I was pretty traumatized recently by a phenomenon I had heard about many times but had never before seen: the intense, chaotic, life-or-death struggle that ensues when one dog gets his jaw stuck in another dog’s collar.
It happened to some dogs that live a few houses down from my home office. I was working at my computer when I heard a dog screaming. I leaped up from my desk and ran down the sidewalk toward the screaming.
It was two young Lab-mixes in the front yard of a house down the street. One had grabbed his friend’s collar and then mostly likely rolled over, twisting his lower jaw in the collar. His tongue, trapped under the thick nylon, was being lacerated by his own lower teeth; he was the one making all the noise.
His buddy was not screaming; he was fighting for his life, and being choked to death by his own collar. Both dogs were thrashing in pain and fear. The owner of one dog was trying to get close enough to them to free them, and I tried to help.
I grabbed one dog by the scruff; she grabbed the other. I frantically ran my hands through the mass of writhing fur, trying to find a buckle on the collar. I felt a quick-release buckle and released it – but it was the wrong one, not the collar that was threatening their lives.
Then I saw the other buckle; it was in the mouth of the dog whose jaw was trapped. And it was a standard metal buckle – the kind that you have to tighten slightly to free the metal prong from a hole punched in the nylon fabric. It was already so tight, there would be no way to tighten it enough to release it, if I even could get my hand in the dog’s mouth.
Just then, the owner of the other dog ran out of the house with a pair of scissors. I was doubtful that they could cut through the thick nylon, but they did. And in the nick of time! Even as the young woman worked, feverishly, the dog who was choking released his bowels. He was seconds from death.
Imagine what would have happened if that young woman hadn’t had the scissors handy. Or if the same thing happened at a dog park; maybe someone would have had a sharp-enough knife. What if the dog had been wearing a choke chain or pinch collar? I’ve seen dogs wearing these while playing at dog parks – but I’ve never seen a person there with bolt cutters.
These dogs survived the experience. But since I’ve been telling my friends about my experience (with all the fervor of the recently converted), I’ve heard about a number of dogs whose jaws were broken in similar situations – and other dogs who didn’t survive an experience like this. Don’t let it happen to your dog!
Here are five things you can do to keep your dog safe when he’s playing with other dogs.
1.Play Naked! Remove your dog’s collar or harness. A harness may not present the same choking hazard as a collar if another dog got tangled in it, but on the other hand, a harness has many more straps to get caught in.
2.Use a Collar With a Quick-Release Buckle. If you’re nervous about having your dog naked (and without ID), use a collar with a buckle that can be released even under tension. Another option is a safety breakaway collar, such as Premier Pet Product’s KeepSafe Break-Away Collar.
3. Don’t Allow Your Dog to Play With Dogs Who Are Wearing Gear. At times, this may mean your dog won’t be able to play at a dog park, because it’s nearly impossible to get everyone to comply with sensible rules at a dog park. If I had a young dog who really liked wrestling and mouthing other dogs, I just wouldn’t take him to a dog park that was crowded with collar- and harness-wearing dogs. Not after what I saw.
4. Spread The Word. I’m now telling every dog owner I know about the way, the truth, and the light. Many people have never considered this potential hazard and may be open to hearing about how they can prevent a tragedy happening to their dogs.
5. Keep Something Sharp Handy. This is quite a long shot – and yet, I now know a young woman who saved two dogs’ lives with sharp scissors. I now have a box cutter in my car, and another one on a shelf near my office door. I hope to never witness this again, but I feel a little better knowing that there would be more I could do to help.
Drug of choice for treating tick-borne disease and heartworm is unavailable (or unaffordable) due to supply bottleneck.
When my newest search and rescue partner, Cole, fell apart during a certification test in May 2012, I had accumulated enough hard lessons to know my next move. We didn’t need to revisit our training protocol or take his nose in for a tune-up. We were at our vet’s office the next morning for bloodwork.
I left with a scrip for doxycycline, the drug of choice to treat Lyme disease in both humans and dogs. When I filled it at the Giant Eagle pharmacy, my bill was $0, thanks to the chain’s program of free prescriptions for common generic antibiotics. Many other pharmacy chains offered it for loss-leader prices ranging from $1.99 to $10. At average retail prices, the cost would have topped out at about 30 cents per pill, or $16 for the full course.
Cole was a lucky boy. His infection was detected very early, and he responded so well to treatment that his titer is negative a year later. Cole’s owner was lucky for those reasons, and because the specific drug that best treats Lyme disease, among other tick-borne infections such as ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and anaplasmosis was readily and cheaply available.
Just under a year later, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania dog owner Karen Kirk and her Lab/Husky-mix, Buddy, were less fortunate.
Buddy’s cryptic symptoms appeared suddenly in late March 2013; what first appeared to be a sprained hock developed rapidly over 24 hours into a critical situation, including complete hind-end paralysis and lethargy. Knowing that Buddy had several recent tick exposures, Kirk opted to run a tick-borne disease titer panel before taking radiographs; her hunch was also on target, as Buddy too returned a positive test for Lyme disease infection.
Kirk’s veterinarian prescribed a very high dose of doxycycline because of Buddy’s severe acute symptoms, and provided an initial supply of the drug, warning Kirk that there appeared to be an issue with acquiring the antibiotic, and that she should be ready to seek it at an outside pharmacy to continue the course.
Two weeks later, when Kirk called her local Giant Eagle pharmacy, the pharmacist’s assistant looked up the cost of Buddy’s prescribed dose and told her “This can’t be right. It says $1,000.”
After repeated checking, the pharmacy staff verified that the cost of Buddy’s prescription had skyrocketed to nearly $12 per pill, or $72 per day of treatment – for a staple generic drug that was so cheap 10 months earlier that they had been giving it away.
The news was no better at other Pittsburgh-area pharmacies; most simply could not supply doxycycline at any price. Buddy, who had responded to doxycycline treatment dramatically and was walking within 24 hours of his first dose, finally caught a break. Kirk’s veterinarian was able to scrounge enough of the drug at close to the pre-shortage price to complete a month of treatment. According to Kirk, “Now he’s acting like a badass like he always does, and propelling himself off the back of my couch.”
Veterinarians Scramble to Supply Treatments as Spring Tick Season Commences According to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) online index of drug shortages, the supply interruption for doxycycline was first noted in mid-January, and projected to be corrected by early March. As of mid-April, the listing showed only four extant manufacturers, of which two were supplying “limited” quantities and/or forms of the drug, and two were listing the drug as “available.” The reasons for the supply issues were listed, variously, as “manufacturing delays” and “increased demand.” As of April 10, FDA personnel had not returned multiple phone messages requesting an interview, and the FDA had released no further information about the causes and expected duration of the shortage.
While the shortage of this common antibiotic affects human medicine – where doxycycline is used to treat tick-borne diseases, acne, some sexually transmitted infections, and even anthrax – veterinarians are keenly aware of the pinch, as veterinary practices serve as pharmacies as well as physicians for their animal patients.
Dr. Dan Murray, who practices at the Animal Care Center in Green Valley, Arizona, has not yet exhausted his clinic’s supply of oral doxycycline, and continues to dole it out to patients on an as-needed basis. Anticipating that he will not be able to restock, Dr. Murray has ordered minocycline, a related tetracycline-class antibiotic, to replace doxycycline for the tick-borne ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis that he commonly sees in southern Arizona, as well as for treating kennel cough.
But veterinarian Tom Beckett of the Camino Viejo Animal Clinic in Austin, Texas cautions that, although minocycline is in the same class as doxycycline, it has not yet been shown to be equally effective against the same rickettsial diseases, or as a pre-treatment for dogs who will undergo heartworm treatment. Dr. Beckett is also drawing from a stockpile of doxycycline at this time, and worries “I’m at a loss, like everybody else, about what we’re going to end up doing, how cheap and available the minocycline is going to be.” Dr. Beckett has a special interest in tick-borne diseases, which are enzootic among the former racing greyhounds that he helps to rehabilitate; both efficacy and cost are factors for this population of dogs.
A web search for minocycline prices found a best price of $1.70 per 100 mg tablet – six times higher than a typical price for doxycycline prior to the current shortage.
One reason for doxycycline’s effectiveness against notoriously recalcitrant bacterial infections such as Borrelia burgdorferi (the spirochete bacterium that causes Lyme disease) and the rickettsial bacteria that cause Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, anaplasmosis, and ehrlichiosis, is its high lipid solubility, which allows it to attack pathogens that have set up shop in the central nervous system and in the synovial fluid of the joints. Minocycline has an even higher lipid solubility; human clinical results suggest that it should prove a suitable, if expensive, alternative to doxycycline for treating tick-borne diseases.
Readers who handle shelter dogs or others who are heartworm positive may also need to turn to minocycline or the older drug tetracycline for the 30-day antibiotic treatment prior to administering an adulticide to kill heartworms. The aim of this pre-treatment is to gradually eliminate the symbiotic rickettsial Wolbachia bacteria from the guts of the parasitic worms, preventing a toxic bolus of dead Wolbachia from overwhelming the treated dog’s cardiovascular system.
The Dangers of Hoarding and Stockpiling Consumers must exercise caution when using stockpiled doxycycline, or any drug of the tetracycline group. All sources agree that antibiotics of this family that are long past their expiration dates are not only ineffective, but can break down into toxic substances that cause severe kidney damage.
Unfortunately, no sources can or will specify how far past the manufacturer’s expiration date is cause for concern, even though there is wide agreement that these dates are broadly, even excessively, conservative, and that “just expired” product is almost certainly safe and effective. Dr. Beckett cautions that variations in storage conditions – antibiotics should be kept cool and dry – are a confounding factor in shelf life. Ensure that you acquire antibiotics of this family only from reliable sources.
Heather Houlahan is the proprietor of First Friend Dog Training and raises pastured livestock and poultry. She has been a search and rescue dog handler for 22 years, and is the canine director of Allegheny Mountain Rescue Group. She lives with three English shepherds, one German shepherd, a revolving cast of foster dogs from National English Shepherd Rescue, and a mostly housetrained husband on Brandywine Farm, north of Pittsburgh, PA. She has had Lyme disease twice.
I’m exhausted. I’ve been dealing with a challenging family situation for the past couple of months, a home construction project for the past few weeks, and oh look! We owe more than we thought we would on our taxes. (Both my husband and I are independent contractors and pay quarterly taxes, but somehow we always owe at least a bit more than the estimates.) And I just shipped the May issue of WDJ to the printer, a few hours late, even after putting in 14-hour days for the past week, solid.
But am I going to go to bed? Eat a bowl of ice cream (Haagen Daz vanilla, with fresh strawberries and chocolate syrup)? Take a bath? Have a good cry? Zone out with a few episodes of Mad Men on Netflix?
Well, yes, I’ll probably do all those things. But not until I’ve taken the dogs out for a good long walk in the spring air. It’s noon, the sun is shining, and the wildflowers are blooming here in Northern California. The dogs have been antsy for days. Tito the Chihuahua alternates between moaning, whining, and grumbling near my desk chair, and throws his tennis ball at my feet. Otto is more polite, but no less compelling. He’ll sit next to my chair, very upright, and stare at me. If I fail to notice, he’ll dramatically sigh deeply from time to time. If I turn to look at him, his eyes will widen and sparkle, and he’ll wag his tail as invitingly as he knows how. “Yes? Can we go outside now?”
We can – finally – and so we will. These dogs are so much fun to walk with – vibrant and alert to nature, fit and active, and highly responsive and obedient to my whistle to return to my side. We’ll head out to a local trail, one that follows the Feather River, where we are sure to see osprey and eagles, wild turkeys and ducks, and if Otto is lucky, a jackrabbit or two. By the time we get home, I probably won’t need the ice cream, the tears, bed, or TV. Although the bath is still highly advisable.
I have calendars that are dedicated for noting things about my pets’ health. Time and time again they have come in handy when trying to investigate an abnormal condition. In recent months, notes on the calendar (and the clipped-out ingredients lists from their food labels, taped to the dates that I opened the bags of food) helped me put it together that Tito’s stool get loose every time I feed him a food that contains lamb, and that Otto is reluctant to eat foods that contain any fish or fish oil (probably due to oxidation in the fragile fish oils). Someday, I hope to be smart enough to use them to ANTICIPATE problems that arise annually.
In recent weeks, Otto has been licking and chewing himself more than usual. I told him to “knock it off!” several times without thinking much about it, before I finally thought to check him for fleas. I didn’t find a single flea – not on him, nor on Tito nor the cats. Huh, I thought. That’s as far as my thoughts went.
Today I was going back through some old blog posts, looking for a reference to something I had written about a couple of years ago, when I saw a blog post I wrote on March 22, 2011. It was about spring allergies in dogs. In it, I mentioned that Otto had been licking and chewing himself – severe itching is the most common symptom of allergies in dogs – and that the pollen counts were off the charts.
I grabbed the 2012 calendar dedicated to notes on Otto and Tito (the cats have a separate one). There it is, on March 11: “Otto licking/chewing daily.”
Okay, three years in a row? Otto starts licking and chewing in March? Ya think maybe I could use this trend and start being proactive rather than reactive? In early March each year, I could start bathing him more frequently (or at least wiping his coat several times daily with a damp towel), and making him sleep inside (slightly more protected from the veritable rain of pollen that is coating our deck right now). I could also dose him with some mild antihistamines on bad pollen days (like I do for my own spring allergies).
Thank goodness for online calendars: I’m setting up an alarm for March 1, 2014. “Consider Otto’s spring allergies.”
Does your dog suffer from any annual or seasonal conditions?
When approached from a holistic perspective, long-term flea control does not begin with insecticide flea sprays, dips or shampoos. It begins only after the caregiver reaches an understanding of how fleas live, behave, and how they select their hosts. From this perspective we can see that it is the effects of fleas, and not their existence, that cause so much misery to our dogs – the fleas themselves are only a single symptom of deep-seated and complex health problem.
To clarify, let’s take a look at what I call the “Flea vs. Host Dog” scenario.
Dogs have been host to fleas, as well as thousands of other parasites, for millions of years. Certainly, like all cross-species relationships, nature maintains certain checks and balances that allow parasites and their hosts to coexist in symbiotic harmony.
But in the case of fleas and domesticated canines, we keep seeing the same scenario repeat itself: Host Dog is completely tormented by fleas while his canine companion, although in the same house, seems relatively trouble-free. Why? Because the natural countermeasures that exist between flea and Host Dog are no longer working. The parasite-host relationship is out of balance.
Flea problems do not actually stem from the mere presence of fleas, but from health-related and environmental circumstances that allow parasites to wreak havoc upon a weakened host.
Like all parasites, fleas are opportunistic, preying on the easiest meal they can find. While it is true that dogs with healthy skins and coats are usually less bothered by fleas than those with flaky, dry skin and constantly shedding coats, this is only part of the picture. Deeper toward the root of the problem are issues involving Host Dog’s immune system and the way his body reacts to flea bites. Host Dog is allergic to flea bites, and for reasons that have little to do with the fleas themselves, his body system can neither repel nor tolerate their bites.
I’ve heard of it happening, but have never witnessed it before tonight: the horror of a dog getting his jaw twisted in another dog’s collar. May I never witness it again.
I was working at my computer when I heard a dog down the street, screaming. The only other times I’ve heard a dog scream like that were when one was hit by a car and another was kicked by a horse. I ran out my office door and down the street toward the noise. There is a black Lab-mix who is often playing in a fenced front yard two doors down, and I saw a young woman bent over what I thought was just that one dog. My first thought was that he had somehow broken a leg and she was restraining him. I ran through the gate and saw that she was, in fact, bent over TWO black Lab-mixes. I couldn’t tell at first what I was seeing, just this tangle of screaming dogs. I yelped, “What’s happening?” And the young woman shouted, “They’re stuck, I don’t know how!” It was SO confusing because both dogs were solid black and writhing around.
Then I saw the collar around the lower jaw of one dog. “”It’s the collar!” I yelled. “Do you have anything to cut it?!” My mind was racing but I couldn’t think of a single thing I had in my office that would cut it. The young woman yelled at someone else – her roommate, it turned out. “Get something to cut the collar!!”
I was also feeling all over the collars for a buckle. I felt a quick-release buckle and released it – but it was the release on the collar of the dog who had his jaw stuck. Just then I smelled poop; the dog whose collar was twisted was collapsing, and had just evacuated his bowels. He was being choked to death right in our hands.
I finally located the other buckle. It was a plain metal buckle. It was also in the mouth of the dog whose jaw was twisted inside. There was NO WAY I could get it to release.
The woman who was holding the dogs with me was screaming for her roommate. I said, “Let’s try to roll them to untwist it.” We grabbed the dogs’ bodies and tried to figure out which way would release the twist, but we simply could not see the solution in the mass of twisting black fur. One dog was moaning, the other gasping.
The other woman ran out with a pair of sharp scissors and a knife. I doubted the scissors, but it looked safer than a knife. She tried to jam the scissors under the collar and it was incredibly tight. She quailed for a moment, yelping, “I’m afraid to cut him!” And I said, “Just do it! Stitches are better than dying!” She jabbed the lower blade of the scissors under the collar and worked them with all her might, and by some miracle, the material started to separate. “Yes! Good! You’re doing it! Keep going!” the two of us holding the dogs encouraged her. We were ALL gasping for air at this point.
Then it was done. The collar fell off and the dogs literally fell apart. The one who was being choked coughed and gasped. The one with his jaw twisted ran away from us across the yard, then ran back with his tail between his legs – scared but ok. We encouraged the other dog – Good boy! You’re ok! – and he got to his feet, wobbling, and wagged his tail weakly, but it was apparent that he was regaining strength moment by moment. I said to the young women, “Are you ok?” “Yes, yes, are you?” We were all ok.
For the next 20 minutes or so, we talked and watched the dogs. In those minutes, both dogs defecated. The choked dog peed, too, and a few minutes later, he vomited. He seemed just really shaken but ok. I ran back to my office and found one of Otto’s older quick release collars to give them. We all hugged each other and the dogs.
Thank God the dog hadn’t been wearing a choke chain; I don’t have bolt cutters hanging around and don’t know anyone else who does either. That dog would have been dead if he had been wearing one.
Please: If your dog has a buckle collar – or one that has to be pulled over the dog’s head to take it off — PLEASE remove it before he or she plays with other dogs. Better yet: Don’t ever put any collar on your dog that doesn’t have a quick-release buckle.
Plants provide vital natural sources of vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that many of today’s commercial diets just don’t provide, what with poor-quality and over-processed ingredients. And in our increasingly urbanized environment, many dogs don’t have the opportunity to forage and ingest healing plants they instinctively seek out when feeling distressed.
From herbal treatments, animals can derive not only nutritional benefits, but also gentle, non-invasive medicinal therapy. Herbal medicine works by strengthening the body’s physiological systems, rather than treating only individual presenting symptoms.
Just as in people, arthritis is probably the most common chronic health condition in older dogs. It is characterized by chronic inflammation and calcium deposits in the joints, leading to stiffness, swelling and pain.
A classic herb tea for arthritis uses equal parts alfalfa, burdock, and white willow. The first two are excellent detoxifiers, and white willow is an effective anti-inflammatory and pain relieving agent. In addition, alfalfa is full of nutrients. This is best administered as a tea, mixed in with the dog’s food and water. The liquid has a pleasant taste, but if a dog refuses it, squirt a teaspoon of the mixture into his mouth two or three times a day.
Not how I like to start my day: With a dog of the above description in my front yard.
There are two gates in my front yard – one leading up the front path to my door, and a double set in the driveway. There are also gates on either side of my house leading to the backyard. Just this morning, I came through one of the side gates into the driveway with Tito (the Chihuahua). As I walked up to my car, one of my cats brushed up against my legs. I opened the car door so Tito could hop in – and then saw my cat suddenly make a panicked face and run for the backyard. She leaped over the five-foot chain link gate in a hurry. I turned to see what set her off, and saw the mouse-colored dog. The moment he saw me see him, he blanched and ran across my front yard. I walked to the driveway gate and closed them, so the dog couldn’t escape.
I looked up and down the street to see if anyone was looking for him: no one. I turned to look at him, and he ran and hid under a bush as far away from me as he could get. I went inside the house and got some lunch meat, then went outside and tried to make friends with the big, well-muscled dog. He was shaking and terrified, and wanted nothing to do with me or the meat. I called Animal Control, and asked if anyone had called looking for a dog of his description; no one had, at least yet.
My choices were:
1. To simply let him go on his way and hope for the best – to hope that he wouldn’t be hit by a car as he tried to find his way home. He was fearful and panicked; he didn’t seem like the type that would attack someone’s leashed dog (or toddler, or elderly person) on the sidewalk. The risk of letting him go would be mainly his (although I’ve heard of plenty of car accidents that happened when someone tried to avoid hitting a stray dog who was running across a street).
2. To hold him at my house and put up “found dog” signs. To try to socialize him while letting Animal Control know where they could direct any owner who came in or called looking for him. However, this option is simply not fair to my Chihuahua, cats, chickens, husband (who is not crazy about unfriendly dogs) – or even Otto, my big, neutered male dog. They’d all be at risk if the dog turned our to be predatory or aggressive.
3. To ask Animal Control to send an officer to come pick up the dog. They would do so, and if an owner was looking for him, this would be the best place for the pair to be reunited. However, if the owner couldn’t or wouldn’t go to the shelter to look, the dog’s prospects there are, frankly, dim. It would be different if he were socialized and friendly – or even if were extremely cute or tiny. Friendly, cute, or small dogs are reliably put up for adoption if their owners don’t claim them. But a large, strong dog who is afraid of people? Not a great candidate in my shelter. We don’t have too many people looking to foster or adopt dogs of this description.
What would you choose? A potential calamity in your family, on the street, or in the shelter?
I chose to call Animal Control. The officer came and spent 10 minutes under the bush with the dog, until he was able to gently ease a leash over his head and coax him out from under the bush. “He’s so soft!” he called to me as I waited by the gate. (I love this officer; he’s great with all animals, very patient and kind.) We decided the dog is an indoor dog, he was so sleek and clean. This made me feel a bit better – like someone would definitely miss him and would go to the shelter to look for him.
The thing that makes me so angry and sad: Large, well-muscled male dogs are the worst dogs to fail to dress with identification, to fail to socialize, to fail to contain – and even to fail to neuter. His chances are so much worse than almost any other dog that could be sent to stray on a street.
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Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, and automated news feeds set up to email reports to me any time there is pet food-related news, I hear about pet food recalls almost weekly. But I don’t worry about most of them – because most of them have to do with contamination with a bacteria called Salmonella, and I’m not convinced that this is a serious concern for dogs. It’s also not a concern for anyone who washes their hands after handling Salmonella-contaminated food or dishes, and keeps said dishes away from babies or toddlers.
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Before I discuss this further, a few facts about Salmonella.
Can we can get sick from Salmonella? Yes; according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, humans infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment. In some persons, the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized and vulnerable individuals can die.
Can dogs get infected with it? Yes, but only if it’s a whopping dose and the dog is immune-compromised; the digestive system of healthy dogs renders this bacteria harmless. And when you think about what dogs eat with few ill effects – feces of all and every species of animal they can find, long-dead animals, long-buried bones, and so on – it makes sense that a bit of Salmonella in otherwise wholesome food won’t hurt most dogs.
Salmonella is in pet food because it’s present in the human food supply. The foods that are most commonly contaminated with it (chicken is public enemy #1 here) are generally cooked before they are consumed. Salmonella in raw supermarket chicken is practically assumed today. As just one example, according to Food Safety News, the Institute for Environmental Health tested 100 retail chickens in 2011 and found 19 percent of the samples tested positive for Salmonella – right on the money; Federal standards tolerated 20 percent contamination with Salmonella in raw chicken at that time. (The standard was reduced to 7.5 percent in July 2012.)
The heat of the cooking methods used by most home cooks, restaurants, and human food producers kills Salmonella, but the bacteria has a leg up in pet food. Meat used in pet food is more likely to be infected; little of the meat used in pet food is kept clean and chilled all through the production process, like it is for human food, and it may be days before the raw ingredients are rendered into pet food, during which time the Salmonella can multiply. And killing Salmonella in high-fat foods (such as kibble) is difficult.
But, again, it’s not a significant problem for dogs – though I do suggest that people handle kibble and dried chews that are made from animals (such as pig ears and bull “pizzles”) more like they would handle raw chicken, and wash their hands after handling these dog products.
The only recalls that do concern me when it comes to pet food are the non-Salmonella-related ones. They are a lot less common and a lot more serious. Foods that contain overly high or overly low vitamin or mineral levels can have serious health consequences for pets (especially ones who are subjected to the same diet month in and month out). Aflatoxin is a huge concern; it kills dogs. Antibiotic residues and unapproved antibiotics in foods signify the use of unregulated ingredients (most likely from foreign-sourced meats) and are another huge concern. Recalls involving these substances should trigger immediate action by dog owners.
Unfortunately, many of us are so fatigued by the constant stream of Salmonella-related recalls, that we fail to pay proper attention when it counts.
I was watching a television show about a veterinary clinic the evening after completing an early draft of this article. One of the clients was a young man with a very sick dog, who lay at his feet, moaning softly. “He’s not himself,” the man said, his voice choked with emotion. “He’s hardly moving, and when he did move, it was like his joints weren’t working. He can’t control his bladder, he’s peeing all over.” Oh my gosh, I thought to myself, I know what’s wrong with that dog!
Legalization of medical marijuana in 18 states and the District of Columbia has been a blessing for many people, but it is also a concern for veterinarians. Marijuana ingestion can cause toxicity in dogs, and it’s more important than ever for vets to be able to recognize the signs of marijuana toxicosis now that recreational use has also been approved in two states.
Reports of dogs being affected by marijuana (Cannabis sativa) have been rising for a decade. The ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center received 309 calls about dogs consuming marijuana in 2011, compared to 96 cases in 2002. A recent study found that the number of dogs treated for marijuana toxicosis at two Colorado veterinary clinics quadrupled between 2005 and 2010 (medical marijuana was approved there in 2000). The number of cases of marijuana toxicosis at the two facilities increased from 1.5 to 4.5 and from 0.16 to 0.81 per 1,000 emergency cases during that period, indicating that this was not just a matter of seeing more patients in general.
It’s possible that the increase could be at least partly due to greater awareness of the possibility of marijuana toxicity among veterinarians, or greater openness from owners about the probable cause of their dogs’ symptoms.
Dogs can get into trouble after they raid their owner’s stash, eat food infused with marijuana, or munch on the plants as they’re growing. Even if you don’t have the drug at home, your dog could be exposed by eating something found in a park or on a walk. Dogs are the most commonly affected pets, accounting for 96 percent of 250 cases studied in 2002, but cats and other animals can also be affected (3 percent of those cases were cats). Signs can start within minutes or hours and can last for hours or days, partly because THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, can be stored in fat in the body.
Signs of possible toxicity The mildest signs of marijuana ingestion in dogs include lethargy (sleepiness), reddened eyes from blood-engorged conjuctiva, disorientation, and other behavior changes, such as overreaction to touch, sound, or visual stimuli. Dogs may become agitated and hyperactive, or sedated.
More severe signs include ataxia (loss of balance, staggering, incoordination, difficulty walking), drooling, dilated pupils, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and sometimes vocalization. A vet may find hypothermia (low body temperature), hypotension (low blood pressure), and tachycardia or bradycardia (fast or slow heart rate). In the worst cases, coma, seizures, and death can occur.
In one study done in 2004, neurologic signs, such as lethargy (or depression alternating with excitement), ataxia, and dilated pupils, were seen in 99 percent of dogs after ingesting marijuana. Gastrointestinal signs, such as vomiting and drooling, were seen in 30 percent of those dogs.
One classic sign observed in most dogs after marijuana ingestion is dribbling urine. Since it’s unusual to see a combination of urine dribbling with neurological symptoms in dogs, this can help to differentiate marijuana toxicity from other possible causes.
Fortunately, dogs can sleep off the effects most of the time. But since these signs can indicate other types of poisoning and medical conditions, it’s important to have your dog checked by a vet unless you know for sure what happened and your dog’s symptoms are mild.
Diagnosis THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, can be easily detected in blood or urine, but most veterinarians do not have this test readily available to them. Other drugs and toxins can cause similar clinical signs, including stimulants, chocolate, opioids, anti-anxiety drugs, antidepressants, amitraz (found in the Preventic collar and some newer tick control medications), rat poison, antifreeze, and alcohol poisoning (which can come from consuming rotting fruit or bread dough).
Eating marijuana-infused goodies that are high in fat or contain chocolate may also increase the risk of digestive upset and pancreatitis. Blood tests can help to rule out causes linked to metabolic changes, and x-rays may be done to look for gastrointestinal foreign bodies or other abnormalities that might cause similar signs.
Treatment If it has been less than two hours since the drug was ingested, your veterinarian may induce vomiting. Some veterinary resources recommend that vomiting should only be induced within 30 minutes of ingestion, as once clinical signs are seen, the anti-nausea effects of marijuana can make this difficult. Vomiting is also dangerous for dogs who are severely sedated, as it can lead to aspiration (inhalation of vomitus into the lungs).
Veterinarians can also give activated charcoal in liquid form to help reduce the amount of THC that is absorbed. After that, most dogs can just sleep off the effects, with full recovery within 24 hours. In rare cases, dogs may be unconscious for several hours to a few days. Supportive care given during this time may include a urinary catheter for cleanliness, and repositioning every few hours to avoid circulatory problems.
When signs are severe, such as an extremely slow heart rate, inability to swallow or stand, repeated vomiting, or hypothermia, your veterinarian may recommend hospitalization with intravenous fluids, anti-nausea medications, thermoregulation to control body temperature, and sedation, as needed. In the worst cases, a type of intravenous lipid therapy can be used to help remove the toxic substance from the blood.
Rarely, dogs can go into a coma and die due to heart failure or respiratory arrest. Aspiration of vomitus can also lead to serious breathing problems and even death. Two accounts of death due to marijuana ingestion occurred after the dogs ingested products made with marijuana-infused butter. One was a Schipperke who ate half a dozen chocolate chip cookies, and the other a Cocker Spaniel who ate half a pan of brownies, both made with butter that had been infused with THC. Both died despite receiving veterinary treatment.
Reports of amounts needed to cause toxicity vary. According to one study of 213 dogs who ingested marijuana, the lowest dose that caused clinical signs was 84.7 mg/kg (38.5 mg/pound, or about 1 gram per 26 pounds of body weight). This study further found that the onset of signs occurred in as little as 5 minutes and lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to 96 hours (4 days), with most signs occurring within 1 to 3 hours after ingestion.
Many sources state that the lethal dose is thought to be 1.5 grams of marijuana per pound of body weight, but the study above found that the highest reported dose was 26.8 grams/kg (12.2 grams, or almost half an ounce, per pound of body weight), and all dogs made full recoveries with appropriate treatment.
Honesty, best policy For those who have marijuana in the home, it should be treated as any other medication or toxic substance and stored out of the reach of pets. If your dog shows clinical signs after possibly ingesting marijuana, be honest with your veterinarian about what may have happened. Even in states that have not yet legalized medical marijuana, veterinarians want to help your dog, not turn you in. It’s important for them to have all the information they need in order to properly diagnose and treat your dog.
The veterinarian was very worried about the dog on the television show, but after blood and urine tests came back normal, and a bottle of pills that the dog might possibly have ingested were identified as antibiotics, which would not cause the symptoms seen, she questioned the owner more carefully about what else the dog could have gotten into. He admitted finding a chewed up cup that his roommate used as an ashtray after smoking marijuana, and the mystery was solved. Since the dog’s heart rate, respiration, and temperature were all normal, he was sent home to sleep it off, while his very relieved owner prepared to have a serious talk with his roommate.
What about Medical marijuana for dogs? Marijuana can be toxic to dogs, but advocates say that it also has medicinal effects in pets similar to those found in humans. Medical marijuana may help with pain control, nausea relief, and appetite stimulation, while causing few adverse side effects, when used in appropriate dosages.
Most veterinarians want nothing to do with medical marijuana for pets due to its illegality (marijuana remains the target of federal laws even in states that have approved its use for medical or recreational purposes) and the dearth of clinical trials. But a few vets believe that marijuana can provide palliative care to reduce pain and suffering for some animals, and are hoping that medical marijuana may soon be available as a treatment option for pets.
Dr. Douglas Kramer, a veterinarian who works in the Los Angeles area, believes that “the combination of modern medications and traditional therapeutics produces the best clinical results.” He started Vet Guru, an online source of information and products relating to “fusion veterinary medicine,” integrating modern and traditional herbal therapies in a holistic approach. Dr. Kramer developed Rapid Dissolve Pet Strips, blends of herbal products with natural flavorings that dissolve in seconds in the mouth, where they are absorbed sublingually rather than through the stomach, making them more effective and quicker acting, as well as avoiding the potential for stomach upset. Vet Guru also offers other products via innovative delivery systems that ease administration.
Dr. Kramer’s interest in medical marijuana for pets started when his own dog, a Siberian Husky named Nikita, was suffering from cancer. Despite the use of all conventional pain control medication and therapies available, Nikita had reached the point where she spent most of her time lying on the floor, moaning. As a last resort, Dr. Kramer tried giving her a medical marijuana tincture in the hopes that it would improve her quality of life. The results were nothing short of amazing. Within hours of the first treatment, Nikita’s appetite returned and she appeared to be much more comfortable overall, with the moaning ceasing entirely. Of course, cannabis did not cure the cancer, but it afforded Nikita and her family several more months of quality time together.
Following Nikita’s death, Dr. Kramer dedicated himself to researching and documenting the therapeutic benefits of medical marijuana for pets for the benefit of his other patients. He founded Enlightened Veterinary Therapeutics in order to provide the same high level of palliative and hospice care for pets as for humans. Its stated goal is “relieving pain and suffering while enhancing the quality of life for pets and their families.”
As enthusiastic as he may be about the potential benefits of medical marijuana for dogs, Dr. Kramer is concerned about safety and efficacy of products developed without veterinary involvement. He is also concerned that pet owners are experimenting with the effect of medical marijuana on their pets. Dr. Kramer feels that clinical trials are needed so that veterinarians will know more about the effects of marijuana on pets. So far, the only trials that have been done on pets were those used indirectly for human studies, in which dogs and many other animals were found to have the same cannabinoid receptors as humans.
Dr. Kramer wants to see clear data in order to understand how marijuana may help relieve pain and suffering in dogs. He has interviewed dozens of owners who have reported improvements such as reduced anxiety and increased appetite, primarily in pets suffering from cancer. He is currently conducting a survey of owners who have used medical marijuana on their pets. (See http://vetguru.com/2011/10/15/pet-survey/ if you would like to participate in the survey or post its link.)
Cannabis has the potential for benefits beyond pain relief and appetite enhancement. There is evidence that, in humans, cannabinoids may help to control nausea and vomiting, reduce inflammation with less risk of gastrointestinal upset compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and reduce anxiety.
There is also evidence that cannabinoids may act synergistically with opioids, such as morphine, enhancing the effect of the pain narcotics, allowing them to be used at lower doses, as well as possibly mitigating some of their adverse side effects. In addition, new studies show promise for using topical, unheated cannabis to treat skin cancer. When it comes to topical treatment for dogs, however, additional risk arises from the potential for ingestion of toxic amounts of the drug.
It must be said that there is no reliable information about what dosage of marijuana is safe and effective for pets. This problem is further complicated by the wide variety of products, including flower buds, oils, tinctures, and other extracts, as well as the variation in strengths for each of these based on the strain of marijuana grown, the timing of the harvest, and the preparation of the medical product. Concentrated forms in particular can cause toxicity even in small amounts.
If your pet needs palliative or hospice care, Enlightened Veterinary Therapeutics offers consultations. While they cannot prescribe or provide medical marijuana for pets, they will help develop an individualized treatment plan that incorporates conventional and natural therapies.
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. She and her Norwich Terrier, Ella, live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The term “threshold” is often tossed around by dog behavior experts when they talk about working through a canine behavior issue. When you work with your dog on, for example, reactivity with other dogs or fear of children, the usual recommendation is to work with the dog “under threshold.”
The concept is most often used in relationship to canine aggression, fear, and reactivity. But understanding a behavior “threshold” is helpful for everyday training and learning situations, too. It can be a key element when socializing puppies or young dogs, instrumental in teaching excitable dogs to be calm, and essential for insecure dogs to find confidence.
What exactly is a threshold? Consider the threshold of a front door. When you cross a threshold, you move from one space to another. A behavior threshold is a similar concept; it’s when your dog crosses from one emotional state to another. If you spend time with a dog who is concerned about other dogs, you have probably witnessed the moment when he or she moves from seemingly okay into out-of-control behavior. That is going over threshold.
Here are five things that everyone can benefit from knowing about thresholds.
1. A dog’s threshold isn’t always marked by barking and lunging.
When talking about “going over threshold,” most people picture a dog that suddenly becomes reactive: barking, lunging, and snarling. But there are many other expressions of being over threshold. Some include:
– Shutting down or freezing.
– Being overexcited (for example jumping or mouthing).
– Being distracted to the point of no connection.
– Doing “zoomies” (zipping around crazily).
When you are with your dog, you may notice when your dog stops taking treats, stops playing, or suddenly is calmer than usual. These may be a signal that your dog is approaching a threshold, or has even already moved from a comfortable emotional state into an uncomfortable state.
2. Over-threshold is more than behaving badly.
When a dog is over threshold it generally means that the dog is behaving in a way that we don’t like. More importantly, it means the dog is in a state of distress.
When a dog crosses an emotional threshold, certain physiological and psychological effects begin to take place. The dog may breathe more heavily and his heart rate may increase. A dog who is over threshold is reacting rather than thinking; he is in a fight, flight, freeze, or fool-around state. He may not be able to listen to you (or even hear you). In addition, when a dog is over threshold, you cannot teach him to behave differently. A dog will not be able to learn until he back under threshold.
3. A dog’s threshold changes!
Unlike the threshold of your front door, an emotional or behavior threshold doesn’t stay in the same place; it can change from minute to minute and from one situation to the next.
The setting for a dog’s threshold at a particular moment depends on a variety of criteria. For example, take a dog I will call River. He is a little insecure in new places, does not particularly like other dogs, and he becomes very excited by movement. Alone, none of these are a problem for River. He may be nervous in new places, but generally, he just gets a little extra sniffy. He’s not happy about other dogs, but will usually tolerate them. He gets excited when a bicycle goes by, but can still listen when called away.
But if all of these things happen at once – walking in a new place, several bikes speed by very close, and a young dog suddenly intrudes on his space – it’s too much for River to handle. The combination may cause him to go over threshold and snarl at the young dog.
Some of the things that can affect your dog’s threshold are:
✓The number of triggers (the more, the bigger the risk). As in the example above, a lot of small triggers at the same time pushed River over threshold. Note: A trigger is not always something your dog is nervous about or afraid of; a trigger can be anything that increases your dog’s arousal or excitement. For example, rowdy play can cause some dogs to go over threshold! ✓Proximity or how close a dog is to the trigger. In most cases, closer is more difficult. But with some dogs, something farther away can actually be more difficult. For example, something farther away may be less identifiable (and so more scary). ✓Frequency (how often the trigger happens). If a dog faces the same trigger repeatedly, especially in a short period, he may react more strongly. ✓The intensity of the trigger. For example, if the trigger is a sound, how loud it is or how long it lasts might affect the dog’s reaction. ✓Being hungry, thirsty, tired, or in pain, can all impact a dog’s threshold. ✓Accumulated stress can also affect a dog’s threshold. For example, if your dog has a fun but stressful weekend at an agility trial, he may go over threshold more quickly if spooked by a loud sound on Monday morning. (It may take several days for his stress hormones to return to normal, so accumulated stress responses are not always easy to trace.)
4. You can help your dog stay under his threshold.
To help your dog stay under threshold, you can learn what types of things might be triggers for your dog. Anything that creates stress, high arousal or overexcitement is a possible trigger. Identify both positive stressors (like rowdy play, chasing toys or hunting) and negative stressors (like scary dogs, strangers, or loud noises).
In addition, learn your dog’s body language, and what signals precede your dog’s going over threshold. For some dogs, you may notice tension, some may become more excited, and some may try to move away or start sniffing the ground. Most dogs take treats more roughly when they are getting close to threshold.
Stay focused on your dog. Any time you are in the presence of your dog’s triggers, pay attention so you will notice if your dog’s behavior or energy level shifts or you see stress signals.
If you notice your dog’s arousal increasing, take action; don’t wait for him to go over threshold. If your dog is getting close to threshold, you can:
✓ Create distance between your dog and the trigger. ✓ Do focus exercises to bring your dog into a thinking state. ✓ If necessary, leave the situation altogether.
Training and behavior modification are key tools when it comes to helping your dog stay under threshold. Over time, training can change a dog’s threshold levels around certain triggers. Plus, when you are around a trigger, actively training can help keep your dog focused and in a less reactive state.
Should you work your dog close to threshold? If you are working with your dog on a particular behavioral challenge, you may purposely expose your dog to certain triggers. Ideally, you will find that balance of exposing your dog enough that he or she builds confidence and makes progress, but not so much that it causes undue stress.
Very important note: If you are working on fear or reactivity, going over threshold frequently will slow your dog’s progress. If you see little or no improvement in a problem area, consider that you may be working your dog too close to threshold, or over threshold.
5. If your dog goes over threshold, take action.
Let’s face it: We cannot control everything that happens in our lives or our dog’s lives. As much as we may try to help our dog stay under threshold, there may be times that he or she steps over and behaves badly. What can you do in that moment?
✓ Get your dog out of the situation immediately. This is not a time for training, learning, or fixing problems. ✓ Take note of all of the factors that led to your dog going over threshold. ✓ Make a plan for the next time you are in that situation, so that you can prevent it from happening again if at all possible.
Understanding the concept of thresholds can help in everyday learning situations for all of our dogs. Keeping a dog under threshold can promote an optimum learning state, which can make training happen faster and with less stress. For dogs with behavior challenges such as fear and reactivity, understanding the concept of thresholds and making an effort to keep the dog under threshold while you work through challenges can make a huge difference in progress and success. Understanding thresholds gives you an advantage when it comes to training and to helping your puppy or dog be calm and confident.
Mardi Richmond, MA, CPDT-KA, is a writer and trainer living in Santa Cruz, California with her partner and a wonderful heeler-mix named Chance.
I have never owned a dog with separation anxiety, thank goodness. The condition is hard on the dog who suffers from the condition and hard on the dog’s caretakers, too, including owners, vets, groomers, pet sitters, and dog walkers. Care must be taken to prevent triggering the dog’s panic at being left alone—in severe cases, even just long enough for the person caring for the dog to use the restroom!
