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Update on grain-free diets and DCM cases in dogs

By
Nancy Kerns
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137
FDA table on ingredients in dog food

On June 27, 2019, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released an update to two previous advisories regarding dog food and dogs who had developed dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).  The release made a splash in the mainstream news – but this is all that most people seemed to get out of the news coverage: “THERE ARE 16 BRANDS OF DOG FOOD THAT ARE KILLING DOGS!”

Unfortunately, this is a wildly oversimplified take-away message. It set off a panic in the countless dog owners who feed their dogs some variety made by one of those companies, and may have inflicted serious financial damage to the companies named (as well as all the retailers who sell them) – this, despite the fact that the FDA stated at the outset of the release that the cause of the DCM cases is still unknown. “Based on the data collected and analyzed thus far, the agency believes that the potential association between diet and DCM in dogs is a complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors.”

Further, in a “Questions and Answers” addition to the update, the agency says things like, “At this time, we are not advising dietary changes based solely on the information we have gathered so far,” and “It’s important to note that the reports include dogs that have eaten grain-free and grain-containing foods and also include vegetarian or vegan formulations. They also include all forms of diets: kibble, canned, raw and home-cooked. Therefore, we do not think these cases can be explained simply by whether or not they contain grains, or by brand or manufacturer.”

It’s a bit puzzling, then, why the agency named the brands of foods that were reportedly fed to some of the 560 dogs whose DCM cases they are investigating (and even more puzzling: why they didn’t include the varieties of foods that were implicated, just the company names). Naming the companies suggests that those companies were responsible for the dogs’ illnesses, even as the agency denied this as an explicit causation. We’re not usually conspiracy theorists, but this move undoubtedly gave a boost to these companies’ competitors.

We don’t mean to sound protective of the companies. Don’t get us wrong: If it can be proven that a company has knowingly or even inadvertently (through cost-saving measures, say) taken steps that resulted in a previously known or predictable harm to dogs, we’d be happy to help drum them out of business. The point is, the cause of these cases is STILL unknown. So why name the companies, rather than just describe the characteristics of the products that have been implicated so far?

Our guess is that so many people buy and feed products without having a clear reason for doing so, and so many fail to read the ingredients panel and guaranteed analysis – perhaps naming companies was the only way to get owners’ attention, and to alert them to check their foods, and think about their dogs’ condition. If they are feeding a product from one of the named companies, are their dogs displaying any symptoms of compromised cardiac health?

The only explicit advice that the FDA offered to owners wanting to protect their pets came at the end of the update: “If a dog is showing possible signs of DCM or other heart conditions, including decreased energy, cough, difficulty breathing and episodes of collapse, you should contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. If the symptoms are severe and your veterinarian is not available, you may need to seek emergency veterinary care.” This is sound advice – and owners would do well to follow it regardless of what diet their dogs are fed.

Information about the cases

We do believe that the agency is more concerned about protecting our health and that of our pets than protecting industry interests, though, again, naming some (not all!) of the companies was kind of a weird move. However, we very much appreciate the fact that, in an effort to give pet owners and industry insiders more information about the issue, the agency has shared much more information in this update and other linked documents than was previously released.

Between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2019, the FDA received 524 reports of DCM; this includes some 560 dogs and 14 cats. Some of the reports include cases in which multiple pets in the same household developed DCM – which is why total affected animals (574) add up to more than the number of reports (524). The cat cases are beyond WDJ’s area of expertise and we will not discuss these.

The agency also has received many reports regarding dogs with other cardiac problems, but if a dog was not diagnosed with DCM by a veterinarian or veterinary cardiologist, his or her case was not counted in the totals above. The FDA says it will continue to collect information about these cases, as dogs may exhibit cardiac changes before they develop symptomatic DCM. For more about these changes, see “Non-DCM Cardiac Cases” in this linked addendum to the June 27 update.

Some of the detail included in the update dramatically helps illustrate the immediacy of the issue. Though earlier reports referred to DCM cases dating back to 2014, we learned from this update that there were only seven reports regarding DCM made to the FDA from 2014 through 2017: one in 2014, one in 2015, two in 2016, and three in 2017.

But in 2018, the FDA received a communication from a group veterinary cardiology practice in the northeast concerning an unusual cluster of cases of DCM. The veterinarians reported that they had seen a number of dogs with DCM who were 1) not breeds known to be at a higher inherited risk of DCM, and 2) most had been eating grain-free diets prior to diagnosis.

Veterinary cardiologists discussed this with colleagues. Soon, other practitioners realized that they, too, had seen more cases of DCM in dogs of atypical breeds for the condition – and many of them, too, were eating diets that were grain-free and/or high in legumes and/or potatoes. More and more veterinarians started submitting reports about their patients to the FDA.

The FDA released its first advisory about this issue in July 2018, in order to alert pet owners and general-practice veterinarians of the possibility for DCM to develop in dogs, especially if they had been maintained on grain-free/legume-rich diets for any significant period of time. The agency warned interested parties to be on the lookout for the symptoms of DCM: loss of appetite, pale gums, increased heart rate, coughing, difficulty breathing, periods of weakness, and fainting.

This news almost immediately triggered a spike of cases being reported to the FDA. Some 320 reports of DCM were made in 2018; so far in 2019 (through April 30, the most recent date included in the FDA advisory update), some 197 reports of DCM have been made. Of the 560 dogs discussed in these reports, 119 have died.

The FDA cannot confirm, however, whether these numbers indicate an actual increase in the population of dogs that develop or die from DCM or whether the attention brought to bear on this issue has increased awareness and hence reporting; unlike in human epidemiology, rates of disease and deaths are not kept for animals. (FDA: “Because the occurrence of different diseases in dogs and cats is not routinely tracked and there is no widespread surveillance system like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have for human health, we do not have a measure of the typical rate of occurrence of disease apart from what is reported to the FDA.”) Because we don’t know what the rate of DCM is overall, it’s possible that many cardiac problems, diet-related or not, have gone unreported or even undetected (for example, mistakenly attributed to “old age”) until the FDA advisories and updates brought it to the attention of many dog owners.

One of the major points made in the 2018 advisory was that cardiologists were seeing the unexpected development of DCM in atypical breeds and in dogs with other atypical characteristics. DCM tends to affect dogs of certain breeds (most of which are large and giant breeds), older dogs, and more dogs who are overweight than of ideal or low weight. Veterinary cardiologists say they are seeing more cases in breeds that are not known to have a genetic predisposition to DCM, in younger dogs, and in medium and even very small dogs.

The FDA’s 2019 update confirmed that there has been, at a minimum, a shift in the makeup of the dogs involved in these 560 cases. The update contains a table that enumerates how many dogs of various breeds are represented in the 560 cases. The breed with the most cases (95) is the Golden Retriever. However, according to registration numbers of purebred dogs, it’s the third most popular breed in the U.S. Also, the FDA has speculated that there has been greater awareness and social media discussion about DCM among Golden Retriever owners (as they are prone to a taurine-responsive form of DCM), and this perhaps prompted Golden owners to bring their dogs to the vet and be diagnosed sooner, and to report their cases to the FDA.

Mixed-breed dogs are next on the list with 62 cases, then Labrador Retrievers with 47; in neither case would those dogs be expected to have a genetic predisposition to DCM. There are more mixed-breed dogs in the U.S. than any individual pure breed, and Labradors are the most numerous purebred dog in the U.S., so it may be that these dogs are represented so high on this list by virtue of their greater representation in the population. Fourth on the list, though, is a breed that is known to have a genetically higher risk of DCM: Great Danes, with 25 cases. There were 23 pit bulls, and then two more breeds known to be at higher risk of DCM: German Shepherd Dogs (with 19 cases) and Doberman Pinschers (15).

DCM tends to affect more male dogs than females, and that pattern has held, with 58.7% of the cases involving males. This, as well as the atypical age and breed distribution of the cases, had led FDA researchers to surmise that the cases that have been reported to them this far are the result of a combination of expected causes (inherited predisposition) and dietary causes.

The implicated companies

Again, it’s a little weird that the FDA named pet food companies, when the link between the foods and the cases of DCM is not yet clear. Even stranger is that they named only 16 companies – that fact seemed to make the biggest impression on the mainstream media. Headlines in publication after publication make it sound like there are just 16 companies that have been doing something wrong –making it sound as if as long as you avoid those companies when buying your dog’s food, all will be well. If only!

The 16 companies named by the FDA appear on a table presented in the update (linked again here, scroll down). The table lists the 16 companies that were named in 10 or more of the cases of canine DCM reported to the FDA since 2014. These 16 were implicated in 431 of the cases; the foods that were fed to the pets in the other 129 of the cases were not in the table – which leaves open the possibility that someone feeding a food that caused, say, nine cases, remains unaware that their dog’s food, too, may potentially contribute to their dog developing DCM. It’s a tad random.

The companies mentioned in every single one of the 560 cases are available, but not in a particularly accessible way. A link provided in the update takes the reader to a 77-page table that lists all known information about each DCM case presented to the FDA. We plan to mine that 77-page table for all this information – the companies named in fewer than 10 cases, as well as the varieties mentioned in every case – in the weeks ahead. We will share it with you when we’re done – or share a link if someone does this and posts the information before us.

Also, the update did not specify which varieties of each company’s products were implicated. While some of the companies named make only the type of products that have been implicated in the majority of reports (we will get to that in a minute), some of those 16 companies make two types of products: the type that has been implicated in the vast majority of the 560 cases, as well as products that contain grain and do not contain any of the ingredients that seem to be associated with the development of DCM. In the case of these companies, naming only the brand and not the varieties implicated in the reports was a disservice to the companies and consumers alike.

Characteristics of the implicated foods

The FDA has not yet reached any conclusions about definitive links between the foods that the 560 dogs were being fed and their development of DCM. However, if, in an abundance of caution, an owner wanted to avoid products that share the traits of these foods, it’s possible to do so. The update includes enough information about the implicated foods that could help consumers select foods that do not share the traits of the implicated foods. Just keep in mind that causation is still unknown and that the FDA’s only conclusion so far is that “DCM in dogs is a complex scientific issue that may involve multiple factors.”

The vast majority of the products that the owners were feeding to the dogs in the reports submitted to the FDA were dry dog foods: 452 of the 515 reports involved dry dog food. The thing is, 452/515 is 88%. Currently about 85 to 90 percent of owners feed dry food, so this proportion is probably equal to the proportion of healthy dogs who are fed dry diets, so (statistically speaking) is meaningless information.

Grain-free diets represented 91% of the products implicated in the reports; 93% contained peas and/or lentils. Potatoes and/or sweet potatoes were present in 42% of the products. These numbers are far more intriguing.

The inclusion of peas, lentils, chickpeas, and other legume seeds have reached some sort of critical mass in recent years with pet food manufacturers. Though they’ve been present in many pet foods for at least a decade, in recent years, the percentage of their representation in formulas has grown. We wouldn’t worry unduly about one of these ingredients appearing on an ingredients panel in a minor role – 6th or 7th or lower on the list, say. But if there is more than one of these ingredients on the list and/or one in one of the top five or so positions on the ingredients list, for now, we’d look for another product to feed our dogs.

There are a number of animal nutrition experts speculating about what might be happening with these foods and why some dogs who have been eating them have developed heart problems. We will follow up with some analysis of some of the leading theories in future posts, but for now, let’s focus on what owners can do immediately to protect their dogs, based on what is currently understood and/or suspected about the relationship between the foods named in the reports made to the FDA and the dogs’ health problems.

Our recommendations for action

1. As we stated in our response to the 2018 advisory a year ago, no matter what your dog eats, if she has any signs of DCM – including decreased energy, cough, difficulty breathing, and episodes of collapse – you should make an appointment to see your veterinarian ASAP, preferably one who can refer you to a veterinary cardiologist.

2. For now, we would strongly recommend avoiding foods that use peas – including constituent parts of peas, such as pea starch, pea protein, and pea fiber, and especially multiple iterations of peas (such as green peas, yellow peas, pea protein, etc.) as major ingredients. If any one of these appears higher than the 6th or 7th ingredient on an ingredient list, for now, we’d switch to foods that do not display this trait.

Same goes for chickpeas (may be referred to as garbanzo beans), any other type of bean, and lentils.

We’d switch away from any foods containing more than one of these ingredients (peas, beans, or lentils).

3. Also, if you read through the 77-page table that includes every one of the 515 reports received by the FDA about a pet with DCM, you will see many times over that pet owners fed whatever they had been feeding to their dogs for months or even years. The same food, day in and day out. Month in and month out. Year in and year out! We’ve said it before and we will say it again: Feeding the same food for months on end amounts to putting your dog’s life in a single company’s hands. Is there any company on earth that you would trust to provide ALL the nutrition you consume for the rest of your life?

Please switch foods frequently, and not just from one variety to a different variety made by the same company. Switch among products that are made by different companies, with different ingredients. Unless your dog has a proven allergy to a number of ingredients, switching from one food to another, as often as every time you buy a new bag of food, helps provide your dog with “balance over time,” and keeps any nutritional imbalances, overages, or deficiencies from contributing to your dog’s health problems.

4. As we have stated many times, we would feed grain-free foods ONLY to dogs with a demonstrated allergy to or intolerance of grains.

When grain-free dry dog foods were first introduced to the market, we were happy that owners of dogs who had a proven intolerance of or allergy to one or more grains could find commercial dry food options. However, as this segment of the market exploded, it became apparent that many more owners were choosing these products than dogs needed them. Somehow, the message spread among dog owners that grain-free foods were “better” – with little or no explanation offered as to why this was alleged. We based our concern about their over-popularity on the high levels of inclusion of ingredients that did not have a long history of use in dry dog foods. Potatoes and sweet potatoes worry us less than peas, chickpeas, and beans; they have been utilized in dry dog formulas for longer than the legumes.

What if your dog absolutely can’t consume ANY grain (and this has been demonstrated with a sound food allergy trial)? There are a number of companies whose grain-free foods do not appear or appear very infrequently on the 77-page table of all the DCM reports. We are aware that some dog food manufacturers add supplemental taurine to their products (and have always done so). Whether this or some other factor (ingredient sourcing, better manufacturing, better formulation, etc.) is responsible for their scarcity on that list, no one knows for sure. But if your dog absolutely can’t consume ANY grain, we’d look for products without peas or legumes (or those with perhaps ONE of these ingredients low on the ingredients list), from a manufacturer whose name is not found on the table… and to hedge your bet, we’d check to see whether they add supplemental taurine to their formulas (and go with one of their products if they do).

Not all of the dogs in these reports have been found to exhibit low taurine levels – and none of the diets implicated in the reports have been found to contain levels of the amino acids that dogs use to manufacture the taurine they need (cysteine and methionine) that fail to meet the current levels legally required for a “complete and balanced diet.” However, there are several compelling possible reasons that could result in the dogs’ failure to utilize or benefit from these amino acids. For example, some chicken meals are so low in digestibility – and often so heat-damaged – that the methionine is not present in an available form. Also, high fiber levels can interfere with some dogs’ ability to convert these amino acids into the amount of taurine they need. The main point is, there are dogs who have shown improvement after their diets have changed and supplemental taurine was prescribed.

Note: The possibility has been raised that there may be more than one mechanism at work causing all these DCM cases and cases of other cardiac problems, something to do with the cysteine /methionine/taurine issue and something else. While the vast majority of the implicated diets mentioned in the FDA’s reports are dry, grain-free foods, some food that do contain grains also have been implicated, as well as some canned, raw, etc. diets. All owners need to be alert to their dogs’ symptoms – and don’t just chalk up exercise intolerance, panting, lethargy, etc. to “old age” in previously healthy senior dogs! Make an appointment and discuss these symptoms with your veterinarian soon.

Skunks and Fireworks Are NOT a Dog’s Best Friends

By
Nancy Kerns
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26
Ready for several more skunks, if need be.

My senior dog Otto has never liked fireworks, but he’s never been a total wreck around the Independence Day holiday, either. He will pant a little bit and pace at the height of fireworks and firecracker activity, but will still eat and allow himself to be comforted.

This year was different. He’s aging, and seems to be getting increasingly neurotic and anxious about a few things. If anyone is doing laundry at my office/house, for example, he acts like most thunder-phobic dogs do in a thunderstorm. I think he can feel the shaking or vibration in the old wood-framed house, and he paces and shakes and pants, and won’t take treats. I used to be able to just stop the laundry and he would calm down. In the past year or so, he’s gotten so increasingly anxious about the possibility that there might be laundry, that I basically just don’t take him there very often anymore. He’s happier at home.

Except for this holiday. There is a casino less than a mile from where we live – as the crow flies, not on our road. And apparently, this year, the management opened up the parking lots to anyone who wanted to set off fireworks and it seems like half the county took them up on it. I got home from my office/house well before dusk and Otto was a nervous wreck.

Where my sister and her husband live, several miles out of town, there is a strict prohibition on fireworks; it’s also a high fire danger area. I didn’t hesitate to take Otto to her house to spend the night. He is happy and comfortable there, and we couldn’t hear a single snap, crackle, or pop.

Back at my house, neither Woody nor Odin minded what sounded like a war going on outside.

The next morning, I went back to my sister’s house to collect Otto. I walked into her living room, and hit a WALL of skunk scent. “I’m so sorry!” my sister said. “Otto went out the dog door at about 4 am and got skunked in the back yard!”

I was the sorry one! Their house REEKED! I guess since they had been smelling it since 4 am, they had gotten accustomed to it. I felt terrible, until my sister asked me, “Hey, would you help me look at Dinah’s butt? She keeps licking it.”

Dinah got fat!

Dinah is one of my former foster dogs. She was an anxious mama who came into my local shelter with one fat pup, and she thought it was her job to protect that pup from anyone who looked in their direction. At my shelter, that’s a death wish; nursing moms don’t get a pass just because they are mothers. If they are judged to be “aggressive,” they aren’t going to make it to the adoption row, so I had taken her and her puppy to my home to foster, about four years ago. The puppy got adopted by an acquaintance and my sister fell for Dinah. She is absolutely not aggressive, but super shy; when my sister and her husband have guests, she spends most of the time hiding under furniture. Most of their guests don’t even know she exists!

From Pam’s description, I was certain Dinah needed, at a minimum, to have her anal glands expressed, and perhaps a trip to the vet if one of the glands was infected or impacted. I pulled Dinah out from one of her hidey holes, and my sister helped me get her dressed in a harness. I said I would take care of Dinah, as my sister had to go to work.

Our first stop was at my house, to leave stinky Otto there. Then we went to Walgreens, to get every quart of hydrogen peroxide they had on the shelf, for de-skunking Otto. Next, we stopped at a local groomer; Dinah’s nails were super long and overdue for a trim. The groomer restrained Dinah enough for me to get a good look at her bottom. Sure enough, she has a sore next to the anus; she needs to go see a vet. I called the local clinic; they had no openings today, but could see her tomorrow morning. OK, I made that appointment. But is it an emergency? Should I take her to the emergency clinic in the next town?

Since I was close to the shelter, I decided to consult my friend, the veterinary technician there. She was busy with something, so I waited in the lobby for a few minutes, saying hello to my friends who are the front desk clerks there. It wasn’t even 10 am and one of them mouthed to me, “I want to go home!”

“Lots of lost dogs?” I asked, and they grimly nodded. But as one of them helped one gentleman at the front desk, when he was asked, “When did you last see your dog?” he answered, “Four days ago.” Yikes. I know I don’t have what it takes to be a receptionist at a shelter – a poker face? nerves of steel? – that’s for sure.

My friend took a peek at Dinah’s nether end and agreed that it could likely wait until tomorrow for an in-depth exam. She suggested we don’t feed her in the morning, in the likely event that she has to be sedated.

My sister just had a whopping vet bill when her other little dog got stomped by a deer in the empty lot next to her house. I feel bad that they have another bill on the way, but when it rains, it pours.

Dinah and I came home to give Otto another skunk bath – actually, his second in two weeks! When he was young, he got skunked twice in one week, and forever after, when we saw skunks, he would back away from them, licking his lips anxiously. I rejoiced and bragged that he was the only dog I knew who had “learned his lesson about skunks.” Well, all bets are off with senior dogs, from fireworks to skunks.

Next year, I think we will all go camping somewhere very remote.

I hope you had a nice holiday.

Here’s Why We Can’t Just Keep Every Foster Dog

By
Nancy Kerns
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43
puppies suffering from mange
Shortly after his litter's rescue and first treatment for demodectic mange (Odin is in back right corner)

“Why don’t you just keep him?”

Everyone who fosters dogs for a shelter or rescue group has heard some version of this, probably every single time they foster:

“That puppy is so happy with you! And he gets along with your dogs so well! You should keep him!”

“I can’t believe the transformation! He looks so gorgeous now, and is so well behaved! You should keep him!”

And the clincher: “That dog loves you so much! You should keep him!”

Why we can’t just keep them all

Here’s the thing: We who foster know that our foster dogs look better, feel better, are happier and healthier, and are better behaved than they were when we got them; that’s why we foster. And we are acutely aware of how much our fosters seem to love us. We, sometimes quite painfully, love them, too. But for most of us, if we keep our foster dogs, it means we can’t foster any more. So the next time for the next few years that our local shelter or rescue group calls, looking for a foster provider for another very needy but worthy dog or litter of starving puppies, we have to say, “Sorry, I can’t.”

“But what is just one more?” our friends ask. Well, when it comes to just one more mouth to feed, truthfully, it’s not that much. But every dog owner should be aware that the price of feeding a dog is just the tip of the iceberg of a dog’s total costs.

Veterinary and insurance costs add up quickly

Veterinary costs, especially for any emergencies, can completely sink a household budget. I’m a strong believer in pet health insurance, and it has saved me thousands – but there is the matter of the monthly payment and an annual deductible. As an example, I’m currently paying $60.05 a month for 3-year-old Woody’s insurance ($720.60 for the year), and $147.38 a month for 11-year-old Otto’s insurance ($1,768.56 for the year). Both have a $250 annual deductible; I pay the first $250 of veterinary expenses each year, and then the health insurance reimburses me for 90% of the rest of that year’s veterinary bills. So, my cost each year, before I qualify for any reimbursements, is $2,989.16. The cost for one more young dog’s health insurance would be at least the cost of Woody’s: $970 before the insurance would reimburse me a penny.

young puppy sitting on blanket
Such a good boy, on our first trip to the ophthalmology dept at UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in December

Does that sound like a fortune? Well, it is. But it’s a monthly bill I can budget for – whereas a $6,000 bill for emergency surgery or a $10,000 bill for cancer treatments would be quite a blow. One can gamble with these things, but it’s just that, a gamble. And I don’t like gambling when my financial stability and emotional health are riding on the outcome.

Don’t forget about boarding or pet sitter costs

Then there is the cost of care if and when I travel. If I needed to board my dogs, the difference between boarding two and three is significant. My local boarding options charge anywhere from $45 a day per dog for a jail-like kennel and no extras, up to about $75 a day per dog for a nice facility that takes the dogs out several times a day. So one more dog would add $315 (for the jail) to $525 for a week of boarding.

Truthfully, I haven’t ever boarded my dogs or used a professional pet sitter (another option). I rely on friends and family for help taking care of my dogs when I travel – and in return, they can count on me to help them when they need it. Providing care for extra dogs can be time-consuming when time is at a premium, but it’s the deal we make with each other to ensure that our dogs are as safe and as secure as possible, with people they know and love, when we need to travel, whether for work or family emergencies or, every once in a blue moon, an actual vacation!

When my husband and I leave town, my senior dog Otto always goes to stay with my sister and her husband; he loves being the big dog in her pack of little dogs, and the plush life they enjoy. (On his first stay with them, he staked out the queen-sized bed in their spare bedroom as his preferred sleeping spot, even though he had access to lovely sofas and heaps of dog beds. No other dog gets that privilege! But his “Aunt” and “Uncle” love him and allow it, and I love them for it, even though he’s not allowed on my beds at home!)

I generally leave Woody at my office/house, and my tenant there feeds him and lets him outside. (I actually provide food and other supplies for his dog, so that’s a favor my tenant owes me.) Another friend, who walks dogs with me a lot and knows all about Woody’s training and proclivities and the trails where it’s safe to go, will stop by and pick up Woody to take on walks with her dog; so I owe Jessie some favors after she helps keep Woody happy when I’m gone.

It takes a village

Since I took on the ask of fostering my current foster pup Odin and his siblings back in November, I have had to call in even more favors for Odin’s care than for my own two dogs. An eye condition meant Odin needed eye medication many times daily for months and months, so when I traveled, the management and logging of all of those eyedrops fell to my friend Leonora – the one person I knew who was comfortable with administering eye medication and able to do it as many times as required.

two dogs cuddling together on couch
Sleeping with “Uncle Woody” in March

Ultimately, all of our efforts failed, and Odin’s eye was finally surgically removed, but he still requires more consideration when I leave town than my own dogs do. Odin is still very much in the adolescent “Fail to give me enough stimulation and I will chew anything I please” stage, so, in the past few months when I have traveled, I have had to call in yet more favors to keep him out of trouble. Leonora picks him up from my office/house on her way home from work, and he plays and sleeps with her dogs at night and on the weekend. He has shown that he can’t quite be trusted not to chew up stuff if left at her house during the day, but he’s perfectly happy and mostly nondestructive if he hangs out with Woody at my office, so my friend drops him there on her way to work each morning. That’s a LOT of favors I owe her after each trip.

Like me, Leonora loves and enjoys Odin, too. But she also has two dogs and two pet health insurance bills each month, and her older dog needs costly medication each month. She also pays for a pet-sitter to come to her house each day to let the older dog (especially) have a mid-day potty break. She would love to adopt Odin, but, like me, is concerned about the cost of adding another dog to her household.

Foster-failure trouble

I can usually easily dismiss the “You should keep him!” comments I get from family and friends and the people I am trying to promote my foster dogs to. I know they are well-meaning, and that, sentiment aside, most people understand that the commitment of a pet can’t be taken on that lightly. But a discussion I had last night with an acquaintance who is having a very hard time with two sibling foster-failures made me decide to just put this little tirade out there, anyway.

This woman is retired, and has two elderly dogs with complicated medical needs; both are former foster dogs who needed so much care that she ended up keeping them. Recently she fostered a mama dog and her puppies for a local rescue. The mama dog and the other puppies got adopted, but she just fell in love with the last two puppies, and they seemed to play so well together that she thought, well, they can keep each other company.

Healthy and ready for his new home

But now that they are in adolescence, they are starting to aggravate each other, and are also bothering her older dogs. She has sought out help from a professional trainer, but still feels overwhelmed. My friend is both kicking herself about making the decision to adopt them, and feeling desperate and heartbroken at the idea of re-homing one or both. She is in actual, physical pain at the idea of letting one or both of these pups go – and I totally get it. When I just think about saying goodbye to Odin – when I find the perfect home for him – I start to cry. I think back to what he looked like in November: a scabby, hairless, skeleton. How could I forget our many trips to UC Davis, trying to save his eye, and the many vets and vet students he charmed and delighted there. I am going to miss his habit of burying his head in my chest and leaning in for long, sweet hugs. 

Finding a forever home that’s just right

My acquaintance and I both know that these dogs can be happy elsewhere. And I think that we both know that they should live elsewhere. I can’t speak any more for her, but I know that I will be supremely happy when I can find a home for Odin where he will get more individual attention and love than he can get with me. It hasn’t happened in the past few weeks because I am being crazy-picky about who is going to get him. I want to make sure he ends up in a home with people who truly have time and space and a budget for a dog, and who will be just as touched by his cuddling and amused by his zoomies and appreciative of his gentle friendliness toward all humans as I have been.

When that happens, and I am certain he’s in the right place, and my heart recovers – then I can foster again, and try to help another little starving, mangey, and/or frightened dog or puppy get healthy and find a home. When I own just two dogs, I can afford that. But owning three dogs, in terms of time and money, puts me just over the line of what I can afford and take on responsibly. And I would like to keep giving back to more dogs, if I can.

If you’ve read this far, you probably aren’t the kind of person who will tell your friend who fosters, “You should keep him!” But if you are the kind of person who fosters, feel free to share this with your friends, so they can understand a bit more about what likely crosses your mind when they say that.

 

Download the Full July 2019 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
-
1
  • Hot Dogs
  • Beyond Animal Welfare
  • Mast Cell Tumors
  • Take a Hike
  • Word Up!
  • How To Get The Tick Out
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Keep Your Dog Safe from Accidents

By
Nancy Kerns
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34
small dog with suture
Daisy after surgery

In a 48-hour period last weekend, three dogs who are very close to me ended up in veterinary emergency rooms. It was a very weird aggregation of events – but each event was avoidable, and each dog’s owner has taken responsibility for their dog’s potentially deadly accident.

Beware of Wild Animals Around Your Property

The first accident happened to Daisy, my sister’s little 15-pound Jack Russell Terrier. My sister and her husband live in a rural area, where most of the homes are on lots of a half-acre or more. In addition, they live at the bottom of a steep hill, on a court with just five houses on it, and several empty lots. She sometimes allows her little dogs to potty in the empty half-acre lot next door to her house. The lot is, like her own backyard, studded with oak trees, but unlike her yard, is covered with tall grass, and the little dogs enjoy sniffing and exploring the area as they take their potty break.

On this particular day, though, what my sister failed to notice as she let the dogs wander into the lot, was a female deer apparently lounging at the back of the lot. She didn’t see the moment that two of her dogs discovered the deer – or whether the deer spotted the dogs before they spotted her. But she heard one of her dogs shrieking and as she ran in the direction of the screams, saw a large female deer rearing up and stomping down on one of her little dogs.

Like many of us, she was focused on getting to and protecting her dog, and failed to appreciate the danger to herself as she ran toward the deer. She said she was yelling, “Hey! Hey!” and about 15 feet from the deer, fully expecting the deer to spook and run from her, when it, instead, reared up and charged at HER. She screamed and waved her arms and dodged behind a tree, and fortunately, little Daisy took that opportunity to bolt away from the deer. My sister, too, turned and ran and, again, fortunately, the deer didn’t pursue either of them. I suspect that she had a baby resting nearby or some other reason to go on the offensive. My sister didn’t investigate further, as Daisy was still screaming – now in pain, rather than from fear. The deer’s hooves had made one very deep and long laceration along Daisy’s flank, and her face was bleeding, too.

A night in the ER, x-rays, pre-anesthetic bloodwork, surgery (under anesthesia) to close the laceration and insert a drain, antibiotics, and pain medication: $1,600. Nope, they don’t have pet insurance.

Don’t Leave Out Food Leftovers or Dirty Dishes

pieces of tennis ball and glass from dog's stomach
Pieces of glass and tennis ball, retrieved from Nova’s tummy

The very next morning, I received a call from a friend regarding her dog Nova, who was my favorite puppy from a litter I fostered last fall. (I used her and Nova to model for an article in WDJ not long ago, you can see them here.) She said, “I just need a little support. I am at the ER with Nova and scared!” It seems she had made barbequed ribs the night before, and had left the glass pan, covered with baked-on sauce, on the stove top, to deal with the next day. In the middle of the night, Nova had apparently knocked the pan onto the kitchen floor, where it shattered into hundreds of pieces – and she spent some time licking the sauce off of those pieces of glass! There was broken glass  – and blood – all over the kitchen floor. My friend didn’t hesitate; she just put Nova into the car and drove straight to the emergency clinic.

panting dog
Nova: A little loopy, but no worse for wear after licking and ingesting broken glass, and having it retrieved from her stomach under anesthesia

The attending veterinarian used an endoscope (under full anesthesia) to examine Nova’s esophagus and stomach, and removed several pieces of glass – as well as several pieces of chewed-up tennis ball. She was incredibly lucky; the procedure took place quickly enough that Nova hadn’t yet vomited (which could have made the glass cause damage on the way out of the stomach and in Nova’s throat), nor had the glass hadn’t started to move through Nova’s intestines. The blood that her owner saw on the kitchen floor was definitely caused by cuts the glass made on Nova’s tongue, but none of those cuts (nor others in her esophagus) were serious enough to require surgical repair.

Total cost: $2100. Fortunately, Nova’s owner has pet health insurance. Since she had another vet visit earlier this year and has already spent the $250 deductible for 2019, she will receive a reimbursement from the insurance company for 90 percent of the most recent bill.

Nova’s owner reports: “I have learned my lesson; my counters are the cleanest in the county and there won’t ever be a mistake made like this again. Also, no more tennis balls for Nova.”

Another Counter-Surfing Case

The same afternoon that my friend was picking up Nova after her procedure, I received a text from another friend! “Ricky ate Chaco’s pain meds. We are at (a local vet clinic).”

While ALL medications should be kept in kitchen or bathroom cabinets – never on counters that dogs can reach – this is especially true of chewable medications. Most dogs won’t eat more than one nasty-tasting pill they find lying around. But the chewable kind tempts many dogs into eating the whole bottle – and that’s what Ricky did. He ate about eight Deramaxx pills, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) that can cause liver damage if an overdose is consumed.

chewed-up medicine bottle
The medicine Ricky ate

Again, fortunately, my friend discovered the chewed-up, empty bottle right away, and drove immediately to a veterinary hospital, where they administered an injection of apomorphine, which makes dogs almost instantaneously vomit. So Ricky has (apparently) suffered no ill effects, and the bill was a quite reasonable $170 (no insurance).

We’re All Susceptible

Lest anyone think I am judging my friends: I, too, once had a dog eat a whole bottle of chewable medication meant for another dog (I wrote about that in 2013!). The experience made me VERY careful about where I put medications.

Protecting our dogs is an ongoing, complex task, and none of us can prevent every potentially fatal accident. But all of these were preventable – and my sister and friends  and I all hope that these stories make you just that much more alert and able to prevent any of these accidents from befalling your dogs!

In case you want to learn about more ways to avoid a trip to the veterinary ER, here is a link to an article that veterinarian Catherine Ashe (who practiced emergency veterinary medicine for nine years) wrote for us last year.

How to Get the Tick Out

By
Nancy Kerns
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24
Tick removal tools holding a tick recently removed from a dog.
Where I live in northern California, most of the ticks that dogs pick up are these relatively large “American dog ticks” (Dermacentor variabilis). They are easy to comb out of a dog’s coat before they have latched on and easy to find once they have latched onto the dog’s body; just run your hands all over him and feel for bumps. In contrast, “deer ticks” (Ixodes scapularis), common in other parts of the country, are way smaller in every life stage, and so much more difficult to detect early.

It’s creepy enough that there are billions of these tiny insects living in the woods and fields, just waiting to latch onto your dog (or you!) and suck your blood. Bloating themselves with blood, ticks expand in size exponentially before falling off, able now to reproduce – gross! Add in the fact that a certain percentage of ticks may also infect your dog  (or you!) with a disease that can cause pain and suffering for the rest of his life – that’s beyond creepy. I lack words to describe the sheer perniciousness of this insect’s survival strategy.

Most of us are aware that ticks can be infected with the spirochetes (microscopic bacterial organisms) that cause Lyme disease (for more information, see Lyme Disease in Dogs, WDJ October 2018).  But, depending on what part of the country you live in, the ticks around you may carry any number of  other spirochetes that cause other painful diseases, such as Rocky Mountain spotted fever, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and more.

Parasites in Parasites

These spirochetes are parasites of the ticks themselves! Ingeniously, they use ticks to help them move from one host to another. When a tick sucks blood from an infected mammal, bird, or reptile (common hosts include mice, chipmunks, deer, birds, and lizards) the spirochetes come aboard and set up shop inside the tick; when the infected tick bites its next host, the spirochetes slip into the new victim through the tick’s saliva. The longer the tick feeds, the longer the spirochetes have to infect the tick’s newest host.

Not all ticks carry the spirochetes that cause disease in mammals. The rate of their infection varies by geographic location, species and life-stage of the tick, and species of spirochete. Most prevalent is the species that causes Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi. In southern New England – the epicenter of Lyme infection – about 20 to 30 percent of tick nymphs and 30 to 50 percent of adult ticks are infected with B. burgdorferi. In other parts of the country, B. burgdorferi may be found in fewer than five percent of ticks.

How to Protect Your Dog

To protect your family members from tick-borne disease, then, your job is two-fold: Do everything that you can to keep ticks off of your dog, and quickly find and remove any ticks that do manage to climb aboard.

We’ve discussed oral and topical pesticides that are fed to or applied to dogs to kill ticks in other articles (see Prescription Flea and Tick Medication, WDJ September 2017). But it’s clear to anyone who uses prescription or over-the-counter medications or spot-on products, tick collars, essential oils, or anything else, that no matter what you use, some ticks will manage to climb aboard and bite your dog. So let’s talk about the second tactic for protecting your dog from tick-borne disease: Getting the ticks off your dog ASAP.

How to Remove Ticks

I have heard countless methods for tick removal: Paint a tick with nail polish and it will detach from the dog to avoid being suffocated. Touch a just-extinguished match to the tick’s body so it pulls itself out. Pull while turning the tick clockwise. No – pull while turning counter-clockwise! All of these tactics are ineffective; don’t do any of them!

It’s actually quite simple: Just try to get a good grip on the tick, as close to the dog’s skin as possible, and pull it straight out.

Note that I said simple, not easy. Ticks are tiny. Your dog may be squirming. If his coat is thick, it might be hard to isolate the tick in your grip. You may end up pulling, or being impeded by, his hair, too. And if your fingers are thick, you run the risk of squishing the tick between them as you pull, which can result in squeezing the contents of the tick’s mouth and guts into your dog! Ack! That actually increases the chance of infecting your dog with any disease-carrying spirochetes that the tick might be hosting!

Tweezers can be used more effectively than your fingers, but they, too, pose the risk of squeezing the tick and squirting that potentially pathogenic-filled tick spit into your dog’s body.

Instead, use a tick pulling tool with a V-shaped slot. Slide the tool between your dog’s skin and the tick’s body, wedging the tick’s body into the tightest part of the tool’s crevice. When you feel that the tick is securely lodged in the slot, pull upward on the tool and – pop! The tick  comes right out.

Tick Tool Time

There are any number of tick-pulling tools on the market. Many of them are basically tweezers. They may have longer stems or sharper points than tweezers meant for other purposes, but they all pose the risk of squeezing the tick as you grasp it hard enough to pull it out.

The superior tools for this purpose all have the V-shaped slot that you wedge the tick’s body into, effectively using its … shoulders? … as leverage for when you pull.

The best tick-pulling tools have a few specific attributes that increase their effectiveness:

  • They are made of a strong yet thin material. The tool has to be thin enough to slide between the tick’s body and the dog’s skin, along both sides of the tick’s … neck?
  • They are possessed of a V-shaped slot that is narrow enough at the bottom of the V to trap and leverage against the narrowest of tick … shoulders? (The tick’s body, basically.) If the V is not vanishingly narrow at the bottom, the tool won’t capture the tiniest ticks.
  • They are of a size and shape that is easy for even thick-fingered people to grasp securely and that can be slid under the tick’s body easily.

We tested several tick-removal tools with V-shaped slots, and our favorites are described below. We purchased all of these products on Amazon.com. We like to support local pet supply stores, but these products are rarely found in stores.

Tick-Removal Tools

How to Teach Verbal Cues

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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4
If you give your dog no hand signals or body-language clues when you use your verbal cue for a behavior, will she know what you want and comply? Try turning your back or putting your hands behind your back and using only your verbal cue for a “Down” – did she lie down?

Does your dog understand what behavior you wish her to perform when you use verbal cues alone, with absolutely no hand gestures or suggestive body language? In many cases, the body-language picture we present to our dogs tells them as much – or more – about what we expect them to do as our verbal cues do.

In fact, it’s pretty common for dogs to be unable to perform the behavior that their owners are sure they know upon hearing the verbal cue alone – for example, if the owner’s back is turned to the dog when he gives his dog the verbal cue.

There are many compelling reasons to strengthen our dogs’ knowledge of and response to verbal cues – not least of which is that there are actually times when it would be helpful for our dogs to perform the behaviors we want when our back is literally turned!

The stronger their understanding of and response to our verbal cues, the more likely it is for our dogs to respond to those cues in situations where we look different, such as when our hands are full, we are sitting down, we are keeping our eyes on an approaching dog and/or person, or when our dog can’t see us because he’s darting toward the delivery van pulling in the driveway.

How to Teach a Verbal Cue

By helping your dog make an association between your verbal cue, the desired behavior, and the delivery of a resulting reinforcer (such as a food treat), you teach your dog how to respond with the appropriate behavior when you ask for it. You are giving him a choice: the opportunity to be reinforced for performing a particular behavior, or not. If he chooses “not,” then your job is to figure out how to help him want to choose to do the behavior.

First, you will properly introduce the cue and help him understand what it means. While there are several different ways to do this, we’ll walk you through the process with a couple of basic behaviors using one of our favorite training techniques: the lure-reward method. The steps are:

1. Get the behavior. Encourage the dog to do the behavior by using a treat as a lure to explain to him what you want. When he does the behavior for the lure, “mark” the moment that he does the desired behavior (with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!”) and give him a treat. (Note: For some dogs and/or for some behaviors, you may need to lure/shape – marking and giving treats for pieces of the behavior until you build the final behavior. See “Shaping Your Dog’s Behavior,” WDJ January 2017.)

2. Add the cue. When your dog will easily offer the behavior for the lure, use your verbal cue just prior to luring the behavior. You are essentially explaining to him, “This word means the same thing as this luring motion I’ve been doing.” Continue to mark and treat as appropriate throughout the process.

Your dog training reward marker doesn’t need to “click”

A clicker is a small device that makes a consistent, distinct clicking sound. Some make a very sharp sound; some make a softer (though still consistent) clicking sound, like the sound of a ballpoint pen being retracted or extended with the press of a button. But markers don’t have to be a click; any distinctive, consistent sound, gesture, or event can work.

I sometimes use the verbal marker “Yes!” with dogs, in a distinct, consistent, bright tone of voice. I have also perfected a loud “mouth click” by suctioning my tongue to the roof of my mouth and pulling it off with a resounding “pop” – very useful when working with horses and I want both of my hands free to handle a 1,000-pound animal and related equipment. Dogs who are sound-sensitive may do better with a verbal marker than a plastic clicker.

But the marker doesn’t have to be a sound! People who train deaf dogs often use a thumbs-up gesture or a momentary flash of a small flashlight to mark the desired behavior displayed by their canine students. Any signal that is consistent and easily noticed can work as a reward marker.

3. Add a pause. After several repetitions, pause for a few seconds after you say the cue, to give his brain a chance to process the word; then lure the behavior. (“Several” will vary from dog to dog. Some dogs will get it quickly; some dogs need more repetitions to understand the process. You will come to know how many repetitions is appropriate for your dog.)

4. Vary the pause. As you proceed with cue-pause-lure, begin to vary how long you wait before you lure. Sometimes, use the lure after just a second or two; sometimes wait several seconds. Luring quickly keeps him from getting frustrated. Waiting longer before you lure gives him more time to think.

5. Reinforce offered behaviors. At this point, some dogs will begin to offer the behavior before you lure. If yours does, the first time he does it, mark, treat, and party! Tell your dog how brilliant he is, give him several treats (or a special high-value treat you’ve saved for this occasion), and give him a break before you try again. Know that just because he did it once doesn’t mean he will do it every time – you may still have to do some cue-pause-lure repetitions, but it means you are well on the way to getting the behavior “on cue.” Congratulations!

6. Fade the lure. Some dogs won’t begin to offer the behavior so easily, which means you will need to “fade” the lure. This means you will continue to cue-pause-lure, but gradually decrease the amount of luring help you give him.

For example, if you were moving the lure six inches, try moving it just four inches; if he commits to finishing the behavior, whisk the lure away, mark the completion of the behavior without the treat in front of his nose, then give him the treat.

Also, be conscious at this stage that you do not inadvertently use other body-language hints or “prompts” to help your dog do the behavior, such as moving a hand toward the floor for the “down.” If you do use these prompts, you will have to fade them later to have the behavior truly on verbal cue alone.

Continue with your repetitions, fading the treat more and more, until your dog will reliably offer the behavior without the lure. Congratulations!

Note: Notice that I do not use “air cookies” – pretending to lure but not actually having a treat in your hand. To me, this is lying to your dog, and you still have to fade the “air cookie.” You might as well just skip this extra step and move right to fading the lure.

Verbal Cue for “Sit”

Sitting is one the most basic of canine behaviors. It’s an easy behavior for most dogs to do, and a great “incompatible behavior” to ask for when you don’t want your dog doing something else, such as jumping up on people. It also can become a useful “default” behavior – the behavior you teach your dog to offer when he’s not sure what else to do, or when he’s asking for something – like, your attention or his dinner.

Jacob uses a food lure to entice Kitty into the sitting position. You may have to experiment the most effective position for your dog’s lure; if your hand is too high, she may jump up to try to reach it. If it is too close to her head, she may feel threatened and duck away.

Here’s how to teach your dog a verbal “Sit” cue using this process.

1. Get the behavior. Do not use your verbal “Sit” cue for this step. Simply use a food lure to encourage your dog to sit, by placing it at the tip of his nose and slowly lifting up a little. (If you go too fast you will “outrun” him and he will lose his connection to the lure.)

With some dogs you can move the treat back over the head a little; other dogs will find this aversive and back away from you. Experiment a little by moving the lure in different places – back a little, forward a little, up a little more, up toward your chest – until you find the place that invites him to sit.

If he doesn’t lure into a sit fairly easily, lure/shape it by marking and giving him a treat him for any upward head movement that follows the treat, and for any lowering of the hindquarters, until he is all the way in a sitting position.

2. Add the cue. When your dog will sit easily for the lure, it’s time to add the cue. Say “Sit!” in a cheerful tone of voice (remember, it’s an invitation, not a command!), and lure him into a sit position. Repeat this at least a half-dozen times. Continue to mark (with the click of a clicker or a verbal marker, such as the word “Yes!”) and give him a treat for sits throughout the process.

3. Add a pause. Now say “Sit” in a happy voice and pause a few seconds. If he sits, mark and treat and party – you have a canine genius! More likely he won’t sit for just the cue yet, so after two to three seconds, lure him to sit, then mark and treat. Repeat several times.

Cue the cues

Today’s force-free dog training professionals increasingly use the word “cue” rather than “command” to describe the communications we give to our dogs when we want them to perform a behavior. Here’s why:

The word “cue” typically refers to a signal that encourages someone to take an action. A cue informs your dog that there is an opportunity for him to receive a reinforcer (such as a yummy treat) for performing a particular behavior. Compare that to the word “command,” which means to give an authoritative or peremptory order. The implication when you give a command is, “You better do it, or else!”

The words we use are important. They inform our mental associations and physical responses. As philosophically positive as a person might be when she is training her dog, if her brain thinks “command,” she is likely to use a more forceful tone of voice and more dominating body language. She might even be tempted to physically coerce her dog into position, albeit gently, if she perceives that her dog has “disobeyed” her command.

In contrast, a trainer whose brain thinks “cue” is more likely to use a lighter tone of voice, softer body language, and to examine why her dog declined the opportunity to earn a reinforcer. Perhaps he was distracted, didn’t understand, hasn’t yet generalized the behavior to a new environment, has a prior aversive association with the cue, or has a medical issue of some kind that makes it painful when he tries to perform the behavior.

Keep in mind that it is our job, as the supposedly more intelligent species, to be able to get the dog to want to do what we want him to do, rather than just force him to do it!

4. Vary the pause. Continue to “Sit”-pause-lure, but now, start to vary how long you pause before luring to give your dog’s brain time to process the information and respond. Sometimes lure after just a one-second pause, sometimes two to three seconds, and sometimes wait as long as five or six seconds.

5. Reinforce offered behaviors. Some dogs will begin to offer sits at this stage with the longer pauses. Mark and treat and party!

Continue to repeat this step, and remember that he may still need some luring. Just because he sits in response to the cue sometimes without luring doesn’t mean he fully understands.

Repeat this step until he responds to your verbal “Sit” cue without the lure 80 to 90 percent of the time. At that point you can say he knows the cue – and you may still need to assist with your lure from time to time when he doesn’t respond due to the cue. (None of us are perfect!) It’s better to lure when needed than to repeat the cue and risk “learned irrelevance,” where the cue loses its meaning. Sometimes even very well-trained dogs need a little help to get it right!

6. Fade the lure. If you have one of those dogs who just doesn’t get it with the cue-pause-lure step, you will need to fade the lure. Give him your cheerful “Sit” cue, pause, and begin to lure. As soon as he appears to be committed to sitting, whisk the lure out of sight behind your back and let him finish the sit without the lure in front of his nose. (If you keep the treat in view, he may try to follow it!) Mark and treat. Gradually lure less and less, whisking the treat out of sight sooner in the sit sequence, until, lo and behold, you don’t have to lure at all. Mark, treat, and party!

We’re Down

We start to teach “Down” as soon as we can easily lure our dog into the sit position, even if “Sit” isn’t yet reliably on verbal cue. It can be a more challenging behavior for many dogs than the sit, but the same procedure works.

1. Get the behavior. Do not use your verbal “Down” cue for this step. Simply use your lure to encourage your dog to lie down, by placing it at the tip of his nose and slowly moving it straight down toward the floor.

First stage of luring the “down”

Some dogs will follow the treat straight to the floor and lie down the first time you lure, but most need a little lure/shaping here: move the treat down a little, mark and treat. Move it down a little more, mark and treat. Continue to lure him a little farther each time until he is all the way down.

If he stands up, you may have moved the lure too far, too fast, or moved it away from him rather than straight toward the floor and he got up to follow it. Try again, with smaller increments, and make sure the treat is moving straight toward the floor.

2. Add the cue. When your dog will lie down easily for the lure, it’s time to add the cue. Say “Down!” in a cheerful tone of voice (invitation, not command!), and lure him into a down position. Repeat this at least a half-dozen times. Continue to mark and give treats for downs throughout the process.

3. Add a pause. Now say “Down” in a happy voice and pause a few seconds. Make sure you have the treat in a neutral position at your side or behind your back. If you hold it up at your chest, you are giving your dog a body language signal to sit. Because dogs are primarily body language communicators, he will likely pay more attention to your “Sit” signal than your verbal “Down” cue.

If he lies down when you say the cue, mark and treat and party – you have a canine genius! More likely he won’t lie down for just the cue yet, so after two to three seconds, lure him to lie down, then mark and treat. Repeat several times.

4. Vary the pause. Continue to “Down”-pause-lure, but now start to vary how long you pause before luring. Sometimes lure after just a one-second pause, sometimes two to three seconds, and sometimes wait as long as five or six seconds.

5. Reinforce offered behaviors. Some dogs will begin to offer downs at this stage with the longer pauses. Mark and treat and party!

Continue to repeat this step, and remember that he may still need some luring. Just because he lies down in response to the cue without luring sometimes, doesn’t mean he fully understands. Repeat until he responds to your “Down” cue without the lure 80 to 90 percent of the time. Remember, it’s better to lure as needed than to repeat the cue and risk “learned irrelevance,” where the cue loses its meaning.

Kitty is starting to offer the “Down” after the verbal cue and before Jacob uses a lure – yay!

6. Fade the lure. If you have one of the many dogs who just doesn’t get it with the cue-pause-lure step, you will need to fade the lure.

Give him your cheerful “Down” cue, pause, and begin to lure. As soon as he appears to be committed to lying down, whisk the lure out of sight behind your back and let him finish the down without the lure in front of his nose. Mark and treat. Gradually lure less and less, whisking the treat out of sight sooner in the down sequence, until, lo and behold, you don’t have to lure at all. Mark, treat, and party!

Another Language

You can use this same process to put many different behaviors solidly on verbal cue. First get your dog to do the behavior, then add the cue, then fade the lure. It is very important to begin fading the lure as soon as he will reliably perform the behavior so that your dog and you don’t become dependent on the presence of the lure to make the behavior happen.

We are a verbal species, and while it is critically important for us to understand our dogs’ body language communications, there is something quite compelling about helping our non-verbal canines learn our language. It is very gratifying – and incredibly valuable for strengthening the dog-human bond – when your dog understands and responds to your verbal cues. Just decide what behavior you want on verbal cue, and get started!

Take a Hike! (With Your Dog)

By
Sassafras Lowrey
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4
Just like us, in order to keep from getting injured or exhausted, dogs need to be gradually conditioned for hiking at elevation, on uneven ground, or for extraordinary distances. Similarly, the fitter and more accustomed to hikes they are, the more enjoyment you will have together on the trail!

I love hiking with my dogs, and one of my favorite things about living in the Pacific Northwest is the abundance of dog friendly hiking trails available to us. Over the years, I have learned a great many things about how to take a safe and enjoyable hike with dogs – some things that you really should do, and some things that you really should not do. Here are 10 tips for ensuring a great time for all involved.

Safety

Being out in nature is a great way to relax and connect with your dog, but it’s important to think about safety. With three dogs of various ages, sizes, and abilities (from 2 to 17 years old, 10 pounds to 103 pounds, and one dog with two surgically reconstructed knees), I take a lot of precautions to ensure everyone’s safety when we hit the trails.

1. All of the normal safety precautions for hiking in general apply to hiking with dogs – and then some. Tell other people where you are going and when you will be back. Monitor weather conditions. Be realistic about your own skill and fitness level. Carry trail maps; don’t just rely on your phone, as GPS signals might not work in the backcountry. Turn back early so you are back before dark. Don’t approach wild animals. Carry a cell phone (though, again, be aware you may be out of signal range). Carry water.

When you’re going with a dog, do all of the above, and carry extra water for your dog, and allow yourself give extra time for the hike.

Also, monitor weather conditions to ensure temperatures aren’t too hot for your dog to safely hike. Because (unfortunately) the general public can’t always be trusted to make good decisions for their dogs, the city of Phoenix, Arizona, piloted a program that banned dogs from hiking on trails when the weather is 100 degrees or more. People caught with dogs on the trails in those temperatures can be fined or jailed. The program took effect after multiple dogs died while hiking in the Phoenix heat.

2. Be realistic about your dog’s abilities, and aware that they can change. “The dog’s general health and athleticism should be considered before planning a hike,” says Stacey Rebello, DVM, medical director of emergency services at NorthStar Vets Veterinary Emergency Trauma & Speciality Center in New Jersey. “And the duration and length of the hike should be adjusted to ensure the pet can tolerate it.”

On your hike, watch for symptoms of tiring. Turn back before injury or exhaustion occurs. Signs that your hiking plans need adjustment include an adolescent dog who has more energy than stamina or a senior dog who has a hard time keeping up. Any dog who seems to be over-tired the next day or has difficulty recovering from the hike needs more conditioning before attempting that hike again.

I’ve found that trails rated as a good match for hiking with children work well for most dogs.

Leash Laws

Although many people like hiking in naural settings with their dogs off-leash, this is not allowed in many areas, including most state and national parks.

3. Be sure you know the regulations that govern trail use by dogs for any area you plan to hike with your dogs – and follow them! Some dog owners believe that their dogs are so well trained that they should be allowed to hike off-leash; however, leash laws exist to keep everyone safe, including the leashed dogs, other trail users (canine and human), and wildlife.

Following leash laws also helps ensure that you and your dog will be able to hike again another day. If people can’t be trusted to follow rules and keep their dogs leashed to protect wildlife and fragile vegetation, more wilderness areas will ban dogs all together.

Also, be sure to doublecheck that dogs are allowed on the trails at your planned hiking location before leaving your house. Dogs are allowed in many national parks – but are often restricted to campgrounds (not allowed on trails), and must be in the company of one of their owners at all times. When researching dog-friendly trails, I find local websites are better than hiking guide books; they are more frequently updated with information about current trail conditions or regulations.

4. In areas where dogs are permitted to be off-leash, take your dog off-leash only if he isn’t a danger to himself or others. Just because you hike in an area where dogs are allowed to be off leash doesn’t mean you should remove the leash, says Cincinatti dog trainer Nick Hof, a Board member of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers. “If your dog is off-leash in a permitted area, your dog should have excellent recall skills and be good with any other people or dogs you come across,” Hof says.

BARK Ranger Program

In 2015 the National Park Service began a new program to work with responsible dog lovers to find ways to make national parks more friendly to dogs while protecting their fragile ecosystems. The BARK Ranger program was piloted in Washington’s Olympic National Park. The program was expanded to Montezuma Castle National Monument in 2016 and is now at many national parks nationwide. The program offers structured activities like guided hikes with dogs and the opportunity to get official park gear for your dog.

BARK stands for:

Bag your dog’s waste

Always use a leash

Respect wildlife

Know where you can go

Participants in the BARK Ranger program take a pledge to follow park guidelines to be good examples and good ambassadors in the parks.

Some parks allow dogs and their owners to volunteer as BARK Ranger Ambassadors, making contact with national park visitors and their dogs to ensure everyone has a safe and enjoyable visit. The goal of the Ambassador program is to reduce the number of non-compliant dog incidents in the parks and increase awareness about park rules and training. The teams receive training on how to approach visitors, thank them for following park rules, and request that they comply if they aren’t. BARK Ambassadors also receive special vests for the dogs and t-shirts for the handlers and have scheduled volunteer shifts in the park.

To learn more about what parks near you offer BARK Ranger programs, visit nationalparkpaws.com/the-bark-ranger-program/. If your local park isn’t listed, call the park’s ranger station and let them know you would participate in a BARK Ranger Program if one were started. The National Park Service looks for interest from dog owners to decide where to expand the program next.

“Remember, when you take your dog off-leash in an unsecured area, you are betting his life that you can predict how he will handle any situation and feel confident that you all will succeed,” says Hof.

Hof advises for leashed and unleashed dogs to practice the occasional recall, reinforcing prompt responses generously. This reinforces not only the dogs’ recall but also that hiking near you is rewarding.

Trail Etiquette

If you have found an enjoyable place to hike with your dog, the odds are that other trail users appreciate the area, too. Be sure you are the trail user that others enjoy seeing – or at least, don’t notice!

5. Always be courteous to others and to nature when you and your dogs are out on the trail. Be sure to bring plenty of poop bags with you and pick up after your dog.

It can be tempting to let your dog go crashing through the underbrush, but this is disruptive to the plants and animals. Teach your dog that part of hiking is staying on the trail.

Keep in mind that not everyone likes dogs or wants to greet them on the trail. It’s not acceptable to let your dog approach another dog or person without the person’s permission or invitation.

6. Share the trail! Keep your dog close to you when hiking. Whenever possible, I put myself between my dog and other hikers to protect everyone (I’ve actually had a hiker reach out and grab my dog’s tail while doing an unsolicited “drive by pet”).

If you are on a trail that also allows horses, be sure to bring your dog close to you, giving extra space to the horses. Be aware that a dog who jumps up or barks at a horse might spook the horse – and that some some dogs may be spooked by horses! A dog who bolts away from the horses in fear may cause the horses to spook in turn, so unless you know that your dog will be calm and unafraid, put even more space between him and any equestrians.

Similarly, mountain bikes are common on many hiking trails. Ideally mountain bikers will slow or even possibly dismount before biking past you and your dog, especially if a trail is narrow. But if not, be aware that bikes may startle some dogs, so keep your dog close and put yourself between your dog and the bike.

7. Don’t impose your dog’s “issues” on others. If your dog displays aggression or reactivity toward other dogs or people, “you should either be working on those issues or have a plan in mind for how to mitigate any issues that may come from those,” Hof recommends.

One of my dogs is a former street dog and she’s very reactive to other dogs, so we seek out trails in areas where all dogs are required to be on on-leash, and that have reviews indicating they are only lightly used. If we arrive somewhere and find that the trails are crowded, or that people are breaking the leash laws, we simply leave and find somewhere else to go. It’s just not reasonable to expect other people to anticipate that your dog poses a greater than average potential for aggression to them!

Gear

Good quality, comfortable gear can make or break a hike for us, and it’s no different for our dogs.

8. When getting ready to go hiking, it’s important to make sure that your dog’s gear fits and is in good condition. No half-chewed leashes or harnesses with frayed stitching! And the trailhead is not the place to fit gear for the first time! Check the gear and adjust it for his comfort at home.

“I almost always prefer harnesses to collars for leash attachment,” Hof says. Note that harnesses have more contact with the dog and so pose a greater risk of rubbing and causing a raw, sore spot. Check your dog frequently when he’s wearing new gear, especially in sensitive places that are hard to see as you walk along – under his elbows, for example.

If you want your dog to carry a pack on your hikes, be sure to start slowly. It’s a good idea to visit to your veterinarian to ensure your dog is structurally sound enough to carry a pack. Also talk to your vet about what amount of weight would be appropriate.

Conditioning

In addition to choosing the right trails to hike with your dog, you need to condition him slowly to keep him from getting sore or injured.

Dog Scouts of America

Dog Scouts of America is a national scouting troop for dogs and their people, where dogs can earn badges for learning tricks and skills, including hiking. Kelly Ford, Leader of Dog Scout Troop 219 and a Dog Scouts of America Scoutmaster, says that there is an abundance of hiking badges and titles that can be earned by dogs and their owners. “The ‘Trails’ titles include backpacking, hiking, letterboxing, and geocaching with many achievement levels. Dog Scout badges include Backpacking and Hiking,” Ford says.

For dogs to earn the backpacking badges and titles, they must carry a pack with their own survival gear. To ensure safety, Ford says, “We stress the importance of keeping the packs lightweight, especially for our smaller Scouts.”

To earn hiking badges with Dog Scouts of America, dogs and their handlers need to complete a required number of miles and submit a log sheet. The first level of the dog hiking titles is 50 miles.

Being courteous and respectful is an important part of being a Dog Scout. “Polite trail behavior is always important in our Scouts. We also teach a ‘leave it,’ which applies to wildlife, roadkill, fish hooks, or anything on the trail that could pose a danger,” Ford explains.

“My dogs are always excited to go hiking with their Dog Scout Troop,” Ford says. “Their fellow Scouts ase are their best friends. Our Troop has learned a lot of new things and explored new places together.”

To learn how to get involved with dog scouting, see dogscouts.org.

9. Don’t force your dog to be a weekend warrior. Dr. Mandi Blackwelder, DVM, CCRP, owner of Healing Arts Animal Care in Beaverton, Oregon, cautions against taking our dogs along on infrequent and/or overambitious types of hikes. “They (and we!) are much more likely to be injured either during the hike or when we are sore afterward,” says Dr. Blackwelder. Instead, she advises that dog owners who want to start hiking begin a regular, structured exercise routine locally, long before making long drives to desinations for long hikes. “The first thing to do to prepare your dog for hiking is daily walks of increasing length, changing up terrain, and adding hills,” she says.

If you plan for your dog to wear a pack on the trails, you need to start conditioning her for that on your local walks, too. Start with an empty pack and slowly increase the weight (going no higher than what your vet advises) and length of time your dog wears the pack.

And when you do get to the trails, monitor your dog carefully. “Know your dog,” warns Dr. Blackwelder. “If she is a kamikaze hiker, be prepared to corral her before she is exhausted. If your dog is cautious, then work on some uneven terrain (rocks, gravel, bark) beforehand so you’re not forcing a march she is not ready for.”

Dr. Blackwelder offered the additional caution that it’s important to think about your dog’s specific structural or health needs. If your dog has preexisting health conditions, is overweight, or is a short-nosed breed, take additional precautions to prevent her from becoming overheated.

First Aid

Trying to prevent injuries should be foremost, but being prepared with a few essentials can be invaluable in case of an emergency on the trail.

10. Stuff happens, so prevent what you can and be prepared to deal with what you can’t. “Traumatic injuries, including abrasions, lacerations, and stick impalment are not uncommon when dogs are allowed to run through wooded areas. The risk of these types of injuries can be mitigated by keeping your dog on a leash and following an existing/established trail,” Dr. Rebello advises.

She advises that the most important thing to carry when hiking is water – to make sure dogs remain well-hydrated and to prevent overheating.

She also suggests carrying gauze and bandages. “If your pet is injured, the goal should be to get medical attention as quickly as possible. Spending exorbitant amounts of time on field first aid is less important than getting them to a veterinarian as quickly as possible,” Dr. Rebello says. “Rinse any wounds with clean water, apply firm pressure to stop bleeding, and place a temporary bandage until they can be assessed by a veterinarian.”

Dr. Rebello says “the biggest concern for owners who take their pets hiking is the risk of exposure to infectious diseases and parasites.” She advises dog guardians to ensure that their dogs’ tick preventatives are up to date before hiking, and to check their dog for ticks when they take breaks during a hike and when they get off the trail.

In addition, she warns dog owners to prevent their dogs from drinking from ponds, puddles, or streams on the trail that could be contaminated with leptospirosis; instead, bring enough clean water for you and your dog. And finally, “Owners should consider ancillary vaccinations for Lyme and leptospirosis for dogs who regularly go hiking, hunting, or live in highly wooded areas,” she says.

About Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs

By
Barbara Dobbins
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lab with mast cell tumor
Labradors are prone to a particularly aggressive type of mast cell tumors. Pugs, Boxers, Golden Retrievers, Beagles, and Boston Terriers are also overrepresented in the population of dogs with MCTs.

Mast cell tumors (MCTs) are the most common form of malignant skin cancer that occurs in dogs, accounting for about 14 to 21 percent of all skin tumors. There is significant variability in the presentation of MCTs from dog to dog and even from tumor to tumor, which explains why this form of canine neoplasia is often referred to as complicated and challenging. But the fact remains that MCTs are treatable, and many dogs are considered cured after treatment and go on with happy, healthy lives.

How Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs Develop

Mast cells are a subtype of white blood cells that derive from the bone marrow and then become residents of specific tissues, especially those that are closest to the external surfaces of the body, such as the tissues of the nose, mouth, lungs, skin, and around blood vessels. Their primary functions include defense against parasitic infection, tissue repair, and formation of new blood vessels; they also play an important role in the allergic response system. They can be activated by the immune system – a process called degranulation – to release a wide variety of inflammatory mediators, including histamine and heparin, which in turn modify immune reactions and inflammation.

When mast cells replicate in higher than normal numbers, an MCT (also known as a mastocytoma) can form. They are usually first noticed on or just under the skin, but they can form anywhere on the body. The most common location is on the trunk, followed by the limbs and in between the toes; they can occasionally be found on the head and neck. The skin mass might appear as a raised lump or bump or growth; it can soft or firm; hairless or covered by hair; it may or may not be red, ulcerated, or swollen.

MCTs can also occur internally, developing on the spleen, liver, intestine, and in bone marrow, as well as on the salivary gland, nasopharynx, larynx, oral cavity, gastrointestinal tract, ureter, and spine. This type is more aggressive, and it is usually preceded by dermal and subdermal tumors.

MCTs can not only vary in location, appearance, shape, and size, but also have a tendency to present with varying clinical behavior, which is suspected to be influenced by breed. MCTs can even change in size (increasing and decreasing from day to day!) because of reactions occuring in the mass. This is due to secondary inflammation caused by the release of histamine, which then results in intermittent swelling.

This type of tumor tends to present in dogs of middle age or older, but can occur in dogs of any age. No gender predilection has been reported. MCTs typically present as a solitary tumor but about 11 to 22 percent present with more than one tumor and 10 to 20 percent of those that have had an MCT will develop a new MCT in another location at some point.

The Cause of Mast Cell Tumors

The cause of MCTs is unknown. Certain breeds of dogs are predisposed to them, so there may be some genetic component. A genetic mutation in the protein c-kit tyrosine kinase receptor – called a c-kit oncogene – is found in 25 to 30 percent of tumors. Chronic inflammation may also predispose dogs to developing the disease, such as dogs that have a history of allergic skin disease. There has been no association found between sun exposure and MCT in dogs.

Breeds With a Predisposition for Mast Cell Tumors

MCTs are over-represented in Pugs (at risk for multiple but low-grade tumors), Boxers, Labrador Retrievers (at increased risk for the more aggressive form), Golden Retrievers, Beagles, and Boston Terriers. Other breeds showing an increased likelihood of developing the disease include Schnauzers, Bullmastiffs/Bulldogs/ Bull Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Fox Terriers, Weimaraners, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Shar pei, and Dachshunds.

Diagnosis of Mast Cell Tumors

The initial evaluation of a suspected MCT begins with a fine needle aspirate and cytology, from which a diagnosis is usually made. Grading of the tumor cannot be done at this point as only cells are obtained from the aspirate; visual examination combined with the cytology report will determine if the MCT is a candidate for surgical excision.

It is reasonable to stage (evaluate how far the disease has spread) the tumor prior to surgery; in cases of a recurring tumor, multiple tumors, or evidence of metastasis, staging in advance is considered necessary.

When an MCT spreads, the cancer usually moves into the regional lymph nodes near the tumor, then to the liver and spleen; it can also spread to other places in the abdomen as well as to the bone marrow. At a minimum, the staging tests should include an aspirate of the lymph nodes near the tumor and an abdominal ultrasound.

The ultrasound can show if there is any evidence of metastasis or anything suspicious that requires further testing. Aspirates of the liver and spleen may be recommended, even if all the organs appear normal, because they may harbor cancer cells.

Treatment for Mast Cell Tumors in Dogs

The preferred treatment for MCTs is surgical removal – and for many cases, this is the only treatment needed. Prior to surgery and to alleviate some of the unpleasant symptoms of MCTs, a dog may be placed on antihistamines and antacids to mediate the effects of the histamine generated by the mast cells. Because MCTs are prone to growing into surrounding tissues, the visible tumor is removed with the addition of wide surgical margins – 2 to 3 centimeters on all sides, as well as layer of tissue below – in an attempt to remove all cancerous cells; as a result, the surgical sites can be quite large. If there is more than one tumor, a biopsy is recommended for each one because individual tumors can be of different grades and require different courses of treatment.

dog after mast cell tumor removal surgery
This dog is recovering from having two mast cell tumors removed. ©Greg King

The excised tumor(s) will be sent to the lab for pathology; the resulting biopsy report will provide the tumor’s grade, confirm whether or not the tumor was completely removed (“clean” or “dirty margins”), and provide a foundation for prognosis. If the biopsy report shows that detectable cancer cells remain, the tumor can regrow. In these cases, a second surgery (if the site is amenable) or radiation therapy can be recommended. Mast cell tumors can be slower to heal post-operatively with suture sites that have the potential to break down.

If the location of the lesion disqualifies it as a candidate for surgery, further diagnostics can be performed to obtain its disease stage. If the tumor is deemed too large for removal, chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments may be recommended in an attempt to reduce the mass to an operable size. Inoperable tumors should be evaluated by incisional biopsy for histologic grade.

The decision to pursue additional treatment should consider the grade of the cancer as well as the results of other prognostic tests. Post-surgical radiation and chemotherapy are warranted on a case-by-case basis. The most important considerations when determining if a patient needs additional treatment following surgery are tumor grade, how complete the excisions of the tumor were, and whether the MCT has spread or not.

Mast Cell Tumor Grading

Traditionally MCTs have been classified using the Patnaik grading system, which assigns a histological grade of I, II, or III to each tumor. Studies have shown that the grade assigned to a particular tumor can vary as it is based on the subjective opinion of the pathologist; accordingly, sometimes a second evaluation of the biopsied tissue is warranted.

  • Grade I. About 33 to 50 percent of MCTs are classified as Grade I; these tumors act in a benign manner and are usually considered cured with complete surgical excision and simple monitoring over time. They tend to be contained and not prone to metastasis or recurrence. One exception is low-grade tumors on the dog’s muzzle or lips; these have a high rate of spread and need to be treated more aggressively, as 50 to 65 percent of them will develop metastasis.
  • Grade II. About 25 to 45 percent of MCTs are classified as Grade II – and this is where the decisions about their treatment get really challenging. Some Grade II tumors act like Grade I tumors, but others are similar to Grade III and more difficult to treat.In general, Grade II tumors are less defined than Grade I tumors and about half of them are more likely to spread into surrounding tissues and other parts of the body, with about 25 percent having already spread at the time of diagnosis. A Grade II tumor with a mitotic index (more on this below) of greater than 5 should be treated as a Grade III tumor.
  • Grade III. About 20 to 40 percent of MCTs are classified as Grade III. These very aggressive tumors invade quickly and into deep tissue layers. About 50 to 90 percent grow and metastasize, with most cases showing spread by the time of diagnosis. If removed, 55 to 95 percent are likely to recur. Surgery along with chemotherapy and/or radiation is usually recommended.The Kiupel system of MCT grading is more recent and achieves better consensus among veterinary pathologists. This simpler approach categorizes the tumors as either high-grade or low-grade; the assessments this system uses provide for a more accurate prediction of the behavior of the disease and therefore hopefully to determine a more significant prognosis. High-grade tumors tend to be associated with increased likelihood to metastasis and poor prognosis with an average survival time of approximately four months. Low-grade tumors have a median survival time of more than two years.

Supplemental Testing

As there is no single factor or test that accurately predicts the behavior of the disease, supplemental testing can be invaluable in developing an accurate assessment and improving the prognosis of affected dogs.

  • Mitotic Index. This test measures the rate at which the malignant mast cells are dividing and populating at the time of biopsy (this is one of the tests in the Kiupel system of grading) and is now usually included in biopsy reports. A tumor with a mitotic index of 5 or less can be treated as a Grade I MCT with a good prognosis and a median survival time of more than five years (regardless of histological grade). MCTs with a mitotic index over 5 should be treated as Grade III tumors. Median survival time for those with higher mitotic indexes is two to four months,  again, regardless of the grade.In general, the higher the mitotic index, the poorer the prognosis. For those tricky Grade II tumors especially, this test provides insight into how the tumor is likely to behave,  so an appropriate treatment plan can be developed.
  • MCT Panel. The MCT prognostic (or proliferation panel of tests can derive additional information from the biopsy sample may help develop a prognosis and treatment plan, especially for high-grade/Grade II/Grade III tumors. This panel evaluates the specific markers AgNOR, PCNA, Ki-67, c-Kit, and tests for c-Kit mutation status, which are related to the proliferation of the MCT.

Approximately one-third of all dogs with MCTs have c-Kit mutation of the mast cells. This is an abnormality in the c-Kit gene, which affects a protein found on the cell’s surface and is involved with proliferation and other biological activities; the mutation causes the tyrosine kinase receptor enzyme in the gene to be stuck in the “on” position, causing uncontrolled growth. In particular, the c-Kit mutation test can indicate whether chemotherapy is warranted, as well as provide a guideline for which chemotherapy protocol to use.

While the presence of this mutation is usually found in higher-grade tumors and indicates a more aggressive form, it also may be more susceptible to treatment with a class of drugs known as KIT inhibitors. Palladia and Kinavet are two chemotherapy drugs that target this mutation specifically; they act by cutting of the blood supply to the tumor and inhibiting tyrosine kinase (a protein that plays a role in growth and development).

Other Treatments

MCTs are very susceptible to radiation therapy, a localized treatment. Radiation is especially helpful in preventing regrowth for incompletely excised tumors. The majority of dogs with low-grade MCT remain tumor-free two to five years after surgery and radiation therapy.

Even dogs with Grade III MCT can benefit from this dual mode treatment; one study documented 70 percent still alive one year following treatment; another study reported a median survival time of 20 months. It may also be used to treat tumors that are not candidates for surgical removal due to size and/or location, either to reduce the size prior to surgery or as palliative care by reducing the size of the tumor and improving clinical signs. It does not prevent metastasis.

Radiation as a primary treatment is considered a palliative approach; the addition of chemotherapy and steroids can improve this approach and may be offered for cases with no other treatment options.

Chemotherapy may be recommended as part of the treatment protocol in cases where the MCT has metastasized or has been rated as high-grade or Grade III, as well as those with a positive c-Kit mutation result, dirty margins, high scores on either the prognostic panel or mitotic index, or presenting with multiple tumors. Chemo may also be considered to prevent tumor recurrence, especially when radiation is not an option.

Combining chemo with surgery typically improves the prognosis of dogs with high grade tumors; median survival for dogs with Grade III tumors undergoing surgery alone is six months while those who undergo surgery and chemo have a median survival time of 12 months. Combination chemotherapy protocols, often in conjunction with steroids, also offer improved efficacy. Commonly used drugs include Lomustine (CCNU), Vinblastine, Palladia, and Kinavet. Vincristine, L-asparaginase, and cyclophosphamide have also been used with some effectiveness.

Supportive Treatment

In addition to antihistamines, supportive medications to consider include: prednisone to reduce inflammation; cimetidine, an antacid that helps to counter the increased acid production in the stomach caused by the MCTs; and intralesional triamcinolone, a corticosteroid, which can be injected directly into the tumor to reduce size. Cryotherapy is sometimes used to freeze and destroy small MCTs; this approach can be an option for older dogs for whom anesthesia and surgery are not an option.

Prognosis

Prognostic considerations for MCTs include grade, clinical stage, location, systemic symptoms, status of surgical margins, and mitotic index. Mast cell tumors that are completely removed and are Low-Grade, Grade I, or Grade II with a low mitotic index and free of metastasis have an excellent prognosis, with most cases being considered cured. Dogs with tumors that were incompletely removed but subsequently treated with radiation therapy have an excellent prognosis as well, with 90 to 95 percent having no recurrence of the tumor within three years.

Poor prognosis is associated with MCTs that occur on the muscle, around the mouth, in internal organs, in the bloodstream, or in bone marrow; those that are ulcerated, large, fast-growing, or recurring are also in this category. Dogs with c-Kit mutation are also associated with poor prognosis, as are dogs with Grade III tumors as local recurrence and/or spread is likely (only about 10 percent of these dogs live a year past surgery). Survival rates for dogs with a mitotic index of over 5 is only two to four months. As daunting as some of these figures are, remember that these are only guidelines; every dog is different.

On the Horizon

A number of exciting therapies for MCTs are in development:

  • New treatments using receptor tyrosine kinases inhibitors for tumors with c-Kit mutations are an active part of cancer treatment research for both humans and dogs.
  • QBiotics has completed clinical trials on Tigilanol Tiglate EBC-46, a novel anticancer pharmaceutical protein kinase C activator isolated from the seeds of the Blushwood tree (Fontainea picrosperma). The drug, administered by injection into the tumor, stimulates the immune system, resulting in destruction of the mass as well as the blood supply to the tumor. Complete tumor destruction was achieved in 75 percent of the cases after a single injection; the trial demonstrated that the treatment was well-tolerated (minor side effects) with rapid healing and minimal scarring. Application for approval is in process.
  • A recent study at the Animal Health Trust Center for Small Animal Studies looked at the genetic changes in mast cells that promote metastasis. Researchers hope this will help develop a highly accurate test that can predict whether an MCT will metastasize; if successful, targets can be identified for new drugs to prevent metastasis. Future research will attempt to identify the causes of those genetic changes, resulting in the development of new cause-targeted anti-metastasis drugs.
  • The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University is conducting a clinical trial to evaluate an experimental drug in dogs with solid tumors (such as MCTs). The hope here is that the drug will not only stimulate the immune system to destroy the cancer cells but also kill the cancer cells directly.
  • Oncolytic virotherapy is an emerging therapeutic option for cancer treatment. Studies have found that a modified Sendai virus (of the Paramyxoviridae family) can spread in tumors and kill malignant cells while sparing normal cells.A recent pilot study of six dogs with MCT received the oncolytic Sendai virus treatment. It was well-tolerated with minor transitory side effects. All tumors responded, either partially or completely, indicating a promising approach. Because this treatment does not overlap with any known mechanism of current conventional MCT treatments, researchers hope it will prove effective in combination with other protocols, and warrants additional research.
  • Companion Animal Health recently initiated a partnership with Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc. to conduct clinical trials in the treatment of MCT using a combination of laser and nanoshell therapy. The approach of this treatment is to destroy the tumor without damaging adjacent healthy tissue. The initial results are encouraging, and trial outcomes should be published soon. It is hoped that it will deliver an improved treatment option and extend life without harmful side effects.

Watch Those Lumps

My Border Collie Duncan had 29 lipomas. Every time he developed a new lump, I had it aspirated and checked to make sure it was just a lipoma, not an MCT. I also tracked every one of his lumps on a diagram (see below) so I knew whether any given bump was new and potentially dangerous or just an existing lipoma.

Early detection for MCT is key and important for obtaining optimal treatment and long survival rates. If you find a growth on your dog that doesn’t go away after a month, please see your veterinarian to have it aspirated. Even dogs with high-grade metastasized MCTs can have a good quality of life.

Beyond the 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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We’re on board: All puppies should be raised in comfort and cleanliness.

The “Five Freedoms,” a set of standards for humane animal care, have long been internationally respected and embraced by animal protection organizations, including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Humane Society of the United States, and many more. The American Humane Association calls the Five Freedoms the gold standard of animal welfare.

The original guidelines were developed in response to a 1965 United Kingdom Government report on livestock husbandry. Each of the Freedoms was followed by a “Provision” that explained how the goal could be met. Initially focused on livestock, the application of these five principles of care has been generalized to include the keeping of companion animals, too.

The Five Freedoms and Correlating Five Provisions

These are the Five Freedoms and Five Provisions as currently accepted worldwide:

  1. Freedom from hunger or thirst, provided by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
  2. Freedom from discomfort, provided by an appropriate environment, including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
  3. Freedom from pain, injury, or disease, provided by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
  4. Freedom to express (most) normal behavior, provided by sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind.
  5. Freedom from fear and distress, provided by ensuring conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering.

Many of our agricultural practices still fall short of these standards. Sadly, even many companion-animal-keeping practices fall short in puppy mills, and even in some homes, shelters, and rescues.

An Even More Progressive Model: The Five Domains

More recently, a more progressive approach to animal welfare has been proposed – one that parallels the move toward more dog-friendly dog training. David J. Mellor,Ph.D., Director of the Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre and professor of Animal Welfare Science at Massey University in New Zealand, developed and promotes a set of guidelines he calls the Five Domains. His model emphasizes maximizing our animals’ positive experiences, not just minimizing negative ones. This approach moves beyond animal welfare (taking care of an animal’s basic needs) to the modern, far more progressive and humane concept of animal well-being (ensuring the animal’s quality of life).

In a 2016 paper published in Animals (an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal devoted entirely to animals, including zoology and veterinary sciences), Dr. Mellor stated, “A marked increase in scientific understanding over the last two decades now shows that the Five Freedoms do not capture, either in the specifics or the generality of their expression, the breadth and depth of current knowledge of the biological processes that are germane to understanding animal welfare and to guiding its management.”

Dr. Mellor more fully described his model in a 2017 paper also published in Animals. “The Five Domains Model is a focusing device to facilitate systematic, structured, comprehensive and coherent assessment of animal welfare,” he wrote. “The purpose of each of the five domains is to draw attention to areas that are relevant to both animal welfare assessment and management.”

Dr. Mellor proposed that there are five domains of critical importance for modern, humane animal keeping.

In order to provide clear guidance on beneficial objectives for animal welfare management, Dr. Mellor described correlating provisions in each of these domains. Here we list his Five Domains, followed by questions we developed to help you assess how well you might be meeting – or falling short of meeting – these provisions when caring for your own dogs.

1: Good Nutrition

Provide ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor. Minimize thirst and hunger, and enable eating to be a pleasurable experience.

Self-assessment: Do you feed a good quality food that is also pleasant to taste for your dog? Do you add extra tasty tidbits, vary his diet and control the presence of any aversives while he eats, perhaps even incorporate scent work with his meals to make sure he has a pleasurable dining experience? Have water accessible at all times (except perhaps when he is sleeping)? Avoid the use of water or food deprivation as a training tool?

2: Good Environment

Provide shade/shelter or suitable housing, good air quality, and comfortable resting areas. Minimize discomfort and exposure, and promote thermal, physical, and other comforts.

Self-assessment: Do you make sure your dog always has access to areas with appropriate/comfortable temperature levels – heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer? Does he have options to choose for himself how warm or cool he wants to be? If walking with your dog in heat or cold, do you provide various means for him to stay cool or warm as needed, depending on the dog: warm jackets, boots to protect paws from hot pavement, dampening his coat to allow for cooling evaporation?

3: Good Health

Prevent or rapidly diagnose and treat disease and injury, and foster good muscle tone, posture, and cardiorespiratory function. Minimize breathlessness, nausea, pain, and other aversive experiences and promote the pleasures of robustness, vigor, strength, and well-coordinated physical activity.

Self-assessment: Is your dog up-to-date on all necessary prophylactic treatments? Do you seek veterinary care promptly at the first sign of illness or injury? Do you consistently mitigate temporary or long-term pain or discomfort with appropriate analgesics? Is your dog fit, well-exercised, and in good weight, not over-crated or overweight?

4: Appropriate behavior

Provide sufficient space, proper facilities, congenial company, and appropriately varied conditions. Minimize threats and unpleasant restrictions on behavior and promote engagement in rewarding activities.

Self-assessment: Do you allow and encourage your dog to behave like a dog? Does he have regular opportunities to bark, dig, run around, jump on things, play, get wet, get dirty, and otherwise act like a dog – with you, and/or other dogs or individuals of other species, if he enjoys their company?

5: Positive Mental Experiences

Provide safe, congenial, and species-specific opportunities to have pleasurable experiences. Promote various forms of comfort, pleasure, interest, confidence, and a sense of control.

Self-assessment: Do you take him places he likes to go and encourage activities that engage his mind, challenge his creativity, give him choices, spark his curiosity, encourage him to think and problem-solve, build his confidence, and otherwise enhance his enjoyment of life?

Score Your Own Dog-Keeping

We would expect that Whole Dog Journal readers in general are doing a good job of providing for their animal companions’ welfare. Even so, we can all do some self-examination to ensure that we are doing as much as we possibly can to also ensure our animal companions’ well-being.

Take another look at the Five Domains and Provisions, and then do a critical self-examination of all the things you provide to enhance your own dog’s well-being. If you can honestly check off all five of the boxes, our hats are off to you: You are a dog-companion superstar and the champion of your dog’s well-being.

If, on the other hand, you identify some areas that need work, then get started on any needed changes – and kudos to you for your willingness to commit to providing your dog with the best life possible.

An Ill-Advised Weight-Loss Program: Bowser’s Story

By
Catherine Ashe, DVM
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3
Overweight and senior dogs are at increased risk of heat stress. Weight loss must be undertaken slowly.

Bowser was a sweet, lovable, and very fat Beagle. Instead of weighing a healthy 30 pounds, he was a whopping 50. Bowser’s veterinarian examined him in June and prescribed weight loss. It was recommended to his owner that Bowser’s food be changed to a metabolic diet, he stop receiving hourly treats, and he start exercising.

His well-meaning owner felt terrible. He hadn’t realized that Bowser was so overweight. Determined to help his canine friend get in shape, he took Bowser on a run. Unfortunately, Bowser, unlike his owner, was not a runner. He was terribly out of shape. He kept up gamely for the first mile, but somewhere in the second, he collapsed. It was, after all, June in the southern U.S.

Bowser came to our ER on a stretcher. He was panting uncontrollably, stretched out on his side. He had been vomiting, and he had severely bloody diarrhea. His belly was covered with bright red spots. The thermometer read 111 degrees.

Our emergency team jumped into action immediately. An IV catheter was placed and cooled fluids were started. A fan was pointed at Bowser, and towel-wrapped ice packs were placed along his belly and in his armpits. An oxygen mask filled with ice chips was placed over his nose.

Bloodwork showed that Bowser was already severely affected. His white blood cell count and blood sugar were low, and his blood wasn’t clotting properly. His liver and kidney values had already shot up as a result of the shock and organ damage, making his prognosis guarded. His owner was devastated. He had never intended to cause his dog any harm, and he told us to do whatever we needed to do to save his friend.

Bowser spent four days in the hospital with intensive care. He was given two plasma transfusions, many liters of fluids, and kept on antibiotics. Despite how severely he was affected, Bowser recovered. After four days, he went home with his loving and grateful owner to begin his weight loss journey at a much slower pace!

Avoiding Heat Stroke in Dogs

By
Catherine Ashe, DVM
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15
Protect dogs who are obsessive about fetching; it’s easy for them to develop heat stroke in warm weather.

Summer is a great time to be a dog owner. Long warm days mean plenty of outdoor activities like swimming, hiking, and playing. It’s important to remember however, that just like us, our canine friends can overheat. As a result, taking precautions in the spring and summer is critical. With attention to your dog’s behavior in the heat and preparation for the season, you can avoid a heat stroke.

What Causes Heat Stroke?

The canine body operates best in a very narrow temperature range – usually from 99 to 102 degrees. Above 109, and body systems will become severely damaged.

The dog’s temperature is tightly controlled by the hypothalamus, an area in the brain. Elevations in temperature can be caused either by endogenous factors (inside the body) or exogenous (outside).

Fever occurs when the hypothalamus resets the normal body temperature higher as a result of infection or inflammation. It is initially a beneficial response, as it enhances the ability of the immune system to destroy viruses and bacteria. With fever, trying to cool a dog down will not help, as the brain is controlling the body temperature. It will only lead to shivering as the body tries to rewarm to the new set point. This is uncomfortable and expends energy. Cooling is not recommended for fevers.

Heat stroke (hyperthermia) is caused by external factors such as a hot environment or overexertion in the heat. The brain set temperature is normal, but a dog is unable to cool effectively, and so body temperature rises.

Dogs cool by two mechanisms: evaporation and conduction. Evaporation of heat occurs with heavy panting. Conduction occurs when a hot dog lies on a cool surface and heat is transferred. Dogs sweat very minimally and only through their footpads, so this is not a significant means of cooling.

Heat stroke progresses through three stages. It begins with heat stress. Initially, a dog will pant heavily, seek a cool surface, and drink water to bring body temperature down.

If a dog cannot do these things or cannot do them effectively (such as when trapped in a hot car), heat stress develops into heat exhaustion. The panting becomes much faster, heart rate elevates, the gums become red and tacky, and body temperature is likely greater than 106 degrees.

If this goes unaddressed, heat stroke develops. Body temperature exceeds 109 degrees. A dog will vomit, have profuse diarrhea, begin to seizure, and collapse.

Most Susceptible Dogs

All dogs can have heat strokes, but some are more prone to developing problems. Brachycephalic breeds like Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, and Boxers are notorious for overheating. Due to breed-related airway abnormalities such as small nostrils, long floppy palates and tonsils, and narrow, weak windpipes, brachycephalic dogs can overheat very quickly.

However, Labradors and other breeds vulnerable to laryngeal paralysis, another obstructive upper airway disease, are also at significantly increased risk. Dogs with cardiac disease can be predisposed, as well.

Another consideration is whether a dog is conditioned enough to be in the heat. Dogs who are not accustomed to exercise and exert themselves in hot weather can suffer heat stroke very rapidly. This is especially true if they are overweight or elderly.

Most commonly, any dog left in an unventilated car in temperatures above 65 degrees can suffer from heat stroke. This is most often seen in the spring and summer.

Symptoms

Heat stroke is not immediate. Symptoms begin with heavy panting and restlessness. This progresses to weakness and collapse, followed by profuse vomiting and diarrhea (often bloody). As heat stroke continues, a dog will become extremely dull to non-responsive. Seizures can develop in the late stages. Red to purple spots and patches may become visible on the skin.

Once the heat stroke goes untreated, every body system becomes involved. Shock develops. This means decreased oxygen delivery to tissue, which eventually leads to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).

In the kidneys, the renal tubules (responsible for conserving water and electrolytes) are damaged. Water, glucose, and electrolytes are lost instead of conserved. Potassium, instead of being excreted, is retained. High levels of potassium causes cardiac arrhythmias.

The ability to clot blood is also severely affected. Coagulation proteins are made in the liver, and they function within the body’s normal temperature range. At above 109 degrees, they are damaged, and clotting becomes difficult. This leads to visible bruising on the skin called petechiae. When these coalesce into large patches, they are called ecchymoses. It is especially visible on the belly, where there is less hair, on the gums, the white of the eye (sclera), and inside the ear pinna.

Liver damage also occurs due to shock. The liver is essential for many functions. Two of the most important are production and storage of glucose, the body’s energy source, and the manufacture of clotting factors. Most dogs suffering heat stroke will have low blood glucose levels due to liver damage. Brain tissue is likewise affected leading to swelling of neurons. This can cause stupor, seizures, coma, and death.

The cells lining the gastrointestinal tract start to die as a result of the hyperthermia. Once those cells are damaged, the protective lining of the intestines weakens and thins, leading to bacteria moving freely into the bloodstream (bacterial translocation). This causes “blood poisoning” or sepsis.

Every system of the body feels the effects of heat stroke, making prompt care imperative to recovery.

Treatment

Treatment of true heat stroke must be rapid and aggressive. Immediately cool your dog if you suspect heat exhaustion. If you have a hose or bathtub, wet your dog down with cold water thoroughly, especially the paw pads and thinly haired areas like the stomach (this will help dissipate heat quicker). If you are outdoors and near a body of water, a quick dip can help bring down temperature.

After cooling, take your dog to the veterinarian. Do not wait to see if he improves, as heat stroke can be deadly in a matter of hours.

Heat stroke causes shock, and this must be treated quickly. Initial vitals will be taken while the veterinary team works to stabilize your dog. If you have already cooled your dog at home, the temperature may be lower than expected, but this does not mean your dog has not had a heat stroke.

An intravenous (IV) catheter will be placed, and cool fluids will be given rapidly. This will increase blood flow to all parts of the body and improve oxygen delivery. Fans and cold water will be applied to bring body temperature down. Oxygen should be supplied either via face mask or nasal prongs. Ice chips in the oxygen mask can cool and moisten the air to further increase cooling.

Additional treatments should include broad spectrum antibiotics to protect against bacterial translocation and sepsis, IV dextrose to maintain normal blood sugar levels, mannitol or hypertonic saline to decrease cerebral edema (swelling in the brain), and continued oxygen and IV fluids. Fresh frozen plasma may be given in cases where clotting abnormalities have already developed. The plasma can provide clotting factors when the liver cannot manufacture its own or when they are deactivated by hyperthermia.

Prognosis

The prognosis is always guarded, as uncontrolled hyperthermia leads to multiple organ damage. Immediate, intensive care will improve the prognosis. Hospitalization can be prolonged, often at least 48 to 72 hours. During that time, frequent vitals and bloodwork should be conducted, including tests of clotting times and blood glucose.

Avoiding Heat Stroke

When the weather warms up, it is important to slowly acclimate your canine companion to the weather. Heat and humidity both play a role in overheating, and even on moderately warm days, if the humidity is high, overheating can occur. Plan exercise and activities for the cooler parts of the day – around sunset and early in the morning. If the temperature is moderately hot, your dog can spend short periods of time outdoors to acclimate. Do not exercise an unconditioned dog in the heat.

Any dog with upper airway abnormalities or cardiac disease should have minimal outdoor time in the summer. At the first sign of any overheating, they should be calmed and aggressively cooled with a hose or bath. This includes brachycephalic breeds and dogs with laryngeal paralysis and heart disease.

Make sure when your dog is outside that he has shade and plentiful fresh water. Keeping it cold and fresh may encourage your dog to drink more. Replenish frequently and add ice cubes. A kiddie pool filled with cold water is also excellent for the water-loving canines. If you plan to visit a dog park, choose one that has water nearby for swimming and playing.

There are an array of cooling devices that can be found for purchase including vests, sleeping pads, dog houses, and collars. (The best of these were recommended in “How to Prevent Heat Stroke in Dogs,” in the July 2015 issue.)

The best tip to remember is, if you’re in doubt, err on the side of caution and avoid overdoing it!

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