There are many different types of plant oils that people use to supplement their dogs’ diets, including oils from flaxseed, olives, coconut, vegetables, hempseed, and more. Some of these oils can provide benefits, but others are not helpful and may even contribute to inflammation.
Plant oils provide primarily polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which include omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Fish oil is also mostly PUFAs. Some plant oils, such as olive oil, provide monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). Coconut oil is an exception, as it is made up of saturated fats, which is why coconut oil is solid at room temperature (though it becomes liquid at 76 degrees Fahrenheit).
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are considered essential for dogs: they must be provided in the diet. The ratio between the two types is important, but recommendations for the “ideal” ratio vary. In the past, the recommended ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 has been as high as 20:1, but current guidelines generally range between 10:1 and 5:1, and sometimes even lower.
Omega-6 fatty acids are fairly stable, surviving storage without becoming rancid. Most diets, both commercial and homemade, contain ample omega-6 fatty acids, and there is rarely any need to add more. The exception is homemade diets that contain little poultry fat.
Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly those found in fish oil, are fragile and break down easily when exposed to light, heat, and air. For this reason, omega-3 fatty acids are usually lacking in most diets, even commercial diets with added omega-3 fatty acids, since they are not likely to survive packaging and storage.
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Cold-pressed, unrefined oils are healthier than those subjected to heat processing and refinement, which destroy antioxidants and other beneficial properties. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils should never be fed.
Symptoms of fatty acid deficiency may include a dull, dry coat and skin, excessive shedding, seborrhea, and itching. These can also be signs of a fat imbalance, however. Different types of fatty acids compete for uptake within the body, so giving too much of one type can lead to deficiencies of another, even if adequate amounts are included in the diet.
BENEFITS: There are different types of both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, some of which are more beneficial than others.
Most vegetable oils, such as corn oil and soybean oil, are high in linoleic acid (LA), the most common and plentiful omega-6 essential fatty acid. Significant amounts of LA are also found in poultry fat, but not in red meat.
Too much LA can contribute to inflammation, making conditions such as allergies and arthritis worse, so unless you feed a homemade diet that does not include poultry, you should not need to add LA to your dog’s diet.
Linoleic acid is converted in the body to other omega-6 fatty acids, including gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a preferred form that is anti-inflammatory. Poor diet or certain health problems can interfere with this conversion, so supplementation with oils containing GLA can be beneficial for some dogs, including those with allergies, autoimmune disease, and seborrhea. Good sources of GLA include borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, and, to some extent, hempseed oil or ground hempseed, all of which also contain LA and other fats. A little GLA goes a long way, so these oils are often available in gelcap form or as part of oil blends.
Flaxseed oil is predominately alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid that must be converted inside the body to EPA and DHA (the fatty acids found in fish) in order to be utilized. Dogs can’t do this conversion very well, so flaxseed oil provides limited benefits for most dogs, although it may help with dull, dry coat in some dogs. ALA can also be provided from ground flaxseed. Both ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil should be refrigerated in dark containers and used within a short period of time, maybe a month or two. Whole seeds will keep longer and are best if ground fresh daily or every few days.
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Olive oil provides primarily oleic acid, an omega-9 non-essential MUFA. Pumpkin seed oil also has relatively high levels of oleic acid, and certain vegetable oils, such as safflower and sunflower oil, are available in “high oleic” versions (all of these also provide LA). Oleic acid has been shown to lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease in people, but dogs don’t have the same type of problems with cholesterol that people do, so benefits are likely to be less. Be sure to use only unrefined “virgin” oils, which preserve antioxidant compounds and plant phenols that may be the most important parts.
Coconut oil, unlike other plant oils, is a highly saturated fat. Some of the saturated fat in coconut oil is in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which may provide many of its benefits. MCTs are more easily digested than other fats and can be used to supply fat and calories, and to help prevent deficiency of fat-soluble vitamins, for dogs with fat intolerance.
Proponents claim a host of benefits from coconut oil, including reducing inflammation, improving digestion, reducing the risk of cancer, and preventing and treating infection. Use only virgin, unrefined coconut oil, preferably in glass bottles. Coconut oil should be white when solid and clear when liquid. (See “Crazy About Coconut Oil,” WDJ October 2005.)
CAUTIONS: Only fresh oils should be used; never feed oils that smell rancid or “off.” All oils are fats and provide about 40 calories per teaspoon, so amounts should be limited, particularly in overweight dogs and those already eating a high-fat diet. Too much fat can cause digestive upset and may even lead to pancreatitis in susceptible dogs. When adding oils, always start with small amounts and increase gradually. If you see any negative reaction, such as digestive upset, decreased appetite, or lethargy, stop the supplement.
Adding PUFAs to the diet increases the need for vitamin E, which helps to prevent oxidation within the body as well as without. Just 10 IUs of vitamin E should be enough to balance one teaspoon or 5 grams of oil. Many oil supplements contain vitamin E, but check the label to be sure. Vitamin E supplementation is especially important in homemade diets, where this vitamin is always low. High amounts of vitamin E are not necessary and may be counterproductive, so limit supplements to no more than 1 to 2 IUs per pound of body weight daily, or you can give higher amounts less often.
While grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage in dogs, no serious problems have been seen so far with grapeseed oil or extract, which are sometimes included in oil blends and other nutritional supplements. Grapeseed oil is predominantly LA. Grapeseed extract is a good source of antioxidants, but the oil is not. No plant oil can replace the need for fish oil (or fatty fish) in the diet.
DOSAGE: Because they add fat and calories, plant oils should be given in limited amounts, such as one to two teaspoons daily for a large dog, down to ¼ to ½ teaspoon for a toy breed. Coconut oil can be given in higher amounts, up to a maximum of one teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight daily, split into multiple servings.
For homemade diets that don’t include poultry fat, which is found in the skin and dark meat, add about 1 teaspoon of walnut, hempseed, corn, or soybean oil, or two teaspoons ground hempseed, per pound of meat and other animal products.
Oil supplements may need to be given for one to three months before any improvement is seen.
RECOMMENDED SOURCES: Many fatty acid or omega oil blends are predominately vegetable oils supplying linoleic acid. Look for individual oils or blends that provide more beneficial fatty acids instead. While many oil blends tout their “ideal balance” of omega fatty acids, remember that balance must also take diet into account, where linoleic acid is generally high. Here are a few examples of oil blends:
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– Vetri-Science Omega 3-6-9 (800-882-9993; vetriscience.com),a blend of borage seed, flaxseed, and fish oils.
– Ultra Oil Skin & Coat Supplement (317-845-7328; ultraoilforpets.com), a blend of hempseed, flaxseed, grape-seed, and fish oils.
– Udo’s Oil Blend and Pet
Essentials for Dogs (800-446-2110; florahealth.com), blends of flaxseed, sunflower, sesame, coconut, and evening primrose oils, along with other ingredients.
– Thorne Veterinary Omega PlusVET (800-228-1966; veterinary.thorne.com), a blend of fish and borage oils.
– NOW Foods Omega 3-6-9 (888-669-3663; nowfoods.com),a blend of flaxseed, evening primrose, canola, black currant,
and pumpkin seed oils.
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. She and her Norwich Terrier, Ella, live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The animal shelter where I often volunteer is less than a mile from a big box super store. Both are located in a low-income town in a low-income county – a rural area in northeastern California (i.e., not one of the parts of the state that you’ve heard about). Donations to the shelter are welcome, much-needed, and scarce. So, when the shelter gets a call, as it does occasionally, from a manager at that big-box store, saying that he has some dented cans of cat food or ripped bags of dog food or kitty litter that he’d like to donate to the shelter, an animal control officer is immediately dispatched to go pick up that donation, with gratitude. These donations tend to be small, but regular, and they definitely help the shelter feed and care for more animals than it would be able to otherwise.
So I thought it would be a great thing when a big-name chain pet supply store recently opened in our town; surely that store, too, would donate damaged packages of pet food to the only animal shelter serving the town and county. But then I learned that the chain actually has a policy dictating that all the perfectly good pet food in packages that have become damaged is destroyed and thrown away.
I’ve since heard a number of explanations for the policy of that store chain and others. Storage is a problem, especially once packages are open; food needs to be consumed soon after its exposure to air. Also, insects and other pests are attracted to opened packages. And then there are liability issues; what if the donated food made pets at a shelter ill? Or if the shelter sent some of the donated food home with an adopted animal, and that pet or one of the other pets in the home became ill after eating the donated food?
It was also suggested that if it was widely known that damaged packages of food were donated directly to a specific shelter or rescue group in town, volunteers or even employees of the shelter or rescue group might have an incentive to visit the stores in order to surreptitiously damage packages or slice open bags.
Okay, I get that. It might sound like a petty fear, or an unlikely scenario, but I could see that happening, especially when passionate animal lovers are desperate to do anything they can to save lives and stretch animal shelter budgets.
But it also doesn’t seem insurmountable; surely someone could come up with an innovative program that would allow all that perfectly good food to be donated to needy animals, without creating an incentive for tampering.
Looking for a model I started making inquiries, to determine what happens to damaged packages of pet food all across the pet food production chain, and to see if I could find a model of smart charitable diversion of products that would otherwise be wasted.
I called several independent, “mom and pop”-type pet supply stores, and in each case, was told that products from damaged bags are generally taken home by pet store owners, given to store employees for their pets, or donated to local shelters. Then, eureka – I found it: a chain pet supply store with a formal donation program in place to provide perfectly good food that would otherwise be wasted, to animal-related charities.
Pet Food Express is a relatively local chain, with 43 pet supply stores in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Mike Murray is the Director of Community Relations for the chain. “We guarantee all of our products, so if a customer’s dog doesn’t like a food, for example, they can return it. We examine the food to make sure it smells and looks okay. We check the date code to make sure it’s fresh and not near its expiration date. If it appears to be fine, we collect it and send it to our warehouse, along with any packages that have been damaged in the store. Every Thursday, we open the warehouse to specific animal-related charities and distribute all of that food.”
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Any food that has been implicated in any sort of recall is discarded or sent back to the manufacturer. So is any food that an owner thinks has made her pet ill.
Pet-related charities in the area apply to participate in Pet Food Express’s giveaways. Each must provide proof of their nonprofit status, as well as a sample of their adoption contract. “We want to make sure that we are supporting only those groups who are doing the right thing by their animals.” For example, all the groups in Pet Food Express’s program must have a spay/neuter requirement in their adoption contracts. They must also agree to take back any animals that don’t work out for the adopters.
Once they are qualified for the program, they are invited to the warehouse to pick up donations once every three months. “That way, we can spread the food around widely,” says Murray.
But not too widely; Pet Food Express caps the number of groups who participate in the program, and maintains a waiting list for others who want to enroll.
“If we worked with every group who was qualified, the amount we gave each group might not be worth the trip,” says Murray. By limiting the number of groups who are invited, Pet Food Express makes sure that the amount of goods each organization receives is significant. (This rotating donation also ensures that there isn’t an incentive for individuals from any animal rescue group to deliberately damage packages in the stores, a fear expressed by other store managers.)
Pet Food Express donated more than 275,000 pounds of pet food to animal charities last year, as well as many “hard goods” – things like wire crates that are slightly bent or dented dog bowls.
No news is (probably) bad news I received no response from Petco, Costco, or Walmart regarding their policies for dealing with wasted products.
I did receive a very prompt response from PetSmart, confirming the information I had heard informally, that damaged pet food is destroyed and discarded. A response from the chain’s public relations department said in part, “Our stores destroy pet food products that have been damaged. On the surface, one could easily conclude that it’s simply a matter of picking up the damaged bag and giving it away. But in truth, it’s a much more complicated and challenging problem given the volume of products we deal with in our stores.
“Damaged food bags can expose the food to contamination which poses a health risk to pets so we do not donate expired food that may be spoiled. Damaged foods also create storage and distribution challenges for our stores. For example, our stores have extremely limited storage space and it becomes a problem to store damaged goods until they can be picked up by a deserving local animal welfare organization.”
It’s a safe bet that most other pet food chains and big-box stores have similar policies that lead to the destruction of perfectly good food, at least at the retail level. Fortunately, the news is better when you dig deeper down into the distribution chain.
Distribution centers Most stores, whether independent or chains, receive their products from pet food distributors – companies who pick up products from the manufacturers, and distribute the products to stores. There are a few dozen major pet food distribution companies in the U.S., and each tends to specialize, carrying similar products to similar retail outlets. For example, there are distribution companies that handle only higher-end, “natural and holistic”-type products, delivering them to independent pet supply stores and small chains. Other distributors may specialize in lower-cost products or higher-volume chains.
Large “pet specialty” chains such as Petco and PetSmart have their own distribution centers, as do national retail outlets that carry pet food, such as Tractor Supply and Costco. And of course, giant grocery chains also have their own distribution centers and providers.
Each time a pallet of pet food bags or cans are picked up by a forklift and moved, whether in a warehouse, onto or off of a truck, or onto the receiving dock of a retail outlet, the product packages are vulnerable to damage. Bags can split any time a pallet bumps into a wall or shelf as a forklift operator moves it. A single careless swipe of a box cutter, used to remove the swaths of plastic shrink-wrap that holds a pallet of food together, can slice open a bag of freshly produced, premium food, thus transforming it into “waste” food.
But because they have had control of the product, and know exactly how it came to an unsalable state, distribution centers seem to feel better about redirecting damaged packages of pet food to animal shelters or rescue groups. It seems that distribution centers routinely donate food that can’t be sold (but is still wholesome) to shelters or rescue groups fortunate enough to be located near the distribution warehouses. This is part altruism, and part practicality; the cost of shipping pet food is often equal to the cost of producing it in the first place!
A media representative for PetSmart says, “Our distribution centers have a process in place to donate certain food products that have been slightly damaged or discontinued to local, non-profit animal-welfare organizations . . . . To participate in the program, these organizations agree that the food can only be used to feed pets in their care and cannot be sold. We keep track of all products that are donated.” Food that is past its “best by” date and prescription diets are destroyed, not donated.
How do we get retailers to emulate Manufacturers? Happily, every pet food and treat manufacturer I contacted (including representatives from Natura, WellPet, Cloudstar, and Lotus) said they routinely donate unsalable products to animal-related charities that are located close to their manufacturing sites. The products may have damaged labels, or be out of the company’s specification; perhaps the kibble size or color doesn’t meet the company’s standard, or perhaps the nutrient levels don’t quite meet the label minimums, even though the products are wholesome in every way.
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These “top down” efforts, and those taken at the distribution level, are admirable. But I’m still peeved about the considerable waste that occurs at the retail level. If only more retailers put some resources into a charitable giving program like the one developed by Pet Food Express, many more lives at needy shelters could be saved. I’d encourage volunteers from animal rescue groups and shelters to push this issue from the bottom up, and implore store managers to encourage the retail companies they work for to coordinate donations of otherwise wasted food with their brand name suppliers.
John Kane and Elizabeth Asher, the founders of Rescue Bank, a Houston-based animal food bank, have written proposed amendments to 42 USC 1791 (the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Act) and the Pension Protection Act of 2006, to include protections for pet food donors. Currently, these Acts establish liability protection and a tax incentive (respectively) for companies donating human food to human food banks. The proposed amendments would extend the laws to pet food donations and pet food banks, removing two chief barriers to donation often cited by retail chains and distributors.
However, the proposed amendments need a Congressional sponsor. If your Congressperson is friendly to animal-related issues, consider petitioning him or her and requesting help with these amendments (available as proposed drafts from Rescue Bank; see rescuebank.org). Once sponsored and introduced to Congress, the proposals couldn’t help but find widespread support. After all, who wouldn’t want to help combat food waste, and help feed needy pets?
Fungus is more than a nuisance when it comes to corn; it can be deadly to dogs (and humans). Actually, it’s not fungus itself that’s a problem; the peril is a secondary chemical product created by the metabolic process of certain fungal species, in particular, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Aflatoxin, the chemical produced by these fungi is not just toxic, it’s one of the most carcinogenic substances known to science.
Most people associate particularly wet years with fungi, but the two species of fungi that produce aflatoxin tend to proliferate in grains – especially corn – with damaged seed coats. Extreme heat and drought, such as that seen in the Midwest this year, produces a lot of stressed corn with damaged seed and thus, fungal infections.
There isn’t much that farmers can do to fight the fungal infections. If they visually observe lots of fungal growth, they try to harvest early, dry the corn well, and pay particular attention to the moisture levels while the corn is stored.
Dog food producers have to be vigilant in testing all the grains they use – to a far lesser extent, aflatoxin can also be produced by wheat, sorghum, and soy – but corn poses the greatest risk of aflatoxin infection. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) set an “action level” for aflatoxin, the maximum amount of aflatoxin allowed in corn meant for human food, pet food, young animals, or dairy cattle, at 20 parts per billion (ppb). Corn meant for breeding beef cattle, swine, and mature poultry is allowed to contain as much as 99 ppb; corn meant for “finishing” swine or cattle can be higher (<200 ppb and <300 ppb, respectively). If the destination of the corn is not known, the maximum allowable level of aflatoxin is <20 ppb.
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When pet food is found to be contaminated with aflatoxin, the recalls are generally swift and well-publicized, due to the fact that dogs’ lives are dramatically threatened by the chemical. A dog who has exposure to a high level of aflatoxin may suffer from acute necrosis of the liver, resulting later (if he survives the acute event) in liver cirrhosis (where liver tissue gets replaced by scar tissue), and/or liver cancer. But chronic, lower levels of aflatoxin poisoning can also sicken and kill dogs; most notably, low, chronic levels of aflatoxin in a dog’s diet can cause liver cancer. There is no direct antidote for aflatoxin poisoning, though supportive treatment for the liver may help acute cases.
While pet food companies obviously don’t want their products to be contaminated with a deadly substance, it takes vigilance and a commitment to food safety practices to prevent the inadvertent use of aflatoxin-contamined corn and other grains. Manufacturing plants that produce a particularly high volume of food and/or lower-cost pet foods are at higher risk of failing to detect ingredients with higher levels of aflatoxin.
Corn that has been harvested from the 2012 summer’s crop will be finding its way into pet food soon, and on into next spring and summer. It would be prudent for dog owners to absolutely avoid buying low-cost (i.e., low-quality) dog food that contains corn, especially products with corn high up on the ingredients list. High-quality products that contain small amounts of corn (low on the ingredients list) would be safer; no corn at all may be safest yet, at least until next year’s crop can be assessed.
Most WDJ readers aren’t buying the least-expensive foods available anyway, but it might be a good time to educate your friends and relatives about the ingredients label of their dogs’ food. Let them know that foods containing high levels of corn are especially risky for their pets until at least next fall. And be alert to any signs of liver problems in dogs who eat food that contain corn, such as lethargy, loss of appetite, vomiting, orange-colored urine, and jaundice.
As much as we worry if we’re doing the best for our dogs, any veterinarian can tell you that many of the problems they see are accidents, predictable and completely preventable., Around any holiday, that’s even more true, when people get busy, routines get changed and visitors come to call. All the changes put both people and dogs at higher risk of accident or illness.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that five simple steps will keep most pets from being hurt – and potentially hurting others.
1. Don’t knock Grandma down. One of my dogs, an agile and athletic young retriever, used to body-slam me for fun. She’d run up alongside me as I walked out to feed the horses, launch herself vertically, slam her body against mine in mid-air then race away with her tongue. lolling and a big grin on her face. Her greetings for guests were a little more restrained, but not much.
My mother is almost 80 years old and walks with a cane. Bouncy big dog, unsteady senior citizen: Now that’s a bad combination. I changed the pasture game to “fetch the flymasks,” giving my high-energy dog a job that fits her natural instincts (retrieving) and her natural drive (powerful). Inside, the alternative to her ill-mannered greetings became fetching a toy, sitting, and waiting to present it. Other dogs might do well when taught to “place” on a mat away from the door when guests arrive.
2. Watch for potential poisoning. The biggest problem at this time of year may be guests who assume pets will leave pill bottles alone, and set their medications on nightstands in their rooms. Common drugs, including those for humans and animals, prescription and over-the-counter, poison thousands of pets every year. Remind your guests to keep medications in drawers or behind pet-proof cabinet doors. Make sure purses and backpacks are out of reach, too; those medications and Xylitol-sweetened candies, mints, and gums tucked into carry-ons and other luggage can tempt even a well-mannered pet.
Other poisons to look out for are mistletoe and holly (poinsettia’s lethal reputation is an urban myth). Plain old garbage can mean a trip to the ER if your pet gets into it, too. Put leftover-rich garbage up or take it out.
3. Be ready for escapes. Your dog should wear an ID tag with your current home and/or cell number on it – and a microchip that’s registered, with current information. Yes, you can (and should) train your dog to wait at the door for your permission to go through it; that has prevented many a dog from being hit by a car. For now, though, crates and gates are your dog’s best friends when company comes calling. If your dog slips out despite your best intentions, don’t run after him. Run the other way to get him to chase you, then kneel and open your arms wide and encourage him to come to you. If you can get him close but not quite close enough to catch, don’t order him to “come” – especially if you’re pretty sure he won’t. Instead, say “sit.” Most dogs know “sit” far better and will be more likely to comply. Then make “train my dog” one of your New Year’s Resolutions.
4. Anticipate and prevent resource-guarding. If your dog is anxious around his dish, it’s not a bad idea to pick a more quiet, less-traveled place to feed him than the kitchen while company is in the house. Pick up and put away toys as well. And while you can ask the two-legged guests to give your dog respect and space, things are a little trickier with canine company. If you have any doubts whatsoever about your dog’s ability to handle other animals in his own home, don’t allow guests to bring their dogs along. Speak up for your dog!
5. Know where to get help. All-night emergency veterinary practices are common in big cities, but rare in small towns – unless yours is a college town with a veterinary school. In lieu of an emergency care practice, your veterinarian may share on-call duties, or handle them herself; be sure to ask now. When traveling, bookmark a veterinary-locator site on your laptop, or buy an app for your smartphone that will find the nearest 24/7 veterinarian. Better to know and not need the information than to need the information and not have it. But the fact is you probably won’t need an ER if you make sure to reduce the risk of danger to pets and people. A few simple precautions will make sure your holidays stay happy.
A resident of Northern California, Gina Spadafori is a syndicated pet-care columnist and the author of more than dozen books on animals and their care.
Sunday evening there is a knock at my door. It’s the neighbor across the street and a glance out the window shows that she is disheveled and crying. When I open the door, she bursts into fresh tears. Her dog has died, in front of the whole family eating their dinner. Poor woman is crumbling and weeps, “I don’t know what to do”.
I take her by the hand and say let’s go home and take care of things. I lead her to her house and see yes, the dog is indeed dead there on the floor of the silent, seemingly deserted house. Yellow haired Lab-mix, she has peed a bit in her dying. She is stiffening but still warm.
Where are your children, I ask. She has sent them to their room. I sigh. Here is my task. I look her in the eye. Get them. She hesitates. Get them, this is sad, but not horrifying. This is a lesson for them about death. Keeping them away will make them more afraid. Let them say goodbye to her.
She ushers three small boys into the room where their dog is now cooling on the tile floor. 6, almost 4, and 2 1/2, blondes that will turn brown haired as they grow. Mom sobs something like Trinity has died, we need to say goodbye to her. 2 says Bye Bye Trinity. 6 says nothing, holding himself together bravely. He is the only child who really knows what is going on. Almost 4 says, Is she with Jesus? Yes! I turn to middle boy, grasping at the first clue on how this family needs to handle this. Trinity is with Jesus now. Her spirit is, she is done with this body now, and we need to make it ready for her funeral.
Where is your husband? He is calling around seeing where a cremation can be affordable on a Sunday afternoon. The dog is leaking gas and I know she will poop soon. Get him, we need to wrap her in a blanket. Middle boy says, She peed! Woman crumbles again and hurries out of the room leaving me with her kids and her dead dog. I know her husband does not like this dog, he has said so more than once. I also know this is her dog, about 3 years older than her first child, both from her first marriage.
I have a moment to look around the home, noting crosses and plaques with bible verses. Me, in this so obviously Christian home alone with a stranger’s kids looking at death for their first time. The parents are useless in her grief and his irritation. Yes, I tell middle boy, she has peed and she might poop soon. Middle and little giggle, oldest still stoically trying to not cry. When our spirit leaves our body we don’t need our body anymore and so it forgets what it knows and it can make a mess.
Husband arrives with a blanket and we get the dog on it and wrapped just in time. Middle and little follow Dad down the hall and into a room. Oldest stays with me. No. Oldest stays with his dead dog. I start to cover her head and he sets a gentle hand on mine, stopping me. I nod. I remove her collar and hand it to him. This is for you to keep. Your parents are going to take her to the vet to prepare her body. Let’s go see what they have found out. I take him by the hand and lead him down the hallway.
Husband is googling dog cremations, getting hits for the human funeral homes that also do pets at truly phenomenal fees. Call your vet, I tell him. He tells his wife to call, she gets a recording. I give him the name of the weekend and evening vet to search. Oldest sits on the bed beside the computer desk. No one seems to notice the great struggle he is having controlling his face. I give Husband a significant look and nod toward the child. He gives the boy a manly hug, boy bursts into tears. Husband lets go and goes back to googling. Boy sits back down on the bed and renews his struggle with his face.
Husband asks if $180 is a good deal on cremation. It is, so he tells his wife to call that number. Woman calls and starts sobbing so hard she cannot speak. I take the phone and handle that part, too.
We are all crammed into a small bedroom/office, the youngest kids running in and out with toys. I sit on the bed next to the oldest, who is still trying to control his face but leaking tears and snot. I see the youngest two run into the family room, where the dead dog is partially wrapped in the blanket. No one else seems to notice, so I follow them. They are very curious about Trinity’s situation. I call Husband to us, we need to finish wrapping her and get her in the car. I finish the wrap while Mom sobs, oldest attempts his leaky stoicism, middle and youngest run off to play some more. Husband is mentally tapping his foot. He moves Trinity to the car. By this point I’m getting really irritated with him. All that is left to do is the driving, so I hug the Woman and go home.
The next day after work she is at my door again, looking her usual pretty self. She thanks me for helping and tells me what happened at the vet. She invites me to the dog’s funeral Saturday. Of course I will be there. She says she is so grateful I took charge. I smile, and tell her I was grasping for some direction until her middle boy said is Trinity with Jesus now. Then I knew to take the Christian route. She looks puzzled. I tell her, Oh, I’m not Christian, I’m pagan. She says, but that was such a Christian thing to do! I smile and hug her and say, yes, but being nice and helping neighbors predates Christianity by a long time. I tell her I am honored to be invited to the funeral. Her face sort of falls and freezes, then she smiles a sad smile, says thank you again and goes home. I say let me know what time. She lifts the corners of her lips and waves her fingers, turning for home.
Well damn, Cyn, open mouth, insert foot.
Saturday comes and goes. I did not go ask what time they have their ceremony, I know I have been uninvited. Poor Trinity. Poor Oldest Boy who loves her. Poor Woman who accepts the kindness of strangers who do not share her dogma in an emergency, but does not welcome them into her home when the crisis has passed. I am sad, but it is not my place to intrude.
That night I go out in my yard under the moon and cast a circle. I ask Jesus to look out for Trinity, she is a good dog. I ask him to look out for her people, because they surely need his most wise counsel. I ask my gods and goddesses to help them in the same way. I write Trinity Is A Good Dog on a piece of paper, set it in a bowl of sand and light the paper with a short candle. As the smoke and ash rise, I say Trinity is a good dog, thank you for helping with that most excellent child and for loving his mother. The paper burns down to a smolder, then black. I crumble the ashes under my rosemary bush and rub them into the dirt. I blow out the candle. I break the circle. The night is clear and starry.
copyright 2012 by Cynthia McCollum
Cynthia McCollum is a dog trainer, writer, and poet. She lives in the Clearwater, Florida area. She can be reached through www.TrainWithCynthia.com.
You can help prevent resource guarding in a dog who does not display signs of the behavior by teaching him a give-and-take game. NOTE: Do not do this if you dog lunges and aggressively tries to grab treats out of your hand.
Start by offering him a toy that he likes (but is not extremely valuable to him). When he opens his mouth, say “Take it!” When he does, tell him he’s a good boy, then offer him a treat.
When he opens his mouth to take the treat and drops the toy, say “Give,” (or “Trade,” or “Share”) and let him nibble at the treat while you pick up the toy. The nibbling part is important. If you let him eat the treat and then try to pick up the toy he will race you for it, which may actually encourage resource guarding.
While he is nibbling, slowly and calmly pick up the toy. Let him finish eating the treat, then offer him the toy again and say “Take It!” as he puts his mouth around it.
Practice several times a day, a few repetitions at a time, this game will teach your dog the very useful behavior of “Give” on cue. He will also learn that if he gives something up for you, odds are good that he’ll get it back again, or something even better.
For more details on this game and other training techniques to reduce, eliminate and prevent resource guarding, purchase and download Resource Guarding.
My Ella is a chow hound. Not only does she eat everything I offer her, including lemon slices, but she thinks the purpose of walks is to see how much food she can find. It’s amazing what she comes up with. In the first year and a half that I had her, we spent one night at the emergency vet after she ingested paintballs, and she also had to see a specialist to remove a peanut fragment that she tried to cough up but which got caught above her soft palette in the back of her nose instead.
I mention this so that maybe you’ll understand why I panicked when the cap from a container holding a fly paper strip disappeared after I dropped it. I didn’t think much of it at the time, just finished putting the strip up, and then looked around to pick up the cap, which I had heard fall, but it was nowhere to be found. I wouldn’t have been overly concerned, except that the top had a thumbtack pushed through it for hanging the strip. Normally, Ella would be unlikely to eat anything that wasn’t food, but the top also had some of the sticky stuff from the fly paper, and I thought that might have attracted her to it.
I must have spent half an hour searching my small kitchen for that cap. I got down on hands and knees, felt around the bottom of the lower cabinets in case it had somehow bounced up and stuck, checked the box it had come in, checked Ella to make sure it hadn’t somehow stuck to her, even took off my shoes and walked around barefoot, figuring that if the thumbtack was in the vicinity, I would find it that way, but nothing turned up.
Reluctantly, I finally called the emergency vet (of course, this would happen on a weekend), who suggested I bring her in for an x-ray. $350 later, the mystery remained — while a plastic cap might have been hard to see on an x-ray, that thumbtack would have lit up like a Christmas tree on the film, and it simply was not there.
So, back home we went, and I began the search again. In frustration, I decided to check inside the dishwasher, even though it had been closed at the time I dropped the cap. As soon as I went to open the dishwasher door, I saw it — sitting on top of the door, the black of the dishwasher completely camouflaging the black of the cap, which had the thumbtack pointed up so that it was almost invisible. It was a relief to know what had happened, and that my dog was safe, but I felt like an idiot for taking her to the emergency vet.
How about you — has anyone else had a scare that turned out to be nothing?
Mary Straus is a regular contributor to the Whole Dog Journal. She and her Norwich Terrier, Ella, live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Uh-oh. What’s this lump? Any growth on your dog’s body deserves attention, especially one that wasn’t there last time you checked. It could be a sebaceous cyst (a sac filled with sebum, a cheesy or oily material, caused by clogged oil glands in the skin), an abscess (a pus-filled swelling caused by infection), or – everyone’s worst nightmare – a cancerous tumor. But in most cases, the lumps we discover as we pet and groom our dogs are lipomas, which are benign (non-cancerous) fat deposits, also known as fatty tumors.
An estimated 1.7 million dogs are treated in the United States for lipomas every year, and according to one survey, American veterinarians average 25 lipoma removals annually at a cost to owners of $635 million.
Lipomas tend to emerge as dogs reach middle age and increase in number as dogs get older. A dog with one lipoma is likely to get more. Lipomas are most often found on the chest, abdomen, legs, or armpits (axillae). These fatty lumps aren’t painful and they usually stay in one place without invading surrounding tissue. Dogs aren’t the only animals with lipomas, as they are common in humans and parakeets, and they occasionally develop in cats and horses.
While canine lipomas are frequently associated with overweight females, their greatest risk factor may be genetic. “I’ve heard all kinds of theories,” says Tia Nelson, DVM, of Helena, Montana. “Some veterinarians are convinced that lipomas are the result of over-vaccination, commercial pet food, grain-based diets, and exposure to environmental toxins. Although most dogs with lipomas fit that description, I can show you plenty of lumpy dogs who were holistically raised on grain-free raw food and minimal vaccinations, including some of my own. The simple fact is that some dogs are going to develop lipomas no matter what you do.”
Any dog can be affected, but lipomas seem most common in Labrador Retrievers, Doberman Pinschers, Miniature Schnauzers, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, Poodles, Terriers, and mixed breeds.
What To Do Most lipomas are subcutaneous (occurring just beneath the skin’s surface) and are moveable, not attached to skin or underlying muscle or tissue. They are usually small and either round or oval, the size of a marble or marshmallow, and soft or rubbery to the touch. A few feel more solid due to fibrous tissue or inflammation. Some grow to golf-ball size, and very large lipomas can resemble baseballs. A few grow long and wide.
Because there’s no way to tell whether a lump is a lipoma just by feeling it, veterinarians remove and inspect fluid from inside the lump in a biopsy procedure called fine-needle aspiration to confirm that the growth contains only fatty cells. Some are concerned about the potential for fine-needle aspirate to spread cancer if the lump is not benign, and this concern is reasonable for tumors in the abdomen or heart (especially if they are filled with fluid, which can be determined with ultrasound) or in the urinary tract, including bladder and prostate. When aspirating subcutaneous solid tumors that might be confused with lipomas, however, the risk is small and outweighed by the advantages of having an accurate diagnosis.
The usual recommendation for fatty tumors is to wait and watch. Sometimes lipomas develop rapidly but in most cases their growth is slow. They rarely cause problems unless they become exceptionally large or their location creates mechanical problems. For example, a lipoma in the armpit can affect a dog’s gait, while one in the sternum (chest area) can cause discomfort whenever the dog lies down, and a lipoma in the neck area, if it grows large enough, can interfere with breathing and proper collar fit.
“I never do surgery on benign lipomas unless they are physically impeding ambulation or other function,” says Stacey Hershman, DVM, of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. “I never remove a lipoma for cosmetic reasons since I have seen dogs get ill or go into liver failure after lipoma surgery even though their pre-op bloods were normal. Therefore I recommend to my clients that we leave them alone unless there is a medical reason to remove them. A few years ago a dog came in with such a huge lipoma under his armpit that he could not walk, and I removed it for functional reasons.”
Some lipomas grow so rapidly that they might be something else, such as a liposarcoma. This rare, malignant fatty tumor usually does not metastasize (spread to other parts of the body) although it can be aggressive and fast-growing. Other tumors that occur on or under the skin that could be mistaken for lipomas include sebaceous adenomas, mast cell tumors, hemangiosarcomas, and hemangiopericytomas. If there is any question about diagnosis, removal may be the safest option.
Occasionally lipomas invade con-nective tissue between muscles, tendons, bones, nerves, or joint capsules. Called infiltrative lipomas, these usually occur in the legs but can affect the chest, head, abdominal body wall, or perianal region. Infiltrative lipomas can cause pain, muscle atrophy, and lameness by interfering with movement. Unlike normal lipomas, infiltrative lipomas can be difficult to remove completely and often regrow. Infiltrative lipomas are most common in Labrador Retrievers and Doberman Pinschers.
Not all infiltrative lipomas cause problems. Suzi Faulkner is president of the Atlantic Rottweiler Rescue Foundation (ARRF), which rescued Gus, a 3-year-old Rottweiler, in January 2011. “Gus was pulled from a shelter in Tennessee,” she says. “When our volunteers picked him up, they discovered a cluster of lumps around his shoulder blade. A veterinarian removed the small lumps, but the large lump had infiltrated Gus’s shoulder and removing it would mean removing part of the shoulder. It tested benign, so it was left alone.”
Faulkner feared that his lipoma would prevent Gus from finding a home, but Scott Adelman of Owings Mills, Maryland, fell in love with Gus and adopted him as soon as he recovered from surgery. A year and a half later, Adelman reports that Gus is able to run and play normally, and he is not in pain. “Gus is the best dog in the world,” he says.
Medical Treatment Some lipomas can be removed with just a sedative and local anesthetic. Surgery for large, inconveniently placed, or multiple lipomas requires general anesthesia. Ordinary lipomas rarely grow back after removal, but others may occur. Surgery for infiltrative lipomas is more complicated and these growths often recur within 3 to 16 months. Radiation therapy may prevent or delay their recurrence, while chemotherapy provides no benefit.
Small lipomas used to be injected with a 10-percent solution of calcium chloride, which caused the tumors to become smaller, but this treatment is no longer recommended because of the irritation and severe skin damage it causes.
Liposuction, the same procedure that vacuums fat out of humans in cosmetic surgery, is in many cases less invasive, less painful, and faster healing than surgical removal.
In 2006, a 12-year-old Kelpie-cross named Patch made headlines in Sydney, Australia, for being the first Australian dog to undergo liposuction. Patch had several lipomas, one of which, on his hind leg, threatened to cripple him within months. Remembering a European veterinarian who performed liposuction on a dog using the suction tool normally used to clean up fluids during surgery, an Australian vet suggested trying this approach on Patch. The hour-long procedure removed six fatty tumors weighing two kilograms (4.4 pounds, or 10 percent of Patch’s body weight). He was soon happy and playful again.
In January 2007, the Journal of Small Animal Practice reported the liposuction removal of three giant lipomas from a dog in Leipzig, Germany. The extremely obese patient suffered from arthritis and hind-leg lameness plus irritation caused by an armpit lipoma. Previous treatment involving dietary weight loss and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs had failed. Liposuction of the three lipomas resulted in a three-kilogram weight loss (6.6 pounds, or 10 percent of the dog’s body weight).
In a retrospective study published in July 2011, the Journal of Small Animal Practice reviewed the use of liposuction on multiple lipomas from 20 dogs. The treatment successfully removed 73 of 76 lipomas (96 percent). Simple, encapsulated lipomas measuring less than 6 inches in diameter were the easiest to remove and resulted in minimal risk of complication. Giant lipomas contained fibrous material that interfered with the removal of fat and had a high risk of bruising, hematoma, and seroma (fluid-filled swelling), especially in the groin area. Regrowth occurred nine months to three years later in 28 percent of the lipomas. Liposuction is not recommended for infiltrative lipomas.
The newest lipoma treatment for dogs and humans is the injection of collagenase, an enzyme that breaks the peptide bonds in collagen, the fibrous protein that connects body tissues. Developed by BioSpecifics Technologies Corporation and marketed as XIAFLEX® in the U.S. and XIAPEX® in Europe and Eurasia, collagenase is being tested in clinical trials.
One preliminary trial tested three healthy dogs with multiple subcutaneous lipomas that were benign, superficial, and easily measurable. One lipoma on each dog was injected with collagenase and another was left untreated for use as a control. Ninety days after injection, a CT scan showed that the treated lipomas on two of the dogs had disappeared completely and the third dog’s treated lipoma was only 7 percent of its original size. By contrast, the control lipomas had grown. Altogether, the treated lipomas showed a 97-percent reduction in size while the untreated controls increased by 23 percent.
BioSpecifics has initiated a placebo-controlled, single-injection randomized Phase II clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of XIAFLEX for treatment of benign subcutaneous lipomas in 32 canines in a study to be completed in 2013. This will be followed by a Phase III clinical trial before the product becomes commercially available.
Complementary Therapies Because lipomas are so common in overweight dogs, one obvious treatment is weight loss. In some cases, diet and exercise have reduced the size of existing lipomas and may have helped prevent new ones from developing. Even if your dog’s lipomas don’t shrink as a result, helping an overweight dog trim down should help her feel better and be more active.
Switching to a raw, grain-free diet has been said to help some dogs, although most raw diets are high in fat, which may be counterproductive.
Limiting vaccinations may help some dogs, especially if lipomas tend to occur after vaccination.
“In my practice I have been following numerous dogs who are now 6 to 14 years old,” says Judith K. Herman, DVM, of Augusta, Maine. “So far these dogs, all of whom received minimal vaccinations and are fed raw, have not developed any lipomas. Most are Jack Russell Terriers, Belgian Tervurens, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers.”
Acupressure While acupuncture involves the insertion of needles along the body’s meridians, acupressure applies finger touch or massage to the same points. As Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis explained in “Truly Healing Touch,” (WDJ, March 2009) and other WDJ articles, the basic principle underlying the healing process is that vital substances nourish the body while moving harmoniously through it. Two of these vital substances are chi (or qi), which is life-promoting energy, and blood, a nutrient-rich body fluid. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, “blood” includes other body fluids, such as synovial fluid in the joints or the nutrient-rich fluid within the spinal column.
“My dog Oak was a lipoma creator of great dimension,” says Snow, “and acupressure worked to resolve them for most of his life. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, a lipoma is a stagnation of body fluids. The challenge is to bring chi through the area to move or disperse the fluids. The longer they stay, the more difficult it is to resolve them because they become ‘cold.’ Additionally, the younger the dog, the more quickly lipomas can be resolved. As the dog ages, his system naturally slows down and this slowing leads to an increase in developing lipomas.”
Even as a 2-year-old, Oak, who was an affectionate, easy-going Golden Retriever, created lipomas. “I’d run my hands over him almost every day to see if there were any new ones,” she says. “I had him checked for hypothyroidism to see if his metabolism was normal, and it was. Oak’s lustrous coat often hid the lipomas until they were obvious. But I did my best to locate them and get to work with acupressure massage, also called Tui Na in Chinese, as a way to increase the movement of chi and body fluids through each lipoma.”
For six years, Snow resolved Oak’s lipomas with these techniques. After age eight, although they remained small, his lipomas became a management issue and were not completely resolved. At age 11, one had to be removed because it hindered walking. The following year, Oak passed away with only a few minor lipomas.
“Lipomas are relatively superficial, just beneath the skin, and so are the meridians,” says Snow. “That’s why working along the meridians that pass through a lipoma works. If people use acupressure around a lipoma but not on meridian points, it will not be as effective and in fact may not be effective at all. Graduates of the Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute training program have shown the guardians/owners of dogs with lipomas how to perform some of these procedures on a consistent basis. Applying acupressure massage every day for six days, then taking a one-day break, then continuing for another five or six days and repeating the pattern until the lipoma is resolved seems to be an important element in ridding dogs of lipomas.”
For best results, consult a canine acupressure practitioner who can show you exactly which acupoints affect energy flowing through a specific lipoma, or practice on your own with the help of Acu-Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure.
Herbal Medicine Herbs have been used for millennia to treat every type of condition, and today’s science confirms the effectiveness of many ancient remedies. Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the root that gives Indian curries their distinctive color and flavor, has a long history of use in Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of East India, especially for digestive disorders and arthritis. Curcumin is the active ingredient responsible for turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
Andrew Stowe of Fairfax, Virginia, gave turmeric root powder to Cayman, his 13-year-old yellow Lab/hound-mix, as part of a treatment for arthritis. Cayman had developed six large and medium-sized lipomas, and while he was taking turmeric, three of them disappeared and the others shrank. After six months the arthritis treatment stopped working (Cayman began limping again), so Stowe discontinued the treatment. The dog’s lipomas returned and he developed even more. Stowe thinks the turmeric may have suppressed their growth.
The protocol Stowe followed for 80-pound Cayman combined turmeric powder with other supplements, beginning with a four-week dose of 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder morning and evening; then two weeks at 1/2 teaspoon twice per day; then 3/4 teaspoon twice per day.
It’s a good idea to begin any herbal treatment with small doses and increase gradually to the recommended amount, which in the case of turmeric is often 1/4 teaspoon for small dogs, 1/2 teaspoon for medium-sized dogs and 1 teaspoon for large dogs daily. Give with food to prevent stomach upsets. Be sure your turmeric is Curcuma longa (verify the herb’s Latin name) and not an inexpensive substitute, and, because turmeric dyes everything yellow, wash your hands after handling.
Curcumin extract is much more concentrated than the powdered root. Recommended dosage varies, but one product made for dogs suggests giving 20 to 60 mg per 10 pounds of body weight daily. Higher doses, up to 2,000 mg twice a day for a large dog, are used to treat dogs with cancer. Combining curcumin with bromelain may increase absorption.
Herbalist Ingrid Naiman developed “Stone Free” Herbal Support for Kidney and Gallbladder using turmeric and other herbs. “It emulsifies fat,” she says. “We have seen it completely remove fatty deposits under the skin.”
Alyssia Greiner of Manassas, Virginia, tried a Chinese herbal treatment for her 9-year-old Border Collie, Zippity, when she developed a large lipoma on her right shoulder, another on her right ribcage, and a small one inside her left leg. Her vet prescribed “Cluster Dissolving,” a traditional blend of 11 Chinese herbs.
“Zip has been on it for about six months,” says Greiner, “and there is a definite difference in size and softness. The one on her shoulder used to feel like a softball and people would freak out when they felt it, but several people familiar with her think it feels smaller, softer, and more pliable. The one on her leg felt like a large marble but is now softer and smaller. The rib cage lipoma feels very loose and fluid now. I don’t think they will dissolve completely, but as long as they are not getting bigger, I’m happy.”
Homeopathy Although homeopathy is often recommended as a support therapy for lipomas, many veterinary homeopaths report little or no success with homeopathy as a stand-alone treatment for fatty tumors.
Dr. Judith Herman in Augusta, Maine, is a veterinary homeopath, former president of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy, and chair of its certification committee. Classically trained homeopaths such as Dr. Herman use single remedies (not combinations) in response to their patients’ specific symptoms. “The correct remedy is the one that matches the patient’s whole picture,” says Dr. Herman. “Lipomas are part of the chronic disease picture, not single entities.”
In 2004, Dr. Herman treated Anna, a 1-year-old Golden Retriever, for masticatory muscle myositis, an inflammatory muscle disease that produces jaw pain or an inability to open the jaw. At the time, Anna was eating grocery store kibble and taking prednisone. “Because she had diarrhea and her owners weren’t ready to forego allopathic treatment,” she says, “I suggested changing her food to a raw, home-prepared diet.”
Prednisone was discontinued after symptoms resolved, but when they returned, Dr. Herman treated Anna homeopathically. Within two months, her mouth functioned normally, but Anna later returned with a soft lump on her chest, which was diagnosed as a lipoma, and she again showed mild signs of myositis. She received the same homeopathic remedy as before but at a higher potency. One month later her mouth was back to normal and the lipoma had disappeared.
“Anna has had normal yearly visits since then without any sign of illness,” says Dr. Herman. “In 2010 she developed a yeast infection in her ears and I treated her with the same remedy as in 2004 because her symptom picture still matched the remedy. Her ears were fine within a month, and she is still doing well.”
Stephen Blake, DVM, of San Diego, California, reports, “I had a case at a no-kill shelter where an 8-year-old Shepherd-mix had a lipoma almost the size of a basketball on his back, hanging over his side. It was so big that the dog had problems running. I treated him once with homeopathic Thuja 10M and within a month it dissolved. After two months all that was left was a large sack of skin hanging on the dog’s back.
“My reasoning for prescribing the Thuja was the fact that he had been vaccinated prior to the appearance of the lipoma. Homeopathic Thuja is a good choice in cases like this, where a lipoma appears after a vaccination.”
Aromatherapy Aromatherapy’s essential oils may help lipomas in some cases. Dr. Blake says, “As part of the healing protocol for all tumors, I use a combination of frankincense (Boswellia spp.), sandalwood (Santalum album), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) to aid the body in its detoxification and healing process. I have the owner massage a small amount of these oils into the tumor daily until the body has no need for it.”
Canine aromatherapist Frances Fitzgerald Cleveland of Littleton, Colorado, uses full-strength grapefruit essential oil (Citrus x paradise), which is not a distilled essential oil but rather cold-pressed from the peel of fresh fruit. “This is a very cooling, cleansing, and decongesting oil, like lemon,” she says. “Grapefruit oil helps the body eliminate excess fluids and break down fats, plus it promotes a lightness of spirit. It is my first choice when working with lipomas. I find it aids in clearing the lymphatic system, helps with congestion of the skin, and is a tonic to the system. I have used it on two of my dogs with great success in keeping their existing lipomas from getting any larger and shrinking some to a smaller size.
Essential oils are usually diluted before being applied to dogs, but one or two drops of therapeutic-quality frankincense or grapefruit essential oil can safely be applied to an adult dog’s lipoma once or twice per day.
No Treatment Needed While lipomas can be unsightly, they are generally harmless and rarely cause problems. This is one situation where doing nothing is a completely acceptable option, once the diagnosis has been verified. Be thankful knowing that your dog has nothing worse than a lump of fat and not a cancerous tumor.
CJ Puotinen lives in Montana. She is the author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care and other books and a frequent contributor to WDJ.
Mary Straus is the owner of DogAware.com. She lives with her Norwich Terrier, Ella, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The highest possible inclusion of top-quality animal proteins. Look for a whole, named source of meat as the first ingredient (meaning the product contains more of that ingredient by weight than anything else). There are some good foods that list water or broth as the first ingredient and a meat ingredient second – but we’d choose a product with meat first on the label over one that listed meat second.
“Named” sources of any animal protein or fat, whether it’s a muscle tissue (in which case it will appear as chicken, beef, buffalo, etc.) or an organ meat (in which case it should specify which species it came from, for example, “beef liver”).
Whole grains or vegetables (if any are used in the formula).
Limited (if any) use of grain or vegetable by-products. For example, a food containing potato starch as the sixth ingredient would be preferable to one with the same ingredient in the third position on the ingredients panel. And a food that contained just one grain or vegetable by-product (such as oat bran) would be preferable to a product containing several (such as potato starch, oat fiber, and tomato paste).
The words “complete and balanced.” Some manufacturers produce a few wet food products that are meant for “supplemental or intermittent” use only. These products do not meet the specifications for a “complete and balanced diet” as defined by the model regulations developed by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and adopted by each state. While these “supplemental” foods may be useful as part of a varied diet, they can’t be relied on to provide all the nutrients your dog needs.
Traits of Low-Quality Wet Foods
Unnamed animal sources, such as meat, meat by-products, poultry, poultry by-products, or animal fat.
Meat by-products or poultry by-products. There is a wide range in the quality and type of by-products that are available to pet food producers. And there is no way for a dog owner (or anyone else) to find out whether the by-products used are kept clean, chilled, and used fresh within a day or two of slaughter (as some companies claim), or are comprised of ingredients that were literally swept off a floor, dumped down the floor drains at the processing plant, and kept for hours or days on unrefrigerated loading docks and trucks. Because you can’t know, avoid by-products.
Wheat gluten. Wet foods often contain some sort of thickener or binder. Various types of “gum” (such as guar gum, from the seed of the guar plant, and carrageenan gum, from seaweed) are common thickeners. Whole grains, potatoes, and sweet potatoes also can be used to thicken wet food. But wheat gluten (and some other glutens) are generally used in wet foods both to augment the protein content of the food (albeit with lesser quality amino acids) and to act as a binder, to hold together artificially formed “chunks” so that they resemble chunks of meat. In other words, it’s a signal that the real meat content of the product is less than ideal. If chunks of meat are present in a wet dog food, they should be actual chunks of meat.
Sugar or other sweeteners. A food that contains quality meats shouldn’t need additional palatants to entice dogs.
Artificial colors, flavors, or added preservatives. Fortunately, these are rare in wet foods!
Pet Food Brand Examples
This one is easy.
This is Beneful’s “Savory Rice & Lamb Stew,” and it’s chock full of the “traits to avoid.” We won’t hold the fact that water is the first ingredient against the product; there are good foods with water as the first ingredient, too. But wheat gluten is the second ingredient. WOW. Think about that: By weight, there is more wheat gluten in this food than meat – which is crazy, because meat is full of moisture, which is heavy!
There are more “traits to avoid,” too: meat by-products (could be anything); “liver” (no species named); artificial and natural flavors (if the food contained a lot of meat, the maker wouldn’t need to add flavors to make it palatable); and added color (to make it pretty for you!).
Any “desirable traits”? Lamb and chicken are in there, but since they appear 6th and 8th on the label, their contributions are actually not very significant. Same goes for wild rice, peas, and carrots; appearing in the 9th, 10th, and 11th spots on the label, they aren’t contributing much.
Here is one of those mixed bags of good and undesirable traits.
This is Iams’ “Proactive Health Chunks with chicken in Gravy” and the ingredients start out nicely: Water (okay), chicken (great!), and then meat by-products and chicken by-products (sigh). Check out the addition of broccoli and spinach, way down under all the vitamins and minerals. Why bother, at that level of inclusion? (We can’t even imagine what such a tiny amount of broccoli and spinach would look like in a cooking vat full of this food!)
This next one is one of our approved canned foods.
It is Natural Balance’s “Limited Ingredient Diets Chicken & Sweet Potato Formula.” It has a lot going for it, including the fact that chicken appears first on the ingredients list, and the moisture (2nd) that’s been added for processing purposes is chicken broth: nice! Look what’s next, however: sweet potatoes, potatoes, and dehydrated potatoes. By the time you add up all that potato, does it outweigh the animal protein (even with chicken liver and chicken meal in 6th and 7th positions)?
One more thing. Look a little lower on the label, at the guaranteed analysis: The fat content is just 3.5 percent. That may make it highly appropriate for dogs who need a lower-fat food. And this is why you need to be aware of how much fat and protein you currently feed your dog, whether or not he needs to gain, hold, or lose weight, and given those factors, what effect this product may have if added to his diet.
Here is another one of our approved canned foods.
This is Natura Pet Product’s Innova. We love that there are two whole, named meats first on the ingredients list, and that the moisture that has been added (3rd) is chicken broth. There are more carbohydrates in here than there needs to be (brown rice, potato, carrot), but they are all whole and not repetitious (like when you see brown rice and white rice in the same formula), so as long as they work for the dog we are feeding, we’re fine with that.
However, look sharp: Check out that fat content, a whopping 8.5 percent! That might be super for your working Border Collie or field hunter, or a major problem for your Poodle with pancreatitis. Always read the label!
In the “Whole Dog Journal’s 2012 Canned Dog Food Review“ you will find a list of companies that make foods that meet all of our selection criteria for healthy, high-quality canned foods. Again, they all make great foods, but not all of the foods they make are appropriate for every dog, so check the ingredients panel and guaranteed analysis for every variety you consider feeding to your dog. The list is ordered alphabetically by the manufacturer, so if you don’t see the name of your favorite food, look at the label of the food to see what company makes it! As you try different products, keep track of your dog’s weight, and adjust the type and amount of food you feed accordingly.
Here are some trade secrets to getting your control harness to work better for you and your dog:
–With several of the simpler styles (SENSE-ation, SENSE-ible, Easy Walk) if you can’t get the harness to fit quite right, try putting it on upside down. (Doesn’t work with any of the “two-points-of-contact” harnesses.)
–If the front strap still slips down, clip your leash to the front-clip ring and the collar ring. This may diminish the effectiveness of the harness a little, but it will keep the front strap up and in place.
–If your dog seems worried when you attempt to put the harness on him, use high-value food treats to give him a positive classical association with the harness, and do several sessions of “harness = food” before putting it all the way on him. If his eyes light up when he sees the harness, you’re ready to proceed. (Many dogs take to the harness right away and don’t need the conditioning step.)
–When attached to the front of your dog’s harness, make sure your leash comes directly to you in the shortest line possible (not around the dog’s other side and over his shoulders).
–Do several practice sessions with the harness in low-distraction environments so the two of you can, together, figure out how it works, before trying it in the real world.
–Keep slack in the leash when your dog is not pulling. If he starts to pull, stand still to brace yourself, and put gentle pressure on the leash to turn his front end back toward you. Mark (click or “Yes!”) and give him a treat, and walk forward again. Remember to reinforce him often for walking politely!
I’m sitting at my desk, which is piled high with control-type walking harnesses for dogs, and reveling at how this market niche has expanded since the introduction of the first front-clip model, the SENSE-ation Harness, more than a decade ago. It’s hard evidence of the growth of positive reinforcement-based training, and confirms a robust desire on the part of dog owners to find gentler and more effective ways to work with their canine companions.
Once upon a time, a harness was the last thing you wanted to use for a dog who pulled, because they were designed to make pulling comfortable. By distributing pressure evenly across the chest they removed pressure from the throat, where damage could be done to a dog’s trachea – sometimes even to the point of tracheal collapse. Harnesses are better for the dog from a health perspective, but from a training viewpoint, a standard harness actually encourages pulling. There’s a reason sled dogs wear harnesses!
Head halters were introduced in the late 1990s as a gentle control tool. While they did, indeed, work well to control a dog’s head (and where the head goes, the body follows), some trainers noticed that a significant number of dogs found head halters to be fairly aversive, requiring, in many cases, extensive conditioning to convince the dog to accept them. Thus, the SENSE-ation Harness was introduced by the folks at Softouch Concepts, Inc., as a more dog-friendly walking tool, while still following the “control-the-front-end” concept. Reception from the training community was lukewarm at first, but trainers eventuallybegan test-driving them and discovered that they were, indeed, an effective tool, and that most dogs accepted them easily, with little or no conditioning needed.
A clear sign of the success of the product was the advent of a slew of imitators. Within a few years several competing products arrived on the shelves, and the market has continued to evolve. There are several brands for the training harness aficionado to select from, each with its own variation on the no-pull theme.
We recently acquired samples of eight models of training harnesses and evaluated them on construction and materials, ease of use, effectiveness, and cost, to arrive at our “Top Pick” choices. Our findings appear on the following pages, from least to most expensive (prices may vary from different sources).
Petco Non-Pull Harness, $20
Discourages pulling with straps that go under the dog’s armpits and tighten when tension is put on the leash. The leash attaches to a ring at the dog’s back.
-Construction and Materials: This harness seems reasonably solid, although “Made in China” can sometimes indicate poor construction. There are no snaps to accidentally pop open, but the plastic adjustment buckles and the metal hardware appear to be made of low-grade materials. An elastic piece across the chest improves the comfort. The flat nylon straps are a nice medium weight and moderately soft. We like the fleece tubes covering the leg straps to protect the dog’s armpits from chafing, but the straps themselves are narrow (skinny straps inflict more discomfort if the dog pulls) and not particularly strong. A dog whose owner is inattentive could bite through them in a hot second. Three sizes.
-Ease of Use: To put on the dog, you slide this harness over his head, then guide his legs through the straps. This is difficult with the high-energy dogs who need a control harness! Instructions included are minimal, and make no suggestions for training, other than a small-print caveat “intended for short-term training use only.”
-Effectiveness: We’re not fans of the Petco No-Pull harness. While the novelty of the under-the-leg pressure can inhibit the dog’s movement (and therefore, pulling) initially, many dogs quickly habituate to the sensation and thus the harness rapidly loses effectiveness. Also, having the single point of contact in the middle of the dog’s back allows for little control, especially if he spins.
-Comments: I would not choose this harness for my dogs or recommend it for my clients’ dogs.
Halti Harness, $20
Don’t confuse this with the Halti Head Halter! This is a standard front-clip style harness made in the United Kingdom.
-Construction and Materials: The nylon straps of this harness are a nice weight, and softer than the Petco No-Pull, while the hardware, both plastic and metal, also appears to be better quality. We especially like the padding stitched in for extra comfort at the joining of the chest and belly straps. A nice feature unique to this harness is the metal clip on the chest strap, which can be used to attach to the dog’s regular flat collar – both to help keep the harness in place as well as act as a “safety belt” attachment should the dog manage to wriggle out of the harness. We also like the addition of a ring on the back strap, which provides two points of contact and allows for greater control.
However, we find the martingale loop on the chest strap (which provides a tightening or squeezing action when the dog pulls and the leash tightens) to be unnecessary and bulky. Three sizes.
-Ease of Use: The single snap style makes this harness relatively easy to put on – just slip the belly strap over the dog’s head with the ring on top, and connect the snap underneath the dog. When connected the snap is low enough on the strap to avoid chafing under the arm. Buckles adjust easily (three points of adjustment provide a good fit for all shapes of dogs), and a detailed booklet offers good instructions for use.
-Effectiveness: This harness worked well for us, other than a little annoying bunching of the small martingale loop, and an overlong strap that wanted to dangle when its loose-fitting nylon keeper failed to do its job. If we were using this harness on a regular basis we would cut the strap to shorten it, and stitch it down.
-Comments: I would use the Halti harness.
Sense-Ible Harness, $23 +/- and Sense-Ation Harness, $25 +/-
The folks at Softouch Concepts, Inc. were the creators of the original front-clip harness design, and we owe them our heartfelt thanks for that. The SENSE-ation was their first product; they added the SENSE-ible, using less-expensive material and offering fewer size and color choices, so they could offer a harness at a lower price point.
-Construction and Materials: Both harnesses are made of good quality, soft nylon, and good quality plastic and metal hardware; they are made both in the U.S. and in China. Both styles are available in multiple sizes; price varies slightly, with smaller sizes costing less.
-Ease of Use: Again, a single snap design makes this an easy harness to put on the dog; just open the snap, slip the harness over the dog’s head, and connect the snap underneath. The snap is low enough on the strap to avoid chafing under the dog’s front legs. Three points of adjustment provide a good fit for all shapes of dogs. The plastic slide buckles on the slightly more expensive SENSE-ation adjust easily; the metal slide buckles on the SENSE-ible required a bit of struggle. A multi-page packet of information came with these harnesses, offering in-depth information about fitting and proper use.
-Effectiveness: The first time I used a SENSE-ation harness, I was speaking at a seminar, and a shelter brought a strong, adolescent Doberman on a prong collar for me to work with. I asked the handlers to remove the prong collar, and it was suggested that I would not be able to hold him. They were correct; he could drag me on his flat collar. I just happened to have a SENSE-ation harness with me, and I put it on the dog. I was able to finish my talk while holding the dog’s leash with one finger. These are very effective at controlling a dog who tries to pull.
-Comments: I would use either of these harnesses, but prefer the SENSE-ation for ease of adjustment.
Walk Your Dog With Love, $27
This is simplest of the harnesses we reviewed. It’s a front-clip style, made in the U.S.
-Construction and Materials: This harness is made of a different material than any of the other products; instead of using some form of nylon, the maker uses polypropylene citing its resistance to stretching under tension and its lack of absorbency of moisture. (When a nylon harness gets wet, it becomes heavy with moisture; polypropylene does not. Also, supposedly, polypropylene does not absorb odorous oils from the dog’s coat, and won’t require frequent washing to keep it from getting smelly.) Owners who are used to softer nylon products (like myself!) may not like the feel of this stiffer material.
The straps are wide, to prevent them from being too severe or cutting into the dog’s flesh. However, I am concerned that the stiffness of the material, as well as a buckle placed near the dog’s elbow, could cause chafing problems. I didn’t test the harness for long enough to determine if this occurs; the manufacturer, of course, says he has not found this to be the case.
There are bits of reflective tape on both side straps and the front strap of the harness, which provide visibility during nighttime walking – a nice touch.
The harness is meant to be minimalist, and can be adjusted in just two places: the dog’s girth and on the front of the chest. However, I found that if the dog isn’t one of the bulkier breeds, and the chest strap had to be tightened a lot in order to fit the dog snugly, the strap in the front dangled so much as to be awkward. The harness is available in multiple sizes.
-Ease of Use: This harness is easy to put on the dog, with the one-snap over the head style common to several of the harnesses. The belly strap was easy to adjust; the front strap, with two layers of nylon, was a little harder, but still easier than the SENSE-ible’s metal buckles. Only very perfunctory fitting instructions, and direction to the product website, were provided with the harness.
-Effectiveness: Other than the extra length of strap in front, which we found annoying, this harness worked well to discourage our test dogs from pulling.
-Comments: WDJ Editor Nancy Kerns and I were evenly split about recommending this harness. I found the polypropylene straps to be very off-putting; I have seen enough chafing issues even with softer materials to expect problems with this one. However, Nancy Kerns has been using the harness for walking shelter dogs who pull, and appreciates the simplicity and ease of adjustment specifically for use on a variety of dogs (where she needs to make quick adjustments from dog to dog) and for very short distances (where chafing is not an issue).
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Freedom Harness, $30+-
Full disclosure: This is the harness I currently use and sell at my training center. A front-clip style, it has several unique features and options that I like.
-Construction and Materials: This harness is made in the U.S. of good quality material – a wide but soft nylon webbing, covered with velveteen where the strap passes under sensitive armpits – no chafing here!
This harness has two points of contact: a ring on the front of the dog’s chest, and one with a martingale loop on the top of the dog’s back, which offers a slight tightening sensation effect to the front-clip function. The hardware is robust and sturdy, with two plastic snaps rather than one; the snaps sit well above the dog’s elbow. Available in multiple sizes.
-Ease of Use: Much as we like this harness, we have to admit that it is more complicated than several of the others. The two-snap design invites confusion, and some of my trainers tell me it’s too complicated for some of their students. This harness was accompanied by a well-written brochure with easy-to-follow instructions. The maker will replace up to two chewed straps for just the cost of shipping.
-Effectiveness: This harness fits well and works well. If you use the double-ended leash that you can purchase with it (optional) it’s almost like holding the reins of a horse – although, again, some owners find that too complicated, especially if they are also trying to hold onto a clicker and treats.
-Comments: I love this harness for myself. While I’m not usually a fan of martingale straps (seen in the photo at right – the loop at the top of the dog’s back), this one performs well and does not bunch up as it tightens (when the dog pulls) and relaxes (when the leash is slack). We get mixed reviews from clients because of the increased complexity of the harness.
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Easy Walk Harness, $30
Brought to you by Premier Pet Products and made in Taiwan, this was another early entrant to the control-harness market. There are two clips on the girth strap (one above the chest strap and one below it) and a martingale loop in the front chest strap.
-Construction and Materials: The nylon used here has a slightly harder edge than the two SENSE-harnesses or the Freedom. The plastic snap attached to the belly strap sits immediately under the dog’s right elbow and may chafe. Available in multiple sizes.
-Ease of Use: Although this harness has two snaps, it’s designed so that you only undo one – allowing you to undo the bottom snap to slip it over the dog’s head to put it on and take it off easily, or if you choose, undo the upper snap and have your dog step in or out of it. Still, having two snaps always complicates things, and increases the odds that someone will get confused. Personally, I have always found the front martingale strap (a loop that tightens if the dog pulls) to be a bother. As you can see from the photo, when fitted tightly enough to keep it from sagging down the dog’s chest, it pulls the girth
strap forward, which interferes with the dog’s shoulder action and pinches behind the elbow. A detailed instruction pamphlet was included in the packaging with this product.
-Effectiveness: If properly fitted, this harness works well, although you must be on guard for chafing.
-Comments: Not one of my favorites, in large part because of the martingale loop. (Note: Runs small. The “medium” size was far smaller than the other products’ “medium.”)
Dean & Tyler No-Pull, $55
As the price suggests, this harness is in a class of its own. The nylon straps are two inches wide (compared to ¾ to 1 inch on all the others), and the entire piece looks like it’s made for Cane Corsos and larger; the company’s website indicates that it specializes in “products for medium, large, and very large dogs.”
-Construction and Materials: Made (according to the company) in eastern Europe, the quality of materials and construction is exceptionally sturdy – to the point of being bulky. The metal and plastic hardware are heavyweight, and there are several rings for leash or pulling options. There might be some chafing concerns with the extra-wide straps; however the rolled nylon handle on the top of the harness is convenient for when you might need to grab and restrain a lunging dog. Comes in larger sizes only.
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-Ease of Use: The two plastic snaps on this harness offer the same options as described for the Easy Walk harness – over the head, or step-in and drop off.
Effectiveness: While this harness is set up so that it works well as a front clip control harness, with additional rings for attaching a leash (or a double-ended leash) on the dog’s back and on each side, it’s clearly a multi-function tool. No instructions were included with this harness, but we found information about the options for its use online.
-Comments: This is way more harness than I can imagine needing for my dogs, or my clients for theirs. However, if you had especially an large, strong dog, or wanted multiple points of leash attachment for some reason, this could be a useful tool.
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, CDBC, is WDJ’s Training Editor. She lives in Fairplay, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center, where she offers dog training classes and courses for trainers.
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