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New Hope for Treating Cancer

By
CJ Puotinen
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Every cloud has a silver lining, even clouds of war and pestilence. Here’s an example. We can thank the Vietnam War and a malaria plague for the development of an herbal extract that may be your dog’s best new treatment for cancer. Thirty years ago, mosquitoes carrying malaria parasites bred in rain water that collected in underground tunnels built by the army of North Vietnam.

When that country lost more soldiers to malaria than to military weapons, it turned to China for help. Soon China’s top scientists were analyzing the problem from every perspective. When researchers at the Chinese Institute of Material Medicine discovered a region of China that did not have malaria, they found that its people drank a decoction (simmered tea) of Artemesia annua L. at the first sign of malarial symptoms. Artemesia annua L. is known as Qinghao in China and as sweet wormwood, annual wormwood, or sweet Annie in the West. (Its cousin Artemesia absinthium, or perennial wormwood, is an ingredient in herbal worming products for dogs and people.) In 1972, Chinese scientists isolated four chemical compounds in Artemesia annua: the natural compound artemisinin and three synthetic or semisynthetic compounds: artesunate, artemether, and arteether. Artemisinin became North Vietnam’s drug of choice for malaria. It has since become popular throughout Southeast Asia and Africa, where malaria is resistant to nearly all antimalarial drugs, including chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, and Fansidar. So far, malaria has not developed resistance to artemisinin. In 1993, a University of Michigan researcher discovered the biochemical mechanism that makes artemisinin effective. Dr. Steven R. Meshnick, a parasitologist at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, found that the malaria parasite survives in its host by consuming approximately 25 percent of the hemoglobin in the host’s red blood cells. However, it does not metabolize the heme (iron) in the hemoglobin. Instead, it stores the iron in the form of a polymer, called hemozoin, inside a food vacuole. “We discovered that when artemisinin comes into contact with the iron in the hemozoin,” reports Dr. Meshnick, “the iron converts the artemisinin into a toxic chemical, releasing a free radical that destroys the parasite.” In Dr. Meshnick’s clinical study of 638 malarial patients in Vietnam, artemisinin eliminated 98 percent of malarial parasites within 24 hours and did so without significant side effects. “The parasite reappeared in only 10 to 23 percent of the group that took artemisinin for 5 to 10 days,” Dr. Meshnick says. “It may well be that the reappearance of the disease was due to a new infection rather than a flare-up of the prior one.” Artemisinin was equally effective against both the falciparum and vivax strains of malaria. Cancer needs iron, too Artemisinin’s reaction to iron molecules interested research professors Henry Lai, Ph.D., and Narendra Singh, MBBS, at the University of Washington in Seattle because cancer cells, like malaria parasites, collect and store iron. “Cancer cells need extra iron to replicate DNA when they divide,” explains Professor Lai. “As a result, cancer cells have a much higher concentration of iron than normal cells. When we began to understand how artemisinin works, I wondered if we could use that knowledge to target cancer cells.” In research published in 1995 in the journal Cancer Letters and in the November 2001 journal Life Sciences, Professors Lai and Singh found that artemisinin killed all of the human leukemia and breast cancer cells in a test tube within 8 to 16 hours while leaving nearly all of the normal cells unharmed. Artemisinin has been shown in test tube studies to be most effective against leukemia and colon cancer. Preliminary tests suggest that artemisinin will be effective against melanoma, breast, ovarian, prostate, renal, and central nervous system cancers such as glioblastoma and neuroblastoma. Working with veterinarians In 1999, Professors Lai and Singh pioneered canine research on artemisinin when, in collaboration with Tejinder Sodhi, DVM, of the Animal Hospital of Lynnwood in Lynnwood, Washington, they treated a male Golden Retriever with acute lameness of the right front leg. “The xray showed exostosis below the humeral neck with general sunburst osteolytic appearance,” reported Dr. Sodhi. “Fine-needle aspirate showed cells resembling osteoblasts and satisfied the criteria of malignancy.” Despite a very low dose of artemisinin and only 10 days of treatment (artemisinin was then expensive and the project lacked funding to buy more), the dog recovered within a week, gaining weight and walking normally, with xrays taken on the tenth day showing signs of bone remodeling. In another case, a seven-year-old male Basset Hound was diagnosed with lymphosarcoma of the lymph nodes. After three five-day treatments separated by intervals of three to five days, the diameter of the left and right linguinal and submandibular lymph nodes was reduced to half. Both dogs recovered without further treatment. As this article goes to press, the Washington Cancer Institute Department of Orthopedic Oncology at Georgetown University Medical Center, and a fellowship-trained veterinary surgical oncologist in Washington, DC, are collaborating on a project to determine whether artemisinin is an effective compound in the treatment of canine osteosarcoma. “We are performing in vitro or laboratory assays, the results of which will be determined by June 2003,” says Senior Clinical Researcher Kristen Kellar-Graney at the Washington Cancer Institute. “If these results prove favorable, it is our intention to perform a small, double-blinded, randomized study with pet canines who are not eligible for other forms of conventional treatment or pets whose owners are not interested in or cannot afford more conventional methods of treatment.” Using artemisinin The recommended human dose is approximately 1 milligram (mg) artemisinin per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight twice per day. The dose recommended for most dogs is 50 mg or 100 mg twice per day for at least one month, continued for up to 6 to 12 months at a time.

Vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, pancreatic enzymes, and other supplements used in holistic cancer therapies are compatible with artemisinin, though some practitioners recommend separating artemisinin and high doses of vitamin C by at least three hours. Some healthcare practitioners recommend giving cod liver oil or other fat with artemisinin to improve its assimilation, but Professor Lai says that this is not necessary. Artemisinin should not be combined with radiation therapy because radiation treatments release iron stored in cancer cells to surrounding tissue. For best results, patients are encouraged to wait until at least two months after their last radiation treatment before beginning artemisinin. However, artemisinin is compatible with chemotherapy. In a study published last year, German researcher T. Efferth, Ph.D., tested artemisinin in combination with 22 chemotherapy drugs and found that artemisinin enhanced the drugs’ effectiveness. When artemisinin is used in combination with chemotherapy, it should be taken several hours after the chemotherapy treatment ends. When taken in combination with chemotherapy, artemisinin does not alleviate chemotherapy’s side effects. Cancer case history: Gus In the spring of 2002, Karen and Greg Moore of Bar Harbor, Maine, noticed that Gus, their seven-year-old German Shepherd Dog, was drinking large quantities of water and urinating more than usual. “He was having some accidents in the house,” Karen Moore recalls, “and he had never done that before. We went to the veterinarian, but it took quite a while to find out what the problem was. Only one of Gus’s lab tests showed an unusual result, and that was his calcium level, which was extremely high. At the end of April, our vet referred us to a clinic in Bath, Maine, where Gus underwent ultrasound and other tests.” The examination revealed apocrine gland adenocarcinoma, an anal gland tumor, with lymph node involvement. “The mass was then about the size of a plum,” says Moore, “and they could see that it had metastasized. The diagnosis was devastating. They basically had him dead and buried. They told us it was inoperable because it had already spread to the lymph nodes, there was nothing they could do, and he would die within a few weeks. They said we could try chemotherapy, but we would be fighting a very aggressive tumor, so it probably wouldn’t buy much time.” The Moores decided in favor of chemotherapy, and in May, Gus received his first of five treatments. “He couldn’t have more than that,” she says, “because they didn’t want it to affect his organs. In August, he had his final treatment, and that was that. He was still hanging in there. Now we were playing a wait-and-see game.” Three months later, while talking with the owner of a Bar Harbor health food store, Moore mentioned her dog. “I said I wished we could do something more for him,” she says. “That’s when the owner told me about the research of Dr. Henry Lai at the University of Washington. He gave me an e-mail address, and that’s how I got in touch with Holley Pharmaceuticals, the company that imports the artemisinin Gus takes.” On December 7, Gus received his first dose of artemisinin. “He’s taking 100 mg twice a day,” says Moore. “It’s been only three months so far, but we’ve been amazed at the improvements we see. His energy level is high, and his eyes are as clear as can be. They had gotten very foggy and unhealthy looking, but now they’re not cloudy at all. His calcium level went back to normal. The tumor grew after the chemotherapy treatments were stopped, but it hasn’t grown since we started the artemisinin. Gus is active, he plays ball, and he hikes with us. We really thought he would be slowing down by now. We never thought he would last this long or this well.” If Gus maintains his improved condition, Moore plans to continue his current dose of artemisinin. “On the protocol we’re following,” she says, “the dog takes it for up to a year and then you begin a weaning process and discontinue the treatment. Gus goes to the vet every six to eight weeks for checkups, so his condition is being monitored. It’s reassuring to have the vet keep an eye on him to be sure he’s doing well. Gus is now eight years old and thriving, which is something we never expected.” Cancer case history: Zoe Zoe, a Great Pyrenees, recently moved with Shirley and Mike Driggs to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. On April 19, 2002, when she was five and a half years old and they lived in Indiana, Zoe was diagnosed with osteo-sarcoma in her right front leg. “We took her to the vet because she was limping,” says Shirley Driggs. “The diagnosis was terrible news because bone cancer spreads really fast. Most dogs die within a month or two.” Driggs considered conventional treatments, including amputation, chemotherapy, and radiation. “From everything I could find about these options,” she says, “they only give dogs five or six more months of life, and the treatments’ side effects are so awful, the quality of that life is questionable at best. My mother died of bone cancer, so I’ve seen this disease up close. There was no way I could put Zoe through any of the conventional therapies.” Instead, she searched the Internet to learn everything she could about the disease. “On page after page and site after site,” she says, “I hit a message board that discussed artemisinin. Further searches led me to Dr. Lai. I called him up and discussed the herb, and he gave me some background information. I later e-mailed Dr. Lai with Zoe’s weight and medical background, and he advised me of the dosage he felt was suitable for her.” When Driggs returned to Zoe’s veterinarian with this information, he looked skeptical but said he had no problem with her trying it. “Since I had no other course of action,” she says, “and I was told this treatment had no adverse side effects, I thought, why not?!” Zoe’s response to artemisinin was immediate and dramatic. “We started her on 50 mg twice a day,” says Driggs, “and she literally quit limping on the second day. She ran, jumped, barked, played, fought with the other dogs, and had a wonderful time. You would never know she had bone cancer.” Zoe continued to be symptom-free for the next eight months. In fact, a radiograph taken last October showed that her bone tumor had begun to shrink. Two veterinarians examined her xrays and confirmed this. “When bone cancer metastasizes, it usually spreads to the lungs,” says Driggs, “and all of Zoe’s lung xrays, including one taken in February 2003, show that her lungs are completely clear. This has really amazed her doctors.” But in January 2003, just after the move to Arizona, Zoe’s limp came back. “We gave her a prescription anti-inflammatory,” says Driggs, “because we don’t want her to be in pain, but we knew this was a serious symptom.” Driggs contacted Dr. Lai, who recommended that they either stop the artemisinin for seven days and then continue at the same 50-mg dose twice a day, or increase the dose to 100 mg twice per day. They increased the artemisinin. On March 14, Driggs was petting Zoe when she noticed a hard, grape-sized lump under the dog’s left armpit. “We went straight to our veterinarian, who explained that what I found was a lymph node and that the cancer had spread,” explains Driggs. “But Zoe is still looking good. She is still eating well, still has her appetite, still comes outside, and still enjoys life. We’ll just take one day at a time.” In the meantime, Driggs says she is thoroughly satisfied with her experience using the artemisinin for Zoe’s cancer. “I have no regrets about having used it,” she says. “When your dog is diagnosed with bone cancer and you reject all conventional treatment, the odds are you won’t have more than a few weeks together. Instead of declining, Zoe has had a wonderful year. She may be living on borrowed time, but her borrowed time has stretched out considerably, and every day has been a blessing.”

Is Your Dog Spoiled?

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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SPOILED DOGS: OVERVIEW

1. Be the trainer when you are with your dog more often than you are the trainee.

2. Control the “good stuff” and generously share it with your dog when he offers polite behaviors.

3. Teach your dog that he needs to “Say please” in order to get the good stuff.

4. Prevent him from being rewarded for undesirable behaviors to avoid spoiling.

When a new client calls me seeking a private consultation, I often hear a litany of canine woes that includes: barking, chewing, digging, counter surfing, house soiling, jumping up, biting, running away, and other destructive and inappropriate behaviors. With amazing consistency, clients conclude by confessing that they allow their dogs on the furniture and feed them people food; then sheepishly claim, “I guess I’ve spoiled him.” I always respond with, “My dogs are allowed on the furniture and I feed them people food. If allowing dogs on the bed and feeding them human food equals spoiling, then I passionately believe that dogs should be spoiled.”

Contrary to what you may have read in some dog training books, letting your dog get on the sofa and feeding him real food does not mean he will turn into a raving dominant maniac-dog, nor does it teach him to drool at your dinner table. It simply means that you have made a conscious decision to grant him furniture privileges and provide him with a diet that goes beyond processed kibble. These deliberate choices on your part do not give rise to behavior problems. Spoiling a dog in a manner that leads to undesirable behaviors is something else entirely.

In her excellent new book, Click for Joy, author and clicker trainer Melissa Alexander says, “Spoiling occurs when you give something for nothing.”

I would add to her definition that spoiling also occurs when you allow behaviors to be rewarded that you will sooner or later come to regret. While a client who calls me about behavior problems may indeed have “spoiled” her dog, the problems are far more likely a result of giving a dog the opportunity to practice and be rewarded for inappropriate behavior than they are a result of furniture privileges and dietary selections.

Who Controls the Goods?

Whenever you are with your dog, one of you is training the other. The healthiest dog/human relationships generally occur when the human is the trainer and the dog the trainee the vast majority of the time. This means that the human controls most of the “good stuff” in the dog’s life, and decides when, where, and how the dog gets it. The dog can earn the good stuff by doing things that please the human.

Important note: The dog is not intrinsically trying to please the human. The dog is just doing whatever he needs to do to get the good stuff and thereby please himself. It is incidental to him that he pleases his human in the process.

I would identify a “spoiled” dog as one who is allowed to be the trainer more often than he is the trainee, when the resulting behaviors are damaging to the relationship. The spoiled dog does things that don’t please his human and gets the good stuff anyway.

This is the dog who “demand-barks” to go out, come back in, get a treat or a toy – and the human gives him what he wants because she knows the barking will just escalate if she doesn’t.

It’s the dog who digs at his owner’s arm for attention – and gets it. It’s the dog who jumps up on the bed next to the wife and growls at the husband when he tries to get in his side (especially if the husband then goes and sleeps on the sofa).

It’s the dog who wakes up at 3:00 a.m., barks to go out – even though he is a healthy adult dog well able to “hold it” all night – and then whines and barks in his crate when he comes back in until his humans let him out to spend the rest of the night in the bed with them. It’s the dog who drags his protesting owner around the block at the end of the leash, accosting every human, peeing on every bush, and eating every bit of garbage he can find along the way. You get the idea.

Get Your Dog to Say Please

You may have a new dog or pup and are determined not to spoil her. Or perhaps you are realizing that you have already made some mistakes and now have a dog who is slightly or seriously spoiled. In any case, a “Say please” program is a great way to prevent or overcome the challenges of living with a spoiled dog.

Also known as “Nothing in Life Is Free” or “No Free Lunch,” a “Say please” program teaches your dog that she must ask for good stuff – politely – by performing a desirable behavior, rather than by demanding – and getting – what she wants. “Sit” is the most versatile “Say please” behavior, and by far the easiest to install. Most dogs can learn to offer a sit in a few minutes or less (see “Sit Happens,” WDJ February 2001).

As soon as your dog learns that sitting is a very rewardable behavior, it’s a simple matter to wait for her to sit before bestowing good stuff on her. Breakfast time? Hold up her food dish and wait for her to sit; that’s a “Say please” behavior. Time for a walk? Sit gets you to attach the leash. Want to go out? Sitting politely makes the door open. Want to be petted? Dogs who sit get pets, treats, and attention.

You may be tempted to ask for the sit, but don’t! Instead, use a little body language if necessary; hold a treat, the food bowl, or your hand, up near your chest – and wait until she offers the sit of her own accord. Then work quickly to “fade” (progressively eliminate) the treat and body language. You want your dog to realize that she has to initiate the request for the good stuff.

One of the goals of positive reinforcement training is to create dogs who learn to control their own behavior, so that you don’t have to constantly tell them what to do. If you must usually tell your dog to sit, she won’t learn to “Say please” without being asked, and she won’t generalize her polite “Say please” behavior to other people and other situations.

Sit is not your only “Say please” option. It doesn’t matter so much what you ask her to do. What matters is that she learns she has to earn the good stuff, it doesn’t just happen gratuitously. You can use any desirable behavior that your dog can do easily – or a variety of behaviors in a variety of situations. Our Scottie, Dubhy, used to grumble at me from my office doorway when he wanted to go outside. I found this a little pushy and annoying, so I taught him to “Say please,” by coming into the office and lying quietly at my feet. Tucker, our cattle dog mix, does a lovely “Say please” play bow when he asks to go outside. And both of them “Say please” again by sitting politely at the door when I go to let them out.

Be Firm About It

“Sounds simple,” you may say, “but when I pick up my leash my dog Bonkers leaps and cavorts about, barks at the top of her lungs, and body-slams me. She’s not going to offer a sit!”

At this point Bonkers thinks that cavorting is what causes the door to open. It’s been working for a long time, so why wouldn’t she think that? It is certainly more challenging to reprogram an already-established undesirable behavior than it is to install the desirable one from the start, but it’s not impossible.

You can make it easier by separating the environmental cues that tell her it’s “walk-time.” Perhaps you always keep the leash on the hook by the front door and put it on her collar in the entryway when you take her for her daily walk at 5:30 pm after you get home from work. Try moving the leash to the kitchen drawer. At 7:00 in the morning on a day when you don’t have to rush off to work or school, take the leash out of the drawer and, using your “Sit” body language, help her to “Say please.” If she leaps and cavorts about uncontrollably, cheerfully say “Too bad!” set the leash on the counter and go about your morning kitchen business.

As soon as she calms down, pick up the leash again and try for another “Say please.” Every time she revs up, say “Too bad!” and set the leash down. Every time she calms down, restart the leash process. This teaches her that cavorting makes the leash go away, and that sitting makes the leash happen. You will probably be surprised by how quickly she figures it out. This is the opposite of what she learned in the past, so be patient.

As soon as she will stay reasonably calm when you pick up the leash, encourage her to sit so you can attach it to her collar. If she leaps up again when you start to clip it on, give her another cheerful “Too bad!” and set the leash down again. When she will remain sitting calmly as you attach the leash, take her to a different door from the one you usually exit through with her, and help her “Say please” at the door to make the door open. Take her out for at least a short walk as a reward.

Feel free to take breaks during the reprogramming process. Training sessions are generally most productive if they last no more than 10-15 minutes at a stretch. Some dogs (and humans!) do best with sessions that last 5 minutes or less. Try to take your breaks following one or more successes, rather than waiting until you or Bonkers are so frustrated you can’t take any more. If you find yourself getting frustrated, ask Bonkers to do something that she loves and does really well, and take a break after that.

Bonkers may need several short sessions to understand that she needs to sit and stay sitting in order to get the good stuff (leash and walk), or she may get it in one session. When she will reliably sit for you in the kitchen for the leash and at the alternate door to make it open, continue to put the leash on in the kitchen, but return to using the door that you normally use to take her out, at her regularly scheduled walk time. When that part of the walk routine is reprogrammed, take the leash out of the kitchen drawer, but walk to the entryway and clip it on her collar – after she does a polite “Say please” sit, of course. When she can do that calmly, hang the leash on its old hook by the door, and you’re back in business!

The Art of Dog Training

Most “spoiled” behaviors can be addressed by creating a reprogramming protocol similar to the one described above that teaches your dog to “Say please” in order to get whatever the good stuff is that she wants at the moment. Keep in mind, however, that many dogs will exhibit a behavior known as an “extinction burst,” which is akin to the temper tantrum that a toddler might throw when she doesn’t get her way.

For example, let’s say your dog is in the habit of barking at you to get you to let her outside. In your new reprogramming mode, you carefully ignore her when she barks by turning away from her, so that she is no longer rewarded for this undesirable behavior. Your dog knows that barking has gotten her what she wants in the past, and she can’t figure out why, all of a sudden, it’s not working now. So she tries harder, sure that if she just tries hard, loud, and long enough, it will work again.

Hearing the increased intensity and volume in the dog’s voice, you may become convinced that the new training program isn’t working and, tired of listening to the racket, open the door and let the dog out. You have just rewarded your dog’s increased level of barking, reinforcing “louder and longer” and making it that much more difficult to reprogram the barking behavior.

Simply ignoring the dog’s previously successful behavior leaves her frustrated and noisy, and stresses you both until you give in to her. This is where the “Say please” program is so valuable. Teaching her an alternative successful behavior gives her something else to do – an acceptable way to make good stuff happen. However, if you respond to her barking by asking her to sit and then letting her out, you are simply teaching a “behavior chain” of, “I bark, I sit, and then the door opens.” In order to avoid this dilemma, you must blend the science of behavior with the art of training.

Think About It

We tend to ignore our dogs when they are being polite, and pay attention to them when they are rude. That’s how they get to be spoiled in the first place – they learn that they have to be pushy to get what they want. If you are working to unspoil your dog or to prevent spoiling, you must keep your eyes open, watch for the polite “Say please” behavior to happen, and reward it a lot. When your dog does “Say please,” sometimes reward her with a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ear, sometimes with a yummy treat or a game of fetch, and sometimes by letting her out or giving her whatever other good stuff she politely asks for.

However, this doesn’t mean she always gets what she wants; the art of training is in finding the balance between controlling the good stuff and sharing it with your canine pal on your terms. In time, the new behaviors will be solidly programmed and you can reduce the rate of positive reinforcement without losing the new behaviors.

A “Say please” program won’t fix all behavior problems. The dog who doesn’t let hubby on the bed can certainly benefit from learning to “Say please,” but his owners may also need the assistance of a trainer/behaviorist to resolve the bed guarding. It will, without a doubt prevent a lot of problems from ever occurring in the first place, and even implemented after-the-fact, can help make the trainer/behaviorist’s job easier with the more challenging behavior problems.

If your dog doesn’t know how to “Say please,” perhaps it’s time to teach him. Then you can say, “Spoiled? Not my dog,” as he sits politely on the sofa next to you, smiling and eating pieces of carrot and chicken.

Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is also a freelance author and Certified Pet Dog Trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is the president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and published her first book, The Power of Positive Dog Training, in 2002.

Choosing The Right Dog Chew For Your Dog

By
C.C. Holland
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2
There are a wide variety of dog chews and treats to keep your dog satisfied, but which ones are healthy and safe? Credit: Emilija Manevska | Getty Images

[Updated June 17, 2016]

Walk down the right aisle in any pet supply store and you can’t miss them: row upon row, bin upon bin of preserved and processed animal parts, all intended for your dog’s chewing pleasure.

First, there are the rawhide products – perhaps the least visually objectionable stuff on display. Most pet stores carry many varieties of rawhide chews, including flat discs, round rolls, twisted and braided chews, and fanciful items such as rawhide footballs and food bowls.

Nearby you’ll likely find the knackery wares: cattle hooves, bones, tendons, and penises, and pig ears and snouts – items that can make even the most seasoned carnivore cringe, though they may delight your dog.

Are these animal-based chews, even the ones labeled “all-natural,” truly safe for your canine companion?

The short answer: It depends.

What’s an “All-Natural,” Dog Chew Anyway?

The phrase “all-natural” shouldn’t be construed as either healthy or true. The term actually has no legal or regulatory definition, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Labeling a finished product as “all-natural” could simply mean the final processor hasn’t used any preservatives. But it may have been bathed in chemicals when processed, dunked in a liquid smoke substance for flavoring, or worse; there’s just no way to know. Despite the fact that dogs do eat these things, they are not considered “food,” and there are no federal agencies that oversee or regulate the market other than to provide permits required for production.

Some vendors tout their wares as “all natural” based simply on the marketing materials or ingredient lists sent to them by suppliers, without researching what’s behind the final product. The Leash Connection, a retailer in Clayton, Alabama, sells its wares online and touts its “natural dog bones, natural dog treats, and natural dog chews.” When we asked Carmen O’Conner, a spokesperson for the company, what makes the products natural, she said, “I just go by what they (the suppliers) list the ingredients as.”

The company isn’t breaking any rules or laws; it’s perfectly legal for a manufacturer to list the ingredients of a rawhide chew as “100% cowhide,” even if the hide was washed in formaldehyde and whitened with titanium dioxide.

Think about it: All products that are of animal origin need to be treated in some way to prevent spoiling. The trick is finding products that contain a minimum of the preservative chemicals, yet are still free of harmful bacteria. And because these products are not considered “food,” they fall into a regulatory grey zone, with little (if any) oversight from either the Department of Agriculture or the FDA.

The Rap on Rawhide

Among the most popular of the animal-based chews is the basic rawhide. Chewing rawhides satisfies a dog’s need to exercise his jaws, relieves boredom, and aids dental health, since chewing rawhides can help remove plaque and tartar from a dog’s teeth.

There are three main raps on rawhides: problems associated with the physical act of chewing and swallowing the chews (such as broken teeth, choking, gastrointestinal obstructions, etc.); bacterial contamination; and concerns about the presence of manufacturing chemicals in the animal-based products. This article focuses mainly on the latter concerns; see sidebar, below, for more information about the former problems.

Many people don’t think about the origin of the products they buy for their dog’s enjoyment, whether out of naiveté or because they hate to consider their role in the factory farming and slaughter industries (that’s a topic for another day). But given the popularity of animal-based treats and chews, it’s useful to consider the process of their manufacture.

The process of making rawhide chews starts at the tannery, where hides are first de-haired through a physical and a chemical process. They are treated with another chemical to “puff” the hide, making it easier to split into two layers; the upper layer is earmarked for leather goods – shoes, purses, and so on. The lower level is used to make, among other things, rawhide and gelatin.

The split hides, known as “splits,” are then transported to the processor. If the plants are far apart, the hides are frozen or treated with a lime solution.

At the processor, the split is washed, treated with an antibacterial and/or bleaching agent, then cut. It’s formed into shapes, including the traditional rawhide bone and rolled retriever sticks, then dried. After drying, the products are packaged and sent off to distributors.

It sounds like a straightforward process, but there are vast differences between the quality of the end products, depending on the location of the hides’ origin, the processor location, and the distance and travel time between the two. Hides from some tanneries in the Far East and South America are de-haired using arsenic; others may be treated with formaldehyde. Excessive lime may be used to preserve the hides before processing.

While extensive washing in water can remove traces of any contaminants, the process is time-consuming and expensive, and some factories skimp on this step.

“Foreign manufacturers often heavily lime the hides upon receipt to store them longer before processing,” explains Marco Corsi, owner of Pet Factory, one of two companies who process rawhide products in the U.S. “This is not a real problem if one washes the hides enough to fully get the lime out. Measuring the pH will tell you when the rinses are enough, but time is money, and you can process more loads if you shortcut the rinses.”

If the washing process is too short, Corsi explains, the rawhide dries to a cement-hard finish, partly because the lime cuts the fat content in the hides. This makes for a less-palatable, tough chew. “When the final product is rock-hard, it makes the shards of rawhide harder for the dog’s tummy to handle,” says Corsi. “A well-manufactured natural rawhide will actually have some ‘give’ when twisted, and look like a manila folder, with a golden hue.”

Hydrogen peroxide is used to whiten rawhide and to eliminate bacteria. But Corsi warns consumers to avoid products that look as if they are painted white; they probably were painted, with titanium oxide. The coating gets pasty when wet and is unpalatable for most dogs.

If the rawhides are not dried correctly or long enough – a more common problem with rolled or shapes rawhides – the outer layer may dry while the inner layer remains moist. This can create a breeding ground for bacteria. And over time, the rawhide chew slowly putrefies from the inside out – not a healthy treat for your dog.

Rawhide Chews Selection Tips

Select chews that are unlikely to be chewed into separate pieces, for example, the “knotted” chews whose “knots” are separate pieces.

Look for rawhides that are as thick as possible. Your dog will quickly consume products made from thin hides, rather than spend hours cleaning his teeth and toughening his gums on a thick hide.

Do not buy “munchie” or “crunchy” products, made of small chips of rawhide glooped together with binding agents. Again, these products can be consumed too quickly, defeating the purpose giving the dog something to chew.

“Pressed” rawhide chews are especially hard – hard on teeth, but harder for aggressive chewers to consume quickly. Use your discretion.

Do not buy products that are obviously artificially colored. Do not buy unlabeled products of uncertain origin.

Even “Natural” Chews Can Cause Problems

Vets, breeders, and owners all have horror stories they can tell about a dog who died or had a close call from an intestinal blockage caused by swallowing a chunk of rawhide. According to many vets, the more common dangers include pieces stuck in the mouth or the esophagus, upper airway obstructions, broken teeth, and gastrointestinal distress.

Dale Olm, DVM, a co-owner of Southampton Pet Hospital in Benicia, California, says he’s treated several dogs with teeth damaged from chewing rawhides. “We see quite a few slab fractures of the molar teeth from rawhides,” he says. “(Rawhides) do help with dental tartar, but you have to weigh the risk of breaking the teeth with that benefit. Shards of rawhide jammed up under gums, pieces adhered to the roof of the mouth, and bits stuck painfully between teeth are also a worry.

Upper airway obstructions caused by a piece of rawhide wedged across the throat are another danger. I’ve seen the greatest complications in either the esophagus or the throat,” says Michael Schaer, DVM, a professor of small animal medicine at the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. If the dog takes in a big, wedge shaped piece of rawhide, that’s where he gets into trouble.

Gastrointestinal distress is a common malady. John Flanagan, DVM, at Studio City Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, estimates that 10 to 15 percent of his canine clients who chew rawhide experience tummy troubles. “Most of the problems aren’t emergencies, but they’re not fun,” he says. “Most commonly, we see bloody diarrhea, or dogs who throw up and don’t want to eat.”

Despite these caveats, all the veterinarians we interviewed agreed that rawhides could be safely given to dogs as long as owners maintain appropriate supervision. Chewers and gnawers do well with rawhides; gulpers and dogs who destroy and down any object in sight don’t. And nothing beats supervision.

“What I always tell people is, if a dog chews it nicely – chewing, shredding, maybe swallowing little bits – they shouldn’t have any problems,” says Sandy Young, DVM, of the Brewerton Veterinary Clinic in Brewerton, New York.

Concerns About Salmonella

Salmonella is a bacteria found in many dairy, poultry, and meat products. Once ingested, it passes into the intestine and can extend to the liver or spleen. Infection by salmonella bacteria can pose a real threat to humans. In a healthy adult, an infection is characterized by diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and nausea, which can last up to a week. The elderly, infants, and people with impaired immune systems are at greater risk for contracting a severe infection, which can result in death.

In 1999, Farm Meats Canada was the subject of a Canadian government warning and recall due to the discovery that some shipments of its pig ears were contaminated with salmonella. Some human infections, possibly caused by handling these treats, were reported. In response, the FDA issued an advisory warning U.S. consumers to exercise extreme caution when handling beef- or pork-based dog chews or to avoid them altogether.

In addition, in 2000 the FDA issued an import alert that instructed U.S. authorities to detain without physical inspection dog chews manufactured by 20 companies in 11 countries – including Canada, Brazil, China, Venezuela, Thailand, New Zealand, and Germany – due to suspicions of salmonella contamination in those products.

After its troubles four years ago, Farm Meats Canada made improvements in the handling and processing of its pig ears and other products and also implemented testing procedures to ensure each batch is salmonella-free. The pig ears are not as yet irradiated, although Darby Brewer, the company’s general manager, says when the company begins building a market in the U.S. its policy will be to irradiate any exported product.

No official incidents of salmonella infection in humans related to dog treats have been reported in the U.S. However, despite the best safety precautions at any plant, the possibility of salmonella contamination remains with any meat-based chew.

“Let me tell you, salmonella is tough,” says Petrapport’s Steven Mendal. “You can be as clean and perfectionist as you want, but you can never say 100 percent that you cannot have some salmonella contamination at some point.”

While the FDA was most concerned about the transmission of salmonella to humans, dogs can also get infected. While a healthy adult dog may deal with the bacteria without much trouble, nursing dogs, puppies, and ill animals can be in for trouble.

“It can be a big problem, especially in a critically ill animal, where they become septic,” says Michael Schaer, DVM, of the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “Even a healthy dog can get symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. And there’s the potential of crossspecies contamination, from dog to human.”

To help avoid these risks, wash your hands after handling meat-based chews, just as you would after handling raw meat. In addition, says Brewer, it’s crucial to supervise children when they’re around the dog’s goodies.

“It’s especially important with little kids, because you know they like to hold whatever the dog is holding, play with the dog’s toys, maybe even put the toy or the chew in their mouths,” he says.

Wash and Rinse

Because of all these possibilities, it’s very hard to say with certainty that a particular rawhide treat is completely safe. Even trace remnants of chemicals can be dangerous.

Frank Burkholder, owner of the Ecology Rawhide Company in Miami, agrees with Corsi that extensive washing is key to producing a top-quality chew. Ecology Rawhide produces the Natural Rawhide brand of chews and operates its own factory in Paraguay. “We go to great lengths to wash the hides,” he says. Washing each batch takes 8 to 10 hours. Ecology Rawhide used hydrogen peroxide to bleach and sterilize the hides. Drying time ranges from a minimum of 48 hours up to 120 hours, at 60 degrees Celsius (about 140 degrees Fahrenheit).

Steven Mendal, COO of Petrapport, which produces the Beefeaters line of dog chews, says his company is also a stickler for quality. Petrapport imports rawhide products from manufacturers in a number of countries, but Mendal says he insists on extensive washing and gentle, safe disinfectant and bleaching agents.

Where the Cows Come Home

Knowledgeable sources generally believe that hides from U.S. cattle are less likely to be adulterated with hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides than those that come from cattle raised in other countries; U.S. cattle farmers are regulated and inspected far more stringently than in other countries. But in a few countries with extensive grazing land and huge cattle herds, such as Brazil and Argentina, the cattle are free-range and grass-fed, and some believe that these cattle contain fewer chemicals than U.S. cattle.

However, the country of manufacture is also important. It’s far more likely that rigorous manufacturing standards and scrupulous quality control practices are followed in U.S. companies than in companies in China, Thailand, and South America.

This point would be disputed by Steven Mendal, who asserts that Petrapport’s quality control in their foreign manufacturers’ plants is top-notch. Natural Rawhide’s Burkholder says that as the owner of his Paraguayan factory, he can control the quality of the manufacturing process.

What About Bones?

Next month, we’ll examine commercial chew bones. Some bones are sold filled with a strange glop (whose ingredients are not described). Some are wrapped in dried meats and other tissues. Some are incredibly hard; the manufacturers of some “slow roasted” bones claim the process keeps the bone soft and edible. Others are “sterilized” – so much so that dogs may be completely uninterested in them. Should you buy any of these bones? We’ll tell you next month.

Blowing Smoke?

Another concern with rawhides lies in the flavoring of these treats. It’s not difficult to find cheese, garlic, or beef-flavored chews. Many are smoked to create greater appeal by odor or color.

But the odds are that your dog’s rawhide wasn’t dipped in fresh garlic or cooked with real cheddar to give it that special taste. Chemical flavorings, a food industry standard, are usually utilized for ease and affordability. Ditto for smoking, which usually involves immersing the chew in a liquid smoke solution rather than hanging it in a smokehouse.

Real wood smoke contains known carcinogens. However, the liquid smoke used in Petrapport’s rawhide products, says Mendal, is an FDA-approved substance and shouldn’t cause harm to your dog.

Rawhide chews don’t need special flavorings or colorings to be appealing to your dog; most pooches will chew happily on a plain rawhide. So if the thought of chemical additives concerns you, just skip them.

The Bull Market

An item that’s rapidly gaining popularity as an alternative to rawhide chews is an item euphemistically called a bully stick or a bull pizzle. Not to put too fine a point on it: we’re talking about dried bull penises.

“From what everybody tells me, all the people I talk to and vets, they are fully digestible,” says Wayne Bosak, whose Knine Kountry business sells the chews online. “So if a dog should gulp an end piece, the intestinal tract will take care of it, unlike rawhide, which (can) cause blockages.”

Is this claim borne out by scientific study? Again, facts are hard to come by, partly because this item is relatively new to the American market (although Mendal says animal by-products as dog chews are very popular in Europe). Dr. Schaer, at the University of Florida, hadn’t even heard of them and declined to speculate on digestibility issues. So while a manufacturer can’t assert with any authority that they’re 100 percent digestible, neither can skeptics say they’re not.

Like rawhides, pizzles are good for helping a dog maintain clean teeth. And they make a good, long-lasting pastime for light to medium chewers – although aggressive chewers can polish one off in 15 minutes, says Bosak.

Bosak gets his supply from Farm Meats Canada, Ltd., in Alberta, Canada. Farm Meats gets its supply of raw pizzles from processing plants in the United States and receives them frozen. When it’s time to manufacture, the frozen pizzles are thawed in plain water and treated with a 50-ppm solution of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) to kill bacteria, according to general manager Darby Brewer.

Next, they are briefly soaked in liquid smoke and then dried for a minimum of 48 hours at 185 degrees Fahrenheit. They’re cut to size (anywhere from 5 inches to 12 inches) and then sent to British Columbia for irradiation – a final step to ensure that all bacteria are removed.

“The process kills bacteria, including salmonella and anything else that’s in there,” says Brewer. “If we didn’t do that it’s still more than likely the pizzles wouldn’t have any bacteria, but that’s our insurance.”

Pig Ears and Other Parts

Pig ears and pig snouts are popular dog chews, but they really shouldn’t be considered to be in the same category as rawhide chews, due to the rapidity with which a dog can consume them. Pig snouts consist largely of cartilage; pig ears are cartilage and fat. Neither treat offers a dog the teeth-cleaning, gum-toughening, time-consuming benefits of chewing rawhide.

The processing of pig ears at Farm Meats’ plant is similar to that of pizzles, according to Brewer. They are de-haired, then frozen for transport at a U.S. plant. At Farm Meats Canada, they’re thawed, dipped in sodium hypochlorite, and dried. The ears are sprayed with flavoring and cooled before packaging. The process is similar for snouts and tendons.

In terms of physical safety, hooves draw the most ire from veterinarians. Hooves are the most likely animal product to cause broken teeth. Splintered, sharp edges can cause injury to dogs’ mouths and gastrointestinal tracts. Serious blockages can result from dogs eating too much hoof material.

“We tell (our clients) not to feed hooves,” says Dr. Olm. “We’ve seen broken teeth, slivers of the hoof shoved up underneath the gum . . . the hooves are really just too hard.”

Safety = Selection + Supervision

Regardless of the brand of chews you give your dog, it pays to observe some basic safety guidelines:

Know what kind of chewer your dog is. An aggressive chewer – one who devours items quickly or eats them lock, stock, and barrel – may not be a good candidate for any of these items.

Buy appropriately sized chews – too large for them to chew up and swallow in less than an hour or so of supervised chewing.

Supervise your dog while he is chewing. Take the chew away if you have to leave the room for even a minute.

When the item becomes small enough that your dog could ingest it whole – as soon as he can almost fit the whole thing in his mouth – throw it away.

Don’t let a dog chew the same rawhide for more than two or three days. The moist rawhide at room temperature makes a great breeding ground for bacteria.

Keep kids away from dog chews; don’t let them put chews into their mouths.

Wash your hands after handling any dog chew.

The Bottom Line

Knowing what you do now, would you still give any of these chews to your beloved canine companions?

Dr. Schaer swears by rawhides to keep his new Golden Retriever puppy happy. Wayne Bosak gives his champion St. Bernards bully sticks as a diversion. And Frank Burkholder started Ecology Rawhide because he wanted to create top-quality chews for his dogs.

If you choose to give your dog rawhides, select chews from companies that make a big deal about quality control, and whose representatives will discuss their manufacturing process. Be prepared to pay more for quality products; select an appropriately sized chew for your dog; always wash your hands after handling these items; and supervise, supervise, supervise!

C.C. Holland is a freelance writer from Oakland, CA, who enjoys applying what she learns about canine health and behavior to her own mixed-breed dog, Lucky.

Common Hazards to Dogs

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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DOG SAFETY OVERVIEW

– Evaluate your dog’s environment and make any necessary changes to minimize the risks to his health and safety.

– When in public, protect your dog like a mother hen from foolish and malicious humans and dangerous dogs.

– Acquire one or more pet first aid kits and educate yourself through books, courses, and/or videos about providing first aid to your dog.

One of our primary responsibilities as caretakers of our canine companions is to keep them safe. There seems to be an endless host of hazards just waiting to take advantage of a breach in our defenses and attack our unsuspecting pals. If you’ve owned dogs for any length of time, you’ve probably encountered your share of those hazards and vowed not to make the same mistakes again.

It’s easy to become paranoid and want to shroud your four-legged family members in bubble wrap to protect them. But how much protection is reasonable? How do you keep your dog safe and still let him enjoy his life as a dog?

breakable dog collar

Accidents happen when you least expect them. That’s why they are called accidents. Your job as a responsible dog owner is to minimize the possibility of accidental trauma and tragedy without minimizing the quality of life that you share with your dog. We’re here to make your job easier, by spelling out some of the common dangers and giving you some tips for avoiding them. You might as well learn from others’ past mistakes as well as your own! Let’s look at some sensible safety suggestions that you can implement to maximize your dog’s potential for a long and healthy life.

Dog Collars That Kill

The Problem: We need a place to attach our dogs’ ID tags and leash. The collar – with variations such as the harness and head halter, are the best options we humans have been able to invent. They are not without their drawbacks, however. Thousands of dogs have been killed by their collars – including one of my own, and another personal near-miss.

The once-ubiquitous choke chain – a training collar that is now losing favor, thank goodness – has a fair share of dog fatalities to its credit. For decades, well-meaning but uneducated dog owners have left these collars on their dogs and blithely gone off to work. I did this myself when I was young and dumb, joining the long list of grieving owners who returned home to find that their dogs had hung themselves on this unforgiving, aptly named collar. I was devastated by my thoughtless contribution to the death of my lovely young St. Bernard, Bear.

When used as a training tool rather than an everyday collar, the choke chain can still injure and kill. From time to time, a news story crosses the wires describing how an overzealous trainer has jerked on a choke chain and killed a training subject by yanking hard enough to crush the dog’s trachea. They can also be deadly in play. Twenty years ago, while my dog, Keli, was playing with her sister, Darby (who was owned by a friend), after a training class, Keli got her lower jaw through Darby’s collar. Darby spun around, trapping Keli’s jaw and strangling herself. I managed to lift Keli and spin her in the opposite direction, narrowly averting the tragedy.

However, even standard buckle and snap collars can kill. There are numerous reports of dogs strangling themselves in their collars when snagged, or when, like Keli and Darby, they get caught in the jaws of a playmate.

Identification tags, so vital for an escaped dog’s safe return to his owner, have also caused collar tragedies. We’ve heard of numerous dogs whose ID tags slipped through the grate of a floor heating or air conditioning duct, pinning the dog to the floor and causing him to panic. In other cases, dogs who sleep or rest on outdoor decks have gotten their ID tags caught between the spaces between the deck boards.

Unfortunately, collars with some sort of ID attached still provide the best odds that your dog will be returned to you if he somehow escapes your supervision. Head halters, of course, cannot be left on all the time, and body harnesses can chafe.

Solutions: Some dog owners choose to remove collars whenever they are not home with their dogs, to avoid any possibility of strangling. Unfortunately, that leaves the dog without a visible ID tag, should he escape the bounds of his house or yard.

PetSafe Products offers another solution: the KeepSafe Breakaway collar. This collar features a reusable safety buckle that will pop open when a sufficient amount of pressure is applied. The breaking strength of the buckle is geared to the size of the collar, so even the weight of a small dog is sufficient to pop the buckle of the small-sized collars. The collar also has an override feature so it can be safely used to walk the dog on a leash.

We put the KeepSafe collar on two of our dogs (Dubhy, our Scottie, and Tucker, our 75-pound cattle dog mix) when the two pals started engaging in collar-grab games. We found Dubhy’s collar on the floor numerous times, and on one occasion trapped by his tags in one of the heater grates in the floor. I shudder to think what might have happened on any one of those occasions had he been wearing a regular collar.

Dog Safety at Home

The Problem: There are any number of dangers for your dogs at home, including things they can eat, things they can chew, things they can get caught in, and things that can fall on them. Hazards outside are even greater, even in a fenced yard, including malicious mischief, theft, poisoning, attack from predators, and accidental escape or release.

Young puppies are at greatest risk, since they explore the world with their mouths, and because they are smaller and more vulnerable than adult dogs. Puppies chew cords and get electrocuted. They get into garbage and household cleaners. They are more likely to ingest multiple pieces of chew toys as well as non-edible objects and become impacted, requiring emergency surgery.

Adult dogs are not immune, however. Nuisance barkers often get released from their yards, shot or poisoned. Dogs escape their yards by jumping over, digging under, or slipping through the fence when the pool cleaner leaves the gate open. They also get stolen for resale, breeding, and lost pet scams.

Solutions: First and foremost, keep your dogs indoors when you are not home to protect them. If they must be left outside, make sure your fence is solid and secure. Also make sure your dogs are not disturbing the neighbors, at risk of escaping, or able to fall into the hot tub or swimming pool. Finally, padlock the gates religiously.

Indoors, a puppy should be crated, or kept in an ex-pen or puppy-proofed room during your absence. Any new dogs in our home are crated when we are not there until they are at least a year old, at which time we give them gradually increasing periods of freedom as they demonstrate their maturity and ability to handle house-freedom privileges.

In addition, baby-proof latches on cupboard doors, covered garbage cans, and similar management tools can protect hazardous materials from pooches who have a penchant for snooping where they ought not.

Riding in Cars

The Problem: Loose dogs in cars can cause accidents by getting under the driver’s feet, blocking the driver’s view, or simply by causing a distraction that diverts the driver’s attention from the road. Even a well-behaved dog can become a deadly projectile if the driver has to slam on the brakes suddenly, or if an accident does happen. And if a free-flying dog manages to survive the accident, he may escape the damaged vehicle and become lost in strange territory, or get hit by a car in traffic and be injured or worse, as happened to my brother’s Australian Shepherd years ago when she jumped through the shattered windshield of his car and was killed by a passing truck.

Of course, another hazard presented by taking your dog with you in the car is heat stroke. It does not have to be very warm outside for the sun to superheat your car and kill your dog if you are foolish enough to leave him unattended – but we are confident that WDJ readers are smarter than that! By the same token, we’re sure we don’t have to warn you about the hazards of hauling your dog in the back of an open pick-up truck.

Solutions: Canine seat belts and crates are available just about everywhere dog products are sold. One of our favorite seat belts, intended for use with your dog’s regular harness, is the Doggie Catcher, produced and sold by Smiling Dog Enterprises (www.doggiecatcher.com, 800-741-3480). In a review of seat belts in our May 2001 issue, it was our top choice among seat belts by virtue of its simplicity and ease of use. Since our review, this product was modified with a smaller flap to cover the smaller seat belt release button in newer model cars.

If you crate your dog in your car, remember that you need to secure the crate in some safe fashion as well. In case of an accident, your dog could be subjected to a very unpleasant ride as the crate bounces around the car, or worse, the crate itself can become a deadly projectile with the dog in it!

Out in Public

The Problem: We frequently harp on the importance of getting your dog out in public for ongoing socialization. When you do, you will need to guard him like a mother hen; you can’t count on people to be dog-savvy, and you never know when you might encounter a less-than-friendly dog. Big and small, young and old, even well-intentioned humans can do some very foolish things around dogs. Feeding chocolate, cooked chicken bones, alcohol or drugs; tossing a tennis ball off a cliff; or approaching and hugging a dog who clearly prefers not to be hugged are just a few of the “stupid human tricks” that come to mind.

Remember, it is one of your primary responsibilities as caretaker of your canine companion to keep him safe. That means never leaving him where he could be vulnerable to unsafe acts by foolish or malicious humans, or nasty dogs.

Solutions: I’m afraid we don’t have any magic products to offer that will protect your dog from human hazards. Your constant vigilance and direct supervision are your most useful safety tools.

Never leave your best friend tied up outside the grocery store or exposed in the back of your pickup truck while you run in to do your shopping. There’s no telling who might do what to him while you are thumping the melons. Even leaving him in the car with the windows cracked open for ventilation risks someone sticking their hand through the crack and being bitten, or unlocking the door and releasing or stealing your furry pal. Leave him home if you run errands where he can’t accompany you into the store.

At social events, always keep your eye on your dog and be prepared to step in and rescue him if he needs help. If your dog appears anxious about an approaching person, stop the interaction. Gently but firmly turn away the toddler who wants to hug him, and stand your ground with the person who insists, “It’s okay, dogs love me!” as your dog stiffens and tries to retreat behind your legs. Your dog will be blamed for any bites that occur, regardless of the provocation.

As for those nasty dogs, it’s a good idea to carry protection. Direct Stop, available from PetSafe, is a citronella spray in a handy, small pressurized can. Direct Stop can startle and ward off a stray dog exhibiting malicious intent. Brush up on all your options for keeping your dog safe from other canines, and be ready to intervene if necessary (see “How to Safely Break Up a Dogfight,” December 2002).

Safe Play

The Problem: We love to recreate with our dogs, and that’s a very good thing. In appropriate circumstances, we can take our dogs hiking, biking, horseback riding, and boating, to mention a few.

Just as we take calculated risks for ourselves when we engage in our favorite sports, so we expose our dogs to some of those same risks. Athletic activity can subject a dog to paw wear and tear, strains and sprains, overheating, dehydration, and accidents. Long-term, high-impact sports such as Frisbee-catching and Flyball can lead to eventual arthritis. That doesn’t mean we don’t share our outdoor activities with our dogs, but we do need to minimize the risks.

Solutions: Evaluate the risks of each activity you want to share with your dog and decide if they are reasonable. Then figure out how you can reduce the risks to make them even more acceptable.

For example, be sure to carry plenty of water for your dog as well as yourself when you go hiking or biking together (see “B.Y.O.W” in the June 2002 issue for a review of leak-proof dog water bottles). If you hike or bike in rough, rocky areas or on hot pavement or sand, consider getting him accustomed to wearing boots to protect his pads (see “Pooch in Boots,” January 2001).

If you want to go riding with him, take the time to teach him to stay out from under equine hooves. For boating activities, insist that he wear a canine flotation device. As with humans, even a strong doggie paddler can get into trouble in fast or deep water, and if your craft should go down in open water, he may need a life jacket to help him stay afloat until he can reach land – or regain consciousness. See WDJ’s 2016 review of canine flotation devices here.

Be Prepared

Regardless of our best efforts, stuff happens. Tornados, hurricanes, floods, and fires can cause major injuries. Falls can break bones. Dogfights occur. Accidents happen when you least expect them – that’s why they call them accidents. In spite of all your bubble wrap, chances are there will come a time in your dog’s life when you are called upon to deal with an emergency. The better prepared you are, the better the outcome is likely to be.

Solutions: Get at least two pet first aid kits – one for your home and one for your car. If you take your dog hiking, get a third, smaller one, that he can carry in his backpack. Stock them with items appropriate to canine first aid. We like the commercial pet first-aid kits available from Creative Pet Products.

Your personal library should also include a good book on pet first aid, such as the one offered by the American Red Cross, Pet First Aid, available through your local Red Cross Chapter. The Red Cross also offers a course on Pet First Aid that teaches pet owners how to respond to a wide range of animal emergencies, from dressing a wound, performing CPR, to preparing pets for natural disasters. Call your local Red Cross chapter or go to redcross.org to find the list of course locations. If the class is not offered in your area, you can order The Pet First Aid for Dogs and Cats video from the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles. You don’t have to be a Boy Scout to be prepared.

Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is also a freelance author and Certified Pet Dog Trainer in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is the president of the Board of Directors of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, and published her first book, The Power of Positive Dog Training, in 2002.

Nettle for Dogs

By
Gregory L. Tilford
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By Gregory L. Tilford

Are you among the millions of people who set out into the great outdoors every year? If so, are you familiar with Urtica? If not, you certainly should be. Collectively known as nettle, these plants inhabit drainage ditches, stream banks, and other moist soils in North America and throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

Nettle deserves your attention. In fact, it actually demands your attention. Even the slightest brush of skin against the stems or leaves of the plant will immediately result in a painful sting. Tiny, hollow needles line the stem and leaf margins of the plant, each containing a combination of formic acid and antigenic proteins. These toxins are held under a slight pressure, so when a person’s skin comes in contact with the tiny needles, the venom is actually injected into the outer layers of skin, causing a burning rash of tiny blisters.

Fortunately, the discomfort is generally short-lived. The chemicals that cause nettle’s sting dissipate quickly when exposed to air, and the rash usually disappears within a couple of hours. In fact, complete drying or cooking of the leafy greens will neutralize these compounds altogether, allowing dogs and their caregivers to enjoy its delicious flavor and powerful medicine. And for those who do not wish to brave foreboding incursions into unruly patches of stinging weeds, don’t despair; nettle is accessible to everyone, in certified organic, dried (and sting-free), bulk-bin form at your local health food store.

Nettle is extremely nourishing. One hundred grams of the dried leaves may contain as much as 30.4 g (that’s 30 percent by weight!) of crude protein, 2,970 mg of calcium, 680 mg of phosphorus, 32.2 mg of iron, 650 mg of magnesium, 20.2 mg beta-carotene, and 3,450 mg of potassium. Also present are vitamins A, C, D, and B-complex, all in a highly palatable form that can be effectively assimilated into the body without adding stress upon the liver, kidneys, or digestive tract. This makes nettle an excellent “green food” supplement for dogs who need extra trace minerals and vitamins in their diets, but not in huge, multi-vitamin doses, such as those on a well-balanced home-prepared diet.

In addition, because nettle is rich in gut-cleansing fiber and antioxidant chlorophyll, it a good choice for dogs that are prone to chronic digestive disorders, systemic toxicity, or urinary tract problems. The dried herb can be sprinkled directly onto the animals’ food, ½ tsp. for each pound of food fed.

Nettle for the eyes and skin
Many of the herbal eye rinse preparations found on store shelves contain extracts of a plant called “eyebright” (Euphrasia species). Although eyebright is an excellent anti-inflammatory agent for the eyes, much of it is harvested from the wild. A growing concern among ecology-minded herbalists suggests that wild stands of eyebright may not be able to sustain the impacts of the burgeoning herb market much longer. Therefore, if you choose to utilize any product that contains eyebright, please make sure it comes from cultivated sources. Or, as an earth-friendly alternative to wild harvested eyebright, use nettle instead.

Nettle is one of the first herbs I reach for when a need arises for a soothing, anti-inflammatory eye rinse. Start by making a good, strong nettle tea. Stuff a tea ball as full as you can with dried nettle leaves, then steep in a quart of near-boiling water until the tea is completely cool. Strain it through a paper coffee filter.

To make the final eye rinse, mix a few tablespoons of the nettle tea with 8-12 ounces of buffered saline solution (the stuff used for rinsing contact lenses, available at any supermarket). To apply, hold your companion’s head to one side and pour a small quantity across the eye, making certain that it reaches affected areas.

If nettle tea is not your bag, an alcohol-based nettle leaf tincture (available at health food stores) can be used instead. Simply mix 10-12 drops of the tincture into one ounce of saline. Don’t worry about the alcohol; at this mixing ratio it will be very dilute – a harmless one percent or less. Apply the tincture/saline rinse the same way as mentioned above, one to three times per day until the redness is gone.

These preparations will work as a gentle astringent to shrink swollen tissues and bring soothing relief to mild cases of conjunctivitis or eye irritation that are due to blowing dust or too much dry wind in the eyes during car rides. If a bacterial or fungal infection is suspected, a few drops of Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) or certified organic goldenseal root (Hydrastis canadensis) tincture can be added to the above formulas for antimicrobial support.

Nettle leaf tea is also an excellent skin and coat rinse that will nourish your animal’s fur and provide symptomatic relief for itchy skin and fleabites. Simply make strong tea, allow it to cool, and pour over your dog until he is thoroughly soaked. Allow your companion to drip-dry; don’t waste precious nettle tea by wiping it off with a towel!

Nettle for allergy
Although researchers remain puzzled about how nettle works in this capacity, many herbalists who suffer from seasonal allergies have found that nettle leaf helps lessen their symptoms if taken on a regular basis just before and throughout hayfever season. In a recent study involving 69 patients who suffer from allergic rhinitis, 58 percent found relief after taking a freeze-dried preparation of the leaf. Similarly, many of the holistic veterinarians I work with have seen positive results when nettle is used in the same capacity for dogs.

There are a number of theories that could explain nettle’s success at treating allergies. The anti-allergenic activities of nettle may be attributable to its histamine compounds, which may serve to mimic or somehow slow the release of histamines that are naturally produced by the allergy sufferer’s body. Or they may trigger an immune response that serves to strengthen the body system proactively, so the body is better prepared to deal with the inevitable onslaught of allergens that come when hayfever season begins.

For animals with predictable, seasonal occurrences of allergies, dietary supplementation with dried nettle leaf may help. Use one-half teaspoon of the dried herb, added to each cup of food at mealtime.

Nettle for urinary dysfunction
Many herbalists believe that the roots of nettle may be useful in the treatment of prostate enlargement, especially at early onset of the disorder. Although swollen prostate is not as common in animals as it is in humans, it can happen. In my experiences with dogs, chronic or acute urinary infections, mucous discharge, inexplicable ejaculation, or urinary incontinence may accompany prostate enlargement. The problem may be secondary to injuries of the urinary tract that have resulted from stones, neutering, or other trauma.

Prostatic adenoma is a degenerative enlargement of the glandular part of the prostate that typically results in frequent urination during the night. In a study conducted with human subjects who had mild cases or early onset of this disorder, the fluid extract (tincture) of nettle root was found to reduce the duration and volume of urine retention, and thus the need to urinate throughout the night was reduced as well.

The active constituent in this case is thought to be Beta-sitosterol, a phytosterol known to possess mild anti-inflammatory actions. Although this action is not likely to reduce the formation of scar tissue within the urinary tract and prostate, it may help relieve symptoms through reduction of swelling in surrounding tissues. Given the safety of this herb and functional similarities between the prostates of animals and humans, nettle is certainly worth a try in dogs.

Enjoyable harvest
If you are bold enough to harvest nettles yourself, do so before the plants bloom. The younger the plants are the better they will be. Mature plants become tough and bitter, and begin developing tiny crystalline particles, called cystoliths in their leaf tissues that can be irritating to mucous membranes in the urinary tract.

Wear long sleeves and gloves (if you forget, you’re in for painful lesson) and harvest from clean, herbicide-free areas that are least 100 feet from any roadways. After gathering, you can boil the greens and serve them as you would spinach (excellent with garlic, lemon, and butter) or you can spread them onto clean newspapers to dry. Be sure they are in a well-ventilated, sunlight-free location until they are crispy-dry.

If by chance a leaf or stem manages to sneak under your shirt sleeve during harvest, try this: grasp a piece of the stem and squeeze some of the nettle juice onto the affected area. The stem juice is rich in lecithin, which will sometimes antidote the sting.

Just remember; if you don’t introduce yourself to nettle, it may introduce itself to you. Ouch!

Greg Tilford is a well-known veterinary herbalist, lecturer, and author. He serves as a consultant and formulator to hundreds of holistic veterinarians throughout the world, and is CEO of Animal’s Apawthecary, a company that develops herbal products specifically for use in animals. He is author of four books on herbs, including All You Ever Wanted to Know About Herbs for Pets (Bowtie, 1999), which he co-authored with his wife, Mary.

Mysterious Holistic Medicine

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Every system of medicine has something to offer, even if it’s hard to explain just what it is and how it works. I’ll admit that I’ve been subtly (I hope) resistant to discussing some alternative and complementary diagnosis techniques in WDJ, largely because I have a hard time publishing information that doesn’t make sense to me.

But seeing is believing. Once you’ve personally witnessed (as I have) a practitioner make a dead-on diagnosis and restore the health of a patient with treatments indicated by an unconventional method – well, whether it makes “sense” or not, it’s worth talking about.

I was a very skeptical journalist 13 years ago, when I was assigned to write my first article about holistic veterinary medicine. Today, I strongly believe in about 80 percent of what I then regarded as absurd. I’d characterize myself as dubious – but respectful – of about 18 percent of the rest.

If you’re an alternative medicine skeptic, I suggest you simply file this information away, in case there ever comes a day when no one else can tell you what’s wrong with your dog.

–Nancy Kerns, Editor

———-

By Shannon Wilkinson

One hundred years ago, medical practitioners had only a few tools they could use to determine the cause of their patients’ problems: visual and physical examinations, thermometers, stethoscopes, and little more.

The assemblage of veterinary diagnostic tools has expanded exponentially in the past century – particularly in the last 20 years, as technologies developed for human medicine (such as ultrasound, MRI, and CT scan) became more affordable and found their way into veterinary clinics. These tools, combined with the ability to share information about patients and treatments with other informed and experienced practitioners in “real time,” have made the field of veterinary diagnostic medicine very exciting.

The field of alternative and complementary veterinary medicine has also gained intriguing new diagnostic tools and methods over the last century. As with conventional medicine, some of these diagnostic accoutrements developed out of centuries-old medical models; some were inspired and aided by new technologies.

Why would dog owners enlist the aid of unconventional veterinary practitioners when so much amazing diagnostic science and technology can be had elsewhere? Sometimes, it’s because Western medical diagnostics failed to fully or even partly explain what is wrong with their dog, and the results of conventional treatment were incomplete, compromised, or nonexistent. Sometimes it’s because they have experienced amazing results with alternative or complementary healthcare methods. Or it may be that the unconventional approach just feels better to them.

The following are descriptions of some diagnostic techniques used by a growing number of veterinary practitioners who use alternative and/or complementary medicine. These brief snapshots are not meant to completely explain how each method works, but to introduce you to the possibility that they can work.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS
A conventional veterinary examination may include looking at the dog; checking his ears, eyes, and nose; taking his temperature and pulse; and listening to his heart and lungs.

Examinations completed by a veterinarian trained in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are much more comprehensive, and include extensive study of the dog’s pulse and tongue. These diagnostic techniques have been an integral part of Chinese medicine for thousands of years. “The pulse and tongue provide bottom line information . . . they don’t lie,” says Cheryl Schwartz, DVM, author of Four Paws Five Directions: A Guide to Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs.

TCM’s pulse diagnosis: Dr. Schwartz was one of the first practitioners to adapt pulse diagnosis for veterinary medicine. She started to develop the method in the 1980s and teaches it to other veterinarians as part of her training courses in acupuncture.

Rather than simply checking the pulse in one location on the patient’s body, recording the pulse’s frequency and strength, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine may check the pulse in as many as nine different positions, looking for up to 28 different “conditions” or “qualities.”

“For practicality in veterinary medicine the maximum is usually six positions; most practitioners only do three,” says Karen Ivin, DVM, owner of Desert Mobile Veterinary Services in Gilbert, Arizona. Dogs are not always comfortable with you palpating the pulse for long, Dr. Ivin explains.

In people, the radial pulse (found at the wrist) is normally used for observing the pulse in a leisurely manner. However, in dogs, this pulse is somewhat difficult to find; instead, the femoral artery (found on the inside of the hind leg) is used for relatively lengthy observations.

The practitioner uses three fingers to feel the dog’s pulse in three different positions along the femoral artery. Then, two levels of depth are felt in each position; the pulse felt at the surface or superficial level corresponds to the yang organs of Chinese medicine, while the deeper layer corresponds to the yin organs. By utilizing three positions and two layers on each side of the body, a trained practitioner can evaluate each of the 12 energy meridians (each relating to a different organ system) of the body.

The pulse qualities being evaluated include rate, rhythm, “shape,” and force. As she feels the pulse, Dr. Schwartz says she asks herself, “Is it large and bounding, too slow, too fast, is there enough juice?”

The qualities observed in the dog’s pulse, along with the findings from the rest of the physical examination, lead the practitioner to further investigation and treatment of specific conditions.

TCM’s tongue diagnosis: Stick out your tongue and say “Ahhh” takes on whole new meaning in traditional Chinese medicine. According to its practitioners, looking at the tongue can help determine the health of the patient’s internal organs. Dr. Schwartz describes the tongue as the “visual gateway to the interior of the body.”

According to this system, different areas on the tongue correlate to the internal organs. For instance, the tip of the tongue relates to the heart and the sides of the tongue represent the liver and gallbladder. The area just behind the tip refers to the lungs, the center of the tongue is spleen/pancreas and stomach, while the back of the tongue relates to the kidneys.

When evaluating the tongue, the practitioner looks at its color, shape, and coating. She makes particular notes of any differences between the different areas of the tongue.

Observing these subtle characteristics played a crucial role in the proper diagnosis of one of Dr. Schwartz’s patients, a dog with back problems. After a few treatments, there wasn’t any improvement. Dr. Schwartz noticed the dog’s tongue had a curl at the tip and a deep groove, indicating a heart problem. She referred the client to a cardiac specialist, where the dog was, in fact, diagnosed with a heart condition.

Evaluating the tongue can also provide insight to how the dog is progressing with treatment. Fewer cracks or a change in color may indicate that treatments are benefiting the animal.

One problems with proper tongue analysis is that sometimes you just can’t see an animal’s tongue. “Wrenching open a dog’s mouth to evaluate his tongue will almost always turn it some degree of purple, so you have to try to evaluate it at rest, and not when he is panting a lot,” says Dr. Ivin. Or, Dr. Schwartz recommends asking a dog to yawn, or using some gentle Tellington TTouch work to help the dog relax, open his mouth, and show his tongue.

While it can take many years to become an expert in pulse or tongue diagnosis, the layperson can start observing these markers and learn what is “normal” for her dog. Look at your dog’s tongue when he is relaxed and well; experiment with feeling his femoral pulse. When you are thoroughly familiar with these attributes, it’s easy to discover changes that can indicate early signs of trouble.

LABORATORY WORK
Most guardians of companion animals understand the value of regular blood work. Running a blood chemistry panel and complete blood count (CBC) when your dog is ill helps determine whether the organ systems are functioning properly or if infection is present. The results of these tests also can alert your vet to the possibility of other conditions, such as endocrine dysfunction or cancer, which might require further testing.

Some holistic veterinarians have taken this laboratory analysis a step further, to evaluate more subtle changes in organs and body systems, sometimes even when they are subclinical (before there are physical signs).

Bio Nutritional Analysis (BNA): Veterinarians Robert and Martin Goldstein are brothers who share a special interest in nutrition and its role in animal health. They developed a method of analyzing an animal’s blood test results with an interesting purpose in mind: to determine supplements that would correct any nutritional imbalances or deficiencies the animal might have. They also developed a computer program that could run the analysis, named the test “Bio Nutritional Analysis” or BNA, and offer it to pet owners nationwide.

How do they do that? Your own veterinarian draws blood and submits the sample to Antech Diagnostics, a lab with facilities nationwide; the results get sent directly to the Drs. Goldstein for evaluation. Their recommendations for nutritional supplements are sent to the client and/or her vet.

The BNA and the Goldsteins’ prescribed supplements have numerous success stories to their credit, and the larger holistic veterinary community is generally respectful of the Goldsteins’ work. However, some practitioners have complained that the inventors of the BNA have not offered any explanation for the methodology that enables their computer program to match blood work values with a patient’s specific nutritional needs – especially since the veterinarians also mix and sell supplements tailored for those patients. (To their credit, they also take pains to tell clients that the supplements are available elsewhere – not custom-mixed, though.)

BioMedical Profile (BMP): Don’t get confused with the initials or other similarities; the BMP was developed and is used by Wm. Konrad Kruesi, DVM, owner of the Cold River Veterinary Center in North Clarendon, Vermont. Dr. Kruesi himself analyzes the results of blood, hair, and urine tests to formulate a nutritional plan tailored for his patients’ “organ functional relationships.” He also orders repeat tests in many cases to help identify trends that may indicate progressive disease, describing the BMP as “a personal medical service, labor- and brain-intensive process.”

Like the Drs. Goldstein, Dr. Kruesi believes that supplements are a critical factor in his treatments, and he sells them, too. (He does not custom-formulate supplements for his patients, and does offer information on other sources for the supplements. “The emphasis of my practice is nutritional medicine because it is the safest, most effective way I have seen to promote health in virtually every case,” he says.

Hair analysis: Another laboratory test ordered and used by some veterinarians is hair analysis, to determine levels of heavy metals and/or nutritional deficiencies. Gloria Dodd, DVM, owner of Everglo Natural Veterinary Services in Gualala, California, says she orders hair analysis for every animal who comes into her practice. “Hair analysis opens up a whole new vista for solving the mystery of illness,” she says.

Dr. Dodd reports that each hair analysis report on sick animals shows abnormal amounts of minerals and toxic levels of aluminum. Many exhibit combinations of other heavy metals. This can cause a variety of conditions, she says, including hypoglycemia, arthritis, skin rashes and allergies, anemia, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, digestive disorders, epilepsy, kidney dysfunction and cancer.

As mentioned earlier, Dr. Kruesi also routinely uses hair analysis in his practice. “Any small animal patient with chronic disease is a good candidate for hair element testing,” he says. Follow-up analysis helps monitor the patient’s response to treatment, too.

ENERGY EVALUATIONS
Conventional practitioners use a variety of means such as EKG, MRI, and even radiographs to measure energy patterns of the body. Holistic veterinarians may reach far beyond these diagnostic devices to evaluate and measure a patient’s life force energy, sometimes also called chi (borrowing the traditional Chinese medical term for the same force).

Practitioners use the tools of their choice to try to assess the functioning of organs, detect the presence of viruses or bacteria, and identify any other physical problems or even emotional imbalances. In addition, some of the following evaluation techniques are used to help find the best solutions for their patients’ health problems.

Kinesiology or muscle testing: What if you could do a simple test to determine what foods and remedies make you “stronger” and what things make you “weaker”? According to proponents, this is exactly what muscle testing does. Better known as kinesiology (pronounced kin-knees-ee-ALL-oh-gee), the process involves “testing” a muscle for strength as the test subject answers a “yes” or “no” question.

In a classic method, the tester pushes down on the subject’s outstretched arm, using the response of the subject’s deltoid muscles. The theory is that when the answer to the question is “yes,” or is “good” for the individual, the muscle will remain strong and the subject’s arm will not fall under the tester’s pressure. If the answer to the question is “no,” or it is “bad” for the individual, the muscle will weaken and the arm will sink.

Since you can’t elicit a yes or no response from a dog or other animal, you can’t directly test the muscle in the same way that you can with a person. In this situation, a human “surrogate” is used to stay in physical contact with the animal and answer the tester’s questions. However, like animal communicators, some practitioners of muscle testing believe that they can do the work at a distance, without direct physical contact with the animal.

Some practitioners are advocates of what is called “Applied Kinesiology” – a more formal and strict use of muscle testing, with more stringent methodology; these practitioners tend to feel that less than rigorous study of the techniques constitutes their improper use.

Many holistic practitioners use at least some aspect or degree of muscle testing to aid in their clients’ health evaluations and treatment protocols. Donna Starita, DVM, uses muscle testing extensively in her practice, located in Gresham, Oregon. In addition to using standard diagnostic techniques, such as hands-on examinations and blood tests, Dr. Starita evaluates her patients through muscle testing to check the health of their organs and emotions. She then uses her experience, knowledge, and muscle testing to determine a treatment protocol.

According to Dr. Starita, kinesiology enables the practitioner to “interface with the body electromagnetically.” This statement gets at one theory of how kinesiology works, based on quantum physics and the theory that all matter is really energy. Muscle testing identifies energy weaknesses in an individual that might be related to organ systems, emotions, diet, or other criteria established by the tester. It also can be used to determine which (if any) supplements, medications, dietary changes, or other treatment protocols will strengthen the energy.

Contact reflex analysis (CRA): This diagnostic tool is predominantly used for detecting and addressing nutritional deficiencies. Originally developed by a chiropractor, CRA shares theoretical attributes with muscle testing and traditional Chinese medicine.

According to the basic theory, the body naturally exhibits an electromagnetic field; any deficiency or disease will cause an imbalance in the body’s electrical circuits. These “malfunctions” can be detected by methodically testing the body’s reflexes; how and where the normal reflex fails indicates different problems to the trained tester. Veterinary practitioners generally use a human assistant to hold the animal patient and act as an electrical conduit for the testing.

Bert Brooks, DVM, and his wife, Melissa, use a modified form of CRA in their practice, Cache Creek Veterinary Services, in Woodland, California. Dr. Brooks finds the technique useful for identifying his patients’ nutritional deficiencies and correcting them with supplements, homeopathy, or other therapies.

“We have lost some clients because they cannot accept what we do. While I am sorry to see patients that we could help go because of prejudice [against CRA], hundreds of new clients have taken their places and have been rewarded for their faith in something new,” says Dr. Brooks.

Electrodermal screening: In 1946, a German doctor developed a method and a machine that he said could measure activity at acupuncture points. He claimed that acupuncture points give off a quantifiable rating, indicating whether they are weak, normal, or stressed. He then determined that introducing different remedies or supplements into the circuit could alter the reading. Finding the “right” remedy normalized the reading.

This technique, now known as Electrodermal Screening, Meridian Stress Testing, or an BioEnergetic Evaluation, is used by a handful of holistic practitioners. Dr. Kruesi says he utilizes BioEnergetic Evaluation in his practice because it provides subtle information, not necessarily available through blood tests, xrays, hands-on exams, or conventional diagnostic techniques. Plus, it is noninvasive and provides immediate results.

On a person, the process takes about 20 minutes, and measures activity on 60 different acupuncture points on the hands and feet. Since most dogs don’t care to have their paws handled for that length of time, Dr. Kruesi developed a method of using the animal’s guardian or one of his technicians as a conduit, similar to how assistants are used when CRA is used on animals.

Dr. Kruesi says he can then evaluate the results – along with other diagnostic techniques – to help determine appropriate treatments. “This is a blending of traditional Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and modern physics,” says Dr. Kruesi.

What will you use? As you can see, the evaluation techniques used by holistic veterinarians can vary widely; many alternative and complementary practitioners don’t use any of these alternative diagnostics, while a few may use all of them. In addition, any two veterinarians who call a method by the same name may not use it in the same manner.

We suggest asking any practitioner you consult a lot of questions; if the answers seem nonsensical to you, it may be best to work with another practitioner, one whose methods you can better appreciate.

Since any “holistic” healthcare program is bound to require a considerable commitment of your time, attention, and resources, you should feel as comfortable as you can working with the veterinarian.

Finally, don’t forget to consult your dog. If a course of treatment isn’t working for him after a few months, consider changing healthcare providers.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Holistic Veterinarians Discuss Holistic Healing”

Shannon Wilkinson is a TTouch practitioner and freelance writer who lives with two dogs, two cats, and a husband in Portland, Oregon.

Consider Safety

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Pat Miller’s article on safety in this issue got me thinking about a close call my husband and I occasionally joke about, when he almost caused the death of my beloved Border Collie, Rupert – on one of our first dates. “Just think,” I will say to Brian with a rueful smile. “If you had killed my dog that day, we wouldn’t be together now!”

The three of us had gone for a day hike in an area known as Land’s End, in a steep and wooded area near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. We had stopped to eat lunch, perched just feet away from a cliff, hundreds of feet above the Pacific Ocean. We were talking while Brian ate an apple, when suddenly he cocked his arm to throw the core over the cliff.

I had less than a second to grab for his arm and yell, “DOWN!” to my (unbeknownst to Brian) fetching fool of a dog –who skidded to a halt on his belly, inches from leaping over the cliff. Fortunately for all of us, Rupe’s obedience is every bit as ingrained as his desire to fetch anything that anyone throws anytime, anywhere.

Brian looked kind of white – we both did. He said, shakily, “He . . . he wouldn’t have jumped . . . would he?” I could only nod and pat the earth beside me, as Rupert wiggled back to my side, eyes bright, still ready to fetch.

Why hadn’t he been leashed? Why hadn’t I been holding the leash as we sat there, perched on the cliffs? Well, because Rupert is so smart, and so perfectly well-behaved; he’s often off-leash. But, of course, I never would have imagined that someone might make what I knew to be a “Go get it!” gesture so close to a cliff. It’s only after tragedies, or as in our case, near-disasters, that you think, “What was I thinking?”

In “Better Safe Than Sorry,” Training Editor Pat Miller discusses a lot of things to consider regarding dogs and their safety. She even mentions the possibility of a dog leaping off a cliff for a tennis ball – I didn’t add that – so it appears she’s thought about all this more than the average dog owner. Please pay attention to her suggestions for keeping your dog safe.

Jam-packed with info
This issue is exceptionally stuffed with valuable information. There’s a report on a promising new treatment for cancer; an important training article; instructions on how to select safe rawhide chews; an effective remedy for your dog’s spring allergies; and a description of numerous alternative diagnostic techniques that many dog owners have found useful. Last month, I promised we’d have some letters in this issue, but we ran out of room. Our readers’ suggestions for safe airline travel with dogs, as well as some additions to our list of healthy dogtreats, will appear next month.


-Nancy Kerns

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Little Hassles

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

When I need to remember how easy bigger dogs are to take care of, I call my dad and ask about my Border Collie, Rupert. They are living together for a while, and from what I hear, they really enjoy each other’s company. “Rupe’s fine!” my dad always says.

Oy. Mokie, a Chihuahua I inherited from my sister and brother-in-law, is not easy. He’s a good little dog, but I’ve been through a lot of strange experiences with him in a short period of time – things I’ve never had to deal with in a lifetime with bigger dogs.

There was the first time I gave him some raw frozen dog food, which comes in inch-square cubes. I had thawed the cubes a bit, but not all the way, because I thought he would enjoy chewing them. Instead, he greedily swallowed one whole. He hesitated for a second, then ran into his crate.

“What?” I thought, peering into his crate; he never walks away from food. It was fortunate that I looked. Mokie had fallen on his side, convulsing, choking. I grabbed him and thumped on his shoulders. Miraculously, the food flew out. Then he ran away from me and the food.

He had another close call with choking a month later, after he snatched away and swallowed a much too large piece of rawhide from my neighbors’ dog, who was staying here while they were out of town. I whisked him to the vet, who ascertained that it wasn’t stuck in his throat. Within an hour, he vomited most of the rawhide, along with something purple, which I later determined to be candy hearts he had found on the floor of my son’s room.

And then there was this: Mokie began spending a lot of time licking his butt and whimpering. I described this to his original owner, my veterinarian brother-in-law Bill, who was clear about what needed to be done. “His anal glands need to be expressed,” he said. “Little dogs often have a problem with that. It’s really easy, and I can tell you how to do it. Or you can take him to a vet and pay $50.”

Since I had just paid a vet, I figured I would try to help him myself. Neither my husband nor my son were any help. “No WAY am I squeezing his butt,” my son said. “I’d put the dog to sleep,” said my husband; he says things like that every day. He doesn’t mean it, but he’s not a dog person, either. I was on my own.

Amazingly, Mokie held still for the procedure, which, thanks to Bill’s instructions, I performed successfully. When my sister called to inquire how it went with her former dog, she couldn’t believe I had done it. “Of the hundreds of people that Bill has explained that to over the years,” she said, “I think you’re the first one who has actually done it.”

I’m not sure that I’m all that proud of this particular distinction!

Buying Treats for Your Dog – What to Look For

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

By Nancy Kerns

Allow me to sum up this article in one sentence: When buying treats for your dog, read the ingredients panel first.

I know that sounds sooo basic. Longtime WDJ readers are already experienced readers of food labels; they know from reading our February dry dog food reviews and our October canned food reviews and our occasional frozen food reviews that they have to understand what is in the food their dog may potentially eat before they buy it.

But dog treats make fools of us all. Nowhere in all of the gigantic field of pet supply marketing are the packages so cute and the names of the products so amusing as in the dog treat category. Many of the biggest companies use every color in the rainbow to illustrate happy dogs on the packaging – in addition to their use of artificial food colors to make the treats resemble people food such as crispy bacon, tiny hamburgers, and adorable marrow-filled cross sections of bone.

The small, boutique-made treats lavish money and effort at marketing, too. Many of the smallest companies lovingly hand-make precious packages out of recycled paper, use winning photos of their own endearing dogs in their product literature, and sometimes even cut out their heart- or star-shaped cookies by hand.

All of these efforts are to get you to buy something you really don’t need; that’s why they go so far over the top. Treats are the one product that we feed our dogs that we may buy for all the wrong reasons.

A top-quality, species-appropriate diet is without a doubt the most important factor in a successful holistic healthcare program. It doesn’t make any sense at all to invest in a chemical-free, nutritious food for your dog, and then slip him a bunch of unhealthy additives and fillers for dessert. So, even though treats represent only a small portion of your dog’s daily diet, they should at best support his health, and at worst, not undermine it. As ever, we are here to remind you to read the label.

What’s on the label
We’ll briefly review for those of you who are new to WDJ. We read labels for several reasons. The first is to make sure the products don’t contain stuff that’s not good for dogs – such as artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Those of us who are aware of our dogs’ food allergies or intolerances are also on the lookout for ingredients that may make our dogs break out, itch, or suffer painful gas or diarrhea.

We also check the list of ingredients for foods that are good for dogs – things like whole meats, grains, fruits, and vegetables. The more organic ingredients we see, the better.

We may or may not be concerned with the “guaranteed analysis” section on a product label. Those of us whose dogs are intolerant of high-fat or high-protein foods may find the fat or protein content of interest. But treats are not intended to be a sole source of a dog’s nutrition, so these nutrients don’t have to fall into a certain range. Nor do the treats have to be “complete and balanced,” although some manufacturers do formulate their products to conform to the AAFCO dog food standards.

However, a treat that is formulated just like dog food may be no more tempting and delicious than his dog food; he might be happy enough to get it, but it’s not going to make him turn cartwheels.

And turning cartwheels is really what feeding treats is all about. Experienced positive trainers suggest that you use “high-value” treats when training your dog – especially when teaching new behaviors. These are treats that are particularly odoriferous and delectable, treats that absolutely inspire a dog to think – think! – about what his handler wants him to do. While a few chowhounds out there will turn cartwheels for ordinary kibble, most dogs need a little more to really motivate them to work hard . . . and that might mean a little more fat, a little more smelly stuff, or a little more sweetener.

Don’t get too excited about the presence of sweeteners or even natural flavor enhancers in treats. While we feel strongly that a dog’s treats should not undermine the positive effects of a superior diet, it’s over-rigid to insist that a treat should display every characteristic of a great dog food. While a sweetener may be an undesirable trait in the 12 ounces of food that your dog eats every day, in the quarter-ounce of treats he gets, it’s not a huge deal – unless, of course, he’s diabetic, in which case you should be seeking a carbohydrate-free treat.

Treats for every dog
Speaking of which, when you think about it, it’s kind of amazing that we can refer you to carb-free treats, vegan cookies, or totally organic biscuits. The variety of products on the market today is truly staggering; there really is something out there for every dog, no matter what allergy or food intolerance he may have. We’ve highlighted a range of products (see chart at end of story) that should include at least one treat for any dog, no matter what his health status.

We must remind you that we don’t claim to examine every treat on the market; that’s impossible. Instead, we sought out examples of extraordinary products made by small, boutique-style companies, as well as a few of the better products made by large dog food companies. For comparison’s sake, we also listed a few of the most abominable commercial products we could find. That part was not difficult; they reside on the shelves of every major chain grocery store.

It used to be that you could find gourmet products only in regional markets; the Internet has changed that forever. All of the boutique products we reviewed can be ordered directly from the manufacturers via phone or their Web sites.

Other things we didn’t do
Besides failing to review every one of the thousands of dog treats on the market, we also did not conduct any sort of laboratory testing of products. We have heard all sorts of allegations that some food and treat manufacturers lie about the ingredients in their products, but lab testing to determine the true identity of the ingredients is beyond our scope. Besides, we think that this happens pretty rarely.

In the past, we’ve given out metaphorical bonus points for treats that are sold in especially cute or useful packages. We didn’t do that this time. Today, many treats come in plastic bags with Zip-Lock-like closures; that’s cool. Zip-Lock bags are the best containers for all treats.

We did not consider price in our selections. As ever, we implore you to remember that you get what you pay for. Inexpensive treats cannot contain good quality ingredients, because quality ingredients cost more. If the treats are cheap, they go on the heap!

Also, we did not rate or rank-order our selections. We grouped our selections into three categories: top-quality cookie-type treats containing at least some grains; top-quality meat-based treats that may contain grain; and NOT-recommended, chemical-filled bad-example treats. Our selections are grouped alphabetically by category.

Fresh food is always best
Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention that you don’t have to buy commercial treats at all. Store-bought treats make the best gifts for your dog-loving friends, and they are novel, cute, convenient, and fun – but they are neither necessary for your dog’s health, nor the best training aid in the world.

Real, fresh food always has been and always will be the healthiest and most compelling treat for your dog. Bits of meat (or poultry or fish), crumbled cheese, pieces of fruit . . . did we mention bits of meat? These are the best treats around, and loaded with vital vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “The Difference Between Quality Dog Treats and Unhealthy Dog Treats”
Click here to view “How to Pick Top Quality Dog Treats”
Click here to view “Buying Dog Treats: What To Look For”
Click here to view “Shopping for Top Quality Dog Treats–It’s All In The Ingredients”

-Nancy Kerns is Editor of WDJ.

New Dog Do’s and Don’ts

By
Nancy Kerns
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By Nancy Kerns

When I hear that someone I know is getting a dog, I experience mixed feelings. I’m hopeful it will work out, and fearful that it won’t. In the six years that I’ve edited WDJ and paid close attention to such things, I’ve seen a score of my friends, neighbors, and acquaintances bring home a new dog or puppy. And, sadly, about half of those new dog/people relationships didn’t work out – a euphemism which means here, they had to find another home for the dog. When this happens, it’s not ethical, it’s not cool, it’s a tragedy for all concerned – and in my view, it all can be prevented.

Often, new-dog ventures fail most frequently when people don’t take enough time – time to research what sort of dog is really best for them, time to prepare for the dog’s arrival, and time to spend with the dog. In fact, the first thing I ask when I hear someone is thinking about getting a dog is, “How much time do you have?”

The following is a brief distillation of everything I’ve learned about what makes new dog/human relationships successfully sail off into the sunset, and what causes the ship to sink within days, weeks, or months.

Pre-planning for the dog
I never fail to be amazed at the number of people I hear about who decide to get a dog, go to the shelter, and come home with one – all in the same weekend. At least half a dozen of the sad dog/family relationship failures I’ve seen in recent years have been due to a hasty adoption; the people just didn’t take enough time to evaluate the dog or their own abilities to deal with it.

Give yourself at least a month to do some long, hard thinking about what sort of dog you want. Visualize the whole package: your ideal dog’s age, size, coat, energy level, attention span, ability to give and receive affection, sociability, portability, and health status. Plan to visit shelters a few times a week for a month or so without bringing a dog home. Keep the vision of your ideal dog in mind as you visit, even if you begin to discover that there are a few aspects of your “perfect dog” vision that you are willing to be flexible about.

But don’t depart from your vision too much! Little things can grow into big issues over time, compounding with each new problem. For example, say you have gorgeous hardwood floors in your home, and your vision of your ideal canine companion is a clean, short-haired dog. But then you fall in love with a shaggy Australian Shepherd cross. Over time, you learn that in order to keep your floors as pristine as you like them, you have to vacuum or sweep every day – or keep the dog out. And as the dog spends less time with you in the living room, he becomes more anxious and more unruly. The ship starts sinking . . . and, for the dog, the impending disaster will be titanic.

I know how hard it will be to walk away from close candidates. But I also know with a certainty that there is a perfect candidate for your “best dog ever” in a shelter near you. Don’t settle for a dog who doesn’t gladden your heart in every way, and you won’t find yourself returning an older, sadder, and less-adoptable dog to the shelter down the road.

For more in-depth information on choosing the best dog, see “How to Pick a Winner,” July 2001, on evaluating shelter dogs for a safe, friendly, adaptable temperament; “Second-Hand Friends,” April 1999, on the importance of selection and early training for shelter dogs; and “When Only a Purebred Will Do,” May 2002, on how to find your ideal breed, and how to find a responsible breeder.

Infrastructure items
As you look for your new best friend, start getting your house in order. Purchase all the stuff you are going to need: a leash, toys, chews, treats, a bed, shampoo. (See “The Dog Owner’s Hope Chest,” WDJ February 2002, for more “must-have” dog care items.) Think about containment. Do you need baby gates, a crate, tethers, a pen for the backyard, or major fencing improvements? If your home is completely prepared and able to safely and easily contain your dog, it will seem a lot easier having him live with you.

As you prepare on the physical plane, consider how your new dog’s needs are going to change your spiritual life. I’m only sort of joking; can you feel blessed and happy if you’ve been sleepless due to a whimpering puppy? Are you committed to taking walks every day, no matter how much snow has fallen, or how stifling the heat becomes? These are the kind of things you have to be ready to meet with your chin up.

And while we’re talking about full emotional preparation, how is everyone else in your household feeling about your new dog project? Does anyone in your home have reservations about the new dog’s impact on their life-styles? If so, work out solutions before the dog shows up. A tense emotional environment can definitely delay or prevent a dog’s emotional settling-in.

For more ideas on how to get the house ready, see “A Gated Community,” July 2002 and “In the Dog House,” September 1998.

A welcome home
Many people imagine that the day they bring home their dream dog will be the best day they’ll ever spend together, full of joyous discoveries and loving moments. That’s how it works in the movies!

The reality should be more like a movie shoot – scripted, structured, with all the scenery in place, and all cast members aware of their parts and on their marks.

Your new dog – the star of the show – should feel he has perfect freedom and leisure to explore his new home. In actuality, you should have constructed the set so that he is unable to go anywhere he’s not supposed to be (such as your allergic daughter’s room, or the unfenced front yard).

Also, while feeling that he is not being forced to interact with anyone just yet, he should nevertheless be under the constant supervision of an attentive family member. Don’t assume any level of housetraining, but treat him as you would a young puppy. Take him outside every hour or so, reward him richly when he relieves himself in an appropriate place, and don’t give him any opportunity to make a mistake in the meantime. When he’s in the house, keep him in your direct view, tied “umbilical cord” fashion to your waist by a leash, or in a crate until you see that he fully understands housetraining.

For descriptions of housetraining strategies, see “Getting Off to the Best Start,” January 1999 and “Minding Your Pees and Cues,” December 2001.

Finally, while your impulse will probably be to cancel everything else in your appointment book to spend every possible minute getting to know the new dog or puppy, you should follow your household’s usual routines. So many people pick up their new dog on Friday afternoon, spend the entire first weekend in a more or less constant, loving embrace with the dog, abandon him in favor of work and school on Monday –and then freak out Monday night when they come home and see all the damage caused over the last 10 frightening hours by the confused and anxious dog.

Instead, start habituating the dog to spending time alone in the house on the very first day he lives there. You accomplish this in tiny increments. Leave him alone in the kitchen with a food-stuffed Kong toy for 10 minutes while you watch TV in the next room. If he handles that okay, take him outside for an opportunity to relieve himself, and then leave him in his crate for an hour while you soak in the bathtub upstairs. Your goal is to build his confidence, in just a couple of days, that no matter how long you’re gone, you’ll return and he’ll be okay.

See “Learning to Be Alone,” July 2001, for critical information on how (and why) to prevent your dog from developing separation anxiety.

Train, train, train
My final recommendation would be to enroll in a positive dog or puppy training class as soon as possible. The more training and socialization your dog has, the better for everyone who meets him. Classes give you both an opportunity to learn to observe and communicate with each other. Practicing between classes, during walks and at home, is good mental and physical exercise for both of you. And the more time you spend together in a mutually enjoyable, interesting activity, the better it is for building permanent bonds between you.

Owning Super-Sized Dogs

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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Newfoundlands. St. Bernards. Irish Wolfhounds. Great Danes. They are the giants of the canine world, and it takes a special kind of person to appreciate their extra large appeal.

I think of a “big” dog as one whose normal weight exceeds the 100-pound mark. In addition to the above-mentioned breeds, this includes many of the Mastiff-type dogs, the Great Pyrenees, Scottish Deerhound, some (but not all) Rottweilers, and more. The only requirement for membership in this club is size. Everything about them is big, from their appetites (and by-products thereof) to the crates, collars, and other training equipment that they use, as well as the toys that they play with. Pet supply companies offer giant-sized Kongs, tennis balls, tug toys, and just about every other canine accessory you can think of. They know there’s a “big” market out there.

Vet bills can be bigger too, since most surgeries are charged at least in part by the dog’s weight. Larger dogs generally need more anesthesia. Even finding a home can be more of a challenge for big-dog humans. Many landlords and hotels, if they allow animals at all, accept pets who are 25 pounds or less. The next socially acceptable size-increment seems to be around 70 to 75 pounds. Much bigger than that, and non-dog people tend to think you really are some kind of serious dog-nut, to want to share your life and home with a dog who outweighs many of the family members. Much to the consternation of big-dog humans, many of the giant breeds are listed on insurance company “do not insure” lists, making it almost impossible for some big-dog owners to find homeowners or renters insurance.

Finally, sadly, many of the giant breeds tend to have short life spans; a 10-year-old Great Dane is pretty ancient, while lots of 10-year-old small dogs are still in excellent condition and can look forward to 5 to 10 more years of life.

The big challenge
The awe-inspiring size of these dogs presents their human companions with a long list of training and management challenges not encountered by keepers of smaller dogs. Some are simple logistical challenges. Exactly how big a vehicle do you have to have to accommodate a couple of Great Dane crates? We could be talking motor home here, just to run to the local training class! Not to mention the extra space you need in your master bedroom if you plan to crate a few Newfies in your personal den. And imagine the ease with which a Wolfhound’s tail can clear a coffee table, or swipe expensive porcelain statuettes from their display shelves.

Everything we have said in the past about prevention through management and training goes triple for big dogs. Teaching good manners when your wee one is a mere 15 to 20 pounds at age 10 weeks gives you a huge advantage over those who wait until 12 months, by which time the untrained, out-of-control, 150-pound Presa Canario may already be gearing up to maul an innocent neighbor. These dogs’ forbidding size demands an early course in juvenile good manners. While your visiting aunt may be willing to tolerate the petite pawprints of a Pomeranian on her pantsuit, she is likely to frown on plate-sized mud-covered Wolfhound feet on the front of her cashmere sweater.

Socialization is another critically vital part of a large dog’s educational experience. Many giant breeds have strongly developed guarding instincts. A poorly socialized, poorly trained large dog is a significant risk to the safety of the community. A well-socialized and trained dog will be able to turn on his protection behaviors if needed, but no matter his size, will be safe to have around your friends and family. A poorly socialized small dog is just as sad a statement about pet-owner irresponsibility as an unsocialized large dog, but is less of a risk to the community; a kamikaze Chihuahua can do far less damage on his worst day than a scud missile Neapolitan Mastiff on a minor bender.

Tall training tips
There are a number of good manners behaviors that are particularly important to teach your large dog while she is still small. Pay special attention to these if you have a big dog:

Polite Greeting: As mentioned above, jumping up to greet humans is rude behavior for any canine, and especially intolerable for a large dog. Start when your baby giant is small by avoiding the temptation to pick her up and cuddle her. (Cuddling teaches her that “up” is a very wonderful place to be.) Instead, designate a spot on the floor as “Cuddle Space,” and get down on her level to do snuggle time. Teach “Sit” as a greeting/default behavior by consistently and generously rewarding your puppy for sitting, and turning away and stepping away anytime she jumps up. Insist that family members, visitors, and people on the street greet her only when she is sitting politely.

Loose Leash Walking: If you begin teaching polite leash walking to your young pup, you will never find yourself being skijored down the street behind your Rottie as she takes off after an unexpected skateboarder. The keys to teaching good leash walking are a high rate of reinforcement (lots of Clicks! and treats) and very high-value treats, so that it is more rewarding for your dog to pay attention to you than her surroundings (see “Loose Leash Walking,” WDJ November 2000). If you’ve already missed out on teaching this while your pup is small, consider using a head halter to maintain gentle control of your big dog while you retrain her leash behavior (see “Head Halters, Right and Wrong,” WDJ June 2000).

Say Please: Also known as “No Free Lunch” or “Nothing in Life is Free,” a “Say Please” program teaches your dog to ask for all good things in life by offering a sit in order to get what she wants. This prevents her from learning that she can push people around by virtue of her sheer weight and size. You can initially train and ask for the sit behavior, but your ultimate goal is for your dog to offer sits without being asked (see “Sit Happens,” WDJ February 2001). If she is allowed on the furniture, she sits and waits to be invited, rather than just helping herself to the empty space on the sofa next to your visitor. Want to go outside? “Sit” makes the door open. Ready for dinner? “Sit” makes the dinner bowl descend to the floor.

Down: A big-dog lover myself, I don’t understand why some people don’t fully appreciate the joy of having a Newfoundland drool in their laps, but it’s a fact – some just don’t. A big dog is still plenty accessible for an occasional pat on the head if she is lying at your visitor’s feet instead of panting in his face.

Teach your dog that “lying at feet” is a highly rewardable behavior. Give her attention and treats on a variable schedule (sometimes close together, sometimes with longer pauses in between) when she lies down quietly. Give your guests a container full of treats and instruct them to reward the dog on a random schedule, too. Be sure to ignore any demand behavior, such as whining or barking, so the dog learns that the only behavior that gets rewarded is calm “lying at feet.”

Off/Leave It: It stands to reason that giant breeds have easier access to food-bearing surfaces such as tables and kitchen counters. One chance encounter with a roast beef sandwich can turn a dog into a dedicated counter-surfer. In addition to managing your big dog so she never has the opportunity to learn to counter surf, a well-installed “Off” or “Leave It” cue, which tells the dog to back away from whatever she is looking at, can avert disaster when she has that “Mine!” gleam in her eye and is closer to the holiday turkey than you are (see “Off-Limits,” WDJ January 2002).

Sharing With Others: Like so many other things, resource guarding by a large dog can be infinitely more disastrous than the same behavior presented by her smaller counterparts. When your pup is small, teach her that having humans approach when she is eating or otherwise occupied with a high-value possession makes more great stuff happen. When she is eating from her food bowl, occasionally approach and drop a few exquisite goodies into it. Before long she will want people to be around when she is eating (see “Thanks for Sharing,” WDJ September 2001). Caution: If you already have a serious resource guarding challenge with your dog, big or small, you will want to find a positive trainer/behavior specialist to help you modify this dangerous behavior problem.)

Go To Your Spot: A useful behavior for all dogs, this one is especially helpful when you have guests who don’t appreciate super-sized canines. By repeatedly luring your dog to her “spot” or using targeting to send her to it, you can program a gentle “Go to your spot” cue that tells her to go lie down in her corner. If you use a portable throw rug to mark her “spot” you can take it with you – to the dining room during meals, the den for videos, even to your friends’ houses when you and your big dog go visiting.

Give: The last thing you want to do is get into an argument with a big dog over something she has in her mouth. Take the time to teach your dog “Give” by trading for treats.

Most people make the mistake of only taking “forbidden objects” away from their dogs, which can teach the dog to object, since she learns that she’ll never get it back. If you practice “Give” as a regular training exercise with a “legal” toy or chew object, you can repeatedly return the object in question after the dog gives it up for a treat. This way, she learns that she gets two rewards – the first for giving up the valuable object, the second when she gets the valuable object back again. Then, if she occasionally has to give up an “illegal” object that you can’t return to her, it won’t outweigh the positive impact of all the two-reward trades you have done with her.

Bite Inhibition: Dogs bite. It’s a natural canine behavior. Chances are that at some time in your dog’s life, she may feel compelled to bite. If and when that happens, good bite inhibition could make the difference between a dent in the skin and plastic surgery. It could also determine whether your dog lives or dies, since dogs who bite and cause serious injury tend not to live long – especially big dogs who bite.

You can instill good bite inhibition in a pup by gradually diminishing the force of her bite rather than punishing all bites. A puppy naturally learns to control the force of her teeth through playing with her siblings. If she bites softly, without causing undue pain, the other puppies will keep playing with her. If she bites too hard, the pup she is biting may yelp and run away, refusing to re-engaging in play for a time.

You can do the same thing. If your giant puppy bites softly, continue playing with her. If she bites hard enough to cause pain, give a high-pitched “Ouch!” or “Oops!” and walk away from her. After a short time, begin playing with her again. She will learn to control her bite so that the fun can continue without interruption.

Think Positive: If you think it’s a good idea to force confrontations with your large dog, think again. First, it’s not necessary, and second, the bigger the dog gets, the more likely you are to lose. In old-fashioned force-based training, owners were advised to dominate their dogs, and if the dogs offered to fight back, increase the level of human aggression until the dogs submitted. Dogs who refused to submit were labeled “vicious” and “incorrigible,” and euthanized.

It takes two to fight. If you train with positive methods, you never set the dog up for conflict, and you teach her to willingly and happily respond to your behavior requests because good things happen when she does.

Big bother?
If big dogs are such a challenge, why even bother with them? Some people like the look and feel of a big, solid dog by their sides. Many of these folks don’t consider a canine to be a real dog unless they are at least 75 pounds. There is something very comforting about the bulk of an impressively large canine, especially if you alone in a remote location, traveling through an unsavory part of town, or taking your dog for a late night walk in Central Park.

There is also much to be said for big-dog personalities. As a general rule, they are calmer than many of their smaller brethren – it’s a lot of work to haul around that much bulk. Besides – a St. Bernard-sized dog with a Jack Russell Terrier’s energy level probably wouldn’t be around long – who could live with that?

If you want to think big, by all means go for it. Big rewards go along with those big challenges. Just be sure you are ready for the extra large responsibilities that go along with sharing your home and your heart with a supersized canine.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Going Big”

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