If you have a dog, emergencies are inevitable. Dogs are prone to injuries, ingestion of toxic substances, and illnesses. Are you prepared in an emergency? Do you know what to do and what not to do? After nine years as an emergency veterinarian, I’ve seen it all! Here are my top tips for helping your emergency-room veterinarian help your dog.
1. Start a dog emergency fund.
Often, pet illnesses and injuries are sudden, unexpected, and very expensive. There are several ways to be prepared. Start a savings account for your pet. Also, consider pet insurance when adopting a new family member. Last, consider financing through a company such as CareCredit. These are credit cards available to use in the event of certain medical emergencies (including veterinary), and there are many options currently available.
Pro tip: Check ahead of any emergencies to see what payment options your emergency veterinarian offers.
Consult one of these hotlines for advice on what to do should your dog ingest a potential toxin or foreign object. For a flat fee, they will tell you what treatment can be administered and whether a trip to the emergency vet is needed. For instance, the silica packs found in many products are not toxic when eaten, but they can cause an obstruction in the small intestines of small dogs.
Pro tip: Post the poison-control numbers in a visible place in your house; save them in your mobile phone contact list, too.
3. Do not administer medications to your pet without consulting a veterinarian first.
There are many medications that, while safe at appropriate doses in humans, can be toxic to your pet. While acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) serves as a fever reducer and pain reliever in humans, it can cause liver failure in dogs. Naproxen, a common pain reliever used in human medicine, can cause severe GI bleeding and kidney failure in dogs when used at almost any dose.
Similarly, giving aspirin to your dog can impede the veterinarian’s ability to treat your pet effectively. Aspirin can inhibit blood clotting for up to seven days after a single dose. If your pet needs surgery, this could be a major problem. Further, if your pet needs treatment with steroids or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, it may have to be delayed for two to three days.
4. Don’t forget your pet’s medical records!
If you find yourself heading for the vet ER, don’t forget to bring along any medications that your pet takes. Also, don’t forget to tell the veterinarian if you’ve given your dog any medication or remedy. This includes aspirin, Benadryl, Pepto-Bismol, Pepcid AC, supplements, and any prescription medications. It is imperative that we know everything in the pet’s system, especially when treating a possible toxin ingestion.
Pro tip: Download a pet medical record app for your phone such as VitusVet or PawPrint.
5. Be prepared to wait!
If you have to wait in the emergency room with your dog, it’s a good sign! That means his condition is not life-threatening enough to warrant being rushed to the treatment area. Just as human ERs can have extended waits, so can pet ERs. Be patient with the doctors and staff. They are trying to give close attention and time to each patient. This ensures that pets receive the attention they need and the best treatment options.
Dealing with a pet emergency can be a stressful and scary experience. With a little forethought, you can help make a trip to the emergency veterinarian a significantly less stressful event.
Catherine Ashe, DVM, practiced ER medicine for nine years. She now works as a relief veterinarian in Asheville, North Carolina.
Basic screening tests, in combination with regular physical exams, are foundation components of a good health care program. In younger dogs, routine tests are done to establish normal baselines, exclude congenital problems, and/or ensure safety for anesthesia. In older pets, these tests often provide the first indication of possible health problems.
Last month, we described some basic screening tests that veterinarians use to check for early signs of illness. The test results of senior dogs, in particular, are more likely to possess abnormalities, ranging from subtle and easily explained irregularities to complex abnormalities that require further work-up.
So what happens when the screening test shows a problem? Let’s explore the next-step diagnostics.
Abdominal Ultrasounds for Dogs
What it is: Ultrasound technology uses sound waves bounced off of structures to create a picture. When used in a medical sense, this tool can look at the structure of organs in the abdomen and chest or ligaments and tendons. Abdominal ultrasound shows the structure and internal texture of the abdominal organs, including the liver, gallbladder, kidneys, spleen, small and large intestine, bladder, adrenal glands, and lymph nodes among others.
Why run it: Unlike an x-ray, which can only show the outline of things, an ultrasound can show the internal structure and architecture. This is important, as a change in the texture of an organ can indicate disease. Ultrasound is also very useful in detecting masses. Frequently, masses do not cause any outward changes and can be missed on physical exam or even x-ray, but an ultrasound can pick up very small growths. This early detection allows for more options moving forward. A very large mass may not be surgically removable, whereas when detected early, when still small, surgery may result in a cure.
Ultrasound is also used to guide a veterinarian’s needle to obtain samples of organs for biopsy; without this guidance, surgery would be required to access the organs for a biopsy.
When it should be run: Abdominal ultrasound is a test that is recommended most often based on changes to lab work. For example, if a routine chemistry panel shows elevation in liver enzymes, an ultrasound can be used to evaluate why those values are elevated. Alternatively, if your veterinarian feels a suspicious area on physical exam, she may recommend an ultrasound to check for a mass or organ enlargement.
Case example: Roswell, a nine-year-old Golden Retriever, presented to his veterinarian for his annual physical. His owner mentioned that he had seemed lazier lately and wasn’t eating his food as quickly as he had when he was a younger dog. On his physical exam, Roswell’s gums were noted to be a little lighter in color than normal and his belly seemed uncomfortable when the veterinarian was checking it. A complete blood count and chemistry profile were recommended. These tests showed a low red blood cell count (anemia) and elevations in multiple liver values.
Based on these results, as well as the discomfort Roswell had shown during his physical and the comments of decreased energy and appetite, Roswell’s veterinarian recommended an abdominal ultrasound. The ultrasound revealed a liver mass that was slowly bleeding into Roswell’s abdomen.
Because it was detected early, Roswell was able to undergo surgery to have his tumor removed. While it was cancerous, it was completely removed and to date, almost a year after surgery, Roswell has had no further signs of illness and has regained his youthful spirit.
Echocardiograms for Dogs
What it is: An echocardiogram is an ultrasound of the heart. Similar to an abdominal ultrasound, an “echo” uses sound waves to create a picture of the heart.
An echocardiogram can provide a wealth of information about heart health. It can be used to evaluate the thickness of the heart muscle, the functionality of the valves, and the coordination of the beat. We can zero in on a single valve or look at the heart as a whole. We can evaluate the space around the heart for fluid or masses or look at how blood flows through the heart. Using a feature called a color Doppler, a veterinarian can assess the direction of blood flow across valves, into and out of the chambers of the heart, and through blood vessels.
Why run it: Characterizing heart disease is incredibly important to successful treatment. When your veterinarian can see exactly what is happening, appropriate medications can be prescribed to ward off heart failure or slow the progression of disease.
For example, a veterinary medication called pimobendan has been proven to prolong life when started in dogs with a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) that are otherwise healthy. This is huge! Untreated, DCM can lead to congestive heart failure.
An echocardiogram also helps define severity of heart disease. This lets your veterinarian provide important information about prognosis and what to watch for.
When it should be run: The reason an echocardiogram is recommended depends upon the screening test that detected the possible abnormality in the first place. During a physical examination, your veterinarian may have heard a cardiac change that warrants further investigation. Detected with x-rays, an enlarged heart may have prompted the recommendation. Any time heart disease is suspected, an echocardiogram is the gold standard of diagnostics.
This test is especially important prior to undergoing an anesthetic procedure. Dogs with heart disease are at greater risk for complications from anesthesia, but these can largely be mitigated with an appropriate diagnosis and medical management. If your veterinarian recommends a “complete cardiac work-up,” an echocardiogram is the first step. Getting an exact diagnosis will allow your dog to live the longest, fullest life possible.
Electrocardiograms for Dogs
What it is: The electrocardiogram, also called an ECG or EKG, is a visual representation of the heartbeat. It transcribes the electrical impulse that causes your dog’s heart to lub-dub. There are three parts to an ECG – the P wave, the QRS complex, and the T wave. Each part represents a different portion of a single contraction. It is important that these all happen in a coordinated, predictable way to pump blood through the body effectively.
An ECG also measures heart rate and the spacing between beats. Interpreted all together, it creates a picture of your dog’s heartbeat.
Why run it: Abnormal heart rhythms cause myriad symptoms, from subtle things like general lethargy to more dramatic things like collapse. Certain breeds of dog are even prone to sudden cardiac death from abnormal heart rhythms. What you may see as a low drive to play ball may actually be weakness from a heart that isn’t beating right. There are medications to help manage these conditions and restore your pup’s normal energy level.
When it should be run: An electrocardiogram is part of a complete cardiac workup. In conjunction with an echocardiogram, it allows for complete assessment of heart health. Your dog’s heart, simply put, is what keeps him moving. If there’s a problem, it’s crucial to know quickly and get it under control. Dogs don’t have heart attacks the way people do, but they can die suddenly from untreated heart disease. Early detection is paramount to long-term management. Abnormal rhythms, independent of physical changes, can sometimes even be cured.
Case example: Sampson came in for his yearly exam and vaccinations. As part of his history, his owner mentioned that he had been having fainting spells about once every few weeks over the winter. He would be playing normally, then fall over and seem briefly unconscious. He always recovered within seconds and never seemed to have any lingering damage, so his owner didn’t think too much of the episodes.
During his visit, his veterinarian heard an abnormal heart rhythm and felt a racing pulse. Sampson’s owner approved an ECG, which showed him to be having runs of a very fast, abnormal heart rhythm intermixed with a normal heartbeat.
This finding prompted a visit to a cardiology specialist, who diagnosed Sampson with supraventricular tachycardia, a kind of fast heart rhythm that, if left untreated, can result in sudden death. The fainting spells seen by his owner happened when that rhythm occurred for too long without going back to normal, keeping blood from effectively getting to Sampson’s brain and other organs.
Sampson was started on medication and since that time has had no further fainting spells.
Complete Thyroid Panels
What it is: The thyroid gland secretes a number of different hormones that are responsible for regulating a multitude of things. Thyroid hormones have a hand in just about every process in the body. The complete thyroid panel measures thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (cTSH). Having all of these values allows for a full evaluation of potential thyroid disease.
Why run it: There are two cases in dogs that result in low T4. The first is true hypothyroidism and the second is known as “sick euthyroidism.” When a low T4 value is noted on screening blood work, a complete thyroid panel is needed to differentiate between the two conditions. Dogs with true hypothyroidism require supplementation, whereas dogs with sick euthyroidism can worsen with supplementation.
When it should be run: We touched on this a bit in last month’s article. The time to run a complete thyroid panel is when the screening thyroid check comes back low. This allows your veterinarian to assess your dog’s need for supplemental thyroid hormone.
When a dog is truly hypothyroid, thyroid-stimulating hormone will be above normal limits. This is because the brain is trying to tell the thyroid gland to produce more hormone. A truly malfunctioning thyroid gland will not be able to increase production, leading to all thyroid hormones being low.
In the case of sick euthyroidism, thyroid-stimulating hormone will be low or normal, leading to low or normal thyroid hormones. Dogs who are sick will decrease thyroid hormone production naturally, but this is an appropriate response, so there is no need to start supplementation. Dogs who are truly hypothyroid need supplementation because their thyroid gland is not properly functioning.
These Tests Are Worth the Investment
There are so many ways that our dogs enrich our lives. They provide companionship when we are lonely, motivation to get out and exercise, and assistance in life and work, just to name a few things. We are entrusted with keeping them safe and keeping them healthy in return.
When your veterinarian recommends an advanced diagnostic test, such as the ones discussed here, her motivation is to get the most information possible to create a plan to prolong good quality of life. We all wish there was a crystal ball that would tell us what is wrong and a magic wand to wave and fix it. While we don’t have those things, we do have diagnostic tests!
After graduating from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011, Kyle Grusling had internships in small-animal clinical medicine and surgery, then practiced emergency medicine for three years, before deciding to pursue a career in general practice at Northland Animal Hospital in Rockford, Michigan. When she’s not at work, Dr. Grusling enjoys spending time with her husband and their two sons, two cats, and Golden Retriever.
In California, where I have spent all but one year of my life (so far) with dogs, there are two types of dog owners: those have spent a small fortune having veterinarians remove foxtails from some part of their dogs’ bodies, and those who haven’t – yet. I’m in the first group, and I would hazard a guess that the first group is far larger than the second.
If you live in the western United States (particularly California), are planning to visit with your dog, or have adopted a dog who spent any time in that part of the country, you should know all the ways that this plant can hurt your dog (and your bank account!). It doesn’t matter if the exposure was recent or months ago. If the dog has been near foxtail grass, read on!
For those lucky folks in eastern North America who ask, “What are foxtails?”:
There are many plants in the grass family, Hordeum genus, that have fox tail-shaped reproductive structures, such as Hordeum brachyantherum (found all over western North America) and Hordeum jubatum (widespread in the United States and Canada). Hordeum murinum and Hordeum marinum (which appear across most of the western U.S.), though, are the grass species that cause the most harm to dogs (and other animals). Only botanists refer to these grasses by their scientific names, however; mostly, the grass is called by the common and descriptive name of its reproductive structure: foxtails, or foxtail grass.
Foxtail grass isn’t present only in California, but the state is definitely ground zero for this injurious plant. It grows as well in pastures and lawns as it does in gravel driveways and cracks in the sidewalk. The seeds geminate in winter, and when the plant starts to grow in the late winter and early spring, it’s actually lovely; it’s a bright green, soft, fast-growing grass that many dogs find irresistible for chewing. As it begins to mature in mid-spring, it produces the structure that resembles a fox’s tail: a thick, bristly spike that starts out green and soft. As spring temperatures increase and the rains end, the grass begins to dry out and the spikes turn yellow. The drier they get, the more brittle they become, and the plume-like “foxtail” starts to fall apart into individual segments, each tipped by a sharp seed and trailing those propulsive awns.
Our dogs and other animals carry the seeds far from the plants that shed them, helping spread them far and wide, but the journey of some seeds into our dogs has no purpose of propagation. The real purpose of the awns is to help the seeds work their way into the soil, where they bury themselves and wait for winter rainfall to germinate and start the cycle again.
Foxtails Are Designed to Penetrate Anything
The seeds of this nasty grass seem to have a special affinity for invading dogs’ bodies. The three most common hazards are these: They get sniffed into dog noses, work their way into dog ears, and lodge between dog toes. Each of these sites is a mere port of entry for these sturdy seeds; once inside, they start a relentless crawl forward, traveling deeper into a dog’s tissue with every passing hour. They are sometimes found in exploratory surgeries years afterward; the durable seed and awn fibers resist breaking down in the body as if they were made of plastic.
Those common jumping-off points for the foxtail’s inner-dog journey are not the only ones, however. Foxtails can penetrate any part of your dog; all they need is a place to attach. In dogs with very short hair (like American Pit Bull Terriers, Vizslas, and Weimaraners), they need a fold in the skin of some kind (armpit, vagina, prepuce). To these bristly seeds, longer, thicker, or curly coats behave a little like the “loop” side of a Velcro-type hook-and-loop fastener; a foxtail can stick to the coat, and wherever it sticks, it will start to burrow, enabling the seeds to penetrate anywhere on the furry dogs’ bodies.
How do they do that?! The seeds are very hard and tipped with a sharp point that is capable of puncturing your dog’s skin and entering his body. Attached to the seed are long, fibrous awns, which are covered with microscopic bristles that are arranged in a single direction, like the teeth on a rasp or nail file. Any contact with these tiny bristles literally pushes the seed forward, trailing its awn behind it.
If you push one of these seeds between your fingers, and then try to pull it out backward, you will begin to understand how they can pierce a dog’s skin and begin to forge, arrow-like, in the dog’s body: It’s very difficult to pull the seed backward, against the “grain” of the tiny bristles. If you pull on the seeds (and awns) when they’re fully dried and brittle (which occurs in late spring), the awn tends to break off (sort of like a captured lizard’s tail). This frees the remaining parts of the foxtail, which continues its singularly forward travel with every movement of the dog.
If a foxtail incursion is detected immediately, they can usually be removed from the dog relatively quickly and easily. Once, I was taking an after-work walk with a good friend and our (combined) four dogs when I noticed that, after urinating and then standing up, her spayed Kelpie, Chaco, had a few drops of blood dripping from her vulva. My friend and I looked at each other and simultaneously said two words that start with the letter F, one of which was “Foxtail!”
We immediately turned around and quickened our pace in an effort to get back to my car and get to the closest veterinary clinic before it closed. The vet was able to use a speculum and alligator retractor and remove the foxtail from Chaco’s vagina within two minutes; she spent a few more minutes making sure that not even a tiny segment of awn was left behind. The bill was less than $100.
I hate to think of what would have happened if we had not happened to see the couple of drops of blood that tipped us off to the foxtail invasion of poor Chaco’s nether end. Had it spent another day or two working its way into Chaco’s vagina, it surely would have caused infection and localized tissue damage, and could have easily traveled anywhere else in her abdomen. Radiographs, ultrasound, and exploratory surgery to find it later would have costs thousands.
The take-home point: If your dog has been anywhere near foxtails, and has any sort of abnormal sign of discomfort or irritation – shaking her head, an uncharacteristic squint, repetitively licking her paw or other part of her body, sneezing, coughing, gagging – call your vet and make an appointment as soon as possible.
Foxtail Dog Damage Horror Stories
Twice in as many years, I’ve seen one of the puppies that I was fostering pawing at his or her face and found and removed a foxtail that had just gotten lodged under the pup’s eyelid. Each time, I thanked my stars that I was right there when it happened and that I noticed the puppy’s discomfort right away.
I’m even more grateful for this now, since I asked friends and followers of WDJ’s Facebook page for foxtail horror stories and was told by two different people that their dog had to have an eye surgically removed after being damaged by a foxtail. ACK!
I’m going to share more anecdotes from people who responded to my request for their “worst foxtail story” – not for the shock value, but so you can be alert to the variety of ways that these freaky seeds can invade your dog and wreak havoc:
“I know someone who lost two of her working dogs to foxtails in one year. One of them ended up with a foxtail in his lungs; the other was female and the foxtail entered through her vagina and into internal organs.”
“One of our dogs started coughing up specks of blood. We had to have her ‘scoped (with the dog fully anesthetized, an endoscopic camera is passed down the dog’s throat and into the lungs). The vet found a foxtail lodged in the lining of our dog’s lung and extracted it. That was the most expensive video we ever bought!”
“My Belgian Sheepdog, Bing, got one in his throat. His airway partially closed. It took an emergency trip to our local vet and then an emergency trip to Penn Vet and an entire team of specialists to do exploratory surgery. Four weeks of prednisone and antibiotics followed. Treatment was particularly challenging because he was a biter, so no evaluations could be done with him awake. The event was a total life-changer for him, and not in a good way.”
“At one time I owned a Redbone hound who got a foxtail between her toes that quickly moved up her leg. The vet operated but could not find the foxtail. A month latter she abscessed on her side and the vet operated again, and again he couldn’t find it. She had two more surgeries with no luck. I couldn’t afford more operations even though she was a good hunting dog and valuable. I gave her to a man who had her operated on two more times and finally got the foxtail. The dog recovered but was covered with scars. The one foxtail cost thousands of dollars and over a year to take care of.”
“My one-year-old Golden inhaled a foxtail that traveled through her lung and created an infection in the space next to her heart. She needed open heart surgery to remove the mass and part of her lung. The cost was more than $10,000. Although she nearly died several times that month, she recovered completely. Unfortunately, the scar tissue weakened her heart over time and eventually caused its failure at just eight years old.
“Teala was my heart and soul. She was the first dog I ever purchased insurance for, back in 2008. Because of this experience, I have sworn to always keep all of my dogs on medical insurance for their entire lives. I never want to have to make a medical or emotional decision because of finances.”
“When Bailey was just a puppy, she got a couple in her paws and one in her ear the first summer we moved to California from Texas. Foxtails don’t exist in Texas, and we had absolutely no idea whatsoever that they were a hazard – and our backyard was full of them! Now we pull em like crazy, and they are all but gone from the yard.”
Foxtail Hazard Reduction
In the stories above, you may have gleaned a few helpful hints about how to reduce the odds that your dog will be invaded by one of these evil awns – and if she is, what you should do. Here are more:
■ If you walk or hike in foxtail country, consider the only effective protective gear made to prevent the awns from being swallowed, sniffed, or lodged in your dog’s ears: the Outfox Field Guard. This is essentially a net that your dog wears over his whole head. He can see through it, pant, drink, and even carry toys while wearing it, but he can’t get a foxtail anywhere on his face while wearing it.
■ Check your dog after every exposure to the weeds, especially between his toes. If he has the kind of coat that attracts foxtails, brush or comb him thoroughly, daily.
■ Pull up the foxtail plant by the roots as soon as it begins to produce its signature plumes in the spring. Before the plumes appear, it’s hard to tell which grass is foxtail grass and which is not. Dispose of the whole plants in your yard-waste bin or bag them securely and send them to the landfill. The seeds often survive even intense composting; I wouldn’t even try it.
■ Don’t use a string trimmer on them if you can help it. String trimmers actually help disperse the seeds widely.
■ If you must mow the grass, use a grass-catcher and dispose of the clippings in the manner described above. But understand that as long as there is any moisture in the ground and the plant is still alive, after mowing, it will begin to produce the plumes right at ground level.
■ I have heard reports that a propane-torch “weed burner” can help control the weeds. I just bought one. I will get back to you on its efficacy. I can’t wait to go burn some foxtails. I might be happy to burn them even if it doesn’t help me control their population on my property.
■ I HATE to ever recommend the use of Roundup or any other type of herbicide…But we know people who could not eliminate foxtail grass from their property any other way. If you haven’t been able to prevent your dog from getting foxtails in his body every year and the grass is all over your property, we wouldn’t blame you for resorting to this.
■ It bears repeating: If your dog exhibits any sign or abnormal behavior after being exposed to foxtails, go to a veterinary clinic. Of particular note: excessive blinking or pawing at the eyes, sneezing, coughing, gagging, head-shaking, paw-licking (or any targeted licking, especially if you see a raw, red bump), or pain or discomfort while or after urinating.
■ Maintain a health savings account or health insurance for your dog. If you live in foxtail country, whether you have them in your yard or encounter them on your dog walks, you should be prepared to pay for an expensive vet visit or three at some point.
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It’s only mid-May, but in many towns and cities, the street fair season has begun. I know, because I had the pleasure of attending one in the San Francisco Bay area town where I lived for a decade and where my son still lives. There were three bandstands with live music; tons of delicious food, beer, and wine; and dozens of booths full of gorgeous art and crafts, clothing, jewelry and more. And lots and lots of people, and lots and lots of dogs.
Big dogs. Little dogs. Multiple dogs on leash-splitters. Dogs in carriages, dogs in backpacks, dogs in purses, dogs on foot. All of them hot – because the weather was hot and so was the pavement – and most of them looking stressed.
Don’t get me wrong: dogs were allowed at the event. Every dog owner there had a perfect right to bring their dog to the street fair. And actually, I did not see a single dog fight or dog who looked like it was about to bite anyone.
But neither did I see a single dog who looked happy to be there, or comfortable with the dense crowd and the noise. And neither did I see a single owner who seemed to be paying what I would consider to be proper attention to his or her dog! I didn’t see a single person pet or encourage their dog, nor feed their dog a treat, nor steer their dog to the least-crowded part of the street. People may as well have had invisible dogs attached to their leashes.
I went to the street fair to look at art and jewelry and eat yummy food – not to train my dog. And I don’t think anyone else went there to train theirs.
I understand the impulse to be accompanied by your dog, I really do. I like bringing my dogs with me places – but only when they will be comfortable and when they’ll be neither distracting nor a distraction.
There are countless things that could go wrong: a stressed-out dog lashing out and biting a passing dog or child, a dog getting loose and running away in a panic, a dog getting heat stroke, someone stepping on a little dog (I saw it almost happen a number of times!), a dog developing a noise phobia after being forced to stay in a loud and stressful environment, some drunk person tripping on and hurting or scaring a dog. I just wouldn’t ever risk it!
I don’t have a particular point to make, other than to lament the fact that dogs seem to be accessories for many people. Whether or not the dog will benefit from – or be harmed by – the experience in any way doesn’t seem to be a consideration.
I count on my senior dog, Otto, for many things. When I need a perfectly behaved dog for any reason, Otto is my guy. He’s an amazing model for the magazine and any other photo I need; he will back up, come forward, sit, stand, down, look at me, and best of all, stay put for as long as I might need while getting the light right or making adjustments to my camera. I can take him into any environment – save one with slippery floors, Otto’s personal Kryptonite – and count on him to be calm and friendly to anyone he meets. He would never dream of jumping up on anyone; it’s just not in his repertoire.
He’s also absolutely amazing with other dogs. He is smart and cautious around any dog that looks aggressive; he will avoid them in any way possible. With neutral-looking dogs, he will approach in a neutral fashion. I’ve used him in this capacity as bait to help catch stray dogs; often, a roaming dog that is afraid to come to a human will approach another dog. I can release Otto and indicate that he should go meet the other dog. If they start to greet or make some playful moves, I can then call Otto back, and instruct him to run into my backyard – and several times, the stray has followed him in, so I could close the gate behind both of them and then call animal control.
With rambunctious puppies or adolescent dogs, Otto lays down the law. If a little puppy jumps all over him, he will warn them with a stiff body and impressive snarls and throaty, deep growls; if they fail to notice all that, he’s likely to give them a giant WOOF! in their little faces. In this way, he’s taught all my foster puppies in recent years to approach with good manners; if they do, he’ll magnanimously sniff them all over before he disengages. Playing with puppies is beneath him, at this age.
Adolescents don’t get the benefit of his “Start at one and slowly increase the intensity” puppy-management strategy. If a rude or clueless teen dog comes in too fast and crashes into Otto, that pup will get an even louder, “GROOOOOWW UPFERDOGSAKES!” and might even get bowled over. He’s done this to dozens of adolescent pups, and has never left a mark on a single one. His bite inhibition is flawless, and he never goes too far; one such event is usually enough to teach the teen to approach him next time with a little more respect. If they do, then Otto is more than happy to receive them with more dignity next time. He makes a perfect benevolent leader.
Otto loves human contact; he loves being petted or scratched or massaged. He will shed all dignity for a belly rub, and will sway like a hula dancer if you scratch his butt above his tail. You can massage his face and gently pull his ears he will exhale and relax deeply into your hands.
But there is one thing that Otto won’t do for me: He won’t share a couch or bed for sleeping or a nap.
If Otto is on one end of a seven-foot sofa, and I (or anyone) sits on the other far end, he will give that person a sort of dirty look and leave the sofa. If I am sitting on a couch and pat the cushion next to me, and encourage Otto to come on up, he will come and stand close, and wag his tail and blink his eyes … “Nance, I love ya, but I’d really rather not,” he seems to say. He’s usually more than happy to comply with whatever crazy thing I want him to do, but not this. A cuddler on the couch he is not.
I can freely admit: I am a person who takes naps. I am a napper. I naturally wake up early, can accomplish great things all morning long, but at about 2 or 3 in the afternoon, I hit the wall. A little lie-down, for 20 minutes at least but preferably an hour, restores me to full power. It enables me to stay awake past 9 pm! If I have a nap, I can stay up to midnight or even 1 am!
And this is where two-year-old Woody gets to shine. Woody’s super power, as far as I’m concerned, is that he will nap with me anywhere, any time. It doesn’t matter how small the sofa, how short the space, how hot or cold it is, Woody will curl up with me any time and will both adjust his long, lean body to fit, and allow me to drape my legs over him, use him as a pillow, or to drag him into the most comfortable spot for me. He just goes limp and says, whatever!
It’s true that he tends to kick a little in his sleep if he’s dreaming. Woody is prone to bracing his paws against me and stretching (pushing!) when something wakes him up for a minute. For the rest of the nap, he’s my warm puppy, and I just adore it.
Sorry, Otto, but Woody is better at just this one thing.
Do you sleep with your dogs on the bed? Anyone have a dog like Otto who won’t?
Whole Dog Journal is not just about my dogs, though I do use them for article ideas and models for articles sometimes, but there are some weeks when the lines blur a bit.
The June issue contains an article from one of our new veterinarian contributors about how to assess and clean a wound, and also discusses tetanus. I specifically asked this author to write something for me after my young, exuberant dog Woody cut his face on rusty old barbed wire. Suddenly, I had a million questions. Do dogs get tetanus? Is tetanus one of the shots that we ever give dogs? Why do I associate rusty metal with tetanus? WHY DON’T WE GIVE DOGS TETANUS SHOTS?
Stand by. The answers to all of my questions are in the June issue.
Also in the June issue: an article about advanced diagnostic tests for senior dogs. This is a follow-up to the article in the May issue (“Physical Exams for Senior Dogs“) that was contributed by another veterinarian who is now writing for WDJ. These articles were her idea; I didn’t assign them to her. But I have been waiting for them with bated breath, because it’s time to take my 10-year-old dog, Otto, in for some extensive senior exams. He’s starting to get a bit rusty himself; stiff when he first gets up, with a trace of a limp that I can’t quite pin down to one limb.
Also, right on schedule, he started up with his spring cough a few weeks ago; after 10 springs together, I know that he’s allergic to some type of local pollen in the spring, and for a few weeks he will exhibit this heart-stopping, raspy cough that gives me nightmares about heartworm and makes me review his health diary, checking to make sure we never missed a dose of heartworm preventive. But it also reminds me that the last time I had him in for extensive tests, an x-ray revealed that he had pneumonia in one lung. His vet and I were both surprised, because he hadn’t been coughing very much and his lungs didn’t sound bad, but that’s why these next-level diagnostics are important.
One thing I hate about taking him to the vet, though: the whole “taking him in the back” thing. I recently attended the annual conference for the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, and the first day was devoted to “Fear Free” veterinary practices. In various talks, practitioners described how they have transformed their veterinary practices and dog-handling methods to make trips to the vet less anxiety-producing, and I became convinced that I need to find a Fear Free practitioner to take Otto to.
I love his veterinarian, but she works in a large corporate group practice that offers zero flexibility about this. When they need to take something as small as a blood sample or as large as a chest x-ray or abdominal ultrasound – both of which I’m planning on asking for Otto soon – they “take him in the back” without me. The last time I took Otto to the vet, he came back “from the back” smelling terrible, having expressed his anal glands in fear. What happened? The vet tech who brought him back to me laughed it off. “Oh, it happens, he was fine, don’t worry.” Was it because they rushed him – or worse, dragged him – across a slippery floor? Was it being restrained? I have no idea, and of course no one will describe what happened, and I just don’t think that’s acceptable.
To cement this desire: trainer/author Linda Case, author of “The Science Dog” blog, as well as books Dog Food Logic, and her latest, Dog Smart, sent me an article (which will also appear in the June issue) about a scientific study in which dogs were monitored during sham veterinary examinations during which they either had their owners near to and comforting them or not near them. Heart rate, internal temperature, and other physical indicators of stress were monitored during the dogs’ examinations. The results? You can read about them in the June issue. Suffice to say, Otto will be meeting a new vet soon, even if I have to drive 100 miles to find him or her.
Just got home from a week out of town. Wow! I flew to Boston for the annual conference of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC), and then spent a day at WDJ’s publishing headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut. My husband came along and spent time with his son and grandson, and said grandson got to come and stay at the conference hotel with us for a couple of nights. It was fun, exciting, stimulating, and of course exhausting. And I found myself missing my dogs at every turn.
One of the funniest things is watching similarly devoted dog owners miss their dogs. Everyone today has photos and videos of their dogs on their phones, and we all try to behave well and say nice things about our friends’ dogs, so they will give us equal time and admire OUR dog photos. And of course when a spouse at home sends a new photo or video of the left-behind dogs, it’s acceptable to tap the person sitting next to you (even though you are in the middle of a session, and listening to a riveting speaker) and angle your phone so as to show off the cute photo. Your neighbor smiles, or mimes “Cute!” and you make a little sad face, to show how much you miss your dog . . . and after several of these exchanges, you miss your dog more, not less!
I got to spend a good amount of time with one of WDJ’s regular contributors, Nancy Tucker, a dog trainer who drove down from her home in Quebec, Canada, and meet in person (for the first time) another WDJ contributor, Linda Case. Nancy’s husband won the contest that none of our dog caretakers knew they were in, by sending pictures of Nancy’s adorable adolescent Border Terrier, Benni, several times a day. Linda pouted and apparently complained to her husband, who came through with a really beautiful photo of her two Golden Retrievers.
I got frustrated, because I couldn’t compete with any consistency. I also received terrific photos and video of my two-year-old dog Woody at play and at rest – but I often couldn’t show them off to anyone else, or look at them for very long. My 26-year-old son has been taking care of Woody while I was gone, and he’s been sending me the CUTEST stuff¬ – a video of Woody and Cole (my son’s coonhound) sitting up tall in the back seat of the car, looking like the bros (my son and one of his friends) sitting in the two front seats, on their way to a team practice; Woody and Cole rolling around on the floor in a slow-motion face-biting session; Woody lolling on my son’s clean laundry on the bed; Woody’s abashed “caught in the act” face, when my son took a photo of Woody climbing up onto a papasan chair he’s not supposed to be on in the middle of the night; and so on – but he sends them on Snapchat, a phone application that deletes the photos soon after they are sent. TOO SOON! I want to show each one to my friends, and watch them again and again, but no, they’ve disappeared. What a stupid application!
My sister and her husband were taking care of Otto while I was gone, but I don’t expect photos from them – and when I do receive them, the pictures are dark and blurry, and it’s hard to tell even what dog I am looking at! They have four small dogs, including a little dog, Lucky, who looks like Otto’s Mini-Me. I found Lucky on a remote country road two years ago, and took him to our local shelter. He wasn’t claimed by an owner during his three weeks there, and flunked all his temperament tests at the shelter (for growling, snarling, and snapping at the shelter staff) but got saved when my sister begged to adopt him anyway; she just couldn’t get out of her mind the picture that I had taken of him shortly after I found him, covered with ticks and skinny. I was the one who said he should be called Lucky, after being saved from starvation or getting hit by a car, and since Pam saved him from certain euthanasia at the shelter. But after having a hard time figuring out which blurry, scruffy dog in the photos is my 70-pound dog and which is the scruffy 10-pound dog in Pam’s pictures, I said she didn’t have to worry about sending me updates. 🙂
My husband and I got home late at night, too late to pick up any of my farmed-out animals. Since the chickens get up early, I picked them up from my chicken-sitter first thing the next morning, and then went to my sister’s house to reunite with an overjoyed-to-see-me Otto. I know he had a great time at Auntie Pam’s, and spending time on the couch with Uncle Dean, but he was also glad to come home, where he can be an only dog until tonight, when I will drive down to the Bay Area to pick up Woody from my son’s house. But hang onto your hat, Otto, because I will also be bringing home my son’s dog, Cole, as my son is leaving for Colombia for a week, where he will be competing in an international tournament with his sports team.
Should I, or should I not, send him photos of HIS dog?
Well, of course I will, and not using Snapchat, either. Being young, my son doesn’t seem to get it yet, that most of these photos of our beloved dogs are just too valuable to allow them to simply disappear.
I know I’ve hit a spot that’s going to be sensitive for some of Whole Dog Journal‘s readers when my copy editor sends an article back to me covered with personal comments mixed in with the grammatical and typographical corrections she’s supposed to be making. But in the case of trainer Nancy Tucker’s article “How Long is Too Long to Leave A Dog Alone?“, even as she was writing it, the author herself expressed concerns that the piece might be upsetting for some people to read.
However, both WDJ’s Training Editor Pat Miller and I love the article, even though we recognize that the points made by its author might be hard for some dog owners to accept, at least at first. Our hope is, though, that it makes people think a little about a very commonly accepted practice; are they unwittingly asking their dogs to do something that is very difficult, with little or no recognition of the hardship?
The thrust of the piece is this: Many dogs find staying at home alone all day to be anxiety-producing and challenging, causing a good number of them to exhibit behaviors that their owners find irritating (barking, chewing, inappropriate elimination indoors, etc.). Educated trainers recognize these behaviors as coping mechanisms – things that some dogs do in an effort to relieve their anxiety and boredom and make it through another day – not, as some people believe, things the dogs do out of spite. Experienced trainers have learned that it is far more fruitful – and humane – to educate owners about their dogs’ emotional and biological needs and take steps to improve the dog’s quality of life, than to try to stop the problematic behaviors with crates.
Of course, not all dogs find being home alone onerous. The advent of web cams and home-monitoring software has allowed many owners to observe their dogs sleeping on the sofa almost all day long – a reassuring vision, to be sure. But even in the case of dogs who seem to sleep all day, it shouldn’t hurt to ask their owners: Is this enough?
Compared to life on a chain or ownerless on the streets, our dogs’ lives – mostly indoors, with plush beds and enriching toys and plenty to eat – seem pretty darn good. Who among us has not felt that our own lives, by comparison, are a lot harder? After all, we have to work all day to support their leisure-filled lifestyles!
But we’re asking you to consider the social nature of the dog, just for a moment. His forbears chose to be our companions thousands of years ago, and when given an opportunity to choose, it’s his strong preference to be with us almost all of the time. Please just think about this if your dog shows signs of being distressed by being home alone, or, especially, if you are planning to bring a puppy home soon. And then consider whether any of Tucker’s suggested remedies might be available to you. Your dog will appreciate it more than he can ever say.
We know it’s okay to be apart from our dogs and to leave them home alone, but for how long, exactly? Is there a limit to the amount of time our dogs should spend alone? How should you deal with separation anxiety in dogs?
A lot of dogs might spend most of their waking hours home alone and seem to do just fine, but is it okay? Are they really fine? I sometimes wonder if, instead, this is something we say to ourselves to assuage our guilt, or to avoid taking a harder look at a cultural norm that could use an update.
Let’s look at how social isolation may affect dogs, and what we can do to minimize negative effects and maximize their well-being.
Being Alone All Day is Stressful for Many Dogs
Let’s start with the most basic of truths: Most dogs will spend time home alone on a daily basis. How long depends on the owners’ lifestyle and schedule. Someone who works an eight-hour day and has a commute, followed by errands and evening activities, could conceivably leave their dog home alone for 10 to 12 hours in a single day and on a regular basis.
Dogs have historically been left alone for long stretches without a second thought. As recently as a couple of decades ago, if a family needed to be away from home for a day or two, how the dog felt about being left behind – whether indoors or outdoors – was not an important consideration. As long as he had enough food and water, most owners felt secure in the knowledge that he was all set.
Few people today would admit to leaving their dogs home alone for 24 or 48 hours or more, but leaving the dog home for 10 to 12 hours is not at all uncommon – and questioning this practice can sometimes lead to social ridicule. If an owner decides that after being gone all day, she’d rather not confine her dog or leave him alone for an additional few hours in the evening, she might be met with less-than-understanding responses. “You’re not coming out because you want to be home with your dog? That’s crazy! You’re letting your dog control your life!”
Here’s the thing, and I won’t pull any punches: 10 to 12 hours is too long for a dog to be alone in a single stretch.
I know, I know. It’s a very broad statement and there is always the argument that, “We’ve always done it this way and our dogs have always been fine!” What this means, though, is that the dogs who appear to be fine have simply learned to cope with something that is entirely out of their control. Being left alone for long stretches of time is not a likely choice that they would make if it was up to them. They’ve adapted to our routines, but it’s far from ideal for them.
We count on our dogs to be there for us when we’re ready to interact with them, but in between those moments, we expect them to do nothing and wait. It’s a tall order, but lucky for us, most dogs adapt incredibly well to anything we ask them to.
People whose dogs have difficulty adapting are the ones who come to us trainers, asking for help with behavior problems such as barking and destructive chewing, or emotional issues such as fear, anxiety, aggression, or over-excitement, to name a few. In fact, many of us trainers and behavior consultants are kept very busy as a result of the lifestyle to which many dogs are subjected!
Trainers are often asked, “What’s the maximum amount of time a dog can be left alone in a single stretch?” There’s no simple answer to this. We know that in most cases, a dog will manage if he has no choice, but we shouldn’t push the envelope just because we can.
Let’s consider the dog’s basic needs. While not all dogs are alike, most adult dogs should be able to go outside to relieve themselves about three to five times a day (more often if they are sick or elderly) and shouldn’t be forced to “hold it” for more than four to six hours at a time, on average. We know most adult dogs can hold their bladders for more than six hours, but they really shouldn’t have to.
Granted, this is relative. Some dogs, if given the opportunity, will go outside to eliminate every couple of hours, while others – even with the freedom to do so – might still only eliminate three times a day.
You know your dog best and are in a unique position to figure out what his individual needs are. When you’re home during the weekend, does you dog stick to his usual weekday elimination schedule, or does he tend to go out more often?
Puppies need to eliminate way more often than adults, and although we can set up their “home alone” environment to include a space where they can eliminate indoors, there is still the question of how long they should be left alone without human company.
Yes, Dogs Get Lonely
Dogs are social animals and should have the opportunity to interact with people at least several times a day, and with other dogs on occasion, if this is something they enjoy.
It’s even more important to not leave puppies home alone all day. Puppies younger than 14 weeks of age are in a sensitive socialization period and benefit from lots of social interaction. They should be in the company of their family for significantly more time than an adult dog.
Again, for emphasis: Leaving a puppy home alone all day is a waste of valuable – crucial – socialization time that can confer lifelong benefits.
Crating A Dog While At Work
I have a number of clients who, prior to consulting with me, had resorted to using crates in an effort to prevent their dogs from doing further damage to their homes through destructive chewing or soiling, or to curb barking at the windows. The irony is that the behavior issues were actually created by too-long stretches of isolation. Crating the dogs only made bad situations worse by increasing the dogs’ level of stress and further limiting their ability to interact with their surroundings.
A crate is no place for a dog to spend an entire day. If necessary, confinement in a small space should be temporary and for short periods of time, say, a couple of hours, tops.
There’s often a comparison drawn between crates and “dens” – that somehow a small enclosed space should instinctively make a dog feel relaxed and safe because it resembles a den. However, dogs are not “den animals” at all. And even if they were, they would be able to leave their dens whenever they please, which isn’t the case with crates.
And if your dog actually seeks out his crate to nap? Does that mean he loves it so much that he’d be okay in it for an entire day? Well, I have a favorite chair in the living room where I sometimes like to curl up and take a nap. My choosing to spend time relaxed in a space without budging for sometimes an entire hour is a far cry from being physically confined to that chair, unable to leave it to stretch, eat, drink, relieve myself, or just plain do something else. It’s time we rethink the use of crates and our dependence on them.
If the principal reason for using a crate to confine a dog during our absence is to avoid destructive or nuisance behavior, a better approach would be to address those behaviors through training, or through management that involves meeting the dog’s physical, emotional, and intellectual needs.
How to Minimize Your Dog’s Time Alone
Following are a few ways you can avoid leaving your dog alone for too long. It can be hard to make this work, but if you dig deep and get creative, you’ll find there are actually more solutions available than you might have thought:
Doggie Daycare
Even if your dog is enrolled for just one day a week, that leaves you with only four more to go to cover an average work week! Of course, not every dog is a good fit for daycare, but for dogs who enjoy other dogs’ company, even just one day a week is a good step toward meeting his social and physical needs.
Keep in mind that not all doggie daycare operations are alike. Look for clean, well-designed locations with qualified staff who will manage interactions between the dogs and provide necessary rest periods. Also note that doggie daycare is not the right environment for young puppies.
Come Home for Lunch
If not every day, then as often as you can during the work week. If there are several family members in the household, consider taking turns coming home in the middle of the day to let the dog out to relieve himself and enjoy a short visit.
Hire A Dog-Walking Service
Dog walkers have been around for ages, but in the last decade this industry has seen a surge in numbers, possibly because more people who work outside the home are recognizing the importance of addressing their dog’s needs.
The types of services offered by professional dog-walkers can range from a quick home visit to a neighborhood walk, or even day training (when a trainer trains the dog in your home while you’re at work). Again, a caveat is needed here; there are some horrible dog-walking services out there.
Work From Home On Occasion
Telecommuting is more popular than ever as technology makes it easy for folks to perform their professional tasks from a home office.
Bring Your Dog to Work with You
Obviously, not everyone is in a position to do this. I frequently work with clients to treat their dog’s separation anxiety, and this suggestion is almost always met with an immediate negative response, “No way, I can’t do that.” However, it turns out that sometimes, it is possible.
Unless you’ve actually looked into it by communicating directly with the person who’s in the position to say yes or no, hold off before crossing the idea off your list of possible solutions. It may seem unlikely, but you may be very pleasantly surprised!
Arrange for Someone to Visit Your House and Let Your Dog Out
Ask a neighbor, or your co-worker’s teenage niece who loves dogs, or that kid down the street who does odd jobs. Not everyone is comfortable with the possible liabilities a scenario like this can present, but you may already have someone you trust to handle this type of task.
Naturally, your dog needs to be comfortable with someone walking into his home while you’re out, and in the best of cases, he’ll be thrilled to receive a midday visit!
Solutions Have Higher Cost, But Worthwhile Benefits
While some of these solutions involve an additional expense, consider it a normal part of owning a dog. When calculating a budget for expenses related to caring for a dog, owners may figure in the expenses for food, toys, maybe some grooming, and the occasional vet visit. All too often, though, money for training and other services like daycare, boarding, or dog walking tend to fall erroneously into the “luxury” category. In reality, these are essential services that contribute to meeting a dog’s needs more completely.
Maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question all along. Rather than trying to figure out how to best stretch the amount of time we can leave our dogs alone, we should be trying to help our dogs get more out of every day. This idea might take some getting used to, especially since it suggests that our dogs aren’t happy. Sometimes, though, it’s good to question the status quo and ask ourselves if we can do better.
Nancy Tucker, CPDT-KA, is a full-time trainer, behavior consultant, and seminar presenter in Quebec, Canada.
Our dogs are part of our families. They play, run, and sleep with us. From bouncy puppies to laid-back adults, we are partnered for life. But what happens when they can no longer keep up? Often, as our dogs age, we start to see a general “slowing down.” Most owners see this as a normal part of growing older and it’s frequently written off. But what if it’s a sign of something more?
There are a number of ways that we can stay on top of health issues that creep up on our dogs with age. Annual veterinary visits are a staple in every healthy pet’s life. A comprehensive physical exam from nose to tail is step one in picking up clues to underlying concerns at every age, but it becomes even more important in the senior years.
In general, a senior pet is thought of as one in the later third of its life. So for our giant breed friends, this could be as early as four or five years of age, while those little Chihuahuas don’t hit senior until 10 or older! It’s at this point that your vet may start recommending biannual physical exams and other regular diagnostic tests to detect concerns as early as possible. As we’ve all heard from our own doctors, early diagnosis is key to successful treatment. Let’s look a little closer at some of those screening tests that may be recommended for your aging dog.
Recommended Screen Tests for Older Dogs
Complete Blood Count
What it is: The complete blood count, or CBC, is a blood analysis that investigates the red and white blood cell lines, as well as platelets. Red cells are the oxygen-carrying cells of the body, providing important nutrients to all of the organs and tissues. White cells are often thought of as our infection-fighting cells and while that’s definitely a big part of their job, they also give indications of overall immune health. Platelets are part of the blood-clotting system. The CBC takes in the number of each type of cell, as well as their sizes and distribution in the total volume of the blood.
Why run it: This is a screening test. That means that it rarely holds up a big sign with a diagnosis on it. Instead, the CBC is an indicator of underlying problems. A low red blood cell count (often called a packed-cell volume or hematocrit) means something is bleeding, something is damaging/consuming red cells or the body isn’t producing enough. A high count can point toward dehydration. A small change up or down may make your dog sluggish, which owners frequently misinterpret as “getting old.”
These little changes can point your vet toward an underlying disease process that may be treatable, helping your dog reclaim his youthful energy! A change up or down in the white blood cell lines may indicate an underlying infection (dental disease, anyone?), inflammation (how about those spring allergies?) or even be an early sign of certain cancers.
When it should be run: An annual CBC is a part of a comprehensive exam at any age, but in senior pets, every six months will help pick up changes as soon as they happen. As with any test, if your dog is showing signs of illness, even if you just had a CBC run last week, it should be checked!
Blood Chemistry
What it is: A blood chemistry is a broad term for any test that evaluates how the body’s organs are functioning. These come in many varieties and are frequently followed by a number such as 12, 19, or 23. This number indicates how many different parameters are being tested, so for the most information, look for the test with the highest number!
Values that are most frequently included on a chemistry are liver enzymes, kidney-function measurements, blood proteins, and blood sugar. Other values that are sometimes included reflect pancreatic function, electrolytes, and gallbladder function. Get more details on common canine blood chemistry values here.
Why run it: These values point your veterinarian in a specific direction. If your pet is seeming “older,” that may be a reflection of lethargy, which in turn may be a result of liver disease or something similar. Sometimes, a chemistry test gives us an answer, such as in the case of elevated blood sugar in diabetes. In other instances, it indicates where to look next, such as when liver enzymes are elevated. This test gives you a lot of “bang for your buck.” It gives a lot of information in a relatively non-invasive way and for a small price tag. Normal values are great, too! When we have a test with normal values, we can more accurately interpret a change in the future. The best part of a chemistry is that there are instances where it can give you a diagnosis. While it is useful as a screening test, it can also be a test that gives you an answer.
When it should be run: Chemistry panels are similar to a CBC, in this respect. They should be run every six months or any time something changes. When early changes to liver or kidney health are detected, sometimes we can use something as simple as diet to manage things. If left undiagnosed for a year or more, our options become much more limited.
Thyroxine Screen (T4)
What it is: The T4 or fT4 is an abbreviation for a specific thyroid hormone. It is how vets often refer to a thyroid screen. This test looks at circulating thyroid hormone (T4) or circulating, unbound thyroid hormone (fT4 or free T4). T4 is one of several thyroid hormones produced by the body. It is the easiest and most inexpensive to test, but it is a screening test; an abnormal value requires follow-up testing.
Your dog’s thyroid gland secretes several hormones that are responsible at least in part for regulating a multitude of things, including metabolism, energy level, even skin health!
Why run it: Hypothyroidism, a condition in which the thyroid gland does not produce adequate hormone, is one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions in older dogs. It causes pets to just seem old – they become lethargic, overweight, have poor hair coat, and can have appetite changes. Often, these changes are subtle and are easily attributed to “old age.”
This condition is also one of the easiest to treat! It only requires supplemental thyroid hormone. This is inexpensive and usually easy to give (what dog doesn’t like peanut butter?). It can really change a dog’s life when you get that balanced out! As anyone with thyroid disease themselves can attest to, when thyroid hormones are off, you feel crummy.
When it should be run: Generally, a yearly thyroid screen is sufficient for most dogs. If it is abnormal, your veterinarian may recommend a more in-depth panel to fully diagnose the condition or may simply recommend monitoring this screen more frequently. It all depends on your dog’s specific situation.
There is a caveat to this test. Thyroid hormone is a finicky thing. If your dog is sick in some other way, his thyroid hormone value may be artificially lowered. This is a condition called “sick euthyroid” and is not true hypothyroidism. This is why the confirmatory panel is so important to run. Be sure to follow your veterinarian’s advice when it comes to starting supplementation or running additional tests.
Urinalysis
What it is: The urinalysis, often abbreviated UA, is exactly what it sounds like: an evaluation of your dog’s pee. Urine is a great indicator of a lot of different conditions. We evaluate urine for protein content, pH, crystals, cells, and a whole host of other things. Each bit of information provides insight into your dog’s overall health.
Why run it: When your veterinarian asks for a urine sample, it’s not always to look for infection. Basic urine screens, as part of a comprehensive exam, can give signs of diabetes, early kidney disease, bladder stones, even bladder or prostate cancer. The urine is a sensitive marker for these things and we frequently see changes to it before seeing changes to blood tests. Dilute urine or urine with a high protein content may be reflective of kidneys that aren’t working as well as they should. A high sugar content means diabetes.
Of course, it’s always good to look for infection, too! Bacteria can be a normal part of urine that was caught via “free catch” (straight from the stream, as it were!), but if the sample was obtained in a sterile method, lots of bacteria means infection. Sometimes, after running a blood profile, your veterinarian will ask for a urine sample. It’s important to interpret these tests together to get all of the puzzle pieces.
When it should be run: Annual urinalyses are a great place to start in a senior dog with no obvious health concerns. If something abnormal pops up, your veterinarian will recommend a monitoring plan tailored to your dog. If a blood analysis shows something funky, a urine sample may be requested to get more information.
If your four-legged friend is ever exhibiting signs of a urinary-tract problem, such as increased frequency of urination, straining to urinate, or blood in the urine, see your vet and be prepared to check a urine sample!
Pro-tip: If you think your dog is straining to poop, he may actually be straining to pee! Come to your vet appointment with a urine sample in addition to a fecal sample and your vet will be impressed!
Thoracic Radiographs
What it is: Radiograph is the fancy word for an x-ray. Thoracic (chest) x-rays are a great tool to assess your dog’s health. An x-ray can frequently be taken on an awake patient, but if your furry friend is a bit nervous, sedation provides a safe and effective way to take perfect pictures.
Dr. Kyle Grusling
Chest x-rays allow your veterinarian to evaluate the lungs and heart, as well as portions of the spine, trachea, esophagus, and sometimes even the first part of the abdomen.
Why take them: One of the most frequent things veterinarians hear from clients with older dogs is “he’s just slowing down!” When that happens, it can mean any number of things that are tough to puzzle out.
In some cases, a dog’s reluctance to play fetch may be related a difficulty catching his breath. Chest x-rays give a peek into heart and lung conditions that affect energy level, breathing, and comfort. These include primary heart disease, asthma, allergies, even cancer.
The “Big C” is a word that dog owners never want to hear, but our pets are not immune. Lungs are a frequent spot that cancer spreads. We can see spots in the lungs, called metastases, as a sign that cancer is occurring somewhere in the body. Primary lung and heart tumors also happen and can be picked up with x-rays.
When to take them: Chest x-rays taken yearly, as well as before any anesthetic procedure, will provide your veterinarian with important health information. Knowing your pet has a happy heart and healthy lungs can provide a measure of comfort to you, as well.
Worth the Extra Effort and Expense
Senior dogs are great companions. Whether they came into our lives as puppies or were adopted in their twilight years, we want to keep them comfortable and healthy for as long as possible. The screening tests discussed here are the first step in early disease detection. While it looks like a lot of information and a lot of poking and prodding, most of these tests can be run using just a small sample of blood and urine.
Don’t ever dismiss your senior dog’s behavior change as “just” old age; even if he is getting old! Sure, we all enjoy a snooze in the sun and maybe we don’t lose that winter weight as easily as we did in our younger years, but in our dogs, these can be signs of easily treatable problems. You and your veterinarian can custom design a screening program for your senior dog to ensure a long, healthy life.
Next month, I will discuss “next step” tests, including abdominal ultrasound, echocardiograms, ECGs, and full thyroid panels.
After graduating from Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2011, Kyle Grusling had internships in small animal clinical medicine and surgery, then practiced emergency medicine for three years, before deciding to pursue a career in general practice at Northland Animal Hospital in Rockford, Michigan. When she’s not at work, Dr. Grusling enjoys spending time with her husband, Joe, two sons, Mason and Beckett, as well as their two cats and their Golden Retriever.
Impulse control is the ability to resist a temptation, urge, or impulse. It’s what allows you to stay on your diet, be faithful to your spouse, and quit smoking. It’s also what keeps your dog from counter surfing, chasing a fleeing squirrel, jumping on guests, darting out an open door, and doing a host of other behaviors that she finds very reinforcing – and you find annoying or worse.
When the use of aversives was the norm in dog training, we simply punished our canine companions harshly enough that they were afraid to do these unwanted behaviors. With the advent of positive-based training, its emphasis on relationship, and our appreciation for getting our dogs to do stuff, today’s more enlightened humans use a kinder, gentler approach to teach impulse control. We teach dogs that if they choose to control their own impulses, good things will happen!
This month, we will look at some of these useful behaviors and address several more in next month’s issue. Once your dog has learned the concept of impulse control – and how rewarding it can be – the applications for its use are almost infinite.
The “Wait” and “Stay” Cues: What’s the Difference?
It certainly comes in handy if your dog will stay put when you ask her to. While some people may use the “Wait” and “Stay” cues interchangeably, I find there is real value in making a distinction between the two. In my world, “Stay” means “Stay in the exact position I left you in until I ask you to get up,” while “Wait” just means “Pause.”
“Stay” is vital for rally, obedience, and other canine competition venues, and for the occasional “I really need you to not move until I release you” situation. I actually use “Wait” a whole lot more than I do “Stay” in everyday life. In fact, it’s probably my most-used cue.
Perhaps I’m heading out to meet a client. I say “Wait” as I open the door to tell my dogs Bonnie and Kai they aren’t going with me, but they are free to move around the house. If I said “Stay,” I would be asking them to freeze and not move until I return two hours later. I may have well-trained dogs, but that’s not going to happen!
Now I’m headed down the stairs, and I ask them to “Wait” on the landing until I get to the bottom, so I don’t trip over them. They can move around the landing, but not dash down the stairs until I give them permission with an “Okay!”
In contrast, I might use “Stay” to park Kai firmly in one spot when I’m speaking with a boarder in the barn and I don’t want him running around under horse hooves while we talk.
Train Your Dog to Wait – with Food!
My favorite to way teach “Wait” is to teach “wait for the food bowl,” then generalize it to other situations. Here’s how:
1. At meal time, have your dog sit by her feeding location, and tell her “Wait!” Hold her bowl at your shoulder level, click (or use a verbal marker of your choice), take a treat out of the food bowl and feed it to her. (Hold the bowl off to the side so you won’t be lowering it directly under her nose.) If she loves her regular food you can use that. If she’s not wildly enthusiastic, use higher value treats that you’ve put into her food bowl with her food. If she gets up before you click, tell her “Oops, sit!” and try again. If she gets up after you click and treat, just ask her to sit again before the next repetition. Repeat several times, telling her “Wait” for each repetition.
2. Start with the bowl at your shoulder level, tell her “Wait,” lower it a few inches, click your clicker if she’s still sitting and quickly raise the bowl back up after you click. Take a treat out of the food bowl and feed it to her. If she gets up when you lower the bowl, try again, and lower it only a fraction of an inch.
3. Gradually lower the bowl a bit more, still starting at shoulder level, telling her “Wait” each time, with several successful repetitions at each new position before going lower. If you get two “oopses” in a row, you’ve gone too quickly; back up to where she can succeed and proceed more slowly with your bowl-lowering.
4. When you get the bowl all the way to the floor, set it down, click, and pick it back up before giving your dog the treat. Repeat several times, telling her “Wait” each time. (Be ready to raise it back up quickly if she tries to go for it!)
5. Next, when you get the bowl to the floor, click, but leave the bowl on the floor while you feed her the treat. Repeat several times, telling her “Wait” each time.
6. Finally, tell her “Wait,” set the bowl on the floor, click and treat, and tell her, “Okay, you can have it!”
Some dogs will get it in just one session. These are dogs who naturally have better impulse control. Those who are more challenged by their impulses will need to practice over a period of several days or more before you can get the bowl all the way to the floor, depending on their energy level and attention span – and yours. At each meal-time session, practice as long as is practical for you and your dog, then just go ahead and set the bowl on the floor with an “Okay you can have it!” Eventually you will be able to just ask her to wait while you put the bowl on the floor, and you won’t have to click and treat, her meal is the reward!
A great thing about teaching “Wait” with the food bowl: Most owners feed their dogs twice a day, so you have two natural built-in practice sessions every day! Note: If you have multiple dogs, and they will invade each other’s dining space, you may have to separate them to teach this.
When your dog can wait for her food bowl reliably, it will be easy for you to generalize the behavior (and practice impulse control) in more challenging situations. You, like me, may come to find this is your most-used cue!
More Good Reasons to “Wait”
Circumstances arise every day where “Wait” comes in very handy:
Wait at the Door: It’s important for your dog to learn that an open door doesn’t mean she gets to go running out, but rather, she needs to wait for an invitation. Start with her sitting at the door, ask her to wait, and reach a few inches toward the door knob. If she stays sitting, click, and treat. If not, “Oops” and start over, with even less of a reach toward the door. As she is successful, gradually reach closer and closer to the doorknob, eventually jiggling it, then opening the door a crack, then a bigger crack, until you can step outside without her following you.
Wait in the Car: Practice “Wait!” in the car so she also understands that an open car door is not an invitation to jump out. This can be especially useful if your car ever breaks down on a busy highway. (Crates and seat belts are the best approach to keeping your dog safe in your car.)
Wait on a Hike: You can also use “wait” to ask your dog to pause if she’s wandering too far ahead of you when you’re on an off-leash outing. I use this one frequently on our around-the-farm hikes. Hearing the “Wait” cue, my dogs pause for several seconds, then continue their hiking fun. If I need a longer pause I just cue it again.
Wait to Greet: Your dog is very friendly and eager to dash up to greet that dog on the path ahead (or perhaps a senior citizen in the park) who looks less-than-enthused about a nose-to-nose encounter. A well-trained “Wait” will pause your dog long enough to let you grasp her collar, attach your leash, and orchestrate appropriate greetings.
Wait for the Leash: Because a leash is such reliable predictors of walks, lots of dogs get quite excited when their human picks it up. Ask your dog to sit and wait for the leash. If she jumps up when you pick it up say “Oops,” set the leash down, and ask her to sit and wait again. Repeat until she will remain seated and “wait” until her leash is attached.
Wait, It’s a Game!: Everything’s more fun if we make it a game, right? With your dog on leash, run with her a few steps, then say “Wait!” and stop moving. When she stops, pause several seconds, then say “Let’s go!” and take off running again. Encourage her to get excited! Then say “Wait!” and stop again. Vary the amount of time you pause so she never knows when the “Let’s go!” is coming. When she’s really good at stopping at your “Wait!” try it off leash running next to her (in a fenced area at first, if needed), and eventually with her farther and farther away from you.
How to Teach Your Dog to Stay
Stay is a more challenging behavior, since the criteria are less flexible. It takes more focus and concentration for both you and your dog. You have a greater responsibility; once you tell your dog to stay, you have to remember to subsequently release her from the stay.
Stay has three elements, often referred to as the three Ds: duration, distraction, and distance. In order, these refer to the length of time your dog stays, the reliability of your dog’s stay in the presence of distractions, and the distance you can move away from your dog while she stays put.
It is critical to work on duration and distraction before you work on distance. If your dog won’t do a reliable stay with distractions when you are standing in front of her, it’s wholly unrealistic to expect her to do it when you are across the room.
The most common mistake in teaching stay is advancing too quickly. If you ask your dog for too much and she makes a mistake, you may be sorely tempted to correct her for “breaking” the stay. Don’t. Remember that you want her to succeed so you can reward her for doing the right thing.
1. Ask your dog to sit, with your treats out of sight. Calmly praise when she sits and after one second, click and feed the treat (delivering it right to her mouth so she doesn’t jump up), then use a release word and encourage her to get up. (See “Choosing a Release Cue,” below.) You can praise her for getting up, but don’t click the release, since it’s the “stay” behavior that you want to reinforce and reward.
2. Gradually increase the length of time you expect her to stay. When she is staying for several seconds at a time, add the verbal “stay” cue in a pleasant tone of voice after you cue the sit. Remember, you aren’t trying to intimidate your dog into staying, you are using the word as information, a cue for a behavior.
3. As your stays get longer, you can click and treat during the stay, then give another verbal “stay” cue to remind your dog not to move, since she may think the click ends the stay. Reward with treats several times during the stay, then release her before she decides to get up on her own. You want her to succeed. If your dog does get up before you release her, just say, “Oops, sit!” and make your next stay shorter, to help her get it right.
4. When your dog will stay for 10-20 seconds you’re ready to add small distractions. Ask her to “Stay” and take one small step to the side, then step in front of her again. Click, reward, and release. Do another “stay” and take a hop on one foot. Click, reward, and release.
Gradually build distractions until she will stay as you hop up and down without stopping, do jumping jacks, clap your hands, sit or lie down on the ground in front of her, spin in circles, bounce a ball, have someone go by on a skateboard – or whatever other creative distractions you can invent. Gradually is the key. If you go directly from one hop to the skateboard you’re probably going to lose her.
Gradually is also subjective, depending on your dog. Bailey the Bloodhound may progress to a 20-second stay in the first session, while Chili Pepper the Chihuahua may excel at three seconds. Some dogs will achieve a solid “stay” at a distance with distractions within a few days; others will take longer.
5. When your dog can do 20- to 30-second stays with distractions you’re ready to work on distance. Lower your expectations for the other two elements: shorten the time and remove the distractions. Ask your dog to stay and take one step away. Click, return, reward, and release. Gradually increase distance, slowly, so your dog will succeed. Always return to your dog to reward and release her. You want the stay to be rock-solid.
If you start calling your dog to you from the stay, she may start breaking the stay in anticipation of the joy of running to you – and the reward. If she thinks the stay is never over until you return to her, the behavior will become solid as granite. Once her stay is very solid, you may occasionally call her from a stay. Even then, you will want to return and release at least 10 times for every one time you call her to you.
6. When your dog will stay at a distance, combine all of the elements. Again, lower the bar, adding distractions when you are one step, then three steps, then five steps away, always returning to reward and release. You can even leave the room while she is on a stay, briefly at first. Take one step out, step back in, return, reward, release. Gradually increase the length of time you stay out of sight. You can set up a mirror in the doorway to keep an eye on your dog, always remembering to return before she moves out of her stay position.
Remember, you want her to succeed. If she makes several mistakes in a row you are asking too much, and she is learning that breaking the stay makes you return to the room. Any time she starts making mistakes, return to an easier version of the exercise and get several successes in a row before you raise the bar again.
Choosing a Release Cue
The release cue is a word that means “Get up now, the stay is over.” Lots of people use the word “okay,” which is fine, but if you choose to use this as your dog’s release cue, be aware that it’s a word used frequently in conversation, making inadvertent and/or ill-timed releases a possible hazard. I use “okay” as my release word, but in a very specific, high-pitched, happy tone of voice, to distinguish from the “okay” I use in casual conversation.
Other commonly used cues are “Free!” “Free dog!” “Release!” Break time!” “At ease!” and “Go free.” You can use any word you want, as long as you keep it specific to mean, “The stay is over and you must get up now.” Be sure to encourage your dog to get up any time you use it.
Teaching Your Dog a Down-Stay
The down-stay is exactly the same, except you start by cueing the down position.
Whether your goal is to get your dog to park herself on a down-stay while you walk the final 20 feet to the end of the drive to fetch your newspaper, or you have visions of the two of you earning a perfect 200 score together in the rally ring, you can get there with a positive stay – no harsh words, no collar corrections, and no damage to the relationship of trust and respect that you and your dog both value so highly.
Author Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, is Whole Dog Journal‘s Training Editor. She and her husband Paul live in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. Miller is also the author of many books on positive training. Her newest is Beware of the Dog: Positive Solutions for Aggressive Behavior in Dogs.
I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
