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Dishing On Diets
Four veterinarians from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, published a study in the June issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, entitled “Evaluation of recipes of home-prepared maintenance diets for dogs.” I don’t think any WDJ readers will be surprised to hear that their findings were not exactly positive.
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The authors have a vested interest in opposition to any homemade diets prepared without the help of a veterinary nutritionist. Disclosed in the study is the fact that three of the authors are part of the veterinary college’s Nutrition Support Services, and one of those is an owner of DVM Consulting, Inc., the company that manufactures Balance IT, a supplement that is used extensively by veterinary nutritionists to balance limited-ingredient homemade diets.
The study analyzed 200 recipes. Of those, 133 were obtained from 2 veterinary textbooks and 9 pet care books (two of which were also written by veterinarians), and the remaining 67 recipes came from 23 different websites. Of all the recipes analyzed, 129 were written by veterinarians, and 71 by nonvets.
Of the nine non-textbooks examined in the study, there was only one that I would recommend, and it was not written by a vet. (Full disclosure: Another of the books has my name on it, but I don’t defend it. The recipes are not mine, but I did write the introductory text, which includes information about supplements that was not part of the recipes and therefore likely not taken into account when they were analyzed.)
The authors of the study are clear about their goals and expectations, stating, “Current recommendations are that home-prepared diets are best evaluated and formulated by a veterinary nutritionist.” They go on to say, “We believed that most of the recipes would not meet requirements for essential nutrients and that recipes written by nonveterinarians would have a higher number of deficiencies than recipes written by veterinarians. We also expected all recipes to require that at least one assumption would be necessary for preparation of the diet and dietary analysis.”
They found what they were looking for. The study says, “Overall, most (190/200 [95%]) recipes resulted in at least one essential nutrient at concentrations that did not meet NRC [National Research Council] or AAFCO [Association of American Feed Control Officials] guidelines, and many (167 [83.5%]) recipes had multiple deficiencies.” They also found that, “Most (184 [92%]) recipes contained vague or incomplete instructions that necessitated one or more assumptions for the ingredients, method of preparation, or supplement-type products.”
WE AGREE . . . TO A POINT
There are many nits I could pick with this study, but bottom line, I think the authors have a point.
Most home-prepared dog food recipes (in books and online) are incomplete, many seriously so. Instructions are often so vague that it’s impossible to determine a recipe’s nutrient content. For example, recipes may include “ground beef” without specifying the percentage of fat. Similarly, many recipes use “chicken,” without denoting dark meat or light meat, or whether skin is removed. When grains are used, some recipes do not state whether the amount given is before or after cooking. These factors greatly affect the caloric and nutritional value of the recipes. And of those that tell you to add supplements, many just say, “add a complete and balanced vitamin-mineral supplement,” with no further guidance. Others may tell you to use a specific amount of bone meal, without recognizing that different brands can vary considerably in how much calcium and phosphorus they contain. And, in general, those are some of the better books – at least they’re telling you to add calcium and supplements. Many recipes don’t include either.
DEFICIENT
When I analyze home-prepared diet recipes at the request of dog owners, I’m not concerned that the diets meet NRC guidelines exactly, but they should be in the same ballpark. Nutrition is not an exact science. I was suspicious that the study could easily claim that almost no recipe met every single guideline exactly, but if the deficiency is slight, I don’t consider that a concern.
That was not the case for many recipes, however. Not only were a number of nutrients lacking in most recipes, but “Some deficiencies were so severe that nutrient concentrations did not reach 50% of the NRC RA [recommended allowance].”
For example, 61 percent of recipes were low in vitamin D, and 95 percent of those provided less than half the NRC recommended amount. Zinc, copper, choline, and EPA/DHA were also short in more than half the recipes. Of those that were deficient, 55 percent had less than half the RA of zinc, 43 percent had less than half the RA of choline, and 39 percent had less than half the RA of vitamin E. In other words, those recipes were significantly, not just a little, deficient in these nutrients.
That didn’t surprise me, as it matches what I’ve found when I’ve analyzed many homemade diet recipes. Let’s look at the nutrients that were most often not only short, but seriously inadequate, in the recipes that they analyzed, and compare them to NRC recommendations per 1,000 calories for adult dogs, which is the amount NRC assumes is needed for a dog weighing 35 pounds:
For a comprehensive list of nutrients, continue to page 2!
Vitamin D is primarily found in fish, so any recipe that does not include fish will be short on vitamin D unless a supplement is added. NRC recommends 136 IUs vitamin D per 1,000 calories. It would take about 1 ounce of oily fish to provide this much vitamin D. Some yogurt is also fortified with vitamin D.
Vitamin E was short in every recipe I’ve analyzed, unless supplements are added. NRC recommends just 7.5 IUs per 1,000 calories. It’s okay to give more, but limit amounts to no more than 2 IUs per pound of body weight daily.
Zinc was at least a little short in most of the recipes I’ve analyzed. Significant amounts of zinc are found in red meat, with lesser amounts in pork and poultry. Turkey has more zinc than chicken, and dark meat poultry has more zinc than light meat. Organ meats, particularly liver and heart, provide substantial amounts of zinc. Egg yolks are also a good source of zinc. Diets that rely primarily on chicken, or that do not include organs, are likely to be significantly short on zinc. NRC recommends 15 mg zinc per 1,000 calories.
Choline, a member of the B vitamin family, is often short in recipes I analyze. Eggs are one of the best sources of choline, with one large egg providing 126 mg. Liver, particularly beef liver, is very high in choline, with almost 100 mg per ounce. Heart and kidney are also high in choline. Diets that do not include eggs and organs will be short on choline. NRC recommends 425 mg choline per 1,000 calories. This nutrient is hard to supplement, as most B-complex vitamins and multivitamins provide little or none. Sources include lecithin granules with 217 mg/Tbsp and brewer’s yeast (not nutritional yeast) with 63 mg/Tbsp choline; however, these sources also add about 50 calories per tablespoon.
Copper is plentiful in beef liver, which has 2.7 mg copper per ounce. Chicken, turkey, and pork liver provide very little, so diets that do not include beef liver are always low in copper. I recommend feeding about 1 ounce of liver (at least half of which is beef liver) per pound of other meat. NRC recommends 1.5 mg copper per 1,000 calories.
EPA and DHA are omega-3 essential fatty acids found in fatty fish and fish oil. If you do not feed fish or supplement with fish oil, the diet you feed will be short on EPA and DHA. NRC recommends just 110 mg EPA and DHA combined per 1,000 calories, but I prefer to give 100 to 150 mg EPA and DHA combined per 10 pounds of body weight daily for healthy dogs, up to twice that much for those with a variety of health problems.
Other common deficiencies include:
Calcium: 35 percent of the recipes analyzed were short on calcium. This was likely due to the multitude of recipes that do not include a calcium supplement. All homemade diets require added calcium, in amounts greater than a multivitamin will provide, unless you feed raw meaty bones that are fully consumed. NRC recommends 1,000 mg calcium per 1,000 calories for adult dogs.
B vitamins: Vitamins B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), and B5 (pantothenate) were short in 14.5, 40.5, and 27 percent of recipes, respectively. Cobalamin (vitamin B12) was also short in many recipes, but since cobalamin deficiency has only been linked to poor absorption due to genetic abnormalities or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, rather than to dietary deficiency, I’m not as concerned about it. Most recipes met the rest of B vitamin needs. Thiamin is found primarily in legumes (beans, lentils), fruits, vegetables, and grains, so diets that omit these foods are likely to be short. Nutritional yeast is very high in both thiamin and riboflavin (brewer’s yeast has quite a bit less). Riboflavin is also found in vegetables, as well as mushrooms, yogurt, and eggs. I was surprised that pantothenate was short in so many recipes, as I almost never see that. Pantothenate is found in the same foods as thiamin, as well as egg yolks and meat, especially liver. NRC recommends 0.6 mg thiamin, 1.3 mg riboflavin, and 4 mg pantothenate per 1,000 calories.
Linoleic acid (omega-6 essential fatty acid): Found primarily in poultry fat and plant oils, so diets that include little poultry, or that use only skinless breast, which has little fat, will be deficient in linoleic acid. NRC recommends 2,800 mg linoleic acid per 1,000 calories. That amount would be provided by ½ tablespoon corn oil, soybean oil, walnut oil, or hempseed oil. It would take 1 tablespoon of canola oil, 1.5 tablespoons of safflower oil, or 2 tablespoons of olive oil to meet NRC recommendations. Six ounces of chicken breast with skin or ground turkey with 8 percent fat, or 12 ounces of dark meat chicken with skin and separable fat removed, will provide this much linoleic acid (based on raw weights).
Selenium: Just over one-third of recipes were found to be short on selenium. Fish, meat, and eggs are good sources of selenium, though the amount of selenium in foods can vary. Most of the recipes I’ve analyzed contained close to the recommended amount of selenium, which is 88 mcg per 1,000 calories.
As an alternative to these food sources, giving the dog a human one-a-day type of multivitamin can help to make up for most deficiencies (not including calcium, essential fatty acids, or choline). You can give the full adult human dose to dogs weighing 40-50 pounds, half the human dose to dogs weighing 20-25 pounds, or one-quarter the human dose to dogs weighing 10-12 pounds. Larger dogs would get proportionately more. This approach won’t work for really small dogs, as the dosage would be too high. Also, iron is often high, and copper low, in these supplements.
For more analysis and final thoughts, continue to page 3!
BALANCE OVER TIME?
The study addressed the issue of “balance over time” by analyzing three groups of seven recipes (all from the same source), but found that even if a variety of recipes were used, they were still deficient in most of the nutrients listed above (14 nutrients had inadequate concentrations in at least 50 recipes).
Even if you vary ingredients, homemade diets are likely to be lacking if you leave out important food groups such as fish, eggs, or liver, or if you rely too much on one protein source, such as chicken or beef. Some supplements, such as calcium and vitamin E, are always needed when you feed a homemade diet. Others will be needed if you omit any of the following food groups from the diet: red meat, poultry (including some fat), fish, eggs, liver, dairy, vegetables, and fruits.
EXPERTS ONLY?
I’ve often said that you don’t need a degree in nutrition to feed your dog a homemade diet; if we can feed ourselves and our children, we should be able to feed our pets as well. That said, dogs have unique nutritional requirements; they need more calcium for their weight than we do, for example. Also, many people get in a rut when feeding a homemade diet, and may feed the same limited recipe for long periods.
I know that it’s possible for dog owners to feed their dogs a complete and balanced home-prepared diet without consulting a veterinary nutritionist, but the authors of this study clearly believe that canine diet formulation is best left to experts. The study concludes, “Formulation of recipes for home-prepared diets requires expert input to minimize the risk of problems, and we recommend that recipes for home-prepared diets for dogs be obtained from or evaluated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists or veterinarians with advanced training in nutrition who are experienced and able to understand and address these concerns.”
While veterinary nutritionists are unlikely to formulate a home-prepared canine diet that is deficient in essential nutrients, they are very likely to formulate a diet that is heavily grain-based, relies on plant-sourced oils for dietary fat, and obtains most of its vitamins and minerals from synthetic, not food-based, sources. In other words, the diets they create are not ideal, either!
I’ve analyzed quite a few diets that were formulated by board-certified veterinary nutritionists, and nearly every one looked like the following and allowed no substitutions:
A small amount of one type of lean meat, e.g., skinless chicken breast, for protein and amino acids.
A large amount of one type of starchy carbohyhdrate, e.g., white rice, used to provide calories.
Corn or canola oil, providing calories and fat (particularly omega-6 fatty acids).
Balance IT, or a number of other supplements, used to meet most nutritional requirements.
There are several problems with this approach. I believe that higher-protein diets provide many benefits to the body, including the immune system, nervous system, skin, and coat. Diets with more meat and fewer carbs help to build lean muscle rather than being stored as fat. Plant oils are more likely than animal fats to become rancid, contain hydrogenated trans fats, and be genetically modified.
WHOLE FOODS APPROACH
Every five years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly update and issue a document called the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” These guidelines make it clear that a human’s nutritional needs should be met primarily through diet rather than supplements. Whole foods offer three main benefits over dietary supplements: greater nutrition from the micronutrients they contain, dietary fiber that can help with digestive disorders, and protective substances, such as antioxidants and phytochemicals. These factors apply to dogs as much as they do to humans.
People who feed their dogs a homemade diet usually want to improve nutrition through the use of fresh foods, rather than feeding highly processed commercial diets that rely on a long list of synthetic nutrients in order to meet nutritional requirements. Recipes from veterinary nutritionists are the homemade equivalent of poor-quality kibble, not the varied, fresh food diet that owners would like to feed their dogs.
Why can’t veterinary nutritionists design recipes that meet most nutritional needs through the use of whole foods, rather than synthetic supplements? Why can’t they accept that most people and dogs prefer variety rather than always feeding exactly the same thing every day? And why do they insist on using skinless chicken breast with added plant oils, rather than feeding dark meat chicken (or breast with skin) that would meet omega-6 fatty acid requirements without having to add plant oils?
As long as veterinary nutritionists think that a diet should consist only of the barest amount of fresh food propped up with synthetic supplements, people are going to continue to turn elsewhere for diet advice for their pets. It’s a shame that so many of the books and online resources that purport to provide that advice fail so miserably. Ideally, nutritionists would learn how to create complete and balanced diets that rely on fresh foods rather than supplements to meet most nutritional needs, and recognize the benefits provided by high-protein, meat-based diets (rather than just meeting minimal protein requirements).
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. She and her Norwich Terrier, Ella, live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Advantages to Daily Training
There’s a good chance you’ve heard the phrase, “Any time you are with your dog you are training.” It’s commonly spoken by dog trainers as a way of reminding clients that their dogs are constantly being reinforced for behaviors – by the owner, by others, and by the environment. Behaviors that are reinforced increase in frequency, durability and strength. It behooves you to pay attention to what’s happening in your dog’s world so you can make sure he doesn’t have the opportunity to be reinforced for behaviors you don’t want, and even more importantly, so you can make sure you reinforce behaviors that you like.
Like the shoemaker’s children who run around barefoot, dog trainers’ dogs sometimes suffer from a paucity of formal training sessions. We are often busy working with other people and their dogs, and too tired to dedicate time to our own at the end of the day. That doesn’t mean, however, that we’re not training. I took a look at a day in my own life recently, as an example of how much training can happen if you just take advantage of reinforcement opportunities with your canine pal throughout the day.
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5:30 am — The alarm goes off early here; time to do barn chores and get ready for the day. Paul heads downstairs first with Dubhy (Scottish Terrier) and Lucy (Cardigan Welsh Corgi). He calls them to follow him and reinforces the “Come” with a treat for each. (We both always have treats in pockets, and if we run out there’s a plastic container with treats on a shelf in every room in the house.)
6:00 am — I’ve finished getting dressed, making the bed, cleaning litterboxes and feeding the cats. My turn to head for the barn with Bonnie (Scorgidoodle) and Scooter (Pomeranian). Bonnie loves her crate and sometimes needs coaxing to come out. We take the opportunity to play “Find it!” – tossing treats on the floor for her to sniff out, and “Touch” – targeting to my hand for a “Yes!” marker and treats. (For more information about target training, see “Right on Target, WDJ February 2006.) While I use a clicker for formal training sessions, a verbal marker is a lot handier for real-life marking and treating.
6:02 am — I cue Bonnie to “Wait” at the top of the stairs so she won’t trip me as I carry Scooter down in my arms. (Scooter’s little Pom legs can’t navigate the stairs.) If Bonnie jumps the gun and starts down the stairs before I tell her to, we practice her “Back!” cue, and she backs up the stairs to the landing. No need to mark and reward Bonnie for the “Wait” – the release is reinforcement enough, and she flies to the back door in happy anticipation of the trip to the barn. (For more about the difference between wait and stay, see “Wait a Bit, Stay a While,” May 2001.)
6:04 am — After donning barn shoes and jacket I ask Bonnie and Scooter to “Wait” at the back door as I go out first – not because I have to be “dominant,” but because a good manners “Wait” behavior at the door prevents door-darting. The release cue invites them to follow. (Myths and misinformation about “dominance” is discussed in “Alpha Schmalpha,” December 2001.)
6:05 am — As we pass my Dodge Caravan I pop open the sliding door and invite Bonnie to hop in. She does so, willingly and eagerly, in happy anticipation of a “Yes” and treat. This is a deposit in the classical conditioning bank; Bonnie doesn’t like riding in cars and used to give the van a wide berth. By frequently inviting her to hop in, get a treat and not go for a ride, I’m helping her have a more positive association with cars and car rides.
6:07 am — I practice several recalls for high value treats with both Bonnie and Scooter on the way to the barn. Both dogs came to us from the shelter with tendencies to wander, or even dash off, when given outside freedom. I used to carry Scooter to the barn and walk Bonnie on a leash. Our daily recall practice has brought us to the point where they can reliably traverse the short distance to the barn under their own power, and Bonnie can hike off-leash with us around our 80-acre farm. (Scooter prefers not to go on hikes, thank you very much.)
6:15- 7:45 am — Lots of chances to reinforce a variety of behaviors for all four dogs as we feed, clean stalls, and move horses outside. An occasional “Wait” reminds them that they aren’t allowed to duck into the stalls and breakfast on fresh horse poo, or wander beneath horse hooves. Dubhy gets a treat for offering to perch on the mounting block – his “station” where we can send him if he gets underfoot during barn aisle sweeping. Bonnie might get reinforced for some lovely off-leash heeling down the barn aisle as she trots at my left side and gazes at my face.
We also play “Find it!” or “Down/Stay” to keep the dogs safely occupied as we lead horses out to their pastures, and “Wait” at barn gates so they don’t follow us outside. Dubhy also gets his daily wheelbarrow ride – “Dubhy, Up!” invites him to hop in, and he smiles all the way to the other end of the barn, where an “Unload!” prompts him to hop out onto a bench. The other three sit at my feet and I deliver treats all around.
8:00 am — Time for canine breakfast. All four gather in the kitchen as I prepare their bowls. I toss bits of cheese for Lucy to catch as I carry Scooter’s bowl to the laundry room, where he can eat without worry about harassment from the bigger dogs. The cheese reinforces Lucy for not barking as she waits for her own bowl. Lucy has some impulse control issues and a low tolerance for frustration. She sits on her mat while I deliver Dubhy and Bonnie’s meals to their mats on the opposite side of the kitchen.
Lucy deftly catches a cheese cube tossed from across the room – reinforcement for staying at her own spot until I come back to deliver her bowl. Each dog sits and waits until I place the bowl on the floor and release them to eat; that’s a super-reinforcement! (For more about using feeding time as a great opportunity to train behaviors such as “Off,”, “Wait,” and self-control, see “The Bowl Game,” July 2005.)
Continue to page 2 for the rest of the day!
9:00 am – 12:00 pm — This is mostly quiet time, with all four dogs napping as I work at my desk, but there are still opportunities, such as:
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Barney-the-cat wanders into my office to hang out on my desk for a while, then hops down to carry on with his inscrutable cat business. There was a time when Lucy would chase him, but not any more. The sight of Barney jumping off my desk now means delivery of a high value treat; Lucy has been classically conditioned to look to me rather than chase the cat. To maintain that strong association, I still deliver the treat for every feline dismount. These days when Barney hops off my desk Lucy doesn’t even move, other than to glance at me in anticipation of a treat.
Scooter, little dude that he is, doesn’t give very big signals to tell us he has to go out, and has been known to lift his leg in the house. Lucy, herding dog that she is, is much more aware of his communications than I am, and will loudly inform me that Scooter is quietly saying he has to go out. Everyone gets reinforced for that one with a real-life reward – a trip to the fenced backyard – and a “Yes!” and treat for prompt responses to the “Go pee” cue. (See “Pee on Cue,” February 2007.)
While we’re out, I might play fetch with Lucy, and cue her to “Sit,” “Down,” “Back,” and “Give” – reinforcing each of those behaviors with another toss of her favorite fetch toy.
While she’s dashing off to retrieve, I sneak in a little practice of some of Dubhy’s tricks – “Sit up,” “Salute,” “Crawl,” “Roll Over,” and “Say Your Prayers.”
If Dubhy has wandered behind the corner of the garage, I seize the opportunity to call him back using his emergency whistle recall. We use a (very loud) Storm Whistle for this, both to overcome his mild hearing impairment, and to sharpen his sometimes-reluctant response to the recall. Dubhy is the only one of our four dogs who will often choose to stay out in the yard rather than come back in with the rest of the family.
(For more information about Storm whistles, see stormwhistles.com or call 314-436-3332. For more about building and maintaining a good recall, see “Rocket Recalls,” September 2012.)
On the way back inside, I pause for a moment to cue Bonnie to do a few swipes with her front paws on the canine emery board in the sunroom – encouraging her to file her own nails since she hates nail trimming. “Yes” and treat! Then I cue her to back up onto the board and wag her tail hard – the best technique we’ve found so far to file her back nails. More treats. (For more about how to teach a dog who really hates having her nails trimmed to enjoy having her nails trimmed, see “Positive Pedi-Pedis,” August 2012.)
12:00 – 5:00 pm — I usually work through lunch, writing or preparing for an afternoon client. Bonnie and Lucy hope for a dog-reactive dog client, since I use the two of them as my “neutral dogs” and they both love the assignment. Bonnie gets first dibs, since she’s the softer of the two, and most likely to help the client dog succeed with a counter-conditioning protocol. This is a great chance to work on heeling and focus, since I want my neutral dogs to be well controlled and not making eye contact with the client dog. We practice about turns, backing up, left and right turns, and Rally moves: moving downs, stays, finishes, 180s and 360s, as well as basic heeling and other tricks. When the client dog is ready to work with a second dog, Lucy goes through the same routines.
Alternatively, if there’s no client on the schedule, we might just go for a hike in the woods – a favorite activity for all of us except Scooter, who chooses to stay home.
Now we get to practice serious recalls – easy for Lucy, who has that herding dog propensity for staying close to her human, but it’s more difficult for Dubhy and Bonnie, who both have independent terrier attitudes. Bonnie ranges far enough to make me a little nervous, but since we started practicing recalls on the way to the barn a few years ago, she has become very reliable about returning when I call.
Dubhy hikes on a long line and wears a GPS tag. His adolescent months spent as a stray in the wilds of Chattanooga combined with his terrier independence make a reliable recall a real challenge for him.
The long line is probably not absolutely necessary. I know he will come most of the time; I just don’t want to take the chance that this time might be the exception. We practice recalls on the long line anyway, for that day that he does somehow slip away. It has happened a few times in the nine years we’ve been on the farm, and most of the time we’ve retrieved him pretty quickly. A recent exception when he was missing for a couple of hours (probably with his head down a groundhog hole in the woods) prompted the purchase of a GPS Tagg Pet Tracker.
Late in the afternoon, we do more barn chores, but the dogs usually stay inside for this feeding. We board horses, and often the boarders are out and about, and students are arriving for dog training classes. I cue Lucy to go to her office (which is my office) and Bonnie volunteers to go in her crate. Both get reinforced for complying – Lucy with a few tossed treats, and Bonnie with her favorite crate-chew: an orange! I do a little counter-conditioning for Scooter’s “I will bark and chase you out the door” behavior, by tossing a handful of treats on the floor as I leave.
8:00 pm — After the dogs’ dinner, which looks very much like their breakfast routine, it’s family time in the living room, and more reinforcement opportunities. Bonnie asks to get on the sofa by sitting at my feet and gazing beseechingly into my eyes. Permission to jump up is all the reinforcement she needs for that polite “Say Please” behavior.
Lucy also enjoys sofa time, so an occasional “Off” for one gets a treat reinforcement so the other can snuggle at my side for a while. Cameo appearances by Barney (the cat) provide more counter-conditioning moments to maintain the association in Lucy’s mind that “cats make treats happen!”
Dubhy pretty much keeps to himself in the evening, but a soft “Wuff” in the hallway for this hard-to-housetrain Scottie gets a well-deserved “outside” reinforcement, as does another announcement from Lucy that Scooter needs to go out.
11:00 pm — Last call for potty trips before bed. Everyone gets a treat for going out, and for coming back in when called.
The gang troops upstairs. Lucy and Bonnie get treats for speeding into their crates, Dubhy gets a couple of them for hopping into his bed (an antique wooden box with blankets for bedding), and Scooter gets treats on the bed and his two stuffed toys (“differential reinforcement of an incompatible behavior,” so he licks his toys instead of our pillows).
11:15 – 11:30 pm — Finally, we have a little end-of-day counter-conditioning/grooming time for Scooter. He has a very lush coat, with a dense undercoat that tangles incredibly easily, and needs brushing almost daily. Because it tangles so easily, grooming always involves some pulling, which is understandably aversive to him. To keep him happy about the brushing, he gets treats from one hand while I comb with the other.
Paul comes upstairs 15 to 30 minutes after I do, and I feed treats to Scooter to counter-condition/forestall his ferocious “burglar alert” barking.
NO TRAINING-TRAINING
So there you have it. For a day when I didn’t do any real “planned” training sessions, we have done a heck of a lot of reinforcement for desirable behaviors! (See “the Training Tally,” below, for the astonishing total.) In fact, I’m exhausted just writing about it.
If you don’t work at home, you will have fewer hours in the day with your dog, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t take just as many opportunities to incorporate training into your daily routine. Ask her for some “Sit-Stays” and “Down-Stays” while you wait for your coffee to brew, interspersed with short sessions of Tug o’War. Invite your dog to accompany you to the laundry room, and ask her for different behaviors (Sit, Down, Stand, Shake Hands) as you sort or fold the clothes (and reward her for these behaviors!). Initiate a quick game of fetch from time to time while you help the kids with homework or cook dinner, asking her to sit politely each time before you toss the ball.
And of course, always be alert for opportunities to “catch her doing something right.” Offer her a reinforcing bit of attention, praise, petting, play, or food. Maintaining good behaviors is every bit as important as building new ones.
Raccoon Attack Update
As I described in WDJ’s July issue, on the night of June 1st, my dog Ella, an 11-pound Norwich Terrier, was attacked by a raccoon in my backyard. Fortunately, I was able to fight off the raccoon myself, and Ella escaped with only puncture wounds, which healed quickly after being treated at the emergency vet. Emotionally, however, she was a wreck, terrified to go into the backyard, and showing signs of anxiety in the evenings when she saw or heard anything outside.
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I started her on anti-anxiety medications to help her cope with the aftermath of the attack, and to prevent her anxiety from escalating.
I wasn’t exactly calm myself. The seeming randomness of the attack, and nightly sightings of the attacker in my backyard afterward, made me as jumpy as Ella. I changed the location of Ella’s last potty trip before bed to the front yard, and each evening, when it was time, I’d creep out the door, broom in one hand and airhorn in the other, peering around corners and under bushes, before signaling to Ella that it was safe for her to come out to pee. By the time we got back in the house, my heart would be pounding.
On one such night, I spent a few minutes talking to my next-door neighbor while we were outside. When I went back into the house, I saw a package of cookies torn open on the floor. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that the raccoon had come in through the front door, which was left open while we were outside, and might even now be in my house! I quickly locked Ella in the bathroom (the only room in the house that I could be certain did not harbor a raccoon), then grabbed my broom and airhorn, before it dawned on me that the culprit had to be my neighbor’s dog, who has a known sweet tooth and is quite comfortable going into my house. I had a good laugh at myself over that one, but it shows how on edge I was.
On three separate evenings, as I peered out my kitchen window looking for the raccoon, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw movement along the deck, only to realize it was Ella’s reflection, as she followed me into the kitchen. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson after the first time, but my stress hormones were overriding logic.
In the meantime, I was doing everything I could to encourage the raccoon to leave. On the advice of the experts I consulted, I played the radio loudly all day. I kept the raccoon’s “latrine” cleaned up and poured more bleach and Pinesol any time she used it. The vector control agent I had contacted originally came back out to spray the area around my deck with a product called Eviction Fluid, which is male (boar) raccoon urine, to drive the female away.
Several days began to go by without my seeing the raccoon, but each time I thought she was gone, I’d see her again. During one of these interludes, I contacted a wildlife control company to come out and see about sealing off access to the space beneath the deck. The night before the appointment, however, I saw the raccoon in my yard again, and the next morning, I heard thumping coming from under the deck.
The people from the company I called looked under the deck (which is just a few inches off the ground) and were able to verify, for the first time, that the raccoon was living under there, and that she had at least two babies with her. That was actually reassuring to me; at least now I knew for sure what had caused the attack. What had seemed like a gratuitous, unprovoked act of aggression on her part now made sense, once I realized that we had been standing between her and her babies when Ella started barking. It also made me less anxious about another attack happening in a different location, such as in the front yard. The experts I talked to said that the type of aggression we experienced was rare, except in the case of a mother defending her young.
WAITING HER OUT
After two weeks, I was discouraged and depressed about the situation, especially after reading that it can take nine weeks before baby raccoons are ready to start following their mother out of the den. That could be almost the whole summer! I didn’t think that either Ella or I could live with the anxiety for that long.
The vector control agent I originally contacted had told me that my only option would be to kill the raccoon if she was trapped, which I was unwilling to do, but the wildlife company offered an alternative: They would set a trap for the mother raccoon. I would watch the trap and notify them as soon as she was caught. They would immediately come out and dig under my deck to get the babies, seal off the deck, and release the mother raccoon and her babies together at the creek near my house (which is within the 100-yard limit for relocating them, so it’s legal, and also safe for the raccoon, since she would be in a familiar environment). She would then move her babies to another den, which (I was told) mother raccoons always prepare in advance.
The wildlife people left a trap in my yard baited with a can of sardines. As it turns out, we never caught anything – I thought at least we’d get one of the neighborhood cats, who treat my yard as their own, but nothing happened. I also did not see or hear the raccoon from that day forward.
A week later, the company came back and verified that the raccoon and her babies were gone. Having people peering at her in her den, followed by my cutting back the shrubbery around the deck in preparation for them sealing it off, coupled with all the things I had been doing to encourage her to move, must have finally convinced her that my yard wasn’t such a nice place after all.
The wildlife company quickly sealed the gap between the deck and the ground, using heavy-duty wire mesh bolted to the deck and embedded in a concrete-filled trench, to make sure that no creature would be able to move back in. It was expensive, but at this point, I did not want to take any chances. The peace of mind knowing that nothing can get under my deck again was worth it.
END OF STORY
Ella recovered surprisingly quickly once the deck was sealed off. Now I realize that – of course! – she must have known the raccoon was living under the deck long before I did. Once her nose and ears told her it was gone, she began venturing into the backyard again, very cautiously at first, but gaining confidence every day. Three weeks after the deck was sealed, she was behaving almost normally, and I was able to wean her off the anxiety medications. Ella no longer goes out alone, however; I always go outside with her now.
What a relief it is, knowing that I no longer have a raccoon living in my backyard! I can barbecue again, without feeling like I have to carry a weapon with me each time I go out to check the grill. Both Ella and I are more watchful (and a little jumpier) than we were before this happened, but six weeks after the attack, life is pretty much back to normal.
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. She and her Norwich Terrier, Ella, live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Raccoon Removal Tips
I contacted a different wildlife rescue and control company for additional help with getting rid of the raccoon who was living under my deck. Some of their suggestions conflicted with what I had been told by the county vector control agent. Here is a summary of what this company told me:
Raccoon Latrine: Raccoons carry roundworms, which can infect humans, so precautions such as rubber gloves should be used when cleaning a latrine. Boiling water can be poured in the area to kill roundworm eggs. See tinyurl.com/RaccoonLatrines for more information on identifying and cleaning up raccoon latrines around your home or in your yard.
Bird Feeding: While wild bird feeding does not attract raccoons directly, it does attract rats, and rats draw raccoons, who consider them a delicacy.
Ammonia: Raccoons apparently hate the smell of ammonia. The company suggested dumping out my bird bath each night, and leaving a towel soaked in ammonia in its place. You can also place ammonia stations in areas they frequent, pouring ammonia over a rag placed in a shallow container with holes punched in the lid. Do not put these in the den itself, as the fumes are toxic. Ammonia can also be used to discourage use of the latrine, as it is not toxic to the soil (as bleach is), though it will burn grass. Ammonia evaporates quickly, so it must be refreshed daily.
Sprays: Add 2 ounces peppermint essential oil and 2 ounces rubbing alcohol to a spray bottle, then fill the rest of the bottle with water, and spray around the den, except the point of entry.
Repellents: The company was concerned that pouring boar raccoon urine around the den might draw other male raccoons to the area. They suggested using coyote urine instead. Products called Shake Away and Critter Ridder are available at many hardware and garden stores.
Radio: While they agreed with playing a radio during the day to help drive the raccoon away, they suggested talk radio rather than music.
Removal Companies: Encouraging the raccoon to move the babies herself is better than trapping. Many companies that promise to release the raccoons kill them instead. Others will leave babies behind to die (I read a number of reviews of companies that had promised to save the babies, only to leave one behind). Relocating raccoons is illegal and will likely result in all of the animals dying anyway. If a company promises to release the animals nearby, ask to be present to verify that’s what actually happens. I hired a company from outside my area because they had only positive reviews, and they readily agreed to let me be present at the release. They also promised to feed and care for any babies still there the next day if it took the mother raccoon more than one night to move them all.
Other: Bird spikes or coyote rollers installed on the top of a fence will keep raccoons out. A motion-activated sprinkler called a Scarecrow and motion-activated lights may also be effective, though if the attraction is great enough, raccoons may get used to them.
Types of Dog Adoption Organizations
[Updated December 3, 2018]
Public Animal Control Shelter
TYPICAL: These facilities are charged first with public safety and law enforcement; adoptions are sometimes an afterthought. They are commonly (under)funded by the local government, or may be private businesses that contract with local governments. Frequently, there is little or no adopter screening, information about the animals, veterinary care given, or adoption follow-up. You can find a great dog here, but identifying him is up to you.
AT BEST: Cheap. Local. Not picky about you.
WORST CASE: Employees may be political appointees, the lowest scorers on civil service exams, or prisoners from the county lockup, few of whom have any genuine interest in the animals; volunteer programs for animal lovers who want to help are nonexistent or minimal. No useful information about the dogs. High rates of communicable disease and parasites. Depressing. Death threat encourages rash adoption choices. No support or follow-up. Not picky about you.
Traditional Local Non-Profit Private Shelter
TYPICAL: This is a brick-and-mortar facility that may be small or quite large and includes paid staff as well as (usually) volunteers. In many places the animal control contract is held by a non-profit shelter, leading to at least partly conflicting missions within the same walls. Others are limited admission shelters that pick and choose which animals they will accept from the public. There are wide variations within this category on every dimension: adoption policies, evaluation of the animals, adopter screening, contracts, fiscal practices. Some are lean and focused on animal care and adoptions, some are top-heavy with executive salaries and high fundraising costs.
AT BEST: Local. Adoptions are a priority. Usually some evaluation is made of the dogs available for adoption. There is usually some effort to make good matches.
WORST CASE: Kenneled dogs do not reveal their true temperaments. Reliance on “tests” for temperament that are inaccurate and misleading, especially in larger facilities. Dogs may be kept caged for months or years, and if/when adopted, exhibit serious behavioral issues. Can be especially rigid about adopter criteria.
Breed-Specific / Other Specialty Rescue Group
TYPICAL: Usually composed entirely of volunteers with a special interest in a given breed or profile of dog. Rarely have paid staff; most keep dogs in foster homes rather than kennels. Only the largest have a brick-and-mortar presence. Usually (but not always) registered charitable non-profits with federal 501(c)3 designations. May be local, regional, or national (the latter is most common for rare breeds). Sourcing practices, screening procedures, follow-up, dog evaluations, health care and behavior interventions, fiscal responsibility, organizational stability, and level of expertise range from the very highest standards to completely hopeless.
AT BEST: Expertise in a narrow area. Foster-based rehab and evaluation. Generally better at making matches. They have the breed/type of dog you are looking for. Generally fiscally lean.
WORST CASE: Can be slightly insane about screening adopters. Adoption fees can be excessively high. Risk of breed-blindness. Trendy street dogs imported from the Third World (on the theory that there is a shortage of feral dogs for adoption in the US) could give you rabies (imported dogs have tested positive for rabies). Some self-styled “breed rescues” are nothing more than the scratch ‘n’ dent warehouse for a puppymiller – a profitable way to move out the defective, unsellable puppies and the superannuated breeding stock – as is, no warranty, because it is an adoption not a sale – by appealing to the credulity of people who want to “rescue, not buy.” Bonus, the puppymillers can use this rescue shell game to avoid state regulations that apply to breeders, and use tax-deductible donations to maintain their own families and dogs.
Large, High-Profile “Sanctuary” or “Shelter” with a National Presence
TYPICAL: Some of these expert marketers raise millions of dollars in donations via direct mail, spam blitzes, and even television ads, almost all of which is churned back into more fundraising, high executive salaries, and “consulting” fees for various cronies. They typically care for and place many fewer dogs annually than an average local shelter that operates on a fraction of the funds raised.
AT BEST: Your dog will come with a Hollywood-ready backstory.
WORST CASE: You are an integral cog in the executive salary-consultant fee-direct mail-industrial complex.
Local Rescue Group
TYPICAL: Local rescues may have a relationship with one or more local shelters from which they pull dogs that are in danger of being killed, or dogs that require special care before adoption. They may accept dogs from private owners.
AT BEST: The best are as good as the best breed rescue groups. They add value to the dogs they rescue with training and vetting while each lives in a foster home, and can tell you quite a lot about the dog. They are there to support you in your dog ownership.
WORST CASE: The “group” is no group at all, but incorporated for the express purpose of swindling kind-hearted animal lovers. At near-worst, they can fail to balance intakes and adoptions and become de facto animal hoarders, operating in a constant state of emergent crisis. This is most common when the group has one powerful and emotionally unstable poobah and no accountability to an independent board of directors. Another version involves crazy dog ladies fighting with one another. Tunnel vision leads to bad economic and animal welfare decisions. Driven by sentiment and panic/urgency they may bite off more than they can chew, or disintegrate due to personality clashes and internal politics.
For information on adoption costs, see this article from Dogster.com.
Favorite Remedies Revisited
Whole Dog Journal readers often try many of the techniques and products described in its pages. But sometimes years go by before we need something we read about, or it disappears from the market, or we have trouble finding it, or we simply forget all about it. Here are some favorite go-to products featured in previous issues that might now be perfect for you and your dog. If your dog thinks it’s the most exciting thing you’ve ever put in a bowl while you gag and hold your breath, it’s probably green tripe – raw, unprocessed stomach tissue from ruminants such as cows or sheep. Tripe fans claim that this stinky meat (think of rotting fecal matter) has multiple benefits for dogs who are lucky enough to receive it often. Twenty-five years ago, California resident Mary Voss lived in the Netherlands with her husband and their Afghan Hound. “All the old-time Dutch breeders fed green tripe to their dogs,” she says. “It was sold in stores and was easy to find, so that’s what we fed our dog, too.” But when they returned to the United States in 1990, the only tripe they could find was bleached, deodorized, and sterilized – not the same at all! Voss contacted farm and custom slaughterers and began collecting 60- to 100-pound cow stomachs which she cut, wearing rubber boots, rubber gloves, and a heavy duty butcher’s apron while wielding a hose, two buckets, and a large, sharp knife. By the 1990s, American dog owners were experimenting with raw food, thanks to books by veterinarians Richard Pitcairn, Ian Billinghurst, and Tom Lonsdale, along with other writers. “Sadly,” says Voss, “not many people credited or had even heard of Juliette de Bairacli Levy. It was from her books and old-time breeders in Europe that I learned about the benefits of raw food for dogs, especially the green tripe.” (See “Grandmother Nature,” July 2006 for our profile of Juliette de Bairacli Levy.) Voss shared her enthusiasm with fellow dog owners, starting a co-op that distributed raw frozen tripe from other sources. But quality was always a concern, so in 2003 she opened her own small factory in Hollister, California. “We started with a 1,000-square-foot unit,” she says. “We’re now in a 9,000-square-foot building with manufacturing, frozen storage, and dehydration areas, plus a store front and office.” Voss ships between 20,000 and 30,000 pounds of green tripe products every week to customers throughout the United States. Even after raw diets became popular in the U.S., green tripe was viewed with suspicion. “It was considered offal and was used only supplementally and only by ‘hard core’ raw feeders,” says Voss. “Over time that has changed. Many long-term raw feeders – those who had switched from kibble to raw with good results – were beginning to see health problems in their dogs. They grudgingly experimented with green tripe, and their dogs’ problems disappeared. Today green tripe is increasingly used as a staple food, and customers who formerly fed green tripe only two or three times a week now feed it five times a week if not every day, with the tripe replacing other raw ingredients. These customers report amazing results with their dogs.” Note: Tripe may be used as a major component of a home-prepared diet, but it is not nutritionally complete alone. Check the label of any commercial products you feed to see whether they are indicted for “intermittent or supplemental feeding” or are a “complete and balanced diet. Soon after our 2008 green tripe article was published, Mike Rowe visited GreenTripe.com as part of his “Dirty Jobs” program on the Discovery Channel. “We credit the Whole Dog Journal and Mike Rowe for the growth and success of GreenTripe.com,” says Voss, “as well as for educating people about how wonderful green tripe is for dogs, which was always our main goal.” Voss’s plant is USDA-inspected, and she sources all of her products from grass-fed and organically raised animals. “When users report disappointing results from green tripe, it’s almost always from grain-fed sources,” she says. “We also have calf tripe that is good for dogs with grass allergies.” NEW PRODUCTS In addition to ground green tripe in 1-, 2-, and 5-pound packages, Voss makes a number of new products: – Green Tripe with Trachea and Gullet (a natural source of chondroitin sulfate and recommended for dogs with hip or joint problems) – Xkaliber (green tripe, muscle meat, heart, tongue, trachea/gullet, and ground bone), recommended for younger dogs, serious working dogs, and when fed twice a week, older dogs – Tripe Organ Meat Blend (freshly frozen beef heart, lungs, liver, spleen, pancreas, and green tripe) – Whole cow gullets and tracheas – Raw cow hooves and tripe-stuffed raw cow hooves – K9-Magic (a cooked training treat roll containing muscle meat, green tripe, oat flour, garlic, thyme, coriander, parsley, vitamin C, and sea salt) – K9-Strips (dehydrated strips of green tripe, an ultimate chew treat) – K9-Krackle (dehydrated pieces of green tripe, perfect for training or show ring treats). These treats, by the way, are far less odoriferous than raw green tripe. – Voss’s newest products include: – Sheep Tripe (lamb tripe) – Sheep Tripe Blend (lamb tripe, heart, and tongue) – Sheep Organ Blend (lamb tripe, heart, tongue, and liver) – Calf Tripe Xkaliber (calf tripe, heart, tongue, and trachea) – Beef pancreas, which is offered for dogs with EPI (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency). For dogs with EPI, suggests Voss, “Feed 2 ounces of beef pancreas for every 20 pounds of body weight, whipped and served at room temperature, mixed with the dog’s regular food. We have some long-time customers who have been doing this for years while keeping their dogs in optimal health. The pancreas isn’t used as a food but more as a medicine, replacing Viokase, which is a powder vets usually prescribed for dogs and cats with EPI and that can have many side effects. Dogs and cats have done so well on raw pancreas that many vets all over the country now recommend it.” According to their owners, dogs with kidney disease, skin problems, puppy bone growth problems, irritable bowel disease, cancer, yeast infections, and a host of other health challenges have improved or had their lives saved by green tripe.
Sally Gutierrez of Long Beach, California, lives with four rescued dogs. Smokey, a 13-year-old black Chow-mix, suffers from elbow dysplasia, gastrointestinal problems, diarrhea, bronchitis, kidney disease, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), carbohydrate intolerance, and fat absorption problems. She says that green tripe from cows or sheep are the only foods that keep his symptoms under control. “Tripe is literally saving Smokey’s life,” she says. “His blood tests clearly show that when he eats anything other than tripe, everything changes, and when he’s back on the tripe, his tests are so much better. What’s really amazing is that he still bounds around and plays with the other dogs. I never, ever expected this outcome!” Jake, a 9-year-old Borzoi/German Shepherd-mix, has arthritis and hip dysplasia. He eats mostly sheep and beef green tripe with some Sheep Blend or Calf Xkaliber thrown in. Chief, a 7-year-old German Shepherd-mix, suffers from grass allergies and atopic dermatitis, which are kept in check by the Calf Tripe and Calf Xkaliber he eats daily. Skidoo, a 2-year-old blind and deaf double merle Australian Cattle Dog/Whippet/Mastiff-mix, also has atopic dermatitis. He eats sheep or beef green tripe daily with occasional Sheep Tripe Blend. “Thanks to green tripe,” says Gutierrez, “my dogs have an exceptional quality of life. Their physical and mental health are extraordinary given their ages. None of them need any prescription medication since the tripe keeps their symptoms under control so effectively. I even stock up on the GreenTripe.com product line to ensure that I will have enough food in case of disaster.” For more about green tripe’s benefits, feeding tips, and resources, see “Green Tripe: Old-Fashioned Wonder Food for Dogs,” July 2008. SEACURE Another food that humans find incredibly stinky but which most dogs love is a fish powder created 50 years ago by scientists at the University of Uruguay as they searched (under the direction of the United States National Academy of Sciences) for a way to feed starving children. The researchers fermented deep-sea whitefish fillets with marine microorganisms, then dried the biologically hydrolyzed fish to create a fine powder that has a long shelf life and requires no refrigeration. Physicians in Uruguay and adjacent countries used the formula to save the lives of thousands of premature, underweight, or malnourished infants. In clinical studies, these infants showed significant improvement in weight and immunity factors (globulin and gamma globulin levels) within 30 to 60 days. No premature infants receiving the fish formula developed edema, and it successfully treated other infants who developed edema, usually within 48 to 72 hours. Uruguayan researchers tested a combination of two-thirds mother’s milk and one-third fermented fish powder for premature infants and found that the fish powder improved assimilation and weight gain. The researchers reported a “most remarkable” disappearance of dysergia (lack of motor control due to defective nerve transmission) in cases of dystrophy. When given to pregnant women, the supplement helped prevent low-weight births. When it was fed to babies who were allergic to milk or other foods, their allergic reactions disappeared, along with acute and chronic diarrhea or blood-based immune disorders. Soon physicians were documenting health benefits for patients with all kinds of illnesses. Production stopped, however, after the death of the formula’s key developer. Donald G. Snyder, PhD, then director of the Fisheries Research Laboratory at the University of Maryland and a member of a U.S. National Research Council committee on protein supplements, formed a partnership to obtain the technology and produce the powder, which he named Seacure®. As it became available in the U.S. as a food supplement, dog lovers reported that Seacure sped the healing of wounds throughout the body, repaired digestive organs, alleviated nausea and vomiting, stopped diarrhea, prevented toxemia in pregnancy, rescued newborns from “fading puppy syndrome,” helped elderly dogs maintain their strength and stamina, helped all dogs recover from chronic and acute illnesses and surgery, stimulated hair growth, reduced the incidence of urinary tract infections, reduced or eliminated allergic reactions, prevented hot spots, improved mobility, reduced pain, and even enhanced the effectiveness of homeopathic and herbal remedies. Most protein supplements sold in the United States contain ingredients that can be difficult to digest and assimilate, such as meat, animal skins, milk, eggs, or soy. Dr. Snyder, who died several years ago, considered these proteins inferior sources for supplements. The World Health Organization established a model or ideal balance of the essential amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, tryptophane, and valine) in terms of milligrams of amino acid per gram of protein. The value of the protein provided by Seacure exceeds the model in every category. PET PRODUCTS When we featured Seacure in WDJ 10 years ago, Barry Ritz, who was then the marketing director at Proper Nutrition, Seacure’s manufacturer, explained, “It is no exaggeration to say that any dog of any age can benefit from Seacure’s high-quality protein.” Ritz credited Seacure with everything from improved wound healing to a thicker, glossier coat; a calmer disposition; improved digestion; and improvements in coordination, stamina, range of motion, and athletic performance.
Veterinarians and dog owners reported that doses of 6 to 12 capsules a day caused shaved fur to grow back in record time, broken bones and other wounds to heal quickly, and ailments like allergies, diarrhea, and inflammatory bowel disease to improve or completely disappear. Even dogs with autoimmune disorders like lupus regained their mobility and appetite. “Seacure also helps dogs with diabetic leg ulcers and other slow-healing wounds,” said Ritz. “It speeds recovery from surgery, wounds, and sports injuries. And dogs with arthritis or joint pain improve.” The only dogs for whom Seacure is not recommended are those whose phosphorus consumption should be severely restricted because of advanced kidney disease. (One gram of Seacure powder contains 21 mg phosphorus.) The levels of mercury contained in Seacure are below the threshold of detection in mercury toxicity tests, 0.01 parts per million. When our article appeared, Seacure was sold only in 500-mg capsules and Proper Nutrition had no plans to produce a powdered version for pets. That all changed when WDJ readers overwhelmed the company with orders. Soon Seacure was available as a powder for pets and then as a chewable training treat. But in recent years Seacure disappeared from the market. Dozens of online retailers carrying Seacure, including the manufacturer, continued to list the products but with “out of stock” or “not available” notices. As this article goes to press in August 2013, most of those notices remain in effect, though Proper Nutrition’s website is now selling the pet powder in its large size (500 grams, or slightly more than 1 pound) for $137.50. “We are in full production of the original formula and our complete pet product line will be available again soon. This includes the 100-gram powder, 500-gram powder, and chewable pet tabs,” says Proper Nutrition’s president Leonard Giunta, D.O. TIPS FOR USING SEACURE For more about Seacure’s health benefits for dogs, see “Securing Secure,” April 2003. The following tips and suggested amounts are a great starting point. To reduce its fishy odor, store Seacure in the freezer. For maintenance, adjust the label dosage to your dog’s weight (1/4 teaspoon of the powder for every 10 pounds of body weight per day, or 1 capsule per 20 pounds, or 1 of the Seacure Pet Tabs per 10 pounds of body weight). Seacure is nontoxic and can be given in quantities that exceed label doses. To help prevent toxemia in pregnancy, give at least the maintenance dose from breeding to whelping. For underweight or malnourished puppies, or to supplement a mother dog’s milk, mix Seacure with enough pure or filtered water to make a milk-like liquid and feed by dropper or nursing bottle. To prevent adverse symptoms of detoxification on fast days, when switching from commercial to home-prepared food, or when using herbs and supplements that support detoxification, give at least the maintenance dose. To help dogs recover from surgery, cuts, wounds, trauma injuries, or broken bones, give at least twice the maintenance dose. To treat digestive disorders, such as diarrhea, colitis, or irritable bowel disease, give at least 1/4 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight twice or three times per day between or just before meals. After symptoms subside, use the maintenance dose. In June 2006, we described Willard Water, a liquid concentrate that is added to water for drinking or topical application. Its manufacturer makes no medical claims beyond reporting that Willard Water may have anti-inflammatory or analgesic properties and that free-radical scavenger tests show it to be a powerful antioxidant – but its enthusiastic users report much more. In the 1960s, John Willard, PhD, a professor of chemistry at the South Dakota School of Mines, searched for a way to remove the sludge that plagued oil wells. He found it in a formula he had previously developed to remove soot from Pullman railcars, which he referred to as Catalyst Activated Water, or CAW. Willard began experimenting with the concentrate after treating himself with a dilute solution for an accidental burn when it was the only water at hand. It immediately eliminated his pain and the burn healed quickly without scarring. Soon friends and relatives were using diluted Willard Water to treat burns, scrapes, sprains, bruises, and other injuries. Farmers and gardeners discovered that plants treated with Willard Water needed less fertilizer and had better root structure, higher yields, and more foliage, even during drought conditions. Ranchers reported improvements in cattle within three weeks of switching to Willard Water, including improved digestion. Livestock raised on Willard Water showed greater resistance to shipping fever, caused by the stress of crowded transportation, as well as reduced stress during weaning, branding, dehorning, and castration. “REAL” WILLARD WATER In 1980 Willard Water was examined by a Congressional subcommittee on health and long-term care, investigated by the “60 Minutes” TV program, and tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; each group found it to be safe and nontoxic. The scrutiny brought attention to the product, but the publicity had a downside: it encouraged so many imitators that Willard spent the rest of his life defending his patents against infringers.
Charlie Sunde and his wife, Kolleen, own Nutrition Coalition in Fargo, North Dakota, a leading retail source for Willard Water. According to Charlie Sunde, Willard first developed what he called the “Clear Formula” of his catalyst-altered water. In an attempt to add nutrients extracted from lignite coal, which contains the fossilized remains of prehistoric vegetation, he then developed a formula he called XXX (or Triple X), which he regarded as valuable due to those nutrients but weaker in effect than the original Clear formula. Still later, he developed a formula now known as Ultimate (previously known as Dark XLR-8 Plus), which he considered equal in strength to the Clear and containing the minerals and nutrients he thought to be present in the Triple X. Recent studies published on the company’s website support Willard’s conclusions. In a test of nutrient absorption by plants, the Ultimate formula could be diluted four to eight times more than the Clear or XXX formulas and still perform as well as or better than either. Another study analyzed Willard Water’s ability to boost absorption of nutrients at the cellular level. “What’s especially interesting,” says Sunde, “is that it seemed most effective at increasing the most-difficult-to-absorb nutrients, which is in keeping with what Doc Willard always told us.” Another effect that sets Willard Water apart from other products, Sunde adds, is its ability to permanently improve the pH of water by making it more alkaline, which is said to have a beneficial effect on overall health. “Most ‘alkaline waters’ remain alkaline for only a matter of hours or days before they lose their increased alkalinity,” says Sunde. “A new study explains how water’s pH is permanently changed by Willard Water. I don’t think the study mentions this, but Doc actually tested some diluted Willard Water that was 15 years old and the pH was the same as when it was made.” All three formulas are still being sold, but Nutrition Coalition is the only source of the Ultimate (or Dark XLR-8 Plus) formula. “Doc wanted it that way,” says Sunde, “to protect his favorite formula from the problems less-than-ethical marketers had created with the Clear and XXX versions, and his sons and now his grandchildren have continued that arrangement. We are the only source of the Ultimate for stores that wish to carry it and the only distributor for retail sales other than the manufacturer, CAW Industries. Dealers can sell the Ultimate, but any firm or store selling the Ultimate has to get it from us.” One fluid ounce (2 tablespoons) of the concentrate per gallon of water is the strength recommended for daily human consumption as well as for topical application on pets and people. This same strength is a good daily drinking water for animals with acute or chronic health problems or for any animals during hot weather or times of stress. (Note that these recommendations are for Ultimate Willard Water. The greatly diluted Dark XXX product requires 2¼ times the amounts listed here.) Start with less than the recommended amount, and increase gradually. If your dog develops diarrhea or other symptoms of detoxification, reduce the amount until symptoms disappear and then resume as normal. The recommended maintenance water for healthy dogs, cats, and other animals not under stress is far more dilute, such as 1/3 ounce (2 teaspoons) concentrate per gallon of water. Use this solution to fill your dog’s water bowl, which should be available at all times. Also add it to dry, canned, or raw food. In her book Holistic Guide for a Healthy Dog, Wendy Volhard, another longtime user of Willard Water, recommends adding diluted Willard Water to your dog’s drinking water when traveling to keep stress levels under control. “Taking your own supply of drinking water is preferable,” she says, “but if that is not possible, use what is available on your trip and add 2 tablespoons of diluted Willard Water to each bowl, so that your dog is not affected by the change.” For our 2006 article, we interviewed Roger DeHaan, DVM, a holistic veterinarian in Kings Mountain, North Carolina, who has recommended Willard Water for his canine patients since 1983. He mixes the liquid concentrate with drinking water for improved hydration and applies it to cuts, wounds, and other injuries. He even adds a small amount (10 cc) of full-strength concentrate to each liter of Lactated Ringers Solution before administering subcutaneous fluids. To use Willard Water topically, dilute 2 teaspoons concentrate in 1 quart water or use 2 tablespoons per gallon. Use this solution as a wash or rinse to clean and treat cuts, burns, wounds, or abrasions. Pour it directly on the affected area or use a spray bottle. Repeat the application several times per day. Spray or apply it to sprains, bruises, trauma injuries, arthritic joints, and any area that is swollen or tender. Volhard swears by Willard Water as a hot spot treatment. “It dries up the inflamed areas overnight,” she says. “I also spray it on cuts to stop the bleeding and on insect bites to reduce the swelling and irritation.” To improve your dog’s coat, spray it with diluted Willard Water before brushing or grooming. Willard Water helps prevent dander, freshens the coat, and helps most dogs smell better. Increase the effectiveness of your dog’s shampoo by mixing 1/4 cup shampoo with 1 cup diluted Willard Water. According to users who reported their results to Dr. Willard, this actually helps calm excitable or nervous show animals. If you use a conditioner, which may no longer be necessary as Willard Water has a conditioning effect, mix it at the same proportions. Finish with a final rinse of dilute Willard Water solution or an herbal tea made with diluted Willard Water. To treat any eye condition, spray diluted Willard Water directly into the dog’s eye. Willard Water helps clear up conjunctivitis and other infections, and it’s an effective first-aid rinse for the removal of debris. Clear Willard Water concentrate is often recommended for use in the eyes, but many users report excellent results from rinsing or spraying eyes with dark Willard Water solutions. If desired, add a pinch of unrefined sea salt to make the solution slightly salty. Tears are saline, and adding a small amount of salt makes the solution more comfortable. Whenever you brush your dog’s teeth or give her a tooth-cleaning rope toy to chew on, spray the toothbrush or toy with diluted Willard Water. Diluted Willard Water can be used as an ear cleaner, too, or you can add a few drops of full-strength concentrate to any liquid ear cleaner. Willard Water helps the solution reach farther and loosen wax and debris. Nutrition Coalition also sells Aqua Gel, a blend of Willard Water, aloe vera, and vitamin E for topical application on burns, insect bites or stings, bruises, sore muscles, skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis, and hot spots; Chinota Gel, a blend of Willard Water and Chinese herbs for muscle aches and arthritis pain; and Very Natural Willard Water Soap made with Willard Water, olive oil, coconut oil, and glycerin. This non-irritating bar soap is a favorite of most who try it. For more about Willard Water’s many uses, see “Willard Water,” June 2006. CJ Puotinen, author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and other books, is a frequent contributor to WDJ. She and her husband live in Montana with Chloe (black Lab), Seamus (Cairn Terrier), and a red tabby cat.
RESOURCES
WILLARD WATER
Available from Nutrition Coalition, Fargo, ND. (800) 447-4793; WillardsWater.com (note the “s” in the url).
Dog haters: What can be done about them?
Have you ever noticed that almost any article about dogs in any non-dog (mainstream) publication will be followed by a certain percentage of comments by people who HATE dogs and their owners?
I’ve noticed it many times, but it really struck me yesterday, when I was reading an article in the New York Times about a town in Spain whose mayor has tried a number of interesting and innovative programs to convince dog owners to pick up their dog’s poop – apparently something that Spaniards are loathe to do. The number of and maliciousness of the anti-dog comments on the article were scary (well, to me, a dog owner). Many people shared their disgust with dogs, dog owners, and dog poop with a savagery that seemed way out of proportion.
Or is it? I have to admit that even I, a person who LOVES dogs, get irritated when I’m confronted with dog owners who are acting badly, such as people who bring untrained and misbehaving little dogs into grocery stores and restaurants, claiming them to be “service dogs.” Or when I walk in certain neighborhoods in dog-crazy San Francisco, and see owner after owner allowing their dogs to pee on everything, including parking meters, street planters, store fronts, and chairs at outdoor cafes! Or when I visit turf sports fields that are clearly marked “no dogs allowed” and see people who are running their dogs on the grass. If these behaviors bother ME, how must they make someone feel if they already really don’t like dogs at all?
I’m also one of the most intolerant people I know about people who lock their dogs outside all day and/or night to bark, bark, bark. I feel very sorry for those frustrated, bored, anxious, neglected dogs – but I also feel very angry toward their owners.
Unfortunately, all I can reliably do, as a responsible dog owner, is to manage my own dogs well: to assiduously pick up their poo; to not bring them into environments where dogs are not welcome (or try to pass them off as service dogs); to prevent them from peeing in inappropriate places (such as urban sidewalks – mostly by taking them to an appropriate place to urinate fully, and then controlling them fully to prevent ANY marking); and to make sure they don’t have an opportunity or reason to bark, bark, bark all day and/or night.
Sure, we can try to educate our friends about being responsible and not giving dog-haters a reason to hate us more. And we can attempt to politely educate people who are not managing their dogs in a responsible way that their actions may well result in unwelcome consequences for all dog owners in their community – but good luck with that! I’d guess that many (if not most) people who break societal (or legal) rules with their dogs don’t care what others think or what consequences their dog-owning peers may suffer as a result of new rules or laws aimed at curbing dog-owner misbehavior.
What am I missing? Should I not concern myself with the (seemingly) growing number of people who express such rancorousness about dogs? ( A recent spate of dog-poisonings in the San Francisco Bay Area tells me there IS reason to be concerned.) Is there anything else we as responsible dog owners can do to serve as ambassadors for good dogs and good dog owners?
Consider Light Therapy For Your Dog’s Rehab
One look at the x-rays of my Border Collie’s phalanges make many people cringe and say “Ouch!” Those visible boney growths on his toes have been confirmed by biopsy as osteoarthritis. This disease is present in both of his front paws and his pain is evident after too much exercise. My friends with arthritis describe their pain as often being excruciating and so when Duncan shows pain, I can only imagine what he must be feeling. At 11½, Duncan – a.k.a. “Dutaro” – can still snag a ball like the San Francisco Giant’s second baseman and never wants the game to end. In an effort to keep him as pain-free as possible, and thus active, healthy and happy, I incorporated laser therapy into his treatment program. Playing ball is in his blood; by adding the effects of laser therapy, he’s able to stay off the disabled list.
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The idea of laser (light) as a therapeutic method has been around for thousands of years – the Egyptians were known to use solar therapy. After observing that ultraviolet light killed bacteria, Niels Ryberg Finsen began employing UV rays to treat diseases in England in the 1890s, receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine in 1903.
In 1917 Albert Einstein theorized about the process of lasers through stimulated emissions of light; the term “laser” was first used in a scientific paper in 1959 (as an acronym for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”). The first working lasers were developed in the early 1960s and laser therapy entered into its modern form in 1967 when Hungarian physician Endre Mester, considered the pioneer of laser medicine and credited as the discoverer of the positive biological effects of low-power laser, began his early science experiments. While applying lasers to the backs of mice whose fur had been shaved to see if laser irradiation caused cancer, Mester noticed that the shaved fur grew back faster on the treated group (who, by the way, did not get cancer) than on the untreated group. With other experiments he found that lasers could stimulate wound healing.
Laser therapy is akin to photosynthesis in plants in that the light delivered by the laser converts to energy that the body can use. It is not heat therapy, and therapeutic lasers are different than those lasers used for ablation, cutting, and thermally coagulating tissue.
A laser is an amplifier of light, emitted in the form of photons (discrete packets of electromagnetic energy). The absorption and penetration levels of each these photons is determined by its wavelength (light energy exhibits wave-like behavior as it travels through space and is measured in wavelengths, categorized by color and visibility). When the photons, in the form of light, come into contact with biological tissue, part of it is absorbed, part is reflected or scattered, and part is further transmitted.
The primary effects of laser therapy start with those photons that are absorbed, inducing activity at the molecular, cellular, and tissue levels. Damaged or compromised cells and tissues have been shown to have a significantly higher response to laser therapy than normal healthy structures.
BIOSTIMULATORY EFFECTS
Laser therapy does three things: increases healing, decreases inflammation, and decreases pain. One way laser therapy accomplishes these objectives is by generating an increase in localized blood flow, which normalizes and heals damaged cells. In the body, blood transports oxygen and nutrients to cells and carries waste products away; laser therapy increases this process, resulting in more oxygen being delivered to cells to be converted into cellular energy.
Perhaps the most essential action of laser therapy is the photochemical stimulation caused by the administration of infrared light in the 800-1000 nanometers (nm) range, which interacts with cytochrome C, located in the mitochondria (the cellular power plants) of cells, catalyzing several reactions. This interaction results in the formation of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a coenzyme that stores and transports energy for various metabolic process; nitric oxide (NO), a cellular signaling molecule involved in many physiological and pathological processes; and reactive oxygen species (ROS), chemically reactive molecules involved in cell signaling and homeostasis.
Protein synthesis can follow, triggering further effects such as increased oxygenation, increased cell generation and migration and regulation of the levels of growth factors, cytokines (molecules of protein, peptides, and glycoproteins that provide communication between cells) and inflammatory mediators, all of which stimulate cellular metabolism and the healing response.
Other effects have been documented, particularly as they relate to decreasing pain: increased endorphin and serotonin production, normalization of nerve cell action potentials, blocking of nerve cells and decreased bradykinin (peptides that causes blood vessels to dilate) production. Angiogenesis (the process of forming new blood vessels) and neurogenesis (the process of generating neurons) are also confirmed effects. Simply put, laser therapy means more energy is available for cells to conduct their processes.
LASER DEVICES
Laser therapy, especially as part of physical therapy, has been used in many parts of the world including Canada, Australia, Europe, and some Asian countries for many years. It wasn’t until 2002 that the FDA cleared the first therapeutic laser, with a power output of 5 milliwatts (mW), for use in the United States. Today, lasers can range up to 15,000 mW (15 watts) in power. Because lasers are regulated by the FDA, they must be classified according to their power output level and the potential to cause eye injury.
Most therapeutic lasers used in clinical practice fall into one of two classifications: Class 3B lasers, which can have a power output level anywhere from of 5 to 500 mW; or Class 4, which is any laser with a power level of 500 mW or more. Class 3B lasers can be hazardous to the eyes if directly exposed and are sometimes referred to as “cold” lasers because they generate no significant thermal effect. Class 4 lasers can cause permanent eye damage from direct, diffuse, or indirect beam viewing (thus great care must be taken to control the light beam path); these lasers have the potential to increase the temperature of tissues and cause burning, though this is extremely rare.
Practitioners of laser therapy tend to align themselves with either one or the other class of lasers. One is not necessarily better than the other; it’s really a matter of preference. Each have their advantages and disadvantages, but both can produce positive results.
Laser machines also come standard with one or multiple sets of predetermined wavelengths. The wavelength of the laser light determines the distance that the light penetrates through tissue. The laws of laser physics have demonstrated that the higher the wavelength, the deeper the penetration. The wavelengths of light used for laser therapy fall into an optical window of near-infrared wavelengths measuring in the range of 600-1070 nm.
Wavelengths within the 600 nm range do not directly penetrate more than 0.5 to 2 centimeters (cm), or indirectly up to 5 cm. Wavelengths in the mid 700 to low 1000 nm range penetrate deeper, directly affecting tissues up to 5 cm and indirectly up to 10 cm. Wavelengths in the 600-700 nm range can only be used for treating skin and subcutaneous tissue and wavelengths of 780-980 nm are preferable for the deeper stimulation required of the musculoskeletal, vascular, lymphatic, and neurological structures to initiate the physiological processes necessary for pain/inflammation reduction and accelerated tissue healing.
Laser devices can be operated in either continuous wave or pulsed mode, depending on whether the power output is essentially continuous over time or whether it takes the form of incremental emissions of light. There are also super pulsed lasers in which a high-powered high-dose beam of light is administered in timed bursts interspersed with large pauses. Research has not shown pulsing of any type to be more beneficial than continuous wave.
DOSAGE
Another primary component to the practice of laser therapy is the length of time the laser is administered. This, combined with power and wavelength, is referred to as the dosage. The World Association of Laser Therapy (WALT) provides a list of recommended treatment dosages for a variety of conditions in humans; because these are derived from clinical trials and studies on animals with similar pathologies, the recommendations for use of lasers in veterinary settings are based on these guidelines. The amount and strength of light used depends on the pathology being treated and in particular how deep the light is thought to need to penetrate into the tissue. Correct dosage is vital to the success of laser therapy.
LASER THERAPY IN VETERINARY PRACTICE
Laser therapy has been used as a modality in veterinary practices for decades, but only recently has it has gained mainstream acceptance and become readily available, largely because the technology and science have evolved to the point to make its use scientifically valid and repeatable.
The interest in its potential has also resulted in an upsurge in the availability of training and education; today, veterinary conferences have full sections on laser therapy and schools of veterinary medicine offer courses as part of their curriculum. It is used to treat a wide spectrum of conditions in companion animals, ranging from skin issues to chronic pain to acute injury. A response to laser therapy is usually seen within one to three sessions.
Jeffrey Smith, DVM, is the owner of Middletown Animal Hospital in Middletown, California, a past president of the California Veterinary Medical Association, and a representative for Companion Therapy Laser® (a division of LiteCure, LLC). Dr. Smith reports that 98 percent of cases should show remarkable improvement by the third treatment. If some response to laser therapy has not been seen by this point, the case is re-evaluated to make sure the correct diagnosis has been made and that the correct location is being treated with the correct dose.
With chronic conditions, the patient may receive up to 12 treatments before a plateau is reached; the treatment then shifts to a maintenance phase – typically once per month. Chronic conditions, such as arthritis, chronic dermatitis, back injuries, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic cystitis, inherently require on-going treatment. Dr. Smith points out, for example, that with arthritis, the boney pathology that can be seen on x-rays won’t be changed, but instead laser therapy will affect the soft tissue inflammation and chronic maladaptive pain associated with the condition.
To determine the efficacy of therapeutic laser treatment, Dr. Smith refers to the growing body of clinical studies that validate and quantify the effects. He notes that the understanding of laser science has advanced tremendously within the last five years and the technology has likewise followed. According to Dr. Smith, “Clinical experience and case studies are undeniable, especially for those difficult, chronic cases that traditional remedies have failed to treat adequately.”
Integrative pracitioner Dale Olm, DVM, of Southampton Pet Hospital in Benicia, California, finds additional support for the efficacy of laser therapy through the resolution of clinical symptoms and by the owner’s perception of their pet’s condition. Dr. Olm’s clinic often combines laser therapy with both conventional medical treatment and acupuncture and chiropractic modalities, finding that they work synergistically to produce effective results.
When one of his patients presented with a severe yeast ear infection, Dr. Olm expected that the dog would require weeks of conventional treatment. After one laser therapy session and one week of conventional medical therapy, the condition was fully resolved. In yet other cases, it can be used as the sole treatment when other treatments are impractical or not tolerated by the patient.
Dr. Olm likens the administration of laser therapy to an art form. Similar to acupuncture, the experience, knowledge, and skill of the practitioner affects the outcome of the treatment. While there is no specific training required for an individual to use a therapeutic laser (note that Class 3B and Class 4 lasers are FDA-approved devices that require administration by a veterinarian or under the supervision of a veterinarian), Dr. Olm feels that it should only be administered by a licensed medical practitioner who can evaluate the medical condition, understand the pathology involved, and can evaluate response to therapy.
Sandy Gregory, RVT, echoes this observation. Gregory works as an exercise physiologist and animal rehabilitation therapist, at Scout’s House, an animal rehabilitation center in Menlo Park, California. She believes that training should be required to use the equipment and views it as similar to “prescribing and administering a medication” that should be done only by an individual with the appropriate expertise.
Gregory points out that determining dosage can be a complex charting process given the multitude of parameters that need to be considered: power density, wavelength, and pulse structure of unit; anatomical location; whether the problem is acute or chronic; type, condition, and depth of the tissue to be treated; pigmentation of the skin (dark pigmentation can be burned); frequency and length of treatment; and treatment technique.
Laser manufacturers provide dosage guides for using their particular devices and many units have presets that can be selected, but a good practitioner will understand the evaluating factors that go into each patient’s dosage determination. Knowing the parameters gives the practitioner insight on how to specifically treat a condition, especially as each laser manufacturer has its own approach to dosing. Understanding the nuances of treatment can mean the difference between effectiveness and ineffectiveness.
PAIN MANAGEMENT
Laser therapy is becoming a huge component of pain management and rehabilitation. Gregory, who has been administering therapeutic laser therapy for over eight years to pets and wildlife (including elephant seals at the The Marine Mammal Center), finds it to be one of the most rewarding modalities that she uses because the results can be visible, sometimes even immediately, and the effects can provide great improvement in quality of life.
The biomechanisms of laser therapy can reduce pain in several ways. One study cites the anti-inflammatory effects of laser therapy as being similar to those of pharmacological agents for treating pain. This safe non-drug option is a welcome alternative to prescription medications that have the potential for serious adverse effects, especially when taken long-term.
Laser therapy can also control pain by reducing oxidative stress, increasing the release of endorphins, improving blood vessel formation, and promoting collagen synthesis and skeletal repair.
A randomized controlled trial showed that lasers were able to suppress the activity of nociceptors (sensory receptors that send signals that cause the perception of pain) thereby reducing nerve firing and pain signaling and, as a result, providing relief of acute and chronic pain. In humans, laser therapy has been shown to decrease neck pain immediately, with the positive effects lasting up to three months after the end of a treatment series; it is thought that this same benefit occurs in animals.
SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
The multitude of clinical trials, high-quality peer-reviewed research, systematic reviews, and analyses supporting the effectiveness of lasers in many applications in both human and veterinary medicine are countering the criticisms of the therapeutic laser treatment. Since it is now scientifically demonstrated that light has biological effects, studies have shifted to investigating how energy from lasers functions at the cellular and organism levels. Determination of optimal parameters for application to different pathologies is also being explored.
Despite the evidence, the use of therapeutic lasers is still sometimes considered controversial. One of the reasons for this is probably because the biomechanics of the effects are not yet fully understood. The large number of interconnected parameters involved in laser therapy application makes it essentially impossible to conduct a comprehensive study of the effect of varying all the individual parameters one by one.
Evidential support in veterinary clinical settings is growing; current clinical trials include studies on peripheral nerve injury, nervous system pain, muscle cell response, post-TPLO pain relief, and cell proliferation. Colorado State University is conducting a randomized, controlled clinical trial on the effectiveness of laser therapy in rattlesnake bite treatment for dogs. This study is investigating the possibility that laser therapy may decrease the length of stays in the clinic as well as lower the impact of snake venom in the dog’s body. Because laser therapy increases the cellular repair process and the metabolism within cells, it is theorized that it can reduce the pain and swelling from bites and help affected tissue heal more quickly.
Therapeutic laser treatment on dogs with intervertebral disk disease was the focus of a recent study at the University of Florida. This controlled study showed that dogs who received laser therapy after spinal cord injury and surgery had no medical complications, walked sooner, and were discharged earlier than dogs who did not receive laser therapy. The results were so impressive that laser therapy has been incorporated as part of the treatment protocol for every dog at the study center presenting with the condition.
The potential of laser therapy is nowhere close to being reached. New therapeutic strategies are being developed from studies on the variables of parameters. Exciting avenues are being explored including the possibility of using laser therapy as a viable treatment for serious neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury, stroke and spinal cord injury, as well as for degenerative brain disorders. This is pretty impressive for a modality Dr. Smith describes as “a drug-free, surgery-free, non-invasive therapy with no known negative side effects – the worst result is that it could fail to do its job.”
Barbara Dobbins is a San Francisco Bay Area dog trainer on hiatus.
– The eyes are never treated due to the potential for retinal damage.
– Laser therapy should not be used over reproductive organs and caution for use is recommended during pregnancy, even when the target tissue is not in the reproductive region.
– Laser therapy should not be used in cases where cancer is suspected or confirmed because it can theoretically stimulate the cancerous cell activity and growth of that cancer. In end stage cases, it has been used as palliative care.
– Laser therapy should not be used on growth plates as the effect is not documented at this time.
– Laser therapy is not safe to use in patients with hemorrhagic disorders or with actively bleeding tissues because lasers can cause vasodilation and it is uncertain whether they have an adverse effect on coagulation. Lasers can however be used to promote resolution of hematomas once bleeding has ceased.
– Caution should be taken in cases of undiagnosed pain combined with a history of cancer within last five years.
– Caution should be taken in patients with photosensitivity disorders.
– Caution should be taken when using Class 4 lasers in animals with dark fur and skin due to the potential of a thermal reaction from a greater absorption of light.
– If the wavelength light is not sufficient or the irradiation time is too short, there is the potential for no response.
– Wait at least seven days after a cortisone injection before having laser therapy administered. Research has suggested that because both the laser and the steroid suppress prostaglandin E-2, it results in a zero net gain.
– Protective goggles, specific to the wavelength of light in use, should be worn during administration.
– The laser device should be activated only when the probe tip or array surface is applied to the tissue surface.
A Field Guide to Ethical Breeders
[Updated September 6, 2018]
You are a conscientious and skeptical consumer. Whenever you have a choice, you buy quality products that are made to last, by manufacturers who take good care of their workers and the environment, who are mindful of safety, who stand behind their products, and generally follow the best practices to produce them sustainably and ethically. You also know that there are costs to being conscientious. You will pay more up-front, sometimes a lot more. You are willing to wait a long time to get just the product you want. And you hone your radar for advertising claims that mean nothing (cholesterol-free apples?) and scrutinize various allegedly independent seals of approval that serve as marketing smokescreens for sellers who want to exploit your conscientiousness.
Here’s a challenge, though: Can you apply that smart, honed, skeptical consumer consciousness to the next dog or puppy that you buy or adopt? Can you resist the first adorable puppy that is plopped into your arms, or the desperate sad story on a Petfinder entry?
Not only can it be done, it must be done, if you are deeply involved with your own dogs and care a great deal about the welfare and future of dogs in general. This is the acquisition that most demands a restrained, educated, skeptical approach that serves your own self-interest as well as supporting practices that are good for dogs. For no other purchase does intelligent self-interest mesh so closely with good social ethics, whether you are buying a purpose-bred puppy or selecting the best-for-you “used” dog from a shelter or rescue.
Here’s how to identify an ethical breeder – one whose concern for the welfare of her dogs and devotion to the future of her breed extends to the well-being of those dogs’ owners. Next month, we’ll describe how to identify legitimate, top-quality rescues, and avoid those that apply more sentiment than expertise, as well as frank swindlers who prey on animals and kind hearted people.
How to Find Ethical Dog Breeders
It can be difficult to give useful generic advice about many aspects of buying a purpose-bred puppy. The husbandry practices, selection criteria, and to some extent the attitudes that make a great Bichon breeder would be anathema to someone breeding Belgian Malinois. Different breeds have different cultures. I can’t tell you the fair price for a puppy – what is highway robbery and what is alarmingly cheap. I don’t know what health conditions beset the breed of your choice. I don’t know whether the breed club offers transparent guidance or is purely a marketing smokescreen. (I can tell you with reasonable certainty that the search terms “puppies for sale” or “puppies” will bring you almost exclusively the new marketing-savvy Internet-based puppymillers, who now know how to work search engine optimization.) I don’t know which Yahoo list or Facebook group offers the best discussion and the most honest direction. You are going to have to find out the specifics for the kind of dog you seek; I recommend that you find guides and mentors who know the breed well and have nothing to sell you.
That said, some field marks of the ethical breeder are general in nature. Her opposite number is the puppymilling profiteer. Both self-interest and social responsibility depend on you avoiding that puppymiller.
Here are some feathers and crests to look for as you winnow through the information overload:
THE BREEDER DOES SOMETHING WITH HER DOGS.
I mean, other than make puppies with them. She’s part of a community of dog-lovers, hobbyists, and professionals who compete or perform service with their own dogs. Their dogs are seen and assessed by other experts, and there are thresholds – a working title or certificate, a conformation championship, breed-survey rating, temperament tests, qualifying in a trial – that dogs achieve before being bred.
Veteran French Bulldog breeder and rescuer Carol Gravestock and I come from radically different tribes of the dog nation (that’s why I asked her for input). For the two working breeds that I own, a conformation (show ring) championship is a clear signal to avoid the dog’s progeny and the breeder, because of health, temperament, and breed conservation considerations. In Carol’s world, with a breed designed from the outset purely as house pets, “You have to show. It’s how you earn the right to breed a litter.”
As you scrutinize the performance claims about the breeder’s sires and dams, though, beware of “champion lines.” How many of those champions – or obedience-titled dogs, police canines, hunt-tested retrievers, etc. – are or were owned by the seller? Do the pup’s parents number among them? Alas, it is not difficult to buy the grandson of champions to spruce up the ol’ pedigree charts on the website. Your questions about a pup’s ancestry should be guided by the principle, “What have you done for me lately?”
THE BREEDER HAS AS MANY, OR MORE, QUESTIONS FOR YOU THAN YOU DO FOR HER.
She’s nosy. All up in your underwear drawer. Seems judgmental. Probably has an application that you must fill out, sometimes before she will talk to you or correspond at any length. You feel a bit violated. Like you have to prove to her that you are worthy of one of her pups. Because you do.
(Please refrain from snorting, “This is worse than adopting a child!” People who have adopted a human child, or who have tried to adopt and been unable to do so, don’t find it a bit funny.)
In contrast, says Gravestock, “With puppymills, the dogs are their job, and they work that job. That means answering the phone and returning emails in 30 seconds flat, and being charming. They have a product to sell; their product is a puppy, and they are salesmen.
“Ethical breeders work to support their dogs; their dogs do not support them,” says Gravestock. They may not get back to you the day you call, and they will not be charming and aggressive in their eagerness to sell you a puppy, because that breeder’s number one goal is to ensure that every puppy goes to a lifetime excellent home, not getting every puppy paid for and out the door the moment he is weaned.
“Good breeders are paranoid – we are downright afraid of you, puppy buyers of the universe! Those of us who do rescue have seen the worst-case scenarios.”
The benefit to you of cultivating a relationship with someone this cautious? A breeder who is very careful about where her puppies go is the same breeder who is there for the life of the dog, to answer your questions, help you with any problems, cheer you on in your endeavors, and take away the worry of what would happen if you could no longer keep your dog. Every one of her puppy-buyers is a dog-in-law.
A GOOD BREEDER CHECKS REFERENCES.
You provide personal and veterinary references, and she calls those people and grills them about you, your character, your experience as an animal owner, and even your personality. She may also insist on visiting your home, or sending someone she designates who is near you.
Note that puppymills are increasingly sophisticated about mimicking the appearance of good breeders. Many now have applications on their “click & buy” websites, and some of those applications ask for references. But they will not actually call the references you provide. When you provide references to a breeder, let those people know you have done so (that’s just polite), and ask them to call you after they speak to the breeder so you can find out what the conversation was about. I’ve found conversations with personal references to be extremely valuable in matching pups to new families.
THE BREEDER IS ALSO VERY HAPPY TO PROVIDE REFERENCES.
Call and question the breeder’s references! For example: “Would you buy another puppy from this breeder? Why?”
I always advise puppy-buyers, and dog owners looking for a trainer, to ask for references. In 20 years of professional training and nine years of breeding, I have never had anyone ask me for a reference. Not one person.
THE BREEDER USES A SALES CONTRACT THAT PROTECTS THE PUPPY’S WELFARE, THE BREED’S WELFARE, YOUR INTERESTS, AND HER INTERESTS – IN ABOUT THAT ORDER.
Review the contract. What does the “health guarantee” cover? Puppymillers have discovered that written contracts not only make them look legit, they can be used to weasel out of obligations that would otherwise be presumptive under law. Carol Gravestock cautions buyers to look for the “dead dog clause” in any health guarantee. If the breeder requires you to return the puppy to her in order to receive anything back, she is using the “health guarantee” to guarantee that you will not invoke the contract and she can keep your money. Who would send back his beloved ill pet to a breeder who will have the dog put down, and then accept another puppy from the same person as “replacement?” Not you, right? The profiteering puppymiller is counting on that.
Also, if you live in Florida and have the pup shipped from Missouri, you won’t be able to return the pup with parvo to the seller because no vet will sign a travel health certificate for him. Catch-22.
Good breeder contracts are well-meaning, if (unfortunately) not always well-written. (If you are a lawyer, paralegal, or just good with contracts, do your new dog-in-law a kindness and offer to help her with her puppy contract. There is a 98% probability that hers is vague, unenforceable, and generally terrible, concealing rather than advancing her best intentions. In contract law, the thought does not count.)
Talk with the breeder about the terms of the contract, and what is guaranteed by the breeder, as well as the obligations you take on. The best breeders will want you to agree to provide good husbandry to the pup, to accept limits on the circumstances under which the pup might be bred, to perform specific health tests, and share the health test results when the pup is of the appropriate age. And every ethical breeder obliges herself to take back your puppy if you ever cannot keep him, often requiring that you give her the right of first refusal before the dog ever changes hands.
If the contract does not include an RTB – a “return to breeder” clause – walk away. It is your dog’s ultimate safety net, and the surest field mark of a breeder who puts dogs before her own profit and convenience. If every dog breeder enforced an RTB, there would be no Part II of this article (regarding ethical rescue groups and shelters).
THE BREEDER SPEAKS MORE ABOUT HER ADULT DOGS, THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BACKGROUNDS, QUALITIES, AND SHORTCOMINGS, THAN ABOUT ANY PUPPIES FOR SALE, PRESENT OR FUTURE.
Your poor brain will throb as the breeder spins out a story of ancestors and relatives in a pedigree that you cannot hope to parse; this is a sign that the breeder is more concerned with the character of her dogs than with the perishable marketability of a puppy.
In contrast, a puppymill’s website will almost invariably consist of pages of individual mugshot photos of each freshly bathed, shell-shocked pup, showing color and markings, with a draped background or sofa cushions, and often with adorable props. There may be a payment button next to each photo. Adult dogs, if present at all, are relegated to the background of the marketing efforts. (Betsy and Ranger had eight darling puppies, ready for adoption just in time for Christmas!) When you speak to this breeder, she will have a lot to say about the pups that she currently has for sale, but little that is insightful about their parents, older siblings, ancestors, uncles, and aunts.
GOOD BREEDERS PERFORM THE APPROPRIATE HEALTH TESTS FOR THE BREED, SHARE THE RESULTS OPENLY, PROVIDE DOCUMENTATION OF THOSE RESULTS, AND CAN JUSTIFY THEIR DECISIONS TO BREED EACH INDIVIDUAL DOG.
Don’t fall for claims that the pups are “health tested” and “DNA verified.” So? What health tests? Some puppymillers market pups as “health tested” because they have the federally required health certificate for shipping before they board the airplane! (We have now entered the realm of certified low-sodium broccoli.) And yes, all animals have DNA; I can verify that for you right now.
And what of the results? A breeder who has her dogs’ hips radiographed and rated by OFA or PennHIP, and then breeds each dog regardless of the results of the test, is not performing due diligence. (The good hip scores become marketing fodder, while the bad ones are buried in silence and denial.)
The appropriate health tests vary widely by breed; this is why you must research the breed or type of dog thoroughly before contacting breeders. A Saluki breeder who doesn’t check hips is normal, because Salukis do not have an issue with poor hips in their gene pool; it would be an expensive diagnostic test performed for no purpose. But a Labrador breeder who skips this test “because my dogs have never had a problem,” or who spins a tale about how it’s all feeding them right and keeping them off slippery floors, is selling snake oil. If a breeder doesn’t health test, doesn’t share the results, won’t give you documentation unless you buy a puppy or put down a deposit, or is any way cagey, walk away.
Most health tests do not guarantee that your pup will be unaffected by the problem that the test evaluates. Only a few tests for simple genetic mutations can determine that. However, good test results increase your odds of getting a pup who is free of that issue – and you support someone who follows best practices.
Once you have the results of the parents’ health data (and, ideally, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and any older siblings if applicable), you should ask someone who is an expert in the breed and has nothing to sell you to explain them, ideally without letting on who the dogs or breeder are. This is likely not your veterinarian – unless she owns that breed and has an interest in breeding and genetics. Another breeder, or a trainer, dog sports competitor, or other professional who has a lot of experience with the breed, is often your best source for disinterested information.
And no matter how many Good Housekeeping Seals a pup’s parents can present, you still need to inquire pointedly about overall health in his family. Who cares if the parents have fantastic hips, eyes, elbows, knees, and cardiac function if all four grandparents died of cancer by age six, Dad has epilepsy, and Mom has a running bar tab at the vet?
THE BREEDER BREEDS ONE BREED OF DOGS. MAYBE TWO. PROBABLY JUST ONE.
It takes years to become an expert in just one breed of dog; a breeder may own one or two dogs of other breeds, but she’s a specialist in just one.
Puppymillers know that buyers will encounter this advice, so they now separate the websites of their different breeds. Google is your friend; check phone numbers, business names, individual names, and any other keywords you can glean for signs that the breeder has multiple websites for different breeds of dog. Hiding these parallel websites is a sign that there is something to hide.
THE BREEDER BREEDS ONLY MATURE DOGS, AND EACH FEMALE IS BRED INFREQUENTLY. (CERTAINLY NO MORE THAN ONCE A YEAR.)
No puppies having puppies. That means, at minimum, that each dog is two years old before being bred. Older is better, especially in slow-maturing breeds. Males, in particular, may be quite mature before siring puppies. If your pup’s parents are mature, ask about their reproductive history. If Momma, or any other bitch the breeder owns, is on her fourth litter at age five, you have your answer. If the breeder is cagey about answering, walk away.
THE BREEDER HAS LITTERS INFREQUENTLY, ONE AT A TIME. YOU ARE LIKELY TO HAVE TO WAIT, POSSIBLY A CONSIDERABLE TIME, FOR A PUP TO BE AVAILABLE TO YOU.
Puppies take a lot of care, and it’s not just constant feeding and cleaning. A good breeder spends hours every day observing and interacting with the pups to learn as much as possible about each one and to socialize them thoroughly. They have puppy socialization parties with friends, take the tykes on field trips, and lose countless hours to puppy reverie.
Even a house full of highly disciplined home-schooled children can’t properly socialize, much less assess, 20 or 30 pups at a time. And there is no way that a breeder can effectively screen potential homes with diligence with so many pups at once. Ethical breeders all report being drained and exhausted after raising a litter, mostly due to the hours spent screening potential buyers and agonizing over puppy matches. Puppymillers like to produce in big batches for efficiency.
Occasionally a breeder plans two litters in a year for compelling reasons, and her bitches synchronize so that the only way to manage it is to have them close together. But the breeder should present this as an exception without prompting. Most who try it once swear “never again” while lying in a dark room with a cold compress on their foreheads.
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED, IN SOME CASES REQUIRED, TO VISIT THE BREEDER’S HOME TO PICK UP YOUR PUPPY.
(This is always where the puppies and their mother live, by the way.) Preferably, you visit before picking up the puppy – perhaps even before pups are born or conceived. This can vary depending on how common the breed is and how far you have to go, but you are always welcome to visit with polite notice at a mutually convenient time.
If the breeder offers to meet you somewhere off-site “to save you driving time” or to deliver the puppy to you, proceed with great caution. Sometimes these offers are sincere; say, the breeder is traveling for a dog show to your area anyway. Tell her that you’d rather come to her and meet the pup’s mother and other relatives. If she is resistant, walk away.
If you get as far as visiting the breeder’s home and the pups or adult dogs are dirty, crowded, stinky, isolated, caged, scary, fearful or in any way not what you would wish for every puppy, everywhere, walk away.
If you can’t meet the adult dogs, walk away.
If you would not wish to own the puppies’ dam, walk away.
THE CHANCE THAT A BREEDER WHO IS USDA-LICENSED IS NOT A PUPPYMILLER IS ESSENTIALLY NIL.
Ethical breeders do not produce enough puppies to require this licensure.
IF THERE IS ANY INDICATION THAT THE SALE OF PUPPIES IS PAYING THE MORTGAGE, THAT THE DOGS ARE SUPPORTING THE BREEDER, WALK AWAY.
You can be sure that the dogs’ dependent is making compromises about the dogs’ welfare: whether to breed that bitch who had a litter six months ago, what brand of dog food to buy, does this pup really need to see a vet? And if you find that you must return your puppy a year or 10 after bringing him home, you will also find that that charming aw shucks farm lady who just loved all her li’l puppies to death when they were ripe and shiny and for sale is not returning your calls; if you catch her, you can expect, at best, a referral to a breed rescue.
An ethical breeder, a great breeder, doesn’t just take her own puppies back at any age, for any reason, she supports breed rescue and other animal welfare causes. She may pull, evaluate, transport, and foster dogs that puppymillers forgot about the minute the check cleared. She might sit on the board, fundraise, or just cut a check at Christmas. She helps salvage the mess created by those “other” breeders.
Consider Adoption Instead
Speaking of rescue, those who prefer a quality recycled companion can learn how to them among the official nonprofits. Here are some helpful links to get you started:
Finding the Best Animal Shelters
Successful Dog Adoption, Part 1: Develop an Adoption Criteria
Successful Dog Adoption, Part 2: What To Do at the Shelter
Dog Rehoming: When Is It the Right Decision?
Ask any animal shelter or rescue group, and they will tell you that people surrender their dogs for a myriad of reasons. More common ones include: Moving, can’t keep; landlord won’t allow; not enough time; and can’t afford.
Although those are the reasons commonly given, the underlying cause far more often in those cases is that something interfered with the development of the all-important bond between dog and human that ensures the dog a lifelong, loving home. Every day, thousands of dog lovers move and take their dogs with them, find a new place to live where dogs are allowed, rearrange busy schedules to make time for their dogs, and reprioritize budgets to cover their dog-care expenses.
Animal protection and rescue workers often become cynical about and unsympathetic toward those who give up their dogs. Many of us who love our dogs find it difficult to imagine any legitimate reason for rehoming a dog. While it’s true that many dogs are given up for seemingly frivolous reasons, there are times when it is the right thing to do, including the following.
What are valid reasons for rehoming a dog?
1. Two (or more) dogs in the family are seriously fighting.
Although it’s not uncommon for two dogs in a family to have occasional squabbles, there are also times when knock-down-drag-out battles – or even rough play – can put one or more canine family members at risk of serious injury or even death (not to mention the risk of injury to the humans who have to intervene in the dog fights). This can be especially life-threatening when a size differential almost guarantees that a smaller dog will be injured – or killed – by a larger dog who plays too roughly or has mayhem in mind. Plus there is the risk of predatory drift, where the larger dog sees a significantly smaller playmate dash across the yard and his brain kicks into “Squirrel!” mode. He perceives his smaller canine companion as “prey” instead of “playmate,” and tragedy strikes.
Whether due to size difference or not, conflict and potential injury between canine family members calls for careful management protocols, implementation of a behavior modification program to reduce or remove tension when possible, and if necessary, rehoming of one dog to prevent tragedy. If modification isn’t successful and management isn’t realistic, it is only fair to give both dogs a chance at long and happy lives by rehoming one. (I usually recommend rehoming the easier of the two dogs rather than the more problematic one, because it’s much more difficult to rehome a dog with problematic behavior; you are probably that dog’s best option.)
2. The dog is a danger to someone in the household, or to the community.
This often entails aggressive behavior, but not always. Sometimes an aging dog-lover makes the mistake of replacing her beloved senior dog who recently passed away with a puppy of the same breed, forgetting that she was 15 years younger the last time she had a bouncing adolescent canine underfoot. If the human’s dexterity and balance is beginning to fail her, and/or if she is physically unable to meet the dog’s activity needs, rehoming may be the best option.
While daycare, pet walkers, and sympathetic family members and friends may be able to help with some of the exercise, the dog might still present too great a threat to the owner’s safety. If that’s the case, rehoming is the right choice.
A rowdy dog may also present some physical risk to small children in the home. Good management can often minimize the danger while the child grows and the dog matures and learns his good manners behaviors. Aggression, however, is another matter.
Aggression alone is not necessarily a reason to give up your dog. It is irresponsible parenting and dog-caretaking, however, to keep a dog who shows a willingness to bite kids in a home with children. Dogs who live in homes with small children must adore them, or the child’s safety is at significant risk. Anything less than “adore” means the dog should be rehomed, or at least sent off to stay with relatives until the child is old enough to no longer be at risk, and/or the dog has learned to love children. It’s a lot easier to rehome a dog before he bites a child.
A dog with aggressive behaviors presents a risk to the community if the human is unwilling or unable to take necessary management steps to keep the community (and the dog) safe. While this can be due to a lack of concern on the human’s part, it can also be a result of denial and/or lack of education. When aggressive behaviors have been identified in a dog, it is critically important that the caretakers prevent the dog from having any opportunity to bite, and seek assistance from a qualified positive behavior professional for help in managing and modifying the behavior.
3. An unavoidable change in life circumstances precludes keeping the dog.
Stuff happens. You may have the strongest commitment in the world to your dog, and if life circumstances change and you can truly no longer care for him, then rehoming is the responsible decision. I’m not talking about simple priority choices (“We can’t afford the dog’s ACL surgery because we want to go to Europe this summer”); I’m talking about unavoidable life events such as heart attacks, strokes, foreclosure, moving to a long-term care facility, and other life-shattering occurrences. Sometimes, tragically, you really can’t care for your beloved canine any longer.
4. The dog has a health or behavior problem that is beyond the means of the owner to resolve.
Quality of life is an important consideration for dog and humans. If you really can’t afford the care your dog needs, you either provide it anyway, perhaps at the cost of your own health or diet, or you don’t provide it and your dog suffers. You can choose to make sacrifices in order to provide for your beloved dog, but there may come a legitimate time when the sacrifice is too great, or the challenge too difficult. Some medical procedures now available for dogs cost tens of thousands of dollars. Just because we can try to fix something and prolong life, doesn’t always mean we should. A loving caretaker may be completely willing to work with her difficult dog’s behaviors, but physically unable to do so. In those cases, rehoming a dog or even euthanasia may well be the best choice.
Aggression, severe separation anxiety, and a variety of canine obsessive-compulsive disorders can be extremely difficult behavior challenges. While these sometimes respond to treatment, often with the help of behavior modification drugs, they don’t always, and quality of life can be greatly damaged for both dog and human.
For more information on how to treat separation anxiety, see “Surviving Severe Separation Anxiety.”
5. Wrong dog for the situation.
Sometimes, humans acquire a dog for a specific purpose – to be a service dog, do narcotics detection, or to fulfill some other working or competition goals. Sometimes the chosen dog turns out to be totally unsuited for the desired purpose, and the human doesn’t have the luxury of keeping the newly acquired dog while seeking another one who is more suited for the training goal. In such cases, it may be absolutely necessary, or at least fully justifiable, to return or rehome a dog in order to allow the person to seek and select a more appropriate candidate.
Options for rehoming a dog
- Return her to the breeder, shelter, or rescue group you acquired her from. Responsible breeders and adoption organizations contractually require this, although some may allow you to rehome to someone you know that they pre-approve.
Caveats: If the place where you got your dog was less than reputable (for example, with overcrowded, poor conditions) you won’t want to return the dog there. If you got her from a pet store or puppy mill (oh dear), returning is not an option.
2. Place her with a trusted friend or family member. Well-loved, well-behaved, healthy dogs usually have a circle of admirers who would jump at the chance to adopt.
Caveats: Even your best friend or favorite relative may decline to take on a dog with major health or behavior challenges. You must be honest about these challenges.
- Advertise for someone to adopt her. People sometimes have success with rehoming dogs by advertising on Craigslist or with fliers posted on the bulletin board at local pet supply stores or veterinary offices. Social media can be a huge help, too; put together some good pictures and complete description of your dog (and the reasons you have to rehome her) and ask your friends to share. You never know, a friend of a friend may have a perfect spot for the dog.
Caveats: Try to allow for plenty of time (weeks or even months) to network in search of a perfect new owner for your dog. It’s not easy to screen potential adopters – you risk placing your dog with someone who won’t provide the kind of loving care you want for her, despite their assurances (this goes triple if she has health or behavior issues). There have been recent Use Caution: There are numerous news stories about dogs placed in new homes free of charge by owners, shelters, and rescue groups, only to have to purported adopters “flip” (sell) the free dogs, or worse
- Take her to a good shelter or rescue. There are thousands of excellent dog adoption services around the country. Many provide medical treatment for at least some of the dogs in their care that the person surrendering the dog couldn’t afford. The best have behavior departments or working relationships with qualified professionals to modify difficult behaviors in order to make dogs more likely to succeed in their next, hopefully final, homes. Not everything is fixable, and responsible groups still have to make difficult euthanasia decisions, but your dog might be one they can help.
Caveats: Be sure you research these groups diligently. Visit the facility to see that it’s clean and well run. If you can’t visit, don’t leave your dog there. If they won’t give you straight answers about their willingness to treat medical issues or modify difficult behaviors, don’t leave your dog there. If your dog isn’t adopted, she may suffer in a cage at a “no-kill” shelter for the rest of her life, or worse, in the hands of a hoarder posing as a shelter or rescue. Again, you must be brutally honest about your dog’s health or behavior problems.
- Have her euthanized. As painful as this, it may be the kindest thing you can do if your dog has significant health and/or behavior issues. It may not be realistic to ask someone else to care for such a dog, and she could be abused or neglected in the process. Dying peacefully in the arms of someone who loves her is better than dying neglected in someone’s backyard, or after spending weeks, months, or years in the stressful environment of a shelter.
When I have a client considering this option because of difficult canine behaviors, I gently suggest that euthanasia is not an inappropriate choice for a loved dog if the client is unable to do the things necessary to restore her dog to physical health, or to manage and/or modify behaviors. I don’t tell her she should make that choice, but I let her know I’ll support her if she does.
Examples of responsible dog rehomes
Here are some examples from my world, of times when rehoming was necessary, responsible and appropriate. Names are changed to protect the privacy of my clients in all except the first example:
Caretaker health issues
More than a decade ago, my then-45-year-old brother had a series of major strokes from which he would never fully recover. He was placed in a long-term care facility where pets were allowed, but only if the resident could care for them, which my brother was unable to do. When my sisters and I visited Bill, he kept asking for his two well-loved Pomeranians. It broke my heart.
I tracked them down – they had been sent to a Pomeranian rescue group – and convinced the rescue (via a significant donation) to let me rehome the dogs with one of the staff at the facility. For many years she brought the dogs with her to work and Bill was able to keep them in his life. Although his dogs are gone now, other staff members continue to visit him with their dogs, knowing how much it means to him.
Wrong dog for the job
A good friend recently purchased an Australian Shepherd puppy from a breeder she thought she had carefully researched. Julie already had two adult dogs with behavioral issues that she had worked long and hard with, one adopted from a “no-kill” facility to save him from spending the rest of his life there. Although she’s been successful enough with her behavior modification work that she is able to compete with her two dogs in agility and rally obedience, she had her heart set on starting with a properly raised and socialized puppy who could grow up to be a really solid dog.
Imagine her dismay when the 10-week-old pup turned out to have significant fear behaviors – far greater than one should expect if he was simply going through a developmental fear period. After much soul-searching, she returned the pup to the breeder. Her decision to do so was sealed when, upon contacting the breeder to let her know of the pup’s behavior, the breeder advised her that she was trying to socialize him “too early.” This is a nonsensical excuse; it’s never too early for appropriate, carefully managed socializing (the critical socialization period is from 3 weeks to 14 weeks), and truly good breeders go to great lengths to provide this early socialization foundation.
Putting others at risk in the home
A client brought her just-adopted adolescent Border Collie-mix to see me because the young dog was acting very fearful of men. Linda had adopted Freddie (names changed) less than a month prior, and he already had seven biting incidents, including one bite that had broken skin. She has two small children in her home, but so far the dog had been relaxed and appropriate with kids. Freddie was a delightful dog with many good attributes, and Linda was committed to keeping him, if at all possible. We worked out a behavior modification program, and this exceptionally knowledgeable client went home, fully committed to working through her dog’s behavioral issues.
A week later during a stressful day in the home, Freddie bit one of the kids – twice. Although neither bite required medical attention, it was clear that he wasn’t safe in a home with children. Despite his bite history, the client was, fortunately, able to place Freddie in a dog-savvy home with no children.
Putting others at risk in society
A young couple adopted a dog a year ago from a “no-kill” group – a dog who, in my opinion, should not have been made available for adoption without first undergoing significant behavior modification. The couple, who were my clients, simply wanted a canine companion they could enjoy and share with friends and family. The Lab/Pit-mix they adopted was so defensively aggressive they were unable to have visitors at their home. If they tried to put him away in a “safe room” so they could enjoy their friends and family, the dog shrieked and became destructive – to his environment if he was left free in the room, and to himself if he was crated. After 10 months of dedicated behavior modification work, including medication for the dog, they sadly decided that neither they nor their dog was enjoying an acceptable quality of life, and chose to have him euthanized.
These rehomers are exceptional
Let me assure you that in my behavior practice these cases are the exception, not the rule. I am fortunate to be blessed with clients who are far above average in the commitment they make to their dogs. Their decisions to rehome are difficult, and invariably made only after much thought, discussion and angst. They are never made lightly by my clients, and never without considerable pain.
Rehoming a dog is a difficult decision
A client sent me an e-mail recently to tell me that she has been unable to implement our agreed-upon behavior modification program due to the full-time responsibility of caring for an elderly parent. Barb* said she is looking to rehome her dog. Bailey*, an otherwise delightful one-year-old Labrador Retriever, has mild-to-moderate dog-reactive behavior and separation distress, as well as the high energy level typical of an adolescent Lab. Barb has been bringing him to Peaceable Paws since puppy class. I was saddened to hear she was giving him up. It’s always sad for a dog, and the humans who know him, when the promise of a lifelong loving home falls through. (*Their names have been changed.)
Any one of these decisions can be irrevocable. Before giving your dog up, be sure you’ve thought it through carefully and truly exhausted all your options for fulfilling the commitment you made to your dog when you adopted her. You don’t want this to be a decision you regret for the rest of your life – and hers.
I received another e-mail from Barb this morning. A family decision to place the parent in a long-term care facility has given Barb new resources, new energy, and a renewed commitment to work with Bailey. For now, he’s staying in his home. Cross your fingers.
Tips for Adopting an Adult Dog
For a dog with such a demure name, Nora was, in the words of her new owner, purely awful. “There was not a thing that she got to that she did not destroy,” remembers Donna Hess of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, of the first few weeks with her newly adopted Basenji. “She ripped any pillow she could get to shreds, and then started on the comforters and blankets. She knocked over the garbage can 50 times a day. She chewed the other dogs’ collars off their necks. Tissues, toilet paper, knickknacks, throw rugs, small objects of all kinds were stolen or destroyed. Putting stuff up high did not help; she climbed all over the tables and counters. She literally could not be left alone for a second. And the worst thing was if you tried to catch her to confine her, she bit!”
Nora didn’t seem to want to interact with her new owners, refusing to make eye contact or respond to her name. Petting was out of the question. But at the same time, she had intense separation anxiety. “The minute she was alone, she pitched a holy fit, screaming and urinating in her crate, then destroying her bedding,” Hess remembers.
After weeks of this adoptive “Nora’easter,” Hess seriously contemplated returning her to the rescue group that had placed her. “I was making no progress whatsoever.”
While Nora is an extreme case, adopter’s remorse is hardly an uncommon phenomenon among those who bring an adult shelter, rescue, or foster dog into their lives and homes. Like any major life change, the adjustment period is not always pretty, and you can expect more than a few bumps along the way.
But there are many things you can do – or at least be aware of – that can make the process easier on both you and your new addition. With some hard work and more than a little patience from Hess, Nora eventually settled into her new home. And your dog can, too.
Great Expectations – The groundwork for a successful arrival starts well before your new dog’s paws hit the driveway (or the apartment lobby). Advance planning is always a good idea, and not just in terms of logistics, like figuring out where the dog will sleep or checking to be sure the house is sufficiently dog-proof.
Just as important – and frequently overlooked – is a once-over of your own emotions: You’ll need to manage your expectations about your new buddy, who at best may not be on the top of his game and at worst may be traumatized about being in an unfamiliar environment, no matter how cushy the digs or solicitous the humans.
“A lot of people expect their new dog to follow them everywhere, like a puppy would,” says certified applied animal behaviorist and author Patricia McConnell. “But unlike puppies, who almost always come with boundless enthusiasm, older dogs have no idea what is happening to them. A lot of them are in shock and are really sort of stunned.”
Like a second marriage, where both partners are fully formed individuals with their own life experiences and preferences, your relationship with your new dog is going to involve coming to terms with his “previous life.” You don’t know what baggage he is carrying, or what pushes his buttons. Decoding your dog’s reactions, habits, and world view will likely take some time.
“An important part of the process is understanding that you are bringing in an animal that has a history,” McConnell explains. “You may know some of it, but you may not know enough. Slowly let your dog become your dog. You’re trying to figure out who it is that you’ve got here.”
It’s About Time – Behaviorist Karen London, who with McConnell is the author of Love Has No Age Limit: Welcoming an Adopted Dog into Your Home, has observed that adopted dogs tend to come out of their shells during the “magic three” – the third day, the third week, and the third month.
Those junctures “seem to be major landmarks for a dog to reveal who he or she is,” London explains. For example, for the first couple of days in a new home, a normally happy-go-lucky pooch may be shy, timid, or aloof. By the third day, once she gets her bearings, she may regain most of the bounce in her step. Conversely, a dog whose reaction to the stress of relocation is to bark excessively may very likely calm down within a few days, once he’s acclimated to his surroundings.
At the third-week mark, London says she often notices more changes. Metaphorically, the honeymoon is over and the dog feels comfortable enough with the relationship to start leaving dirty underwear on the floor (or running off to her crate with it, as the case may be). And finally, after three months, if you are paying close enough attention, you may see still more evidence of your dog settling into her new role in your household, as if she is permitting herself to finally, freely exhale.
London notes that these timelines aren’t written in stone, but they do appear to be reliable patterns that many dogs follow when acclimating to their new homes.
Past Imperfect – One more point before we leave the pasts of these dogs behind: Do just that. While you need to recognize that your dog’s past informs her present, don’t get mired down in what she has been through to the point where it impedes where she is going.
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“See the dog, not the story,” wrote one visitor to McConnell’s blog. In other words, be careful not to romanticize your dog’s previous life.
“People often get lost in a dog’s story and get overwhelmed with compassion,” McConnell says. “There’s a feeling of ‘I know they’ve been abused, and I’ll make up for it by being extra sweet and loving all the time.’”
But instead of giving the dog a sense of safety and protection, this kind of uber-reassurance, without a set of clear and benevolent rules, often makes the situation worse.
In some respects, London sees a parallel with rescue dogs who have had a rough start and human beings who have had some sort of traumatic experience. “People who have been traumatized or assaulted or injured say, ‘See me – don’t just see what happened to me.’ And I think it’s the same thing with the dog.”
McConnell has a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who was rescued from a commercial puppy mill. For most of her life, Tootsie “lived in a crate the size of a bread box, and had a litter every year, as far as we know,” she says. When Tootsie was rescued, her head was so severely infected it looked like a “cesspool,” McConnell remembers.
Today, Tootsie “is the happiest, friendliest dog, she loves everybody, and she’s even house trained,” McConnell says. Tootsie hasn’t been defined by her life story – you should want the same for your dog, too.
P Is For . . . Well, You Know –
If there is one Waterloo among adopters, it is housetraining – or, more specifically, the lack thereof.
“People hear the dog is housetrained at his foster home, and then the dog comes to their home and within 12 hours has peed all over the house,” McConnell says. “What is critical to understand is that dogs haven’t necessarily generalized houses. Just because they’re housetrained in the foster home doesn’t mean they’re housetrained in your house. This is one case where they are like puppies.”
Just as with an 8-week-old puppy, an adult adoptee benefits from consistency, plenty of opportunities to do the right thing, and being rewarded profusely for doing so. McConnell thinks one of the first things a dog should do when she arrives at her new home is to be walked on leash in her potty area. Being taken outside as often as physically possible also gives the dog a chance to eliminate in the right place.
“Some people are shocked that it takes them four days to house-train their dog,” McConnell muses. “But that’s an eyeblink compared to the time it takes to train a puppy.”
A Separate Peace – It’s of course natural and probably irresistible to want to lavish all your time and affection on your new dog as soon as she arrives. But trainer Denise Herman of Empire of the Dog in Brooklyn, New York, reminds that you should also build in some time for natural separation.
“You definitely want to bond with the dog, so it’s hard to put the dog away, but you can’t Velcro them to you for the first three days and then suddenly leave them,” she advises. “A lot times you’re stuck with a really ugly separation problem that could have been avoided if you had played it looser for the first couple of days.”
Herman advises “mixing it up a lot” – have the dog in and out of the crate (provided, of course, that she is crate-trained). She also recommends using lots of chew toys, which “tire them out mentally, not just physically, and build up focus. I ‘big heart’ chew toys so much!”
As with any new arrival, be cautious about triggering possessiveness over these new and valuable objects. “Resource guarding is one of the big ones I see change when dogs come out of shelter, often for the better, but sometimes for the worse,” Herman says. “Assume the dog hasn’t had many of [these high-value chew toys], and confine or supervise the dog when you give them.” If you do discover an issue, “try flooding the dog’s environment with them, and see if that helps,” she suggests. “If you lay it on thick, sometimes they decide it’s no big deal anymore.”
Running on Empty – You see the stories on Facebook and Internet email groups all the time: A newly adopted rescue suddenly bolts from his new home, and a frantic search begins.
McConnell points out that runaway rescues are not uncommon at all, and for good reason. “The dogs have no idea where home is, have no connection to their new human yet, and very well might have been terrified, traumatized, disoriented, or scared. One of the most common responses to fear is to run away. Why wouldn’t they?”
An ounce of prevention is the ideal prescription: Make sure your new dog has a microchip and an ID tag with your current cell phone number on it, from the first minute you take possession of the dog. Use baby gates to block exit doors that see a lot of traffic, particularly if you live in a home with small children who can’t be expected to police foot traffic as diligently as adults would. Before turning a dog out into a fenced yard, make sure all the gates are securely closed. McConnell reminds us that dogs are particularly good at going over, under and through obstacles, and at squeezing past openings that might seem far too small for them to escape through. “If you hear yourself saying, ‘I think it will be fine,’ that’s your clue that it probably won’t be,” she says.
Having the dog slip out of his collar is another concern. If you’re worried your dog might be a flight risk, Herman recommends “double-lockdown” – walking him with both a collar and a harness. She suggests a flat martingale collar, which is similar to a flat buckle collar but tightens when a dog pulls. Herman notes that she has seen some harnesses pull off entirely, so look for a brand that has a strap between the legs, like the Wiggles, Wags and Wiggles No Pull Harness (see wiggleswagswhiskers.com or call 866-944-9247).
Party Animal . . . Not – It should go without saying, but let’s say it anyway: The last thing your adopted dog needs is a huge welcome party to add to his sense of being overwhelmed. Keep visitors to a minimum the first few days – one person at a time, two maximum. “Stay low key and quiet and let your dog get her paws on the ground,” McConnell advises.
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Similarly, avoid trying or high-stress scenarios until the dog has been settled for a few weeks. McConnell recalls the client who adopted a huge Labrador Retriever and took him to obedience class the next day. The instructor told her to her wrap her arm around the dog to maneuver him into a particular position, and the dog “sunk his teeth into her and shook her like a rat,” McConnell recalls. “It not only injured her, but it injured her confidence and trust. The dog was put down that day. Who knows what would have happened had she waited two weeks to take him to that class?”
McConnell is quick to note that this is an isolated case, and that it is not a foregone conclusion that all rescue dogs will have behavioral problems. But the drumbeat to have all dogs be super-socialized and interacting with everyone and everything around them can be a prescription for disaster with some dogs – particularly those who are already in a state of stress and confusion. Be thoughtful about what contexts you put your dog in, particularly at the outset.
Though it’s one of the first things most people do with a new dog, McConnell also suggests rethinking a run to the vet’s office in those first fragile days. Certainly, if the dog is ill, needs treatment, or if there is any question about his health status, do not delay. But if the dog has already been vet-checked by the shelter or rescue group, and you are just going for a recheck, or to have some nails or grooming done, let a couple of weeks pass and then “go to the vet for a meet and greet,” McConnell advises. “Then they can literally do nothing but say, ‘Hi! What a cute dog!’ You only have one chance at a first impression.”
Walk this way – Similarly, London advises putting off that most iconic of canine-human endeavors: the walk around town.
Instead of being a gentle jaunt around the new neighborhood, for some rescue dogs a leashed walk can be “like taking them to the gladiator pit,” she says. While you might be in control of your dog, at least in terms of keeping him restrained with a leash, you most assuredly are not in control of the other people, animals and stimuli that might engage him.
“The average adopted dog is already on complete sensory overload – there’s no reason to add to that,” London says. So wait a few days to a week, once your dog has settled in a bit, before taking him on his first walk.
In the meantime, look for clues of potential issues around the house. “Hopefully you can see if the dog goes bananas when she sees kids walking by or charges at the window when she sees a truck,” London says. “That will give you some information: Which is more of a problem on a walk, trucks or kids?”
Less is more – Though it’s tempting to let your new dog have free run of the house – maybe not so tempting when you contemplate the Aubusson rug in the dining room – Herman recommends keeping him as close as possible. “A lot of people favor walking the dog around on a leash first, to see if he has any concept of what a house is,” she says. “Many a person has been surprised to see the dog leap up on the dining-room table.”
If the dog is crate trained, or willing to be crated, use that for times when you can’t supervise him directly. “Usually it’s a positive contract,” Herman says about the incentive for the dog to learn to like his crate. “Here’s a bone full of wet dog food; you can enjoy it in here, where it’s calm and quiet and soft and clean.”
McConnell adds that it’s “so much easier to expand the house than to close it down” once the dog has been given free rein. Restrict the dog to one or two dog-proofed rooms that he feels secure in, and then, as he proves himself, you can open up access to more rooms.
Don’t Panic – Easier said than done, but it may comfort you to know that even the pros have that moment of “What have I done?” when first incorporating that new dog into their household.
“I think the first three days are panic, panic, panic” – on the part of the human, that is, Herman says. “You think, ‘I’m in over my head, maybe I was too rash.’ Unless the dog is flat out Lassie, which is rare, you’re going to have barking or house-training accidents.”
Whatever you do, don’t go it alone. “Be open to the idea of seeking resources,” London urges. “A lot of knowledge, skill, and experience go into making the transition as smooth as possible. Seek help, whether it’s a training or behavior professional, or rescue or foster people. I wish we didn’t all try to figure it out in a vacuum.”
And remember that the best view is the long one. Sometimes love is a bit of a battlefield until you work out a truce.
“It takes time to figure out how to live together,” McConnell reminds. “Figure it will take about a year until you can look back and go, ‘Wow, this dog is totally part of the family.’ ”
Nora, the bad-to-the-bone Basenji, is a case in point. Her owner sought out help from another savvy Basenji owner, and consistently ignoring Nora’s bad behavior led to a turn-around. Today, while Nora still has “bad days” and her own little quirks, “she flings herself into our laps whenever we sit down, and contentedly falls asleep,” Hess reports. “She is still a work in progress . . . but Nora is home.”