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Electric Dog Fences: Are They Safe?

By
Pat Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA
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[Updated December 14, 2018]

Rufus is a typical adolescent Labrador Retriever: Large, full of energy, and eager to explore beyond the boundaries of his Richmond, Utah, yard when released from the confinement of his pen. The Ashbys, his owners, are a typical Lab family: Dad, mom, and several kids, all of whom possess an interest in being responsible pet owners.

As often happens, Rufus’ energy was a bit too much for the younger children. Despite several attempts to train him not to jump, he was still knocking the little Ashbys flat. And despite the family’s best efforts, Rufus kept escaping beyond the limits of his own unfenced yard.

electric shock collar for dogs

Imagine the Ashbys’ delight when, shopping at a “big box” pet supply store, they came across a product that promised to solve both problems with the push of a button. The product combines an “electronic containment system” with an additional remote control unit for use with supervised training. In other words, a shock collar. The family bought the unit, took it home, and started training Rufus.

They used the product for a few days and were quite pleased. Rufus was quickly learning not to jump on the kids, and life was already becoming easier. The Ashbys made plans to lay the underground wire for the containment system over the upcoming weekend. Meanwhile, Rufus was confined to his pen, wearing his collar, while the family was gone all day.

One rainy day afternoon that week, upon arriving home, Darren Ashby, an electronic engineer, sent his oldest son out to the pen to take Rufus for a walk. The boy came back in and said Rufus wouldn’t let the boy get near him. Dad went out to help, and was horrified by what he found.

“What I saw made me sick,” says Ashby. “Rufus had this sickly green color around his neck, under the training collar. There was this nasty wet/burnt hair and flesh smell. Something was obviously wrong. I carefully removed the collar to find a huge gaping hole in Rufus’ neck, right under one of the training collar prongs.”

Dr. Susan Benson, of the Animal Medical Center in Preston, Idaho, treated Rufus’ injuries. “This was one of the worst electrical burns I have seen,” Dr. Benson reports, “other than dogs who have had contact with high power lines.”

Dr. Benson says the incident has made her much more wary of the fence systems. She feels the collars should never be left on dogs who are unsupervised – which, of course, defeats the purpose for most dog owners, who want to use the systems to give the dogs free access to their yards while the owners are away at work all day.

Why People Choose Shock Collars

There is no question that underground electronic containment systems are immensely popular. They are readily available in pet stores, online, and from most pet-supply catalogs. They have become as common as fleas, and no wonder – for as little as $125, the responsible pet owner can let Fido play on up to five acres, an area that would cost thousands of dollars to fence otherwise. For just another $100, an owner can purchase a system that promises to fence up to 25 acres; extension kits cost $50 per half-acre, for a total of $1,500 for the full 25-acre capacity. Other options include a solar-powered system, or a collar that also promises to shock the dog for barking while it keeps him in the invisibly fenced area.

In addition, the electronic containment systems can be used in communities that prohibit visible fences, a growing and unfortunate trend. They can be installed in terrain where a physical fence would be difficult or impossible to erect. From the average dog owner’s perspective, what’s not to like?

Unfortunately, from Fido’s point of view, plenty, including but not limited to the potential for electrical burns around the neck. And unfortunately for the Fidos of the world who are living with one of the electronic collars around their necks, none of the companies that produce the fences are very forthcoming about the negative aspects of electronic containment systems. And there are many.

As a professional trainer and behavior consultant, I have had ample opportunities to deal with the fallout from shock fences that have caused problems with clients’ dogs. I also regularly hear electronic fence horror stories from my peers within the professional dog training community. I am admittedly biased against using shock collars, so I undoubtedly seize upon every new report of an e-collar-related problem to support my position.

My philosophy of training is firmly grounded in gentle methods that encourage a relationship between dog and human based on mutual trust and respect. The idea of deliberately shocking a beloved family member around the neck (or anywhere else, for that matter) is so repugnant to me that I cannot conceive of a training situation in which I would be willing to use a shock collar for my dogs, or for anyone else’s. But malfunctioning units and emotional argument aside, there are many other reasons why I vehemently steer clients far away from non-visible fences.

Electric Fencing Leaves Your Dog Vulnerable

One of those reasons has been hanging around our house for three days now. A black Labrador with an e-collar on visits us from time to time – mute testimony to the fact that the collars don’t always work.

Shelter workers from around the country tell of the numbers of stray dogs who are brought in wearing them. When their owners retrieve them, some will nonchalantly admit that they neglected to replace the batteries. Others admit that their dogs will run through the fence to chase a squirrel, or to follow another dog, or to visit an alluring female in season.

When for the umpteenth time I return our visiting Lab to his home a half-mile away, the owner tells me that the fence is out (again!) because of a recent electrical storm. He asks me how he is supposed to keep his dog home in the meantime – as if there is no other rational alternative but to let him run loose. Bring him in the house, I answer, but I know my suggestion falls on deaf ears.

Electronic containment systems not only give dog owners a false sense of security about the reliability of the containment, but also fail to protect the dog from intruders. Marauding canines, dog thiefs, neighborhood bullies, angry service persons, rabid skunks or raccoons – all have easy access to a dog who lives inside a fenceless fence.

Electric Fences Stimulate Barrier Aggression

In addition to leaving the dog vulnerable to attacks, electronic containment systems fail to provide any physical barrier to protect unwary passers-by from the dog. The list of documented cases of electronic fence-related aggression grows longer by the day.

The stimulus of passing cars, kids on bikes, people walking their dogs, squirrels climbing in and around street trees, etc., tends to goad some dogs into a state of angry arousal. If the dog is aroused enough to test the limits of the fence, he gets shocked – which conditions him to associate the pain of the shock with whatever he was focused on when he got shocked.

Further, any unsuspecting visitor who crosses the invisible barrier into the dog’s reach can be the unwitting victim of the dog’s pent-up frustration. Worse, if the dog’s arousal reaches a high enough peak that he runs through the fence, the immediacy of that shock is likely to add to the intensity of the dog’s aggressive behavior in that attack.

I just got off the phone an hour ago with a family that is looking for a new home for their eight-year-old Schnauzer, Max, who has lived in his backyard within a nonvisible shock fence since he was a youngster. But about two years ago, he began displaying some disturbing aggressive behavior.

His owners believe that a serviceperson who was intolerant of dogs may have kicked Max, setting off an escalating spiral of aggression that just recently resulted in a Level 3 bite to the leg of a visiting child (see “Ian Dunbar’s Bite Level Classifications” below). Without a physical fence, they were neither able to protect Max from the serviceperson, nor, more recently, protect the child from Max.

Compounding the problem, their homeowner’s association has rules prohibiting physical fences, so, even recognizing the drawbacks, they continue to use the electronic fence to keep Max contained. In addition to the continued danger this presents both to the dog and to anyone who crosses the fence line, any additional shocks to Max’s neck – even the triggering of the warning tone – are likely to add to his level of stress, arousal, and aggression, increasing the risk of more bites.

The first critical step to modifying aggression requires eliminating the conditions that contribute to it; in this case, the totality of environmental circumstances created by the fence.

Max has always been a backyard dog and the parents are reluctant to try to bring him in the house. They realize that putting Max in a small, chain-link pen for the rest of his life is not a reasonable solution. The children are devastated at the thought of losing their canine pal, and I had to deliver the bad news that finding a lifelong loving home – or any good home – for an eight-year-old dog who bites is not a very realistic option. Their choices are to significantly alter Max’s (and their own) lifestyle to better protect him and manage his behavior, or euthanasia.

Three months ago, I did a private consultation with a woman whose Airedale had started running through the electronic fence and biting. When Andy was a pup, he was allowed to run loose in his laid-back mountain community just outside Chattanooga. As more families moved into the neighborhood, Andy’s wandering started to draw complaints, so his owner had an electronic fence installed. This particular system included training as part of the installation package, so a man came out to the house to teach Andy that if he ignored the tone that warned him he was approaching the fence boundary, he would get a shock. The system had appeared to work well for several years. But recently, for no reason that his owner could discern, Andy had started going through his fence.

The first incident involved a Golden Retriever passing by outside the fence on a leash. Andy rolled the dog, but no injuries resulted. The owner wrote the incident off as a one-time thing, and life went on as usual. A couple of months later, Andy ran through the fence again – this time, after a small dog. This time the canine victim suffered injuries serious enough to require veterinary attention, and Andy’s owner realized something needed to be done. She called the fence company, which sent someone out to “retrain” Andy to the fence.

The “trainer” put a shock collar around Andy’s neck and one around his groin. He led Andy to the fence and shocked him repeatedly. According to his owner, Andy screamed and bit at his flanks; the sight was so gruesome that his owner couldn’t watch – she went inside and the torture continued without her. When the trainer was done he came in and told her that Andy had bitten him in the leg – but there was no harm done – he announced somewhat proudly that he was protected by the leather chaps he had begun wearing because so many dogs tried to bite him during the training.

Two weeks later Andy charged through the fence again, knocked a young girl into a ditch and inflicted Level 4 bites. Andy was ultimately euthanized.

Other negative reactions, while not as extreme, give us clues to how very traumatic the shock collars can be. Some dogs refuse to go into their yards after being introduced to the system. Others must be loaded into the family car and driven across the fence line – even when not wearing the collar – just to be taken for a walk around the block.

You Are Responsible for the Risks

One of the leading electronic fence companies proudly states: “Our mission is to keep your pets safe. We believe in Safe Pets and Happy People.” You might think that companies whose ads emphasize the advantages of keeping your dog safely confined in your yard would be sure to provide consumer warnings about the potential hazards related to their use, and would bend over backward to make amends for any inadvertent malfunction of the product.

Not so, according to Darren Ashby, the owner of Rufus, the burned Labrador I mentioned at the beginning of this article. Ashby sent the company a letter of complaint – complete with graphic photographs of his dog’s wounds – and after a delay, got a response. The company offered to pay the vet bill, but only if Ashby signed a document stating that the company was not at fault. The letter stated that Ashby had two days to decide whether he would sign the statement.

When Ashby called the company to complain about this response, the contact person told him that the company’s lawyers said it was Ashby’s fault for leaving the collar on his dog in the rain. She told him his only alternative to signing the document was to sue. Ashby read the product manual from front to back, and is adamant that there were no warnings about using the collar in inclement weather. He is undecided about whether to pursue legal action against the company.

Rufus was lucky – he survived the trauma of his collar experience. Andy was not so lucky. The jury is still out on Max. There are countless other dogs out there struggling with the sometimes lethal uncertainties of the electronic shock collar fence. Some of those dogs will lose the struggle. Don’t even take the chance that your dog might be one of them.

AVOID NEEDING ELECTRIC CONTAINMENT: TIPS

1. Avoid the “necessity” to use an electronic containment system by checking homeowners’ association rules regarding fences before you buy a home.

2. If you have only a small yard and/or a sedentary life-style, don’t get a breed that requires lots of exercise to stay happy and well-adjusted.

Pat Miller, WDJ’s Training Editor, is also a freelance author and Certified Pet Dog Trainer in Fairplay, Maryland. She is the author of many books on positive training, including, The Power of Positive Dog Training.

Herbal Medicines and Nutritive Herbs

By
Gregory L. Tilford
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by Gregory L. Tilford Wild dogs, researchers have observed, browse a broad variety of berries, grasses, flower blossoms, seeds, and even a few roots in their continuous search for food. Many of the plants they eat are quite tasty, even to us humans, while others are not palatable at all. In fact, some of the plants wild animals nibble upon may even be regarded by humans as potentially toxic. So why do they consume such plants? Because maybe they are not looking for food. Perhaps they are seeking medicine.

 

Unlike human herbalists, wild dogs do not need a stack of herb books and years of study to effectively utilize herbal medicines. Instead they rely on a much more time-honored system of herbal wisdom – one that is based from an intuitive sense of knowing what, when, and how much plant medicine is needed to fulfill a specific need or to correct an imbalance. However, domestic dogs have lost much of their intuitive abilities to seek and select the herbal medicines they need, and this problem is further exacerbated during winter months or in urban environments – where access to fresh, clean grass and other weedy medicine may be limited or out of their reach. Unlike his wild ancestors, the family dog relies on you – his caregiver – to provide him with the herbal diversity he needs. The need for nutritive herbs Although the canine appetite is generally focused on fresh meat and vegetables, dogs sometimes will have a craving for plants that are not part of their usual diet. From the perspective of a holistic veterinary herbalist, this urge comes from an instinctive drive to fulfill special requirements that cannot be addressed by diet alone. For example, in winter and early spring, dogs may be particularly attracted to sprigs of common quackgrass (Elytrigia repens), a persistent weed that has earned an alternate common name of “Dog Grass.” Why the craving for dog grass? Because in winter months, when wild greens are less abundant, dogs have an increased need for things that help support digestion, hair growth, and digestion. Each blade of dog grass contains silicon for strong joints and connective tissues, essential fatty acids for vibrant skin and coat, enzymes for good digestion, chlorophyll for antioxidant support, and soap-like saponin constituents that combine with stringy fibers to help cleanse the digestive tract and keep parasites in check. The roots of this persistent weed are medicinal too, with anti-inflammatory and tonic properties that help strengthen mucous membranes, maintain urine pH, and safely reduce inflammation in the urinary tract – a condition that is sometimes unseen but nevertheless present as a result of low-grade infection or poor waste elimination. Likewise, dogs will occasionally chew on berries, seeds, nuts, leaves, flowers, even tree and shrub bark, all of which may contain healing properties that their bodies need to stave off illness. The red or purple fruits of raspberry, rose bushes, and hawthorn (Crataegus oxycantha), for instance, all contain flavonoid constituents that are beneficial to the cardiovascular system. The oils contained in the raw seeds of flax, currants, wheat and other grains, pumpkins, and squashes may be relished on certain occasions, when extra measures of essential fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals are needed for hair growth health. Garlic bulbs, the green tops of onions, and all other edible members of the Allium family might also be the target of selective nibbling, as they possess antioxidant and immunostimulant activities that help boost the body’s resistance against bacterial, viral, or parasitic infection during periods of increased susceptibility or exposure. Even certain types of algae (the stuff we often refer to as “pond scum”) contains a cornucopia of nutrients and disease-fighting chemicals that wild dogs may seek in times of need. But how do we choose these things for the “mighty wolves” that live amongst us? When do they need these things, and in what amounts? Just add green foods Fortunately, these questions are easily answered. By providing a daily helping of nutritive herbs and “green foods” at mealtime, your dog will be provided with added measures of nutritional and systemic support that his body can freely access and utilize. Several high quality choices are available in the marketplace, and although their ingredients may vary, they all share a similar purpose – to fill in the edges of a balanced, natural diet. Products such as Ark Natural’s “Nu-Pet Granular Greens,” Animal Essentials’ “All-Organic Green Alternatives” (which I had a hand in formulating), and others will help bridge the gap between what your best friend receives from his diet and what his body needs from time to time for special systemic support. In other words, green food supplements put extra building blocks of health maintenance into place for your dog, in a way that replicates much of the botanical diversity that is used by dogs in the wild. Similarly, you can provide a green food supplement simply by providing your dog with a planter of fresh, live wheat or barley grass, a tablespoon or two of alfalfa sprouts, a sprinkling of spirulina, or a variety of dried herbs mixed with his food. However, before you “go for the green” on behalf of your companion, it is important to realize that green food supplements can only serve to round out a good diet; they cannot be expected to replace the nutritional elements that may be missing from poor quality food. Therefore, if you insist on feeding bargain basement kibble, don’t waste your money on a green food supplement. With that said, the following is a descriptive list of some safe and nutritious green foods that may serve as healthful additions to your dog’s diet. Many of them are used as ingredients in widely available, premium quality green food supplements. • Flaxseed contains Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs), which are very important in the development and maintenance of a healthy brain, liver, heart, and immune system. In fact, these acids are so important, an animal (or human, for that matter) cannot survive without them. Several studies have confirmed that Omega-3 fatty acids are essential factors in the brain development of young animals, and may even help protect the brain against certain types of neurotoxins. Numerous studies have also shown that daily supplementation with EFAs may dramatically improve the skin, coat, and nails in animals who receive them as a supplement to a good diet. Flaxseed also contains fiber and various other constituents that play important roles in maintaining a healthy digestive tract. • Spirulina is one of nature’s greatest super foods. This blue-green micro algae is a rich source of vitamins, including beta-carotene (vitamin A), niacin, biotin, pantothenic acid, choline, inositol, folic acid, vitamins C, B1, B2, B6, and a huge amount of vitamin B12. Just as impressive is spirulina’s array of minerals and trace minerals. Up to 15 percent of its chemical structure includes calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, phosphorous, iodine, zinc, titanium, copper, cobalt, and manganese, to name just a few! Spirulina is also a very rich source of chlorophyll, a substance that is believed to possess powerful antioxidant qualities. To top all of this off, spirulina contains up to 70 percent bioavailable protein. Perhaps the best feature of spirulina is the way it offers its nutrients in a concentrated yet fully bioavailable form. Have you ever wondered why your urine is dark-colored after taking a B-complex capsule? This is because the body (whether it is animal or human) can assimilate only a limited amount of the vitamins at one time. Whatever the body cannot use must be eliminated via the liver and urinary system. Unlike many nutritional supplements that contain unnatural megadoses of vitamins and minerals that cannot be fully absorbed by the body, spirulina offers its nutritional wealth to the body as a food that the body can use without added strain upon the liver and kidneys. In fact, instead of causing added strain to body systems, spirulina supports liver function by helping with the elimination of waste and protecting liver cells against damage from various toxins and pathogens. Spirulina also helps feed the intestinal flora, thus aiding in digestion and boosting the bioavailability of nutrients contained in an animal’s diet. People who feed spirulina to their pets typically report increased energy levels, healthier coat, stronger disease resistance, and even improved behavior. • Garlic is well known for its qualities as an immune-stimulant, antioxidant, antiparasitic, and blood tonic. Scientific studies have shown that various compounds in garlic stimulate immune functions in the bloodstream at levels of activity that are unparalleled by any other herb – yes, even echinacea! Perhaps the most intriguing of these actions is garlic’s effect on the body’s natural killer cells – those that seek out and destroy cancer cells and invading microbes. In a study conducted with human subjects who had AIDS, garlic was found to increase killer cell activity three-fold. Similar animal studies have been conducted with similar results. A 1988 study found that diallyl sulfide, a garlic constituent, prevented tumor formation in rats, and several other studies have shown that garlic inhibits various forms of cancer growth in the body. This may be attributable to the liver-strengthening actions of at least six garlic constituents. In this capacity, garlic gently enhances overall liver function, and triggers enzyme responses to help break down waste materials before they go into the bloodstream. In other words, garlic helps the liver cleanse the body, and thus helps prevent toxic accumulations that may lead to cancerous growths. • Dandelion root gently strengthens liver and gallbladder function, thus improving digestion and serving as a functional aid in the systemic elimination of toxins and waste products from the body. This in turn helps prevent chronic disorders such as arthritis, eczema, and psoriasis. The liver is the primary filtering organ of the body, responsible for removing toxins and excesses from the blood for elimination via the kidneys. The liver also plays critical roles in digestion through its production of bile, bilirubin, and various enzymes. If bile ducts in the liver or gall bladder become congested, blocked, or otherwise diseased to the point of dysfunction, the body will invariably suffer one or more toxicity related imbalances. Such imbalances may be characterized by symptoms such as jaundice, rheumatoid conditions, or chronic constipation. Dandelion root has a well-validated ability to stimulate bile production and circulation throughout the liver. In one study involving dogs, researchers observed a three to four times increase in bile production after administration of dandelion root. The gallbladder (which stores bile from the liver) is also stimulated, causing this small, hollow organ to contract and release bile into the digestive tract, thus aiding in digestion and acting as a gentle laxative to promote the elimination of solid waste. • Pumpkin seeds taste good and provide Omega-6 fatty acids and vitamin E for healthy muscles, nervous system, and strong skin and coat. Fresh ground pumpkin seeds also contain cucurbitin, a compound that is believed to combat and prevent overpopulation of intestinal parasites, especially tapeworms. • Kelp is a great source of iron, iodine, zinc, boron, chromium, selenium, and several other trace minerals. It is especially rich with vitamin B12, and is often used by herbalists to help strengthen thyroid function in animals that suffer hypothyroidism but do not exhibit symptoms of thyroid tumor. • Nettle is a nutritive herb that lends mild astringent and antihistamine qualities to its long list of nutritional attributes. It is considered a tonic to the reproductive system, kidneys, and urinary tract. Nettle is a perfect example of a food-medicine. One hundred grams of dried, pre-flowering nettle plant contain up to 30.4g (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 of beta-carotene, and 3,450 mg of potassium; along with vitamins A, C, D, and B-complex. All of this is contained in a highly palatable form that can be effectively assimilated into the body without adding excess stress upon the liver, kidneys, or digestive tract. This makes nettle an excellent food additive for animals who need extra trace minerals and vitamins in their diet, but not necessarily in huge, multi-vitamin doses. • Alfalfa contains a broad spectrum of nutrients, including considerable quantities of protein (up to 50 percent), trace minerals, dietary fiber, and vitamins A, B1, B12, C, D, E, and K. It is also very high in chlorophyll, which serves as an antioxidant. In addition to being highly nutritive, alfalfa is traditionally known as one of the best herbal treatments for arthritis, rheumatism, and gout. Clinical research of the aforementioned diseases have shown that at least 10 to 20 percent of human subjects will experience dramatic reduction of painful symptoms with the use of this herb. Traditional uses in animals have commonly led to similar results. This is likely attributable to alfalfa’s impressive chemical array of saponins, beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, alpha-spinasterol, flavonoids, coumarin, alkaloids, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, octacosanol, and amino acids. For arthritis and other inflammatory diseases of the joints, alfalfa can bring long- term relief to dogs, cats, rodents, horses, and various other herbivores who receive it as a daily food supplement. In the urinary tract, alfalfa has an alkalizing effect, thus it may help to balance urine pH and prevent overly acidic urine. Alfalfa also possesses cancer preventative qualities. It is believed that alfalfa induces complex cellular activities, and its considerable vitamin K content has been shown to be beneficial in remedying bleeding disorders that may result from long-term antibiotic therapies, anticoagulants, aspirin, and anticonvulsant drugs. This nutritional plant also helps to stimulate appetite and is useful in helping an animal adjust to a new diet. • Yucca is known for its ability to stimulate appetite and increase absorption of vital nutrients in the small intestine. It has been shown to stimulate weight gain and increase metabolic efficiency in virtually every type of animal. Yucca contains saponin compounds known as sarsasapogenin and smilagenin. These phytosterol constituents are believed to be useful for relieving inflamed joints in animals with arthritis and other rheumatoid diseases. More importantly, these and other compounds are thought to aid in the assimilation of important minerals and vitamins by promoting increased passage of critical nutrients through the intestinal walls. This optimizes the nutritional value of the food to which it is added. It is important to note, however, that only a very small amount of the powdered root (perhaps a pinch or two) is needed to achieve the result of improved nutrient absorption. Too much of this herb, fed continuously, may actually have a reverse effect, causing nausea and irritation of mild intestinal mucosa, which in turn can actually block absorption of nutrients. With this in mind, I feel that it is not necessary – and may be counter-productive – to feed supplements that contain any more than 10 percent yucca root on a long-term basis, at least if your only goal is to provide nutritional support. How to feed green foods Regardless of whether you choose to provide your companion with dried herbs from the bulk bins at your local herb retailer or opt to buy a commercial formula like Granular Greens or Green Alternative, daily feeding is easy, economical, and safe. If you are the do-it-yourself type, nettle leaf, dandelion leaf, ground flaxseed, ground pumpkin seed, and spirulina all represent good, easy to find choices. In fact, all can be combined to make an excellent home-prepared formula that can be fed once per day at a rate of teaspoon per 20 pounds of your dog’s body weight. Simply mix the formula into wet food. Likewise, a tray of fresh green wheat grass or barley grass can be left by the water dish at all times for occasional nibbling. However, if you intend to leave live grass in the kitchen for your dog, expect that sometimes he may want to eat it ravenously – for the purpose of digestive cleansing and/or regurgitation (yes, that means vomiting and then eating it again). This is normal behavior that has been passed down through hundreds of canine generations, from the mighty wolf of the wild north, to the homes of modern urbania. Just beware – if the occasional nibble turns into full-fledged grazing, it’s time for a walk! Also With This Article Click here to view “Herbal Remedies For Common Canine Ailments” ———- 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.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

By
Nancy Kerns
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Rupert is away on special assignment this month, and I sure could use him. But he’s needed elsewhere, and he’s doing one of the things that he likes best: serving as therapy dog to someone he loves.

My mother passed away in December after a long illness. She was a very special person and is already terribly missed, but those of us who loved her are comforted by the fact that she was not in pain at the end, and that she passed away at home, where she wanted to be.

We’re still worried about my father, however. He, too, wants to stay in the Northern California home where he and my mom retired a dozen years ago. But, gosh, that home is way out in the sticks, half an hour away from a rural small town and hours of driving from all of us.

My brother, two sisters, and I stayed at my parents’ house for several days after my mom passed. Storms raged outside, and the power shut off momentarily a few times, but it was cozy in the wood-heated home, and it felt good to be together, talk, laugh, and cry. We cooked, ate, cleaned house, and helped my dad remove from the house the many accoutrements of caring for a disabled person. Rupert gravely paced from one person to the next, nudging our hands and elbows with his nose, his tail waving slowly. “Pet me, you’ll feel better,” he seemed to say.

He also followed my dad outside to the wood pile several times a day. Rupert enjoys everything about going to get firewood with my dad, who cuts oaks and pines on his 13 acres, and neatly stacks each kind of wood separately. When Dad jokingly says he’s “going to the gym,” he means he’s going to either cut down a tree, split logs, stack firewood, or haul brush. It’s been exercise and therapy for him during the last three hard years that he’s been caring for my mom. And, of course, all of these activities are fun for Rupe, a lifelong chewer and fetcher of sticks. He’s stayed with my parents for extended vacations before, and he loves to gnaw thick branches while my dad works.

My siblings and I left in stages over a couple of days, all of us fretting over the idea of leaving my dad alone after 47 years of living with my mom. Despite my best efforts (and my older sister’s stern warning not to), I broke down in tears as I hugged my dad good-bye. I’m the youngest in the family – the baby – so I guess that’s my role. I couldn’t help it.

I miss Rupert, but I felt so much better driving down the hill on that muddy dirt road away from my parents’ house, seeing him in the rearview mirror, his tail waving gently as he stood close to my dad. And it comforts me to hear Dad use the word “we” in our telephone calls, as in, “It stopped raining today, so we walked to the top of the hill . . .”

Thanks, Rupie.


-Nancy Kerns

Whole Dog Journal’s 2003 Dry Dog Food Review

By
Nancy Kerns
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A few months ago, the owner of a small, premium pet food company remarked to me, “If the giant food companies ever started using top-quality ingredients – the kinds of things that are in your ‘Top Dry Foods’ selections – all of us ‘little guys’ are going to be out of business.”

Actually, it has begun; the big dogs of the pet food industry are starting to develop products that contain the sorts of ingredients that Whole Dog Journal has celebrated for the past five years – things like fresh, whole meats, vegetables, fruits, and grains; organically raised meat and poultry; healthful herbs; and natural colloidal trace minerals.

Fortunately for all the small makers of premium foods, the ones who have been committed to achieving truly excellent products for years, the giant food conglomerates have not really put all the pieces together – yet.

Take Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s latest launch, for example. Hill’s has identified a fast-growing niche within the $12.4 billion pet food market in the US: discriminating pet owners who want “natural” foods for their beloved animal companions. Hill’s cites some statistics on its Web site that explain its interest in the “natural” niche: The number of “natural” products increased by 38 percent in 2001; the largest natural food supermarket chain is growing at a 20 percent clip; sales of natural and organic foods are growing at an 18 percent annual rate and are projected to surpass $17 billion this year.

Given these facts, Hill’s came up with this: Science Diet Nature’s BestTM, a line of “all-natural” dog (and cat) foods with “high quality, naturally preserved ingredients.” Nature’s Best does contain whole beef, peas, and carrots. That’s a huge step in the right direction for a conglomerate food maker – even if these ingredients are way down in the 7th, 9th, and 10th places, respectively, on the list of ingredients.

Small companies still the best
As I hinted above, WDJ’s “Top Dry Food” makers needn’t be too worried about efforts like Hill’s – yet. Nature’s Best is a better product than Purina’s effort (the execrable “Beneful”) to appeal to the “granola and tofu” segment of the pet-owning population, but it’s not “top-quality” (see comparison charts, end of story).

Nevertheless, the wheels are turning. The pet food industry leaders have finally realized there are millions of people who are willing to pay a lot for foods that can help keep their animal companions as healthy as possible for as long as possible. The savvy marketers among them have already taken aim on us free-spending health nuts; witness the plethora of new products with the words “holistic” and “natural” in their names, or at least in giant letters on the front of the bags.

Small pet food companies that are committed to producing top-quality foods have one big advantage over the corporate giants: Their production runs are small enough that they can formulate foods using ingredients of amazing quality, and the consumers most committed to their dogs’ health will pay whatever these foods cost. For the present, these are the companies who are making the healthiest foods. (The small companies may not make the most consistent products, however; see “Made in a Secret Location,” WDJ January 2003.)

But (as the pet food company owner I quoted earlier suggested), if some of the bigger companies applied their ingredient purchasing power, self-owned and -operated manufacturing plants, and giant advertising budgets to work on products that contained even just good-quality ingredients, they could pose a real danger to the roughly 13 percent of the pet food market collectively served by all the little companies. Currently, that’s what’s left of the US pet food market-share pie after Nestlé Purina takes its 30 percent; Iams takes its 14 percent; Hill’s, MasterFoods USA, and Ol’ Roy take 10 percent each; and Nutro takes its 5 percent.

It’s worth it
Because virtually all the foods that are on our “Top Dry Foods” lists, past and present, are represented among that tiny 13 percent market share, you can expect them to be more difficult to find. Recently I was amused by an honest counterperson – obviously a new hire – at a really great independent pet supply store, where I was asking about an obscure new food. She said, “Is that a dog food you’ve seen on TV? Because if you’ve seen it on TV, we don’t have it. I’ve never heard of any of the foods we have here,” she finished ruefully. Let me just say, “That’s our kind of pet store!”

By and large, the giant chain pet supply stores carry few foods we consider to be really good. (I got in trouble last year when I said none of the giant chain stores carry any of our selections. A few carry a few.) In general, you have to look for independent pet supply stores owned by really knowledgeable dog people. Many of the makers of the foods we highlight will sell directly to pet owners, sometimes splitting shipping costs. In other cases, I’ve heard of people approaching their local groomer, breeder, or even health food store, and asking the store owner to carry one or two of the foods they like best. If the buyer can tell the store owner that he or she will buy a certain amount of the food monthly, and convince X number of their friends to buy that food, too, the store owner may be able to expand his inventory to include that food.

Expect to pay more for top-quality foods – maybe two or three times more than you may have paid for lesser-quality products. Top-quality foods are necessarily expensive because top-quality ingredients cost more than food fragments cast off from the human food industry.

What we did and didn’t do
We did something new this year. Instead of essentially re-reviewing many of our past selections, we concentrated on finding products that we’ve never listed before. All of our past picks (listed below left) still meet our selection criteria (which is listed directly below). As you’ll see, we’ve “deselected” only one of our past picks: Best In Show, whose maker has gone out of business.

In every case, all the different varieties or “flavors” of a given dog food line are also approved. For example, we like the entire “Prairie” line of foods made by Nature’s Variety, not just the lamb-based food. However, some manufacturers (such as Royal Canin) make several different lines or “families” of foods, targeted to very different price points and formulated accordingly. Unless we indicated an additional line or family was approved, assume it is not.

• The following are things we did NOT do when we selected our past and new “Top Dry Foods.”

• We DID NOT reject any of our past selections. All of our past selections (listed at end of story) still meet our selection criteria.

• We DID NOT conduct lab tests to make sure the “Guaranteed Analysis” printed on the label accurately reflects the contents; that’s the job of state feed control officials.

• We DID NOT inspect manufacturing plants or verify ingredient claims. For example, some companies say they use organically grown foods, or human-grade ingredients. At some point in the future, we’ll be asking manufacturers to show us proof that these ingredients are what they say they are. We’ll keep you posted.

• We DID NOT select foods on the basis of protein or fat content; more is not always better. Some dogs need more; some dogs need less. It’s a good idea to note the protein and fat content of any food that seems to suit your dog, as well as the levels in foods that distress him. This information can help you make future selections.

• We DID NOT examine every food on the market. That would be impossible! You may find a food that looks as good or better than ours. Good for you! Send us some information about it; we’d love to share.

• We dID NOt rank-order the foods. They are presented in alphabetical order.

Choose three or four
We can’t say it enough, so we’ll say it in capital letters: THERE IS NO SINGLE “BEST” FOOD. We still like all the foods we’ve chosen in past years, and we like all these newer foods, too.

To determine which ones might be most appropriate for your dog, you will have to try a few. All dogs are different; some do better on higher-protein foods, some do better on lower-protein foods. Some can’t digest chicken. Some break out if they eat wheat. Try a likely candidate for a month or two. If your dog has problems, it doesn’t mean it’s a “bad” food; it just disagrees with your dog. Give the food away and try another one!

If, on the other hand, your dog has had chronic health problems, such as infected ears, itchy paws, or runny eyes, and these symptoms clear up, you’re on the right track. A good dog food will contribute to a healthy coat, good energy level, balanced temperament, and flawless health.

Don’t feed only one food for the rest of your dog’s life, either. That’s a surefire way to help him develop food allergies or intolerances. Any nutrient deficiency, excess, or imbalance expressed in a food can become entrenched in your dog’s body if that’s all he’s fed for years on end. (See “Variety Is the Spice of Life,” WDJ June 2001, for more information about the importance of occasionally switching foods.)

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Additional Whole Dog Journal 2008 Approved Dry Foods”
Click here to view “Focusing in On The Main Ingredients in Commercial Dog Foods”
Click here to view “20 Dry Dog Food Shopping Tips”

———-

Nancy Kerns is editor of WDJ. Dry food reviews have appeared in each February issue since 1998.

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A Two-Dog Household

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

About four years ago, when my 10-year-old son, Eli, first started asking for a dog of his own, I told him that we couldn’t possibly get another dog until Rupert died. Rupe has never been all that interested in other dogs, preferring by far to spend time with humans. Today I understand that this is due to my failure to do all I should have done to socialize him. Nevertheless, he doesn’t like it when other dogs come over to our house, or worse, stay a few days. And I’ve always thought that, as a senior citizen, Rupe deserved to live as the undisputed canine king of his own home in his final years.

The problem (at least, as my son has seen it) is that Rupert has lived a lot longer than I originally thought he would! Four years ago, when I told Eli that he would have to wait for Rupert to pass before he could get a dog, I didn’t think Rupe would last more than another year or so. He’s 13 now, and frankly, looking better now than he did four years ago.

Anyway, as I’ve mentioned before, my sister’s family dog came to stay with us for a few months last summer, as the family was cruising up the East Coast on a sailboat, and the long-haired Chihuahua was judged to be an unfit sailor. At the time, Mokie was just over a year old, and too full of energy (and too apt to chew on ropes and wires) to bring onto the boat. So they shipped him out here, and he got put to work testing training methods and products, modeling for photos, and, of course, winning my son’s heart. Oh yeah; mine, too.

So, that explains why sharp-eyed readers have seen a certain cute Chihuahua face in the pages of the most recent WDJ issues. Mokie never went home. As it turns out, only my sister (not her husband nor her two teenaged daughters) missed him, and even she didn’t miss him a lot. Really, they are all too busy for such a busy little dog.

Fortunately, the engaging little scrap doesn’t seem to register on Rupe’s anti-dog radar. Could he be just too small (six pounds) for Rupert to really regard him as another dog? I don’t know. For some reason, Mokie just doesn’t set off Rupe’s jealousy or need to assert himself as the dominant dog. The two of them mostly pretend not to see each other.

Happily, the two kids (Mokie and my son) get along famously. Eli enjoys teaching the quick little dog to do tricks, and Mokie loves sleeping under Eli’s covers and wrestling over Beanie Babies. And, since Mokie is still apt to chew on things he finds on the floor, I no longer have to nag my son to keep his room picked up; I just say, “Hey Eli, Mokie just got something out of your room!”

Presto! The room gets cleaned.


-Nancy Kerns

Dogs Communicate Well Both Verbally and With Body Language

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

As I scooped horse manure in my barnyard this morning, I heard a cacophony of dog noise over a nearby hill. My “dog radar” alerted immediately as I listened for canine distress sounds. Upon concluding that it was a pack of hounds that some hunter had let loose, joyfully giving voice to their pursuit of quarry, I returned to my rural exercise program.

My manure meditation was next interrupted by Tucker, our 75-pound Cattle Dog mix, whose guttural barks warned away the Australian Shepherd who routinely wanders over from three houses away and fights through the fence with Tucker. The ugly sounds ceased before I could intervene, and I made yet another mental note to go plead with the Aussie’s owners to keep him at home where he belongs.

Barn chores completed, I walked back to the house, and was welcomed by the staccato greeting barks of Katie, our Australian Kelpie. Her cheerful “Hello” always ends in a most endearing series of “woo-woo” sounds that brings a smile to my face. Entering the house, I could hear the irritating and persistent, high-pitched demand barking of Dusty, our Pomeranian, who knew that his breakfast was next on the morning agenda. As I let him in to stop his chatter, Dubhy, the Scottie, issued several gruff “alert” barks, announcing the arrival of the neighbor cat who gratuitously does rodent patrol in our barn.

Who says dogs can’t talk? In less than 30 minutes, I had been treated to five audible canine communications, each with a clear and distinct meaning and purpose. While dogs are, indeed, exquisite body language communicators, they are no slouch in the vocal communication department. It behooves us to pay attention to what they have to say, and to use it to our advantage to enhance our relationships with them.

When we discuss barking in a dog-training context we tend to focus on canine vocalization as a problem. However, like so many other dog behaviors that may be considered unacceptable or inappropriate in our society, barking serves a useful purpose to the dog. To him, it’s all appropriate bark-ing! Only when human and canine cultures clash does it become a problem.

Let’s look at some of the types of barking that dogs engage in, the reasons for the barking, and what we should do about them.

Territorial / Protective Barking
These utterances may start as low growls or barks that become sharper and more rapid as the intruder approaches. The dog’s posture is usually threatening – tail high, ears up and forward. While territorial barking may be diminished to some degree by spaying or neutering, surgery won’t stop it completely. Tucker and Dubhy, both neutered, were doing territorial barking this morning; one at a canine intruder, one at a feline trespasser. They also do protective barking at cars or delivery trucks that venture up our long driveway, and when visitors knock at the door.

A limited amount of protective barking may be a good thing. Backyard protective/territorial barking can be reduced by minimizing the visual stimuli – making the fence a solid privacy fence rather than chain-link see-through (or worse, electronic, non-visible.) Living in the country, I like to have a little audible deterrent for any trespassers who may have evil intentions. I suspect those living in the city do, too. However, whether city or country, indoors or out, it’s nice to be able to turn off the deterrent after two or three barks.

Don’t make the mistake of yelling at your dog for barking. He may well think you’re joining his attempts to ward off the intruder, and redouble his efforts. There’s no point in getting angry – it just gets your adrenaline pumping as well as his! Besides, he has no way of knowing who he should bark at and who he shouldn’t – it’s simply his job to alert you to the presence of a non-family member. The best way to turn off his bark is by teaching him a “quiet” cue. It’s easier than you might think.

I start by teaching a “positive interrupt” independent of the barking behavior. When your dog is calm and relaxed, say “Over here!” in a cheerful tone of voice, make a kissy noise if necessary to get his attention, and feed him a tasty treat when he looks at you, or comes to you. Repeat this exercise until your “Over here!” elicits a prompt and happy response every time. Now you are ready to try it out with the barking.

Ask a friend to help you. Have her come to your house and knock on the door to elicit the barking. Let your your dog bark three times, then tell him “Over here!” (remember to keep it cheerful). If he doesn’t respond, put a bit of delectably high-value treat (such as canned chicken) under his nose to turn his attention to you. When he stops barking, tell him he’s a good boy, and feed him a few more chicken tidbits. Then have your friend knock again. Repeat the exercise until he will respond to your “Over here!” cue as soon as you give it. Then take a break and invite your friend in for coffee and cookies. Remember to let your dog bark three times each time before you give the cue, or he may learn to not bark at all!

You might need to invite your friend back for a few more visits to get your dog reliably responding on the first knock each time. When he seems to have the idea, you can start calmly adding the word “Quiet!” or “Quiet, please” after the “Over here!” cue. Eventually you will be able to just say, “Quiet, please,” without the “Over here!” to stop the barking. I personally love the “Quiet, please” cue, and always follow it with a “Thank you!” You can easily generalize this to other protective barking situations, and over time, you can gradually randomize the treat reward, replacing it with praise and petting (if those are rewarding to your dog), with only an occasional treat.

Attention-Seeking / Demand Barking
This is the kind of barking that dear little Dusty does when he wants his breakfast. While we generally consider demand barking to be “bad,” it is also what Dubhy does when he makes a sweet little grumbling noise in his throat to tell me he has to go outside.

Many of our dogs use attention-seeking sounds and behaviors to let us know they have a need that they would like taken care of. Whining is another common manifestation of demand behavior, often with an anxiety component. If we are in the habit of meeting our dogs every demand, then yes, it can become oppressive. Properly managed, it can be a charming communication tool to help us understand our canine companions.

Dusty’s breakfast barking is the epitome of annoying little-dog yapping. If I wanted to fix it, I would need to very consistently ignore the behavior I don’t want (breakfast barking) and reward the behavior I do want (waiting calmly outside for me to open the door to let him in for breakfast). I know this, and I will confess that I have deliberately chosen simply to let him in to eat to stop his barking. It is the only time he does it, and the time and effort it would take to change the behavior just isn’t worth it to me.

Making a behavior go away by removing the reward that the dog enjoys for it is called “extinction.” It can be a very effective behavior modification technique, and I use it often with clients whose dogs liberally engage in demand barking. We see it most frequently in class, when the dog knows his human is in training mode and has treats at hand. (Since I almost always carry treats, my dogs don’t see this as a reliable predictor that they will necessarily get a steady flow of treats, hence, no demand barking.)

In class, I tell my students that they must consistently turn their backs on their dogs as soon as the demand barking starts, and then, when the dog is silent, say “Yes, quiet!” and turn around to give the dog attention and/or a treat. The dog must learn that it is “quiet” that earns attention and treats, not barking or whining.

When the human is consistent, the method works beautifully – especially if the person is savvy enough to recognize the behavior in its early stages, before it is deeply ingrained. However, dog owners have varying degrees of success with this, for several reasons.

A lack of promptness and/or consistency will decrease the effectiveness of this method. The quicker and more consistent you are in ignoring the dog, the faster the dog gets the message. Behaviors that are occasionally rewarded become very durable, so if you sometimes give in to the dog’s demand barking, even inadvertently, the dog will keep trying, and it becomes even harder to extinguish. Eye contact is attention, so if you just look at the dog before turning away, you have rewarded the barking behavior.

Another reason for varying degrees of success is something called an “extinction burst.” When you try to extinguish a behavior that has been very successful for your dog in the past, he is likely to engage in an extinction burst, which is akin to the temper tantrum of a spoiled child. He may bark louder, longer, and more insistently in order to try to get the behavior to work that has worked so well in the past. If you give in during the extinction burst, you have taught him to offer a much more intense level of behavior, and your life becomes even harder.

The degree to which you reward your dog’s quiet behavior will also affect your rate of training success. If your dog demand-barks for your attention, it is important to give him attention before he barks. Otherwise he will learn a behavior chain of: bark, get ignored, be quiet, then get attention.

I put up with Dusty’s demand barking because I don’t want to go through the headache of his extinction burst. I treasure Dubhy’s “potty grumbles,” but I make sure he’s not using it because he wants to go out, but because (I think) he really has to go out. He gets to communicate, but not control.

Play / Excitement / Greeting Barks
This can be a fun kind of barking, as long as it doesn’t get carried away. It’s sort of nice to have someone who is “woo-woo” happy to see you even if you’ve only been out of the room for a minute or two. It can, however, get out of hand, and it’s nice to have a turn-off switch. You can use the same “Quiet, please” cue that we discussed under the “Protective Barking” section.

This is also an ideal place to use the “Ask for an Incompatible Behavior” technique. Simply teach your dog to greet you (or others) with a toy in her mouth. Have a basket of toys next to the door, and when someone comes in, pick up a toy and toss it for your dog to chase and bring back. With her mouth full of toy, the best she can do is a muffled bark. She’s more likely to be focused on “toy” than “bark” anyway! Before long, she’ll be seeking out the toy to greet people with, and you won’t even have to throw one.

Play barking can be a tad more difficult. Some dogs – especially the herding breeds, seem to have a genetic predisposition to bark when playing with other dogs, and with rowdy humans. Actually, I suspect they aren’t really playing – with their workaholic personalities I am sure they are actually hard at work, trying to round up their uncooperative playmates. Your best recourse with these barkers might be to come to an understanding with neighbors about appropriate barky play-times, and perhaps passing out earplugs to the entire neighborhood. Seriously though, when excited play leads to over-aroused barking, time-outs are an appropriate remedy. I suggest using an “Oops” as a “punishment marker” when removing the vocal offender from the play group in order to mark the behavior that earned the time-out. In time, the barker may learn to control her own voice in order to enjoy uninterrupted play privileges.

For the hunter whose dogs I heard baying over the hill, the “chase” barking of his hounds is beautiful music, and he wouldn’t dream of trying to modify that behavior!

Fear / Startle Barking
Dogs who bark out of fear can generally be identified by their body language. Unlike the protective barker who leans forward with ears pricked and tail high, the fear-barker is likely to hold her tail low, flatten her ears, and back away from the fearful object. The best approach to modifying fear-barking behavior is to desensitize and counter-condition the dog to the things that frighten her. A puppy who is well-socialized during the first four weeks to four months of her life is unlikely to become a fear barker if her humans continue to provide her with positive social experiences throughout her lifetime. (See “Canine Social Misfits,” February 2000.)

Desensitization and counter-conditioning are modification techniques that help a dog learn to have positive associations with things that she previously viewed as negative and scary. The process involves presenting a scary stimulus at a safe distance, and associating its presence with something wonderful, such as canned chicken. As the dog learns to tolerate the scary thing – even look forward to it because it means something wonderful – the intensity of the stimulus is gradually increased. You may need professional help with this process in order to successfully desensitize your dog. Meanwhile, you want to try very hard to avoid putting your dog in situations that cause her to bark out of fear.

Health / Age-Related Barking
As our faithful friends age, they sometimes succumb to a condition only recently identified as Canine Cognitive Disorder (CCD), where they become disoriented easily and can get lost in their own backyards, trapped behind furniture, forget that they are housetrained, pace, stare into space, and not always recognize friends or family members.

According to Pfizer Pharmaceutical, 62 percent of dogs age 10 years and older experience at least some of the symptoms related to CCD. Along with this syndrome, or unrelated but also linked to age and its accompanying impaired hearing and vision, may come an increase in barking, whining, or howling, as the dog expresses frustration with the mysterious changes in her ability to function.

In either case, it can help to keep your dog’s world as simple as possible, and avoid making major changes in her environment. Understanding why the barking has increased can help you be sympathetic rather than angry with her, and give you the patience to simply extricate her when she barks because she’s stuck in the corner again. If you think your dog may be suffering from CCD, you can consult with your veterinarian about a new drug, Anipryl, which has been shown to alleviate some of the symptoms of aging.

Perhaps also related to some environmental frustration, or their own inability to hear themselves, deaf dogs are sometimes reported to be barkier than normal hearing dogs. A positive interrupt, using a light beam or vibrating collar as the interrupt signal, can also be effective in teaching deaf dogs a non-verbal “Quiet, please” cue.

Social Isolation / Boredom / Frustration Barking
This is by far the saddest category of barking behavior, and probably the least normal. It is the incessant barking of the dog who is removed from the normal social interaction of the rest of his family, be it canine or human. It’s the dog who barks all day and all night in the backyard, bored and lonely. It’s the puppy who is crated in the basement, miserable, crying to be back with her littermates. It’s the dog who suffers from separation anxiety, who screams for hours, voicing his panic at being left alone.

In his normal, natural world, a canine lives with other members of his pack virtually 24 hours a day. It speaks volumes for the adaptability of the domestic dog that he can learn to tolerate being left alone. But if you have a dog whose barking falls into this category, then it’s time to examine your lifestyle and make some changes to better meet his needs for social interaction and stimulation.

If he’s a backyard dog, bring him in. If he’s a neighbor’s backyard dog, talk to them about bringing the dog indoors, or at least enriching the dog’s environment with interactive toys and other activities that will improve the quality of his life and reduce the need for barking. You can use crates, tethers, and pens to prevent chaos while the backyard dog learns house manners.

If the barking dog must be left alone all day, search out a daycare situation – perhaps a commercial doggie daycare, or a friend or neighbor who would like company, or whose home-alone dog might also like a pal. Take him to a training class – or several. Have him go jogging or hiking with you. Discover a dog sport that can showcase his natural talents. Join a dog club. Find a dog park in your community – or start one.

If your dog has separation anxiety, seek the help of a qualified trainer/behaviorist who can help you overcome his panic attacks. (See “Learning to Be Alone,” July 2001, and “Relieving Anxiety,” August 2001.) Make him a full-fledged member of your family, and he will no longer be bored, lonely, and frustrated.

The next time you hear a dog bark, rather than being angry or irritated, stop and try to figure out what the dog is saying. Enjoy the fact that dogs can communicate with us vocally as well as with body language, and decide if it’s a communication that merits reflection, a response, or just a smile.

Also With This Article
Click here to view “Modifying Your Dog’s Barking Behavior.”

-by Pat Miller

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

Licorice Root for Dogs: Soothing and Healing

By
Gregory L. Tilford
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2
Licorice root for dogs offers many potential benefits.

[Updated November 13, 2017]

LICORICE FOR DOGS: OVERVIEW

1. Look for glycerine-based tinctures made from organically grown licorice, or make your own topical licorice oil.

2. Check the contraindications for licorice listed at the end of this article.

3. Let your veterinarian know you are adding licorice to your dog’s healthcare regimen so that she can help you monitor its effects – and possibly reduce your dog’s other medications.

As in nature itself, there are no absolutes in natural medicine. The “silver bullet remedy” and “miracle cure” are only myths. A dermatological shampoo does not cure chronic eczema that stems from liver dysfunction; nor does an herb that contains aspirin-like compounds (i.e., salicylates) cure the underlying cause of a headache – they only suppress the uncomfortable symptoms of what may be a deeper problem.

Such “miracle remedies” allow us to temporarily push disease from consciousness during times when complete healing seems out of practical or philosophical reach. However, when opting to alleviate your dog’s pain and suffering, it is important to realize that suppression of symptoms will seldom constitute a complete cure – especially when the effectiveness of an anti-inflammatory or analgesic drug prompts us to forget the real problems. Of course, our decisions to use such remedies are based largely on personal freedom of choice.

licorice plant

But what about our animals? They don’t enjoy such freedom of choice. Instead they must rely upon us to make weighty decisions on their behalf, and as caring guardians who are tormented by the sight of a suffering companion, we sometimes find ourselves with the difficult choice of providing comfort over cure.

Of course we wish for our companion animals to have a long, healthy life, without the liver-damaging effects of anti-inflammatory drug therapies or the immunosuppressive results of corticosteroid drugs – but we also wish for them to be comfortable.

Fortunately, there are a few herbs that stand out from all others in their ability to address both sides of this difficult issue. Some herbs can provide not only a holistic therapeutic approach, but also a measure of comfort and relief during periods of crisis. In fact, one of the best of these “near-miracle herbs” is easy to find, grows like a weed, and tastes like candy.

I am referring to the Glycyrrhizza species, licorice, an ancient medicine with a multitude of modern applications.

Licorice’s Healing History

The ethnobotanical use of licorice dates back thousands of years, and its history in veterinary applications is probably just as ancient. In Europe it has been considered a valued medicine and trade commodity for at least a thousand years. By the 13th century licorice was already being cultivated for international trade. And in China, licorice is still used in more applications than any other herb – even more than ginseng.

Licorice root is useful for maladies ranging from stomach upset and ulcers to the treatment of cancer. And unlike many botanical medicines that are seen by science as anecdotal curiosities, contemporary herbalists and modern researchers continue to validate the effectiveness of licorice with modern science. Literal libraries of information have been compiled on the attributes of Glycyrrhizza – and it appears that we have only begun to scratch the surface of what this wonderful herb has to offer.

Licorice’s Anti-Inflammatory Action

Most people who have taken their animals to a conventional veterinarian for treatment of a chronic inflammatory disorder have witnessed the bittersweet use of hydrocortisone and other corticosteroid drugs (such as prednisone). In many ways these drugs are close to “miracle medicines” in their ability to relieve inflammation, itchiness, and even the symptoms of cancer and nervous diseases.

But almost as quickly as we embrace the wonders of steroid therapies we are forced to recognize that they are seldom a “cure” for anything. The side effects associated with steroid drugs may be worse that the disease we wish to combat; almost immediately we can expect to see acute water retention and weight gain, and as time passes (often within two weeks), side effects may also include hypertension, altered mood and personality, heart attack, osteoporosis, and chronic illness due to depressed immune function. In many cases, antibiotics, strong diuretics, and mineral supplements become necessary just to antidote the corticosteroids.

To illustrate the implications of corticosteroid therapies all we need to do is look at how cortisone-like drugs actually work: they suppress the immune system functions and inflammatory responses that are responsible for an animal’s discomfort. By decreasing natural production of lymphocytes and antibodies, and by altering normal defensive functions of the body, corticosteroids can often make disease symptoms disappear very quickly. However, continued use of corticosteroids will eventually induce a serious state of immune deficiency that can be very difficult to reverse, and can even be fatal.

lick granuloma

Fortunately, licorice root may provide us with some safer options. Several studies have confirmed its usefulness as an effective, fast-acting, anti-inflammatory agent. In fact, many holistic practitioners use licorice as a substitute for anti-inflammatory drugs or to reduce an animal’s need for corticosteroids.

The anti-inflammatory activity of licorice root is primarily attributable to a chemical called “glycyrrhizin” present in the plant. Glycyrrhizin is similar to the natural cortisone that is released by the body’s adrenal glands. Glycyrrhizin effectively stimulates the adrenals into action, while introducing its own anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, immune-supporting corticosteroid-like actions to the body. As a result, licorice helps relieve pain, itching, and inflammation without completely bypassing normal anti-inflammatory functions, and without seriously compromising the immune system.

All of this makes licorice useful against a wide variety of inflammatory diseases. In a study where arthritis was induced into rats through injections of formaldehyde (I know this is terrible!), a by-product of glycyrrhizin called glycyrretic acid was produced in the body and was shown to have obvious anti-arthritic actions that are comparable to those of hydrocortisone.

Glycyrrhizin has also been shown to potentiate the effects of cortisone-like drugs in the body. This makes the herb a useful adjunct in corticosteroid therapies, as the drug-strengthening effect of licorice will allow for lower drug dosages without comprising therapeutic effectiveness. When used in this capacity licorice may help reduce the debilitating side effects of steroid drugs in long term therapies, and may also be useful in assuring safe withdrawal when the patient is weaned off of the steroids.

Licorice’s Skin Benefits for Dogs

The anti-inflammatory properties of licorice root are also useful when topically applied. Licorice tea, salve, or oil infusion can be used to relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of various skin disorders, such as psoriasis, eczema, contact dermatitis, and flea-bite allergies.

In this capacity, licorice provides a degree of relief while long-term holistic therapies are under way. For example, licorice may help alleviate a dog’s itching while a detox/allergy therapy consisting of internal doses of burdock, dandelion, alfalfa, or other alterative (blood-cleansing) herbs address the underlying metabolic causes through tonification of the involved body systems.

To make a simple oil infusion all you need is some chopped, dried licorice root (available at any good herb retailer) and some olive oil. Put the root into a glass jar and cover it with enough oil to leave a half-inch layer of liquid above the herb. Cover the jar tightly, put it a warm place (55° – 75°F), away from sunlight, and forget about it for one month. After a month, strain the oil through a sieve, and then squeeze what you can from the herb by wrapping it in unbleached muslin or cheesecloth. You now have sweet-tasting licorice oil that will keep for several months if refrigerated. Apply it topically to his skin as needed, but expect your companion to lick it off; it tastes like candy!

Canine Liver Benefits of Licorice

In addition to its powerful anti-inflammatory actions, licorice root is also useful in the treatment and prevention of many forms of liver disease. Over the past two decades, medical researchers in China and Japan have found (through animal studies) that extracts of licorice root are useful in the treatment of chronic and chemically induced hepatitis, and that the herb has liver-protectant qualities that are no less significant than those offered by the popular liver herb, milk thistle (Silybum marianum).

However, the mechanisms by which licorice root works in the liver are quite different from those of milk thistle. While milk thistle has been shown to resist liver cell destruction largely through protection of the cell walls and by antioxidant actions, licorice works through a broader diversity of effects.

In addition to a protectant action that glycyrrhizin has upon the liver cells, licorice also enhances interferon and T-cell production, two natural actions that are critical to liver repair and general resistance to disease.

In Chinese medicine, licorice is commonly used as a “liver detoxifier” in the treatment of obstructive jaundice. And in several studies licorice has been shown to benefit animals who are suffering from liver damage due to absorbed or ingested toxins, such as carbon tetrachloride.

Licorice’s for Dogs: Immune System Benefits

In a very recent study, the root of Glycyrrhizza uralensis (an Asian species of licorice) was found to have a potentiating effect on the reticuloendothelial system; the body’s first line of defense against infection. In essence, the reticulo-endothelial system is comprised of specialized cells whose jobs are to seek out and eliminate invading microbes and dead blood cells, and licorice helps to stimulate these little bloodstream warriors into action.

Using Licorice on Your Dog

Like all herbal medicines, a major problem with the use of licorice in animals is getting it into them, or keeping it on them. Here licorice affords us another comfort; it’s naturally sweet! In fact the sweet flavor of licorice is often used to mask the unpleasant flavor of other herbs.

Animals' Apawthecary's licorice tincture

The next time you give your dog an herb she hates, try adding a small percentage of low-alcohol licorice root extract (say 5 – 10 percent) to the total volume of the dose. You may find that the sweet flavor makes the administration experience more pleasant for both of you, and even if the “taste test” fails, you have potentiated your other herbs with the healing benefits of licorice!

In therapeutic applications involving animals, you are likely to find the best results when using liquid extracts (tinctures). Feeding dried, chopped roots to herbivores is fine if tolerated, but dogs and cats have very short digestive tracts that may not absorb the active constituents quickly and completely.

Herb tinctures are free-form medicines, with active constituents that are readily available and quickly assimilated early in the digestive process. This means that less active material will be lost during digestion, and more will end up in your dog instead of her waste.

Dosage is entirely dependent upon individual needs and circumstances and should be determined by a trained practitioner, but 12-20 drops per 20 lbs. of body weight, two times daily, of low-alcohol licorice extract is a conservative starting point for those who insist on proceeding without professional advice. You can double this amount if you are using a cooled tea (1 tsp. of the root to a cup of water).

Potential Licorice Side Effects on Dogs

Like all herbal medicines, the primary rule is moderation and insight when using licorice. Most herbalists and practitioners will agree that the risks of adverse side effects from licorice are limited to those who recklessly abuse it.

I have never seen a case of licorice-induced toxicity – but if used in large, highly concentrated doses (especially over long periods of time), it is conceivable that corticosteroid-like side effects could occur, including water retention, hypertension, and loss of potassium, sodium retention and other symptoms of adrenal hyperactivity. In human studies, the large majority of these side effects have been observed following the excessive consumption of European licorice candy, which is made from a very concentrated, pressed extract of the root. (Most licorice candy produced in America contains absolutely no real licorice, but instead an artificial flavoring or the extracts of other plants that taste similar). Nevertheless, licorice should not be used with reckless abandon or in normal doses for periods exceeding two weeks without the instructions of a qualified practitioner.

If a licorice therapy does exceed two weeks, then diet should be adjusted to accommodate increased needs for potassium, and to eliminate excess sodium. Dandelion would be well indicated here, as it works as an effective diuretic to prevent water retention while providing an excellent source of supplemental potassium. Animals with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions should not be given licorice without professional guidance.

Licorice has also been shown to have estrogenic properties that may affect uterine functions. Therefore, licorice should not be used in pregnant or nursing animals.

Dog Training Camp Programs

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

[Updated December 26, 2018]

Camping means different things to different people, but to dogs, camping means fun!

Like most things with the word “camp” in them, dog camps generally take place in the country and involve sleeping away from home. The camps come in two main types: intensive training-oriented seminars and “fun camps,” where dog-oriented socializing and entertainment are the order of the day.

hiking camp for dogs

Camp Gone to the Dogs, the oldest and most famous “fun camp,” has offered week-long vacations for people and their dogs at Vermont school campuses and country inns since 1990. “When we feature sports like agility and obedience,” says camp founder and director Honey Loring, “the emphasis is never on competition. Our goal is to have fun.”

In training-oriented camps, the focus is on in-depth education in canine sports and occupations, including competition obedience, Schutzhund, agility, flyball, tracking, field training (hunting), search and rescue, water sports, sheep herding, mushing, backpacking, clicker training, disc dog (Frisbee), and more.

Whether your concept of a vacation with your dog is relaxing or intense, and your idea of “camping” is electricity-free or just free of cable TV, there is a camp for you.

Picking the Right Camp for Your Dog

In fact, the selection is so bewildering that we consulted veteran camp enthusiast Dana Crevling for guidance. Crevling has attended and worked at more dog camps than she can remember, starting with Jack and Wendy Volhard’s Instructor School/Training Camp in the mid-1980s. Her own Competitive Edge Sports Camp is now in its fourth year.

Finding the right camp for you and your dog, says Crevling, involves many considerations. For example, would you and your dog be more comfortable in a large, active camp, or a quiet, more intimate program?

“Large camps offer things that small camps can’t,” Crevling says, “like a wide variety of staffing and activities, while small camps provide a more personal atmosphere and individual attention. People who haven’t thought this through often choose camps that aren’t good matches for their personality or learning style. Camps can be overwhelming. How do you and your dog cope with stress, distractions, busy schedules, crowds, and other dogs? Will the camp’s activity level be comfortable for both of you?”

Next, consider your interests and experience. Do you and your dog enjoy obedience? Agility? Flyball? Would you like to try herding? Lure coursing? Tracking? Are you interested in canine behavior, clicker training, or training in general? Do you want to take a qualifying test for a sport or activity?

“If all you want is an informal introduction to something you haven’t tried,” says Crevling, “most camps that offer it will be fine. But if you’re already working at an intermediate or advanced level, or if you want specialized training or individual attention, you’ll want to be more selective.”

In order to do this, be clear about your goals. Do you want to relax and play with your dog? Shave two seconds off your agility time? Earn a credential? Work with a specific trainer?

“Defining your goals,” says Crevling, “helps prevent the nightmare of finding yourself at the wrong camp, in a class that’s too elementary or too advanced, in sessions taught by someone other than the person you wanted to work with, or in classes that are too large or too small for comfort.”

Once you’ve zeroed in on the type of camp you want to attend, you have to consider the possible locations. Many of us won’t fly our dogs, which makes distance a deciding factor. However you get there, consider the effect that the trip will have on you and your dog. For best results, plan your travel so as to arrive with enough time to begin camp feeling relaxed, not frazzled.

Considerations for Choosing a Dog Camp

Once you know what you want, it’s time to research camp programs. “To make a good investment of time, money, and energy, start with basic research,” says Crevling. Many camps have websites that describe activities, staff, and accommodations. Contact the camps’ directors for more information, including referrals to campers who attended the previous year.”

As you research, ask the following:

How large is the camp? Some camps accommodate more than 250 participants and auditors (observers). That’s big! And some are so small, they limit attendance to 6 or 10. What size best suits you and your dog?

How is the camp organized? What is the camp’s layout? Are classes indoors or outdoors? Nothing beats fresh air and beautiful scenery, but what if it rains all week?

Is the camp a day camp or sleep-over camp? Day camps provide classes, lunch, and in some cases evening events, but campers are otherwise on their own. Sleep-over camps offer a total package with more camaraderie but less privacy.

Accommodations range from tents to dorm rooms, cabins, motels, and RV hookups. “If you’re a real comfort person,” warns Crevling, “you won’t enjoy a camp where you need a flashlight to find the bathroom.” Day camps provide a list of nearby dog-friendly motels and bed and breakfast inns, and many sleep-over camps do the same for those who prefer a more comfortable or more private room.

How are classes structured? “In a tightly structured camp,” says Crevling, “you know what time each class starts and ends and who’s teaching it. In a loosely structured camp, you’re given general topics for the day, and people rotate through stations, working on each concept or project until they complete it. To someone who likes a specific schedule, the relaxed approach seems unfocused and vague, and to someone who likes the relaxed approach, a fixed schedule is too rigid and arbitrary. Check previous schedules, contact the director, and talk to campers who have been there to be sure a camp’s classes will be a good fit for you and your dog.”

How large are the classes? Class size will help you compare prices, especially in sports where one person works with the instructor and everyone else waits. The importance of class size depends on your sport, how the camp is organized, and how much individual attention you want.

What is the camp’s philosophy? At one camp the focus might be on deepening your relationship with your dog, with instructors who are skilled people trainers as well as dog trainers. At another the focus might be on performance, with instructors taking a more businesslike approach. Training methods differ, too.

CAMPS FOR DOGS

Contact camps for session information and dates. Abbreviations for various training offerings are listed below.

A = Agility
B = Backpacking
C = Carting
CT = Clicker Training
D = Disc (Frisbee)
F = Flyball
H = Herding 
L = Lure Coursing
M = Musical Freestyle
O = Obedience
R = Rally Obedience
S = Search & Rescue
T = Tracking
TT = Tellington TTouch
W = Water Sports
+ = More
++ = Much More

Sleepover Camps for Dogs

The Getaway at Glen Highland Farm (A, CT, H, O, TT, ++)

Highland Vue, Morris, NY. (607) 263-5415

Camp Dogwood (A, B, C, D, F, H, L, O, R, T, ++, Fun camp)

Chicago, IL. (312) 458-9549

Camp Gone to the Dogs (A, CT, F, H, L, M, O, R, T, ++, Fun camp)

Putney, VT 05346. (802) 387-4673

Dogs Of Course (A, +)

Upton, MA. (508) 529-3568

Dog Scout Camp (A, B, CT, F, O, W, +)

Dog Scouts of America, St. Helen, MI. (989) 389- 2000

4-H “Fun with Your Dog” Camp (+)

Dana Palmer, 4-H Youth Programs, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853

Old Dominion K9 Search and Rescue Camp (S)

olddominionsar@hotmail.com, Appomattox, VA

Sheep Camp (H, CT)

Raspberry Ridge Sheep Farm, Bangor, PA. (610) 588-5262

Day Camps for Dogs

Agility Camp (A)

Orlando Dog Training Club, K. Clark. (407) 856- 4114

Agility Camp (A)

Shake-a-Paw Dog Training, (613) 258-1366

Camp “Waggin’ Train” (O)

Paws-Abilities, Tukwila, WA, (425) 277-3794

Clicker Agility Camp (A, CT, +)

Say Yes Dog Training, (610) 222-3645

Pawsitive Steps Agility Camp (A)

Kim Collins, (250) 964-1250

Power Paws Agility Camp (A)

Livermore, CA. (925) 294-8965

Volhard Training Camp & Instructor School (A, O, +)

Top Dog, FAX (540) 829-8153

Insider Tips from Veteran Campers

■ Policies vary from camp to camp, but sports and fun camps depend on campers to bring well-socialized dogs. Anyone with an extremely shy, fearful, or occasionally aggressive dog should consult with camp directors before registering. Dogs should not bark excessively.

■ Some camps require certain titles, training, or experience as prerequisites. Read contracts and waivers carefully before signing.

■ Bring appropriate equipment and food for your dog. Campers are expected to clean up after their dogs immediately and thoroughly. In most camps, dogs must be leashed unless specifically allowed off-leash. Dogs left in rooms must be crated and stay quiet. In most camps, state health regulations do not permit dogs in dining rooms, and some states prohibit smoking in all rooms.

■ In most cases, campers must be 18 or over, although some camps allow children age 13 to 17 if accompanied by an adult, and 4-H dog camps are specifically for children.

■ Most camps allow campers to bring two dogs, with an additional fee for the second dog. Some camps have special classes and play groups for puppies.

■ Females should not be in season. Vaccination requirements vary, but most camps require proof of rabies vaccination.

■ The more rustic or specialized the camp, the more campers are expected to be physically active.

■ Things you may want to bring: flashlight, alarm clock, lawn chair, camera, fan, tape recorder, sheet for placing under kennel, and cell phone (but keep it turned off during classes). Required at some camps: sleeping bag or sheets and blanket, pillow, and towels (for you and your dog!).

Other Considerations

“To compare camps fairly,” says Crevling, “you have to put them on an even playing field. How long does the camp last? Does the fee include your room and meals? Is there anything special about the food? Are classes limited in size, or is there open enrollment? Who are the instructors? What extras are included? What are your travel expenses? Will you need special equipment? Consider all the variables as you determine which camp offers the best value.”

ENROLL YOUR DOG IN CAMP: OVERVIEW

1. Make camp reservations as early as possible. Many summer camps are booked by the end of January, and most offer discounts for early enrollment.

2. If you and your dog are new to camping, look for a laidback program for your first experience. Camp can be overwhelming!

Liver Health in Dogs

By
Lorie Long
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LIVER HEALTH IN DOGS: OVERVIEW

1. Be alert to physical signs of liver problems: allergies, inflamed eyes, seizures, chronic anal sac problems, and digestive difficulties.

2. Consider a liver disorder as a possible contributor to the sudden onset of behavioral problems such as fearful aggression and separation anxiety.

3. Consult with a holistic veterinarian. She can diagnose liver problems, direct treatment, and assist you in planning changes in your dog’s diet.

Maryann, guardian of a young female terrier named Salsa, made an appointment for her veterinarian to spay her dog in the winter of last year. A couple of weeks after Maryann brought Salsa home from the veterinary clinic, Salsa began to vomit up her evening meal occasionally. Because Salsa exhibited her digestive upsets only once every two or three weeks, Maryann chalked the episodes up to an occasionally unsettled stomach. However, over the next few months, Salsa vomited her evening meal consistently, once every couple of weeks.

Later, Salsa began to show a growing sensitivity to loud noises, although the bangs and crashes that punctuate everyday life in a busy household were never an issue for Salsa in the past. Now she jumped and cowered when doors slammed or when Maryann dropped a pot lid on the kitchen floor. When spring arrived, Salsa became frightened of thunderstorms and hid in the clothes closet whenever a storm approached. Although Maryann’s veterinarian prescribed a mild sedative to help Salsa stay calm during a storm, Salsa remained agitated until the storm passed.

Unnerved by Salsa’s digestive problems and newly acquired sound sensitivity, Maryann decided to consult with a holistic veterinarian about these conditions. The doctor talked with Maryann about Salsa’s medical history, observed Salsa’s general demeanor in her office, and checked Salsa’s pulse and tongue. To Maryann’s surprise, the doctor advised her that she would be treating Salsa, using acupuncture and Chinese herbal combinations, for a liver disharmony.

Liver Health and Chinese Medicine

One of the main tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine is that qi (also known as chi, and understood as life-force energy) courses throughout the body in pathways known as meridians. Each meridian follows and affects aspects of the physical systems of the body. For example, the liver meridian runs across and affects the actual liver, and travels throughout the body affecting related functions.

So, when a physical organ such as the liver is discussed, it’s implied that the organ’s associated “energy meridian” is also involved.

For this reason, a veterinarian who studies and uses Oriental Medicine may describe symptoms of different sorts of liver disease in terms of the organ’s physiological function (or dysfunction) and in terms of problems with the liver meridian’s energy flow. These problems may include an energy excess, deficiency, or imbalance.

Assaults or “insults” to any of the energetic meridians can cause a disharmony or imbalance in the organ and its associated system, which can manifest itself as a particular health problem in the dog.

Maryann’s holistic veterinarian explained that the anesthesia administered during the operation to spay Salsa probably caused an imbalance in the state of health of Salsa’s liver, the organ responsible for processing the anesthesia and eliminating it from her dog’s body. Most dogs can “right” themselves after they have experienced an assault of this kind to one of their organs, like the liver, but not always. If the imbalance is not treated, a dog may begin to display symptoms associated with a liver imbalance, such as digestive problems or certain inappropriate behavioral responses to her environment.

So, according to Maryann’s veterinarian, the disruption of the energy in Salsa’s liver, which governs certain bodily systems like her digestion, resulted in several physical and behavioral manifestations, most commonly referred to as “symptoms.” Although Salsa had received treatment to relieve her symptoms, in the form of a tranquilizer for her fearfulness, the root cause of her health condition remained unidentified and untreated.

Chinese Herbs for Liver Imbalances

Visit Dr. Chris Bessent’s website for information about Chinese herbal remedies. Holistic veterinarians prefer to meet their patients in person, but, if you do not have access to a local veterinary herbalist, you can order Chinese herbs with the guidance of an herbalist. After your dog has taken the recommended herbal combinations for several weeks, the herbalist will check on your dog’s progress and evaluate any changes in your dog’s condition. The herbalist will modify the recommended herbal remedy based upon this feedback.

Herbs that harmonize the liver generally decrease heat in the body, and are described as cooling herbs. Some herbal combinations contain minerals that calm the spirit, and some concentrate on moving fluids smoothly through the dog’s body. The following are some of the Chinese herbal combinations Dr. Bessent uses to rebalance a disharmonious liver:

LIVER SYMPTOM CHINESE HERBAL COMBINATION
Aggression Bupleurum and Dragon Bone decoction
Separation anxiety Zizyphus decoctions
Allergies Coptis Relieve Toxicity decoction
Inflamed eyes Gentian Drain the Fire decoction
Anal sac problems Gentian Drain the Fire decoction
Vomiting Rambling Powder
Seizures Gastrodia and Uncaria decoction
Diarrhea Coptis Relieve Toxicity decoction

Liver Disease in Dogs Indicates Systemic Illness

Dr. Chris Bessent, a veterinarian and a certified veterinary acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, states that a majority of the cases she sees in her Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, practice have some liver involvement at some stage in the progression of symptoms. According to Dr. Bessent, our modern world introduces many stress factors into our dogs’ lives, such as the presence of toxins in the environment, treatment with repeated vaccinations or pesticides, emotional distress from lack of attention or training, and poor quality food or water.

Although conventional western medicine is slow to recognize that an excess of stress and extremes in emotions can translate into physical problems, holistic medical professionals have acknowledged this connection for a long time. It’s clear to holistic practitioners that there is a link between toxins or stress factors experienced by a dog to disharmony in the dog’s vital organs, which, in turn, may manifest in a seemingly unrelated symptom. At issue is the fact that conventional veterinarians may treat each individual symptom by suppressing it, such as prescribing a tranquilizer for a fearful dog, but they may not address the real, root cause of the problem.

Allopathic medicine offers few solutions to heal a diseased or malfunctioning canine liver. However, holistic medicine is very effective at treating the canine liver as the root cause of disease.

The Liver’s Role in Canine Health

The liver, located centrally in the dog’s body as the link between the breathing and circulatory activities of the chest and the digestive functions of the abdomen, works hard at its many tasks. The liver manufactures blood proteins and fat, and stores energy, fat-soluble vitamins, and iron. It removes drugs, chemicals, and other unusable substances from a dog’s body, and secretes the bile needed to digest food. The liver filters the blood to keep harmful bacteria from entering other parts of the body and prepares toxic waste materials for elimination by the kidneys. The liver operates as both a storage facility and a functional organ.

When Dr. Bessent sees a dog with health or behavioral problems for the first time, she diagnoses the dog using three resources or techniques:

• The owner’s account of the behavioral or physical abnormalities experienced by the dog, along with a physical examination of the dog in her office.

• Her own observation of the dog’s behavior in her office. A “disharmony of the liver” may cause an excess of heat in a dog’s body. An animal with a liver imbalance is always moving and does not sit in one place for very long. The dog may pant, drink more than usual, and/or exhibit thickened saliva.

• A tongue and pulse diagnosis. Taking the dog’s pulse on the inside of the dog’s rear legs, the doctor may feel that the pulse is taut, like a wire, sometimes called a “liver pulse.” The dog’s tongue may be purple or red, especially at the edges, indicating an imbalance in the liver.

When a dog’s liver is in a state of imbalance, she may present one or several behavioral and/or physical abnormalities. Although, at first glance, these abnormalities appear diverse and unrelated, their root cause can be found in the liver. Once Dr. Bessent has determined that a liver imbalance is the basis of the dog’s problem, she can treat the dog to rebalance the liver and relieve the root cause of the symptoms.

Liver Disease in Dogs

Behavioral manifestations of liver problems include both angry or aggressive responses as well as fearfulness. The emotions associated with the liver are anger, irritability, aggression, and frustration. A dog may display these emotions by excessively protecting her possessions, environment, or “space,” or by snapping or nipping. She may also display fearful aggression, like suddenly attacking a harmless visitor, separation anxiety, or a fear of loud noises and storms.

In essence, the dog is not settled in her world, and her actions are not responsive to normal behavior modification techniques. Dr. Bessent explains that harmonizing the dog’s liver, the source of these behavioral manifestations, can help normalize the dog’s reactions to its environment.

The physical manifestations of a liver imbalance include allergies, inflamed eyes, seizures, chronic anal sac problems, and digestive difficulties.

A dog with liver-related allergies experiences itching, especially in her paws, abdomen, head, and face. She may be hot to the touch, have red skin, and have weeping pustules. The dog’s coat may have a heavy, or phlegmy smell. Some dogs develop “stinky” ears not caused by a bacterial infection. These allergic reactions are the result of the dog’s hypersensitive response to toxins in her environment, which disrupts the energy flow in the dog’s liver and entire body, and increases the incidence and severity of future hypersensitive reactions.

Most allergic conditions are complicated because, if the root cause of the allergic reaction is not relieved, the dog’s body develops a general tendency to overreact to environmental allergens, and the effect becomes cumulative over time. As the allergic reactions continue to cascade and escalate, they become more difficult to treat.

Frequently, conventional veterinarians prescribe antihistamines and corticosteroids (prednisone, for example) to relieve the symptoms of allergies in dogs. However, steroids have a profoundly negative effect on the liver, and may eventually cause more harm than good, as higher doses are needed as time passes to control the increasingly severe allergic reactions from the dog.

Dr. Bessent recommends addressing allergies early, as soon as they begin to emerge in a dog, especially in young dogs. She finds that it takes only a few acupuncture treatments to rebalance a dog’s liver and reverse the allergic cascade, if managed right away.

A disharmony in the liver will likely cause inflamed eyes in the dog, either alone or in combination with other symptoms, and includes the development of a chronic discharge.

Seizures often result from a liver disharmony. Epilepsy, a diagnosis often arrived at by the process of elimination, may have its root cause in a liver imbalance. Traditionally, after examining the dog’s blood tests, doctors label a seizure condition for which the cause is unknown as epilepsy.

Dogs experiencing seizures from a liver disharmony are usually older, docile, slow-moving dogs. Their coats may be dull and they may have arthritis. Often, when these dogs are vaccinated, the insult from the vaccine imbalances their liver and they demonstrate a dramatic reaction, or seizure, to the change in their health equilibrium.

Although phenobarbital may stop the seizures, it does not balance any underlying disharmony of the liver. In many cases, this condition progresses to activate other problems, such as allergies and inflammatory bowel disease. Phenobarbital will not affect the evaluation of a pulse and tongue diagnosis, so a liver imbalance can be recognized even if the dog receives the drug. And, if the dog requires phenobarbital to control her seizures after receiving acupuncture treatments and herbal remedies, the holistic treatment may enable the dog to avoid seizures with a reduced dosage of the drug, or stop the advance of the condition into other symptoms.

The liver controls the perineum, or pelvic and anal regions of the dog’s body. Chronic anal sac problems, chronic diarrhea, and bowel problems all indicate an overreaction of the liver due to an imbalanced state.

Holistic practitioners attribute many digestive problems to liver disharmony. Chronic vomiting, especially in the late evening, when the liver is most active, indicates the involvement of the liver. Dogs suffering from a liver imbalance often vomit bile, and develop a pattern of vomiting that persists for a long time. Though vomiting may not occur very often, a dog may vomit once a week or once a month, but does so consistently.

Treating Liver Disorders in Dogs

Be aware that seemingly unrelated patterns of behavior and health problems can come from the same root source, such as a liver imbalance, and the root source can be effectively treated holistically.

Provide good general health maintenance for your dog, including feeding the highest quality food possible and offering the purest water.

Provide moderate exercise for your dog on a regular basis. The liver maintains the smooth flow of blood and qi in a dog’s body, and exercise keeps the liver efficient.

Minimize the sources of frustration and emotional upset in your dog’s life.

Address health problems with a holistic veterinarian when they first occur. That’s when they are easiest to fix.

Learn acupressure techniques for use at home in preparation for a visit to a healthcare professional. Holistic support can help tip the scales in your dog’s favor at the very start of a problem.

Recognize and Minimize the Toxic Insults Sustained By Your Dog’s Liver:

Avoid elective surgical procedures that require anesthesia, or group them together. For instance, have a radiograph of your dog’s hips taken at the same time your dog receives anesthesia for a dental procedure.

Don’t overvaccinate your dog. Consider testing your dog’s titer levels to check her existing antibody levels before vaccinating her.

Minimize the use of environmental toxins, such as lawn chemicals, carpet cleaners, carpet and fabric deodorizers, and insect sprays in or near your home. Use nontoxic alternatives whenever possible.

Minimize the use of pharmaceuticals known to have a significant, negative impact on the liver, including Rimadyl and prednisone. Consider using alternative treatments, especially on young dogs, like acupuncture, Chinese herbs, and nutritional supplements like MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) or glucosamine. Use the pharmaceuticals, if needed, in your dog’s later years.

Feed Your Dog’s Liver:

Use good nutrition to help keep your dog’s liver healthy, or to help mend an imbalanced liver. Avoid feeding fatty dry foods that are difficult to digest. Generally, veterinarians suggest that a dog with liver involvement in his health problems should receive a low-fat, low-protein diet.

Feed more than once a day, preferably two (or three times for sick dogs) to manage and balance the load placed on the liver.

Choose easily digestible foods that nourish the liver and blood, such as non-oily fish, rabbit, chicken, beets, spinach, chard, kale, squash, broccoli, and cabbage.

Consult with your veterinarian about adding B-vitamins and lecithin to your dog’s diet. These nutritional substances support the liver by helping to digest fat and assisting in circulation.

The Holistic Approach to Healthy Livers in Dogs

A conventional western veterinarian will likely prescribe a pharmaceutical to suppress a dog’s symptoms, like a drug to coat and soothe an upset stomach. A holistic veterinarian like Dr. Bessent will treat a dog with acupuncture, and send the dog home with a recommended Chinese herbal remedy to rebalance the dog’s liver.

Holistic practitioners look for the root cause of a dog’s symptoms, although imbalances in one organ or system can throw off a related organ or system and create additional health problems. An imbalance of the liver manifests itself in certain ways that are distinct from the conditions manifested by imbalances of other organs and systems. For instance, swelling would most likely develop from an imbalance of the spleen, which is responsible for moving fluids through the body.

Dog owners can add adjunct measures, like nutritional support and acupressure, to the acupuncture and Chinese herbal combinations provided by holistic veterinarians to help heal or rebalance their dog’s liver.

Dr. Bessent cautions that liver imbalances are particularly difficult to harmonize in certain dogs. If a dog has what she describes as a “liver constitution,” then the dog may have a lifelong tendency to develop a liver condition as the result of any “insult” or problem elsewhere in her body. Throughout her life, her owner must work to strengthen the dog’s liver and quickly respond to an imbalanced state with proper treatment.

Older dogs, especially those with long-standing cases of liver-related problems, and who have been medicated for years with strong drugs that assault the liver, may not rebalance easily. The ultimate target for treatment success may be stabilization and the satisfactory management of liver-related conditions.

With the help of your holistic veterinarian, consider the role an imbalance of the liver may play in your dog’s health problems, and review the holistic care options available to help your dog rebalance her liver. Treatment is highly successful, and your dog’s liver will receive the support it needs to do its job for your dog.

Acupressure for Liver Problems in Dogs

The acupressure points for the liver are located on the dog’s back and inside the dog’s hind legs, with five points on the right side of the dog’s body, and five points on the left side.

Place the dog on her side in a quiet, comfortable place in your house. Get away from high traffic areas, the television, telephone, and other potential disturbances.

Using the photo below as a guide, feel for the deepest depression under your dog’s skin and press lightly on the depression, or massage the point in a circular, counter-clockwise motion.

Continue the treatment at each point for 30 seconds to two minutes. Treat each side of your dog’s body one time.

Acupressure is easy to learn and very effective. If done correctly, your dog will fall sound asleep, signaling the arrival of qi (or life force) in her body. Even if you miss the exact acupressure point, your dog will get a wonderful massage that will relieve stress, settle her mind, and make you both feel great!

Visit your holistic veterinarian for a thorough evaluation of your dog’s health condition and potential treatments.

Lorie Long is a freelance writer living in Oriental, North Carolina with two Border Terriers, Dash and Chase. All three are addicted to agility.

Best Food Grinders Used For Home-Prepared Dog Food Diets

By
Nancy Kerns
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5

People who are interested in feeding a home-prepared diet to their dogs often delay the transition as they grapple with various concerns. Frequently, they have come to believe the claims that a home-prepared diet offers dogs superior nutrition and can result in increased health and vigor…but they are still beset by fears that their dogs will suffer a broken tooth or perforated intestines caused by eating raw bone fragments. Others worry that their dogs won’t eat the vegetable matter in the diet, or will be put off by the addition of supplements. Still others cite their lack of time available for preparing the food.

Happily, all of these concerns (and more) can be put to rest with the purchase and use of a food grinder!

Just about every experienced feeder of a home-prepared diet owns and uses a food grinder. Many use grinders to reduce the raw meaty bones they include in their dogs’ diets to a smooth, pulpy consistency. Grinding the bones enables them to offer their dogs every advantage of consuming the nutrient-rich food, without any of the risks often dramatically cited by opponents of home-prepared diets. Ground to a smooth paste, the raw bones cannot break or crack a tooth, or block or perforate a dog’s intestines.

In addition, grinding all (or most) of the components of a dog’s diet together makes it impossible for a dog to “pick out” the ingredients he may not like. Dogs who fuss over the addition of any sort of herb or nutritional supplement to their usual meals generally can’t detect it when it has been thoroughly ground together with delicious meaty bones.

Finally, using a grinder to prepare and mix the dog’s food – often in batches that can be portioned and refrigerated or frozen for feedings later that week or so – saves a lot of time. Ask people who have fed a big dog (or several dogs) a home-prepared diet for more than a year, and they will just about always tell you that their investment in a food grinder has made the food-preparation job exponentially easier and less time-consuming.

Which grinder?
The variety of grinders available today allows interested dog owners to try out home-prepared canine diets on a small scale, or to fully commit to the “bones and raw food” (“BARF”) feeding plan. The size and cost of the model they settle on for the long term tends to reflect the size and/or number of dogs they have to feed. But whether they make food for one small dog or a whole pack of bigger canines, experienced dog “chefs” list the same desirable features they look for in a food grinder. Listed in no particular order, the criteria include:

• Durability: The cutting pieces of any food grinder will certainly be made of a high carbon steel, but the housing and the “worm” (the piece that moves the food material through the grinder) may be molded plastic, aluminum, tin coated cast iron, or stainless steel. The quality of the materials and manufacturing will certainly impact the grinder’s durability, but so will the ingredients you use in your dog’s diet. Whole grains, hard vegetables such as carrots, and mammal bones are the usual suspects involved in grinder breakage.

• Ease of cleaning: Any part of the grinder that comes into contact with food – especially raw meats and bones – must be cleaned after each use to avoid bacterial contamination. If a part isn’t easy to clean, chances are it won’t get cleaned properly, and can then harbor bacteria, causing illness.

• Power or capacity to suit your needs: Again, the power and capacity you need depends on your dogs and the ingredients you employ in their diet. But in general, the more food you make, the more power you’ll want. Hand grinders (the old-fashioned kind that clamp onto a countertop) may be sufficient for preparing small amounts of food, but out of the question for those who make food for a giant breed or several dogs.

• Ease of operation: The easier it is to operate, the more likely it is that you will be inspired to use the machine. If making your dog’s food turns out to be an hours-long project – to feed the machine slowly, manage drippings, and clean the working parts – you’ll tend not to use the grinder frequently or spontaneously.

• Good warranty or service agreement: These agreements should be explicit, easy to understand, and provide for returns or repair in case of equipment failure. Many equipment suppliers tend to have a specified period refund policy (frequently 30 – 90 days), perhaps minus re-stocking fees, but some suppliers do not allow returns on food service equipment at all. Before you invest in a grinding appliance, check to see whether or not it comes with a supplier’s or manufacturer’s warranty for parts and/or labor, and what conditions of use are not protected under the warranty.

While the purchase of a small household appliance needn’t break the bank, you don’t want to purchase a big-ticket item that will take up space sitting unused on a kitchen counter. On the other hand, you don’t want to hamstring your efforts; if you are dedicated to preparing food with the best ingredients for your dog’s health and well-being, a more powerful, higher capacity (and expensive) grinder may be more economical in the long run. Consider your time, storage space, and economic resources as part of a cost-benefit analysis before deciding which grinder to buy.

From least to greatest
We asked a number of long-time BARF feeders to describe their experience with food grinders. Their comments are arranged below according to the cost of the grinder they use, from the inexpensive but useful hand grinder, to the undisputed king of home-prepared dog diets: The Northern Tool & Equipment 70-pound food grinder.

Hand grinders
Upstate New York resident Alex Murphy began her grinding career with a hand grinder picked up at the Salvation Army for $3. “It worked pretty well, but it was a chore to clean up because it wasn’t sealed. If you were to grind something that contained moisture – which was just about everything I used – the liquid would drip from the grinder onto the floor! I used to spread a vinyl tablecloth on the floor and the table, and set a bowl beneath the grinder. I also remember that when washing the grinder, I had to dry it really well to avoid rust spots.

“Other than that, it was great, especially with my husband doing the heavy-duty grinding for me. It was a little harder to grind the thicker stuff, such as pumpkin, since I use seeds, skin, and all. It was messy, but worth it for the first couple of months when I was deciding what I was going to buy!”

Heavy tin-plated cast-iron hand meat grinders can be seen at Pierce Equipment’s Web site (pierceequipment.com or 877-354-1265). Prices range from $50 – $100, depending on size (20 – 30 pounds).

Northern Tool also makes a hand grinder, which is rated to grind 5 pounds of meat per minute. This grinder sports a 4″ x 5″ hopper for easy loading, and sells for $35 (see northerntool.com or 800-221-0516).

By the way, when searching these manufacturers’ Web sites for food grinders, use the word “meat” in your search. For some reason, the grinders did not come up when we searched on “grinder.”

Small kitchen appliances
Alex Murphy now uses a grinder attachment on her KitchenAid mixer to make food for her large dog (and one cat). “For a while I made a ‘veggie slop’ with my food processor, but that took a lot of time. The KitchenAid mixer has an attachment made of heavy plastic with metal parts. I don’t think it’s as durable as a cast metal product; that’s why I won’t grind anything harder than chicken necks.” Murphy chops the greens prior to grinding. This keeps them from wrapping around the “worm” that moves the food material through the grinder.

When asked whether she had plans to upgrade, Murphy responds, “I have no plans to buy a conventional grinder. This setup meets all my needs perfectly; it has good power, it’s easy to clean, the attachment takes up very little space, and as I already had the mixer – and the grinder attachment was only $50 – I’m really getting my money’s worth. So far, I am the only raw feeder I know who uses this attachment for BARF preparation, but I would recommend it for others who don’t make tons of food.”

KitchenAid mixers can be found in kitchen supply stores, in a range of models that range from the Classic ($200 for 250 watts) to the Artisan ($255 for 325 watts), to the Professional 6 ($365 for 525 watts). You can buy KitchenAid mixers in discount restaurant supply stores, or from kitchenaid.com, or by calling the manufacturer direct at (800) 541-6390.

Small motorized grinders
Several models generating a lot of buzz among BARF discussion groups are small in size (7 – 8 pounds), moderate in power (180 – 220 watts), easy to take apart and clean, and relatively inexpensive ($110 -$130). However, they may or may not be up to every dog owner’s food-grinding regimen. The longevity of the tools depends heavily on the amount and type of food put through the grinder.

Kristen Randall, a New Hampshire resident, started out by chopping vegetables in a food processor, and was thrilled to learn that her new grinder – the #5 food grinder made by Maverick – did a better job and was also much quicker. Elated, Randall reported her dazzling prowess with the grinder to a raw-feeding online discussion group one day, but posted dismal news the next; the grinder had hit a snag, melting down after a heavy session of chicken-neck and vegetable grinding.

“After my husband ground up about 10 pounds of necks and about an equal amount of vegetables, the grinder started making a loud squealing sound. He assumed it was a lubrication problem inside the grinding parts. But then I took that off and ran the motor alone, and it still makes that sound. It sounds just like an old fan I have whose bearings are shot.”

How could this happen? Confoundedly, the Pierce Food Service Equipment catalog urges buyers to “Grind up fresh bear, deer, duck, elk, meats, game, fruits and vegetables. Known to be good for grinding up pet food.” But it also states elsewhere, “If you are planning on returning this unit, it must be unused. It cannot be re-sold for new if you use it. You pay for return shipping to us. Pierce and Maverick do not state this grinder will grind bones, use at your own risk.”

Made in Poland, Maverick grinders (Maverick MM 1886 and Maverick MM 6386) are sold online by Pierce Equipment (www.pierceequipment.com or 877-354-1265) and many kitchen supply stores.

We found several other small motorized grinders in this category offered for sale online. S.D. Payton, who makes food for four Dobermans and two American Eskimo dogs, offered this review: “With the help of an experienced grinder friend, I chose the Moulinex DR7 from Small Appliance Service Company for around $117, a great grinder at the dollar amount I could afford. Moving up to the 440-watt (from my last grinder at 150), seemed to make a lot of difference in grinding chicken backs. I also like the reverse button just in case I need it.”

The Moulinex DR7 (440 watt) costs about $117 from Small Appliance Service Company Ltd. at www.edmart.com/SASCO or (780) 425-9550.

The Northern Tool & Equipment Co. offers a wide range of electric meat grinders. The smallest is rated at 250 watts and can grind two pounds of meat per minute. This four-pound machine comes with two grinding plates (coarse and fine), and is sold for $40. The 16-pound grinder is rated at 1000 watts, and comes with fine, medium, and coarse grinding plates. It is promoted as useful for grinding poultry, beef, vegetables, and more, and is priced at $100. The feed tube is 2 ½” at the top, large enough to feed in good-sized chunks. Northern Tool’s customer service representatives say that both grinders can safely grind chicken backs.

In our survey, we heard nothing bad about Northern Tool’s customer service or 90-day complete warranty. For an additional $6.99, you may purchase the manufacturer’s extended warranty, which offers to totally replace your grinder if it fails within one year. Northern Tool & Equipment Co., www.northerntool.com or (800) 221-0516.

Large motorized grinders
For 40 years and counting, Mary Stickney, of Cortland, Nebraska, has fed her pack of toy rescue dogs home-prepared diets. A huge advocate of the BARF diet, Stickney grinds an array of raw meaty bones (RMBs), including chicken wings, turkey necks, pork neck bones, turkey wings, lamb ribs, rabbit quarters, and organ meats such as beef heart, liver, and gizzards. She adds this ground RMB mix to ground vegetables and other foods in the following proportions: about 70 percent RMBs, 10 percent organ meat, and 20 percent vegetables, fruit, eggs, and ricotta cheese.

Stickney doesn’t add grains, explaining that several of her dogs are allergic to them. She presently prepares food for 10 small dogs and four cats. On grinding days, she fills a clean Coleman cooler with her mixture, which she then packages into one-gallon Ziplock bags and freezes for later use.

A frequent participant in online raw foods discussion lists, Stickney freely offers counsel to hesitant beginner and novice feeders. She feels that the one most important piece of advice for those just starting out is to “Get a good quality grinder to start with. I wasted $99 on a Maverick and broke it twice grinding lamb ribs. The larger Northern Tool Grinder is well worth the $269 purchase price. It eats chicken leg quarters whole like butter!”

Tori Muir, of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, concurs with the warm review. “The Northern Tool rules! When I was told that it would take a turkey neck with no problem, I had to get it. The machine is very sturdy, takes all but the hardest bones, and has no problems with fat, which clogs up other machines. It has lots of power, and a great customer service department if you have any questions. When the on/off switch failed, Northern Tool paid the shipping to return the machine, and sent me a new one!”

“I began feeding raw foods to my two 50-pound dogs about four months ago, starting off with whole RMBs. Upon finding large pieces of bone in Petey’s stools, I decided to go on a grinder hunt. I joined a bunch of BARF chat groups, and people guided me to the Northern Tool 1 horsepower/650 watt model. I started with chicken backs, wings, and necks. They all went through effortlessly. So I tried turkey; turkey necks went through easily if they fit through the feeding chute. Sometimes they needed to be cut or mashed first. Now I was having fun, so I tried pork and lamb necks. They needed to be split, but went through fine.”

Muir also reports that she has jammed the grinder with ox tails and beef ribs, and the large end of big turkey wings, so she quit using those RMBs. Those experiences did not darken her appreciation for the grinder. She describes how she recently ground 90 pounds of venison in an hour and a half, “Effortlessly,” she says delightedly.

With such glowing reports, could there be any downsides to the largest Northern Tool grinder? Well, considers Muir, “The unit is 70 lbs, and large to store. Mine has started rusting on the inside of the feed tube; I hadn’t thought about calling customer service about that. It can be difficult to clean, but I am one of the last people still without a dishwasher.” She adds, however, “Those negatives are negligible to me,” since the grinder performs so well.

Feeling grinder envy? I have to admit that I sure did after chatting with owners of the most productive and easy-to-use grinders. With volume production, reliability, and versatility in mind, you should now be armed with enough information to choose an appropriate model for you and your dogs. Good luck, and happy grinding!

-by Susan Eskew

Susan Eskew is a freelance writer (and wife of a veterinarian) currently living in North Carolina.

Dog Food Manufacturers and The Food Labeling Skepticisms

By
Nancy Kerns
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0

Frequently, we hear things about dog food companies that would curl your hair. And rarely, if ever, can we print anything we hear, because much of it is unverifiable and perhaps even untrue – lies made up or part-truths distorted by unhappy consumers or unscrupulous competitors. We take this stuff with a grain of salt.

But there is one troubling dog food industry rumor that we’ve heard numerous times, and from a couple of sources that we really trust. It’s troubling to us because it concerns a number of products that have appeared regularly in our “Top Dry Dog Food” reviews.

The rumor alleges that a number of the foods that we have promoted do not actually contain all of the fabulous ingredients listed on their labels. The scuttlebutt has it that some of the products are made in manufacturing plants that are physically unequipped to include ingredients that their labels claim they contain.

We’ll be more specific. We have repeatedly stated that containing at least one type of fresh, whole meat, fish, or poultry is a hallmark of a superior food. And in order to include fresh, whole meat or poultry in a food it manufactures, a plant must be outfitted with certain equipment, including refrigerated bins, “wet extruders,” and other apparatus not needed by manufacturers who use only dry ingredients. But some of the foods whose labels boast the inclusion of fresh meat were made at plants that – we’ve heard – lack the refrigeration and other units required to make such a food.

Hearing this sort of rumor about a number of foods, we were moved to call representatives for the food companies in question, in an attempt to confirm where the food is made. We then planned to call the manufacturing plant and find out whether, in fact, they are equipped to make a food that contains, for example, whole, fresh chicken. Investigative Journalism 101, right?

Unfortunately, this particular tack went nowhere, because to a man, the food company representatives said, “Gosh, sorry, I’d love to help, but we don’t disclose the location of our food manufacturing plant; that’s proprietary information.”

We don’t buy it
“Proprietary information” is a great excuse, one that most of us can understand. Corporations have to protect the things that make them unique and extraordinary, especially in a competitive market.

However, in this case, we have to press harder. Within the pet food industry, there really are not any secrets about the identity and location of pet food plants. Independent manufacturers advertise in trade magazines, for crying out loud! In our experience, every food company executive knows exactly where his competitors have their foods made.

No, manufacturing secrets are not being kept from competing food companies; they are being kept from us, the people who buy the pet food. Why would they want to do such a thing? Why aren’t companies who represent their foods as the “best of the best” proud and forthcoming about their products’ origins?

As it turns out, there are a few reasons why the companies don’t want us to know where their products are made. As whispered in the rumor mill, at least one of the reasons is dishonest and illegal: They don’t want us to know where the food is made because if we knew that, we’d also know that what they say is in the food is not in the food. And with pet food industry oversight and enforcement so incredibly lax, especially in some states, they run very little risk of getting caught.

Some of the other reasons why the origins of foods are often kept secret are more innocuous, but no more helpful to us, the consumers who buy them. To explore these reasons a little more, some background information is helpful.

Large and small companies
As a rule, the gigantic pet food conglomerates manufacture their own products in their own well-operated plants; they don’t make their manufacturing information a secret.

As with any sort of enormous-volume consumer goods producer, these huge pet food companies have made a science of churning out an incredibly consistent product. Open any bag of Purina Dog Chow, and the food inside will look and smell (and probably taste, although we wouldn’t test it) exactly like the contents of every other batch of Dog Chow – just the way a bowl of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes looks, smells, and tastes the same year after year after year.

Part of this is due to the fact that the manufacturing plants of the food industry giants are uniformly well-equipped, clean, and well-staffed. Part of it is due to the fact that these corporate giants don’t use the volatile, difficult-to-manufacture, fresh ingredients used by the “premium” companies.

Mostly, the giant companies, corporate cousins to the human food manufacturing industry, serve (partially) to spin figurative gold out of the “straw” leftovers from the human food side. The human food processors use the good parts, and the food fragments that would otherwise be wasted are put to good use in pet foods. The result is a consistent, inexpensive, not particularly healthy food that is readily available anywhere in the country.

In stark contrast stand the small pet food manufacturers, representing perhaps five percent of the total pet food industry. These companies have designated healthy pet foods as their mission, and they shun food fragment castoffs in favor of fresh, whole, and sometimes even organic grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, oils, and expensive vitamin/mineral premixes. It should be noted that this is a much more difficult manufacturing problem, and far more can go wrong with the process.

Once a company grows to a certain size, it makes financial sense for it to own and operate its manufacturing plants. Only a few of the largest “small” food makers have accomplished this – companies like Eagle Pet Products of Indiana, Old Mother Hubbard of Massachusetts, and Breeder’s Choice of California. Most of them manufacture more than one “line” of pet foods, each of them aimed at a different quality/price strata of the market, but all of them enjoying the quality control and oversight resulting from in-house manufacture.

Lacking the resources to own and operate manufacturing plants, smaller companies have to contract with independent plants to make their food for them. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this arrangement, although there are certain opportunities for bad things and good things to result.

Concerns and benefits of independent manufacturing
One big concern about independent food manufacturing is that the food company doesn’t have any control over the process. The owner of the food company can supply the plant manager with his list of ingredients and sources, and discuss the quality control techniques that will be used in his food’s manufacture, but the actual job is out of his hands.

Also, if the plant operators are unscrupulous, and substitute low-quality ingredients for the expensive ingredients the food company has asked for, the food company may be none the wiser.

On the other hand, there are some benefits to having an independent plant make the food for a small food company.

For one, it’s easier for a small food company to pay someone else to run a plant than it is to buy, staff, equip, manage, maintain, and run it themselves – especially when it takes only a couple of days a month to manufacture their entire month’s order of food. And if the plant fails to do a good job, the food company can always walk away and find a better-run plant somewhere else.

Another benefit is that the food company’s owner can shop for plants that are located close to the sources of the ingredients he wants, and/or the markets he wants to ship to post-manufacture. Since the focus of the “premium” food companies is high-quality ingredients, hiring a manufacturer close to the source of the expensive and volatile fresh food ingredients makes more sense than shipping them long distance.

Other reasons for prejudice
We discussed this topic with a number of pet food company representatives at the trade show accompanying the 2002 American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association conference. Some of the reps were salespeople; others were company owners and CEOs. We told each that we were planning an article about “where foods are made,” and asked, by the way, where are your foods made?

At one booth, a food company president and vice president told us they didn’t think it was fair to bring attention to the fact that not all companies make their own foods. Companies that use independent manufacturers, they said, experience considerable consumer prejudice against their products.

Russell Armstrong, president and cofounder of VeRus Pet Foods, of Abingdon, Maryland, agreed that there is some amount of prejudice against companies who don’t manufacture their own products. He thinks this is fallout from marketing pitches made by companies who do have their own manufacturing plants. “I’ve seen companies try to sell consumers on that very concept by asking rhetorically, ‘If a company doesn’t make its own products, how can they possibly have any quality control?’”

However, Armstrong feels that the prejudice can easily be overcome when consumers hear the flip side, and learn about the advantages enjoyed by companies who don’t make their own products.

“From the perspective of a small food company, especially one that is new to the market like I am, owning your own plant would be an expensive distraction,” says Armstrong. “Instead, we’ve been able to focus on finding and selecting a plant that has the capability and history of making good quality foods, and access to the sources of the top-quality raw materials that we wanted to use in our pet food.”

Armstrong’s opinions were seconded by another food company owner and CEO, Steve Brown, of Steve’s Real Food for Dogs, located in Eugene, Oregon. Steve’s Real Food for Dogs is a raw, frozen, meat-based diet, but Brown has years of experience in many aspects of the pet food industry.

According to Brown, “Extremely big companies have three or four manufacturing plants across the nation; you don’t want to have to ship either the ingredients or the finished product very far. Small companies can achieve the same effect by contracting out the manufacturing to one or more select plants,” he says.

In Brown’s view, small companies like his that are focused on quality actually enjoy an advantage by using independent manufacturers. “I can find great quality meat processors throughout the nation and use their expertise; I know that, properly supervised, they can do a better job than I can. I choose my plants carefully and specify everything. I confirm that they are using the ingredients that I asked for, inspect the plants frequently, and make surprise visits. And so I feel great about the job they do.”

Suspicion by association?
Some food company executives fear that if consumers learn that a food originates from the same plant as a low-quality food, they will conclude that the foods are equally poor. There may be legitimate reasons for this concern; in this case, birds of a feather may well flock together.

“Smaller plants have only so many bins for storing so many ingredients,” warns Armstrong. “I’d worry that one allegedly ‘premium’ food originating from a plant that doesn’t make any other top-quality foods does not really contain the ingredients it says it does.”

Another reason that similar-quality products might tend to originate from the same manufacturing plants – even if they were formulated by different food companies with different ingredients – has to do with the abilities of the manufacturing plant itself.

“There are probably 1000 dog food plants in the country right now. And of those 1000 plants, I’d say only about 15 or 20 are capable of make what I would consider to be decent food, and make it consistently,” says Armstrong. “I think every plant can probably make a good batch of food, but the inconsistencies get them down. I see lots of plants that don’t have the quality equipment, reliable sources of ingredients, and/or personnel to do the job right every time.”

When an independent manufacturer has made the investments needed to do a top-notch, consistent job for its food company customers, its prices will necessarily be much higher. Food company executives who are not appreciative of this quality are unlikely to be willing to pay more for their foods to be made there. In fact, only food companies whose owners are fully committed to producing the best possible food – and who are willing and able to pay more for its work, are likely to be found doing business at such a plant.

And, unless the ingredients of the food are of the very best quality, the food buyers – remember us? dog owners? – won’t be willing to pay the top prices that the product will necessarily cost. The food companies who do business with an expensive, top-notch manufacturer must have an amazing formula, marketing plan, or both, to be able to command the prices that such a food will cost.

For his part, Armstrong has made full disclosure an integral part of his sales pitch for his VeRus dog and cat foods. “We’re proud of our products, which are being made by people we trust in a place that we feel good about,” he says. “I can only imagine that those things are not true when someone won’t tell me anything about the origin of their products.”

-by Nancy Kerns

Nancy Kerns is Editor of WDJ.

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