The lampshade, satellite dish, or cone – no matter what you call it, it is hard not to alternately laugh and feel sorry for any dog wearing one. Often used after surgical procedures, these cone-shaped collars are designed to keep dogs from licking sutures or wounds, potentially opening the wounds or tearing the stitches. They are also used to keep a dog with an injury or surgical site on his head from scratching it with his paws.
In most cases, dogs wear the protective collars for a few days post-surgery until the incision has healed. Other times, dogs wear them for longer periods to help with problems such as lick granulomas, excessive itchiness, hot spots, or other wounds that take longer to heal.
Some dogs are just fine with wearing these protective collars, and others go bonkers. My Boxer, Tyler, is one of those dogs that goes bonkers with a traditional Elizabethan collar. First he freezes. Then he starts pawing at it and fighting it until he threatens to hurt himself or someone else. It’s difficult to keep him quiet enough so that he can heal properly.
This past spring, after surgery to remove a growth on his elbow, we had the opportunity to try out a number of different types of collars and other products to keep him away from the incision. He came home from the surgery with the vet-supplied Elizabethan collar. But as soon as we unleashed him in the house, he started trying to remove the collar forcibly. Then we started exploring our options.
Following is a summary of the products we used to restrict access to his incision. We readily ascertained that all of the products were effective for certain purposes (thus our top rating for each), although Tyler was more comfortable with some than others.
When considering what to use for your dog, keep the location of his wound in mind (some products are better than others at preventing his access to different parts of his body). But also take into consideration his personality, energy level, and general ability to adapt to different circumstances. Consider, too, the other animals in the house, because some of these products can be helpful to the dog wearing them, but disruptive or “scary” to those around him.
Finally, if your dog has to wear some sort of collar for longer than a few days, you might want to try different products for different circumstances. For instance, one might work great when you are supervising him, another is better when he’s unattended, and another one might work best for sleeping. With a little experimentation, you’re sure to find a product that helps your dog heal in comfort.
Conventional cones
Veterinary clinics usually provide their clients with classic Elizabethan collars made of thick plastic. The cone-shaped collars fasten around the dog’s neck and are tied with a string or length of gauze. They can be made somewhat more comfortable by taping the sometimes sharp edges. Typically opaque, they limit the dog’s peripheral vision. Some dogs may bump into door frames or walls with the stiff collar, which can be jarring and noisy.
There are plenty of dogs that do just fine with a traditional Elizabethan collar. Unfortunately, my dog Tyler isn’t one of them. He fought this collar at every opportunity. It also upset our other dog, who acted wary of Tyler in the collar and startled at the noise it created when Tyler bumped against things.
The traditional Elizabethan Collar was provided by our veterinarian. On the advice of a friend, I looked for and found a very similar collar for less money at our local Petco.
The Pet Botanics E-Collar is a twist on the traditional Elizabethan collar. This version is translucent, so it does not limit the dog’s peripheral vision like the traditional opaque collars do. The E-Collar also comes in translucent colors such as blue and pink. It is padded with a layer of vinyl around the neck for increased comfort, and uses plastic snaps to close the collar at the proper size. The Pet Botanics’ collars are made of a lighter-weight (but still sturdy) plastic than the vet-supplied Elizabethan collars.
For some dogs, the E-Collar could be a good option because of the increased visibility and lighter weight. Tyler however, reacted to this collar much like he did the traditional model.
We purchased the E-Collar from a local Petco. They are also available from Petco’s Web site, where they range in price from $10.50 to $21, depending on the size.
Ring around the collar
A different take on the Elizabethan collar, the Soft-E-Collar™ looks more like a life preserver than a cone. It is a vinyl-covered foam pillow that prevents the dog from reaching his incisions or wounds. Because of its flat shape, it doesn’t obscure the dog’s vision the way a cone does, but does block access to his body and most of his extremities. This does depend somewhat on the flexibility of your dog and the length of his muzzle and tongue.
It is much easier for a dog to go about his normal business with the Soft-E-Collar. It doesn’t get in the way of eating or drinking. Your dog can still play catch, tug, and other games while wearing the collar. It also is less noisy and jarring if the dog bumps against anything while wearing it.
On the down side, the Soft-E-Collar, like traditional Elizabethan collars, ties around the dog’s neck with a string. When we tried this collar on Tyler, we made the mistake of looping the string around his regular flat collar. This nearly caused a serious problem when Tyler used both front paws to swiftly push the Soft-E over his head, which caused his regular collar to start to choke him. If your dog is really committed to trying to get the collar off, this is not the most secure choice.
Bracing difference
The Bite Not Collar closely resembles a cervical collar used for whiplash in people; in fact, its manufacturer says the collar can be used for a dog’s cervical stabilization. This well-padded plastic collar fits snugly around the dog’s neck, fastening with Velcro. It has a nylon chest strap that fastens behind the front legs to keep the collar properly in place.
The Bite Not collar works by limiting the extent to which the dog can bend his neck to reach various parts of his body. This means the collar works well to prevent dogs from licking their rear ends – back, rump, base of tail, flanks, chest, abdomen, genitals – but, depending on the flexibility of the dog and the length of his legs, he may be able to lick his feet. Also, this collar won’t keep a dog with a problem on his head (such as an ear hematoma or infected eye) from scratching or rubbing his head with his paws.
Tyler didn’t react negatively to this collar at all. He played tug with our other dog and even fetched his ball a few times while wearing it. The manufacturers say that the dog should be able to eat and drink while wearing the collar; Tyler couldn’t. He also was not able to lower his head much and therefore was not able to pick up anything from the ground. It’s possible that he would have more freedom of movement with a different size collar, although I’m not sure if a smaller size would sufficiently restrict access to his wound.
Bite Not Products sells its collars through veterinarians and through some catalog outlets. You can ask your veterinarian to order one for you; we ordered direct from the Omaha Vaccine Company at (800) 367-4444 or www.omahavaccine.com.
Something different
K9 Top Coat’s Lycra Bodysuit represents a totally different tack to take when trying to prevent a dog’s self-mutilation. As you might imagine, the Lycra Bodysuit is a full body suit made of stretchy Lycra, which completely covers the dog except for his head, paws, and between the legs (so it doesn’t inhibit elimination). It’s easy to put on and take off, machine washable, and very durable.
Given its design, the coat is not indicated for protecting head wounds or preventing paw-licking; the manufacturer recommends using it over dressed wounds and for allergy and hot spot control. An optional, detachable panel can be purchased to cover a spay or neuter surgical incision.
While we imagine that some dogs might chew themselves right through the fabric, this wasn’t the case with Tyler; even though he was obsessed with licking his wound when he was not wearing the coat, he seemed to forget all about it once the coat was on. What’s more, it didn’t irritate his wound, and Tyler was more comfortable, had complete freedom of movement, and looked cute!
The Lycra Bodysuit was the most expensive option we found, so it may be a better solution for long-term problems such as allergies than post-surgical healing.
In a few cases where the Lycra Bodysuit is indicated, a simple T-shirt might work, too. It depends on the location and type of your dog’s wound or problem. Many people use T-shirts on their dogs after spaying or neutering, and find it’s the only thing their dog needs to leave the incision alone.
We weren’t so lucky with Tyler. A T-shirt didn’t keep him from licking his post-surgery bandage. However, it worked for our Great Dane, Booker, after gastropexy (stomach tacking) surgery for bloat, even though the T-shirt covered only about half of his long incision.
Depending on the size of your dog, you might be able to use one of your own T-shirts, or use a child’s or infant’s T-shirt. People T-shirts fit best on dogs when they are put on so the tag is on the dog’s chest under his chin. Gather up the loose material around the dog’s waist and either knot it, or use a hair scrunchy to hold it gathered up on the dog’s back.
-Shannon Wilkinson is a TTouch practitioner who lives with two dogs, two cats, and a husband in Portland, Oregon.
I read “Securing Seacure” in the April 2003 issue with great interest. Our 10-year-old Lab, Annie, was diagnosed with mast cell cancer in February. Once we received the diagnosis, we brought Annie to a specialist to see if there was any treatment available. The doctor told us that there is really no effective treatment for her type of cancer for many reasons, including the stage to which her cancer had developed.
In your article on Seacure®, it was stated that Seacure alleviates nausea and vomiting, and possibly helps prevent or reverse cancer. We decided to try this product as we felt we had nothing to lose. We have gained two wonderful months with very limited vomiting, and lots of energy and enthusiasm from our Annie.
I have ordered another supply from Proper Nutrition. This company could not be more helpful and responsive. Ordering through their toll-free number is easy and the shipping is fast. I know that this is not a cure for Annie’s cancer, but so far, Seacure has improved her quality of life.
In the past, I have purchased many of the products that you have recommended and have not been disappointed in any of them, but Seacure is the one that has really made a difference in all of our lives.
-Linda King via e-mail
My brother’s Lab retriever-mix was diagnosed with extensive cancer about a month ago. One vet estimated that she only had three weeks to live. My brother is not a very “alternative health” type of guy, but I remembered your recent articles about cancer (“New Hope for Treating Cancer,” May 2003) and the nutritional supplement, Seacure (“Securing Seacure,” April 2003). We put the dog on both Seacure and artemisinin. She got the runs at first, but now she’s almost back to her old self! Her appetite and activity levels are back!
We’re not going to venture to say that the cancer is in remission or anything, but she’s so much more happy and comfortable. Her arthritis even seems better. Thank you so much for your wonderful publication. Please keep on spreading the word!
-Donna Gatewood Elkins Park, PA
I am a faithful reader of WDJ and I know that our pets have healthier lives as a result of your articles. In March we lost our 19-year-old, 65-pound mixed breed rescue, but he had been on somazymes and other supplements recommended in your articles. He lived a long rich life due to supplements that kept him healthy.
My most recent miracle was Candy, our 16-year-old rescue. She went in for her annual physical and her ALT liver enzymes were elevated. We tested again in a week and they were escalating at an alarming rate. We did a bile duct study, which was normal. And we were getting ready to have an ultrasound performed to determine whether there was liver cancer.
I went back to my archives of your articles, and saw that you discussed toxins in the liver in the July 2002 issue (“Milk Thistle”). My husband and I take milk thistle but I had never given it to our pets. We consulted our vet and gave her the article to read. She was very receptive, so we gave Candy 175 mg twice a day. She weighs about 45 pounds.
The wonderful news is two weeks later, Candy’s ALT liver enzymes were normal at 38 after being in the thousands. We will monitor her on a monthly basis, keeping her on the same dosage of milk thistle.
There was an obvious toxin in her liver, but the milk thistle has promoted new cells, and for now we have a healthy, happy dog. She has occasionally taken Rimadyl on cold, damp, winter days. If Rimadyl was the culprit, it would be wonderful to know milk thistle could combat any damage done to the liver by this medication.
I thank you for your wonderful guidance, as our pets are such treasures in our lives.
-Beth Hannon Greer, SC
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The Truth About NSAIDs
How I wish “Administer With Care” (June 2003) would have been published three months earlier. If it had been, I would have read the information that could have prevented my four-year-old Beagle, K.C., from a dangerous reaction to a combination of NSAIDs, as well as an expensive hospitalization.
K.C. was being treated for a ruptured disc in March. An emergency room veterinarian prescribed EtoGesic and the next day her regular veterinarian prescribed Deramaxx, knowing full well that she was already on the EtoGesic. He did tell me to cut the EtoGesic dosage in half because the combination may cause ulcers.
Two days later K.C. was at the University of Minnesota because her condition had deteriorated significantly and she was scheduled for surgery. The veterinarian at UMN immediately took her off these two drugs, saying they never should have been used at the same time. Because of [the combination of] the two drugs, K.C. was in intensive care for three days, vomiting continually. After five days in the hospital, she came home and is still recovering from her ordeal. It if weren’t for the quick thinking and knowledgeable vets at UMN, K.C. might not be with us today.
Thank you for your wonderful and informative publication. You tell us what so many others won’t.
-Sue Marinkov & K.C. Woodbury, MN
I enjoyed reading “Administer with Care,” about NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), in the June issue of WDJ. I found it to be extremely accurate, informative, and well-written.
I have practiced veterinary medicine with a boarded specialty in small animal medicine and surgery, since 1981. In these 22 years I have seen significant advancements in the treatment of canine osteoarthritis.
I first started to use Rimadyl in 1997 or thereabouts. I was aware of the side effects at the time, and always recommended a complete blood panel prior to its use. I also continued blood monitoring every three months while the patient was on this therapy.
I have numerous arthritic-type drugs and supplements on my shelves, from aspirin, glucocorticoids, and phenylbutazone (a horse remedy) to Arthri-Nu, Glycoflex, Cosequin, EtoGesic, Adequan, Osteocare, and now Deramaxx. When I first graduated from veterinary school, buffered aspirin and phenylbutazone were the only available NSAIDs, and corticosteroids were used for severe cases. There were no neutraceutical remedies that were used at the time.
In 2002, Time magazine published an article on osteoarthritis in humans. The authors analyzed the current rave in Cox-2 inhibitors, and also the non-drug or nutraceutical route. They ascertained that Cox-2 inhibitors were indeed functional in pain relief but had significant side effects, including many of the ones mentioned in your article. Of all the neutraceutical, herbal, and homeopathic remedies out there, the writer’s research found only the glucosamine and chondroitin supplements to be truly effective in both pain relief and maintenance of joint space width and functional mobility.
I have done significant research in this area and I have found that NSAIDs (including aspirin, ibuprofen, Rimadyl, EtoGesic, and the new Cox-2 inhibitors such as Deramaxx) definitely relieve pain – but they may also potentially damage the cartilage in the joint. The makers of Rimadyl, Etogesic, and Deramaxx claim that this isn’t true with Cox-2 inhibitors. They emphasize that as long as the recommended package dose (or lower) is maintained, their studies have not shown damage to the cartilage.
I have not seen those studies, but I have seen the human studies that show that although NSAIDs relieve pain and provide some anti-inflammatory effects, there is no evidence illustrating their role in arresting the progression of the disease. In fact, they may actually accelerate disease progression by slowing the rate of proteoglycan synthesis and exacerbating the loss of cartilage. Basically all this means is that the building blocks of joints are actually slowed in their rates of joining and that the cartilage in turn can break down easier.
I recommend NSAIDs for my clients as a very last resort, or prednisolone when the animal no longer responds to any of the neutraceutical remedies I use first. I use NSAIDs only when the patient’s blood panels are normal, and when the owner agrees to do monthly blood testing, has read the package labels regarding adverse reactions, and knows all the risks involved.
If I have a young or old patient with osteoarthritis or any congenital or hereditary disease, I generally start them out on Breeder’s Choice Active Care treats or biscuits or Breeder’s Choice’s Active Care diet. I talk to the owner about the need for the dog’s weight loss and slowly increasing activity and walking for increasing time periods daily to help build up the supporting muscles to the joint that is afflicted with osteorarthritis.
I recommend Cosequin, too, but I don’t always use this as my first neutraceutical because of the high levels of salt in the product. Most of my canine patients with osteoarthritis are older, and may have cardiac or renal disease. Salt levels need to be kept at a minimum in these patients.
I tell my clients not to use one of the generic glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate products because university studies have shown that when these pills are tested for levels of glucosamine or chondroitin they are often not there or nowhere near the levels stated on the label. Furthermore, shelf stability is poor with these products.
Cartilage foods, treats, and biscuits (such as those found in the Active Care products) are offered in their natural form and are not chemically manipulated to extract one or more glycosaminoglycan. I offer this line of nutritional therapy regularly and early in my patients’ lives. Cartilage has little or no fat or salt, which makes it an excellent supplement for all ages and breeds of dogs, especially when trying to minimize caloric intake for obese patients where weight contributes to osteorarthritis.
If the dog is in severe pain I will prescribe EtoGesic (or now Deramaxx) with a meal, along with a cartilage-based food or treat, until the dog’s symptoms improve. I have also had tremendous success with Adequan, an injectable form of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). This involves twice weekly injections for three weeks, then one injection every two to three weeks as needed. Generally I will use EtoGesic and a GAG product simultaneously for the rest of the pet’s life and recommend monthly blood testing or sooner if any adverse signs develop. In extreme cases, I still resort to glucocorticoids.
Putting dogs (especially those breeds that are most likely to experience osteorarthritis) on cartilage-based foods, treats, and supplements to help mitigate the potential onset of osteoarthritis is highly recommended and very good nutritional therapy, and illustrates yet another alternative to treating osteoarthritis in companion animals.
-Katalin Grant, DVM Long Beach, CA
[Editor’s note: Dr. Grant is the consulting veterinarian for Breeder’s Choice, and is affiliated with Active Life Pet Products, maker of Osteocare, a GAG supplement. Active Life licenses its cartilage technology to Breeder’s Choice.]
Spend any amount of time watching dogs play, and you’ll quickly learn how much fun two or more canine pals can have romping and wrestling. And you can’t beat playtime for exercise and burning off energy. But dog play does a whole lot more than simply provide an opportunity for fun and exercise; it helps dogs learn important communication and life skills. Play and socialization can mean the difference between a dog who is friendly toward other dogs, and one who is shy, anxious, or even aggressive.
Unfortunately, not every social encounter provides the kind of positive learning experience that helps dogs develop good social skills. In some cases, playtime can actually teach dogs to behave badly around other dogs. If social time goes very wrong, it can do emotional or even physical harm to your dog. But with a little caution and a bit of dog sense, you can ensure your dog’s play encounters provide the best in both fun and social learning.
Why dog play is important
Puppies and dogs learn essential canine manners and social skills when playing. Through play, they can also learn to tolerate frustration and to control their excitement. Without puppyhood play, dogs have a much greater risk of nervousness or aggression toward other dogs later in life.
Perhaps the most important behavior that puppies learn from playing with other puppies and dogs is bite inhibition – the ability to control their mouths. While bite inhibition is first established when a puppy is six or seven weeks old, ongoing play with other dogs throughout puppyhood reinforces a soft mouth. There is no better way for a dog to learn to control how hard or softly he bites than through playing with other dogs.
Socializing with other dogs, however, should not start and end in puppyhood. Playtime during adolescence teaches dogs social skills that they will use for successful adult interactions. They begin to learn to behave as “dogs” instead of as “puppies.” As young adults, they continue to refine those skills. It’s not uncommon for young adult dogs to suddenly begin experimenting in their behavior with other dogs. Positive social interactions at this stage of life are very important to reinforce appropriate behavior and social interactions.
As dogs mature and grow older, continuing social interactions will help them maintain their meeting and greeting skills. In her book, The Other End of the Leash, trainer and behaviorist Patricia McConnell writes, “ . . . dogs need to learn that part of what’s normal and familiar in life is to meet unfamiliar people and dogs.” Regular interactions with novel dogs help reinforce the idea that meeting new dogs is simply a part of everyday life.
Will they be friends?
Your role in your dog’s play with other dogs is to always pay attention. Too often, people take their dogs to dog parks or play areas and ignore them while they visit with the people. Taking the opportunity to socialize with other dog people is certainly one of the perks of dog parks, but you have to pay attention to your dog, too!
When two dogs meet for the first time, there is sometimes a bit of initial tension. If both dogs are friendly and have good social skills (and they are off leash so they have the opportunity), they will generally approach each other on a bit of an arc or circular path. They may sniff and check each other out. At that time, either they will choose to disengage, or to engage in either play or conflict.
How can you tell what will happen? Watch the dogs and they will tell you through their body language. For example, ears back, a slightly lowered body stance, barely visible hackles on the shoulders, and a low tail may tell you that the dog is nervous about the meeting. Depending on the reaction of the second dog, the nervousness may be calmed, or it may be intensified. Learn and watch for your dog’s signals; his behavior will let you know whether he is comfortable in any given situation.
If dogs choose to disengage, respect their choice. Give them the opportunity for personal space. Encouraging dogs to continue to engage when they are setting good boundaries for themselves could lead to an avoidable conflict.
If the dogs decide to play, continue observing their behavior. Watch how they play. Does your dog seem to be enjoying the interaction? Does the other dog? Are they frequently changing positions, with one dog in charge or on top first, then the other? Sometimes this is hard to see. Try to notice if they seem to be taking turns. If your dog is not enjoying the play or if the play seems one-sided, you may want to separate the dogs and take your dog to another corner of the park.
If you see that the dogs are not happily greeting, you may be able to separate them before a conflict erupts. A cheerful, “Come” or “Let’s go!” can sometimes help give your dog permission to leave the situation. Please note: The timing of the “Come” will make a difference. If you call too early, your dog may not be able to make a graceful exit (and may choose to continue with the greeting rather than be rude or put himself in harm’s way). This is not a time to worry about whether your dog responds instantly to your call. Try calling again when you see a pause in the greeting ritual.
Play time gone bad
Some squabbles and dogfights can’t be avoided. But many can. An inappropriate play situation can lead to tension or a fight between dogs. It may also teach your dog to behave badly in future social situations. While it is important to give dogs the opportunity to deal with a variety of social situations, you want to make sure the “play” will not (as one dog trainer I know puts it) “send them to therapy.”
What can you do when you see that playtime is taking a turn for the worse? Get your dog out of the situation – immediately. Watch for four situations in particular: overly aroused dogs, bully dogs, pack behavior, and predatory behavior.
If you see the dogs are becoming overly aroused – getting so wound up that their play style begins to look less playful and more aggressive – it is very important to have them take a break from play. It may be that the dogs just need a little break, and then they will be ready to play again. Some dogs, like some children, get more active or wound up when they are tired.
If you know your dog is tired, or you see his arousal level going up, you may need to help him disengage. If you can’t have him take a break (for example, taking him to another part of the park while the other dogs continue to play), you may need to remove him from the park altogether. Letting tired dogs continue to play could result in them forgetting their basic manners, or ending up in a fight.
Beware, also, of dogs exhibiting bully behavior. Some young dogs do “test out” bullying. Usually, the dog will try out the behavior on one or two dogs, get firmly told off, and consequently modify his behavior.
Occasionally you may run into a confirmed bully at the dog park or other off-leash area. This dog may be uninterested in actual play, spending most of her time between scanning the park for potential victims and bullying those victims. When she does engage in play, she will always be the dog “on top,” rolling the other dogs to the ground or standing over them. She is often the first dog to rush toward any other dog-dog conflict in the park, seeking an opportunity to jump on whatever dog is on the receiving end of punishment.
If you see a dog exhibiting bullying behavior in a play area, keep your dog away! Bullies can and will create an atmosphere that can result in conflicts and even fights between dogs who would otherwise get along just fine.
If your dog has a tendency to bully other dogs – for example, if he continually “picks” on another dog or does not stop playing even when the other dog obviously wants to disengage – use caution in choosing playmates. Playing with other dogs that “allow” or tolerate the bullying could actually serve to reinforce your dog’s bully behavior. Ideally, you’d find dogs who will play with your dog, but who won’t tolerate bullying behavior. Let them teach your dog not to be rude!
Finding the ideal dogs to teach your dog manners may be difficult, however, and you may have to intervene instead. The type of intervention will depend on your dog’s age and the severity of the behavior. It could be as simple as a brief time-out each time the bully behavior begins. Or, it could mean a more involved behavior modification program. If your dog is behaving like a bully, consult with a behaviorist experienced in dog-to-dog interactions. Letting the behavior go unchecked may result in a dog who doesn’t get taken anywhere any more.
In addition, where groups of dogs congregate, watch for pack behavior. When dogs “pack up,” the rules of play change. It’s not just dogs who live together who will pack up, either; dogs who regularly play together at a dog park can form what I call “play packs.” A group of friendly dogs that get along smashingly well with each other can suddenly engage in conflict when a new dog enters the scene. In addition, one dog in a playgroup can sometimes become a target for the rest. Interrupt and extract your dog if a group of dogs begins to charge, chase, or pay extra attention to any single dog. Whether your dog is part of the pack, or on the outside of it, he could learn unwanted behavior.
Predatory behavior occurs when one dog reacts to another dog as if he is a prey animal. The result can be fatal, with the predatory dog trying to or succeeding in killing the other dog. Predatory behavior may simply be due to a momentary error; the dog who sees a cute fluffy little dog bouncing through an open field may think for a moment that it’s a bunny rabbit. In this case, the predatory dog may or may not do harm to the fluffy little dog. He may run up, discover it’s a dog, and immediately back off. Or, he may be in such a prey drive state that he doesn’t register the cute fluffy creature as a dog at all, possibly hurting or killing the small dog.
What behaviorist Jean Donaldson has referred to as “predatory drift” is a different type of risk for small dogs playing with big dogs. It occurs when a bigger dog suddenly, and seemingly without warning, reacts to a smaller dog when the small dog squeals or struggles when playing or fighting (out of excitement or because of a minor injury). It’s thought that an instinctive part of the big dog’s brain is triggered to kill the squealing “prey.”
Predatory drift could occur in an instant, even when two dogs know each other, like each other, play together regularly, or even with two dogs who are family members. The phenomenon is an uncommon but very real risk for any small dog who lives or plays with larger dogs.
Dealing with fights
Whenever you have dogs playing with other dogs, conflicts will arise. They may argue, or actually get into a full-blown fur-flying squabble. What should you do? Should you let them “work it out”? This is a judgment call and one that I believe should be approached with great caution – erring on the side of intervention.
Recently I observed a young dog getting picked on by a group of adolescent dogs at a park. The young dog exhibited calming signals and unsuccessfully tried to hide under a chair to escape the snarls, nips, and body slams of three bullies. Her guardian said she thought her young dog was overwhelmed and that perhaps it was time to leave. Another dog’s owner replied, “Oh no, you shouldn’t take her away. She needs to learn to work it out with the other dogs.”
This was not a situation in which the dog should have “worked it out” on her own – she was being mistreated by a group of bullies! She needed help and protection from her person. Left to her own resources, she may have been forced to either tolerate abuse, or resort to serious aggression to get the bullies to back off. Fortunately, her person had the good sense to leave, in spite of pressure from the other owners.
It’s difficult to know when to let dogs “work it out” and when to intervene. I’ve come up with my own loose set of guidelines. Trust your own judgment and err on the side of protecting your dog!
• If a dog admonishes another dog or puppy, the correction is administered quickly, fairly, and without doing harm, and the second dog responds by backing off, letting them work it out is okay.
• Sudden, quick disagreements that are over in a matter of seconds – and where neither dog shows any indication of wanting to continue the argument – may be okay. For example, if two dog friends are playing and suddenly have a minor squabble, disengage and start playing again, it’s probably safe to let them continue to play.
• I immediately interrupt any situation that seems to be escalating, separating the dogs. I would prefer to avoid any potential risk to my dog, especially if the other dog is unfamiliar to me, and I don’t know whether he has a hard or soft mouth.
• If a dog seemed to enjoy fighting with other dogs, I would not let him “work it out” under any circumstances, as it will reinforce the fighting behavior.
Finding the perfect playmates
Each time we take our dog friends to play with other dogs, we make choices that can either increase or decrease the likelihood of our dog having a positive experience. Consider carefully which dogs you will encourage your dog to play with, and which dogs you will avoid. Spend some time observing the dogs present before entering the park with your dog.
In addition, if you take your dog to a doggy daycare or a training class that incorporates off-leash playtime, be sure the instructor carefully selects playgroups. Make sure play style, age, size, and the number of dogs are taken into account.
I believe that it is our role to protect our dogs, even when it comes to play. This shows our dogs that we are in charge (so they don’t have to be) and helps build and maintain their trust. I also believe that we expect and encourage our dogs to live a lifestyle that demands our active participation to keep them safe. Remember: our dogs do not choose to live in the kind of crowded urban conditions that require them to get along with great numbers of new dogs – we bring them to those conditions. With that in mind, I’d like to add these thoughts:
• Always protect your dog in social situations. Provide him with safe playmates. Don’t force your dog to remain in social situations that are obviously uncomfortable. Watch out for rude dogs – dogs who invade your dog’s space or intimidate your dog. Step between them or move your dog away.
• Size does matter! Many dog parks have separate areas for small dogs and big dogs, and for good reason. Tiny dogs probably should not play with huge dogs, no matter how sweet or gentle the big dog is, nor how energetic and tough the smaller dog. Even the sweetest big dog can inadvertently hurt a smaller dog in play. The risk of predatory behavior and predatory drift is another good reason to avoid large dog/small dog play.
• Consider the dogs’ ages; similar energy levels and play styles are often associated with age. You shouldn’t put your twelve-year-old, arthritic dog in with a bunch of rowdy, body-slamming adolescents. On the other hand, a good mix of dogs, both older and younger, can help teach a young dog how to get along well with all sorts of dogs.
• How many dogs are present? Because dog parks are fenced, they protect dogs from cars and other hazards. But the fencing also provides a barrier that can inhibit a dog’s ability to create space from the other dogs. It’s important to evaluate whether there is adequate space for the number of dogs in the park.
Even in larger or open areas, some dogs may be happy meeting and visiting with a few dogs, but too many will cause stress. A dog may be comfortable greeting 5, 10, or even 15 new dogs in one outing. But 20 or 30 dogs may put him over the top. There is one large, open space dog park in our area that regularly hosts up to 30 or more dogs. This amount of stimulation may simply be too much for some dogs. Each dog has a different tolerance for meeting and greeting new dogs. Get to know your dog’s comfort level.
• The most important thing – know your dog. Learn her behavior cues and stress signals. Watch for them. Observe her body language. Look at her ears, tail, hackles, how she carries her body. Does it look like she’s having fun? Does it look like she’s trying to end the game or keep it going? Is she getting too wound up? Don’t wait until your dog is pushed too far. Pay attention to the early signals. Your dog’s safety and comfort depend on it. Know her social strengths and weaknesses. Just as with people, different dogs enjoy different games. Some dogs love nothing more than to get a whole pack of friends to chase them. Some dogs never run or wrestle with other dogs, but thoroughly enjoy cruising, sniffing, and marking around other dogs. Some dogs are flexible and can adapt to a variety of play styles.
Knowing how your dog likes to play is important when it comes time to choosing playmates. If you provide her with opportunities to play with appropriate partners, she will maintain her strengths and overcome her weaknesses. Learn how to stretch and expand your dog’s social skills in a way that will keep her healthy, happy, and playing with other dogs for years to come.
– Use dandelion as an adjunct to your dog’s fresh, wholesome, nutritious diet for best effect.
– Grow your own dandelion, and try it yourself!
– If a veterinarian has prescribed a pharmaceutical diuretic for your dog, ask her about slowly replacing the drug with dandelion, under her supervision.
There is no such thing as a stand-alone herb that serves every purpose; each herb in my medicine chest serves as an integral part of an interdependent health care system. However, there is a single herb that persists and flourishes in my memory, just as it does in the fields and gardens where it lives.
I’m not speaking of a rare plant, harvested under the supervision of an aboriginal medicine man from the primordial rainforests of South America. Nor is my favorite herb meticulously farmed in high-tech greenhouses under the scrutiny of horticultural experts. Much to the contrary. The herb I’m talking about is a common, and often-hated weed: Taraxacum officinale, the humble but lovable dandelion.
Dandelion offers a broad spectrum of medicinal and nutritional applications that can be freely accessed and safely employed by anyone. Contained within its leaves, roots, and flowers is a myriad of medicinal actions: diuretic, diaphoretic, cholagogue, alterative, astringent, antimicrobial, analgesic, immunostimulant, and nutritive, just to name a few.
Dandelion’s Long Use in Medicine
A native of Eurasia, dandelion’s use as medicine dates back thousands of years. It was introduced into North America by the earliest of European settlers, who revered dandelion as a “cure-all” tonic that could be propagated quickly and easily to help heal and prevent virtually everything from scurvy to cancer. Not long after its introduction into the New World, knowledge of dandelion’s healing attributes spread throughout many of the Native American nations, and soon the persistent yellow flowers were blooming from coast to coast.
Dandelion became known by physicians as “the official remedy for disorders,” and was incorporated into the U.S. Pharmacopoeia as a broad spectrum tonic and diuretic medicine in 1831. There it remained as an important part of the American pharmacy for nearly 100 years – but eventually, like so many other medicinal plants, dandelion’s mainstream spotlight began to dim with the birth of allopathic “miracle drugs.” Dandelion the wonder herb soon became just another darned weed.
Although it’s largely lost to conventional Western medicine, dandelion remains popular in herbal preparations throughout the world, especially in Europe and Asia. Despite the fact that it’s more versatile than many trendy herbs, dandelion remains relatively obscure in the modern marketplace, perhaps by virtue of its weedy abundance.
Instead of embracing dandelion as a healing ally, society’s collective awareness remains centered on a futile urge to eradicate it, and today dandelion’s greatest contribution to the American economy remains in the sale of herbicide intended to kill it. It’s not being marketed as an “herbal sensation” – after all, why would an herb company spend an advertising fortune to promote a plant that grows from cracks in the sidewalk? Regardless of market appeal, dandelion is one of the first herbs to consider when choosing remedies for your herb cabinet, especially if you intend to gather and process your own medicines.
Dandelion as a Nutritive
To begin an accurate assessment of dandelion’s deep-reaching medicinal attributes, we must first put healing into a whole body perspective.
All higher organisms maintain vital body functions within tightly knit parameters of systemic cooperation. A precise and balanced relationship between nutrition and elimination of waste is a critical part of this cooperation, and if a systemic excess or deficiency occurs that the body cannot correct through elimination, supplementation, or immune system intervention, it will try to compensate by shutting down a system or storing waste materials wherever it can. In other words, a state of “dis-ease” results.
Enter dandelion, one of the most complete plant foods on earth. A one cup serving of fresh dandelion greens will provide as much as 2000 IUs of vitamin A (1½ times the RDA for an adult human); 20 percent protein (double of what spinach provides); vitamins C, K, D, and B-complex; iron; manganese; phosphorus; and many other trace minerals. It’s also a rich source of potassium, which I’ll discuss more below.
All of these vital nutrients are conveniently contained within a single source, in quantities that the body can fully absorb. This means that dandelion will gently supplement the diet without overworking the liver and kidneys with excess vitamins and minerals (this is often signified by dark urine), a problem that sometimes occurs with the use of high-dose vitamin supplements.
Dandelion as a Bitter Tonic
Dandelion leaves also possess what herbalists call a “bitter tonic” principle. Bitter tonics have been well-known for centuries in Europe and Asia, where dandelion and other bitter greens are commonly consumed before a meal to stimulate the secretion of digestive juices (this is how the dinner salad was born). The idea is to “warm up” digestive metabolism before we ask the digestive system to go to work. When a small amount of a bitter herb is taken into the mouth, a sudden increase of salivation occurs. Meanwhile, as the bitter herb reaches the stomach, bile and other digestive agents are triggered into production. This results in less indigestion, better absorption of nutrients, and increased appetite.
The bitter principle is no secret to animals. If you have an opportunity to watch a deer as it begins its day of feeding, you will likely see it nibble at a few bitter plants before turning to the forage it prefers. Even many domesticated dogs and cats nibble bitters when afforded the opportunity.
Bitters are particularly useful in animals who have a chronic problem with indigestion. If your companion has frequent gas and/or passes food that does not appear digested, get him to chew a fresh dandelion leaf, or apply a few drops of dandelion tincture (the type made with glycerin are most palatable) onto his tongue.
Dandelion as a Diuretic
Dandelion is a safe but powerful diuretic and liver stimulant. Diuretics promote urine elimination; normal urination is critical to health. The efficiency of diuresis (the elimination of excess water and systemic waste) can mean the difference between life and death. Congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, arthritis, gall bladder disease, kidney stone – these are all imbalances resulting from the body’s inability to eliminate water and/or accumulated excesses.
In conventional veterinary practices, drugs such as furosemide (widely known under the brand name “Lasix”) are often used to pull excess fluid from the body and thus promote the elimination of accumulated waste materials. Pharmaceutical diuretics are fast-acting, easy to administer, and very effective, but they tend not to discriminate between what the body needs to keep and what it needs to lose. As a result of pharmaceutical diuretic therapy, the body often loses too much potassium – a crucial heart and brain chemical – through the urinary tract. In this event, potassium must be supplemented throughout the therapy.
Dandelion leaf, in contrast, contains its own rich source of fully assimilable potassium, which helps to replace what would otherwise be lost through urination.
Many contemporary herbalists (including medical researchers, physicians, and veterinarians) claim that when used as a strong tea, dandelion may be as effective as furosemide. And, unlike many other herbal diuretics that work largely by acid-induced kidney irritation, dandelion is very gentle and soothing to the kidneys.
The tradeoff is ease of administration and the time it may take for dandelion to start working. While furosemide can be administered in a little pill, a dandelion therapy involves getting your dog to drink warm tea or take a tincture extract (again, the aforementioned broth method works nicely).
NOTE: If your dog receives conventional pharmaceutical diuretic therapy, see a holistic veterinarian before seeking the dandelion alternative. But on the other hand, there’s no reason why your animal can’t benefit from dandelion’s replacement of potassium while eating it on his meals.
Dandelion is a Liver Tonic, Too
While dandelion’s leaves are very nutritive and diuretic, the root possesses its own usefulness as a safe, reliable liver tonic. The liver is the primary filtering organ of the body, responsible for removing toxins and excesses from the blood for elimination via the kidneys.
The liver also plays critical roles in digestion through its production of bile, bilirubin, and various enzymes. If bile ducts in the liver or gall bladder become congested, blocked, or otherwise diseased to the point of dysfunction, the body will invariably suffer one or more toxicity-related imbalances. Such imbalances may be characterized by symptoms such as jaundice, rheumatoid conditions, eczema, dandruff, or chronic constipation. And while dandelion leaf tea or tincture may help relieve the symptoms of such conditions through a nutritive/diuretic action, the root will work closer to the underlying causes.
Dandelion root has a proven ability to stimulate bile production and circulation throughout the liver. In one study involving dogs (bear in mind that I strongly oppose animal testing), researchers observed a three to four times increase in bile production after administration of dandelion root.
The gallbladder (which stores bile from the liver) is also stimulated, causing this small, hollow organ to contract and release bile into the digestive tract, thus aiding in digestion and acting as a gentle laxative to promote the elimination of solid waste. And in clinical studies using an over-the-counter preparation of the root, dandelion was shown to be effective in treating inflammatory diseases of the liver and gallbladder, including gallstones.
(But please remember: Most of these conditions are preventable, and improper diet is often the underlying cause. Although dandelion has been used successfully in the treatment of liver disease, it is best used at the onset of such conditions; and when adjustments to diet, environment, and the reduction of introduced toxins remains the primary course of therapeutic action. If your animal is in an advanced stage of liver or kidney disease, see your holistic veterinarian for guidance.)
Dandelion for Diabetes
The autumn-harvested root of dandelion is known to contain up to 40 percent inulin, a concentrated dietary fiber that is comprised chiefly of the carbohydrate (sugar) fructose. Inulin is easily assimilated by diabetics, and there is ample evidence to suggest it possesses insulin-like properties that may serve, at least to a limited degree, as an insulin substitute in insulin-dependent diabetic people and their animals.
Additionally, the fructose likely helps to maintain blood sugar levels, while the liver stimulating/diuretic actions of the root improves kidney function and the assimilation of needed nutrients. Many herbalists also believe that dandelion root strengthens pancreatic function; an action that may prove very beneficial in the maintenance of diabetic animals.
More Ways to Use Dandelion
Although not as powerful as goldenseal, dandelion does possess mild infection-fighting qualities and can be used as a gentle, soothing astringent/disinfectant wash. Unlike goldenseal, dandelion isn’t being wiped out in the wild by market demands. A weak decoction (a simmered tea) of dandelion leaves can be diluted in sterile saline (available in the eye care portion of your drugstore) and used as soothing eyewash for conjunctivitis and general eye irritations. Use ¼ teaspoon of the decoction diluted in one ounce of saline; a few drops in the eyes daily should bring relief. The solution will only keep for a few days, so mix it up sparingly.
The roots also have mild immunostimulant qualities – certainly not that of echinacea, but useful as the slight push to the immune system nonetheless. What dandelion lacks in the auto-immune department it makes up for in the form of powerful nutritive qualities. A well-fed body stands strong against infection.
The flowers of dandelion are known by herbalists to be high in lecithin and to have weak but useful analgesic qualities as well.
Identifying and Gathering Dandelion
Dandelion is frequently confused – even by experienced herbalists – with several other species of the sunflower family. And although we may hate to admit it, many of us have been fooled into using one of the look-alikes. The primary consideration to bear in mind when identifying Taraxacum officinale or any of its hundreds of variations is this: Dandelion has no branching characteristics, but instead grows in a rosette fashion, directly off of its taproot. And dandelion never has spines on its midrib, as does Lactuca serriola (“Prickly Lettuce”), which otherwise looks very similar when young. Although dandelion’s impostors likely won’t harm you, they won’t offer you dandelion’s benefits, either.
Gather dandelion greens in early spring for use in salads; they get bitter with age. Leaves intended for herbal teas and medicines can be gathered anytime, provided it is done in dry weather. Wet dandelions tend to develop mold while they are drying, so don’t wash them after picking! Shake them off and dry them on newspapers in a well-ventilated area, away from light. Then stir them often to prevent molding and store them in Zip-Loc bags only after they are completely, crispy dry. Gather the roots as late in fall as possible; this is when they contain the greatest concentration of beneficial constituents. Chop them up (I use a food processor), then spread them onto newspaper and dry with the same consideration you gave to the leaves.
If you wish to propagate dandelion (no, I’m not insane!), give them deep humus-rich soil, full sun, and be moderate with the water if you intend to use them for medicinal purposes. If table fare is your goal, give them lots of water and at least partial shade; this will produce larger, less bitter, tender leaves (but small roots). And you need not be a “closet” dandelion grower; organically farmed dandelion greens are showing up in health food markets and on gourmet menus everywhere. And they often sell for $3 or more per pound!
How to Use Dandelion
The first and foremost consideration in using dandelion as food or medicine is the cleanliness of the plants. Always make sure that the greens you feed have never been sprayed with herbicide. If they have, don’t try washing them; move on to another patch – you won’t have trouble finding more!
Aside from locating a clean source, supplementing your dog’s diet with dandelion is as simple as crumbling the dried greens onto his food. If that doesn’t work, or if you need to get nutrients into your animal more quickly, try making a leaf tea using organic, unsalted vegetable or meat broth in place of plain water. Plan on feeding your dog about a teaspoon of the dried herb for each 20 pounds of his body weight each day. If your companion is sensitive to changes in diet, then start him off with a little at a time.
When feeding dandelions to your dog, don’t forget yourself; dried dandelion greens can be used in place of parsley flakes, and the young fresh greens add a delicious bitter contrast to tossed salads. Try them with lemon.
A Safe Holistic Starting Point
Dandelion is “generally regarded as safe” by the FDA, and aside from any plant allergies, no toxicity or contraindications have been noted relative to its reasonable use.
All of what dandelion offers us plays directly into the entire scheme of what herbal medicines do best. Dandelion does not override the body’s functions, it gently assists them. When we use dandelion, we are not approaching the issues of nutrition and healing from a symptomatic approach (such as when we use dandruff shampoo for a symptom of liver dysfunction); we are addressing the whole body and what it needs to effectively heal itself. In short, dandelion is a very good whole body tonic.
In holistic healing, the first and foremost goal is to reestablish a state of harmonious balance within the body. To do this, everything must function as smoothly as possible. If the body is preoccupied with its duties to a congested liver, overworked kidneys, and a clogged, inefficient digestive tract, it cannot delegate enough healing energy elsewhere. Dandelion can help balance the body’s attention to these tasks. This plant is a persistent and forgiving ally that remains everywhere for us and our animal companions, just waiting to re-emerge as the guardian angel it truly is, despite everything we throw at it.
Greg Tilford serves as a consultant and formulator to hundreds of holistic veterinarians throughout the world, and is CEO of Animal’s Apawthecary, a company that develops herbal products specifically for use in animals.
– All dogs on boats need a flotation device for safety.
– When spending time at a beach, river, or lake shore, keep a life jacket on water-phobic dogs, dogs who don’t swim well, and dogs who swim to the point of exhaustion.
– Make sure that any PFD you buy has flotation material under the dog’s chin, and fastens around and across his chest.
When someone first mentioned doggie life jackets to me, I’ll admit, I giggled. Dogs can swim just fine, for goodness sake.
But then I started thinking about it. Actually, I’ve known some awful canine swimmers. F.B., my sister’s Hound-mix, was one of those dogs. When I was a teenager, I used to take F.B. and my dog (F.B.’s son) to the Yuba River. She liked going with us, and she waded in willingly, but we had to swim alongside her and push and pull her across the river, or she’d bob in place, kind of like a cork. She wouldn’t sink, exactly, but she never quite figured out how to go anywhere, either.
Then there was Bhakti, a genial Lab-mix belonging to a friend. No matter how much he swam, Bhakti looked like he was trying to climb out of the water. He kept his eyes squinted almost shut as a defense from the splashing his front paws made.
A life jacket, or “personal flotation device” (PFD) as the products are more accurately described today, would have undoubtedly helped F.B. and Bhakti. But poor swimmers are a rarity in the canine world. There are far more great swimmers who should be wearing lifejackets, too.
Any dog who accompanies humans on a water craft would benefit from a canine PFD. Dogs on sail boats, fishing boats, ski or race boats, and even canoes and whitewater rafts absolutely should have a life jacket on, for the same reason that even people who know how to swim should be wearing one – namely, that the conditions that caused the dog (or person) to fall into the water may also impair his swimming ability, or prevent his boating companions from getting him out of the water.
Accidents happen! And when a boat turns over, a dog can get hit on the head, injured by the boat, swept downstream, or knocked into rocks. If he’s wearing a life jacket, he’ll be kept floating long enough for someone to rescue him, even if he lost consciousness or the ability to swim.
Also, in the case of serious water accidents, any able person will surely be preoccupied with first rescuing the other human victims. A canine PFD gives a dog his best chance of surviving any maritime disaster.
Quality Life Jackets for Dogs
We rounded up every PFD for dogs we could find, including one that it was painful to spend money on, given its obvious inadequacies. We selected jackets in the “medium” size range, intending to use the same two 55-pound dogs to test each product. (Note:Tiny dogs – a group that might have greatest need of help in the water – are terrifically underserved by this product category.)
Our test dogs for this venture weigh the same amount, but are built quite differently. Paws, a Yellow Lab, is tall and lean, but with a deep chest. Jessie, a “shelter-mix,” is short and stocky, with a shorter body than Paws.
We were looking for products that were easy to put on even wet, wiggly dogs, and quick and easy to adjust for a secure fit. As the dogs walked around in the jackets, we also began to appreciate the designs that permitted easy and free movement, and were comfortable for the dogs whether they were swimming, running, sitting, or lying down.
As is often the case when buying specialty products, we were not terribly concerned about the price of the jackets. We figure, if a person needs one for her dog, she needs a good one, and will be willing to pay for a product that works long and well.
We tested each jacket on two dogs, necessitating several adjustments to fit. Paws was the only swim-tester, but he did his job thoroughly, jumping into a lake and swimming extensively with each jacket. All of the products but one helped hold him higher in the water than he was when swimming naked. He quickly learned that he could just relax and float in place when wearing a PFD!
PFD Review Results
RuffWear’s K-9 Float Coat was one of our top two selections. An exceedingly well-made product, it was also easy to put on the dogs quickly, and easy to adjust. A three-inch by two-inch tab of Velcro on the buoyant chest strap holds the jacket in place while you clip the plastic buckles together – one across the dog’s front and two around the girth.
At first, we were concerned for the dogs’ comfort when lying down, since the plastic buckles on the girth straps fasten underneath the dog. However, the flaps that go under the dog are padded, so even if he’s lying on a lumpy buckle, it shouldn’t bother him; it didn’t seem to bother our dogs.
All the lifejackets we tested had handles on the back for lifting the dog out of the water if need be. The handle on the K-9 Float Coat was easy to grab and lift the dog with, and positioned far enough forward that when we lifted the dog out of the water, he didn’t tip nose-down. A plastic d-ring is sewn under the handle for attaching a dog’s leash.
The handle on our other top selection, Outward Hound’s Pet Saver Lifejacket, is positioned slightly too far back on the coat. When you lift the dog out of the water, his nose tips downward and, if he’s anything like our test Lab, he’ll start to struggle. The leash d-ring on this coat is easier to clip a leash onto, however.
As with all our recommended PFDs, the chest strap on the Pet Saver is filled with buoyant material, to help keep the dog’s chin out of the water. This strap also has Velcro and buckle fasteners on the chest strap.
The section of the jacket that wraps underneath the dog also has a wide swath of Velcro, which not only helps keep the coat in place while you are adjusting the straps, but also helps keep the coat fitting snugly while the dog is in the water. One of our “not recommended” products had a similar design but lacked the Velcro, making the coat float off the dog in the water.
A final nice touch: two thin strips of reflective material along the back of the coat would make it much easier to find the dog if you were conducting a night rescue.
We found this jacket in numerous retail and online pet supply stores, for a very low price in some places ($10 – $20 at www.petguys.com).
Second-Best
As its name suggests, Northwest River Supplies specializes in river rafting and kayaking equipment, so we had high hopes for its “CFD” (canine flotation device). Some of its features were clearly inspired by human PFD technology. The coat had a handy zippered pocket on the back, large enough to hold a dog’s leash or some other small amount of supplies. Reflective tape on the straps would assist rescuers at night. And each of the plastic buckles has a “keeper” strap sewn in such a way as to prevent accidental release of the buckles.
Unfortunately, that keeper strap also makes it somewhat difficult to unfasten the buckles when you want to. On a person’s PFD, this might be a great safety feature; on the dog’s jacket, it makes things harder.
We found the handle to be a bit small, and harder to grasp when lifting the dog out of the water. Also, this jacket has no buoyancy material under the dog at all; only the straps pass underneath. Our test dogs seemed to appreciate the fact that this jacket was easier to walk, sit, and lie down in, but it doesn’t seem to provide quite as much flotation as our top picks.
On the plus side, the leash ring is quite large and easy to clip onto. Also, NRS includes a figure for the amount of flotation that is provided by each size of its jacket, something that we don’t quite get, but expect experienced boaters to appreciate.
It’s clear that a lot of thought went into creating the Fido Float, and its designers chose to do pretty much everything different from other products in this category. We appreciated some of its innovations, but had other nits to pick.
The good news: This jacket provides lots of under-the-neck flotation, without interfering with the dog’s movement on land or in the water. Also, the part that goes under the dog is a strong net-like material, so the dog can lie down comfortably, without pads underneath him. Handles are positioned at the dog’s nape and near his tail, for easy removal from the water.
What we didn’t like: Having to put the dog’s paws through the jacket’s armholes, and then zip it up the dog’s back. It was much harder to get the dogs to cooperate with this design. Once on, however, it was easy to adjust the fit. Speaking of fit, these jackets are all very long. This would be problematic for short-bodied dogs.
Not Recommended
Lotus Designs is another maker of whitewater rafting equipment, but its handsome Critter PFD was a disappointment. An elastic loop is supposed to hold the jacket’s belly band in place, but this came loose within moments of swimming. Thanks to the straps, the jacket stayed on, but with the belly band floating alongside the dog – not how it’s meant to work.
The Fido Pet Safety Vest is altogether mystifying. A minimal design provides almost no flotation, none under the dog’s chin, and not even a single strap across the front of the dog’s chest to keep it in place. Since the hind ends of dogs naturally sink lower in the water than their front ends, the vest stayed in place in the water . . . but slipped toward the dog’s rear end every time he got out of the water and walked around. In other words, a waste of money, with no safety to offer.
1. Make a reasonable assessment of your dog’s level of predatory behavior, and manage his environment accordingly.
2. Diligently practice training exercises that will specifically address the chase behavior challenges that your dog is likely to present to you. Provide him with appropriate outlets for his predatory/chase behaviors.
3. Don’t ever allow him to be placed in a situation where his predatory instincts can threaten the life of another human, especially a child. You risk his life, too, if you do.
Tiffany approached me shortly before the start of her weekly training class recently, clearly distraught. “Newton did something very bad this week,” she said.
My heart skipped a beat as I glanced down at Newton, the black and white Border Collie/Basset mix sitting calmly by her side. In my dog trainer brain, “very bad” usually equates with serious aggression to humans. Newton and his vivacious, committed owner are two of my favorite clients, and I didn’t want to hear that Newton had done something irredeemable.
“What did he do?” I asked.
“He chased and killed a bunny in my backyard!” Tiffany wailed. “My roommates and I were so upset. He dropped it immediately when I told him to, but it was too late, the bunny was dead!”
I breathed a silent sigh of relief, and reassured her that while I understood her distress, Newton’s behavior was natural and normal. Bassets were bred to chase rabbits, after all, and Border Collies were bred to chase things that move. More often than not when our dogs chase small beings like squirrels and rabbits, the little critters manage to escape. This poor bunny wasn’t so lucky, and Newton just did what dogs do.
Canine Predatory Instinct: Is It Aggression?
Our dogs’ predatory instincts are one of the things that makes them fun to play with. When you throw a ball or a stick and he chases it, you are triggering his natural predatory desire to chase things that move. In fact, some behaviorists argue that predatory behavior should not be called aggression at all – that it is more appropriately interpreted as a form of food-getting behavior.
Indeed, the motivation to chase prey objects is vastly different from other forms of aggression, which are based on competition for resources and/or self-protection. It is distinguished from other forms of aggression by a marked absence of “affective arousal” (anger), and is a social survival behavior, not a social conflict behavior. Predatory behavior is indicated by distinct behaviors: hunting (sniffing, tracking, searching, scanning, or waiting for prey); stalking; the attack sequence (chase, pounce/catch, shaking kill, choking kill); and post-kill consuming. The underlying motivation for chasing things that move is to eat them.
Dogs who challenge, bark, snarl, and chase skateboarders or joggers who pass the house are generally believed to be engaging in territorial aggression – individual predators don’t usually openly advertise their intent by making lots of noise (although anyone who has ever followed a pack of baying hounds knows that group hunting can be quite noisy!). Dogs who hide in ditches or behind bushes and silently launch their attack on unsuspecting passers-by are exhibiting more classic predator behavior. However, the frustration of restraint on a chain or behind a fence combined with constant exposure to the trigger of rapidly moving prey objects can push a dog from predatory behavior to real aggression. Both behaviors, of course, are dangerous.
Just because predatory behavior is natural doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable in its inappropriate manifestations. It was not acceptable to Tiffany and her roommates for Newton to chase and kill a bunny, and it certainly wasn’t acceptable to the rabbit. Predatory behavior has been responsible for the death of many unfortunate pet cats, rabbits, chickens, sheep, goats, and other livestock, and even humans. While it often can be expressed in harmless, even useful outlets such as games of fetch, retrieving ducks, and herding sheep, chase behavior can be dangerous to dog and prey alike. It is our responsibility, as caretakers for our canine companions, to be sure their natural predatory instincts don’t get them into trouble.
It’s in the Genes
It should come as no surprise that some breeds seem to have a much stronger predatory instinct than others. Dogs who were purposely bred over the centuries to chase and kill small animals are much more likely candidates for strong chase behavior than those with enhanced genes for lap-sitting. While there are exceptions in every breed and group, and any individual dog from Chihuahuas to Newfoundlands can display predatory behavior – or not; in general the following dogs are exceptionally likely to display strong predatory behavior:
■ Herding breeds (such as Border Collies, Kelpies, Australian Shepherds, Cattle Dogs, etc.)
Interestingly, because of the specialized purposes for which these dogs have been bred, many of these breeds will display parts of the predatory sequence of behaviors more strongly than others. The herding breeds have a strong stalk and chase behavior, but the kill-and-consume part of the sequence has been greatly inhibited. Sporting breeds are strong on sniffing, scanning, watching, and grabbing, but again, have been bred not to actually destroy the prey – they are supposed to gently bring it back.
The hounds are split into two groups. The scent hounds are built low to the ground, with long ears to catch scent particles. These dogs are very big on the sniffing and chasing aspects of the sequence. They may sometimes actually catch and kill, but it’s not their primary purpose. The sight hounds, on the other hand, are long-legged to enhance their ability to scan – to look for prey rather than finding it by smell – and to run after it, fast, when they see it.
Terriers have had the grab-and-kill part of the predatory sequence genetically enhanced, giving them a well-deserved reputation for a pugnacious personality. Their owners didn’t just want them to find the rats in the barn; they really wanted the dogs to kill the rats. Or, historically, in the sad case of the Pit Bull Terrier, people wanted the fighting Terriers to kill any opposing dog.
The Northern breeds have been the least genetically manipulated, which is why, in part, they most closely resemble their wolf ancestors. Thus they, and the unfortunate Wolf hybrid, are most likely to display the complete predatory sequence.
Manage Your Predator
As with so many other undesirable dog behaviors, if your dog has a strong prey drive, your first line of defense is management. Make sure you have a secure fence from which your dog cannot escape. Don’t leave him in the yard unattended if he will be constantly tantalized by lots of fast-moving prey objects, such as squirrels, deer, skateboarders, small children running and playing.
Use leashes and long lines to prevent your dog from taking off after deer, rabbits, and squirrels when you are on walks and hikes. Especially keep him on leash at dawn and dusk, when the deer and the antelope – and other small, wild things – are most likely to play. Look for ways to minimize his visual and physical access to prey in his own yard – a solid fence will prevent him from seeing things moving quickly by, and will prevent many potential prey animals (including small children) from entering easily. A non-visible underground electronic fence will not. Nor will a non-visible fence necessarily prevent him from leaving the yard if he is highly motivated to chase prey.
A muzzle can also be useful on a limited basis. Since muzzles restrict a dog’s ability to drink water and pant normally, you cannot leave one on your dog while you are away all day at work. But if he’s devastating the squirrel population in your backyard, or you want to give a litter of baby bunnies a chance to grow up and get wiser and faster, you can put a muzzle on him for brief fresh air/potty trips to the yard. Be sure to take time to desensitize him to wearing a muzzle first, by associating it with yummy treats while you put it on him for gradually longer periods of time.
Training for Instinct
You will never train most herding dogs not to chase things that move, given the chance. Similarly, you’d be hard pressed to convince many terriers not to go after rats and other small creatures when the opportunity arises. Their brains are hardwired to chase, and you can’t change that.
A slightly less imposing goal is to change the predatory response into an incompatible behavior response. For example, you could teach your Border Collie that the appearance of a deer is the cue to lie down. She can’t “down” and “chase the deer” at the same time. Or, as we taught our own Scottie, the appearance of your kitten could be the cue for your dog to sit at your feet. This type of training can be difficult because the dogs are so highly motivated to chase – it is quite a challenge to convince them that they’d rather do something else. You must find something highly rewarding in order to make it work. For our Scottie, it was food. For a Border Collie, it might be the opportunity to chase a tennis ball – after she lies down – instead of the deer.
This approach works best in your presence, and only if you practice it regularly rather than just expecting it to work in the heat of the moment. Although we are quite comfortable leaving our now-grown kitten alone with Dubhy, it was several months and several pounds worth of kitten-growth before we stopped shutting her in her own room when we weren’t there to supervise. You might not ever be able to expect that your Border Collie will leave the deer (or the skateboarders) alone if she is outside, unrestrained, and left to her own devices.
A solid foundation of good manners training can also be helpful, combined with vigilance on your part. If you are out hiking with Bess and see the deer before she does, you can call her to you and snap the leash on. Even if she sees it first, a really reliable recall will bring her back to your side, especially if you call her pre-launch, before she is headed hell-bent-for-leather after the fleeing deer.
A well-trained emergency “Down!” can also save the day, even if your dog is in full stride. Many dogs will “Down!” even when they won’t “Come!” because they can still watch the prey. Stopping the charge gives the dog’s arousal level and adrenaline time to recede, and you may be able to call her back from the “down” or calmly walk up to her and snap her leash on her collar.
Dangers of Thwarting
Dogs who have strong, hardwired behaviors are usually happiest if they are allowed to engage in those behaviors in some form. Greyhounds chase mechanical rabbits on the track – and while we abhor the abuse that is rampant in the Greyhound industry, there is no question that the dogs love to run and chase. Jack Russell Terriers are in heaven when they get to play in Earthdog trials. Our Australian Kelpie, Katie, gets a huge charge out of running circles around our horses in the pasture, even though they are impervious to her attempts to direct their movement.
In fact, if hardwired behaviors are constantly thwarted (prevented from occurring), you risk having your dog develop compulsive disorders. A canine compulsive disorder (CCD) is a normal coping behavior that becomes exaggerated to the degree that it is harmful to the dog. Some common examples are excessive licking, spinning, and tail-chasing. Some dogs are genetically predisposed to CCD, but it usually takes an environmental trigger – stress – to cause the behavior to erupt. The breeds known to have a high prey drive (see sidebar, “It’s in the Genes”) are often the most susceptible to developing stereotypical spinning behavior when kept in high-stress kennel environments.
If you are the owner of a dog with strong predatory inclinations, it behooves you both to find an outlet for the behavior rather than simply trying to shut it off. Encourage your dog to chase and fetch balls, sticks, and toys, and take the time to engage in several fetch sessions with him per day.
Use these strong reinforcers to incorporate training in your play sessions and strengthen your dog’s good manners. If your dog rudely jumps up and tries to grab the Frisbee from your hand, whisk it behind your back until he sits, then bring it out again, and only throw it if he remains sitting until you throw. You are using two of the four principles of operant conditioning here. The dog’s behavior – jumping up – makes the Frisbee go away, which is “negative punishment” – the dog’s behavior makes a good thing go away. When he sits and stays sitting, you throw the Frisbee. This is “positive reinforcement” – the dog’s behavior makes a good thing happen. Works like a charm.
If you have a Terrier, provide an outlet for his prey-seeking behavior by creating a digging spot – a box filled with soft soil or an area you have dug up where he is allowed to dig. Bury his favorite toys and encourage him to “Find it!” Toys that squeak and wiggle are especially suited to Terrier games.
Come Chase with Me!
One of the most useful applications of chase behavior is in conjunction with teaching your dog to come when called. Lots of dog owners make the mistake of moving toward their dogs – or even chasing after them – when they won’t come. In dog language, a direct frontal approach is assertive, even aggressive, and dogs naturally move away from it.
It’s much more effective to do the exact opposite – run away from your dog! Start playing chase/recall games when your dog is a pup. Get excited, call your pup, and run a short distance away. Let him catch up to you while you are still facing away from him, then turn sideways, kneel down (don’t bend over him), praise him, feed him a treat or play with a tug or fetch toy, and pet him (if he enjoys being petted; not all dogs do). If your dog is no longer a pup, you can still play this game to strengthen his response to the Come! cue.
Teach your dog from early on that “Come!” means “Chase me and play,” keep up the games as he matures, manage him so he doesn’t get to practice inappropriate predatory behavior, and find acceptable outlets for his natural chase behaviors. Using these tactics, you’ll have a much better chance of getting those incompatible behaviors later on when you are faced with the challenge of competition from real prey.
What About the Baby?
One of the very real concerns I hear expressed from new or soon-to-be parents is that of the family dog’s predatory behavior being elicited by the baby. There is some evidence to support the belief that at least some dogs may view an infant more as a prey object than as a little human. New babies move strangely, and make funny noises that can resemble prey distress sounds.
The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, published figures from the 25 dog bite-related fatalities in the two-year period from 1995 through 1996. Of those 25 deaths, 20 of the victims were children (80 percent). Three of the children were less than 30 days old, one was under five months, and 10 were from one to four years old. The remaining six child victims were under 11 years old.
It is likely that the three neonates and perhaps the five-month- old baby were victims of prey-related behavior, while the others were at least as likely to have somehow elicited a true social conflict/aggression attack.
I strongly recommend that all parents-to-be, but especially owners of dogs with strong predatory behavior who plan to bring an infant into the home, work with a trainer/behaviorist to desensitize the dog to the sights and sounds of a baby, and to create a good training and management plan to ensure that Fido and Junior will be comfortable with each other.
There are CDs and audio tapes of baby noises available to help with this process, which can be used to teach the dog that a baby’s cries are the cue to lie down on his bed – or do a Lassie trick and go get Mom or Dad.
It goes without saying that dogs should never be left alone with infants and young children, but that warning goes triple for dogs who have demonstrated any propensity toward predatory behavior. A family dog mauling or killing a child is a horrible tragedy that just doesn’t have to happen.
Note: “Sound Sensibilities: Babies CD” is an excellent desensitization resource created by dog trainer Terry Ryan.
There is no evidence that dogs can contract “mad cow disease” from eating food that was made from the rendered remains of an infected cow, say authorities from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Nor is there any evidence that people could contract the disease from a dog who ate dry dog food made from infected meat.
These concerns spread like wildfire among dog owners upon hearing the news that the rendered remains of a Canadian cow determined to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) ended up in dog food sold in the U.S. Humans cannot contract BSE. However, evidence suggests that a similar human disease, variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), a degenerative, fatal brain disorder first seen in 1994, can be caused by eating beef products contaminated with central nervous system tissue of BSE-infected cattle. There is no evidence that dogs can contract BSE or BSE-like diseases from eating BSE-infected meat products, but some felid species (including domestic and captive wild cats) have been shown to contract BSE-like diseases from eating BSE-infected meat.
BSE was first seen in cattle in 1986. Because of the long incubation period for both BSE and vCJD (up to 10 years) and because BSE appears to have evolved as a mutation from scrapie, an endemic spongiform encephalopathy of sheep and goats, fears that the diseases could be transmitted in as-yet unknown ways and/or to new species cannot be put completely to rest.
Close to home The eight-year-old cow at the center of the recent BSE scare was sick with pneumonia when she was slaughtered on January 31, 2003. A meat inspector from the Alberta Agriculture, Food, and Rural Development (AAFRD) department declared the cow’s carcass unfit for human consumption, and ordered a sample of the cow’s brain tissue to be taken – not because BSE was suspected (it wasn’t); routine surveillance testing for BSE calls for a certain percentage of all slaughtered cattle to be tested. The carcass was diverted to a rendering plant.
It took more than three months before the tissue sample was actually tested for BSE. On May 16, the CFIA was notified of preliminary test results indicating possible BSE; additional tests confirmed the results.
The CFIA immediately launched a two-pronged investigation to determine where the cow came from and where it went.
Looking backward Immediately before she was slaughtered, the BSE-positive cow lived in Alberta. Investigators “depopulated” the cattle in the infected cow’s herd, as well as other herds that the cow had lived with on other ranches. (Only a test of a dead cow’s brain tissue can confirm a case of BSE.) Test results were negative for BSE in all the cattle.
The CFIA also placed 17 additional herds of cattle under quarantine: 11 herds that the infected cow lived with previously, three herds that have contained the infected cow’s offspring, and three herds that have been determined to have been fed the same feed as the infected cow. Two of the quarantined herds are located in Saskatchewan, 12 are in Alberta, and three are in British Columbia. In addition, a goat herd that may have been fed the same feed as the infected cow’s herd has also been quarantined.
Although great strides have been made to trace the BSE-positive cow to her origin, as WDJ goes to press, the mixed-breed cow’s birthplace has not yet been determined. Genetic tests are being conducted to try to determine her origin. Six years ago, Canada instituted an animal identification program that facilitates tracing food animals; this cow pre-dates the system.
None of the quarantined animals have shown any signs of the disease; however, the BSE-positive cow did not exhibit signs of BSE at time of her slaughter, either.)
Following forward The CFIA traced the remains of the infected cow to a manufacturing plant, Champion Pet Food, in Morinville, Alberta. Initial reports from the CFIA stated that the lot of meat and bone meal containing the infected cow’s remains had ended up in chicken feed. This feed is being traced, and cattle that live on farms where the chicken feed was sent have been placed under quarantine.
Later, it was determined that the same lot of meat and bone meal had also been used in two dry dog foods for an American company, Pet Pantry International, of Carson City, Nevada, sometime between February 4, 2003, and March 12, 2003.
Pet Pantry is voluntarily recalling the foods. This action is being described as a precaution to prevent discarded dog food from getting mixed with feed for cattle, goats, or sheep; all ruminants are at risk of contracting BSE if they eat BSE-infected meat products.
Customers who purchased Canine Maintenance Diet with a “use by” date of “17FEB04” or Canine Beef with Barley with a “use by” date of “05MAR04” from Pet Pantry since February should check their supplies. If found, consumers are instructed to call the company at (800) 381-7387. The company’s foods are shipped directly to consumers, and the company is using its sales records to contact consumers.
Ready to switch to grass-fed? The preponderance of evidence thus far suggests that cattle get BSE only by eating feed containing central nervous system tissue from infected cattle, and that most humans get vcJD by eating meat products containing BSE-infected tissues.
These facts alone make grass-fed beef that much more alluring, for both human consumption and for feeding to our dogs. To date, neither BSE nor vCJD have been seen in dogs, but less than 20 years ago, the diseases had not seen in cows or humans, either.
1. Ask your dog-savvy friends about their favorite dog-friendly camping destinations.
2. Call campgrounds or park rangers before you go; rules regarding dogs may change from year to year.
3. Practice hanging out in a tent with your dog, in your living room or backyard. Working on this skill late at night in a cold, dark place when you are bone-tired is not ideal.
Camping is one of my favorite vacations. There is nothing better than heading out into the wilderness, sleeping under the stars and hiking your days away. And camping is one vacation that you can fully share with every member of the family, including your canine friends!
If I could take my dogs on a cruise ship, or if five-star luxury hotels catered to the needs of high-energy dogs, I might be more excited about those vacation options. But camping really is one of the few vacations that allows even the most boisterous of our four-legged friends to easily join us on the adventure. Plus, it’s a wonderfully inexpensive way to see the world – no hotel bills and no kennel or dog-sitting expenses.
Preparation is key to guaranteed enjoyment on your first few camping trips with your dog, however. I learned this about 20 years ago, on my very first dog-camping trip with my Border Collie/Lab cross, Charlie.
Charlie had come into my life only a few months earlier, but seemed to be the perfect dog for backpacking. He had energy and stamina and loved to hike as much as I did. From our many day hikes, his feet were tough and he was already used to wearing his dog pack.We headed out, following a deer trail up the Little Sur River in California’s Los Padres National Forest.
That night, I learned that hiking with dogs and camping with them can be two distinctly different activities. The biggest problem arose when he decided that my little tent was something to be avoided at any cost. Leaving him alone outside of the tent was not a safe option, and it was too cold and damp for me to sleep outside with him. I set to work convincing him that our tent really was an okay place to be. After what felt like hours of coaxing, he finally joined me inside the tent. Throughout what remained of the night, he woke me up by growling at every little nighttime noise.
Needless to say, neither of us slept much that first night. But we did see the raccoon family that came to visit at 3 a.m. and a doe with her fawn as they waded across the river shortly before dawn. And, that first sleepless night paid off. Charlie adapted quickly. By morning, he had learned to watch through the tent screen without growling, and he had discovered that my down jacket made a perfect dog bed. The next night he willingly followed me into the tent. From that time on, he was my champion backpacker and camper.
Charlie was my first canine camping companion and, in spite of that first sleepless night, he introduced me to the joys of camping with dogs. If you’ve camped with your dog friend, you probably know what I mean. You get to walk together, set up camp together, eat together, and even cuddle in the tent together. After being together every minute of a 24-hour day, you’ll get to know each other in a whole new way.
Of course Charlie also helped me realize that it would be much easier (and I’d be more likely to get a good night’s sleep) if I considered my dog’s needs before heading out on a camping adventure. A little preparation can really make the difference in everyone’s fun.
Dog-Friendly Camping Locations
Finding a great place that offers the experience you are looking for and allows dogs can sometimes be a trick. Many places have dog restrictions that limit access. One of the best ways to find a good spot in your area is to ask other people who camp with dogs. Ask your friends, the people who work at your local outdoor store or animal supply store, the folks who work in your vet’s office, or your dog trainer. You might be surprised at how many people know the perfect spot to camp with dogs.
In addition, check out camping guidebooks (try your local library!) or look on the Internet for information about camping in a specific area or park. Many guide sources will tell you if dogs are allowed, but if they do not, you can call the camp area and ask.
As a rule of thumb, National Forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Lands most often allow dogs. State parks, local parks, and private campgrounds vary from location to location. National Parks will often allow dogs in the actual campground, but usually ban dogs from any trails surrounding the campground.
Once you find a place in a guidebook or hear about a great spot through a friend, investigate a little further before you go. Rules and regulations about dogs are always changing. A place that accepted dogs last year might not this year. Call ahead and ask if dogs are allowed and if there is an additional fee for the dog. In addition, ask if there are any restrictions for dogs on the surrounding trails or beaches. It could be very disappointing if the only place you and your dog can hang out together is at the tent site.
Camping Comfort Levels for You and Your Dogs:
Not every dog (or person for that matter) will enjoy backpacking or other rugged adventures. But “ruffing” it doesn’t have to be too rough. You can make camping suit your comfort level, temperament, and lifestyle – from the wildest backcountry adventure to the tamest creature-comfort campground. All can be great fun with a dog, depending on your expectations and your level of preparation. One important note: While you can socialize and train most dogs to accept most situations, for infrequent vacations, you may want to choose a camping activity that will mesh with your canine’s personality.
If you’ve never been camping, how do you know what will fit your dog’s personality and temperament? Here’s a breakdown of a few different types of camping adventures:
Car Camping
This is a fun option for people who want an outdoor experience, but don’t have the interest or experience to rough it in the backcountry. When the weekend arrives, just throw a tent, sleeping bag, and a few dozen other essential items into your car and head off for a campground. For dogs, car camping is a great option because you can easily bring along all of their “stuff” – their comfy bed or crate, towels, grooming supplies, and even the Frisbee and tug toys. Car camping is an ideal option for older dogs and dogs with health limitations. During the day you can hike and explore the surrounding areas to both of your abilities and desires, and at night you return to the full comfort of a “tent city,” complete with running water, showers, and other comforts of home. Car camping in a busy campground, however, can be an unwise choice if you have a dog who is shy, aggressive, or particularly noisy. A dog who barks a lot will cause extra stress for you and aggravation for those camping around you.
Backpacking
Packing into a wilderness area is a great option for high-energy dogs and those of us who love to hike. Unlike car camping (where you can take whatever you can cram into your vehicle), backpacking forces you to take only what you absolutely need. It also takes a certain amount of “know-how” in terms of preparation. Many dogs who don’t do well in a crowded campground are relaxed and happy in the back country. Prepare your dog for backpacking the same way you prepare yourself, by getting into shape for the trip and getting your feet ready for hours of hiking. For dogs, that may mean working to toughen up their pads ahead of time, or getting them used to wearing booties.
Recreational Vehicles
On the opposite end of the spectrum from backpacking is traveling by RV. If you have a self-contained vehicle, you can pull off the road just about anywhere it’s legal, and still have most of the comforts of home. For dogs who are easily spooked by night noises, an RV offers a safe, quiet place to sleep.
Canoeing, Rafting, Bike Touring
Just about any traveling adventure can involve camping with your dog. If you are heading out on a wilderness boating trip, a little time spent teaching your dog to ride in the canoe, kayak, or raft can mean a fun adventure together. Small dogs can be taken along on bicycle trips by attaching a carrier to the rear rack. If you can dream of doing it with your dog, you can probably make it happen.
Preparing Your Dog to Camp with Training
Getting your dog ready for a camping trip can be as simple as throwing his bed and food in the back of the truck, or as extensive as spending weeks or months conditioning. It all depends on your dog’s experience and what type of trip you plan.
For dogs who haven’t been camping before, getting them used to the tent or camper ahead of time is a great idea – or you may find your first night anything but restful! Try setting the tent up in your living room or backyard for a few days and let your dog sniff and explore. If your dog is well socialized and adjusts easily to new situations, this may be all it takes. If your dog is a bit timid, you may want to specifically train your dog to sleep in the tent. (See “Getting Your Dog Used to a Tent,” below.)
One of the most common issues for dogs who are new to camping is the issue of nighttime noises. Some dogs will cower, growl, or bark at every rustle, bump, and bang – and not without reason. Camp noises are often the noises of wild animals. Many of our city dogs have not heard the chatter of a skunk or the rustle of a family of raccoons. So how can you help your dog settle in so that you both get a good night’s sleep?
First, have your dog sleep near you. I find that having a leash on my dog (and holding the leash while I sleep) is a good way to get a new dog used to the idea that you are still in charge, and they are still safe. Put your dog’s bed right next to you, near your head. Sometimes that’s all that is needed.
Second, make sure all of your dog’s basic needs are met. Make sure he has had lots of exercise, isn’t too hungry or thirsty, has gone to the bathroom, and is warm enough. A tired, well-fed, and comfortable dog is more likely to sleep soundly.
Third, try a socialization program specifically designed to help your dog get accustomed to being in the wild and the night noises that go with it. Start by taking regular walks in the woods or other wilderness areas. Visit different places so that your dog becomes comfortable anywhere, not just in one location. Once he is happy about his wild walks and relaxed about daytime noises, extend your outings to include picnics or other “hanging out” time. Start taking walks at dusk, when the animals and noises are at their height.
Fourth – and this is for the dog who really cannot settle! – plan on turning your first few nights camping into training sessions. Have great treats available. Try simply giving your dog a treat each time you hear a noise. Have your dog learn his “spot” in the tent. Offer the kind of reassurance that works best for your dog. For some dogs that may mean calm words; for others, a no-nonsense cue such as “go to bed” helps them feel safe. Teaching your dog to tolerate nighttime noises may seem like a lot of work, but it will be worth it when you can share years of camping fun with your dog friend.
You may also want to do a little daytime training to help him learn the camping ropes. Give your dog a place in camp to hang out. Show him his place and make it a pleasant experience by giving him a pleasant chew or stuffed Kong.
If you are in a crowded campground, help your dog understand that other campers passing by are friendly. Greet people with an upbeat tone and give your dog treats for remaining calm and quiet. You may even want to enlist the help of friendly campers, asking them to give your dog a few treats, too. Be sure to help your dog feel safe in his new environment by letting him know what is expected from the start. When your dog knows that you will be in charge in this new and exciting place, he will be much more likely to settle in.
How to Get Your Dog Used to a Tent
Dogs who have never slept in a tent may be nervous the first time. Use these tips to get your dog used to the tent – before you hit the camping trail.
1. Set up your tent in a place familiar to your dog (your backyard or even your living room floor). Let your dog freely sniff and explore the tent.
2. Put your dog’s bed or a familiar blanket or towel inside the tent. Crawl inside with a handful of your dog’s favorite treats. Call your dog into the tent and give him a treat.
3. If he is reluctant to go into the tent, or nervous about being inside it, let him come in and go out at will. Give him lots of great treats each time he volunteers to go inside. Take it slow and don’t force the issue. With you on the inside, he will quickly learn that the tent is a fun place to be.
4. When your dog is comfortable entering the tent, have him lie on the blanket or bed inside. Give treats for settling onto the bed. Repeat this several times, leaving the door to the tent open so he can go in and out easily.
5. When your dog is happy entering the tent and knows his place (on the bed), have him come inside with you and close the tent flap. Hang out for a while. Read a book or do a crossword puzzle. Give your dog a wonderful chew or a stuffed Kong to encourage him to hang out.
6. Teach your dog from the start that the tent is a place to be quiet and calm, not a place to play or get rowdy. This will save you a few headaches later!
Some dogs take to a tent right away, while others may be timid or even frightened. If you don’t know how your dog will react, take it slowly and offer praise and rewards for each small success. Soon your dog will figure out that the tent is just another great place to hang out with you, especially at night when it’s cold outside.
What Dog Camping Gear Do You Need?
When you camp, what you bring is all you have, so advance planning is needed to make certain you and your dog are comfortable. Your dog’s needs fall into a few categories:
Shelter and Sleeping Gear
A good shelter and a comfortable bed are essential ingredients for every camping adventure. I highly recommend that you have your dog sleep with you in your tent or RV, rather than leaving him alone outside or even in your car. He will be more comfortable, protected from the elements, safe from predators, and less likely to be riled by night sounds if he sleeps near you. If you are car camping or backpacking, you and your dog will need a good tent.
A caveat: Dog claws are hard on tent floors. Some of the best, lightest backpacking tents are most vulnerable to dog claws. You can extend the life of your tent by teaching your dog not to scratch at the floor, and by covering the floor with other gear so he walks and sleeps primarily on the bedding. Towel off a dog’s paws before he enters the tent. And, if your dog might race out of the tent, be sure to snap your dog’s leash on before you open your tent door to exit, especially in the middle of the night! There is nothing worse than having your dog charge off after an animal in the darkness, when other campers are around and you don’t want to yell!
If you are car camping or traveling by RV, bringing along your dog’s regular bed or sleeping crate can add to his comfort level, which can mean a good night’s sleep for you both. On backpacking trips, you can bring a lightweight dog bed or have your dog share your sleeping bag. Your jacket or parka can also double as a dog bed if you don’t mind dog hair.
Protection from the Elements
Your dog will, of course, need his basic fur coat for protection. Will he need additional camp clothing? For cold weather or heavy rain, consider bringing a sweater or coat for your dog. For warmth and comfort, those made from fleece are a good choice; for wet weather, a parka made of Gore-Tex or treated nylon can offer good protection.
Food, Treats, and Water
The basic rule of thumb for feeding dogs while camping is to give them the same food that they generally eat at home, and usually in the same quantity. The exception is if you are planning (and getting your dog into shape for) a strenuous excursion. Your dog may need extra energy for backpacking, sledding, or skijoring. Don’t forget to include your dog’s favorite training treats in with your supplies. Even if your dog is a camping veteran, you could encounter a new or unusual experience that would benefit from a few training sessions.
Camping generally involves lots of activity, so your dog may need to drink more water than usual. If the area you are heading to doesn’t have a drinking water source, carry or purify enough water for your dog, too. If you can prevent it, don’t let your dog drink straight from rivers, streams, or other natural water sources; dogs are as susceptible as humans to waterborne diseases such as giardia.
Grooming Supplies
Ticks, fleas, burrs, mud, and other natural things will find your dog when camping, no doubt about it. If you are car camping, bring along a brush, flea comb, towel, and a dry or wet shampoo. In addition to your regular flea or tick protection, consider adding some type of protection from biting insects such as mosquitoes and biting flies. If you are backpacking, you may choose to travel light and take a minimum of grooming supplies. But definitely leave a towel, shampoo, and extra water for grooming at your vehicle – just in case you need to clean off your dog before a long drive home.
Leashes and Other Restraints
You will need to have a regular leash and a flat collar for your dog. Even if you are going to an area where your dog is allowed off-leash, he may need to be restrained part of the time; you never know when you might meet up with a mama skunk and her babies on the trail! You may also want to bring an x-pen or crate to keep your dog confined while in camp.
Other Essential Camping Gear for Dogs
A food and water bowl, dog pack and booties, toys and balls, your clicker and treat pouch, sunscreen and insect repellent (for dogs), and health certificate or proof of vaccinations are all good ideas. Don’t forget to bring along plastic bags or a pooper-scooper. Even if you are traveling into the wilderness, it’s best to clean up after your pooch. (Note: If you are burying your waste, it’s usually okay to bury your dog’s, too. Don’t leave it exposed to contaminate the environment.) In addition, be sure to bring along a first aid kit with supplies for your dog, as well as for you.
Any time you travel, make sure your dog wears identification that includes a number that can be reached when you are away from home (like a cell phone or a relative’s phone number).
Fun for You, Fun for Your Dog
Camping is fun, and spending time with our dogs is fun. When you combine the two, the good times multiply. Special canine camping activities add to the enjoyment. Of course, hiking tops the list. After a great camp breakfast, setting out for a day of hiking and exploration can be a great time for you and your dog. But other activities and games lend themselves to camping adventures, too. Fetching sticks, balls, and Frisbees is always enjoyable, and a great way to wear out your dog so you can relax in camp, watch the birds, or snooze in the shade.
How about doing agility, wilderness style? You can teach your dog to hop over low branches, walk across logs, and climb up a rock “A-frame.” Think about a game of “find it” or “hide and seek.”
Perhaps the greatest enjoyment is that camping allows me to live a little more like my dogs and to see the world through their eyes. When I camp, I wake up with the sun, eat when I’m hungry, walk and explore just for fun, and rest when I’m tired – just like dogs do, most days! Sharing the experience with my dog friends is a great way for me to remember to simplify and take life a little slower. My dogs remind me to notice my surroundings and encourage me to stay in the moment. Truly a great way to spend a vacation!
Mardi Richmond is a writer, dog enthusiast, and trainer in Santa Cruz, California. She is the co-author of Ruffing It: The Complete Guide to Camping with Dogs, which is undoubtedly one of the most complete resources on camping, hiking, and other outdoor adventures with dogs.
Tamara McFarland, a dedicated vegetarian, spends several hours each week cooking up giant pots of barley or whole grains. She adds chopped tomatoes, avocados, sprouts, and other vegetables. Or she’ll try different kinds of rice, wheat bran, or oatmeal. But no matter the mix, she and her three dogs love the meals.
Oh, didn’t we mention that? Her three dogs are vegetarians, too.
McFarland – who recently went vegan, which means she eats no dairy, eggs, or flesh – is one of a growing number of dog owners who think that a meatless diet is right for their companions. She transitioned her dogs to a vegetarian meal plan a few months ago after extensive research convinced her it could work.
“I found enough information out there that I thought it would be safe,” says McFarland, the executive director of Friends for Life Animal Rescue in Eureka, California. “I could tell it would be more work than just feeding high-quality dry food, but I decided it was worth it. If I cared enough for my convictions and thought it was safe for my dogs, why not do it?”
She says her dogs – Hazel and Otis, who are 4-year-old Weimaraner mixes, and a 7-year-old Rottweiler mix, Rowdy – are doing very well on the diet. She says Hazel had always been a picky eater until she began eating vegetables – “I think for her it’s more than the taste, it’s the variety” – and Rowdy has shed a few extra pounds.
For some owners, like McFarland, feeding their pets vegetarian fare is a choice based on ethical beliefs. Horror stories about inhumane treatment of slaughter-bound animals are perennially leaked from the meat-packing industry, and many people are loath to support those processes, even through dog food. For others, its about health; they fear that the meat that finds its way into commercial dog foods may pose health risks to their pets.
It’s long been known that some of the meat found in pet foods (especially low-cost products) comes from animals that are known as “four D”: dead, dying, diseased, or disabled animals unfit for human consumption. Chicken legs marred by tumors, for example, can’t be sold at your supermarket meat counter – but they can provide fodder for dog food.
In addition, many meat-based pet foods contain trace amounts of the same hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that are found in commercial meat products for humans. People who avoid such substances out of concern about potential health problems may want their pets to avoid them, also.
Not obligate carnivores
Still, at first blush, the idea of a dog feasting on tomatoes and rice might seem ludicrous. There’s a pervasive notion that dogs are carnivores and require meat for optimal health. However, that conventional wisdom doesn’t hold water, say some veterinarians.
“Dogs originally were carnivores, but we’ve evolved them to be omnivores,” explains Jean Dodds, DVM, an expert in canine nutrition and holistic medicine based in Santa Monica, California. “It’s possible for a dog to be a vegetarian, just as it’s possible for humans to be.” (The same cannot be said of cats, who are true obligate carnivores.)
Also, the belief that there are certain proteins that can be found only in meat is a fallacy.
“All meat and vegetable proteins are broken down in the gut into amino acids; it’s the amino acids that are absorbed,” says Tony Buffington, DVM, Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at the Ohio State University Veterinary Hospital. “It doesn’t matter where the proteins come from, and most vegetarians are very good about combining foods to create complete proteins.”
Allergic to meat
In fact, for some dogs – namely, those who have allergies to meat or other problems with a meat-based diet – vegetarian can be the best way to go. For example, Dr. Dodds recommends a vegetarian feeding plan for dogs suffering from inflammatory bowel disease.
“For bowel disease we use black-eyed peas or beans as a good protein source, multivitamins, plus a basic cereal (home-cooked rice or unusual grains, like flax, quinoa, and so on). Our classic inflammatory bowel disease diet would be a ratio of two-thirds white potatoes mixed with sweet potatoes or yams, with the other third (comprised of) vegetables with fish or eggs, cheese, black-eyed peas or beans, and a multivitamin,” describes Dr. Dodds.
Bones do, however, provide key nutrients that might be difficult to obtain in sufficient quantities in a completely flesh-free diet, says Dr. Dodds. As a compromise, some owners add supplements or feed their dogs a mainly vegetarian diet but include raw, meaty bones.
“That’s especially important for young, growing animals,” says Dr. Dodds. “I’d be a nervous if a large-breed, rapidly growing puppy were to go completely vegetarian.”
Covering the bases
Vegetarians, especially vegans, know it can be difficult and time-consuming to prepare well-rounded meals for themselves. It requires just as much work to give your dogs a healthy diet – and despite your best efforts, you can still leave gaps.
To fill the void, owners often turn to supplements. Dr. Buffington uses vitamin/mineral supplements intended for humans; “I usually use the one for 2- to 3-year-old children, but for a big dog an adult level is fine,” he says. Some companies have begun marketing canine-specific additives in liquid or powder form that can be mixed in with your dog’s meals to help shore up nutritional requirements.
James Peden owns Harbingers of a New Age, a company in Troy, Montana, that makes and markets the VegeDog supplement. He says adding nutrients to your dog’s diet is essential.
“Dogs have such different nutritional needs,” he explains. “If you feed them a vegetarian diet without supplementing it, chances are they won’t have enough minerals to keep their bones strong.”
Peden, a longtime vegetarian, created a supplement called VegeCat in 1986 after doing a year of research on animal nutrition at the University of Oregon at Corvallis. Shortly thereafter, he developed VegeDog.
“There were a little over 50 nutrients we’d try to meet requirements for,” he says. His findings were based in part on the National Research Council’s nutritional tables for dogs, published in 1985. He’s planning to update his formula when the new tables are published this year, he says.
Help is available
But while supplementation might help fill some gaps, it still can’t guarantee optimal nutrition. Some vets fear that a vegetarian diet, even coupled with supplemental vitamin and mineral pills, will fall short. And shortfalls in nutrition might not be readily apparent in the dog’s health. Dogs can adapt very well to a poor diet, says Dr. Buffington, whether it’s meat-based or vegetarian. He recalled once offering a colleague, whose dog was on a cottage cheese and rice diet, a vitamin and mineral supplement that he’d designed. When he asked how her dog was doing, she told him the animal was in great health. He observed that the dog must only have been on the diet a short while. “Oh yes,” she replied, “only about four years.”
Which goes to show that dogs, he says, can survive on just about anything. “There’s so much biological adaptivity built into the species that they can deal with almost anything we do to them, nutritionally,” he says. And that makes it hard to tell if your dog is really getting what he needs in his diet.
One valuable tool for helping dog owners put together a complete and balanced meat-free diet for their dogs is Home-Prepared Dog and Cat Diets: The Healthful Alternative, by Donald R. Strombeck, DVM, Ph.D. (1999 Iowa State University Press). Dr. Strombeck practiced as a small animal clinician for more than 40 years, and is professor emeritus at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. He has received numerous awards in his career, including the Ralston Purina Award for research excellence for his work in gastroenterology.
In the preface of his book, Dr. Strombeck says that diet is the most important consideration is a pet’s care, determining both health and life expectancy. Further, he says, the pet food industry “believes that average owners cannot prepare and feed their pets a complete and balanced diet. Unfortunately, commercially prepared diets are not always complete and balanced, and just as important, they offer no choice about quality and wholesomeness, which are of the utmost importance.”
Dozens of complete and balanced diets that dog and cat owners can prepare at home are published in the book, each formulated by Dr. Strombeck, and each listing the diet’s caloric, protein, and fat content. This includes a number of vegetarian diets, as well as diets specifically formulated to benefit animals with special health considerations, including young animals and pets with skin problems. He also offers diets that can help with the management of gastrointestinal, renal, urinary, endocrine, heart, pancreatic, and hepatic disease.
Help in formulating a complete, healthy diet for your dog can also be obtained from university veterinary colleges. Some, including the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of California, Davis, will actually customize a diet for your dog’s needs, for a reasonable fee ($100). You have to seek this option through your veterinarian, however. For more information about the program, call the small animal hospital at (530) 752-1393 and ask for “Nutrition Services.” Or see vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/services/nutrition/nutrition.html.
Do vegetarians live longer?
It’s easy to find owners who say a vegetarian diet results in great health improvements in their dogs. McFarland says Hazel, one of her Weimaraner mixes, hasn’t had a flare-up of her arthritis since switching to a meatless diet. Peden relates how his Yorkie, adopted two years ago, slimmed down from a hefty 17 pounds to 11 pounds and overcame extreme halitosis. And some credit unusual longevity to a diet focused on greens and grains.
Stephanie Burns of Traverse City, Michigan, celebrated her dog Tykie’s 24th birthday on March 15, 2003. The 25-pound, Terrier/Schnauzer/Husky mix has been the recent subject of the media spotlight, earning mentions nationwide as one of the oldest dogs in the United States. Burns credits Tykie’s diet – he’s been a vegetarian since he was 8 weeks old – and plenty of exercise as the keys to his longevity. And in addition to being old, she hastens to add, he’s still healthy.
“His eyes are clear, his bloodwork is perfect, he has no tumors,” she says. “He’s deaf, so I have to use sign language, and he has a little arthritis, but other than that he’s in great shape.”
Tykie’s typical diet includes rolled oats and bulgur wheat, shredded carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and ground nuts. Burns also adds a variety of enhancements including molasses, ginger, garlic, lecithin, yeast, flaxseed, and wheatgrass.
A pooch thought to be the oldest dog in the world – a Border Collie in England named Bramble, said to be 27 in news reports last summer – is a vegan.
But all the owner testimonials in the world won’t convince Lisa Freeman, DVM, an associate professor of clinical science at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition (ACVN). Freeman is a vegetarian herself but doesn’t recommend vegetarian diets for dogs. “There are lots of anecdotal reports, but it’s very easy to point out examples of anything,” she says. “What really needs to be done is a scientific study.”
A 14-year study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (May 1, 2002) did find that a calorie-restricted diet in dogs resulted in an increased median life span. The study did not examine vegetarian diets, although proponents of plant-based diets are quick to point out that they tend to be lower in calories than diets that incorporate meat.
This brings up a final caution for owners considering going green: There are no formal studies that examine vegetarian diets over the long haul. And informally, commercial, meat-based foods have been tested in the real world much more extensively than vegetarian diets.
“Commercially prepared (meat-based) diets in the United States are tested on 60 million dogs a day,” says Dr. Buffington. “Vegetarian diets are probably tested on 6,000 or 60,000 or whatever, so there’s an order of magnitude there. We know more about the effects of commercially prepared foods than we do about vegetarian food.”
While there are plenty of caution signs out there when it comes to feeding your dog green, owners like Tamara McFarland and Stephanie Burns are convinced they’re doing the right thing. In fact, spurred by numerous requests about Tykie’s diet after he became famous, Burns is planning to market her own line of ready-made, vegetarian meals for dogs.
Meanwhile, McFarland is making up another batch of barley. She says switching her dogs to a meat-free diet has been one of the best things she’s done for them.
“I’m definitely happy I did this, and I think the dogs are happy too,” she says. “They really seem to enjoy it and are the better for it.”
C.C. Holland is a freelance writer from Oakland, CA, who enjoys applying what she learns about canine health and behavior to her own mixed-breed dog, Lucky.
1. Use integrated pest management techniques, rather than pesticides, to control fleas in your environment.
2. Work to strengthen your dog’s immune system, to engage his natural resistance to fleas.
3. Use gentle herbal supplements and rinses that help promote your dog’s healthy skin and coat.
Summertime – a season of outdoor fun, warm nights, plenty of sunshine, and fleas.
Although they prefer a warm, humid climate, fleas can thrive virtually anywhere, even places where they seemingly have nothing to eat. When food (like your dog) is not available, fleas will feed upon the bodies of each other as they lay in wait for a larger meal, nestled within the ground covers, carpets, and cracks they call home.
These tough, relentless survivors spend most of their time in the environment, not on the actual host – which is exactly why so many conventional anti-flea treatments don’t work well in the long term. Most conventional approaches to flea control involve killing the tiny ectoparasites where they feed – on the dog. However, many people remain unaware of the possible downsides of using chemical insecticides on their pets. After all, these are products that are freely offered over-the-counter at pet stores, grooming salons, and across the front desks of veterinary clinics – they must be safe, right?
Unfortunately, they are not as safe as one might think. How could they be? After all, we are talking about chemicals powerful enough to kill an ancient, highly adaptable parasite that has survived, and will continue to survive, beyond the extinction of thousands of host species.
Many of the most widely used commercial flea killers on the market are very effective poisons with long-term effects that remain unknown or are seldom discussed. This includes many of the popular anti-flea remedies that are absorbed through an animal’s skin. These products are toxic enough to require manufacturing employees to be outfitted with respirators and protective clothing. Warnings against skin contact are printed right on the labels, based from caution that is derived from animal testing – yet millions of people feel comfortable with allowing these chemicals to course through a dog’s body and impregnate every inch of their dog’s skin.
Other conventional approaches to providing dogs with some relief from flea bites include medicated shampoos, corticoid ointments, or corticosteroid therapies. The problem is, Prednisone and other corticosteroid drugs don’t just suppress uncomfortable itching and inflammation, they suppress the immune system as well. Add to this the possible long-term side effects of water retention, hypertension, liver damage, thyroid dysfunction, obesity, and heart attack, and suddenly the corticosteroid option doesn’t sound so kind.
The Whole Dog Approach to Flea Removal
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.
Strengthen Your Dog’s Health for Better Flea Resistance
If your dog’s body is overburdened with problems of poor digestion, inadequate waste elimination, over-vaccination, or food allergies, his immune system’s ability to deal with fleas and their saliva will be greatly reduced. This is why properly nourished dogs with well-balanced immune systems aren’t bothered by the bites of fleas.
In many cases, switching from kibble to a raw or home-cooked diet will bring a world of positive change to dogs who suffer from flea allergies. Changing the type of meat you feed and weeding out allergens from the diet can bring quick positive results. Common food allergens include grains, yeast, soy, and synthetic preservatives.
Supplementing your dog’s diet with a well-balanced essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement is also important. In fact, EFAs may be the most important of all dietary supplements for flea allergy sufferers. The Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids contained in fish and vegetable oils play critical roles in how your companion’s immune system responds to the introduction of flea saliva and other antigenic compounds that enter the body. EFAs are also important in building a strong, healthy, flea-resistant skin and coat – making the feeding ground less attractive to hungry opportunists.
Probiotics (Bifidus, Acidophilus, etc.) and digestive enzyme supplements are also strongly indicated for flea sufferers. These two groups of supplements assist the transport of nutrients throughout the body and the breakdown and removal of waste materials that might otherwise contribute to food-related allergies. Among the best products I’ve seen is the new Plant Enzymes & Probiotics Supplement for Dogs & Cats by Animal Essentials, which combines both supplements into a concentrated, easy-to-feed powder. (Note: I have served Animal Essentials as an independent contractor, but do not receive any compensation for this product.)
Treat Your Environment for Fleas
Remember, fleas spend about 80 percent of their time not on the host, but in the surrounding environment. Furthermore, flea eggs can remain dormant for several months. This means that you must be relentless at hitting them where they sleep and reproduce. (See “Eliminate Fleas Without Poison: Integrated Pest Management,” March 2002, for more information on this topic.)
There are also several herbal products available that can be applied to the dog’s bedding, carpet, or outdoor areas to help repel or even kill fleas. Look for those that contain oils and/or extracts of juniper, citronella, eucalyptus, cedar, Canadian fleabane, or citrus oil (the latter two contain d-Limonene, which can kill fleas).
Herbal Support as a Flea Deterrent
A small pinch of garlic powder can be added to your companion’s food to help support the immune system, skin, and liver – systems that work overtime to weed out and eliminate allergens. However, contrary to what some people believe, garlic should not be fed in quantities so great that garlic odor exudes from your dog’s skin. This is not only an unnecessary waste of garlic, it can be harmful to your dog, especially if continued over an extended period. Just use a pinch of garlic powder – Rover does not need to smell like a delicatessen to benefit from this herb!
Also, try adding apple cider vinegar to the animals’ water dish – some people swear by this, as it may add some nutrients that help the animal deal with the fleas. Animals supplemented with B-complex, trace minerals, and zinc also seem to have fewer problems with fleas.
Alterative herbs, such as burdock root (Arctium spp.), Dandelion root (Taraxacum officinale), or Red Clover (Trifolium pratense) may also be used to help eliminate waste and allow natural defense systems to work more freely toward coping with flea bites. I like using these herbs in the form of a low-alcohol liquid tincture, which can be added to the food according to the manufacturer’s directions, or squirted directly into the dog’s mouth.
Nettle (Urtica spp.) is one of my favorites for treating any type of allergy (see “Prove Your Nettle,” May 2003). The dried herb (easily accessed at the health food store) can be sprinkled onto your animal’s food to lend nutritive support. One-half teaspoon of the dried herb for each cup of food fed is a good amount.
Nettle is also thought to reduce the severity of an allergic response. If your animal won’t eat dried nettle, you can steep it in hot water or salt-free meat broth, which is then added to your companion’s food.
If flea bite allergies are severe, itching is persistent, and the skin is red and inflamed, licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) can be used as an internal anti-inflammatory (see “Licorice Soothes and Heals,” January 2003).
To help relieve itching and promote healing externally, a calendula flower rinse is a good choice, as is aloe juice, which can be diluted with four parts water (e.g., 1 cup aloe juice to 4 parts water). Dried peppermint or lavender flowers may also be added to bring relief as well.
To make the rinse, simply brew a strong tea from the dried herbs of your choice (¼ cup herbs to one quart of boiling water), let steep until cool, then pour the cooled liquid into your companion’s coat. If scratching has left oozing, infected scabs, yarrow (Achillea spp.), rosemary, or thyme can be generously added to the rinse formula.
Bathing Your Dog for Flea Relief
Bathe your dog only with shampoos that are meant for use on dogs – shampoos for humans can be too harsh and irritate the skin, and may add to the allergies that already contribute to your companion’s misery.
There are many very good herbal dog shampoos on the market. These can be very useful for cleaning flea and body waste build-ups from the skin, and for bringing soothing relief. However, don’t shampoo your dog too often, as this can dry out her skin and cause added irritation.
Overuse can also result in microbial imbalances on the surface of the body. Your companion’s skin supports a natural community of interdependent organisms, many of which serve anti-parasitic or cleansing purposes. In fact, fleas get their own type of parasites – tiny mites that crawl beneath their body armor.
Let the flea’s fleas do their job; it’s part of the grand scheme, and part of dealing with an ancient, highly adaptable species – on their own bloodsucking terms!
Greg Tilford is a well-known veterinary herbalist, lecturer, and author. He serves as a consultant and formulator to hundreds of holistic veterinarians throughout the world, and is CEO of Animal’s Apawthecary, a company that develops herbal products specifically for use in animals. He is author of four books on herbs, including All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets (Bowtie, 1999), which he co-authored with his wife, Mary.
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