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Fending Off the Flu

By
CJ Puotinen
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The headlines would frighten anyone. “Mysterious Dog Flu Found in Boarded Pets,” said the front page of New York’s Westchester/Rockland County Journal News on September 24, 2005. “Virulent Dog Virus Hits Area Kennels,” warned the New York Times a day later.

In less than two weeks, the Times ran five news stories about the illness. “Dogs Stay In as Rumors Run Free,” its October 7 feature, summed things up. Frightened New Yorkers were keeping their dogs home while buzz about the new disease spread faster than the virus that caused it. Radio stations, TV networks, newspapers, Web sites, and online chat rooms picked up the story.

And it’s a scary tale. In late August and early September, 100 dogs at Best Friends Pet Care Center in Chestnut Ridge, New York, and another 40 dogs at Graceland Kennels across the Hudson River in North Castle, New York, developed what veterinarians at first assumed was kennel cough. Instead, they had a new form of influenza. Several developed pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. One of them died.

By all accounts, the virus developed in Florida. On August 12, shortly before the New York outbreak, Cynda Crawford, DVM, PhD, an immunologist at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, issued an advisory warning that “outbreaks of canine influenza virus, which causes an acute respiratory infection, have been identified in dogs in shelters, humane societies, boarding facilities, and veterinary clinics in Florida.”

By October 15, cases had been reported in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington state, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. By the time you read this, the list will be longer.

Viral activity
That’s because canine flu has a very high infection rate. “Dogs have no natural immunity to the virus, so virtually every animal exposed will be infected. About 80 percent of dogs that are infected with the virus will develop symptoms,” says Dr. Crawford.

Although most common where dogs are in close proximity – in kennels, shelters, dog parks, grooming salons, training schools, and dog shows – canine flu can be contracted through the air or through exposure to contaminated surfaces. Anyone and anything that has been in contact with infected dogs can be a vector. Some Florida kennel workers carried the virus home with them and spread it to other dogs.

“Think of this as the canine equivalent of colds and flu that people get,” says Carol Falck, VMD, in Pompano Beach, Florida. “It spreads in just the same way, through direct contact, through the air, and through exposure to whatever the virus touches.”

The symptoms are similar, too, with infected dogs developing a runny nose, fever, and a persistent cough that can last for two to three weeks. But the severity of symptoms varies. “That’s because there are two forms of the illness,” explains Dr. Falck. “The mild form can come and go unnoticed, but the dog will still be a carrier. In fact, you can’t tell anything about a dog’s canine flu status by its appearance, because a dog can look and act perfectly normal and still have an active infection. The more severe form of canine flu has obvious, acute symptoms that can turn into pneumonia.”

According to Debbye Turner, DVM, a consulting veterinarian to CBS TV’s Early Show, the canine flu’s signature cough is different from kennel cough. “Kennel cough is a hacking cough, and the dog usually feels fine otherwise,” she explains. “With canine flu, you’ll see a soft, moist cough. You’re also going to see a high fever in the dog; nasal discharge; rapid, shallow breathing; loss of energy; and loss of appetite.” These last symptoms manifest when the illness progresses to pneumonia. Canine flu does not tend to produce vomiting, diarrhea, or other intestinal problems.

The canine flu virus is not related to human flu or to the avian (bird) flu that has killed people in Asia. No humans have been infected with the canine flu.

New and fatal?
With veterinarians claiming a 100 percent infection rate, canine flu sounds like the human flu pandemic scientists have been warning us about, something that could kill just about any and every dog.

In truth, the canine flu’s mortality rate is very low, with most estimates at around 5 percent. Those at greatest risk of developing complications are older dogs, young puppies, and any dog with a weak immune system.

And yes, it’s new – but not that new. According to Edward Dubovi, PhD, director of Cornell University’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center’s virology laboratory, the illness was first identified two years ago.

In January 2004, 22 Greyhounds in a Florida racing kennel came down with an unusual respiratory disease and eight of them died. Dr. Crawford sent tissue samples from the infected dogs to Dr. Dubovi, who isolated the influenza virus. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, then typed and sequenced the virus. It was found to belong to the H3N8 virus strain, which causes influenza in horses.

In 2004, 14 Greyhound racetracks in six U.S. states reported outbreaks of respiratory disease, as did 20 tracks in 11 states during the first nine months of 2005. Although researchers did not investigate every outbreak, they found evidence of H3N8 wherever they looked.

Is your dog at risk?
The short answer to this question is yes. Even if canine flu hasn’t infected your neighborhood, it eventually will. When researchers tested dogs in shelters and at veterinary clinics in Florida and New York, they found that up to 97 percent already had antibodies to the H3N8 virus.

“This suggests,” says Dr. Falck, “that it’s far more widespread, at least in affected areas, than most people realize. If you live near an outbreak area, the odds are very high that your dog has already been exposed or soon will be. Wherever you live, this flu will eventually arrive.”

The virus is airborne and spreads easily. Most dogs who develop symptoms do so within 24 to 72 hours of exposure, although the exact incubation period is unknown. An infected dog will be contagious for at least a few days and possibly weeks. No one knows how long the virus is viable on surfaces, but it probably survives for 24 hours and may live much longer.

The risk of infection is obviously highest where dogs are in close proximity, especially if they are under stress. This is why dogs in shelters, grooming salons, training schools, shows and competitions, and boarding kennels are so vulnerable.

At People Training for Dogs in Nyack, New York, eight miles from the Chestnut Ridge outbreak, trainer Nancy Strouss has been educating clients about canine flu. “I suggest that they not board their dogs in a stressful kennel and consider hiring a housesitter or finding someone who boards dogs in their home,” she says. “I also suggest that if they must go to the vet, that they leave their dog in the car until the vet is ready and then take the dog directly into the exam room instead of sitting in the waiting room with unknown dogs.”

She also screens dogs to help prevent exposure. “I tell clients that if their dogs have even a mild cough, runny nose, or other respiratory symptoms, they should not come to class but contact their veterinarian and me immediately. Dogs who were recently purchased or adopted from shelters must wait at least two weeks before starting class, to be sure they don’t have symptoms.”

An ounce of prevention
Florida veterinarian Mary Foster, DVM, has not yet had to treat canine flu, but she is busy with prevention.

“Everything comes down to the dog’s immune system,” she says. “There is no vaccine for the canine flu, but even if a vaccine were available today, I would advise my clients not to use it. Even conventional veterinary textbooks now recognize that vaccines can suppress certain immune functions, and researchers find that skin conditions, cancers, and other chronic problems are most common in dogs who are frequently vaccinated.

“The other key factor is diet. You can do a lot to improve your dog’s immune system just by improving the quality of his food,” she says. Like many holistic veterinarians, Dr. Foster recommends feeding a raw, home-prepared diet that does not include grains.

When it comes to supplements, Dr. Foster avoids synthetic vitamins in favor of whole-food supplements such as those from Standard Process.

“The products I use most for preventing viral infections are Thymex, which is a thymus gland supplement that stimulates an immune response, and Cataplex A-C-P, which is an antioxidant-bioflavonoid blend that increases white blood cells and improves lung-related respiratory diseases.” Dr. Foster adjusts the dose according to the dog’s size.

She also looks for zinc deficiencies because zinc helps protect the body from viruses. “The Standard Process product Trace Minerals B12 contains a little of everything,” she says, “and it helps dogs maintain proper zinc levels without causing any long-term harm.

Dr. Foster says calcium is important, too. “When calcium levels are low, you become more susceptible to infections, whether bacterial or viral. Calcium lactate is more quickly absorbed than calcium carbonate or other calcium supplements. When a dog is stressed, such as when you’re going to a dog show or taking a trip, make sure she has plenty of available calcium. I use Standard Process calcium lactate tablets, anywhere from three to six per day depending on the size of the dog. If the dog does get sick, I’d give two every hour. Calcium works best when given on an empty stomach, an hour before feeding or two hours after.”

Dr. Foster’s other favorite supplement is Pet’s Friend Immu GO, which contains dessicated spleen, thymus, and bone marrow and which she considers a powerful immune system booster.

An herbal classic
Juliette de Bairacli Levy, the famous herbalist whose Natural Rearing philosophy has improved the health of dogs for more than 60 years, is best known for advocating a raw, home-prepared diet. She suggests protecting dogs against viruses with an herbal compound that contains garlic, rue, sage, thyme, eucalyptus, and wormwood – all serious infection fighters – in a base of vegetable charcoal.

According to her Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat, these stimulate immunity, maintain health, promote healing in infected animals, and prevent infection if used before and after exposure to other dogs.

Coconut oil
Dr. Foster recommends feeding coconut oil to dogs as a flu preventive, and coconut oil expert and book author Bruce Fife, ND, agrees. “Taking coconut oil every day, preferably two or three times per day, is an excellent way to prevent infection,” says Dr. Fife. “The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil kill most strains of flu virus and, taken daily, should be effective against the canine flu.”

“What interests me most about coconut oil,” says Dr. Foster, “is that it actually attacks viruses that are lipid-coated. I suspect that because the H3N8 virus is lipid-coated, it is especially susceptible to the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil.”

The recommended dose is 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight daily, or 1 tablespoon per 30 pounds. It works best in divided doses, and it’s a good idea to start with smaller amounts to let the dog’s body adjust without causing diarrhea. Coconut oil can be added to any meal; most dogs so enjoy the taste that they’ll eat it off the spoon. (For more information, see “Crazy About Coconut Oil,” WDJ October 2005.)

Gastrointestinal support
According to San Diego veterinarian Stephen R. Blake, the most important defense against any infection, whether fungal, viral, or bacterial, is the gastro-intestinal system. “Since 70 percent of antibody-producing gamma globulin comes from Pyres patches in the intestinal tract,” he says, “and 90 percent of all toxins, bacteria, viruses, and fungi enter the body through the gut, it only makes sense that we should concentrate our effort on this organ system.”

Dr. Blake considers vaccines inappropriate for acute viral infections that have a high rate of infection and low mortality rate. “Our efforts should be on supporting the immune system through a healthy GI tract, not injecting more toxins into the system, which will stress it even further.”

Dr. Blake’s favorite supplement for immune support is bovine colostrum from New Zealand from pasture-fed, organically raised cattle. Colostrum is the “first milk” a cow produces after giving birth, and it contains all the immune support a baby calf needs to avoid infection. Cows produce colostrum in far greater quantities than their calves can consume, so the excess is collected and powdered for supplement use.

“I recommend a dose of 500 mg colostrum per 25 pounds of body weight once or twice a day, depending on the dog’s risk factor,” says Dr. Blake.

Other supplements that support the gastrointestinal tract include probiotics, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus and other “friendly” or “beneficial” bacteria, which help make up the body’s first line of defense against viruses and other pathogens. (Interestingly, this year scientists at Seoul National University in Korea isolated nine strains of Lactobacillus bacteria in kimchi, that country’s famous spicy sauerkraut. One strain proved so successful at preventing and treating avian flu that it is being tested as a commercial feed supplement.)

Acidophilus supplements are especially important for dogs who have been treated with antibiotics, as antibiotics destroy these beneficial microbes. Several probiotic supplements have been developed for dogs and are sold in pet supply stores or veterinary clinics.

Aromatherapy to the rescue
The use of essential oils and hydrosols derived from the leaves, roots, bark, and blossoms of aromatic plants is becoming increasingly popular among holistic veterinarians (as described in “Smell This, You’ll Feel Better,” December 2004, and “Essential Information,” January 2005).

For example, Dr. Foster applies 1 drop or less of lavender essential oil to the paw pads of dogs who are under stress to help them relax and to help prevent infection. Like many essential oils, lavender has antiviral properties.

Dr. Blake combines essential oils to protect dogs at risk of infection. “I mix 10 drops of frankincense, 2 drops of lemon essential oil, and 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of water,” he says. “Massage this blend into the paw pads and around the head and neck, keeping it away from the dog’s eyes. You can repeat this process throughout the day, depending on the risk and how the dog responds. Frankincense and lemon are both bactericidal and viricidal. Keep a vegetable oil handy in case any essential oil accidentally gets in the eyes. Essential oils are not water-soluble, so you can’t rinse them off with water.”

Dr. Falck relies on blends from Aromadog, which makes a variety of therapeutic and grooming products. Her favorite for canine flu prevention and treatment is Cough Drop!, which her clinic has been testing for several weeks.

“We’ve used it for a variety of respiratory conditions, possibly including canine flu, and the results have been phenomenal,” she reports. “We spray it around dogs so they can breathe the mist. Cough Drop! is handy because you can take it with you and use it whenever needed. You can take it to the groomer, or if your pet’s being boarded, you can ask the kennel to use it as a preventive. It helps prevent and treat kennel cough, too.”

To create Cough Drop!, Aromadog founder Faith Thanas blended ravensara, Eucalyptus radiata, spike lavender, and African sage essential oils, all of which have significant antiviral properties.

“It’s important to shake this blend vigorously to remix and reactivate it,” she says, “then thoroughly mist the air around your dog from a distance of two to three feet, including over the dog’s head. Repeat every two to three hours, and spray doorknobs, walls, and infected surfaces, too. One of the greatest advantages of this blend is its quick response time. Breathing passages open up, and this is so soothing for the chest. It brings immediate relief.”

Don’t panic
As the canine flu virus spreads across North America and the world, it will continue to generate confusion and distress. “Headlines and rumors always paint a worst-case scenario,” says Dr. Falck, “but they don’t have to apply to your dog. With a little help, your dog’s immune system can respond efficiently to any contagious disease, including canine flu.”

-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 Lab, and a tabby cat.

Training Your Dog To Come When Called

By
Mardi Richmond, CPDT-KA
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By Mardi Richmond

When it comes to learning to come when called, not all dogs are created equal. Some dogs learn the “recall” very easily. They seem to know instinctively that coming when called is to their advantage. Others will come when called most of the time, perhaps more reluctantly.

For some dogs, however, coming when called is the most challenging behavior they will ever learn – especially when faced with choosing between complying with the request and distractions like squirrels, cats, balls, or other dogs.

But if your dog is having trouble learning to come, don’t despair. Teaching a dog to come when called (also known as the “recall”) is not as difficult as you may think. It takes time, enthusiasm, and lots of practice, but even the most reluctant dog can a reliable recall in most situations.

Getting started
In brief, for your dog to have a reliable recall, you will need to follow these steps:

• Teach your dog the initial behaviors (coming when called is really a series, or chain, of behaviors).

• Make your dog think coming when called is the best thing that happens in life.

• Practice, practice, practice.

• Increase distractions gradually, so that your dog learns that coming to you is always more rewarding than anything else.

• Continue reinforcing (with variable rewards) for life.

Begin your recall training by thinking about what you would like the behavior to look like. Have a clear picture in mind so that you know what you will be working toward.

My picture is this: When I say, “Jesse, come!” I want my dog to immediately disengage from the activity she is doing, race toward me at full speed, and plop herself into the sit position in front of me. I want her to stay sitting until I snap on the leash, give her another behavior to do, or release her back to play.

Most trainers recommend that your dog’s recall is followed by a sit or a collar touch, to help keep him from immediately racing away after coming.

Once you have the chain of behaviors in mind, pick the word or hand signal you’d like to use. “Come” is a good choice, but you could use any word. If you have unsuccessfully tried to teach a recall before, use a different cue word this time around. “Here” and “front” are good alternatives.

While this article focuses on an everyday “Come,” most people expect several variations of the behavior from their dogs. For example, some people have a casual behavior like, “C’mon, let’s go!” and a formal obedience “Come,” too. If you train each of these with its own cue, you can help your dog know exactly what is expected.

Chain, chain, chain
Because coming when called is actually a chain of behaviors, it works best to teach each part of the chain separately first.

Please note: Always use the highest value rewards when teaching “Come.” Try chicken, liver, cheese, sardines, and other smelly, yummy, soft treats. From the start, make recall practice the highlight of your dog’s day.

• Charge up the cue. This simple step will give you a head start on the rest of the training. Go into a low stimulation environment where you and the dog can be alone (like the bathroom or bedroom). Say the word you have chosen for your cue (in these examples, we’ll use the word, “Come!”) and then give your dog a treat. Repeat this 10 to 20 times. Do this exercise several times over two or three days. You are essentially supercharging the cue.

• Teach your dog the beginning behavior by capturing it, using a food lure, or both. To “capture” the behavior, simply set your dog up for success. When your dog is about to come to you anyway (what trainers call “offering” the behavior), say “Come!” just before he gets to you, then use your reward marker (in most cases, a click! of a clicker or the word “Yes!,”) and give your dog a reward.

For example, you can say “Come!” when your dog is on his way to you to get his dinner, when you are about to go for a walk, or when you are getting ready to toss his favorite ball.

If you want to use a treat lure to get started, simply put the treat in front of your dog’s nose, as he sniffs it, take several steps backward. When he follows the treat toward you, click or say “Yes!” and give him the treat. Repeat this several times.

Once your dog will easily follow the treat, add the cue “Come!” It’s important to quickly “fade” or eliminate the treat lure, going to a click and treat as soon as possible. Practice in your living room, bedroom, backyard, and other low-stimulation environments.

• Practice the “quick turn” and “sit” on (leashed) walks. Surprise your dog on your walks by suddenly calling him and taking several steps back. When he turns to follow, click or say “Yes!” and give him a treat. Tell him what a great dog he is!

After a couple of practices, add in the sit and/or a collar touch. For example, say, “Jesse, come, sit!” With a few dozen repetitions most dogs will begin automatically sitting.

• Increase the distance and speed. If you have practiced a recall only across the length of your living room, don’t expect your dog to be able to come from a distance of the length of a park or field. You’ll need to practice with gradually increasing distances first.

Start by just calling him a few feet, then a few more until you can call him through your house and across your backyard. Practice away from home in fenced areas, or in an open area using a long line for safety.

How can you get your dog to run to you? Practice calling during ball games or tug games, using the continuation of the game as the reward. Try running in the opposite direction when you call (he’ll race after you to catch up), or calling him back and forth between two people.

• Teach your dog to pay attention when you ask, separately from teaching Come. It is difficult to get a dog to come when you can’t get his attention! There are many different ways to teach your dog to pay attention to you, but I like to simply work attention games into everyday life. For the next 10 days or so, every time your dog looks your way (even just a quick glance to “check in” with you), reward her with praise, affection, a favorite game, or a click and treat. Do this throughout the day whether you are at home or out in the world.

At first your dog may check in more at home than in other places. That’s okay. Just keep rewarding at home, and your dog will begin to look at you more when you are out in the world as well. After a couple of days of rewarding the natural check in, start occasionally saying your dog’s name and rewarding her when she looks your way.

• Put it all together. When your dog has learned all the individual pieces, you can start putting the behaviors together. This is the time to practice the recall as the whole chain of behaviors – responding to your request for attention, coming to you quickly, sitting or accepting a collar touch, waiting for the release.

Practice at various times during the day in low distraction environments. It is critical at this stage to set up your dog for success; only use your cue for the recall when you are 99 percent certain he will come. Don’t bother calling him when it’s very unlikely that he will comply, for example, right after you enter the dog park and take off his leash, or right as one of his family members or best friends enters your front gate.

Also, keep your practice sessions light and fun! If you turn your training sessions into a big bore, with too many repetitions and not enough fun, he well decide to quit “playing” with you.

Praise only
When you first teach your dog to come, try to avoid four very common human errors that can set back your training. First, be careful not to put your dog into a situation where he or she will learn that not coming is rewarding! For example, if you ask your dog to come, and he runs the other way (and has fun doing it!), then he has just been rewarded for not coming. At this stage in training the recall, it is essential to use good management! Let your dog off-leash only when it is very safe and when you will be able to go and get him when you need to.

Second, do not use “Come” to end a play session or other fun times, or to call your dog to you to perform a distasteful task (like pulling off burrs or clipping nails). This teaches your dog that coming to you could be a bad thing.

Third, be careful not to fall into the “bribe” trap. Let’s say you blew it (we all do!) and called your dog at a time when he wouldn’t come. At that point, don’t show him a treat or a ball to get him to come. This teaches your dog to come only when you have an obvious reward. Instead, go and get him, make it easier (say, by asking him to come to you on-leash), and try again.

Finally, never scold your dog when he comes to you, no matter what terrible thing he was doing just before he came to you. He stopped doing what he was doing and came to you! That’s great! So be sincere and enthusiastic. Your body posture, tone of voice, and energy will all make a difference. A sensitive dog will often circle or sniff (rather than come) if you bend over at the waist, or call with a stern voice. If your dog is starting to come, but hesitates, encourage her with happy praise.

Party time!
This can’t be said too much: Make recall training the highlight of your dog’s day. Use the best treats and toys as rewards. Vary the rewards. And most importantly, always keep it fun!

Make a list of your dog’s top rewards. Along with treats, use natural events in your dog’s life as possible rewards, such as playing with other dogs, walks, dinnertime, and playing fetch. Consider anything your dog loves to do as a reward! Mix them up.

For example, if your dog loves chicken, playing with other dogs, and tug games, reward the recall sometimes with chicken, sometimes with a surprise tug game, and other times with a release to play with dog friends.

Make recall training part of other fun activities, like walks and ball play, too. Use games as a part of your teaching strategy. Using games teaches your dog to listen to the Come cue even when he is in the middle of something fun. Let’s face it, the most important time to have our dogs come reliably is often when they are having the most fun, like chasing a squirrel, playing with another dog, or about to roll in cat poop or a dead animal! Some games include:

• Come for tug. In the midst of a game of tug, pause and ask your dog to drop the toy. Then back up and use your cue for “Come.” When your dog comes and sits in front of you, touch his collar, and then use your reward marker (such as a click or “Yes!”), and reward him with the continuation of the tug game.

• Back and forth recall game. Call your dog between you and another family member. Each time your dog comes, give a great big happy reward (silly play, jumping up and down, great food treat, play ball, etc.).

• Hide and seek. Have your dog stay in one spot. Go into another room and hide. Ask your dog to “COME find me” (emphasize the come). When your dog finds you, give a great big happy reward like two to three minutes of fun play. Once your dog knows this game, you can play it unexpectedly. For example: On a hike, step behind a rock or tree and call, “Come find me.” When your dog finds you, get crazy-happy and love him up.

• Dinnertime recalls. Have your dog sit or down and stay while you prepare his dinner. Continue to have your dog stay while you take the dinner into another room. Call your dog to you; dinner is the reward.

• “You’re the most wonderful dog” recall. Call your dog to you. When your dog comes, get down on the ground and play, play, play for at least three solid minutes.

• Come and go play. When there are real life distractions (or rewards), call your dog to you and release him to investigate or play. For example, when you are in an off-leash play area, call your dog (on-leash), and snap off the leash and send her to play when she comes to you. Getting to go play is the reward.

Practice and distractions
Of course your dog will come to you when it’s all about fun and games. But what about when it really counts: in the face of serious distractions or in a life-or-death situation? How do you make sure your dog will turn away from something really interesting to come to you?

The key is to train with systematically and increasingly difficult distractions. This is possibly the most important step for teaching your dog to come reliably in almost all situations.

But what does it mean? It means, quite simply, that you have to practice, practice, and practice some more. It means that those practice sessions must be full of heavily rewarded recalls. And it means that you must practice – with distractions – and with distractions that are at a level your dog can handle. Increase the difficulty of those distractions only when he can successfully handle it. This takes time, effort, and some planning, but it will pay off big time when you really need your dog to come!

In order to train with increasing distractions, you will need to have thought through the things your dog finds distracting. Because this varies from dog to dog, try writing down what distracts your dog. A puppy might be engaged by a leaf blowing across a lawn. Some dogs are enthralled with balls. Others lose concentration when they see other dogs playing or a neighborhood cat. Write down everything your dog finds distracting, then rank them according to how big a distraction it is for your dog. Pick at least 10 different locations you can practice in. New places are distracting, too.

Set up a training plan, to remind yourself to stick to a regular practice schedule. Then, keep track of your practice sessions and your dog’s progress; these notes can help you decide when to go to the next level of distractions.

Increase the distractions when your dog is enthusiastically coming at least 9 out of 10 times at your current level. What if your dog is making a lot of mistakes? If you have two mistakes in a row, make the exercise easier for your dog; help him be successful.

Train for life
Please keep in mind that there is no such thing as a 100 percent reliable recall. Dogs will always be dogs! What that means is that they are living, thinking, decision-making beings who will always make their own choices. No matter how much you train or practice, and no matter how well your dog responds, you will always need to use good judgment when your dog is off-leash.

Recognize the types of situations that will make it difficult for your dog to come reliably. Is it chasing birds, visiting with other dogs, or the scary sounds of thunder that make it most difficult for your dog to respond? Know and respect your dog. Don’t expect her to be someone she is not!

But when you take the time to really train your dog’s recall, you may be surprised and even impressed with just how reliably she will come. While teaching your dog to come can be done over the course of several weeks or several months, keeping your dog’s recall strong will mean continuing to train and reward it throughout her lifetime.

For a young dog (or a dog for whom coming is particularly challenging) continue practicing a couple of times a week at various locations and with various distraction levels for months after your dog has the basics down. For all dogs, integrate your recall practice into your daily life. Play with it on off-leash walks. Call your dog to you several times on your walk, then send him back off to play.

Keep rewarding your dog for great recalls, but use varied rewards, such as treats, toys, praise, or freedom.

Thanks to Sandi Thompson and Leanne Neufeld of Sirius Puppy Training, Berkeley, CA, for their help demonstrating Premack exercises. See www.siriuspup.com for contact information.

-Mardi Richmond, MA, CPDT, is a writer and trainer living in Santa Cruz, California, with her partner and two wonderful dogs, Jesse and Blue. She is also co-author of Ruffing It: The Complete Guide to Camping with Dogs.

Conventional Cancer Care for Canine

By
CJ Puotinen
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By CJ Puotinen

Your nagging feeling was right – there really is something wrong with your dog. And it’s not just a pulled muscle or a torn toenail. It’s cancer.

As you struggle to wrap your mind around that diagnosis, the veterinarian describes your options: surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, alone or in combination. Or your dog might be eligible to participate in a clinical trial testing a new drug, or you may want to consult an oncology specialist or consider a promising new state-of-the-art treatment. There are no guarantees that any of these treatments will work, and if the prognosis is especially grim, you may want to say goodbye now. Please decide within 24 hours. This is a medical emergency.

No wonder a Morris Animal Foundation survey found that the number-one fear of American pet owners is cancer.

You struggle to comprehend median survival times, treatment plans, treatment side effects, quality of life issues, and the demands that different protocols will make on your schedule – not to mention your checkbook.

Meanwhile, your faithful companion stares at you with trusting eyes.

“A cancer diagnosis is an incredibly emotional experience,” says Gerald Post, DVM, ACVIM, who has specialized in pet cancer care for 15 years. “There’s so much to consider, and there is a huge element of uncertainty. Even when you use the most accurate statistics for a particular group of animals with a particular type of cancer that is treated in a specific way, there is no way to know how your particular dog, who’s in the treatment room right now, will respond. When it comes to dogs and cancer, there are still many unknowns.”

So how can one make informed decisions?

“You have to consider all the factors,” he says. “At our clinic, we start with the diagnosis and then discuss what the cancer’s biological behavior is, what tests are needed, and what can be done. To answer this last question, we look at conventional therapies that are already widely used and experimental therapies that are ongoing. We include what our experience has taught us about probable outcomes, what the owners want, and how the dog is feeling. All of this information helps narrow the choices so that the owner can consider the most promising options.”

Survival rates
When it comes to cancer, some types are better than others – better meaning that they have a higher survival rate and are easier to treat than other cancers.

“The ideal patient in any oncology practice is one that doesn’t have cancer,” says Dr. Post. “That’s the best situation of all. But among cancer patients, I’d be happy if all of mine were otherwise healthy middle-aged dogs, each with a small (less than 3 centimeters) mast cell tumor on his or her body. These dogs can handle surgery very well, and they are likely to make a full and complete recovery.”

At the opposite end of the spectrum are patients with worst-prognosis cancers. “Whenever a young dog comes in with acute leukemia, or a middle-aged Golden Retriever has just been diagnosed with a ruptured splenic hemangiosarcoma, you can’t help but feel heartsick. These are difficult, difficult cases.”

Dr. Post says that osteosarcoma used to be in that category, “but we’re making progress there. It’s still a horrible disease, and sometimes we do have to amputate a leg, but with chemotherapy, we can increase survival time to a year or sometimes longer. A year is a fairly long time in veterinary oncology, and those 12 months are very precious to the dog’s human family.”

In human medicine, cancer patients are considered cured if they go for five years without the disease. While veterinary medicine doesn’t formally define the term, Dr. Post considers any dog who goes for more than two years without a malignancy to be cured.

Conventional treatments
In conventional medicine, surgery remains the most widely used and most effective treatment for cancers that cause solid tumors. It can be used by itself to remove a tumor, or it can be used in combination with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other treatments to enhance their effectiveness.

In many cases, tumors are removed along with a margin of tissue surrounding the tumor. Radical surgery, such as amputation, has a longer recovery time and more potential complications than minor surgery. However, improvements in anesthesia and innovations such as laser surgery, in which a laser beam replaces scalpels for maximum precision, are making all surgeries safer and more effective.

Radiation therapy damages and then kills rapidly dividing cancer cells. In veterinary oncology, high-energy units similar to X-ray machines deliver radiation as a primary therapy or to clear surgical margins of cancer cells.

Radiation is usually recommended in the treatment of mast cell tumors, soft-tissue sarcomas, squamous cell carcinomas, oral melanomas, brain tumors, nasal tumors, and tumors that have not spread to other parts of the body.

Radiation is delivered in small doses and given several times, often daily, over a period lasting three to four weeks. Small doses decrease this therapy’s most common side effect, which is damage to normal tissue. According to oncologists, this damage, which can be uncomfortable for the patient, is not usually life-threatening and usually disappears after the conclusion of treatment.

A few veterinary clinics implant radioactive beads in difficult-to-treat tumors in a radiation treatment called brachytherapy. Another new technique is tomotherapy, which rotates the beam source around the patient, targeting the tumor from different angles. And some clinics replace radiation with photodynamic or drug-laser therapy, in which an injected drug is activated by laser light.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs that damage and kill cancer cells when administered intravenously or orally in frequent doses alone or in combination with surgery and/or radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is usually recommended for cancers that have spread or metastasized to other parts of the body and for tumors that cannot be surgically removed.

Chemotherapy drugs have different mechanisms, such as damaging a cell’s DNA (genetic material) or interfering with cell growth and division. Their side effects vary, though most experts say that dogs have fewer adverse reactions to these drugs than human patients do.

Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are the most common reactions, but in dogs, they tend to be of shorter duration and of a milder nature than the side effects experienced by humans taking chemotherapy. Some chemotherapy drugs can cause kidney damage or bone marrow suppression. Bone marrow produces red and white blood cells. Low white blood levels can make the dog more susceptible to infection. Anemia, a low red blood cell count, is less common in dogs undergoing chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy seldom causes hair loss in dogs, but some breeds (Poodles, Terriers, Bearded Collies, Old English Sheepdogs, and others) seem to be more prone to this side effect. If experienced, canine hair loss is most apparent on the face and tail, especially in Terriers and Poodles.

For some canine patients, chemotherapy is an ongoing, permanent protocol; they receive it for as long as they live. For others, treatments are eventually discontinued for as long as the cancer stays in remission.

The problem with cancer is that no matter which of these treatment plans you adopt, it can – and usually does – come back. Worse, when it returns, it usually spreads or metastasizes, moving from the original site to other parts of the body.

Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are not only used to treat cancer in hopes of achieving a cure, but also used alone or in combination to relieve pain or discomfort, slow tumor growth, or otherwise improve the patient’s quality of life. Palliative treatments are those that reduce the symptoms of a disease without addressing the disease itself. In humans as well as canines, surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are often palliative rather than curative.

New treatments
Experimental, high-tech therapies touted as breakthroughs in human cancer care are being adapted for use with dogs. One is the stem-cell transplant.

In January 2004, Seattle residents Darrell and Nina Hallett learned that their Golden Retriever, Comet, had lymphoma. They took him to Bellingham Veterinary & Critical Care in Bellingham, Washington, where his spleen was removed and he was put on chemotherapy. Comet did not respond well and within a few weeks was so ill that his treatments were stopped.

Comet’s veterinarians, Edmund Sullivan, DVM, and Theresa Westfall, DVM, conferred with scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Westfall were aware that hundreds of experimental bone-marrow and stem-cell transplants had been conducted on dogs at the Fred Hutchinson Center as researchers perfected techniques now used in human cancer treatment.

In addition, there were reports of the treatments being used with great success outside the Center. Several years ago, a stem-cell transplant was successfully performed at the University of Massachusetts on a dog with lymphoma; in the 1980s, a Virginia veterinarian did bone-marrow transplants (which include stem cells) on a dozen dogs, three of whom survived for at least three years.

With help from Comet’s breeder, 40 of his relatives in five U.S. states and four countries were tested, and three were found to be perfect matches. The largest, a dog in Florida, was chosen because larger dogs yield more stem cells.

The June 2004 transplant was conducted at the Hutchinson Center, where a special machine separated stem cells from the donor’s blood. Comet was given total body radiation to suppress his immune system and allow engrafment of the donor stem cells. His donor’s stem cells were then delivered intravenously.

Dr. Sullivan brought Comet from the Center to his Bellingham clinic for two weeks of protective isolation, and his owners had a glass window installed so Comet could see the rest of the clinic. Two weeks after that, the stem cells began to reject their host, causing sores on Comet’s muzzle. After an anti-rejection drug cleared that condition, Comet had no further problems.

Today, two years after Comet’s initial diagnosis and 18 months after his stem-cell transplant, he is thriving. Dr. Sullivan looks forward to performing stem-cell transplants as appropriate patients and donors appear.

Another Golden Retriever, an 18-month-old female pup named Navy, made medical history when her owner, Marion Haber, treated Navy’s cancer with anti-angiogenic therapy, a medical strategy that is still new to humans. Haber had worked as a research fellow at the Angiogenesis Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Massachusetts that promotes research on angiogenesis and its control.

“Angiogenesis” is the growth of new blood vessels that tumors (and other tissues) create to supply the oxygen and nutrients that will allow them to grow and spread. Anti-angiogenic therapy starves tumors and prevents their growth by cutting off this blood supply with drugs.

The study of angiogenesis has produced a new diagnostic tool as well, for if a blood test reveals elevated angiogenic growth factors, the cause is likely to be a tumor.

In September 2000, Haber, then a student at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine in Boston (she is now a veterinarian), discovered a tumor in Navy’s chest while practicing examinations on the dog. A surgeon removed the tumor, extra tissue, and five ribs, which were replaced with three prosthetics.

A few weeks later, a tumor appeared on Navy’s leg. Knowing her pup’s situation was desperate, Haber rejected amputation and radiation therapy and turned instead to angiogenesis.

Navy’s treatment, now known as the “Navy protocol,” combined three drugs already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – Celebrex, tamoxifen (sold as Nolvadex), and doxycycline – with a goal of inhibiting blood vessel cell proliferation and invasion. Navy received her first multi-targeted drug cocktail on Christmas Day 2000. By early March 2001, her veterinary oncologist could find no trace of cancer, and Navy experienced no adverse side effects. As angiogenesis pioneer Judah Folkman told reporters at the time, “That’s a remarkable achievement.”

While Navy’s recovery was dramatic, it may not have been representative. When anti-angiogenic drug trials for human cancer patients were conducted in the 1990s, everyone wanted the new “miracle drugs,” and their popularity (in clinical trials at least) soared. News reports inflated the public’s expectations, leading to disappointment. Instead of being touted as a cure, anti-angiogenic drugs are now described as a treatment option that helps stabilize cancer as a chronic manageable disease.

According to the Angiogenesis Foundation, anti-angiogenic drugs show promise in the treatment of canine brain, lung, mammary gland, mast cell, oral, bone, prostate, soft tissue, and lymph system cancers. The Foundation works with veterinarians and zoo managers to treat dogs and other animals. Anti-angiogenic drugs are used alone or in combination with conventional chemotherapy or radiation therapy. While other dogs have received the Navy Protocol, Navy remains its most dramatic success story.

Clinical trials
Just as human cancer patients participate in clinical trials that test new protocols, so do dogs with cancer.

Dr. Post is chairman and founder of the Animal Cancer Foundation, a resource for veterinary oncologists. “I’m encouraged by the continuing progress being made in conventional therapies,” he says, “but I’m always on the lookout for novel therapies that are being developed by biotechnology firms. If you’re a mouse or a rat and you get cancer, we can cure you, but if you’re a person, it’s a different story. The model in which tumors are induced in laboratory rats and mice just doesn’t apply to human health.

“Dogs and people develop cancer spontaneously, they share the same environmental risk factors, and they are more closely related to each other than to rats and mice. It makes sense to use their tumors to test novel therapies that can help our animals and at the same time reveal something about how experimental therapies are likely to work in people.”

According to the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research (CCR) Comparative Oncology Program (COP), another organization that promotes clinical trials that test experimental therapies in dogs with cancer, the types of canine cancer that could produce results for humans include osteosarcoma, breast and prostate cancer, melanoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, head and neck carcinoma, and soft-tissue sarcoma.

Clinical trials recruit and enroll carefully defined patients, such as “dogs with suspected or confirmed transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder with measurable disease” or “dogs with suspected or confirmed appendicular osteosarcoma with no prior treatment with radiation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or bisphosphonates, no complicating disease(s) that would limit survival, no pathologic fracture of affected limb or advanced metastatic disease, and informed client consent.”

The trials are usually paid for by pharmaceutical companies or other sponsors and conducted at veterinary teaching hospitals or research centers.

Cancer’s high cost
Any illness can be expensive, but cancer has to be the most costly disease that affects our dogs. Some owners have maxed out their credit cards, borrowed from friends and family, and taken second mortgages just to pay the vet bills.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, Americans spent $7 billion on veterinary care in 1991 and an estimated $19 billion in 2001. Increasingly sophisticated equipment is one reason for the increasing cost. Some veterinary clinics have their own linear accelerators, which reduce radiation therapy side effects by pinpointing tumor sites precisely, along with spiral computed tomography (CT) scanners for diagnostic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices, and other technologies formerly available only to human patients.

Canine cancer treatments range from a few hundred dollars for the simplest procedures to $20,000 or more for cases that involve long-term therapy and multiple protocols. In most clinics, chemotherapy costs, which vary according to the patient’s size, range from $500 and up for palliative care to more than $5,000 for three to six months of treatment.

Because most clinical trials are funded by their sponsors, the owners of participating dogs are charged only a minimal fee, such as an initial evaluation. But not everyone is eligible or wants to participate in a fully funded clinical trial, and that leaves most owners who choose to pursue conventional care facing painful financial decisions.

Comet’s stem-cell transplant cost his owners $45,000. Spending the money on Comet, they told the Seattle Times last year, was “infinitely better” than using it for the kitchen remodel they had planned.

Navy’s treatment cost her owner $2,000, part of which was paid for by donations from fellow classmates at Tufts.

Fund-raising efforts are one way to pay the vet bills if you’re on a budget. Another is pet health insurance, which was once considered a novelty but is catching on. According to an American Animal Hospital Association survey, 1 percent of pet owners now carry pet health insurance, with the average premium costing slightly less than $150 per year.

Like their counterparts in human medicine, though, pet policies vary. Some companies provide only accident coverage, while others offer options such as minimum coverage, vaccination, and routine care coverage, or more expensive coverage that covers office visits, surgeries, hospitalization, prescriptions, diagnostic tests, X-rays, lab fees, teeth cleanings, and checkups.

Cancer “riders,” if available, can extend the animal’s treatment for that illness. Most policies – again, like their human counterparts – are more likely to cover conventional treatments than holistic or alternative ones.

Insurance companies usually exclude previously existing conditions, and some exclude congenital problems and hereditary defects. Some plans require policyholders to use only veterinarians in their system. Most plans have a maximum age limit for new patients, some charge more for certain breeds, and at least one company adds a surcharge for coverage in New York City.

A growing number of veterinary clinics offer their own wellness packages, which include discounted prices for routine care, or they may be linked to a specific insurance company or plan.

In general, pet insurance policy buyers should expect to deal with co-payments, deductibles, reimbursement benefit schedules, documentation, forms that have to be signed by the veterinarian, forms that bounce back, fine print, payout limits that may not be clearly explained, and other frustrations. Compare policies, talk to people who already have coverage, and ask your vet’s office to help you weigh your dog’s health risks. If you decide to buy health insurance, be sure the company is licensed in your state.

Quality of life
A treatment may extend a dog’s life, but if that life is defined by loss of mobility, anxiety, depression, pain, and suffering, is the treatment worth pursuing? At what point do quantity of life and quality of life fall irrevocably out of balance?

To help vets and pet owners answer these questions, the Animal Medical Center in New York City developed a “performance scale” that assesses quality of life. It considers alertness/mental status, appetite, weight/body condition, activity/exercise tolerance, and elimination. As one would expect, dogs who score close to normal in all five categories tolerate treatments well and do better overall than low-scoring dogs.

Some veterinary oncologists ask owners to define, before treatment begins, their hopes, goals, and expectations as a way to begin the discussion about what will work, what won’t, and whether the client’s expectations are realistic. This is an excellent exercise – one you can begin today.

If your dog had cancer, what side effects would be worth working through and which would not? As you learn more about cancer treatments, you will undoubtedly see some that you might consider and some that you definitely wouldn’t. But the more you understand about this illness and its treatment, the more prepared you will be to make decisions on your companion’s behalf.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Canine Cancer Resources and Hope”

-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 Lab, and a tabby cat.

Properly Interpreting Your Dog’s Body Language

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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You may have noticed a theme in the photos we provided last month for the exercise in body language translation. (See “Understanding How Your Dog Communicates,” November 2005.) In each picture there were body language expressions that to a novice observer might have indicated pending serious aggression: tails stiffly raised, mouths agape with teeth bared, tension in body posture …

In each case, however, the moment frozen in time precedes the onset or continuation of clear and appropriate social behavior rather than agonistic (aggressive) expression.

It’s not uncommon for humans to misread perfectly normal play behavior and interrupt/separate dogs who are having a rousing good time together. At the end of Week 2 of my group good manners classes – and every week thereafter – we have play sessions where the dogs get to play with their canine classmates. In each new class there is at least one owner, often more, who is very tense about her dog’s play behavior. I narrate body language descriptions and explanations as the dogs play, and watch owner stress levels diminish as they come to understand what their dogs are really saying to each other.

A good technique to use when looking at body language is to analyze first, draw conclusions second. Let’s do that with last month’s photos (above and under “More Examples”). Then, try your hand at a blank photo, also under “More Examples”. It involves interaction between a dog and a person. Do your analysis, draw your conclusions, and then compare them to our comments here.

PLEASE NOTE:
The photos you see in this article were taken in dog parks. Some of the dogs are wearing collars and harnesses that we don’t like. More importantly, dogs should not wear any gear when playing in groups. We’ve heard of far too many dog fatalities (death by choking, usually, or a broken neck) and injuries caused by one dog getting his jaw caught in another dog’s collar or harness.

Some Great Dog Care Reads!

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Books are akin to gold for me. I’ve been an avid reader since I was a small child and learned how to “sneak read” by the glow of the hall light outside my bedroom door after lights-out time. Whenever my husband and I have moved – five times in the last 10 years – the cartons of books we’ve collected over the years have inarguably made up the bulk of our possessions.

Of course, the vast majority of our books are animal-related, and a preponderance of those are dog training and behavior books. When Nancy Kerns suggested an article highlighting WDJ’s “all-time favorites” book list, I seized the opportunity to review our collection, visit with old and new literary friends, and share with you the ones that will still inhabit my shelves when I have to pare down my collection to go live in a retirement home. If your library is missing some of these, put them on your holiday wish list, and maybe you’ll get lucky!

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Don’t Shoot the Dog
by Karen Pryor
Bantam Books, 1999 (revised edition)
softcover, 202 pgs; $13

Originally published in 1985, Don’t Shoot the Dog is generally regarded as the book that launched the paradigm shift from old-fashioned force-based methods to the now widely accepted positive training/clicker methods that are fast becoming the norm in the dog training industry. Ironically, it was written not as a dog-training book, but as a book on the science of behavior and learning, primarily to help people understand human behavior, secondarily dog behavior.

Pryor provides at least as many examples of using the principles to modify Homo sapien behavior as Canis familiaris applications. The cover quote by noted behavior scientist B.F. Skinner on the original edition ignores any relevance to dog training: “Karen Pryor has been a pioneer… Anyone who wants to be more effective in rearing children, teaching, or managing his or her own behavior will find her book very useful.”

Fortunately, the dog training community also discovered and embraced Pryor’s book. I am just one of a legion of positive dog trainers who owes a huge debt of gratitude to her for opening our eyes to the “why” behind the “what” of dog training, and turned our hands and leashes toward a kinder path. This is an important book to read for historical purposes, but it provides a ton of invaluable training and behavior information as well.

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The Other End of the Leash

by Patricia B. McConnell, Ph.D.
Ballantine Publishing Group
2002, softcover, 240 pgs; $14

I was on only the second page of the Introduction when I fell in love with this book. I read this line: “All dogs are brilliant at perceiving the slightest movement that we make, and they assume that each tiny motion has meaning.”

Of course! Yes, we all know that dogs are body-language communicators, but this one phrase brought so much into focus for me – why some of my dog owner clients have so much difficulty communicating with their dogs (their body language is “all over the place”) while others are just naturals and immediately seem to get it. Not coincidentally, so do their dogs.

The Other End of the Leash is a book about us – the human primate – and how we behave with our dogs. McConnell explains the differences between innate primate behavior (us) and canine behavior, and why so many of the things we do so naturally, like patting dogs on the head, hugging them, and kissing them on the nose, are so aversive to many dogs. With gentle humor and intriguing insights, she helps the reader to a far better understanding of the canine psyche, and enables us to improve and strengthen our relationships with our canine companions.

McConnell is a gifted writer – her talent lies in taking things that you may already know in your head and helping you see it in your heart. Her books are entertaining and highly readable and always contain multiple pearls of wisdom. While The Other End of the Leash is my favorite McConnell book, anything she’s written is worthy of space on your shelves.

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The Culture Clash
by Jean Donaldson
James & Kenneth Publishing, 2005 (2nd ed)
softcover, 203 pgs; $18

Originally published in 1996, The Culture Clash is a delightful reality sandwich for dog lovers. I remember sitting down with this book, and time and again leaping from my chair shouting, “Yes! Yes!” as I read Donaldson’s sometimes biting commentary as she describes, in no uncertain terms, why dogs are sometimes so misunderstood – and badly behaved as a result – and how to help them be better.

The Culture Clash opens by debunking the myth of the Walt Disney Dog. Donaldson makes it clear that it’s unfair to expect dogs to be perfect, much less to understand or subscribe to a human moral code. In fact, in order to make our dogs behave more appropriately in our alien (to them) human culture, the author insists we have to understand them, accept them for who they are, and make greater accommodations to meet their needs while we expect them to meet ours.

Donaldson’s sharp wit keeps this an entertaining read to the last page. If some of her arrows sting a little, it may be time for some gentle self-examination. I wouldn’t expect too many arrows to hit close to home for educated WDJ readers!

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Dr. Dunbar’s Good Little Dog Book

by Dr. Ian Dunbar
James & Kenneth Publishing, 2003 (3rd ed)
softcover, 139 pgs; $18

Dr. Dunbar is the catalyst for the growth of positive puppy training in this country over the past 15 years, as well as the founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, which now boasts more than 4,000 members. He’s also a prolific and entertaining writer.

Although any of Dunbar’s books offer loads of useful information, this one, originally published in 1992, is particularly engaging, thanks to the profusion of quality color photos that illustrate the accompanying exercise descriptions. While the book was designed to accompany two of his training videos, it does perfectly well all on its own as a guide to training the companion dog.

In addition to basic good manners exercises, Dr. Dunbar’s Good Little Dog Book offers valuable information on socialization, bite inhibition, and general household etiquette. It’s an inviting, easy-to-read, easy-to-follow book that makes a perfect gift for your first-time dog-owning friends.

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Click for Joy!
by Melissa C. Alexander
Sunshine Books, Inc., 2003
softcover 208 pgs; $25

Click for Joy! is a delightful book for dog owners and trainers who are taking their first leap into clicker training, as well as those who are ready to move beyond basic clicking. It’s presented in a question and answer format, and comprised of a comprehensive collection of questions Alexander answered on her online “Clicker Solutions” discussion list. These range from the very simple (“What is clicker training?”) to the more advanced (“What is a keep-going signal,” and “What is ‘fluent’ and how do I get there?”).

From good manners training and solving behavior problems to the scientific principles behind the clicker, if you have a question about clicking, chances are good the answer is in Click for Joy! What a great resource!

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How Dogs Learn

by Mary R. Burch, PhD, and Jon S. Bailey, PhD
Howell Book House, 1999, hardcover
188 pgs; $20

Once upon a time, the scientific principles of behavior and learning were presented in daunting volumes fraught with jargon and page after page of incomprehensible formulas of strange-looking letters, using examples of rats in Skinner boxes. Burch and Bailey’s book changed all that by offering the information in understandable, everyday language, with training examples that actually use dogs.

How Dogs Learn is an excellent read – a perfect choice for dog owners who want to understand the “hows” and “whys” as well as the “whats” of dog training.

We especially love the authors’ positive lean in a scientifically based book. Many Ph.D. behaviorists appear unwilling to take a strong stand against the use of positive punishment. While Burch and Bailey stop short of saying they would never use a shock collar, they make it refreshingly clear that their very strong preference is for the use of non-coercive methods that encourage a relationship of trust between dog and human.

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Coaching People to Train Their Dogs
by Terry Ryan
Legacy Canine, 2005
softcover, 404 pgs; $65

Terry Ryan, long a leader in positive training, has provided a number of excellent books on the subject, but she has outdone herself with this one. Intended to help trainers offer top quality training classes, this outstanding volume also has much to offer the dedicated dog owner.

The large volume is set up to mirror the topics covered by the Pet Dog Trainer Certification exam, including an overview of the current state of the dog training industry, a comprehensive section on dog behavior, another on the science of learning, business and people skills, and class organization and teaching, closing with an excellent chapter on solving behavior problems that reprises her book, Toolbox for Remodeling Problem Dogs.

I often receive pleas from dog owners who can’t find a good trainer near them, and are looking for a self-help guide to training their dogs using positive methods. Ryan’s book is a great resource for this, especially the sections on teaching classes. Ryan offers several options with clear instructions for training each of the exercises, as well as fun games, homework assignments, and other activities that a teacherless dog owner could apply in a home training program. It’s a pricey book, but it contains a wealth of information.

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Pet Behavior Protocols

by Suzanne Hetts, PhD
American Animal Hospital Association, 1999 (2nd ed)
softcover, 322 pgs; $82

Hetts’ book aims at a more professional audience than most of the previous books on our list. It is written specifically for the pet behavior consultant, and provides excellent information to guide the consultant in the creation and implementation of step-by-step behavior modification protocols for a wide range of problem behaviors. The protocols can also be useful for the dog owner who is having difficulty locating a qualified behavior professional in their community.

There are a growing number of behavior consultants in the country and while some are certified by the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, many are not, and vary in their experience, skills, and capabilities. There are even fewer Certified Applied Animal Behaviorists (veterinarians or Ph.D. behaviorists) – about 40 in the entire country, and not all of them actively practice. This book can help fill the gap.

Pet Behavior Protocols is an excellent resource for knowledgeable owners working through behavior problems on their own, behavior consultants wishing to bolster their knowledge and protocols, and owners who need more information to help them gauge the knowledge and abilities of the behavior professional they’re considering engaging to help them with their dogs.

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Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals
by Karen Overall, MA, VMD, PhD
Mosby – Year Book, Inc., 1997
softcover, 544 pgs; $70

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Santa Cruz veterinarian friend who introduced me to this book. It’s an incredibly valuable resource, presenting behavior problem analysis and modification in a scientific, unemotional yet very readable style. Written for veterinarians who wish to be more knowledgeable about behavior in their daily clinical practices, it’s also a terrific tool for non-veterinary behavior consultants as well as the dog owner who wishes to be better educated than the average human about dog behavior and behavior modification.

This book is not for light bedtime reading – it’s dense with information. Overall is a brilliant veterinary behaviorist, and one of the few I know who is willing to stand up in public, as she did at the 2003 APDT conference, and state that in her opinion there is no need, ever, to use a shock collar on a dog in the name of training. She has been promising a next book for the past few years; we’re eagerly awaiting its arrival.

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Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training
(Volumes 1-3)
by Stephen R. Lindsay

• Volume 1: Adaptation and Learning (Iowa State University Press, 2000, hardcover, 410 pgs; $80)

• Volume 2: Etiology and Assessment of Behavior Problems (Iowa State University Press, 2001, hardcover, 328 pgs; $60)

• Volume 3: Procedures and Protocols (Blackwell Publishing, 2005, hardcover, 795 pgs; $100)

If I were stranded on a desert island, along with Patricia McConnell’s The Other End of the Leash, I would want Lindsay’s three-volume set of works by my side. Of course, I’m a dog behavior and training fanatic – but I’ll bet a lot of you are, too!

These books are college textbook-dense and serious, containing absolutely everything you could ever possibly want to know about dog behavior and training – and then some. Not for the faint of heart, Lindsay’s works are written for the serious student of dog behavior and learning, and as such are an invaluable resource. They are thoroughly indexed, making it a reasonably simple matter to research the topic of the moment without having to page through volumes of unrelated material.

If you’d like to have an encyclopedic-type reference for your dog-training library, head for Lindsay. It may take you years to wade through them, but you’ll be amazed at the depth of information he offers.

 

Tail Docking and Ear Cropping Can Be Dangerous

By
Shannon Wilkinson
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[Updated April 24, 2018]

Cosmetic surgery for dogs, including docking tails and cropping ears, is increasingly controversial. Even the usually conservative American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has stated that the procedures are “not medically indicated nor of benefit to the patient. These procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthesia, blood loss, and infection.”

It is estimated that more than 130,000 puppies in the United States undergo these procedures each year – procedures that have been illegal in other countries for years. In fact, England has banned ear cropping for more than 100 years. Yet the history of removing parts of tails and ears dates back hundreds of years. The historic reasons for the amputations are often attributed to attempts at preventing injury in fighting or hunting dogs, reducing taxes based on a dog’s tail length, or even preventing rabies.

Despite the arguably ill-founded history of the practices, they have evolved over the years and become part of many breed standards, particularly in the United States. The American Kennel Club supports these practices, stating its position that, “The American Kennel Club recognizes that ear cropping, tail docking, and dewclaw removal, as described in certain breed standards, are acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving breed character and/or enhancing good health. Appropriate veterinary care should be provided.”

Cropping and docking are so prevalent, in fact, that dogs of some breeds are difficult to recognize and identify when they are intact. Imagine a Doberman Pinscher or Boxer with floppy ears and a long tail. Because of aesthetics, these breeds and others routinely lose body parts so that they’ll look like what we expect them to look like.

Most arguments against docking and cropping focus on the pain endured by the puppy during and after the procedure, as well as the simple fact that amputations are cosmetic in nature and therefore unnecessary. However, there are additional issues and potential problems that should be considered before removing dog parts for the sake of looks.

Different Ways We Alter Dog Breeds’ Appearances

About 70 different breeds are subject to tail docking. Puppies usually undergo tail amputation when they are between two and five days of age. The popular belief is that puppies have immature neurological systems and therefore don’t feel the pain at that age. The tails are removed without anesthesia or pain medication by being clamped and then cut off at the prescribed length. Alternatively, a special rubber band may be put around the tail to cut off its blood supply, which eventually kills all of the tissue below the rubber band. The end of the tail will then fall off after several days.

Various breed standards call for tails to be docked at varying lengths. In some breeds, the standard calls for a tail of a specific length; in others, a range is suggested, or the ideal tail is described as being in balance with the dog’s body. In some breeds, an uncropped tail is accepted; in others it is “severely penalized” by judges.

Dewclaw removal is generally done at about the same age as tail docking – again, usually without benefit of anesthesia or pain medication. In some breeds, the standards require that the dewclaws are removed; in other breeds they are tolerated by judges. (Curiously, dogs of at least one breed, the Briard, are disqualified by conformation judges if they do not have the breed’s characteristic double-dewclaws on the rear legs.)

Dewclaws are not just “claws,” but actually a fifth toe. Not all breeds have them, and some breeds have them on just their front paws. On the back paws, dewclaws are vestigial – an evolutionary remnant of ancestors of the dog who had (and used) five toes. These dewclaws have no muscular control; some do not even contain bony tissue or ligaments.

On the front paws, in contrast, some dogs have dewclaws that are capable of muscular control. Unlike the loose and floppy rear dewclaws, the forepaw’s first toe contains bones, muscles, and nerves. Removal of these digits requires (sometimes difficult) surgery by a vet.

Ear cropping is done under anesthesia when pups are older, usually between 9 and 14 weeks of age. Often, postsurgical pain medication isn’t used. Depending on the desired appearance of the cropped ear and the shape of the natural ear, as much as half of the floppy part may be surgically removed. Afterward, the ears are splinted and taped into an erect position for weeks to months, so they will eventually stand on their own.

Is Tail Docking Painful? What About Ear Cropping?

The World Small Animal Veterinary Association cites the possible formation of painful scar tissue, or neuromas, as one reason that tail docking should be made illegal, except for professionally diagnosed therapeutic reasons.

Laurie Edge-Hughes, a physical therapist and instructor in canine rehabilitation, feels that cropping and docking is unnecessary and potentially harmful. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy, is certified in canine rehabilitation therapy, and has certification from the Acupuncture Foundation of Canada Institute. In her practice at The Canine Fitness Centre in Calgary, she regularly works with dogs who suffer from hypersensitivity and other problems potentially related to their amputated tails, and often theorizes that the problems are related to this scar tissue.

“The contraction or shrinking of the scar may effect a pull on the nerves and hence the dura that surrounds the spinal cord and brain,” she says. The dura is a tough membrane, part of the meninges, which encases and protects the brain and spinal cord.

Edge-Hughes once worked with a Rottweiler who routinely chewed at her stump of a tail. The owners were concerned about the cause of the obsessive behavior and worried that she would hurt herself. When Edge-Hughes sees repeated licking or chewing, or a sudden attacking of a body part, she first investigates neurological pain as a potential source of the problem. This pain can be compared to the pins-and-needles feeling when your hand or foot “falls asleep.”

Edge-Hughes taught the Rottweiler’s owners to apply traction to the tail, through gentle pulling, to stretch out the dura. Theoretically, this process could alleviate any compression caused by scar tissue, thereby eliminating the irritation or pain; in actual fact, the traction stopped the dog’s self-destructive behavior.

In addition to the pain related to the actual amputation and resulting scar tissue, there’s a real possibility that dogs experience phantom pain – a phenomenon well-documented with humans who have lost a body part.

“I work with so many dogs that have significant behavioral changes after TTouch on their missing parts,” says Debby Potts, Tellington TTouch Instructor and co-owner of The Integrated Animal, located in Portland, Oregon. “I can only imagine that they’re experiencing some kind of phantom pain or discomfort. And this can cause seemingly unrelated problems, including behavioral issues.”

Animals hold tension like people do, says Potts. “If you have a stiff neck or pain in a part of your body, does it make you cranky?” Animals are no different from us, she says. In her work on thousands of animals over many years, Potts has found that while lots of dogs may have tension patterns, you’re more likely to see them in dogs who have been docked or cropped.

For example, a Giant Schnauzer was brought to Potts because she was constantly and obsessively whining. Her owners, a husband and wife, could neither find the cause of the problem nor stop the whining. It had become so troublesome that the husband insisted that the dog be re-homed. When Potts started to work on the dog, she found a significant amount of tension around the dog’s cropped ears.

After one session, which included a significant amount of physical work on the head and ears, the Schnauzer’s ears actually appeared longer (due to their unusually relaxed state) – so much so that a person very familiar with the dog didn’t recognize her immediately after the session. More importantly, the whining stopped. Potts suspects that the dog was having the equivalent of tension headaches from all of the tightness around her ears. “That day I think I saved a dog and a marriage, too,” laughs Potts.

Case Study: A Dog With a Phantom Limb

Toby was a young, enthusiastic dog. He had a hard time focusing and was reactive to all kinds of things, including other dogs, and unresponsive to training. His owners were frustrated. When Debby Potts first met Toby, she made note of the fact that his tail had been docked.

She began working on him, using different TTouch techniques. When she started to work on his “phantom tail” – the space where his tail used to be – he turned around to look at her as if he were curious about what she was doing. Potts did TTouches on the existing stump of the tail, and then continued beyond the physical tail into the air where the tail would be had it not been amputated.

“It’s amazing how many dogs with docked tails really clamp it to their body,” says Potts. She recommends gently working with all docked tails, even if there is just one vertebra, to ease the tension. Over and over she has seen noticeable changes in dogs, in their bodies, movement, and demeanor after working with their existing and phantom tails.

After Toby’s session, he was more focused, able to stand in balance, and less likely to pull on his leash. “It’s not uncommon for a dog to act more balanced after this kind of work,” says Potts. She does add that she hasn’t ever just worked on the tail or other amputated part of an animal, but regularly sees a clear reaction from dogs when working on their phantom parts, such as how Toby responded by looking at what she was doing.

This can look a little odd, Potts admits. “When I teach people how to work on their dog’s phantom parts, I usually suggest they do it in the privacy of their own homes!” She adds that it’s important to believe that you’re really doing it and can “see” the tail as if it were there. Just moving the hand and fingers around the area doesn’t have the same impact, she says.

Tails Improve Dogs’ Balance

Walk along a curb or balance beam with your arms crossed in front of you. Now do it with your arms free at your sides and using them for balance. Wasn’t that easier? Dogs use their tails in much the same way, to provide balance and stability when moving over difficult or rough terrain.

When dogs don’t have tails to provide a counterbalance and rudder for movement, something has to give.

“If you take away the ability to shift weight or compensate for balance displacement by use of the tail mechanism, then the forces that would otherwise be absorbed or counteracted through the tail need to be shifted elsewhere,” says Edge-Hughes. She speculates that the stress or pressure could then fall on the cruciate ligament or patella, hip, or hock joints, or even travel up the chain into the sacroiliac joints or spine, potentially causing or contributing to seemingly unrelated orthopedic injuries.

Cruciate disease and other orthopedic problems can have many contributing factors, and can occur in dogs both with tails and without tails. Yet, for dogs, who evolved to have tails, having them removed may add another cause of injury.

Edge-Hughes is also concerned about docked dogs who are unable to use tail wagging (with a tail of normal length and without scar tissue) to stretch and flex the dura, keeping it pliable. This could be a particular problem when a dog has a slow, progressive disc lesion, such as a bulging disc, which slowly compresses the dura and spinal cord over time. “The dura might become inflamed more easily if it is not as pliable. This may lead to a faster onset of neurological signs and symptoms that accompany disc lesions,” she explains.

Veterinarian Robert Wansborough, in a paper published in 1996 in the Australian Veterinary Journal, describes how the tail is interconnected with the physiological structure of the entire hind end of the dog. He speculates that removing the tail may change the muscle tone and contribute to perineal hernias and incontinence.

Dewclaws May Help Balance Too

Dewclaws are another frequently amputated dog part that are often thought to be useless, but in fact, the front dewclaws do have a purpose says Chris Zink, DVM, PhD. “The function of front dewclaws is to prevent torque on the leg,” she says. “There are five tendons attaching the dewclaw to five muscle bundles, supporting this functionality. When a dog is running, the dewclaw comes into contact with the ground. If the dog needs to turn, the dewclaw digs into the ground to support the lower leg and prevent torque.”

“The rear dewclaws are vestigial in most breeds; that is not true for the front dewclaws, which should be more correctly called digits or thumbs,” says Dr. Zink. She works exclusively with performance dogs and has found that if a dog doesn’t have dewclaws, the leg will twist when turning, which applies significant pressure on the leg, to the toes, carpus, elbow, and shoulders. The repeated twisting and pressure can ultimately cause chronic painful conditions, especially carpal arthritis. “Of the over 30 dogs I have seen with carpal arthritis, only one has had dewclaws. All the others had them removed,” says Dr. Zink.

Docking and Cropping from A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective

Beyond the physical balance and movement aids provided by tails and dewclaws, removing these parts, and ears too, may cause a different type of imbalance. The removal of parts as a result of docking and cropping may interfere with well-being and health from a Chinese medicine perspective. Scars or the absence of body parts that are normally part of a meridian or specific acupuncture points may adversely affect the organ systems associated with the meridian or energy channel.

An acupuncture map of the ear will show points that correspond with the entire body. In fact, there are over 200 acupuncture points on the ear – it is often described as “the meeting place of all the channels of the body.” In addition, the ear is part of the kidney meridian. When a dog’s ear is partially amputated, as with cropping, these points are removed, and scar tissue is created on the new edge of the ear. The removal of dewclaws creates a scar that may affect the Large Intestine meridian, while the Governing Vessel meridian ends on the tail.

Dogs Use Their Tails and Ears as Communication Tools

Dogs use both their tails and ears extensively for communication, with each other and with humans. Norwegian trainer Turid Rugaas describes many different positions for tails and ears in her work on “calming signals” of the dog, and how dogs use these parts to communicate.

Think for a moment about all of the positions floppy ears can take. The ears can be forward and the base held upright, or they can be soft and low against the head, even pinned back, tight to the head. Each subtly different position communicates something different, from aggression to fear, contentment to appeasement.

The tail, too, acts as a key communication device for dogs. Different types of tail wagging and carriage may indicate happiness, stress, anxiety, fear, or other emotions. Dogs without tails are limited in this type of communication, and have to rely on other signals, which may be more difficult for humans and other dogs to interpret.

With all of the probable and possible problems associated with cropping and docking, how important is it to keep certain breeds of dogs looking a particular way?

The Legal Picture of Breed-Specific Cosmetic Alterations

A number of countries – including South Africa, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Israel, the Virgin Islands, and parts of Australia – have made docking and cropping illegal, with only rare allowable exceptions for hunting dogs or for a therapeutic necessity.

A number of these countries have even made it illegal to import or show docked or cropped dogs, so that breeders couldn’t get around the law by having the dogs docked or cropped in another country and then imported for showing purposes.

It is expected that all members of the European Union will eventually pass laws against cropping and docking because of the provisions made by the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. The convention prohibits “surgical operations for the purpose of modifying the appearance of a pet animal or for other non-curative purposes, including tail docking and ear cropping.

In the United States, however, there is no federal legislation. Legal challenges surrounding the issue are usually brought about in relationship to state anti-cruelty laws. Dog owners have found themselves on both sides of the law.

A number of individuals have been found guilty of animal cruelty for performing at-home cropping and docking. During 1988 a man in Texas was found guilty and sentenced to six months in jail for cropping the ears of his dog at home. A defendant in Indiana was found guilty of animal cruelty and practicing veterinary medicine without a license after an amateur ear cropping procedure. In Michigan, two separate cases found individuals guilty for botched tail docking using the banding method.

Several years ago, New York resident Jon Hammer approached the issue from a different perspective. He brought a discrimination suit against the American Kennel Club. Hammer has an undocked Brittany Spaniel, and because of the AKC’s breed standard, the Spaniel was effectively knocked out of competition due to the length of his tail. Hammer’s case argued that the AKC was forcing him to violate New York’s anti-cruelty law by requiring docking. Hammer did not prevail in the case, but it did bring the topic to the spotlight.

Some states and cities are legislating against cosmetic surgery, including docking and cropping. In most cases, the laws fall under anti-cruelty statutes. Some states have laws against these procedures, although they are rarely enforced. Maine prohibits ear cropping, deeming it to be unlawful mutilation. Other states require the procedures to be performed only by licensed veterinarians.

West Hollywood, California, recently expanded previous legislation that banned de-clawing in cats, to include tail docking, ear cropping, and other cosmetic surgeries. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights sponsored a bill in the California legislature this year to ban ear cropping. The bill was suspended in May, and may be revived during the next legislative session.

DOCKING AND CROPPING YOUR DOG: WHAT TO DO

1. Don’t dock or crop! Insist that your breeder leave your puppy au naturel.

2. Try different touch therapy or training techniques to increase your docked or dewclaw-less dog’s balance.

3. Let the AKC and breed clubs know if you’d like to see changes in breed standards so dogs with their natural parts aren’t penalized in the show ring.

Shannon Wilkinson is a TTouch practitioner, life coach, and freelance writer who has enjoyed living with a floppy-eared Great Dane and Boxer in Portland, Oregon.

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Understanding How Your Dog Communicates

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Play bows. Averted eyes. Tail wags. Flattened ears. Our dogs are not only masters at reading our body language, but also experts at sending messages with an incredibly expressive tool – their own bodies. If we humans were half as good at reading their signals as they are at reading ours, there would be a lot less miscommunication between our two species.

The fact is, most dog owners don’t see, much less recognize the basic grammar of dog body language. That’s why, when owners call me, asking for help with their dog following a bite, they almost always say, “The bite just happened out of the blue – there was no warning!” In most – if not all – cases, when I meet the dog, I see him giving plenty of indications that he’s stressed and/or uncomfortable, signs that to a more knowledgeable canine observer are obvious warnings that a bite may emerge in that dog’s near-future.

What’s worse, many owners who would recognize the more overt warning signs – growls and snaps, for example – have successfully suppressed those signs by previously punishing the dog when they occurred. So, in a way, they’re right – the dog didn’t hang up a flashing neon sign that he was about to bite, because he had already learned that it wasn’t safe to do so.

Dogs Talk with Their Bodies

The more you learn about your dogs’ subtle body language communications, the better you’ll be at reading them, so you can better manage his environment to prevent trouble. Is he tensing up, readying himself for a battle to defend himself against a perceived threat? Or is he playfully anticipating a romp with a canine pal he enjoys roughhousing with?

It’s important that you not focus on just one piece of the message. The various parts of your dog’s body work together to tell the complete story, and unless you read them all, you’ll be missing out on important elements of the equation. You want to be especially aware of the ears, eyes, mouth, tail, and the dog’s body posture as the important pieces of the whole puzzle.

Because canine communication is a constant flow of information, it’s sometimes difficult to pick out small signals until you’ve become an educated observer. You can start by studying photographs of dog body language, then watching videos that you can rewind and watch repeatedly, and finally honing your skills on live dogs. Dog parks, doggie daycare centers, and training class playgroups are ideal places to practice your observation skills.

In the next few months, we’ll show you a few photos that exhibit some basic “expressions” in canine body language. But in this first installment, we’ll give you an opportunity to “translate” the photos on these two pages, using the grammar key on the next page. Jot down your observations of the key body parts visible in the photos; next month, you can compare your answers to this “What are the dogs saying?” activity to our translation.

A note about the photos: Most were taken at dog parks. Some of the dogs are wearing collars, harnesses, or other training gear we don’t like; more importantly, we don’t like to see any extra gear on dogs who are playing in groups. It’s too easy for dogs to get caught in each other’s gear.

Vaccination and Canine Distemper Virus (CDV)

By
Susan Weinstein
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When we decided not to vaccinate Caleb, our Bouvier des Flandres, against anything other than rabies, my friend Janice and I knew we ran a risk that he might develop a dreaded disease. We also knew that vaccination doesn’t always protect against disease, and believed it sometimes causes illness. We felt the home-prepared BARF (bones and raw foods) diet we fed him would help his body fight off many health problems. Naturally, we hoped that Caleb would never come down with anything serious like canine distemper virus (CDV). But, when he was three years old, we had to face and overcome exactly that challenge.

Caleb’s dramatic recovery illustrates the theory that a healthy, well-nourished dog can overcome even a serious disease like CDV – if treated in time by appropriate holistic modalities and devoted home nursing. If we prepare ourselves ahead of time for deadly canine viruses, it can spell the difference between life and death – whether a dog is immunized or not.

The story of how we responded to Caleb’s ailment also illuminates how difficult it can be at times to manage a nonconventional response to your dog’s illness. Many dog owners are accustomed to simply bringing their dogs to their veterinarians, and taking all the vets’ suggestions for treatment. This may be the best approach if an owner has no information about or experience with the dog’s disease; you have to rely on experts you trust!

But in our experience, there are greater rewards for educating yourself before problems happen and working with healthcare experts to corroborate your research and decisions. We feel certain that Caleb would have died if treated with the conventional veterinary tactics for CDV. As I said before, we also felt the risks of vaccination against the disease were not worth the benefits.

Of course, there are risks to this approach as well. Only dog owners who are ready to accept full responsibility for making their own decisions should attempt a nonconventional response like ours.

Telling our distemper story, we hope, will demonstrate the potential risks and huge rewards of implementing a truly holistic healthcare plan for your dog.

Be alert and observant
Janice and I observed the earliest signs of what would prove to be Caleb’s CDV infection about a week before we planned to drive 1,500 miles from rural Ontario to visit a friend in Iowa.

To begin with, Caleb went off his food. Then he threw up and had diarrhea. His first vomit was yellowish and foamy, with what looked like saliva in it. The next few times it contained lots of clear fluid, again with foam on top. His diarrhea was even more unusual. It spurted out – projectile diarrhea. It, too, was yellow, and had a powerful, unusual odor.

At first, we speculated that he had eaten something rotten in our cedar swamp, where he loves to play and explore. When the problem persisted for a day, we discussed it with our veterinarian, Dr. Susan Gambling, who was not unduly alarmed, but advised us to keep watching him and keep her informed. As so often seems to be the case after a call or visit to a vet, the following morning, Caleb started eating again and seemed to have gotten over whatever it was.

Later, I read that the first stage of CDV can be hard to tell from other upsets. Not only that, but it tends to clear up temporarily, making it appear as if the dog is all right.

Four days later, on Monday, we loaded him into our van and left for our vacation. During the two-day drive and the rest of the week, Caleb ate normally. He showed an interest in my friend’s garden, her small Terrier-mix, and her two black cats. But I remained uneasy.

Connect the dots
As the week wore on, Caleb became strangely quiet. Then, on Saturday morning, about 10 days after his original bout of vomiting and diarrhea, his beautiful eyes stayed half shut and oozed green discharge.

Having used homeopathy since 1982, I thought it could help Caleb now. The right remedy must closely match the efforts of the individual’s immune system as revealed by her specific symptoms, regardless of which organisms play into her illness. I thought that the remedy pulsatilla suited Caleb’s discharge and emotional demeanor reasonably well, but the nearest source for the remedy was 50 miles away. We’d have to get it Monday, on our way home.

Then Caleb stopped eating again. By Sunday, he strained to defecate and his energy diminished. We were anxious to get home to Dr. Gambling and the holistic practitioners we sometimes consulted, including Paul McCutcheon, DVM, of East York Animal Clinic in Toronto. At this point, one might argue that we should have taken Caleb straight to the nearest vet. But in this case, as would become clear, the fact that we pushed on until we could reach holistic help almost undoubtedly saved Caleb’s life.

We hit the road for home first thing Monday. Caleb developed a dry, croupy cough and his nose started dripping. The word “distemper” kept coming into my mind as if someone was repeating it to me.

In Iowa City, I called a local vet, and asked whether he thought we should risk the two-day trip home or come for emergency assistance right away. I described Caleb’s symptoms. After he ruled out Parvo and Lyme disease, I asked if this could be distemper. He thought probably not, adding that dogs with distemper generally produce a profuse amount of thick, greenish or yellow discharge from their noses – “Like you’ve never seen before,” he described. “You couldn’t miss it.” He thought we could try to get home to our own vet.

As it turned out, the vet’s remark about identifying CDV by quantity and quality of nasal discharge would become one of two coincidences that contributed to Caleb’s diagnosis and recovery.

The second was that since Caleb was a pup, when reading up on canine diseases something drew me to study everything I could find on distemper in particular. Contrary to mainstream belief, holistic pet care books report hundreds of cures. I did not know then that this curious obsession would someday help to save my dog’s life.

Respond to symptoms
On the road again, mucous started rattling in Caleb’s lungs when he coughed. Green goo still trickled from his eyes, their whites moist and reddish. His breath began to exhibit an odd odor, which would become very strong over the next few days. Having no professional advisor, since pulsatilla still matched some of his symptoms, we bought and gave him some immediately. The potency available, C30, was a reasonable middle strength to try without a homeopath’s guidance.

At our motel that night, Caleb’s cough got worse and he couldn’t get comfortable. We gave him more pulsatilla. We phoned Dr. Gambling at midnight, when she was scheduled to be on call. What alarmed her most was his restlessness. She said if he didn’t settle down within a couple of hours to go to the nearest emergency facility. I found a 24-hour rural vet nearby, and left the yellow pages open with the number handy.

But when we heard thunder, we understood Caleb’s uneasiness. Like many dogs, Caleb becomes agitated hours before an electrical storm. We gave him rock rose, a flower essence remedy, after which he slept quietly. That the storm had caused his anxiety showed us that even when a dog is desperately ill, some symptoms may have unrelated causes.

On Tuesday morning, Caleb’s eyes cleared up completely, as did his cough – a typical positive response to a well-chosen homeopathic remedy. We’d realize later that early homeopathic support may have helped prevent CDV complications of pneumonia, which dogs don’t survive as well as people do, and conjunctivitis. Caleb improved for awhile, but had diarrhea, with straining, later that afternoon. We offered him chicken broth, but he would not drink it.

That night, he threw up thin yellow bile with flecks of bloody mucous. His breath and body smelled caustic and sour, with an almost salty quality. This odor is characteristic of CDV, but I needed my books to remind me of that, and they were at home, still another 350 miles away.

At one point that evening, Caleb rolled onto his back, and we saw that his belly was red and irritated. This would become another clue. Closely related to human red measles, CDV often causes an abdominal rash. But we didn’t yet identify Caleb’s rash since he frequently gets a pink underside when bothered by allergies or fleas. The definitive red spots wouldn’t appear for two more days.

Caleb had diarrhea again on Wednesday morning, although there wasn’t much left in him. Immediately afterward, he seemed weak and wanted to be in the open air.

I phoned our veterinary clinic in Cobourg, Ontario, and made an appointment for 4 p.m. We started the final six hour drive. In spite of our reassuring manner with Caleb, we were shaken and relieved to be nearing home.

Dr. Gambling was off duty, so her associate saw Caleb. He had a fever of 103.6°F. Diarrhea had made his anus sore, his nose dripped, and he was subdued. His urine was dark and greenish; the clinic found albumin in it. But protein breakdown is typical when someone hasn’t eaten for days, so that didn’t tell us much.

It didn’t occur to us then to mention that we hadn’t inoculated Caleb against the usual infections. Dr. Gambling would have known, but she wasn’t there. Maybe we assumed her associates would be aware of Caleb’s history, or perhaps we were too stressed to think clearly. But the missed moment shows that even the experts won’t think of everything! The idea that responsible owners might not have vaccinated may not cross the mind of a vet unfamiliar with holistic thinking. And, these days, due in large part to mass immunization, vets may not see infections like distemper for years. Newer ones may know it only from a textbook.

The vet took blood to send to a lab to look for various possibilities, but did not request a test for CDV. However, even if she had, waiting for a diagnosis would have wasted precious time. CDV advances aggressively, ravaging tissues until it can kill a dog or permanently disrupt its neurological system. The sooner caretakers take action, the better the dog’s chances; not only of survival, but of a good recovery.

Feeling a sense of urgency, we took Caleb home. There, I reread my holistic books about canine viruses, their symptoms, and treatments. By the next day, I’d be glad I’d refreshed myself about what information I had and how to find it fast.

Emotional affects
During the night, Caleb’s breathing became so congested that every inhalation sounded like snoring. At 5 a.m. Thursday, Caleb asked to go out into the darkness of our fenced property. We decided to trust his instinct about what he needed. Maybe the cool autumn air would ease his breathing.

Then, in order to support him best, Janice and I faced our own fears. We felt powerless and scared. But we didn’t want our need to make him well to compromise our ability to help him. Nor did we want him to feel that he must pull through for our sake. And we certainly didn’t want him to redirect his energy into being anxious because we were upset, as dogs will do.

Recognizing this, we resolved to work toward the best possible outcome while acknowledging that it was not ultimately in our hands. If it was his will to survive, we would assist him. If not, we would try to accept that with grace.

At 7 a.m., I found Caleb down near the pond. He wobbled up to meet me and we sat down together on the grass. Then, something astonishing happened. He nodded his head toward me companionably, and a spoonful of creamy yellow liquid gushed out and covered his nose.

The Iowa vet’s words came back to me. I knew right away that Caleb had distemper. Instead of panic, I felt relief. Now, we knew what was wrong and that something could be done. No need to waste any more time not acting.

Dr. Gambling was on duty that morning. Caleb’s nostrils oozed steadily. His fever was 104°F, and his belly had the measles-like spots. All these signs plus his breath and body odor now clearly indicated stage two of an acute distemper infection, as can hardening of the pads of the feet, which he never developed.

Dr. Gambling took another blood sample, this time for the CDV test. Janice and I said we would take Caleb home and treat him ourselves with natural remedies, and Dr. Gambling got right behind us, acknowledging that such methods would offer Caleb’s best, if not only, hope. “In veterinary school,” she said, “they teach us that when it’s distemper, dogs just . . .” She made the thumbs-down sign to finish her sentence, and added that while conventional medicine can treat CDV, it cannot cure it.

Mainstream response
Medical intervention for CDV generally consists of hospitalizing the dog and intravenously giving fluids, antibiotics, and possibly other drugs or nutrients. This is meant to prevent dehydration, complications like pneumonia, and keep up the dog’s strength. The virus then runs its course.

If the dog survives, she often goes into stage three of the disease, involving encephalitis of the brain or spinal cord. The resulting neurological damage leaves chronic symptoms such as chorea (uncontrollable twitching or jerking) or seizures, during which the dog may cry out. Some vets and dog lovers believe it kinder to put CDV-infected dogs down rather than risk the devastation of stage three.

However, other vets caution against putting CDV dogs on IV fluids. Holistic veterinarian and author Richard Pitcairn, for example, writes that dogs given antibiotics, fluids, and other drugs are more likely to develop stage three than those treated with natural methods. Both Dr. Pitcairn and herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy speculate that such measures impede the dog’s ability to throw off the virus. De Bairacli Levy believes that feverish dogs must fast to divert energy from their digestive processes to fight disease.

And Dr. McCutcheon (the holistic vet-erinarian we often consulted via long-distance call) emphasizes that both being kept in hospital away from her family and enduring invasive procedures significantly increases the stress of a dog who is already terribly ill.

Holistic possibilities
As soon as we got Caleb comfortably settled in our house, we turned to our home library and developed a treatment plan from several different sources. The following are the things we read, and how we applied them:

• Vitamin C injections: From How to Have a Healthier Dog, by Wendell O. Belfield, DVM, and Martin Zucker, we learned how Dr. Belfield helped hundreds of dogs with CDV recover by intravenously injecting them with therapeutic doses of vitamin C twice a day for five days. Dr. Belfield recommends the sodium ascorbate form of vitamin C for dogs.

However, sodium ascorbate can be hard to find. We had some in the form of a dietary supplement, but it was not sterile for injections. Dr. Gambling phoned Dr. Belfield, who agreed to ship her some and instruct her how to use it, but delivery from his California clinic would take until Monday to get to us – four dangerously long days away. Instead, we chose to give Caleb vitamin C orally.

• Fasting and medicinal herbs: European herbalist Juliette de Bairacli Levy claims she oversaw at least a thousand cures of CDV with fewer than a dozen cases sustaining neurological damage. (This is described in her book, The Complete Herbal Handbook for the Dog and Cat.) She bases her approach around fasting, and warns that offering food while fever remains above 103°F predisposes a dog toward neurological damage.

In her book, de Bairacli Levy also describes giving dogs with CDV herbal antiseptic tablets or grated raw garlic and honey two to three times per day; honey-water to supply strength; fresh air; short walks for movement of limbs; and a mixture of tree barks to soothe the digestive tract. She also uses an infusion of rosemary, elder flowers, chickweed, speedwell, and/or balm to swab the dog’s eyes and nose, and applies pure almond oil to sore nostrils or eyes. She believes that early treatment will prevent stage three altogether, and advises that owners carefully reintroduce food to a dog after she has been fasting.

Caleb was fasting anyway; we’d withhold food until his temperature was normal for a day. In the meantime, we offered him wild honey water, gave him balls of garlic and honey mash, and bathed his nose and back end with rosemary infusion. As he recovered, we gave him slippery elm powder for his digestive tract. When the time was right, we gave him small amounts of mashed veggies first, easing him gradually back onto meats and his regular supplements.

• Classical homeopathy: In his classic book, Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, now in its third edition, Richard Pitcairn, DVM, lists six of many possible homeopathic remedies for different stages and symptoms of CDV, advising using a choice of only one. He also suggests dosages of vitamin C as an adjunct.

Having used homeopathy for more than 16 years, I knew it was effective and the remedies were easy to obtain. In this life-and-death situation, we’d want an experienced homeopath to choose the right remedy for Caleb, and we knew Dr. McCutcheon’s clinic would consult long-distance. So, homeopathy would be the hub of our plan. Pitcairn also inspired the dosage of vitamin C we gave Caleb orally: 3,000 mg three times per day.

• Acupuncture: In her book, Keep Your Pet Healthy the Natural Way, Pat Lazarus gathered testimonials from holistic vets who use either vitamin C injections or acupuncture to cure or control effects of stage three of CDV, such as seizures and chorea. Some vets inject vitamin C or B12 into acupuncture points. As it turned out, Caleb did not develop stage three complications. If he had, we would have researched these options further.

Applying the treatment plan
Right after Dr. Gambling confirmed Caleb’s clinical signs of CDV, we phoned Lisa Formosa, DSHomMed, the homeopath who works with Dr. McCutcheon at East York Animal Clinic in Toronto. Formosa took details of Caleb’s physical symptoms, then asked about his emotions and energy level. Was he depressed and flat? Did he want to be left alone? Caleb wasn’t like that. He watched us and acknowledged a greeting when we approached. Although he was physically weak, his energy wasn’t completely diminished.

Based on these and many other factors, Formosa recommended the remedy distemperinum, which is made from the discharge of dogs already sick with the distemper virus. Formosa said if Caleb had been deeply depressed and stage two even more established, she would have chosen homeopathic goldenseal, instead.

I was surprised. Dr. Pitcairn lists both remedies as candidates; yet even as an experienced lay person, I would have chosen goldenseal. Formosa’s explanation about dosage was new to me, too. She said Caleb’s relatively “up” energy level indicated that we start with 30C, because we didn’t want to “overwhelm” him with the higher intensity of 200C. If the lower potency had no effect, then she would recommend trying 200C. This shows why it’s wise, when possible, to get professional advice for serious problems!

We immediately contacted homeopathic pharmacies around the region, and ran into another challenge. They hadn’t even heard of the remedy distemperinum! Fortunately, the East York Animal Clinic kept some in stock. As Caleb had someone responsible at home to watch over him, I jumped in the car and drove the 80 miles to Toronto.

When I got back, I found Caleb resting on his loveseat on the porch and gave him his first dose. It was 6:30 p.m. By 7 p.m., his temperature had dropped to 102.4°F. Then, he howled like usual at a train whistling through the crossing a half mile away! We put chicken broth near him.

Formosa advised us that in classical homeopathy, caretakers administer a dose, then observe. As long as you see improvement, don’t dose again. You repeat the dose when improvement seems to stop. She said Caleb’s nasal discharge might first get worse, and reminded us that homeopathic theory views discharge as a good sign. Then she concluded calmly, “You should be all right.”

Janice and I worked out a schedule specifying what, when, and how much to give of every substance, and posted it on the kitchen cupboard. The final column gave space to check off each task when done. Our intention was to make sure we didn’t miss a beat, especially if we became too anxious to think straight. I started keeping a log on everything that happened. We dosed Caleb twice more that night.

Caleb’s recovery
Caleb came out of his illness as straight as an arrow.

On the second day of treatment, Caleb’s temperature was around 102.4°F. His nasal discharge loosened and flowed easily. On a short walk, he leaped a log (!) and later coughed to clear his lungs. He watched our kitchen activities keenly, and drank a half cup of broth. By mid-afternoon, he rested in his regular lookout spots in the yard, cruised the kitchen counters looking for food, and chased our cat away from his broth.

Once, when looking into his eyes, I sensed his energy drop and gave more distemperinum immediately. He came on strong again and got very hungry. We gave him a few tiny homemade biscuits, as a goodwill gesture. On my bed, he slept happily on his back!

On the third day of treatment, Caleb’s temperature averaged 101.8°. He took some broth with vitamin C and slippery elm in it, plus the honey-garlic mixture. He made a tiny bit of healthy poop. We dosed him again. His nasal discharge was once again clear and colorless.

At one point that day, Caleb caught my eye and placed his foot on the lid of his biscuit tub. When I refused to give him a biscuit, he ran off with my plastic clog. I gave him one small biscuit, and later, some mashed cooked carrot.

We could feel that he was going to be all right.

By day four, Caleb breathed silently through his nose and his rash had faded. As his temperature averaged 101.2°F, over the day we provided cooked grains, a few nuts, baked winter squash with kefir and parsley, another carrot, and grated raw cabbage. (Note: We have long since omitted grain from Caleb’s diet.) He wanted even more.

Things just kept getting better. Caleb’s former sweet breath started returning, and on day five, with his temperature at 100.2°, we offered him his first small portion of raw meat. By the eighth day, all the symptoms of CDV had gone and he was back on his full diet.

To rebuild his health, we added vitamin B complex to his diet, plus oat tincture several weeks later. We kept these up for months, as it takes a long time to rebuild a dog’s strength after CDV.

Finally, we reintroduced his daily supplements slowly as his ravaged digestive system became less sensitive.

When conventionally treated dogs survive CDV, neurological damage can show up weeks or even months later. Dr. Gambling told us that after three symptom-free months, we could announce Caleb’s recovery to the world. It’s now been seven years and counting.

Dr. Gambling also suggested eventually immunizing Caleb against CDV, since her in-office veterinary reference text says survivors maintain natural immunity for, at most, six months. Instead, we agreed to check his titers periodically. A vaccinated dog’s CDV antibody count is normally below 200. The minimum score thought to sustain immunity is 24; after vaccination, it averages 36-48. Caleb’s never-vaccinated titer, more than six years later, is 768.

Today, at 10, Caleb glows with better general health than most dogs his age. He’s a mischievous, shining, energetic testament to why we should feed dogs a natural diet and be well prepared beforehand lest a nasty virus tries to gain a foothold.

-Susan Weinstein is a freelance writer with a strong interest in animals and holistic healthcare. She is now working on a book about pets and stress with Paul McCutcheon, DVM. Weinstein and Caleb live with Janice Newson and Farida the Monster Cat in Grafton, Ontario.

Correcting Canine Skin Problems

By
Randy Kidd
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When the dog’s skin is healthy, we don’t give it a second thought. But when it is out of whack – greasy, itchy, smelly, flaky, bumpy, or raw – it becomes the center of attention for our dogs, and us, too. There is no more miserable dog than one with a serious skin problem.

The skin is the epithelial and connective tissue covering of the body. Skin is also referred to as the “integument,” a term meaning “a covering or investment.” Cutaneous is also used to describe the skin.

An animal’s skin is its largest organ of the body, and it is properly thought of as a living, breathing organ system with a multitude of functions, specific nutrient needs, and intimate interconnections with other organ systems of the body. Of particular interest to health and healing are the functions of the skin that involve inner-body protective mechanisms, whole-body immunology, and nervous functions that affect sensation.

The surface of the skin is a critical interface between the highly controlled internal tissues and the external environment. It permits the maintenance of bodily homeostasis, and it is a primary organ system for creating and maintaining whole-body health.

Anatomy and physiology
Skin is composed of two integrated cell layers, the epidermis and dermis. In total, the skin acts as a semipermeable protective layer covering the entire body.

The epidermis is the nonvascular, outermost layer of the skin and is composed of several cell layers. It is the tough part of the skin, and it has the ability to thicken with use. The epidermis varies in thickness, depending on the area of the body, but over most of the body it is about 0.1 mm thick. A dog’s foot pads are greatly thickened and toughened epidermis.

The dermis is the part of the skin that lies beneath the epidermis; it is composed mostly of connective tissue along with blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatic ducts.

In the skin two particular cell types, keratinocytes and Langerhans cells, are of special importance for holistic health. Both are prime contributors to the health and healing of the skin.

Keratinocytes are stratified (in layers) squamous (scaly or platelike) epithelial cells, which are the primary cells found in the skin and mucosa, including oral esophageal, corneal, conjunctival, and genital epithelium. Ninety-five percent of the epidermal cells are keratinocytes. Keratin is an insoluble protein synthesized by keratinocytes. Keratin adds toughness to skin, hair, and nails; it the substance that forms a barrier between the animal and the environment.

Keratinocytes undergo characteristic changes as they move upward/outward from the basal layers of the epidermis (the deepest layer of keratinocytes where the stem cells reside) to the outer cornified (hardened) layers of the skin. The normal turnover time for keratinocytes is about 30 to 60 days, but this time may vary with disease or patterns of increased use.

Langerhans cells form the “nerve cen-ter” of the skin; they are migrating dendritic cells (from the Greek, dendron, for tree) found in the epidermis. These are cells of nervous tissue origin that participate in the cutaneous immune response. They have the ability to migrate from the skin to lymph nodes where they can transfer antigenic information being received by the skin throughout the entire body. Their communicative ability is greatly enhanced by their extensive “dendrites” – branching, threadlike extensions (like the limbs of a tree) from the cell proper.

Melanocytes are cells found in both the epidermis and dermis; they contain pigmented granules of melanin. Melanin granules are all the same color (reddish-brown); it is the variation in the amount and location of melanin that causes the different colors of skin and fur.

The subcutaneous layer lies below the epidermis and dermis. It is composed mostly of fat, and it forms a loose attachment between the dermis and underlying muscle tissue. Its loose attachment allows for considerable movement of the dog’s skin over its body.

Structures that originate from the skin include hair or fur, glands, and nails.

Most mammals have both oil (sebaceous) and sweat (sudoriferous) glands located throughout the skin, but the dog’s (and cat’s) sweat glands are found only on the pads of their feet. Panting (along with increased salivation) are the primary ways a dog cools down.

Sebaceous or oil glands are usually associated with a hair follicle, and they are widely distributed throughout the skin of most mammals. Secretory cells of the sebaceous glands produce sebum, a substance that is mostly lipid (fatty material).

The functions of the sebaceous glands include:

• Lubrication and production of a protective, oily layer for the hair and skin.

• Inhibition of bacterial growth.

• Synthesizing vitamin D. (A precursor to vitamin D, dehydrocholestrol, is formed in sebaceous glands. When dehydrocholestrol is irradiated by sunlight to its active form, vitamin D, it is absorbed by the body.)

• Secretion of sebum. (Sebum production is related to hormonal levels, generally being highest around the time of puberty.)

Apocrine glands are considered by some physiologists to be a second type of sudoriferous gland. Apocrine glands are typically located in the anal and genital regions, and in some species they secrete a type of pheromone or sexual attractant. Anal glands in dogs and cats are examples of apocrine glands.

Claws are formed from keratinocytes located in the dermis that surrounds the periosteum (bone covering) of the distal toe. Claws/nails of dogs (and cats) are supplied with blood vessels and nerves.

A closer look at skin diseases
Entire tomes have been written on the subject of canine skin diseases and their great variety of treatment approaches. Here, we will only simplify an approach to identifying and treating skin problems from the holistic perspective.

For purposes of this article, we will take the organ system of skin in its totality, and make the assumption that if we can keep its two primary cells healthy – the keratinocytes and Langerhans cells – we will be well on the road to overall health of the dog’s skin.

Remember that keratinocytes change in both morphology (appearance) and function as they progress in maturity from the inner, basal layers of the epithelium to its outermost, dead-cell covering. Recent studies have indicated that this progressively changing function can be greatly affected (positively or negatively) as it is occurring. In other words, keratinocytes may be “uploaded” toward health or “downloaded” toward disease, depending on what stimulus is being applied – either from within or from the surrounding environment.

A prime example of a “downloading” (disease-producing) stimulus occurs with the condition known as atopy (discussed in more detail below). Any oxidative stress, including ultraviolet radiation, chemical oxidants, and the presence of microorganisms may incite the keratinocytes’ stem cells to produce mature cells more susceptible to disease.

One example of a “downloading” stimulus that has been extensively studied in humans is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light. Excess exposure to UV rays is one of the primary contributing factors in producing skin tumors. Scientists have discovered that the “stress” of ultraviolet light initiates a change in gene expression of the stem cell keratinocytes, speeding the process of cell aging, and ultimately leading to the production of a population of mature cells that are more prone to tumor development.

Note that dogs, when compared to humans, have a built-in sunscreen: their hair coat. The UV-induced downloading of the keratinocytes may thus not be as big a problem in dogs, but the science behind it is interesting nonetheless. Also interesting: Of the few species studied, each has its own cellular mechanism for coping with sunlight. Some species use one pathway to create altered keratinocytes; others use an entirely different pathway.

A good example of “uploading” the keratinocytes occurs in the body’s natural response to cuts and scrapes. In wound healing, activated keratinocytes begin to produce keratin proteins distinct from the keratins of healthy epidermis, and the keratinocytes themselves become hyper-proliferative and migratory.

There are many substances that can upload keratinocytes. Any of the dietary antioxidants (for example, vitamins A, C, and E and Omega-3 fatty acids) likely have a salubrious effect. Judging from its ability to rapidly regenerate epidermal cells, the topical use of the herb calendula (Calendula officinalis), may also be directly beneficial to skin cells.

Vitamin C has been well documented as a skin helper. In addition to its antioxidative capacity, vitamin C participates in several biological roles. It helps protect the skin against sunlight, and its primary role in collagen synthesis is crucial for skin regeneration and wound repair. Vitamin C also modulates keratinocyte and lymphocyte differentiation, helping to produce healthier mature skin and cells of the immune system.

Further, vitamin C has at least two beneficial effects for cancer prevention. First, it is important in the inner-cell mechanism that helps damaged cells die off rather than grow into tumor cells. Second, it seems to help the effects of at least some chemotherapeutic agents.

Finally, we know that vitamin C is accumulated in healthy skin cells, apparently waiting there for any increased need. It is found in lower amounts in cells of older animals, a possible reason for increased cell aging in the elderly.

Veterinarians have been taught that dogs do not need dietary vitamin C because they can produce it themselves. However, most holistic veterinarians think that there are plenty of occasions when the “normal” amount of produced vitamin C isn’t enough for the need – for example, for skin allergies that require enhanced antioxidant and healing activities. My own recommendation is to routinely add maintenance levels of vitamin C to the dog’s diet, and to increase these amounts to therapeutic levels whenever there is a need. Check with your holistic vet for dosages.

Factors contributing to skin health and disease
Following is a list of some of the general factors that can adversely affect the health of the skin, along with some very basic ideas for how we can enhance the dog’s individual ability to maintain healthy skin.

• Genetic. Studies indicate that there are certain breeds of dogs and particular genetic lines within breeds that are especially prone to skin diseases.

For example, there are many breeds that have been reported to have an increased susceptibility to atopy. The Shar-Pei, for example, has a high relative risk factor for generalized demodicosis (mange), atopy, and hypothyroidism, and there are certain lines of Cocker Spaniels that exhibit a higher incidence of seborrhea.

When we have looked further into the cause of this increased susceptibility, it often turns out that the breed has a general population of keratocytes that are genetically programmed to download (proceed into disease mode) rather than upload toward healthy mature cells.

Further, it appears that some breeds or individual lines within breeds seem to have a genetic propensity for a poorly functional immune system.

The best advice, of course, is to avoid breeds and genetic lines that are more susceptible to skin problems, but this is obviously not always possible (hindsight is 20/20, but foresight is not always available, unless you know the genetic history of the individual). Susceptible individuals may need to be on a lifelong regime of multidimensional skin enhancers, including nutrition, immune-boosters, topical skin-care products, etc.

• Immune system. As it pertains to the skin, the immune system is a two-lane highway. The animal’s innate immune ability affects the health of the skin, and the immune system located within the skin (Langerhans cells) needs to be healthy for it to transfer an accurate immune response from the externally received antigenic stimuli to the inner reserves of the immune system.

• Nutrition is the key to good skin health. The problem is that, for the key to be effective, it must fit the lock (the individual). In the old days there were many locks that could be opened with one general skeleton key, and likewise there is a skeleton program of good nutrition that will help many animals (see “Diet Tips for Promoting Skin Health,” next page). For those critters that are prone to skin disease, you may need to have a holistic practitioner devise a nutritional program that specifically fits your individual.

• Hygiene. As with all holistic approaches, balance is the key to managing your dog’s hygiene; too much or too little is not healthy.

Trying to scrub away all the dirt and detritus that our dogs collect in their normal course of work and play may be counterproductive. Too much cleansing can be drying to the skin. Dry skin is physically irritating, which may cause the dog to dig and scratch excessively. Additionally, we know that the skin’s oil glands produce a substance that is antibacterial; so excess cleaning actually removes the antibacterial barrier.

Furthermore, there is considerable recent evidence to indicate that a certain amount of “dirt” is good for the immune system. Exposure to dirt, low concentrations of locally important bacteria and bugs, local plant pollens, and household dust are all vital for developing a healthy immune system and for stimulating an appropriate immune response.

Finally, many shampoos or soaps contain substances that are irritating to the individual, again stimulating the itch/scratch cycle that ultimately damages the skin. Also, soaps seem to be individually tolerated or rejected; what works fine for most dogs may stimulate extreme itching in a rare individual.

Try a soap initially on a small area of your dog and observe the results. When you’ve found a shampoo that seems to work for your dog, use it only often enough that it keeps your dog clean and at the same time allows her normal skin oils to be present. Healthy skin should be dry but not flaky, pliable, and possessing a slightly oily feel, and the hair coat should have lustrous sheen.

To maintain this look and feel, some dogs need a bath every week or so; others will do better if the interval between baths is a month or more. An animal suffering from ongoing skin disease may require special care, with increased bathings that may also need to be medicated (herbal shampoos are often very helpful) or nutritionally enhanced shampoos (many shampoos have added vitamins or antioxidants that can be beneficial).

Note: Shampoos that contain oat extracts seem to be the most universally soothing, but sometimes they contain additives that are irritating – scents, preservatives, and other things that don’t need to be included. So, even oat-based products should be spot-tested first.

• Bugs. We all know that fleas, ticks, mites, and lice can cause dastardly consequences, and so we know that we need to keep their numbers to a minimum. Products abound: spot-ons, collars, and oral drugs that circulate bug-unfriendly toxins to fight the invaders from within; sprays and powders to attack them from without; shampoos to stop them in their tracks; and dips to keep them away for weeks. While the negative impact that bugs can have on the dog’s skin health shouldn’t be minimized, I often think we’ve overdone it more than just a bit.

It is clear, for example, that bug killers are toxins and that they also affect the animal we apply them to – reason enough to give us pause before we wage all-out war against all vermin, real and imagined. We also know that the anti-bug drugs can produce an allergic response in the animal, creating a skin irritation that is exactly like the one we were trying to prevent by keeping the bugs away. Finally, toxic chemicals are not species specific; when we kill the bad guys, we also end up killing any beneficial bugs that may be helpful for the long-range health of the animal, and we may leave a residue to contaminate the environment for a long time to come.

So, from my perspective, the holistic answers to bug problems:

• Use only what is necessary, when it is truly needed.

• Use natural products whenever possible.

• Enhance your dog’s whole body health.

• Inner milieu. In addition to the necessity for a functionally competent immune system, there are other parts of the inner body that are important for maintaining healthy skin. In turn, the skin can affect seemingly unrelated organ systems.

For example, there is good evidence that antibiotic use actually “downloads” the keratinocytes – that is, antibiotics may cause the keratinocyte stem cells to mature into cells that are less healthy and more prone to disease. And, both intestinal (inflammatory bowel syndrome, as one example) and lung problems (such as asthma) may incite skin problems – although which disease condition comes first and which follows is often difficult to determine.

• Hormones also have an affect on the skin. It is important to appreciate that all organ systems of the body ultimately affect the skin, but hormonal influences, particularly the sex and thyroid hormones, are especially important. The adrenal hormones (glucocorticoids) are also important primary contributors to skin disease whether they come from inner sources or are provided via veterinary prescription.

Hormone conditions that affect the skin have two components that differentiate them from other allergy or infectious-related conditions. First, they usually do not produce itching. Second, they typically occur over the body in a specific configuration known as a “hormonal pattern”: a bilateral patchwork of changes including skin thickening, discoloration, and/or hair loss or thinning.

Abnormal skin conditions
Dermatitis is a nonspecific term to describe inflammation of the skin. Dermatitis can be produced by numerous agents, including external irritants, burns, allergins, trauma, and infection (bacterial, viral, parasitic, or fungal). It can be associated with concurrent internal or systemic disease; hereditary factors also may be involved.

The skin’s response to insult manifests as any combination of pruritis (itching), scaling, erythema (redness), alopecia (hair loss), thickening of the skin, hyperpigmentation, oily seborrhea, odor, and hair loss.

Following are brief discussions of just a few of the more prevalent causes of dermatitis in dogs.

• Pyoderma literally means “pus in the skin.” This accumulation of white blood cells in the skin can be caused by infectious, inflammatory, and/or neoplastic etiologies, but most commonly in dogs the term refers to bacterial infections of the skin.

Most skin infections are superficial and secondary to a variety of other conditions including allergies (flea allergy, atopy, food allergy); internal diseases (primarily hormonal diseases, especially of the thyroid or due to an excess of glucocorticoids from internal sources or prescribed by the vet); seborrhea (abnormal production of secretions of the sebaceous glands or the glands surrounding the hair follicles); parasitic diseases (mange, for example); or anatomic predispositions (from skin folds).

Any of a number of bacterial species may be involved, but Staphylococcus intermedius is usually the primary pathogen, often making it possible for other bugs to invade. It is important to remember that the normal skin of a dog has a healthy population of resident bacterial species; since these bugs are health-promoting, indiscriminate use of antibiotics should be avoided. To cause infection, S. intermedius needs to stick to the keratinocytes of the skin. Anything that changes the normally dry environment of the skin to a more humid one (such as skin folds) can predispose the host to an overgrowth of bacteria.

Holistic treatment for pyoderma consists of a combined approach that couples topical with internal medicines. External applications should be directed toward drying the wet (skin fold) areas and decreasing the bacterial populations to a level where the animal’s inner defenses can deal with them. Ideally, internal medicines will be directed toward enhancing the immune system as well as attacking the bacteria directly. Once again, it is important to appreciate that skin infections are usually a secondary response due to some other cause; determining that primary cause will be necessary for long-term healing.

• Atopy is estimated to affect about 10 percent of the canine population. Animals with atopy are thought to be genetically predisposed to become sensitized to environmental allergins that are absorbed through the respiratory tract. Most of the symptoms of atopy (including intense itching) are exactly the same as those that result from food allergies, flea-bite dermatitis, contact allergy, or mange mites, thus compounding the problem of accurate diagnosis.

Symptoms include intense itching, which typically results in skin damage (often intense damage) from the dog’s self-trauma due to scratching, licking, and biting at the itch. Secondary bacterial infections are common. In some dogs, the only symptom of atopy may be chronic or recurrent otitis (inflammation in the ear).

Conventional medicine typically confronts the itch as its prime enemy, and its arsenal includes avoidance of the offending allergin; symptomatic therapy to control the itch (most commonly glucocorticoids which, with long-term use, effectively shut down the normal, inner immune system); and immunotherapy, that is, desensitization to the allergin or vaccinating against the allergin. At one time antihistamines were extensively used to treat atopy, but current research indicates that they are not effective for relieving the itch associated with the disease.

Of course, avoiding the offending allergin isn’t always plausible. What do you do when the dog proves to be sensitive to the grasses and trees in your own backyard? And remember that an intradermal skin test only reveals exposure to the allergin; it is not necessarily a measure of the dog’s sensitivity to the allergin.

Holistic medicine takes a different approach. The goal here is to try to enhance the dog’s innate immune system so he can better cope with his environment.

Holistic methods that enhance the immune system include acupuncture (proven to enhance the production and function of immune-important lymphocytes); herbal remedies (many herbs, but especially Echinacea spp., enhance the balance of the immune response); and homeopathic remedies (many homeopaths feel that the primary way homeopathy works is by stimulating the immune system). Each of these methods has specific remedies to help control itchiness. In addition, moderate daily exercise, massage, and proper nutrition all enhance the immune response.

When the nits come to the grits, however, there is no medicine that will be effective all the time. You may need to combine some of the conventional methods with the alternative ones.

• Psychogenic dermatosis is a general term that attempts to describe skin conditions that involve behavioral components. Nearly all itchy conditions will cause some degree of psychogenic stress, but some dogs apparently itch (or scratch) excessively for reasons confined to their psyches.

For some of these animals, behavioral therapy, either with or without pharmacologic interventions may be helpful. Other dogs – those with obsessive-compulsive or self-mutilating disorders – may not respond to any therapy.

• Skin tumors. Tumors can occur in all the tissues of the skin and surrounding tissues, and they can be either benign or malignant.

In my experience, the malignancy or non-malignancy of a particular skin tumor is often difficult to assess, perhaps due to the fact that skin has an amazing ability to transform to a rapid growth phase (whether that phase be malignant or non-malignant) with such ease. Any lump or bump of the skin should be looked at by a veterinarian. Simple needle biopsies can be extremely helpful for differentiating infections and inflammations from potential tumors. The pliability of the skin makes surgical excision of smaller-sized lumps easy to perform if it’s deemed necessary.

Alternative medicines for skin
An accurate diagnosis is necessary to adequately treat conditions of the skin with either holistic or conventional medicine. In addition to a complete physical exam, this may require skin scrapings, examination of individual hairs, cytology, fungal and/or bacterial cultures, and (especially when systemic disease is suspected as a cause) blood and urine tests. Intradermal skin testing has been used to determine specific allergins, but its use has recently come into question (a positive test only indicates past exposure to a particular antigen, and the significance of this for determining a treatment regime is questionable).

Once you know with some degree of certainty what you are dealing with, you have to embrace the fact that skin is an extremely complex organ system that oftentimes requires an approach to healing that is multi-factorial, requiring the use of many healing disciplines to be effective.

In other words, it’s essential that you understand:

• the enemy (the cause of the disease);

• that the enemy will likely be present in complex ways (most often there are several factors that are contributing to the disease);

• that you may need to bring in an entire army of different healing modalities to be effective; and

• that the battle may be long and costly.

Finally, you and your team of holistic practitioners should develop an exit strategy from the very beginning of treatment. Decide ahead of time how long you plan to stay with any one treatment regime, and when it will be the time to switch to another approach.

Unfortunately, skin is often the first organ system to suffer harm and the last to heal. It is, after all, an organ with a huge surface area that is in contact with all kinds of stuff in the surrounding environment. It is also a highly sensitive organ that is influenced by the health and well-being of all the body’s other organ systems. To add to the overall problem, almost all symptoms of the skin can be caused by a multitude of conditions.

And as one further consideration: According to its theory of “movement of symptoms,” homeopathic medicine believes that all diseases, no matter their origin, move through a set pattern that leaves the skin as the very last organ to heal.

My very basic holistic approach to healing the skin follows:

1. Eliminate any external source that may be causing the condition: parasites, bacteria, allergenic food sources, environmental irritants, and other sources of stress, physical and/or mental.

2. Explore all the possible causes, including psychogenic.

3. Try to narrow this list of differential possibilities down to a few of the more likely causes. This will, we hope, result in a more manageable list of probable causes.

4. Develop a plan of attack that will likely include lifestyle changes, nutrition (including supplements and nutriceuticals), herbal helpers, and either homeopathy or acupuncture as primary therapy.

5. Make a list of realistic expectations (how the dog’s caretakers feel the therapy should progress, based on their desires, and on the practitioner’s past experience with similar cases), and define a time frame (and a reasonable budget) for these expectations to come to fruition.

6. Be confident. Remember that most skin conditions will resolve themselves – if we provide a properly holistic foundation of inner health and outer resilience. But . . .

7. For the chronic, persistent cases, you may need to light candles, shake rattles, pray . . . do whatever it takes to make the magic of medicine work for you and your dog. (For more information, see “Walking the Allergy Maze,” WDJ August 2004.)

-Dr. Randy Kidd earned his DVM degree from Ohio State University and his PhD in Pathology/Clinical Pathology from Kansas State University. A past president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, he’s author of Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Dog Care and Dr. Kidd’s Guide to Herbal Cat Care.

Animal News Alerts: November 2005

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Monthly magazines are at a disadvantage when it comes to breaking news; we send an issue to press at least a month before the date that will appear on its cover. So, usually, we don’t even try to disseminate news. But the following items are of such importance and continuing relevance that we are going to break our standard rule.

Canine Flu

An entirely new, highly contagious, and sometimes deadly strain of influenza is sweeping the country’s canine population. Immunologists studying the flu strain have identified it as a variant of an equine influenza; scientists have never before witnessed an influenza virus “jumping” from horses to dogs. The first cases were reported in Florida, which has a large equine population and lots of Greyhound breeding and racing facilities.

Most dogs who become infected with the respiratory illness will experience a milder form of influenza, with symptoms that are similar to those of kennel cough, such as a persistent cough, low fever, and listlessness. However, some develop a more acute disease with clinical signs of pneumonia. Immediate veterinary care, including antibiotics and fluids, will be needed to save the life of a dog with severe symptoms, such as a high fever, secondary bacterial infection, and nasal discharge. Among the latter group, the mortality rate is 1 to 5 percent.

Because this is thought to be an entirely new virus, no dogs have any natural immunity to it, so virtually all dogs who are exposed to it, no matter their breed or age, will become infected. About 80 percent of the dogs who contract the illness will develop symptoms, although all the exposed animals will be capable of transmitting the virus to other dogs.

The virus is airborne; dogs can become infected from contact with anything that an infected dog sneezed or coughed on.

As we went to press, canine influenza had been found in states all across the country. Stay alert to any signs of illness in your dog; take her to a veterinary clinic if she shows signs of fever or coughing.

Hurricane Forces Pets to be Left Behind

Like you, we were saddened and enraged by the news of thousands of people being forced to leave their pets behind when they evacuated from the September’s hurricane zones. Though the many relief efforts undertaken in recent months to help the abandoned animals have been admirable, many thousands of these rescues would have been unnecessary if more people could have taken shelter with their pets.

Fortunately, many efforts are underway to change local, state, and federal laws and policies to allow people to bring their beloved dogs, cats, and other pets with them in evacuation vehicles and into shelters.

The Humane Society of the United States is urging Congress to quickly enact legislation that addresses the needs of the animal victims of disasters. The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, H.R. 3858, requires state and local emergency management agencies that receive federal funding to make plans for people with pets or the disabled who rely on service animals to safely evacuate along with their animals in the event of a disaster.

Five U.S. Congressmen introduced the bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Three Dog Bakery of Kansas City, Missouri, has started hosting fund-raising events in support of legislative efforts to enable the concomitant rescue of people and their animal companions in disasters. The company is also selling T-shirts (with profits supporting the efforts above) emblazoned with the message, “Leave No Man Behind; Leave No Pet Behind.” See www.threedog.com or call (800) 4TREATS for more details.

Download the Full November 2005 Issue PDF

By
Nancy Kerns
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0
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