Mokie, the dog formerly known as mine, had a health crisis last month. Mokie now lives with my sister and her husband. Pam called me to say that, the night before, Mokie had gone out with her two Jack Russell Terriers for a pre-bedtime pee, and when they came in, Mokie made a beeline for his crate. Usually he sleeps in the bed with Pam and Dean and the two JRTs. Something was wrong. When Pam tried to investigate, Mokie retreated deeper into his crate, and wouldnt come out even to eat. Given his usual appetite for anything resembling dog food, that was the clincher.
Pam and Dean examined Mokie, but couldnt find anything obvious: no broken bones, bite marks, or swelling. But he was suffering intermittent jolts of pain, as evidenced by the occasional shrieks he let out as he moved or when they touched him.
We suspected the problem was Mokies back. Pam had mentioned that every so often when she picked him up, Mokie would let out a screech. It was so momentary that we failed to investigate further. There was also his past history as a victim of not one, but two raccoon attacks. The most recent occurred last September, when he got ambushed at night in the backyard (and was saved by Pams JRTs). The raccoon shook him like a rag doll, and though he seemed fine after a week or so of body aches, that was probably the start of Mokies physical trouble.
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If this was the case, I didnt want to take him to a conventional vet. I know from personal experience that the conventional medical response to back pain is x-rays which typically reveal nothing followed by pain medication and rest. Sometimes this relaxes the spasmed muscles enough that the spine can eventually realign. Often, however, it accomplishes nothing, and the animal simply starts moving guardedly in an attempt to prevent his misaligned spine from hurting.
Were lucky; in California we have many complementary practitioners who work on animals. A very talented chiropractor with extensive training and experience with animals (and who works with several local vets) is located no more than five miles from Pam and Deans house, and she was able to fit Mokie into her schedule almost immediately.
Chihuahuas are notorious for biting their doctors, and Mokie was in so much pain, he was not planning on being the exception. I had to put a muzzle on him so I could hold him in place for the chiropractor. She tsk-tsked quietly as she gently palpated his spine and made numerous small adjustments. Within a minute, Mokies body went from feeling tense, like coiled steel in my hands, to relaxed (if shaky). His eyes softened and lost their too-wide-open look. After a few more adjustments, he took a deep breath and licked his nose. Ah!
Weve followed up with more chiropractic, arnica, gentle massage, and a full veterinary exam. Hes back to his cheery, athletic self. But we arent likely to ignore earlysigns of trouble again.
For many years, I fed my dogs the finest kibble diets I could find and thought I was doing the best I could for them. Then, in 1997, a seminar at Wolf Park in Indiana changed my life, and my dogs’ lives. Watching wolves tear into a whole deer carcass, I was struck by how far we have come from the natural diet that our dogs evolved to eat, and it started me thinking that maybe there was a better way.
After a year of research, I began feeding my dogs a homemade raw diet in December 1998. At the time, I had two dogs who suffered from environmental allergies, and one dog (Piglet) on Rimadyl for arthritis. To my surprise, within three months one of my dogs became completely allergy-free, and Piglet no longer needed Rimadyl for arthritis pain. The third dog improved, but continued to have some problems with allergies.
Not every dog with health problems gets better when switched to a homemade diet, but throughout the years, I’ve heard many first-hand accounts of dogs with serious conditions who improved or even completely recovered following such a diet change. People whose dogs suffered from seizures, IBD and other digestive disorders, allergies (both food and environmental), skin problems, chronic ear infections, arthritis, and more have seen their dogs’ symptoms reduced or eliminated after they began feeding a homemade diet.
At first, it seems counterintuitive that a diet change would affect disorders like environmental allergies, seizures, or arthritis, but there are several factors involved. Poor-quality and overprocessed ingredients, artificial colors and preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals can contribute to overall ill-health and create or increase allergic sensitivity.
Carbohydrates that are often 50 percent or more of dry dog foods are harder to digest than animal proteins and can lead to inflammation in the body.
In contrast, homemade canine diets, particularly those that have few or no grains or starchy carbs, are higher in protein (which supports both the skin and the immune system) and are easier to digest (which can improve the health of the digestive tract and keep the body’s immune system from becoming overreactive).
Grains and other carbohydrates may cause problems due to allergic reactions, gluten intolerance, difficulty digesting carbs, or other factors. If your dog is overweight or suffers from any of the ailments listed above, you may want to try feeding a homemade diet without grains or starchy carbs to see if your dog improves.
Healthy dogs also benefit from a homemade diet. Fresh foods supply nutrients in their natural form, whole and complete. Processing causes foods to lose much of their nutritional value, which must then be added back in synthetic form (that long list of chemicals at the end of dog food ingredient lists). Processed foods can also contain potentially harmful substances, such as oxidized fats and acrylamide, a carcinogen formed when high-carbohydrate foods are cooked at high temperatures. When you prepare your dog’s food yourself, you control all of the ingredients, making it easy to avoid any foods your dog may react to, and to adjust the diet as needed based on weight, activity level, health conditions, and any other specific needs your dog may have.
There are many different types of homemade diets, including raw and cooked diets, with or without grains; diets that contain whole, raw, meaty bones or ground raw bone; diets without bone that use a different form of calcium supplement; and diets that add fresh raw or cooked foods to a commercial pre-mix.
While feeding a homemade diet sounds like a good idea, it’s not easy to figure out what that entails, or how to ensure that you provide all the nutrition that your dog needs. Despite what some will try to tell you, there is no one “right” way to feed your dogs. Each dog is an individual, and what works for one may not work for another. The best way to feed your dog may also depend on how much time and effort you are able to devote to putting together a proper diet. While fresh foods are healthier than processed foods, a good commercial diet is better than a poorly designed homemade diet. If you don’t feel comfortable preparing a diet yourself, you can still improve the diet you feed by adding fresh foods.
You can consider this article and those that follow in the coming months as a “short course” on preparing your dog’s food yourself, but we also suggest that anyone who wants to feed their dogs a homemade diet read at least one book (preferably more) on the subject before beginning, in order to have a better understanding of your dog’s nutritional needs and how they are met by the foods we provide.
Don’t rely on recipes
One thing we will not do is provide specific recipes for you to follow. It is exceedingly difficult to ensure that your dog gets all the nutrients he needs if you feed the same food all the time. Even following a diet that has been evaluated using a spreadsheet and compared to the AAFCO (Association of American Feed Control Officials) or NRC (National Research Council) standards does not ensure the diet will be nutritionally complete, for several reasons.
Just as with our own diets, what’s considered “good,” “optimal,” or even “essential” is continually changing. The nutrtional levels established by AAFCO are based on older guidelines published by the NRC in 1985, and as yet, have not been updated following the release of newer NRC standards in 2006.
A good example of how these standards can change is the discovery in 1987 that cats were dying of heart failure due to a lack of adequate taurine in cat food. Previously, the NRC did not recognize taurine as an essential nutrient for cats, and no one knew how much cats required. Now, newer research shows that taurine may also be conditionally essential in the dog’s diet, though there are as yet no standards requiring it. Ongoing research reveals more all the time, but this is an endless task. There is simply no way to know for certain exactly what nutrients, in what combinations, our dogs need for optimal health.
In 1985, the NRC warned in its introduction to Nutrient Requirements of Dogs that “caution is advised in the use of these requirements without demonstration of nutrient availability, because in some cases requirements have been established on the basis of studies in which nutrients were supplied by highly purified ingredients where digestibility and availability were not compromised by the interaction of dietary constituents and effects of processing. Practical diets formulated from commonly used ingredients are not free of such interactions and effects, and therefore may provide less available nutrients than the amounts measured by chemical analysis.
“For this reason, such diets formulated to the chemically assayed nutrient levels expressed in Table 2 [Required Minimum Concentrations of Available Nutrients in Dog Food Formulated for Growth] may prove inadequate in meeting the nutritional needs of dogs”(our emphasis).
They add, “Finally, although data are unavailable for the dog, it should be recognized that inclusion of large amounts of fiber in the diet may adversely affect nutrient availability.” In the Overview section at the beginning of the 2006 edition, the authors admit, “An extensive amount of new research conducted since the previous National Research Council publications on dogs and cats was available for the NRC report, yet several gaps still exist in our knowledge of requirements for specific nutrients.”
In addition to not knowing for certain what dogs require, we also cannot know exactly what nutrients are contained in the foods we feed. A spreadsheet analysis of a diet, even if done by a veterinary nutritionist, does not guarantee that the diet actually supplies exactly those levels of nutrients. The figures in the USDA Nutrient Database that are used to determine nutritional value are averages. The source and handling of foods can have a considerable impact on their nutritional value, based on such factors as whether livestock are fed grains or grass, whether the plants fed to them were grown in soil that was depleted of minerals, how fresh the food is, and whether or not it was frozen.
Many recipes, including those recommended by veterinarians and nutritionists, make no effort to be nutritionally complete and simply tell you to add a “complete and balanced vitamin/mineral supplement,” with no further guidance. Since supplements vary widely, there is no way of knowing whether this would even come close to meeting your dog’s needs.
We simply cannot know enough about nutrition to say with certainty that any single recipe is sufficient to meet all nutritional requirements. Feeding your dog the same recipe every day is equivalent to feeding your child a diet of nothing but Total cereal. If it doesn’t make sense for a child, why would it make sense for our dogs?
Variety is the key
Just as with our own diets, the best way to ensure that our dogs receive all the nutrients they need is to feed a wide variety of fresh, healthy foods in appropriate proportions.
Dr. Mike Richards says on his VetInfo.com website, “I think the major problem with owner-prepared diets is an attempt to satisfy the needs of pets by making one recipe and not varying it. I strongly suspect that if pets were fed a variety of foods that approximates the food triangle suggested for humans, an adequate diet would be obtained. On the other hand, trying to formulate a single recipe that meets the needs of pets long term is very, very difficult to do.”
Variety is important no matter what type of diet you feed. Even if you use commercial foods, it is best to find at least two or three different brands, using different protein sources, and rotate between them, anywhere from daily to every few months.
Also, even “complete and balanced” diets may contain quite different levels of nutrients. If you always feed the same food, any nutritional deficiencies or excesses present in that food will affect your dog over time. The same is true if you feed different varieties made by the same company, since they tend to use the same vitamin/mineral formulations in all of their foods.
Your dog is also more likely to develop food allergies if fed the same food all the time. It takes time for an allergy to develop, typically months to years. Dogs that are fed the same food for extended periods of time will often develop allergies to one or more of the ingredients in that food. Variety is particularly important for puppies, since puppyhood is when the immune system learns which foods are normal and not a cause for reaction.
The only restriction to consider in terms of feeding lots of variety is to reserve at least some of the exotic proteins in case a novel protein is needed to test for or treat food allergies. There’s no need to feed venison, duck, rabbit, ostrich, buffalo, kangaroo, and beaver to your dog. Save some of them in case they are needed in the future.
Three basic rules
Feeding a homemade diet is not as complicated as it might seem. There are only three rules:
1. Variety
2. Balance over time
3. Calcium
Variety means feeding lots of different foods, such as beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork, fish, eggs, and dairy. Vegetables, fruits, and grains can also be added in limited quantities. Variety also means feeding different parts, such as muscle meat, heart, liver, and other organs. Different types of meat and different cuts of meat all have different nutrient profiles, so you provide a wider nutritional range by varying what you feed. It’s fine to use a few staples but you should not feed just one or two foods to the exclusion of everything else.
Balance over time: When you feed a homemade diet, it is not necessary that every meal be “complete and balanced,” as the commercial dog foods are. Just as with our own diets, it’s only important that the diet be balanced over time, with nutritional needs being met over a period of days to weeks. It is only when you feed the same food every day that you need to be concerned about that food alone supplying everything that your dog needs.
It is imperative that all homemade diets provide the right amount of calcium. The bones included in most raw diets will supply all the calcium needed. If you feed a diet that does not include edible bones, you will need to add specific amounts of calcium supplements. Our upcoming article on cooked and raw diets that do not include bone will provide detailed information as to how much calcium you need to add to your dog’s home-prepared diet.
Raw feeding myths
Many questions arise when we consider the idea of feeding raw meat, eggs, and bones to our dogs. What about the bacteria in raw meat and eggs? Isn’t it dangerous to feed whole bones? Is too much protein harmful? We’ll address these issues briefly below; if you like, you can refer to entire articles we have devoted to each topic in the past.
Bacteria
Dogs’ systems were designed to handle bacteria. It’s generally thought that their stomachs contain a stronger concentration of stomach acid than ours, making their digestive systems more efficient at killing most bacteria. Also, in relation to our digestive system, their digestive tracts are shorter and simpler, which helps move food through quickly, without giving bacteria a chance to proliferate.
Consider the fact that, in the wild, wolves eat carrion, and bury food to eat days or weeks later, with no harmful effect. Our own dogs even eat stool without becoming ill. While it is possible for dogs to be affected by bacteria found in raw food and elsewhere, it is unusual.
Many of the bacteria we worry about, such as salmonella and E. coli, are commonly found in the intestines of healthy dogs. Dogs who are stressed, ill, or immune-compromised may be more susceptible to problems from bacteria. While many dogs on chemotherapy and with other serious health problems have no problems with raw meat, you may want to cook their food instead. You can also soak raw meat in food-grade hydrogen peroxide, though this will not work for ground meat, which is also likely to have a higher bacterial load. Keep in mind that commercial foods are also often contaminated with bacteria.
Raw pork, which can be a source of trichinosis and Aujeszky’s Disease (pseudorabies), often causes particular anxiety. Both of these diseases, however, have been just about completely eradicated from USDA-inspected products in this country, though they may still be a concern elsewhere, or if you obtain meat from a local farm that has not been inspected. Freezing for three weeks should make the meat safe. Note that trichinosis is also found in carnivorous wild game, including bear and wild boar, and in that case, freezing will not kill it.
Freezing will also kill certain other parasites, such as tapeworms and toxoplasma, but it does not kill bacteria. See “What Evil Lurks Within?” WDJ August 2000, for information about bacteria and raw diets.
Biotin deficiency
Another question that often comes up in discussions about home-prepared canine diets has to do with the avidin in raw egg whites causing a biotin deficiency, but there is no need to worry. Egg yolks contain biotin, which balances out the avidin in the egg whites when you feed whole eggs. Cooking, however, deactivates avidin and may make egg whites more digestible, so it’s also fine to feed eggs that are soft- or hard-boiled, or lightly scrambled.
Bones
What about bones? Haven’t we heard from the time we were children that you should never give chicken bones to dogs? That’s true, if you’re talking about cooked bones. Cooking makes bones hard, dry, and splintery. There is no question that cooked bones are dangerous for dogs.
Raw bones are much softer and more flexible, and are easily digested by most dogs. Those of us who feed our dogs a raw diet commonly feed what are called “raw meaty bones” (RMBs), parts that include edible bone along with at least half meat, and that are fully (or mostly) consumed. In addition to the nutritional value they provide, RMBs are also a source of chewing pleasure and help to keep teeth clean and gums healthy. Examples include chicken necks, backs, and leg quarters; turkey necks; lamb breast and necks; and pork breast (riblets) and necks.
Most dogs do fine with raw meaty bones, but a few may have problems, especially if they try to swallow large chunks. While it is unusual, dogs have been known to choke, especially when fed pieces that are round and meaty. Turkey necks are the parts that most frequently cause choking in large dogs, while chicken necks can cause the same problem in small dogs.
You should always supervise your dogs while they are eating, and it’s a good idea to know how to do the Heimlich maneuver on dogs, just in case. Small dogs are also more susceptible to esophageal damage from bones. There are risks and benefits to feeding whole bones and the decision whether or not to feed them is a personal one. Keep in mind that choking or esophageal damage can also be caused by greenies, tennis balls, rawhides, sticks, and even kibble.
If you’re concerned about dangers from whole bones, you can grind the bones or cut them into bite-sized pieces. You can also cook bones to softness in a pressure cooker (the only kind of cooked bones that are safe to feed). You can still give your dogs recreational bones, ones that your dog cannot consume, for chewing pleasure and dental health.
People also worry about dogs breaking teeth on bones. This is more of a concern with recreational bones, particularly those that the dog can fit between his molars and crunch down on, such as marrow bones. These weight-bearing bones are much harder than the RMBs that are consumed. Knuckle bones are less likely to cause tooth damage because dogs can’t fit them into their mouths and bite down on them.
Most of the RMBs that are recommended for dogs are soft, at least to a dog’s jaws. Beef bones, in contrast, are quite hard. I know of dogs, including my own, who have broken teeth on beef ribs and neck bones. Many people give these to their dogs as recreational bones but large dogs may consume them. Teeth do become more brittle with age, so you may need to exercise more caution as your dogs age. For more information about feeding bone in the diet, see “Bones of Contention,” September 2000. For information about recreational chew bones, see “Dem Bones,” August 2003.
Excessive protein
Lastly, there is no danger in feeding a high-protein diet to puppies or senior dogs (see “Diet and the Older Dog,” December 2006). Studies have proved that high protein does not cause orthopedic problems in puppies, nor kidney disease in older dogs.
Protein is highly beneficial; it supports the immune system and the central nervous system, contributes to healthy skin and coat and to wound healing, and helps to maintain lean body mass while lowering the percentage of body fat. Dogs fed a high-protein diet are often calmer and less hyper than dogs fed on high-carb diets. Higher protein is one of the major benefits of feeding a homemade diet to dogs, though you can also increase the protein level by adding fresh, high-protein foods to a commercial diet.
Adding fresh food to a commercial diet
If you are not ready to make the switch to a homemade diet, you can still improve your dog’s diet by adding fresh foods to his dry or canned food. Despite the warnings from pet food manufacturers, you will not unbalance the diet by adding a moderate percentage of fresh foods – you should be able to replace about 25 percent of the diet with fresh foods without concern. When you start to feed more than that, it becomes more important to feed variety and proper proportions. If you want to feed 50 percent or more as fresh food, then you should add organs along with other foods, and you should consider adding calcium if you are not feeding bones. The more fresh food you feed, the greater the importance of variety and proportions, as well as calcium, becomes. More information will be provided in future articles.
Good foods to add to a commercial diet include eggs and meat (raw or cooked), canned fish with bones (jack mackerel, salmon, sardines), yogurt or kefir, cottage cheese, and healthy leftovers. Raw meaty bones can also be fed, though it’s best if they’re not combined with kibble in the same meal. You can add veggies and fruit in small amounts, but remember that commercial foods are already high in carbohydrates, so there is little benefit in adding more. I would not recommend adding grains to a commercial diet at all.
Puppies and seniors will benefit from the addition of high-quality fresh foods as much or more than younger adult dogs will. A high-protein diet is good for almost all dogs and will not cause harm.
Norma Crawley of Ardmore, Oklahoma, reports, “Since I began incorporating raw with kibble, our three dogs do everything short of tucking their napkins in and clicking their silverware together at dinnertime. They dine as if they are at “21.” They seem happier, healthier, and they are my constant shadows from late afternoon through the evening. It’s made such a positive difference in three canine lives, and mine too. I’ve always fed a high quality kibble through the years, but who knew this raw business could be so much fun, and so good for them?”
Mary Straus does research on canine health and nutrition topics as an avocation. She is the owner of the DogAware.com website. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her dog Piglet, a 15-year-old Chinese Shar-Pei.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, speaking about the Great Depression, said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” If only it were that simple when dealing with dog behavior!
Fear-related canine behaviors can be debilitating to the inappropriately fearful dog. They are heartbreaking, frustrating, even sometimes dangerous for the human trying to deal with her dog’s strong emotional responses, and for the dog who may injure himself or others in his desperate efforts to escape or protect himself from the fear-causing stimulus. Fortunately, there are steps an educated owner can take to decrease the intensity or frequency of her dog’s debilitating fright.
Three faces of fear
The complex of fear-related behaviors includes fears, anxieties, and phobias. While they are closely related emotional responses, they differ significantly in several ways, including the presence or absence of a physical trigger, the intensity of the dog’s response, and the ease with which the emotional response and related dog behaviors can be modified. In general, these three conditions can be among the most difficult of behavioral problems to treat.
The poorly socialized, fearful dog on the right is frightened by the overenthusiastic overtures of the dog on the left. She cowers behind her owner’s legs, tense, with tail tucked.
There is a strong genetic component to fear-related behaviors. Whereas once we tended to place a lot of the blame on owners for their perceived role in creating fearful dogs, today we recognize that a genetic propensity toward fearfulness is a significant factor in the actual manifestation of fear-related behaviors.
While environment – especially lack of socialization – can play a critically important role in bringing these behaviors to fruition, genes explain why two dogs with similar upbringing and socialization can react so differently in the presence of a potentially fear-causing stimulus, and why even a well-socialized dog can suddenly develop phobic behaviors.
But as soon as the dog on the left turns away to investigate the third dog, the fearful dog erupts in classic fear-based aggressive behavior, lunging and barking.
Fear is defined as a feeling of apprehension associated with the presence or proximity of an object, individual, or social situation. It’s a valuable, adaptive emotion, necessary for survival and appropriate in many situations. It’s good to be afraid of grizzly bears, tornados, and semi-trucks skidding out of control on icy highways. Your dog is wise to fear the flashing heels of a galloping horse, strong waves crashing on an ocean beach, the spinning wheels of a passing car. People and animals who feel no fear are destined to live short lives.
Of course, overly fearful dogs may lead short lives as well. Fear-related aggression is a significant risk to a dog’s long and happy life. A fearful dog’s first choice is usually to escape, but he may bite defensively if cornered or trapped, and dogs who bite are often euthanized. In addition, a constant emotional state of fear makes for a poor quality of life for a dog, and for humans who are stressed by their fearful dog’s behavior.
Debates about anthropomorphism aside, most biologists agree that human and nonhuman mammals experience fear similarly. Recall one of your own heart-stopping, adrenalin-pumping life experiences. Perhaps you were approached by a menacing stranger in an alley on a dark night, threatened by a large predator on a camping trip, cornered by an angry bull in a pasture, or just missed rear-ending a car in front of you when a moment of inattention caused you to miss the warning flash of taillights. Remember how helpless, vulnerable, and terrified you felt? You can empathize with your dog when you see him trembling in the presence of a stimulus that elicits a similar response in his canine brain and body.
Anxiety is the distress or uneasiness of mind caused by apprehensive anticipation of future danger or misfortune, real or imagined. Anxious dogs appear tense, braced for a threat they can’t adequately predict, sometimes one that doesn’t actually even exist. Anxiety can be a chronic condition, one that significantly impairs a dog’s (and owner’s) quality of life, and one that can be more challenging to modify than the fear of a real and present danger.
The dog and the object of her phobia are too close together, if this was early in the counter-conditioning process.
Separation distress is perhaps the most widely discussed anxiety-related behavior in dogs, but owner absence is not the only cause for canine apprehension. Many dogs are anxious on car rides – anticipating, perhaps, a visit to the vet’s office, or some other “bad” place. A dog who has been attacked by a loose dog while walking on leash may become anxious about going for walks, constantly stressed, scanning the neighborhood for another potential attacker.
Again, human anxieties are similar to canine. If you’ve been mugged in a dark alley, you are likely to experience some degree of stress anytime you find yourself walking down an alley in the dark. Some people experience extreme anxiety over taking exams, even when their past successes show that they pass tests with flying colors. Barbra Streisand, successful singer that she is, suffers from extreme performance anxiety, still becoming physically ill every time she’s about to walk on stage. The danger or misfortune may be imagined, but the anxiety is very real.
Phobias are persistent, extreme, inappropriate fear or anxiety responses, far out of proportion to the level or nature of threat presented. They are stubbornly resistant to modification through habituation or desensitization – repeated low-level exposure to the stimulus that causes the extreme response. While inappropriate in degree, a phobic response is not totally irrational – it is usually directed toward something that could be harmful. Common human phobias are related to snakes, spiders, high places, flying – all things that have the potential to be life-threatening. In reality, the majority of snakes and spiders are relatively harmless, it’s rare for humans to accidentally nosedive off a skyscraper, and only a tiny percentage of airplanes ever crash. Common canine phobias include extreme reactions to thunderstorms and other sounds, fear of humans, and inappropriate response to novel stimuli (anything new and different).
If the dog declines to take treats, it’s a sign that she is too stressed. Decrease the stimuli’s proximity and intensity.
Lucy and the parade
When we adopted Lucy, our Cardigan Corgi in June 2004, one of the things that appealed to me was her obvious self-confidence. This was a dog, I thought, who could travel with me to seminars, appear in public, perhaps even compete in Rally or Agility, or both. I worked on socialization, taking her places with me whenever I could. She took it all in stride, just as I anticipated – until I made the mistake of taking her on the Humane Society of Washington County’s Halloween Parade float. I thought she was old enough at nine months to handle the parade environment. I was wrong.
The parade is the pride of Hagerstown, Maryland – an all-afternoon and evening affair as floats and marchers get lined up and ready to move through the center of town. Lucy was enjoying the commotion, eating yummy treats as we strolled past stationary floats, greeting people and practicing socialization and good manners behaviors. With the signal that it was time for the parade to begin we hustled back to the float, loaded up, and settled in our seats along with a half-dozen other dogs and their handlers.
This is the goal: The dog ignores the formerly fear-provoking stimuli, and instead looks eagerly for more treats.
Lucy continued to enjoy the attention as we rolled along the spectator-lined street. People of all sorts walked up to the slow-moving float and petted her. Her ears were up, her eyes bright, and her tail wagging merrily. Then she heard the drums. I hadn’t realized our street would merge with the marching band street. I watched helplessly as my confident Corgi melted down before my eyes. Her ears flattened back against her head. Her tail went down, her eyes lost their shine, and she began to tremble, rapidly losing her enthusiasm for the treats she had been happily enjoying.
Then I made my second big mistake. We should have bailed out of the parade at that point and arranged for someone to come back and collect us after the festivities were over. Instead, I opted to stick it out, hoping to use my higher-value treats to counter-condition and desensitize her fear response to the drums.
Unwittingly, I achieved the exact opposite result; the constant exposure to the too-intense stimulus effectively sensitized her to loud noises, increasing her fear response. That sensitization caused her to be intensely sound-phobic, which has since generalized to thunderstorms, the banging of our horses in their stalls in the barn, and worse luck, cheering and applause.
Getting brave
Whether you’re working with fears, anxieties or phobias, the solution to an inappropriate emotional response is counter-conditioning and desensitization (CC&D) to change your dog’s emotional response to the stimulus or situation. In The Cautious Canine, author and behaviorist Dr. Patricia McConnell calls counter-conditioning a “universally effective treatment for fear-based behavior problems.” Think of it as training your dog’s emotions rather than training his actions. Behavior change will follow emotional change.
Counter-conditioning involves changing your dog’s association with a scary stimulus from negative to positive. The easiest way to give most dogs a positive association is with very high-value, really yummy treats. I like to use chicken – canned, baked, or boiled, since most dogs love chicken and it’s a low-fat, low-calorie food. Perhaps your dog is afraid of your vacuum cleaner. Here’s how the CC&D process works:
1. Determine the distance at which your dog can look at the non-running, stationary vacuum cleaner, and be alert and wary but not extremely fearful. This is called the threshold distance.
2. With you holding your dog on leash, have a helper present the non-running vacuum at threshold distance X. The instant your dog sees the vacuum, start feeding bits of chicken, nonstop.
3. After several seconds, have the helper remove the vacuum, and stop feeding chicken.
4. Keep repeating steps 1-3 until the presentation of the vacuum at that distance consistently causes your dog to look at you with a happy smile and a “Yay! Where’s my chicken?” expression. This is a conditioned emotional response (CER); your dog’s association with a non-running vacuum at threshold distance X is now positive instead of negative.
5. Now you need to increase the intensity of the stimulus. You can do that by decreasing – in tiny increments – the distance between X and your dog, by increasing the movement of the vacuum at distance X, or by turning the vacuum on. I’d suggest decreasing distance first in small increments by moving the dog closer to the location where the vacuum will appear, achieving the desired CER at each new distance, until your dog is happy to be right next to the non-running, non-moving vacuum, perhaps even sniffing or targeting to it.
6. Then return to distance X and add movement of your non-running vacuum, gradually decreasing distance and attaining the desired CERs along the way, until your dog is delighted to have the non-running, moving vacuum in close proximity.
7. Now, back to distance X, with no movement. Have your helper briefly turn on the vacuum; you feed the dog treats in that instant. Turn off the vacuum and immediately stop the treats.
8. Repeat until you have the desired CER, and then gradually increase the length of time you leave the vacuum running, until your dog is happy to have the vacuum on continuously.
9. Begin decreasing the distance between the dog and the vacuum in small increments, moving the dog closer to the vacuum, obtaining your CER consistently at each new distance.
10. When your dog is comfortable and happy to have the running, stationary vacuum close to him, you’re ready for the final phase. Return to distance X and obtain the desired CER there, with a running, moving vacuum.
Then – gradually! – decrease the dis-tance between the vacuum and your dog until he is happy to be in the presence of the running, moving vacuum. He now thinks the vacuum is a very good thing, as a reliable predictor of very yummy treats.
The above example concerns a fairly simple fear behavior. The more complex the stimulus and the more intense the response, the more challenging the behavior is to modify. Anxieties and phobias generally require a greater commitment to a longer term and more in-depth modification program, and often beg the intervention of a good, positive behavior professional.
What about medication?
I used to be strongly opposed to using drugs in behavior modification except as a very last resort. That was years ago, at a time when the most widely used drugs were valium and acepromazine. Those drugs have a strong sedative effect – creating a “groggy doggie” who is still very aware of the fear-causing stimulus, he’s just too drugged to do anything about it. Still inappropriately prescribed by some vets today for behavior modification, they are quite likely to make fear-related behaviors worse, not better.
These days, I’m much more likely to suggest consulting with a behavior-educated vet sooner, rather than later, about the use of behavior modification drugs.
I’m not a vet, so I can’t prescribe drugs; in fact, it would be inappropriate for me to even suggest to a client that a specific drug might be just what her dog needs.
What I can do is tell her that based on the behavioral history form she has filled out for me, my observations of the dog, and our subsequent discussions regarding the success of our behavioral modification program, it’s appropriate to talk to a veterinarian about the possibility of adding pharmaceuticals to our modification program. I am most likely to suggest this in cases where dog’s and owner’s quality of life are significantly impacted by a dog’s fearful and/or aggressive behaviors.
Today’s classes of psychotropic drugs are a far cry from the sedatives of the past. They are designed to help repair brain chemistry that’s out of kilter – to open a window in the dog’s brain that will enable ongoing behavior modification to be more successful. Admittedly, it’s a little experimental; most of the drugs were designed for use in humans, and use in canines is an off-label application – more reason to work closely with a veterinarian who is very knowledgeable about canine behavior.
People tend to have a knee-jerk “cringe” reaction when someone suggests “drugging” their dog. I understand and applaud a dog owner’s caution; behavior modification drugs are not benign, and they need to be used with care. There is potential for adverse reactions, and the dog needs to be monitored closely to determine if the drug’s impact is beneficial, neutral, or harmful to the dog.
That’s why I believe that any canine candidate for behavior-modifying drugs needs to have an observant owner, a know-ledgeable behavior professional, and a behavior-educated veterinarian on his team. So don’t automatically say “No!” to drugs; just use them wisely, and with care and assistance from your animal behavior professionals.
The damage done
I frequently chastise myself for taking Lucy to the parade. In my defense, I didn’t realize we would meet up with loud drums – and plenty of dogs without a genetic predisposition for sound-phobia would have been fine with the noise. In fact, because of the genetic influence, there’s high likelihood that Lucy’s noise phobia would have been triggered sooner or later anyway, perhaps by a very intense thunderstorm.
The good news is that my husband and I have made some progress with Lucy’s sound-phobia. Loud television programs offer ideal opportunities for counter-conditioning and desensitization, as do recordings of thunderstorms and applause, where the intensity of stimulus (volume) can be controlled.
Real thunderstorms are another story, however. They inevitably are super-threshold – occurring at an intensity that triggers a strong emotional response, trembling and shutting down to a degree where she can no longer accept high-value treats. For those, we’ve added melatonin, a snug T-shirt (the economy version of an Anxiety Wrap,™ a product that operates on the concept of “swaddling” as a comforting device), a Comfort Zone® plug-in “dog appeasing pheromone” diffuser, and the use of an anti-anxiety drug (Alprazolam) obtained through consultation with our behavior-knowledgeable veterinarian.
We’re considering the purchase of a Storm Defender™ cape (a coat that neutralizes the static charge that accompanies thunderstorms) to see if it might be even more effective than the snug T-shirt, and we may use a Calming Cap™ (a mask that reduces the dog’s vision and thus reduces his visual stimulus) to reduce the intensity of stimulus of lightning flashes. We’re encouraged by Lucy’s improvement, and hope for the day when she’s no longer traumatized by storms and applause. We might even make it to the Rally ring one day.
– Plant lemon balm in your garden, window box, or in pots.
– Add fresh lemon balm to your dog’s food.
– Add lemon balm tea to food and drinking water, and use it as a rinse after bathing.
– Brush your dog with fresh lemon balm to help repel insects.
Next month, on May 6, the first day of National Herb Week, lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) becomes Herb of the Year for 2007. A dog-friendly plant with a distinctive lemon-mint fragrance and flavor, lemon balm is best known as a nervine, a calming herb that soothes and relaxes. It’s also a digestive aid that neutralizes gas in the stomach and intestines. Add its muscle-relaxing, deodorizing, disinfecting, and insect-repelling benefits, and you can see why lemon balm belongs in your garden, window box, or patio planter.
Native to the Middle East, lemon balm traveled through all of Europe. Charlemagne ordered his subjects to plant it, Benedictine monks put it in their monastery gardens, and Thomas Jefferson grew it at Monticello. Today the plant is grown commercially as an ingredient in cosmetics, skin care products, and furniture polish.
Lemon balm’s key constituents include volatile oils, tannins, flavonoids, terpenes, and eugenol. Its terpenes are relaxing, the tannins have antiviral effects, and eugenol calms muscle spasms, kills bacteria, and has an analgesic (pain-relieving) effect. In recent years, lemon balm has made headlines for its ability to treat cold sores and other breakouts caused by the herpes simplex virus and as a treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Its strong performance in the Alzheimer’s studies and its safety make it a compelling candidate for a trial with senior dogs suffering from cognitive dysfunction, or to reduce the depression and agitation that dogs with cognitive dysfunction can display.
People whose dogs’ flatulence drives them out of the room may especially appreciate lemon balm’s ability to reduce their dog’s gas.
Long considered a “universal remedy,” lemon balm is an herb that can be used for almost any ailment but is perhaps most strongly indicated in dogs with digestive problems, separation anxiety, canine sleep disorders, stress, and irritability. It is also an effective topical treatment for ringworm.
Easy to Grow
Like all members of the mint family, lemon balm has square-shaped stems and spreads more through its roots than through seeds. Under the right conditions, it grows like a weed and often is one, taking over entire gardens. Its small white blossoms are so sweet that they attract bees, hence the plant’s scientific name. Melissa is Greek for honey bee.
Lemon balm is easy to grow in full sun to partial shade. It doesn’t need fertilizer – in fact, fertilizing the plant reduces its medicinal benefits. Lemon balm is happiest in poor, sandy soil. Its seeds need several weeks of exposure to light and moisture before sprouting. Many nurseries sell lemon balm seedlings, and once plants are established, they care easily propagated by dividing the roots. Lemon balm is a thirsty plant, so water it during dry weather. However, too much rain or moisture can produce mildew, so good drainage is vital.
Unlike most herbs, lemon balm is best harvested in the afternoon, when its essential oils are strongest. For maximum yield, cut lemon balm before flowers bloom. The more it’s trimmed, the more leaves it produces.
Use Fresh Lemon Balm
Finely mince or chop lemon balm leaves and add them to your dog’s food at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 15 pounds of body weight. This is approximately 1 tablespoon for a dog weighing 45 to 50 pounds.
Fresh minced lemon balm can also be used as a poultice or wound dressing. Mash leaves or pulverize them in a blender, apply to the affected area, and hold in place with a bandage.
Lemon balm can be used straight from the garden to keep your dog smelling fresh. Simply pick a few stems, crush the leaves, and run them over your dog’s coat. In addition, lemon balm’s citronella-like fragrance is said to repel mosquitoes and other insects. If you can convince your dog to chew on a lemon balm leaf, her breath will smell wonderful.
Brew a Lemon Balm Tea
To make a medicinal-strength lemon balm tea, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh leaves. If using dried lemon balm, the amount to use depends on the quality of the dried leaves, which usually declines during drying and storage. Most teas made from dried herbs are brewed with half the amount recommended for fresh herbs, but to produce a medicinal-strength lemon balm tea, you may need 2 tablespoons dried herb per cup of water, or even more. Don’t worry about exact measurements as this is a very forgiving and nontoxic herb. Cover the brewing tea and let stand until it cools to room temperature.
Add the tea to your dog’s food and/or drinking water, starting with small amounts while your dog becomes accustomed to the taste and fragrance. Add up to 1 tablespoon tea per 20 pounds of body weight twice or three times daily, and if treating a specific condition, such as indigestion or anxiety, double that amount. If your dog is ill or dehydrated, serve plain instead of herb-flavored water or encourage him to drink more by adding broth (instead of herbal tea) as a flavor enhancer to his water bowl.
Lemon balm tea is a disinfecting rinse for cuts and other wounds. To make the rinse even more effective, add 2 teaspoons unrefined sea salt to each cup of tea and stir to dissolve. Simply pour cold or room-temperature tea over the injury.
To use lemon balm tea as a compress, soak a wash cloth, cotton dressing, or tissue in cold tea, apply, and hold the compress in place for several minutes. To keep the area cold, soak the compress again and reapply. Cold compresses are recommended for recent or acute injuries.
To help treat chronic conditions like arthritis, hip or elbow dysplasia, or old sports injuries, use hot lemon balm tea as a fomentation or hot compress.
Lemon balm has mild muscle-relaxing and antispasmodic properties. Soak a wash cloth in comfortably hot tea, wring just enough to stop dripping, test the temperature on your inner wrist to be sure it isn’t too hot, then apply to the affected area and hold it in place for several minutes. Soak the compress again and reapply as needed to keep the area warm for 10 to 15 minutes.
After bathing your dog (except for dogs with white or very light colored coats), pour lemon balm tea all over as a final rinse.
Fill a spray bottle with lemon balm tea and use it as an air freshener.
Store leftover tea in the refrigerator. For best results, use within three or four days.
Make an Herbal Honey
Coarsely chop enough lemon balm to fill a glass jar. Next, fill the jar with honey, completely covering the chopped herb. The more lemon balm you put in the jar, the more medicinal the result. If the honey is too thick to pour easily, warm it by placing the honey jar in hot water.
Seal the jar of lemon balm and honey and leave it in a warm location, such as a sunny window, for at least two weeks. Alternatively, heat honey in a saucepan and pour it over the herbs. For a double-strength herbal honey, wait four to six weeks, then fill another glass jar with lemon balm and pour the contents of the first jar into the second jar. Before using the herbal honey, filter it through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer and store at room temperature.
Consider making two lemon balm honeys, one from raw, unfiltered honey with its nutritional benefits intact and one from pasteurized, filtered honey. Use the thick raw honey for internal use and the pasteurized honey for topical application. Raw honey often crystallizes, creating sharp points that can damage burned or injured skin, unlike honey that has been heated and filtered.
When applied as a first-aid dressing, honey creates a protective barrier that seals the skin, absorbs moisture from oozing wounds, and speeds healing. Honey also releases hydrogen peroxide, which kills germs. Because honey doesn’t stick to bandages, it makes dressings easy to remove and change. Some honeys, such as manuka honey from Australia, have proven antibacterial properties, including the successful treatment of drug-resistant E. coli and staph infections. Honey infused with lemon balm can be even more potent. Lemon balm honey is an effective dressing for cuts, surgical wounds, burns, lick granulomas, abrasions, hot spots, and infected wounds. Most dogs will want to lick it off, so protect the wound with a bandage or cervical collar.
Lemon balm honey can be used to prevent infection from viruses or bacteria, soothe a sore throat, help an anxious dog relax, improve sleep, and speed recovery from illness. Added to food, lemon balm honey helps reduce gas and other symptoms of indigestion.
Use Lemon Balm in Aromatherapy
Lemon balm’s essential oil, usually labeled melissa oil, is so expensive that it’s often misrepresented. Much of what is sold as steam-distilled Melissa oil is really a blend of citronella and lemon grass. True Melissa oil costs up to $1 per drop. That’s because it takes 3 to 5 tons of fresh lemon balm to produce a single pound of essential oil. Fortunately, Melissa hydrosol, the “flower water” byproduct of steam distillation, is far less expensive and has the same healing benefits.
In her book Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy, Suzanne Catty recommends taking Melissa hydrosol during flu and allergy seasons as a prophylactic because of its immune-stimulating, infection-fighting, and antiviral properties. It also aids digestion and has a calming, emotionally uplifting effect.
For pet use, Catty recommends adding ¼ teaspoon hydrosol per cup of drinking water. Full-strength hydrosol can be added to food at the rate of 1 drop per pound of body weight per day, which is ½ teaspoon for a 30-pound dog and 1 teaspoon for a 60-pound dog.
“For a health maintenance regimen, this works well,” she explains. “You can treat chronic conditions with 2 drops per pound on a three-weeks-on, one-week-off cycle. This way the body has a week to assimilate the changes and healing process. Then the treatment can be adjusted as necessary. For acute conditions, give 2 drops per pound per day.”
With their sensitive noses, dogs may at first avoid water to which Melissa hydrosol has been added. Introducing it in small amounts, starting with just a few drops in the water bowl, can make it more palatable. As noted earlier, if your dog is ill or dehydrated, serve plain water or water containing broth as a flavor enhancer to encourage drinking. Most dogs accept the addition of hydrosols to food without a problem, but if yours has a picky appetite, try starting with tiny amounts. Alternatively, use an eye dropper to fill an empty two-part gelatin capsule with hydrosol and hide it in a favorite food.
Spray full-strength Melissa hydrosol in the air and directly on your dog’s coat to deodorize, disinfect, improve coat quality, reduce anxiety, and treat skin allergy problems, fungal infections, rashes, irritations, and hot spots.
Lemon Balm’s Safety
The only contraindication listed for lemon balm in most herbal references is its ability to interfere with the body’s assimilation of iodine, thus affecting the thyroid. In human herbal medicine, lemon balm is sometimes used in the treatment of hyperthyroidism, or overactive thyroid. However, it is not sufficiently thyroid-suppressing to be used as a stand-alone therapy, and in the amounts mentioned here, it is unlikely to contribute to hypothyroidism in dogs.
Susan Wynn, DVM, co-author of the recently published reference book Veterinary Herbal Medicine and founder of the Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association, describes lemon balm as one of the world’s safest herbs. “I would not hesitate to give it to most dogs, including those with underactive thyroid function if the herb is potentially useful for the patient,” she says.
Like all mints, lemon balm is said to counteract the effects of homeopathic remedies. If a veterinary homeopath prescribes a remedy and warns against combining it with peppermint, it’s a good idea to avoid lemon balm as well.
A long-time contributor to WDJ and author of The Encyclopedia of Natural Pet Care, Natural Remedies for Dogs & Cats, and other books, CJ Puotinen lives in New York with her husband, a Labrador, and a tabby cat.
Some dogs have sparkling white teeth (or at least, whitish teeth that are free of tartar) throughout their lifetimes, with absolutely no thought or effort required of their owners. Those are the lucky ones – the owners, I mean – because more than 80 percent of dogs develop a form of canine gum disease by the age of just three years, according to the American Veterinary Dental Society. The owners of those dogs – that is, most of us – should be brushing our dogs’ teeth regularly to prevent the accumulation of plaque and tartar that precipitates gum disease.
Proponents of raw diets for dogs believe that the mechanical action of chewing raw meat and bones and the superior nutrition provided by the diets help maintain healthy teeth. That may be true, but for dogs on more conventional diets, regular brushing is the most effective method of keeping a dog’s teeth free of tartar and plaque. It’s also far less costly than semiannual trips to the vet for professional cleaning, and poses none of the risks of the general anesthesia required for the veterinary dental hygienist to do a thorough job.
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The procedure isn’t fun; that’s true. It’s not particularly comfortable for you or your dog. But it doesn’t have to be torturous, either, especially if you use the positive behavior modification methods you are familiar with from WDJ’s training articles.
Daily habits
If every puppy had her teeth brushed every day, from the time she had teeth, the job would be far simpler. The fact is, most of us aren’t aware that we should be brushing Flossie’s teeth until that “well dog” visit when our vet gives us a $500 estimate for Flossie’s appointment with the aforementioned hygienist. The earlier you start paying attention to and messing around with your dog’s mouth, the easier it will be – and you may even prevent that $500 vet bill.
Introduce your dog to the concept gradually. Start by lifting her lips at least a few times a day, and visually examining her teeth for gradually increasingly longer moments. Keep some yummy treats on hand – more than just ordinary kibble. Use something really scrumptious, like meat or cheese. Reward her richly for sessions in which she cooperates, even if her compliance is fleeting at first. If the experience is consistently rewarding, and not fraught with physical “corrections,” forcible restraint, or verbal warnings, she’ll participate more and more willingly. Remember, dogs do what works for them. If the discomfort of the exercise outweighs the value – to the dog – of the reward, she’s quite reasonably going to vote against. Keep the sessions short and rewarding, and give her plenty of verbal encouragement.
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When you can lift her lips and visually examine her teeth without muss or fuss, start rubbing her gums and touching her teeth with a wet forefinger. Again, keep it short and positive, and make sure she associates this experience with something extra delicious afterward, whether it’s some fresh roast beef or a session with her favorite toy.
When you can reliably and comfortably examine and touch your dog’s teeth and gums with your wet fingers, start using a bit of clean, wet gauze wrapped around your finger to perform rudimentary toothbrushing. As before, keep these sessions short, happy, and frequent. As with all training, the more frequently you practice, the more quickly your dog will progress.
The first few times you introduce your dog to a soft-bristled toothbrush, put something yummy on the bristles and let her lick it off. Then perform your usual exam, gum rubbing, and tooth touching, with a bit of brushing with the brush added in. Lavishly reward your dog’s cooperation.
Special gear?
There are a number of toothpastes made especially for dogs on the market; you’ll find a variety in any pet supply store. It’s not critical that you use one, but it is important that you don’t use human toothpaste, even one intended for babies. Most human toothpastes contain xylitol, which is toxic to dogs. Plus, human toothpastes are invariably mint-flavored, which dogs don’t generally enjoy. Pet toothpastes, in contrast, come in flavors like “poultry” and “filet mignon” – yum!
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The truth is, you don’t actually need to use toothpaste at all. Many dogs object more to the introduction of a new taste in their mouths than to the brush, anyway. Just keep the bristles wet, perhaps by swishing the brush in a cup of water every half-minute or so as you work.
As you progress, gradually replace more and more of the gum rubbing and tooth touching with more and more brushing. Always use a wet, soft-bristled brush, and brush gently in small circles, with the bristles angled toward the gums. If you have any questions about brushing technique, ask your veterinarian or the vet’s staff to demonstrate.
The long-handled brush will permit you to reach farther and farther back in your dog’s mouth. Take care to ensure you don’t poke her gums or gag her as you work toward the molars, but do try to reach all the back teeth. This is the most common site of tartar accumulation and periodontal disease, as well as the site of the teeth dogs use most for chewing their food.
Your dog’s gums may bleed a little bit when you first start getting in the habit of brushing them. This should cease with regular brushing, but consult your veterinarian if it persists.
Things to look for
Make sure that you visually inspect your dog’s gums and teeth as you work. Keep an eye out for swollen or reddened gums; broken, fractured, or loose teeth; particularly sensitive areas; and especially foul breath. Any of these should be investigated by a veterinarian as soon as possible. Untreated, dental problems can quickly lead to systemic infection and even serious heart disease, as the oral bacteria enter the bloodstream via the blood vessels in the gums. In fact, many chronic (and seemingly unrelated) health problems are due to periodontal disease.
If your dog’s teeth and gums are already in bad shape, see your veterinarian right away. It’s much easier to maintain healthy teeth after a professional cleaning.
Strained muscles, pulled ligaments, sprains, and bruises . . . these are common canine injuries in the spring, when the weather invites us all outside and even seems to encourage our dogs to overdo it. Enthusiastic, rigorous exercise that follows several months of relative inactivity is a prescription for additional canine injury.
Last month, we discussed the “doctor’s orders” for first aid and immediate treatment of canine sports injuries (“When Fido Overdoes It”). The following are additional home treatments and professional interventions that will help Rover get over his body aches and strains.
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Aromatherapy
Many essential oils and hydrosols (the “flower waters” produced by steam distillation) have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. They can be used in massage oils and compresses to help the patient feel more comfortable, increase blood flow to the area, and speed healing. In addition, soothing essential oils such as lavender or chamomile can be dispersed into the air with an electric nebulizer or diffuser or simply dropped on a cotton ball placed near the dog’s crate or bedding to help keep the animal calm and relaxed. Hydrosols, such as lavender or chamomile, can be spritzed around the room and directly on the dog for the same purpose.
In her book, Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals, Kristen Leigh Bell interviewed several veterinarians who routinely use essential oils. One is Stephen R. Blake, DVM, in San Diego. He diffuses frankincense essential oil in his exam room and gives canine patients a light massage for a few seconds after rubbing a drop of frankincense essential oil into both hands. “I like frankincense because it’s grounding,” he says. “It helps calm both patient and caregiver, and it has disinfecting properties as well.”
For patients with a possible joint or cruciate ligament injury, Dr. Blake has the owner massage a blend of 1 drop lemongrass essential oil diluted in 1 teaspoon sweet almond oil to the area twice per day.
Dr. Blake uses a diluted blend of four essential oils (spruce, frankincense, rosewood, and blue tansy) as what he calls a “chiropractor in a bottle” for musculoskeletal cases. He instructs caregivers to apply 1 drop of the massage oil blend to each paw pad on all four feet, massaging the pads well.
Dr. Blake recommends doing this on a bed, couch, or table, then placing the dog back on the floor. “Immediately,” he says, “the dog will shake off and in doing so, adjust himself. If the dog doesn’t shake from head to tail the way he does after a swim or when coming out of the rain, repeat the procedure. Since the massage and the oils stimulate all of the acupuncture meridians, this combination of massage, essential oils, self-adjusting, and acupuncture point stimulation really speeds the healing process. I suggest doing this from one to four times a day, depending on the patient’s response to each treatment. Once the patient is stable, I reduce the frequency of treatments.”
Kristen Leigh Bell’s favorite massage oil blend for dogs is 3 drops black pepper (Piper nigrum), 4 drops peppermint (Mentha piperita), 3 drops spearmint (Mentha spicata), and 4 drops juniper berry (Juniperus communis) essential oils mixed with 1/2 fluid ounce (1 tablespoon) hazelnut, sweet almond, or other carrier oil. “This is excellent for animals with muscle soreness, arthritis, hip dysplasia, or sprains,” she explains. “Combined with simple massage techniques, it helps stimulate circulation to the injured area, greatly speeding the healing process. I have plenty of clients who also use this blend on themselves, including one who is an avid runner who applies the blend to her shin splints. Use 2 to 4 drops at a time and try to get the blend as close to the animal’s skin as possible. This can be tricky when your dog has a dense coat, but do your best.”
Because this blend’s essential oils can potentially cause slight skin irritation, Bell recommends doing a patch test by applying 1 drop of the blend on the skin of the dog’s “armpit” and checking 24 hours later for any redness or irritation. “I have yet to see irritation in any dog,” she says, “but it can never hurt to err on the side of safety.”
Marge Clark at Nature’s Gift in Madison, Tennessee, recommends the same massage oil for dogs that she blends for humans, a combination of lavandin (Lavandula hybrida) for soothing and pain relief, black pepper for warming and stimulating blood flow in the extremities, and helichrysum (Helichrysum italicum) from Corsica, which she calls “the best anti-inflammatory and bruise healer I know of,” in a base of jojoba oil.
”I use equal parts of each of these essential oils in a 1-percent solution for small or medium-sized dogs and a 2.5- to 3-percent solution for large dogs,” she says. To create a 1-percent solution, add 1 drop of each of the three essential oils to 1 tablespoon jojoba; to create a 3-percent solution, add 6 drops essential oil in 1 tablespoon jojoba.
Like its essential oil, helichrysum’s hydrosol or flower water is an effective anti-inflammatory treatment for bruises, sprains, and other injuries. Simply spray full-strength or diluted hydrosol to soak the skin or apply as a compress. For more about hydrosols, see “Hydrosols Used in Canine Aromatherapy,” April 2005.
It’s magnetic
Seven years ago, Erin Kavanagh, a resident of Wales, suffered a stroke just before giving birth. Semi-paralyzed on her left side, she was told she would never regain full mobility, be able to drive a car with a manual transmission, or type with both hands. That’s when she tried a Bioflow magnetic wrist band. “The pain subsided immediately,” she says, “and gradually the use of my paralyzed limbs came back. The neurologist discharged me six months after I started to use magnetotherapy and I have never looked back.”
Four years ago, Kavanagh’s Border Collie, Celyn, competed in obedience, agility, and flyball. In addition to practicing daily, they trained four times a week, and Celyn worked as a demonstration dog when Kavanagh taught obedience classes.
However, Celyn had been hit by a car as a two-year-old, and the injury often caused him to limp. One day, when he was five years old, he was too lame to work. His left hip was inflamed, he could bunny-hop but not walk, and he couldn’t lie down comfortably.
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”I borrowed a Bioflow dog collar from the same distributor who sold me the wrist band, and a few hours after I put it on Celyn, he seemed so restless and was drinking so much water that I took it off,” says Kavanagh. “The second day I left it on for longer, and although he still drank a lot of water, he seemed calmer. The third day he was happy with it on all day and night. On the fourth day, he ran outside and cleared a five-barred gate! The next week he was back at work and I signed up as a Bioflow distributor.”
Celyn is now nine years old and retired from competition. “Last year he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and was supposed to die by September,” she says. “Despite Vetmedin (a heart medication) and Frusimide (a diuretic widely used in the U.K.), he was thin, choking, had blue gums, and was utterly miserable. He even stopped barking at the postman. I put a magnetic dog coat on him and within 48 hours he started barking again. A week later his need for Frusimide dropped by half a tablet a day and his visible deterioration ceased. He still overdoes it because that’s his nature, but he no longer suffers an attack afterwards, and when I take his coat off at night all my cats make a bee-line to go sleep on the magnets.”
Bioflow dog collars, cat collars, dog coats, and bed pads contain a patented Central Reverse Polarity (CRP) magnetic module that mimics the pulsating electro-magnotherapy used by physiotherapists in National Health Service hospitals in the U.K. to treat ligament injuries, sprains, and broken bones in humans. “The collar rests directly over the dog’s jugular vein,” says Kavanagh, “so treated blood is able to carry more oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body as well as remove toxins and waste materials more efficiently. Most patients show significant benefits within a week or two, certainly within 90 days, and most sports injuries heal twice as fast as they would otherwise.”
Bioflow dog coats, which come in five sizes, are recommended for use before exercise to increase blood flow to muscles, enhancing warm-ups, and after exercise to help maintain muscle condition and improve tissue repair.
Small dogs usually wear the Bioflow cat collar, and giant breeds wear two dog collars linked together. According to Kavanagh, dogs can safely wear as many magnets as they require for as long as needed. “I know of one dog who only wears a collar in winter when the cold and damp cause him problems,” she says, “and a flyball team carries collars as a first-aid measure in case of injury. Cel, my Collie, now wears a dog coat during the day plus two dog collars 24/7.”
Favorite remedies
Long-time WDJ readers know that nutritional supplements can make a huge difference in the treatment of injuries.
Enzyme products like NZymes and Wobenzym speed healing by breaking down inflammation throughout the body. In systemic oral enzyme therapy, digestive enzymes are taken between meals on an empty stomach so that instead of dealing with food, they are carried through the bloodstream to affected areas. Wobenzym, NZymes, and similar products help older dogs by reducing arthritis symptoms, and they help dogs of all ages recover from bruising, soreness, and swelling.
Most dogs respond well to 1 Wobenzym tablet per 10 pounds of body weight (up to a maximum of 5 tablets at a time) given every 1 or 2 hours until improvement is seen, and that dose is continued for several days or as needed. Once recovery is under way, a typical maintenance dose is up to 5 tablets at a time twice or three times per day. See “Digestive Enzyme Supplements” (October 2005) for detailed instructions.
Willard Water concentrate is a catalyst-altered water (described in “Willard Water – A Powerful Antioxidant,” June 2006) that can be added to a dog’s drinking water at the rate of 1 & 1/2 teaspoons per quart, or 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) per gallon. Treated drinking water can be added to food in any amount.
The most frequently received report from consumers whose arthritic dogs receive Willard Water is an improvement in gait, leg strength, and range of motion. Dogs with chronic and acute sports injuries sometimes experience similar improvements, and a maintenance dose of Willard Water (1 tablespoon concentrate per gallon of water) can help keep any canine athlete in good shape.
Adding 2 teaspoons Willard Water concentrate to a quart (or 1/2 teaspoon per cup) of water, herbal tea, aromatherapy hydrosol, diluted herbal tincture, or vinegar wash improves its topical application, helping the liquid penetrate and speeding the healing of sprains, bruises, and inflammation.
High-quality protein is essential for injury healing and for the repair of damaged tissue. Seacure, the deep-sea fermented whitefish powder described in “Securing Seacure” (April 2003), is predigested so that its amino acids and peptides, the body’s building blocks, are immediately absorbed and utilized. The product is available as a pet powder for adding to food and in chewable dog-treat tabs and 500 mg capsules.
To help dogs recover from trauma wounds, sprains, muscle strains, and other sports injuries, give at least twice the label’s recommended maintenance dose of 1 capsule, 1 tablet, or ¨ù teaspoon powder per 10 pounds of body weight for as long as needed.
Colostrum, the “first milk” produced by mammals after giving birth, has become a popular supplement because of its immune-boosting and injury-repairing properties. Dr. Blake recommends offering colostrum powder by itself on an empty stomach half an hour or more before a meal. To help speed the healing of sports injuries, he suggests giving twice to three times the recommended maintenance dose of one 500-mg capsule or ¨÷ teaspoon powder per 25 pounds of body weight per day. For an injured 50-pound dog, this would be 4 to 6 capsules or between 1 and 2 teaspoons powder per day.
Reduce the risk
Prevention is always better than treatment, and the name of the prevention game is conditioning. Keep in mind that young dogs should not jump higher than elbow height until their bone growth is complete, at about 12 to 14 months of age, and overweight, arthritic, or injured dogs should start slowly and increase exercise gradually.
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Conditioning programs involve both strength and endurance exercises. For example, short runs up steep hills and short retrieves are examples of strength training. Because muscles need about 48 hours to recover from this type of workout, it’s recommended to use this sort of workout only every other day. Long walks, runs, or swims are examples of endurance training, which builds stamina by strengthening the heart and lungs.
Interval training combines short bursts of demanding exercise with longer periods of easy exercise, such as alternating periods of running and walking. Interval training is fun for dogs, and it reduces the risk of injury.
Every workout should begin with a warm-up period and end with a cool-down. According to Carol J. Helfer, DVM, at Canine Peak Performance Sports Medicine & Physical Rehabilitation Center in Portland, Oregon, the best warm-ups for healthy dogs incorporate the same muscle groups that will be used in their events. Going from a walk to a trot to short sprints is appropriate for most dogs, along with low hurdles for dogs who will be jumping.
Amy Snow, who teaches canine acupressure through the Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute in Larkspur, Colorado, gives similar advice, plus she incorporates acupressure into every phase of conditioning. As she observes, “Dogs’ muscles and tendons, like our own, are not designed for dashing over hurdles, pouncing on a box, catching a ball, spinning around, and frantically running back over the hurdles of a flyball course, or racing through an agility course, without an appropriate warm-up.”
Many trainers encourage their dogs to stretch before a workout, but Dr. Helfer disagrees. “Stretches should never be done without some warm-up or prior activity because stretching cold muscles can lead to injury,” she says.
”There are many opinions about stretching, but I prefer to save it for the after-exercise cool-down routine. Stretches should never be painful but should produce a noticeable tension in the muscles being stretched, and the longer the stretches can be held, the more effective they are, assuming that they are appropriate for the dog and the sport. For example, a dog competing in disc likely needs more flexibility than one competing in mushing.”
A cool-down promotes recovery and returns the body to its pre-exercise, pre-workout state by removing lactic acid from muscles and reducing soreness. Slow your dog from a moderate trot to a walk, do some stretches, and keep him moving until he stops panting and his breathing returns to normal.
”The cool-down is often neglected,” says Snow. “I see far too many people just put their dogs into a crate after an agility trial. It hurts me to watch it, and I always want to warn them about what they’re doing. The next day, when the dog starts to limp or gets hurt, they probably never make the connection.”
Overweight dogs are at such a high risk of injury that the only sensible approach to getting them in shape is a change of diet combined with gradually increasing low-impact exercise. Switching him from grain-based kibble to a high-protein food, or preparing a low-carb food for him, should make weight loss easier.
”The single most important thing you can do to lengthen the career of your canine athlete,” says Dr. Helfer, “is to keep your dog lean. The ribs should be easily felt and subcutaneous fat around the ribs should be barely detectable. When you look down on your dog from above, he should have a definite ‘waist,’ and when viewed from the side, there should be a ‘tuck’ from the ribs to the hips.”
Another effective way to prevent injury is to emphasize variety in conditioning exercise. Repetitive motion injuries are as common in dogs as in people, and they come not so much from over-exercising certain muscles as from under-exercising others. Develop a cross-training exercise program that includes many different kinds of motion. Instead of walking or jogging on sidewalks or a level track, switch to grass, bare earth, hills, and valleys. If your hike takes you to a lake or pond where your dog can swim, or if you have a pool or live near the beach, even better.
”An important and often ignored component to cross-training,” says Dr. Helfer, “is balance work and core body strength training. Both are important in injury prevention, especially in events that require quick changes of direction. In sports like agility and disc, the ability to respond quickly not only helps prevent injury, but also improves performance.”
Rehabilitation therapy
Over the years, veterinary chiropractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, and body workers have helped dogs of every description heal from injuries, accidents, surgery, and illness. Many competition dogs have monthly appointments for routine maintenance, to catch and correct minor problems before they progress.
Now, in response to the explosive growth of canine sports, rehabilitation medicine is becoming a popular veterinary specialty. At Top Dog Canine Rehabilitation and Fitness in Hamden, Connecticut, Jill Bruno-Sarno, CVT, and other therapists treat dogs for arthritis, hip and elbow problems, spinal injuries, stifle injuries, degenerative myelopathy, wobbler’s syndrome, joint injuries, tendonitis, bursitis, and soft-tissue injuries with the help of an underwater treadmill, massage therapy, electrical stimulation, low-level ultrasound, and therapeutic exercise.
”These treatments decrease pain, increase the rate of healing, reduce the risk of further injury, and re-establish strength, endurance, and range of motion.
”It’s great to be able to help increase the quality of a pet’s life through non-invasive techniques,” says Dr. Bruno-Sarno. “In addition, we offer sports conditioning for the working dog. We get quite a few canine athletes who are getting ready for a big show or trial, and when they win, we know we played a part in helping them shave a few seconds off a round or look their best in the show ring.”
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Hurray! Another annual food review is complete (and Ive got another pile of food to take down to my local animal shelter!). Im especially glad to be done with fact-checking the list of our top wet foods, because companies relocate, change their phone numbers, revamp their product lines, and fiddle with ingredients lists. The task is increasingly tedious, especially after 10 years of adding products to the list.
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Speaking of which, it seems like more products than usual got added this year, and not necessarily because they were new. I tried to check with the manufacturer of each of our favorite dry dog foods, to make sure I hadnt overlooked their fine wet products (in several cases, I had).
In other, rare cases, I added a product from a company that already had one or more foods on our list. Youll have to take my word for it, but I hate to add more than one product from any manufacturer to our list; Id prefer to introduce you to an increasing number of pet food makers, especially companies who offer superior products in underserved areas. However, I broke my own unofficial rule in the case of some new and especially compelling products that emerged from a couple of companies that are already on our list.
Until last year, I had never removed a product from our top food lists; though manufacturers do change their formulas from time to time, none of the foods on our lists have changed in a way that would prevent them from meeting our selection criteria. Last year, however, I was surprised by a formula change in a product I had previously approved: the inclusion of animal plasma in a canned food made by Wysong. I took the product off the list without comment, and have been compiling information about the use of animal plasma in food products ever since.
The blood of cows and pigs is collected in some slaughterhouses and processed into a dry powder. Its used extensively in the diets of young pigs and calves. Its also sometimes used as a palatant in a final coating on extruded dog foods and as a protein-rich thickener in canned pet foods. Studies suggest that it is highly digestible; in fact, its inclusion in a canine diet greatly improves the digestion of the diets fiber meaning you can include more (low cost) fiber in a food and the dog will still be able to digest it. An additional selling point is that it tends to make the dogs stool smaller and harder.
Im sure that feeding cow brains to cows once seemed like a really good idea, too.
In case that comment doesnt seem fair, let me be clear: I dont have a single study to cite to justify my gut instinct to cull products that contain animal plasma from our top foods lists. It feels just as wrong to me as feeding beef products to cows. While some nutritionists will utilize any ingredient with perceived benefits, I side with the health and nutrition experts who encourage us to eat (and to feed our dogs) a varied diet of real foods. I mean, with so many healthful, natural, and minimally processed ingredients from which to build a diet, why even go there?
How should you choose a canned food for your dog? To start, by looking past its advertising in dog magazines or its front label. We suggest you focus on its ingredient panel, its guaranteed analysis (GA), and finally, on its performance in feeding trials with your dog.
Here is why you have to work a little to find the right food for your dog.
Good ideas get replicated quickly in any competitive market. Products that demonstrate any increased sales performance or popularity are copied and aggressively promoted against the originals.
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The pet food market is no different. As products that contain top-quality muscle meats, whole grains, and healthy vegetables become increasingly popular, more and more of these foods are offered. That’s great news for our dogs.
The bad news is that along with the increase in genuinely superior products comes an increase in superficially (or artificially) superior products foods that really aren’t all that good. That’s where the marketing department comes in! With glossy studio shots of succulent meats, earthy grains, and fresh, ripe vegetables, professional portraits of flawlessly fit, clean dogs, and a sprinkling of ambiguous verbiage, any dog food can appear to compete with the healthiest products on the market. Especially if you add nominal amounts of the latest “fad” ingredients, blueberries, say, or pomegranate juice, to the product formula. We beg you to put the advertising aside and consider the ingredients themselves.
What’s in the can?
Wet dog foods offer your dog a few advantages over kibble. At levels of 70 to 80 percent moisture, canned dog foods are beneficial to dogs with kidney ailments. All that moisture can help a dog who is on a diet feel full faster (although you should look for low-fat products, as most canned foods are higher in fat than their kibbled counterparts). Canned foods retain their nutrient value longer two years or more, although their contents may change color and texture with time. Dry dog foods, in contrast, experience significant vitamin loss within a year of manufacture (longer for artificially preserved foods, less time for naturally preserved products).
Most significantly, though, the majority of wet foods contain far more animal protein (the dog’s evolutionary staple) than dry foods. Animal proteins are higher in biological value to the dog; they contain more of the amino acids that dogs can’t manufacture themselves, but must consume in their diets (essential amino acids). Though their digestive systems are beautifully able to extract at least some nutrients from just about anything edible, dogs benefit most from meat, especially when it is served up with proportionate amounts of the fat, connective tissue, organs, and even bone that originally came with the meat!
(While we’re on this topic, I’ve been asked several times to identify little pieces of white, bone-like material that a dog owner found in his or her dog’s canned food. If the food contains chicken, the answer is easy; those little flecks are tiny edible pieces of bone. Chicken “frames” (the carcass after the feathers, organs, head, neck, legs, and the breast meat have been mechanically removed) constitutes a hefty percentage of the “chicken” used in pet food. Some muscle meat is attached to the frame, as is a lot of connective tissue. “Chicken” may also contain chicken skin. The legal definition of chicken is “the clean combination of flesh and skin with or without accompanying bone.” Fish “frames” are also common in pet food.)
In addition to being more digestible, wet foods that contain mostly meat are also more palatable to dogs. (Conversely, the more grains and non-meat ingredients are present in a wet food, the lower its palatability.) Best of all, the meat used in canned pet food is usually fresh or frozen; generally, the meats in canned foods are of higher quality that the meats used in dry food.
What’s all this other stuff?
In some wet foods, you may see little more on the ingredients list besides an animal protein source, water or broth (required to help with the physical processing of the material), and the vitamin/mineral sources. The latter are added in amounts that ensure adequate levels of those nutrients even after certain percentages of the vitamins are destroyed by the heat of the sterilization process required for wet foods in cans, trays, and pouches. Often a carb source is used in a nominal way as a thickener/binder. Various types of “gum” (such as guar gum, from the seed of the guar plant, and carrageenan gum, from seaweed) are also common thickeners.
What about all these grains and vegetables and so forth?
Ideally, these extra ingredients have been included for some specific nutritional purpose and benefit. The manufacturer includes a certain amount of blueberries, for example, because of studies that indicate dogs may benefit from the addition of X amount of the unique antioxidants found in the berries.
On the opposite end of the spectrum of rationales for the addition of ingredients is something called “least-cost formulation.” This is just what it sounds like. It’s the method used for determining how a food that contains nutrients at the levels required to sustain dogs can be made as inexpensively as possible. Look at the ingredients labels of the products made by the largest pet food makers in the world and you’ll see what this entails.
Somewhere in the middle of this continuum is the marketing we mentioned in the beginning of this article. If a study comes out suggesting that rose petals can make people live longer, and one pet food that contains rose petals starts selling well, you can bet that rose petals will soon find their way into a number of pet foods.
The use of even the most nutritious “human” food ingredients can be overdone. While it sounds very appetizing (to us!) when a food contains a long list of whole ingredients, including many foods you might find in your refrigerator and cupboards, the more there is of all that in the can, the less room there is for meat. And with canned dog foods, meat should be mainly what it’s about (this goes double for canned cat foods, incidentally).
And you have to keep in mind that dogs have no biological requirement for any carbohydrates; they can thrive without them. Carbohydrate sources are often used in dog food as fillers (and effective binders), although manufacturers will tell you that they have included their carb sources for some nutrient or another, or because they are an important fiber source, helping slow the dog’s digestion and make it more efficient. The latter claims may be true, but the fact remains that all carb sources are less expensive than animal-based proteins and are not required by the dog. We strongly prefer wet dog foods that contain small amounts of grain or no grain at all.
That said, you’ll see that many of the foods that appear on our “top wet foods” list contain grains, veggies, and many other non-necessary ingredients. Here’s why.
What we have attempted to do is to highlight a variety of products that meet our selection criteria for wet dog foods (outlined below). Some of the foods on our lists contain much more animal protein than others; some are extremely high in fat, and other are at the low end of the scale. Some are quite expensive; others may compete in price with bargain grocery-store brands. Some may be found only in specialty pet supply stores in a few states, or by direct order from the manufacturer; some are ubiquitous, and can be purchased in any chain pet supply superstore. What they all have in common is that they are better than most wet dog foods!
Whole Dog Journal’s selection criteria
Here’s how we determine whether a wet food is truly “premium.”
We eliminate foods containing artificial colors, flavors, or added preservatives.
We reject foods containing fat or protein not identified by species. “Animal fat” and “meat proteins” are euphemisms for low-quality, low-priced mixed ingredients of uncertain origin.
We reject any food containing meat by-products or poultry by-products. There is a wide variation in the quality and type of by-products that are available to pet food producers. And there is no way for the average dog owner (or anyone else) to find out, beyond a shadow of a doubt, whether the by-products used are carefully handled, chilled, and used fresh within a day or two of slaughter (as some companies have told us), or the cheapest, lowest-quality material found on the market. There is some, but much less variation in the quality of whole-meat products; they are too expensive to be handled carelessly.
We eliminate any food containing sugar or other sweetener. Again, a food containing quality meats shouldn’t need additional palatants to entice dogs.
We look for foods with whole meat, fish, or poultry as the first ingredient (and perhaps the second and third ingredients, too!) on the label. (Just as with food for humans, ingredients are listed on the label by the total weight they contribute to the product.) If water is the first ingredient on a canned food label, that product had better have something else really special going for it.
If grains or vegetables are used, we look for the use of whole grains and vegetables, rather than a series of reconstituted parts, i.e., “rice”, rather than “rice flour, rice bran, brewer’s rice,” etc.
Go forth and compare
On the following pages, we’ve listed a number of canned dog foods that meet our selection criteria. It’s vitally important that you understand the following points regarding these foods:
The foods on our list are not the only good foods on the market. Any food that you find that meets our selection criteria, outlined above, is just as good as any of the foods on our list.
If the variety we describe doesn’t suit your dog’s needs, check its maker’s website or call their toll-free phone number to get information about the other varieties in the same line.
Quality comes with a price. These foods may be expensive and can be difficult to find, depending on your location. Contact the maker and ask about purchasing options. If the customer service representatives are less than helpful, move on to another product. As you’ll see from our list on the following pages, there are plenty from which to choose.
We have presented the foods on our list alphabetically. We do not “rank order” foods. We don’t attempt to identify which ones are “best”, because what’s “best” for every dog is different.
If your dog does not thrive on the food, with a glossy coat, itch-free skin, bright eyes, clear ears, and a happy, alert demeanor, it doesn’t matter whether we like it or not. Take notes, and date them! Sometimes it takes several years of detective work to find products that really suit your dog.
Using the selection criteria we have outlined above, go analyze the food you are currently feeding your dog. If it doesn’t measure up, we encourage you to choose a new food based on quality, as well as what works best for you and your dog in terms of types of ingredients, levels of protein and fat, and local availability and price.
When spring is in the air, every dog knows it. Spring is the season when dogswant to run, play, and stretch their bodies, when their eyes brighten, and their natural zest for life flows through their veins. Spring is a time of action.
There are so many canine performance sports today that require peak levels of running, twisting, turning, jumping, and pivoting. Anyone watching a canine agility trialor flyball competition can see the adrenaline pumping through every ounce of the dog’s being. Adrenaline can override the senses and the animal can unknowingly hurt himself badly, especially early in the season.
The risk of injury is very high when a dogis not properly conditioned. Also, dogs need to be given the opportunity to warm up before engaging in the burst of excitement and energy they experience at the moment they are released for coursing, a herding test, or on a sledding trail.
Physical conditioning takes time and different parts of the body condition at different rates. Muscles are first to build. Cardiovascular conditioning occurs next. This is followed by the strengthening of tendons, and then ligaments, which hold the joints securely.
All conditioning regimes need to be designed for each specific dog and his particular sport. Training programs for a dog will depend on his age, breed, weight, and current general fitness level.
Canine Exercise
Physiologists usually recommend that a dog begin conditioning by successive short runs in a straight line; that is, run 50 to 100 yards, stop, walk, run another 50 to 100 yards, and so on. By traveling in a straight line on a surface with good traction, the dog’s muscles and tendons are allowed to strengthen while not being overly stressed.
The next step in conditioning is to progress toward running on uneven terrain with incrementally increased amounts of turning and pivoting to build well-rounded muscles and strong, flexible tendons and ligaments.
Exercise experts advise dog ownersto make sure their dogs warm up before (and cool down after) strenuous exercise. Remember to make water available for the dog before and after activity.
Watch for fatigue and any indication of pain. A dog will naturally shift his body weight or alter his gait to compensate for tired muscles or pain, thus compromising other parts of his body. Injuries tend to occur when the body is off-balance, even slightly. Also, veterinary sports medicine practitioners report that the most common canine orthopedic injuries are repetitive stress injuries caused when the dog is tired but naturally driven to continue.
Enhance Conditioning with Acupressure
The ancient healing art of acupressure offers a method of enhancing the conditioning process. Acupressure, which is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, is known to:
Build flexibility of tendons and ligaments
Decrease inflammation of soft tissues and joints
Strengthen and warm muscles by supplying necessary nutrients
Relieve muscle spasms by establishing a smooth flow of energy and blood
Remove toxins from an injured area while replenishing with healthy cells, and
Reduce the painful build-up of lactic acid in the muscles by increasing blood circulation.
Acupressure Session
On the dog’s body there are specific acupressure points, or little energetic pools, where we can access and thus influence the flow of energy, in this case, to optimize the dog’s conditioning program. The following acupressure points, also called “acupoints,” can be used while building toward peak performance.
Bladder 17 (also known as “Diaphragm Transporting.”) Bl 17 is a powerful acupoint that enhances the flow of blood throughout the body. Cardiovascular health is the key to all the biomechanical functions of the body. Good blood and energy circulation ensures that all the tissues receive nourishment, so that healthy cells can form while lactic acid and toxic substances are removed. It is the continuous flow of replenishment and removal that makes for the strengthening and building of muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Gall Bladder 34 (“Yang Hill Spring.”) GB 34 is used facilitate the flexibility of tendons and ligaments. Tendons and ligaments are like the new, young branches on a tree; when the wind blows, they must be flexible and bend, or they will snap and break. Maximizing the flexibility and strength of ligaments helps increase the flexibility and weight-bearing capacity of the joints.
Spleen 6 (“Three Yin Meeting.”) SP 6 is often used to nourish the muscles and other soft tissues of the forelimbs and especially the hindquarters. Good muscle tone is dependent on nutrient-rich blood. SP 6 is known for its ability to enhance the circulation and nourishment of the blood.
Stomach 36 (“Leg Three Mile.”) As the “master point” for the gastrointestinal system, ST 36 is very important in converting food substances into refined, bioabsorbable nutrients to be circulated in the blood. ST 36 is known for its ability to contribute to a dog’s overall physical endurance because it promotes energy throughout the body.
Between receiving a spring maintenance acupressure session every five to six days and careful physical conditioning, the canine athlete will have a good time getting back into action this spring.
Acupoint Technique
Settle down in a quiet, comfortable space with your dog for an acupressure session, always keeping two hands on his body. Rest the soft tip of your thumb on an acupoint and exert about one pound of pressure (less for smaller dogs). Place your other hand comfortably on another portion of the dog’s body. On smaller dogs it may be more comfortable to use your index finger with your middle finger on top of it for the point work instead of your thumb.
Keep your thumb, or index and middle finger, on the acupoint for at least the count of 30. If your dog shows any signs of distress or pain while holding the point, stop and try it again some other time.
All of the acupoints are located on both sides of the dog’s body. Once you complete the series on one side, ask the dog to turn or roll over and work on the same acupoints on the other side.
You will know you are doing a good job when your dog indicates he is experiencing energy moving more smoothly through his body. Dogs express the movement and harmonious flow of energy by yawning, stretching, passing air, rolling over, licking in general or licking your hand on the point, or sometimes just breathing more deeply and falling asleep.
Amy Snow and Nancy Zidonis are the authors of The Well-Connected Dog: A Guide to Canine Acupressure, Acu-Cat: A Guide to Feline Acupressure, and Equine Acupressure: A Working Manual. They founded Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute, which offers a practitioner certificate program and training programs worldwide, plus books, meridian charts, and videos.
Dog owners often bemoan the paucity of public places in our society where their dogs are welcome. We band together and lobby mightily to secure small spaces in our communities for dog parks. We struggle to preserve dog-use rights in public common areas. And while I share the dismay over the shrinking access for our canine companions, I know that to a large degree we’ve brought it on ourselves by our collective carelessness about proper public and leash-walking etiquette.
Picture yourself strolling down Main Street, your faithful companion stepping smartly alongside you on a loose leash. This is the image most pet owners have in mind when they adopt a warm fuzzy puppy, or offer to give a shelter or rescue dog a second chance for a lifelong loving home. In reality, however, walking the dog is more often a chaotic scene of canine dragging human down the sidewalk at the end of the leash, rudely approaching other dogs, jumping on passers-by, and snapping at the heels of joggers. Where did things go wrong?
What is a walk?
Much of the problem with ill-behaved dogs on leashes stems from the fact that many dog owners have a major misconception about exercise. A walk is a great social outing for you and your dog. It’s a good bonding experience, an opportunity for you to stretch your legs, and the perfect time to work on training generalizing your dog’s learned behaviors to new environments with new distractions.
What a walk is not, however, is adequate exercise for your dog. Unless you are a marathon runner, or your dog is elderly or has some physical problem, a walk around the block is simply an exercise hors d’oeurve for your furry pal.
Think about it. If you took your four-legged friend for a hike in the hills, off-leash (assuming it’s legal and he’d stay with you and has a decent recall), he’d run circles around you. And at the end of the hike, as you dragged yourself back to the car on tired legs, he’d still happily be making loops around you, begging for another trip around the trails. Face it. For most dogs, a polite walk around the block is rather slow and boring and if the energy level is high, some dogs will resort to lunging, barking, and worse, to spice up the experience.
Train, train, train
Another piece of the problem is simply a failure on the part of many owners to teach their dogs to walk politely on leash. Despite an emphasis on this important behavior in many good manners classes, some humans just aren’t motivated to practice reinforcing polite walking enough to make it a habit for them or their dogs. This is especially true in suburban and rural areas, where dogs have yards or farms to run in, as opposed to city-dwelling dogs whose only outlet for fresh-air exercise may be a walk on leash.
I personally find it very annoying to have a dog constantly yanking on my arm, so even though I live on 80 acres, I take the time to teach my dogs two different cues for walking: “Let’s walk,” which means “You can act like a dog occasionally stopping to sniff, pee, and explore as long as you don’t drag me,” and “Heel,” which means “Walk at my side, refrain from sniffing, sit when I stop.”
Teaching your dog to walk politely on leash is more than just a convenience. When you can walk in public with your dog following your moves like a dance partner, he’s more likely to stay out of trouble.
Teaching “Let’s walk”
Remember that your dog’s leash is not a steering wheel or handle. It’s a safety belt, intended to prevent your dog from leaving. It’s not to be used to pull him around, nor should he drag you along behind him.
Whether you’re teaching “Heel,” or the less formal “Let’s walk!” the correct position for the part of the leash that stretches from you to the dog is slack, hanging down in a valley. Be sure when your dog is with you that you keep the leash slack. If you keep it tight, he’ll think tension in the leash is normal and correct.
For left-side walking, start with your dog sitting by your left side. I suggest holding leash and clicker in your left hand (same side as the dog) and having a good supply of treats in your right hand. For right-side walking, just switch all the equipment to opposite hands. Make sure there’s enough slack in the leash so it stays loose when your dog is in the reinforcement zone you’ve identified for polite walking. You can also use a waist-belt or otherwise attach your dog’s leash to your person, as long as he’s not big enough to knock you down and drag you.
Use your “Let’s walk!” cue in a cheerful tone of voice and start walking forward. The instant your dog begins to move forward with you, use an audible marker, such as the click! of a clicker or the word, “Yes!” and give your dog a treat. (The click or “Yes!” is used to “mark” the behavior you want the dog to repeat, and the treat reinforces that behavior.)
At first, click! and treat very rapidly, with almost every step. Remember, you’re not teaching “Heel!” right now. Click! and treat as long as there’s no tension in the leash, although I do suggest you choose one side and reinforce on that side only, to keep him from crossing back and forth in front of you. When your dog realizes it’s worthwhile to stay within a designated radius of his generous, treat-dispensing machine (you!), you can gradually reduce the rate of reinforcement.
Careful! If you reduce the rate too quickly or too predictably, you’ll lose the behavior. As you gradually reduce the rate of reinforcement, be sure to click! and treat randomly so your dog never knows for sure when the next treat is coming. If he knows you’re going to reinforce every tenth step, he can get careless for nine steps, and zero back in on you on the tenth. This phenomenon is called an interval scallop or a post-reinforcement pause. We humans are creatures of habit, and easily fall into predictable patterns. And our dogs are masters at identifying patterns.
The manner in which you hold and deliver your treats is critical to success with polite walking. When you walk, have the treats in your hand but hidden behind your hip on the side opposite your dog. If you hold them in your hand on the same side where your dog can see or smell them, it will be harder to “fade” (slowly eliminate) the presence of the treats later on. If you hold them in front of you, your dog will keep stepping in front of you to watch your hand (treats), and you’ll keep stepping on him.
To deliver treats, wait for a second after the click! as you keep walking, then bring your hand across the front of your body and feed the treat. Quickly move your hand behind your hip as soon as you’ve delivered the treat. Feeding the treat in the location where you want your dog to be reinforces that position. If you’re teaching him to walk on the left, feed on the left side. If you’re teaching him to walk on the right, feed on the right. If you feed the treat in front of you, you’ll reinforce that position, and you’ll be stepping on him again.
Remember to click!, then give him a treat after a brief pause. If you begin to move your treat hand toward him before the click!, he’s just thinking about food rather than what he did to make you click the clicker.
For the same reason, you want to lure (hold the treat in the position where you’d like him to be) as little as possible during leash walking. Luring will keep him in position, but it interferes with his ability to think. Your goal is to get him to realize that walking in the desired reinforcement zone makes you click! the clicker, and earns him a reward.
Teaching the “Heel”
If your goal is a show-ring heel, continue to shape for a more precise position as previously described, until your dog will walk reliably with his shoulder in line with your leg. Then change your cue from “Let’s walk!” to “Heel!” so your dog can distinguish between “now we’re going for a relaxed stroll,” and “now we’re working for that perfect 200-point score.”
Of course, it sounds good in theory, but can’t possibly be that simple. There will be times when your dog forges ahead of you and tightens the leash, or stops to sniff something of interest as you walk past him. There are positive solutions for those challenges as well.
When you have to pass a very tempting distraction, go ahead and lure, briefly, to get your dog past it. Put a tasty treat at the end of his nose; the more tempting the distraction, the higher value the treat and walk him past. As his polite walking behavior improves, your need for luring should diminish.
About face
Direction changes can be useful in teaching polite leash walking. When your dog starts to move out in front of you, before he gets to the end of his leash turn around and walk in the opposite direction.
Do this gently; you don’t want him to hit the end of the leash with a jerk if he doesn’t turn with you! As you turn, use your cheerful voice and a kissy noise to let him know you’ve changed direction. When he notices and turns to come with you, click! and offer a treat. He’s now behind you, and you’ll have lots of opportunities to click! and treat while he’s in the loose-leash zone as he catches up and walks with you.
Be a tree
There will be times when your dog pulls ahead of you on a tight leash. This is a great opportunity to play “Be a tree.” When the leash tightens, stop walking. Just stand still like a tree and wait. No cues or verbal corrections to your dog. Be sure to hug your leash arm to your side so he can’t pull you forward.
Eventually, he’ll wonder why his forward progress has stopped, and look back at you to see why you’re not coming. When he does, the leash will slacken. In that instant, click! and feed him a treat at your side. The click! marks the loose leash behavior; he’ll have to return to the reinforcement zone to get the treat. Then move forward again, using a higher rate of reinforcement if necessary, until he’s walking politely with you again.
Penalty yards
If “Be a tree” is not working, add “Penalty yards.” Your dog usually pulls to get somewhere or to get to something. If he won’t look back at you when you make like a tree, back up slowly with gentle pressure on the leash, no jerking, so he’s moving farther away from his goal. This is negative punishment; his pulling on leash behavior makes the good thing go farther away. When the leash slackens, click! and treat, or simply resume progress toward the good thing as his reward.
Go sniff!
Sniffing is a natural, normal dog behavior. If you never let your dog sniff, you’re thwarting this important hard-wired behavior. He may become frustrated and aroused if he’s constantly thwarted, so when you’re doing polite walking together, sometimes give him permission to sniff.
If he stops to sniff keep walking, putting gentle pressure on his leash to bring him with you, giving him a click! and treat as soon as he moves forward. When you know you’re approaching a good sniffing spot, however, you can give him permission by saying “Go sniff!” Give him enough leash to reach the spot without pulling, even running forward with him if necessary. You can also use “Go sniff” as a reinforcer for a stretch of nice leash walking!
Pat Miller, CPDT, is Whole Dog Journal’s Training Editor. Miller lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center. She is also the author of The Power of Positive Dog Training and Positive Perspectives: Love Your Dog, Train Your Dog.
1. If your dog hurt his leg, take him straight to the vet for any injury that might be serious.
2. Treat acute, inflamed injuries with cold. Treat chronic injuries with heat.
3. Keep your canine athlete in top shape with regular massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, acupressure, or other therapies.
4. Use supplements, improved diet and herbs to speed tissue repair and reduce inflammation around your dog’s injury.
Dogs At Risk for Pulling Muscles
A muscle strain in the dog’s leg, then a pulled ligament, a sprain, a bruise – pretty soon we’re talking about serious problems. Canine sports injuries are increasingly common, but there is much you can do to catch them early, treat them correctly, and reduce the risk of your dog getting badly hurt, needing surgery, or having to retire from competition.
Every dog is a candidate for injury, but those at special injury risk include:
– overweight dogs
– weekend athletes – couch potatoes – dogs with arthritis
– dogs engaged in search and rescue – dogs who compete in flyball, agility, freestyle, disc dog (Frisbee), field work, dock diving, obedience, weight pulling, dog sledding, and other sports
Signs of Injury in Dogs
Dog injury signs aren’t always obvious. In fact, as Morgan Spector notes in Clicker Training for Obedience, dogs are very good at hiding injuries, a behavior that stems from an atavistic survival mechanism. As a result, we seldom realize that dogs are in pain until the damage is serious.
To identify canine injuries early, train yourself to be observant. Get in the habit of watching your dog stretch, turn, walk, run, and jump. Ask for help from visually oriented friends and trainers. When alignment is perfect and muscles are toned, a dog’s motions are balanced and graceful. Serious limps are obvious, such as if your dog sprained a wrist, but if you pay attention, you’ll notice more subtle symptoms, like tightness, tenderness, restricted movement, and even the slightest change of gait.
Range-of-motion exercises, such as using a treat or toy to lure your dog into a tight turn to the right or left or raising and lowering her head, can call attention to minor problems. Daily massage and gentle touch offer clues, too. Does your dog turn away when you stroke or press her hindquarters? Does any area feel unusually warm? Hard or stiff? Tender or swollen? Not the way it felt yesterday? Touch is one of the fastest ways to discover inflammation, muscle strains, and other discomforts.
When you notice changes, keep track of them in a calendar or notebook. If needed, an accurate history of symptoms and treatments will help veterinarians and other therapists understand your dog’s injury.
Obviously, any serious problem should be attended to at once. Whenever you’re in doubt, go straight to your veterinarian, rehabilitation clinic, veterinary chiropractor, canine massage therapist, or other specialist.
First Aid for Dogs with Pulled Muscles
The most important first-aid treatment for any injury is rest, and the simplest additional therapies are heat and cold. Which should you use when?
An acute injury is one that flares up quickly, within 24 to 48 hours of the incident that caused it. Acute injuries usually result from a sprain, fall, collision, or other impact, and they produce sharp sudden pain, tenderness, redness, swelling, skin that feels hot to the touch, and inflammation.
Cold is recommended for acute injuries because it reduces swelling and pain. Injured dogs instinctively seek puddles, ponds, streams, and winter snow banks in which to stand or lie.
A bag of frozen peas makes a convenient cold pack because it can be placed just about anywhere on the body, conforming to fit. Cold therapy products for pets, such as On-Ice bags and covers, are available from pet supply stores. Medical supply companies sell a variety of cold packs for sports injuries. The ones that contain a gel that stays malleable even when frozen are especially helpful for molding around a dog’s musculature.
Because cold restricts circulation and ice left in place for too long can cause complications, wrap any uncovered ice pack in a towel before applying it, remove the ice pack after 10 or 15 minutes, and wait at least two hours before reapplying. Never apply cold treatments just before exercise, workouts, training sessions, or competition.
Heat is recommended for chronic injuries, which are slow to develop, get better and worse, and cause dull pain or soreness. The usual causes of chronic injuries are overuse, arthritis, and acute injuries that were never properly treated. Heat therapy helps sore, stiff muscles, arthritic joints, and old injuries feel better because it stimulates circulation, helps release tight muscles, and alleviates spasms.
Heat is not recommended for acute injuries, areas of swelling or inflammation, or for use immediately after exercise.
To apply moist heat safely and effectively, place a damp towel in a hot clothes dryer or microwave for a minute or two. Be sure the towel feels hot but not uncomfortably so (test it on your inner wrist and let it cool if necessary), then fold it to fit the affected area. An extra towel on top helps retain warmth. Apply heat to the injury for 10 to 15 minutes, then wait another 15 minutes or longer before reapplying.
Electric heating pads are not usually recommended for canine use. Microwavable pet heating pads like the Snuggle Safe and the ThermoWave release safe, gentle heat for hours.
Bodywork for Muscle Injury Relief
Massage is one of the easiest techniques for handlers to learn, and most dogs enjoy being stroked, kneaded, stretched, and rubbed. (See “What to Think About When Petting Your Dog,” for petting techniques.) Massage, myotherapy (trigger point work), and other hands-on techniques not only treat injuries, they help prevent them by improving circulation, repairing damaged tissue, soothing the patient, and restoring range of motion. Canine massage therapists and canine myotherapists are health care professionals with special training in the treatment of sports injuries.
Chiropractic adjustments correct the alignment of joints and vertebrae in order to relieve pain, reduce muscle spasms, improve coordination, and enhance overall health. Veterinary chiropractors often specialize in sports injuries.
Acupuncture speeds healing by increasing circulation to affected areas, relieving pain, improving musculoskeletal problems such as arthritis, disc disorders, stiffness, or lameness, and balancing the body’s energy. Its close relative, acupressure (See “Athletic Dogs and Acupressure Techniques“), which involves holding acupuncture points rather than inserting needles, can be used for emergency first aid, rehabilitation, and injury-preventing conditioning.
Tellington TTouch (pronounced tee-touch) is beneficial to canine athletes because its circular touches actually change the way dogs process information. These simple motions can help your dog switch mental gears and focus on the present moment, release tension, and feel confident instead of fearful. The most widely known TTouches for dogs are the ear slide (holding the dog’s ear between thumb and bent forefinger, slide fingers from base to tip and repeat until the entire ear has been stroked) and ear circles (make small circles all over the ear). Ear TTouches have a calming effect in emergencies or whenever the dog is under stress, distracted, or in pain.
TTouch exercises like maze-walking (stepping over and around low obstacles) while wearing an elastic bandage body wrap help dogs understand where their hind ends are. This proprioceptic (neuro-muscular) awareness improves coordination and reduces injury risk. See “Calming TTouch for Noise-Phobic Dogs“, and “TTouch Practitioners Explain Canine ‘Body Wrapping,” for tips on using TTouch for your dog’s comfort.
With the help of books like Physical Therapy for the Canine Athlete by Suzanne Clothier and veterinary chiropractor Sue Ann Lesser, DVM, you can guide your dog through therapeutic stretches, physical adjustments, and exercises that correct a variety of problems.
As interest in canine rehabilitation grows, more clinics and independent therapists will offer noninvasive, drug-free therapies. With the help of workshops, books, videos, magazines, online courses, and DVDs, the basics of many bodywork techniques can be learned by anyone for use at home, in training, and whenever a dog might benefit.
Herbal Remedies for Healing Dog Injuries
Arnica (Arnica montana) is a small Alpine herb whose yellow flowers pack a powerful healing punch. If applied within a minute or two of a trauma injury, arnica tincture (an alcohol extract of the flowers) can stop pain and prevent bruising. Applied to older injuries, arnica stimulates capillary circulation and speeds healing.
But arnica is a controversial herb. Because it is a powerful heart stimulant, most American herbalists have been taught that arnica should never be taken internally or used on broken skin.
This cautious approach, say some experts, deprives users of arnica’s most important potential.
According to Ed Smith, a highly regarded herbal researcher and founder of Herb Pharm, an herbal products manufacturer, arnica is specifically recommended for internal injuries, such as those resulting from car crashes or surgery. Smith finds no justification for the warnings commonly placed on arnica products.
In addition to recommending arnica tincture for internal use in pets and people, giving 1 drop per 15 pounds of body weight every three to four hours as needed, he recommends applying it to bleeding wounds and other injuries to reduce swelling, pain, and bruising.
I know from experience that if you act fast enough, within a minute or two of injury, full-strength arnica tincture stops pain on contact and prevents swelling and bruising, which is why I keep bottles in back packs, handbags, fanny packs, glove compartments, medicine cabinets, and kitchen cupboards.
A few weeks ago when Chloe, my three-year-old Labrador Retriever, lay down in the woods, I knew she was hurt. When she stood, she couldn’t put weight on her left hind leg. I checked her foot for cuts and splinters, but it was fine.
Having no idea what had happened, I opened a bottle of Weleda arnica essence, gave her four drops on the tongue, and saturated her hurt leg from spine to toes, gently massaging her coat to help it reach the skin.
In less than a minute, my dog put weight on the injured leg and within five minutes, as we slowly walked home, her limp disappeared. After a day of crate rest and additional applications of arnica, Chloe resumed normal activities at a sedate pace until her monthly chiropractic appointment.
Arnica tincture can be diluted with water for use as a compress. Mix 1 tablespoon tincture with ½ cup water, saturate a towel or wash cloth, and hold it in place for 10 minutes every four to six hours. Homeopathic arnica tablets and ointments are popular sports injury treatments. These products are especially helpful for injuries near the eyes or mucous membranes, which an alcohol tincture would irritate. But for all other trauma injuries, arnica tincture is my first-aid first choice.
Rescue Remedy
Flower essences, such as the famous Bach Flower Remedies, are made by placing flowers in water, exposing them to sunlight, and bottling the result. These “energy” essences resemble homeopathic remedies but address emotional rather than physical symptoms. (See “Flower Essence Therapy For Dogs.”) The most famous such product is Bach’s Rescue Remedy, a blend of cherry plum, clematis, impatiens, rock rose, and star of Bethlehem essences. For decades, it has been given to people and animals to help them deal with shock, stress, and trauma. If your dog’s leg hurts, Rescue Remedy is an effective product to try.
Kris Lecakes-Haley, a Bach Flower Remedy practitioner at Animal Synergy in Phoenix, Arizona, calls Rescue Remedy one of the world’s top-selling stress relievers. “Even though Rescue Remedy and all of the Bach remedies are designed to work on the emotions,” she says, “they frequently have an immediate impact on physical injuries.”
At a dog show Lecakes-Haley attended, a Norwich Terrier was about to enter the show ring when he collided backstage with another dog. “He immediately began limping,” she says, “and I was amazed to see how many people came forward offering Rescue Remedy to the owner. She rubbed a few drops on his gums and paws and also on the impacted area. The dog shook, yawned, and then proceeded to prance limp-free into the arena. This is a classic example of Rescue Remedy in action.”
The same blend of essences, made by different manufacturers, is sold under the brand names Calming Essence, Five-Flower Formula, and Trauma Remedy.
Flower essences can be applied full strength a few drops at a time, diluted with water, added to herbal teas or hydrosols, or added to drinking water. Diluted flower essences can be sprayed in the air around the dog. Full-strength or diluted essences can be applied to paw pads and abdomen, dropped on the tongue, massaged into gums, applied to the inside ear’s bare skin, or placed on the nose.
The frequency of application matters more than quantity, and small amounts administered every hour or so can help any dog recover faster.
Herbs and Herbal Compresses for Pain Relief and Healing
Several herbs have anti-inflammatory properties that help dogs with arthritis and sports injuries. Boswellia (Boswellia serratta), bupleurum (Bupleurum spp.), cayenne (Capsicum frutescens), devil’s claw root (Harpagophytum procumbens), feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium), ginger (Zingiber officinale), turmeric (Curcuma longa), and yucca (Yucca baccata) have all been used to relieve joint pain and increase canine mobility and range of motion. Most herbalists recommend short “courses” of herbs, such as five days on and two days off, to monitor the animal’s response, adjust dosage, or switch from one herb to another.
Some herbal products are blended specifically for dogs with arthritis, knee or elbow problems, or stiff joints, such as the Australian remedy DGP (Dog-Gone Pain), Animals’ Apawthecary’s Alfalfa/Yucca Blend, and Nature’s Herbs for Pets blends for Injury Relief, Joint Relief, and other conditions. Follow label directions.
For the treatment of sprains, pulled leg muscles, and other acute injuries, Juliette de Bairacli Levy of Natural Rearing fame (see “A History of Holistic Dog Care“) recommends rest and the application of wraps soaked in cold water and vinegar. “The herbal remedies are comfrey or mallow,” she says. “Make a standard infusion of either herb and bathe the injured area before applying bandages.” A standard infusion is made by covering 1 or 2 teaspoons dried herb or 1 or 2 tablespoons fresh herb with 1 cup boiling water. Cover and let stand.
To make a cold compress for acute injuries and areas of inflammation, let the tea stand until cool, strain, add a tablespoon or two of raw cider vinegar if desired, then refrigerate or place in the freezer until cold. If you’re in a hurry, brew a double-strength tea and add ice cubes to cool it. Soak a small towel or washcloth, wring just enough to stop dripping, apply to the affected area, and hold in place. After a few minutes, soak the cloth again and reapply. Replace the compress as needed to keep the area cold for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat the treatment every two to four hours.
Peppermint is a cooling herb with pain-relieving properties; cold peppermint tea makes an effective compress for acute injuries.
Hot herbal compresses are called fomentations. For chronic pain and injuries that do not present swelling or inflammation, let freshly brewed or reheated tea stand until it’s comfortably hot, not scalding, then strain and apply as described above. As soon as the fomentation cools, soak the cloth again and reapply. Continue warming the area for 10 to 15 minutes and repeat every two to four hours.
Cayenne is a warming herb with pain-relieving properties, especially if applied regularly, so cayenne added to any herbal tea works well as a fomentation. Just be careful not to touch your eyes or your dog’s eyes or mucous membranes with cayenne. If you do, apply any vegetable oil to remove it as water won’t wash away capsaicin (cayenne’s irritating ingredient).
I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
