STRESS SIGNALS

  • Anorexia Stress causes the appetite to shut down. A dog who won’t eat moderate- to high-value treats may just be distracted or simply not hungry, but refusal to eat is a common indicator of stress. If your dog ordinarily likes treats, but won’t take them in the presence of children, she is telling you something very important: Kids stress her out!
  • Appeasement/Deference Signals Appeasement and deference aren’t always an indicator of stress. They are important everyday communication tools for keeping peace in social groups and are often presented in calm, stress-free interactions. They are offered in a social interaction to promote the tranquility of the group and the safety of the group’s members. When offered in conjunction with other behaviors, they can be an indicator of stress as well. Appeasement and deference signals include:
    • Lip Licking: Appeasing/deferent dog licks at the mouth of the more assertive/threatening/intimidating member of the social group.
    • Turning Head Away, Averting Eyes: Appeasing/deferent dog avoids eye contact, exposes neck.
    • Slow movement: Appeasing/deferent dog appears to be moving in slow-motion.
    • Sitting/Lying Down/Exposing Underside: Appeasing/deferent dog lowers body posture, exposing vulnerable parts.
  • Avoidance Dog turns away, shuts down, evades touch, and won’t take treats.
  • Barking In context, can be a “distance-increasing” stress signal – an attempt to make the stressor go away.
  • Brow Ridges Furrows or muscle ridges in the dog’s forehead and around the eyes.
  • Difficulty Learning Dogs (and other organisms) are unable to learn well or easily when under significant stress.
  • Digestive Disturbances Vomiting and diarrhea can be a sign of illness – or of stress; the digestive system reacts strongly to stress. Carsickness is often a stress reaction.
  • Displacement Behaviors These are behaviors performed in an effort to resolve an internal stress conflict for the dog. They may be performed in the actual presence of the stressor. They also may be observed in a dog who is stressed and in isolation – for example a dog left alone in an exam room in a veterinary hospital.
    • Blinking: Eyes blink at a faster-than normal rate
    • Nose-Licking: Dog’s tongue flicks out once or multiple times
    • Chattering Teeth
    • Scratching (as if the dog suddenly is very itchy)
    • Shaking off (as if wet, but dog is dry)
    • Yawning
  • Drooling May be an indication of stress – or response to the presence of food, an indication of a mouth injury, or digestive distress.
  • Excessive Grooming Dog may lick or chew paws, legs, flank, tail, and genital areas, even to the point of self-mutilation.
  • Hyperactivity Frantic behavior, pacing, sometimes misinterpreted as ignoring, “fooling around,” or “blowing off” owner.
  • Immune System Disorders Long-term stress weakens the immune system. Reduce dog’s overall stress to improve immune-related problems.
  • Lack of Attention/Focus The brain has difficulty processing information when stressed.
  • Leaning/Clinging The stressed dog seeks contact with human as reassurance.
  • Lowered Body Posture “Slinking,” acting “guilty” or “sneaky” (all misinterpretations of dog body language) can be indicators of stress.
  • Mouthing Willingness to use mouth on human skin – can be puppy exploration or adult poor manners, but can also be an expression of stress, ranging from gentle nibbling (flea biting) to hard taking of treats to painfully hard mouthing, snapping, or biting.
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders These include compulsive imaginary fly-snapping behavior, light and shadow chasing, tail chasing, pica (eating non-food objects), flank-sucking, self-mutilation and more. While OCDs probably have a strong genetic component, the behavior itself is usually triggered by stress.
  • Panting Rapid shallow or heavy breathing – normal if the dog is warm or has been exercising, otherwise can be stress-related. Stress may be external (environment) or internal (pain, other medical issues).
  • Stretching To relax stress-related tension in muscles. May also occur as a non-stress behavior after sleeping or staying in one place for extended period.
  • Stiff Movement Tension can cause a noticeable stiffness in leg, body, and tail movements.
  • Sweaty Paws Damp footprints can be seen on floors, exam tables, rubber mats.
  • Trembling May be due to stress – or cold.
  • Whining High-pitched vocalization, irritating to most humans; an indication of stress. While some may interpret it as excitement, a dog who’s excited to the point of whining is also stressed.
  • Yawning Your dog may yawn because he’s tired – or as an appeasement signal or displacement behavior.
  • Whale Eye Dog rolls eyes, flashing the whites of his eyes.

Even if your dog adores children (and especially if she doesn’t!), management and supervision are vitally important elements of successful dog/baby/child-keeping. There are a staggering number of serious child-bite cases (and fatalities) where the adult left the room “just for a minute.”

That’s why dog training and behavior professionals are well-known for repeating the warning, “Never leave dogs and small children together unattended.” This means, not for a moment. Not while you take a quick bathroom break, or run to the kitchen to grab a snack. Even if the baby is sleeping! Take the dog with you if you leave the room where the baby is sleeping or the child is watching a video. Put the dog in her crate. Shut her in another room.

 Training

Of course, you want to do everything you can to help your dog love children. Even if you don’t have small humans of your own, your dog is likely to encounter them at some point in her life, and things will go better for all involved if she already thinks kids are wonderful.

Ideally, every dog should be well socialized with babies and children from puppyhood. Many young adults adopt a pup at a time when children are, if anything, a distant prospect, without thinking about the fact that kids could easily arrive within the 10 to 15 years of their dog’s lifespan. Even if there will never be children in the dog’s immediate family, chances are she will encounter small humans at some point in her life. By convincing her very early on that children are wonderful, you greatly reduce the risk that she will ever feel compelled to bite one.

If an adult-dog adoption is in the works and there will be (or are) children in your world, remember this critically important caveat: Dogs who are going to be around babies and/or children must adore kids, not just tolerate them. A dog who adores children will forgive many of the inappropriate things young humans will inevitably do to dogs, despite your best efforts at supervision and management. A dog who merely tolerates them will not.

Teach Your Children

Safe child-dog interactions start with teaching children – even very young children – how to respect and interact appropriately with dogs. If a child is too young to grasp the information, then the supervising adult must physically prevent the child from being inappropriate.

Babies and toddlers often flail their hands at new or exciting stimuli – like dogs. Not surprisingly, many dogs are likely to find this quite aversive! When young children are introduced to dogs, the adult needs to hold the child’s hand(s) and guide them in appropriately using their hands to touch the dog appropriately (gently and slowly) and without any flailing.

It’s equally important to teach children that dogs are not toys to be treated roughly. Even if your family dog tolerates – or even loves – being hugged, allowing your young child to hug your dog can prompt her to hug the next dog she meets – with possibly disastrous results. Until your child is old enough to understand that some things that are okay with your dog are not okay with other dogs, you are far safer not allowing her to do those things with your dog, either.

Ideally, engage your child to assist with your dog’s training at the earliest possible age using positive reinforcement-based methods that teach your child the importance of cooperation and respect, so your child learns how to interact appropriately with other sentient creatures. At the same time, you will be strengthening the positive association between your dog and your child.

Watch that Body Talk

Any time your dog shows any sign of being uncomfortable with your child’s presence, you must separate the dog and child to protect them both. Of course, in order to do this you must understand dog body language well enough to recognize when a dog is expressing discomfort.

People often say, “If my dog could only talk…” They actually do communicate! But their mode of communication is body language – and too few humans take the time to learn that language, or “listen” to what the dog is telling us.

Above, we shared  some different ways your dog may be telling you she’s uncomfortable. This is an extensive list, albeit not necessarily a complete one. Study it, and then watch your dog for any of these behaviors, both with children present and absent. Any time you observe stress signals from your dog in the presence of children (or elsewhere!) it’s wise to take immediate steps to reduce her stress.

If, while you’re managing, supervising, and training your dog around kids, you’re having trouble determining what your dog is trying to tell you with his body language communications, ask a force-free dog training professional to help you. It could save your dog’s life. And your child’s.

Confidence Lost

By
Nancy Kerns
-
7

When Woody (my three-year-old pit bull-mix) was a tiny puppy, just another one in a litter of nine that I was fostering for my local shelter, he was always happy to receive medical attention (vaccines, deworming, and even neuter surgery!), as it came layered with happy attention from the shelter veterinary staff. He loves people, so it was all good.

Woody’s friendly, happy attitude about having a stranger greet and handle him in an intimate way survived all those visits, as well as many more visits to a regular veterinary hospital. Let’s see… there were at least one or two vaccine visits; one “dietary indiscretion” incident (he ate all the food I had set out for the 11 Great Dane foster puppies, after I had already fed him his dinner); the time he swallowed a friend’s dog’s mini-tennis ball; the staples he needed on his rear legs (slashed his wrists on something sharp in the grass, sliding for a ball); the time he tore a toenail (mostly) off; a foxtail visit or two; a weird bump on his face that required minor surgery to remove it… He’s been to the vet a lot! And until last year, he was always happy to trot into the hospital, hop onto the scale, be examined by anyone, and even go “into the back” for his staples or bandages or injection of “Let’s make you vomit!” medication.

And then he got sick with a gastrointestinal bug that left him seriously dehydrated, and I left him to be hospitalized overnight. I am certain they didn’t mistreat him in any way! But ever since I left him there that night, when I take him back to the vet now – most recently for a canine influenza vaccine – he is reluctant to enter the hospital, and he shivers and shakes in the waiting and exam rooms.

I’ve started trying to remediate this anxious response, stopping by the practice to just weigh him and feeding him tons of high-value treats in the minute or two that we are there. And, because scared and/or anxious dogs have the potential to bite, and I wouldn’t blame any veterinarian or veterinary staff member if they felt safer working on my big, muscular dog if he were wearing a muzzle, I also am going to start acclimating Woody to wearing one. I want it to be a familiar, reinforcing experience in case we ever need it, rather than an incredibly scary thing suddenly strapped to his face in a medical emergency.

But after working on the article in this issue about Fear Free veterinary practices (see page 6), I’m also going to encourage my vets to seek out Fear Free certification – and keep my eyes peeled for a Fear Free certified veterinary practice to switch to if need be. Because I think I am going to need a whole team of people to get Woody past his newfound apprehension about receiving medical care. And that is just no way to go through life – particularly if you are as accident-prone as my goofy Woody.

A Perfect New Home For My Foster Dog Odin

By
Nancy Kerns
-
33
Odin with his new owner
Odin in his new home, with Adam (in red) and his neighbor friends. They all love playing with Odin, and vice versa. Odin sleeps in Adam's bed, too.

When, back in March, I scheduled a week-long vacation for early July, I of course had no way of knowing a huge, dog-related story was going to erupt the week before. I also didn’t know that a great home for my long-time foster dog was going to pop up out of the woodwork in the days before I left. Both events left me scrambling and off-balance.

In early July, someone had commented on a video of my foster pup, Odin, and my young dog, Woody, that I had posted on the WDJ Instagram account: “How has he not been adopted? He has home skills, is dog social, and couldn’t be more stinkin’ cute! Come on, people!” And I had responded, “I haven’t been trying THAT hard to promote him. Been super busy with life stuff. No actual adoption attempts are likely to happen in the whole month of July, for various reasons. In the meantime, I keep visualizing the world’s most perfect home for him. We will see.” And then, just a few days later, I received a message from a friend: “Are you still looking for a home for Odin?”

A Perfect Family

“Maybe,” I responded. I wanted him to find a home, but it had to be a perfect spot. Given his many months of having to suffer many daily applications of various eye medications, he hadn’t yet spent much time alone, and above all, I wouldn’t allow him to go to go a home where he might end up alone for many hours a day. I wanted him to live with a person or family who had lots of time for him, who liked to play and be active, who might take him somewhere that he could swim, and who would let him live indoors and sleep on the couch or beds.

The more I heard about the family that my friend knew, the more I thought that perhaps this was it – the best place for Odin. And yet, the very thought made me weepy. But I agreed to meet the family. They came to my house twice, once on Friday and again on Saturday, spent hours watching and playing with Odin, and telling me about their house and family. It seemed like a perfect fit. I sent them to the local shelter to fill out the adoption papers and pay the adoption fee. I was leaving town Sunday night, and they could come pick him up Sunday afternoon to take him home.

Odin kayaking on a lake
Odin went camping, and loved kayaking, and sleeping in the kids’ tent

It was perfect and awful, all at once. I told them I wanted to take a picture of the whole family with him before they left with him, but as we approached their car, I started crying and didn’t want to make them uncomfortable or embarrass myself. Odin jumped into their car happily, sitting on the back seat with their young son. I gave Odin a kiss on the nose and told him to be a good dog, and turned away quickly, calling over my shoulder, “Send me a picture when you get home!”

Time for a vacation

I had spent the days before I left town making sure that my house was clean and organized and ready for my house-sitter/pet-sitter, and that I had all the Kong toys I own rounded up, clean, filled with canned food, and in the freezer. That morning, I had also rounded up Odin’s favorite toys and chewies and bed to send home with his new owners, but I hadn’t yet packed MY suitcase for my trip (I think this is a common dog owner thing). Fortunately, that kept me busy, and not crying much, all the way until the sitter, one of my son’s friends (and a young man I have known for 23 of his 27 years) arrived at my house for a briefing about Otto and Woody and the house. And by the time we finished with all that, it was time to head for the airport.

By the time we were at our connecting airport, my phone had received a number of photos of Odin and his new best friend, the young son in the family with three kids, at their home. He and the young son both looked perfectly happy.

Our vacation had officially started, but I was not yet done with work I promised to do before I left town. I had also spent the previous week talking to people I know and respect about the most recent update from the United State’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning the connection between diet and cases of canine dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). I had started writing a blog post that contained my own thoughts about the update, and I had written pages and pages, deleted pages and pages, and wrote even more. But I kept changing what I felt was most important to say about it. As each day passed since the FDA update was published, more analysis was published – some that I found very good and insightful and some that I found to be hysterical and inaccurate.

The FDA Update Is Still On My Mind

I finished the post on the second leg of our flight, and sent it to our publishing HQ to be posted on the WDJ blog site. And then I tried to turn off my brain – I didn’t want to think about saying goodbye to my little Odin, or the news about the DCM investigation, or my dogs left at home. My husband, my son, and I spent five days at my sister’s house in a tiny town in the Colorado mountains, hiking some high peaks. Then we drove back to Denver, where my son competed in a tournament for his sport, and where we met our 7-year-old grandson and his mom, and spent a day with them before taking the boy back to California to hang out with us for a few weeks.

Hiking path in Colorado
We hiked in places like this in Colorado for days – bliss.

But the FDA update and the news coverage of it was explosive, and as much fun as I had on vacation, I couldn’t help but peek at the news and comments on my blog post a few times. The issue is complex and analysis of the information in the FDA’s update is varied. People are still confused and upset – and it doesn’t help that the owner of practically every dog who is sick or has died in the past two years thinks it is probably due to the fact that the dog ate grain-free food at some point, and posts this as fact on social media. No matter that the dog had eaten a grain-free product for a matter of days, or had a health problem that had absolutely nothing to do with the dog’s heart.

I will be writing more about the DCM issue, and also posting links to voices/sources that I respect (such as this one). I am completely sympathetic with those who have lost pets to DCM and possibly related causes, and also concerned that so much misinformation and hysteria is being shared.

1...146147148...392Page 147 of 392

Latest Blog

A dock diving dog leaps off the edge of a dock into the water.
Blog

Accepting Your Dog

Nancy Kerns 6
Years ago, I had high hopes for participating in dock diving sport with my now-9-year-old dog, Woody. But it turned out that my high-jumping, strong-swimming dog absolutely hates getting water in his ears!
© Belvoir Media Group, LLC. All rights reserved.