In the relationship between cancer and nutrition, there are few conclusive answers. The modalities of both are complex, and neither is completely understood.
However, enhanced nutrition is of unquestionable benefit to any dog with cancer, and to any dog with an increased risk of developing cancer. And of the many known factors leading to canine cancer, proper nutrition is the one which dog owners can best control, enhancing a dog’s overall health, and improving the body’s natural defense against cancer. Plus, when cancer strikes, there are sensible nutritional guidelines (based on the best available evidence) that seem to help many dogs, improving the response to both radiation and chemotherapy, lessening the side-effects, and giving dogs the strength to extend their lives.
Caution Needed
Those positive words must be followed with some cautions. Cancer diets often emphasize or restrict certain nutrients, in order to promote certain biochemical actions or to thwart others. But nutrition is a whole-body dynamic. A diet can be effective, ineffective, or, worst of all, actually harmful for a dog based on the type and progression of cancer, the dog’s overall health, and almost certainly, nutritional variables which have not yet even been identified.
In short, anyone contemplating a nutritional response to cancer – in particular, an all-or-nothing response, in lieu of conventional treatment – needs professional advice of the highest order available.
So, while we will discuss the best-understood and most promising advances in the science and art of treating or preventing cancer through nutrition, we must stress that the following information should not be regarded as a prescription for any individual dog. Rather, we intend for people who have dogs with cancer, or dogs which are genetically predisposed to cancer, to use this article as the basis for a detailed and individualized conversation with their veterinarians, who will have to conduct lab tests to help tailor a diet to any individual’s needs.
We’ll warn you now: It might be difficult to find qualified veterinarians who offer hands-on nutritional consultations. Lacking immediate access to such experts, and facing a beloved dog suffering from cancer, dog owners are often tempted to embark on a crash course in canine nutrition, and start supplementing their dogs with anything they’ve heard good things about; this can be more dangerous to the dog’s health than cancer. Nutritional intervention can help cancer-stricken dogs, but we can never know the complete clinical picture without the help of a veterinarian and access to chemistry profiles.
To be blunt: In the hands of an expert, nutrition can save your dog’s life. In the hands of an amateur, nutrition could end it.
Of course, we’re being deliberately cautious. To be truthful, if you altered a dog’s diet strictly through the use or restriction of commonly used foods, never supplementing the diet with any oils, powders, vitamins, minerals, herbs, or other additives, you probably couldn’t do any harm. But experienced veterinary experts all have a tale or two to relate regarding someone who supplemented their dog’s diet with several things they had heard good things about, never realizing that the dog’s basic diet already contained sufficient amounts of the same nutritional components, and ended up giving their dog a toxic overdose of those nutrients.
Theories Behind Nutritional Treatments for Cancer
Food consists of macro-nutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) and micro-nutrients (vitamins and trace minerals). A dog’s immune status, at any given time, reflects the overall quality of those nutrients; the two ebb and flow in a complex biochemical partnership. While the specific parameters of that partnership are not yet completely understood, in general, when their relationship is optimum, they work effectively to support a healthy immune system. A properly functioning immune system, in turn, is what stops cancer even as it starts.
Poor nutrition, on the other hand, can lead to compromised immunity, in turn resulting in a diminished physical state in which a cancer can take hold, overwhelming a dog’s natural defenses.
It should be noted at the outset that the recommended cancer-fighting diets differ significantly from diets formulated to prevent cancer. While the components of the two diets are largely the same, the proportions change as a result of the way that cancer acquires the energy to survive.
Cancer-fighting diets take advantage of the fact that cancer cells thrive on simple carbohydrates like sugars, starches and grains, and cannot easily utilize fats. The premise of current theory, then, restricts carbohydrates – depriving the cancer cells of easy sources of energy and slowing their growth – while supplementing the fats found in meat with unique molecular structures known as omega-3 fatty acids, which support the dog’s overall energy needs. This is crucial inasmuch as cancer hijacks much of the energy provided by carbohydrates and proteins. Because cancer diverts energy from metabolized protein and carbohydrates, the cancer-stricken dog must subsist to an abnormal degree on stored fat or fat introduced into the diet.
Feed the Dog, Starve the Cancer
Cancer thrives on simple carbohydrates, particularly in the form of glucose, to the extent that metabolized dietary carbohydrates can represent a net energy loss to the dog – the cancer, not the dog, derives the greatest share of nutritional benefit from carbohydrates.
Similarly, the way that cancerous dogs metabolize protein causes amino acid imbalances which benefit cancer more than the canine host. The resulting progressive loss of strength and energy can be a critical factor in survival. Protein, at the most visible level, supports muscle mass, and its depletion saps crucial strength.
While carbohydrates can safely be limited in the short term (the cancer-arresting time frame) protein cannot be restricted for any amount of time, but should be provided in the highest available quality. Research suggests that early correction of cancer-caused amino acid imbalances (in particular arginine and glutamine) leaves dogs better able to survive.
Cancer and Wasting
Weight loss is a serious complication in the majority of canine malignancies. Energy acquisitive by nature, cancer alters many of the processes of a dog’s metabolism, resulting in what is called cachexia, a wasting syndrome occurring in spite of what would otherwise be a nutritionally adequate diet. Cachexia plays a critical role in dog’s ability to survive, not only in robbing the body of nutrients, but also because a malnourished dog cannot fully process many cancer-fighting medications, hence suffering both a diminished quality of life and diminished life expectancy.
It is now known that cancer significantly alters the dog’s normal metabolism at the outset of cancer growth, long before the disease may be detected through visible symptoms. This is emphasized by Dr. Gregory K. Ogilvie, a leading veterinary oncologist who bases his research and practice at Colorado State University. “Our research shows that these abnormalities exist regardless of the type of cancer a dog has, and whether a tumor is one centimeter in size or twenty centimeters,” he says. “We need to train veterinarians and dog owners that nutritional intervention should begin before cachexia becomes evident. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. If you wait until phase 3 (the final stage of cachexia, in which weight and strength begin to plummet) you’re in trouble.”
Other Considerations
In addition to the factors mentioned above, the following should be taken into account when planning a diet for a dog with cancer:
• Macro-nutrient ratio: Protein and fat are the mainstays of the cancer diet. The typical ratio suggested by most veterinary oncologists, is roughly 50 percent fat, 40 percent protein, 10 percent carbohydrates. However, these figures will vary depending on individual circumstances, and are likely to need ongoing adjustment, as a dog responds or fails to respond to the diet, and/or other clinical interventions underway.
• Individualization: Each dog is unique. Digestive and glandular patterns are known to vary. Diets should take into account such variables as size, breed, bone structure, reproductive status, energy level, type of coat, local climate, and current cancer status. What is nutritionally sound for one cancer patient may be inadequate, or even harmful, for another. “Each patient needs to be accessed by a veterinarian,” says Dr. Ogilvie. “There are often other concurrent diseases playing a nutritional role.”
• Monitoring weight: There is likely to be a fine nutritional line between cancer control and overall nutritional needs. While weight loss is almost certain (for obese dogs, controlled weight loss can be beneficial), a steady downward trend means the diet is inadequate and needs adjustment. It is important to realize that, for any given dog, there is a point where weight loss alone can be the immediate critical factor in survival, and extremely difficult to reverse.
• Keeping the Cancer Dog Eating: The most sophisticated cancer diet in the world is worthless if a dog won’t eat it. New diets should be introduced gradually, modulated by the dog’s ongoing reaction to the change. Owners of finicky eaters will already know what works in terms of canine “manipulation” (adding small treats, adjusting the presentation, smell, temperature, etc.), but, fortunately, the presence of fresh meat in the diet is likely to be a convincing factor for most dogs. Dr. Ogilvie suggests feeding fresh, aromatic foods that have been warmed to the dog’s body temperature.
Improved nutrition has long been a mainstay of holistic cancer practice. If your dog has cancer, a fresh-food diet, carefully formulated with the help of an experienced veterinary nutrition expert, is the best option. When providing this diet isn’t possible, using the Hill’s Prescription n/d food appears to be an excellent second choice. Either way, your dog will have a diet which supports him in his battle with cancer, instead of helping the disease progress.
Roger Govier, a freelance writer and a frequent contributor to WDJ, lives in San Francisco.
Opinions vary about how, when, and how many treats dogs should receive, but we’ll leave that to the dog trainers. If getting treats is a regular part of your dog’s routine, whether he gets one or two a day or a whole box each week, your first consideration should be the healthfulness of the treat. Any food that your dog eats regularly – even if it’s in small amounts – should be able to pass the same criteria as his food. We’ve covered that in detail (“Are Premium foods Worth It?”, also this issue), but here’s the short version: you’re looking for quality ingredients and rejecting anything with artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
Not long ago, we passed through the automatic double doors of our local pet superstore in search of a healthy treat for rewarding the resident dog for his ample good behavior. It seemed a simple task in a place so grand, with four full aisles of chewy choices.
But when you vow to consider only the treats that contain whole, real foods, and absolutely no chemical junk, the formerly full assortment suddenly looks slim. The pickings get even slimmer when you look at the labels, searching for a treat with as few ingredients as possible – a hallmark of foods with quality ingredients. When manufacturers add flavors, vitamins, and minerals, it’s usually because their main ingredients (the first few items on the contents list) are not of sufficient quality to provide those things on their own.
A sweet exception
As long as a person offers their dog just a few small snacks a day, there is one exception we feel we can make regarding the ingredients of treats versus those of healthful dog food: sugar. It may be anthropomorphic to insist that because we can’t imagine a candy bar without sugar in it, we think our dogs’ “candy” should have sugar in it, too. Psychology aside, dogs do show a marked preference for foods with sweeteners added. Look for “real” sweet flavors, however: sugar, molasses, honey, corn syrup, or sucrose, as opposed to artificial sweeteners like ammoniated glycyrrhizin.
But do consider these sweet snacks as you would a candy bar for kids and adults. Too much sugar, consumed regularly, can stress your dog’s pancreas and adrenal glands, resulting (as with humans) in diabetes. Sugar can also overstimulate the production of insulin and acidic digestive juices, interfering with a dog’s ability to absorb the protein, calcium, and minerals.
Worse than sugar but often served up to accompany sugar in a treat, is propylene glycol, the main ingredient in antifreeze. The substance helps keep treats moist and chewy, which appeals to most dog owners; dogs don’t seem to care. Since this substance can cause illness and even death in large amounts, we’re opposed to its inclusion in dog food, even in minute quantities.
Keep in mind that treats do add calories to your dog’s overall diet, and can contribute significantly to a weight problem. Some people, desperate to cut a chubby dog’s weight without seeming mean, cut back the dog’s food intake to compensate for the snacks. This would constitute mis-treatment, since the snacks are generally not formulated to contain all the nutrients a dog needs.
If you’re using treats for training purposes, WDJ recommends that you find one with the highest meat content available. Grain products coated in oils can be attractive to dogs, but to provide an irresistible incentive to perform whatever feats of canine agility or obedience you desire, the dog’s gotta know: “Where’s the beef?”
Training chickens? What an odd idea! Yet all across the country, animal owners and trainers are flocking to workshops put on by a legendary husband-and-wife team, learning how to train chickens . . . so that they may better train their dogs. Here’s my account of one such workshop, held recently in Monterey, California.
In the presence of legends
It was 9 a.m., on a cool, cloudy morning in late September. Twenty-two dog trainers, hailing from all over California (and one from Illinois), were perched on the edges of our chairs, waiting with nervous anticipation for the workshop to begin. Bob and Marian Bailey, legendary animal trainers, had towed their little yellow trailer and 16 educated chickens all the way from Hot Springs, Arkansas to Monterey, California, and were now poised at the front of the room, ready to begin the two-day workshop that would unveil the finer points of clicker training to us.
Each of us, over the past several weeks and months, had survived the sheer disbelief, ridicule, giggles and guffaws of our families and dog-loving friends when we told them about the workshop.
“Why chickens?” was the universal reaction.
Training chickens, the Baileys had promised, would allow us to hone our skills on a species of animal that was especially food-focused, and that reacted with lightning speed. This would improve our timing and sharpen our powers of observation, so that we could then go home and apply our newly learned skills to training dogs – or virtually any other species of animal. We could learn from our mistakes with the Baileys’ chickens without jeopardizing our own dogs’ training programs.
I had offered to host the Chicken Clickin’ workshop back in April when the Baileys announced their West Coast tour on the Internet. When they later announced in August that they were retiring their road show in 1999 and this summer tour would be their last appearance in the West, I was triply grateful to be offering and experiencing the opportunity to see and learn clicker training from the Baileys in person.
A positive click
Clicker training is an informal term used by many trainers to mean “applied operant conditioning,” that is, training with positive reinforcement. (For more information about the variety of training philosophies utilized by trainers, see “There’s More Than One Way,” WDJ July 1998.)
The clicker trainer uses treats to reward the animal for a desired behavior. The Click! sound serves as a marker signal, or bridge, that gives the animal instant feedback about what behavior is desired. The animal quickly learns to figure out what behavior produced the treat, and to reproduce that behavior for additional treats. This method of training is easy for the average dog owner to use, because it does not require a lot of practice and skill; it only requires an open mind.
Marian and her first husband, Keller Breland, were the first trainers to use operant conditioning for practical applications, back in the 1940s. The couple founded Animal Behavior Enterprises (ABE) in 1943, and proved that the then-new scientific principles of operant conditioning developed by B.F. Skinner could be used to train virtually any kind of animal, exclusively by reward, without punishment. They worked with Skinner training pigeons to guide missiles during World War II, and created training programs and manuals for dolphin trainers, teaching the methods that are still in use today at places like Marine World and Sea World.
It was during this phase the couple began working with Bob Bailey, who, in 1964, was the first person to make a successful release and recovery at sea of a trained dolphin. Following Breland’s death in 1965, Marie and Bob continued to work together, and eventually married. All told, over the past 55 years, the three trainers have trained more than 140 different species of animals using Skinner’s principles of operant conditioning, and the techniques that they developed and applied over the years.
After Karen Pryor introduced clicker training to the dog training world in 1984 through her exceptional book, Don’t Shoot The Dog, the demand by dog trainers and owners for the Bailey’s knowledge increased exponentially. Their two-day chicken workshops grew in popularity, as did their five-day Chicken Camps, held at their expansive training facility in Hot Springs.
When word spread that the Baileys were retiring from the road, dog owners and trainers rushed to fill the limited openings in my workshop. I had elected to observe the workshop rather than be an active participant. I felt I could better apply the workshop experience to my profession of training people to train their dogs if I could watch the reactions of humans as well as the chickens.
Now, participants and observers alike waited with a sense of awe and historical appreciation for the Baileys to begin. We were in the presence of living legends.
Prerequisites of good trainers
Bob immediately put us at ease with his comfortable manner, easy charm, and sense of humor. He opened with a discussion of what it takes to be a good trainer – quick reflexes, strong powers of observation, and an understanding of the species you are working with, as well as the eccentricities of the individual animal.
Bailey got down to the nuts and bolts of chicken wrangling with the first hands-on exercise, designed to teach participants the finer points of chickenship: how to pick one up (quickly), hold it (wings pinned to prevent flapping), and carry it around (tucked under the arm). We were already learning to understand the species, as well as the eccentricities of the individual chickens we had been assigned.
The first several exercises involved learning the mechanics of delivering the Click! and food reward to the chicken in a precise and timely manner when they demonstrated the behavior we wanted. In the first exercise, the goal was to reward the chicken for pecking a target, to begin with, a large black circle.
“One peck only!” Bob reminded us again and again. “Get the food there faster! Avoid falling into a rhythm or the chicken will learn the rhythm rather than the behavior! Don’t let your body language telegraph your intentions to your chicken!”
The students practiced the mechanics of Click! and reward with varying degrees of coordination and success. Some were adept and followed Bob’s instructions to the letter. Some immediately fell into a rhythmic pattern of reward delivery despite Bob’s and their partner’s reminders.
I recognized that dog owners face similar challenges when marking and rewarding their dogs in a training class. I made a mental note to add a mechanics exercise to my first class, rather than assuming that owners know how to time the Click! and reward their dogs properly just by watching me do it.
If something goes wrong, grab your chicken!
Some participants were quite comfortable handling their chickens, while others were decidedly intimidated. Bob’s suggestion that the more confidently you handled your bird, the less likely you were to get pecked, seemed to do little to ease fears. Only the constant repetition of chicken-handling exercises convinced the less-confident handlers that they could safely handle the birds. Bob also talked about what to do if your chicken got loose on the floor. (“Don’t everybody chase it! Offer the food cup.”) And if you spilled your food cup on the table in front of your bird?
“If something goes wrong,” Bob advised, “grab your chicken.”
These observations also had applications to dog training, where there are also wide variations in confidence levels with dog owners in training classes. Perhaps if I incorporated similar handling exercises the first week of class I could increase some owners’ levels of confidence and competence with their dogs. Certainly it is true that if your dog gets loose, chasing it only encourages it to run away from you – just like the chickens. And just as the workshop chickens were attracted to the food cups, so, too, are dogs that have been trained with positive reinforcement attracted to the reward cues – the rustling of a plastic bag, or a Click! for an instant of rewardable behavior, such as a pause or a glance over the shoulder as the errant dog moves away from you.
Principles of operant conditioning
While we gave the chickens rest breaks in between exercises, Marian Bailey took center stage, teaching us proper training vocabulary and lecturing us on the principles of operant conditioning. A stimulus, she reminded us, is any change to the environment to which an animal can respond or react. Reinforcement means strengthening a response to a stimulus. Extinction is the weakening of a response to a stimulus through non-reinforcement. When we train through positive reinforcement, we reinforce behaviors by marking (clicking) the ones we want, and extinguish the behaviors we don’t want by ignoring them (non-reinforcement) rather than punishing them.
For example, a dog that tries to get attention or food by barking will quickly learn that barking is counterproductive if you turn your back when the barking starts. If you are consistent in your response, the barking will eventually extinguish. He will learn this lesson even more quickly if you Click! and reward him as soon as he is quiet, and gradually extend the length of time you expect him to stay quiet before clicking and rewarding. Most owners inadvertently do the exact opposite, by ignoring the dog when he is quiet and paying attention – “shushing” the dog – when he barks, thus teaching the dog that barking gets him the attention he craves.
Defining basic terms
We also learned the “ABCs of Behavior” – Antecedents, Behavior, and Consequences. Antecedents are events that occur before the behavior. We can increase the dog’s response to the antecedent if we make it more salient – that is, we make it stand out from the other stimuli that are present in the environment by giving it meaning. A cue, or signal, for a dog to do something is given meaning when we show him that the appropriate response to the cue will be reinforced (with a treat).
“Behavior” means anything that the dog does, such as sit, lie down, come, bark, jump up, run away, eating, breathing. A response is a particular piece of behavior we have selected to work with. Consequences are events that happen after a behavior or response takes place.
For example, if your dog sits when you say “Sit!,” you give him a piece of hot dog. The word “Sit!” is the antecedent, the dog’s sit is the behavior, or response, and the piece of hot dog is the consequence. The kind of training you have employed is called operant conditioning because the dog’s response (sit) operates on the environment – that is, it has an effect on and at least to some degree controls the consequence.
Talented chickens
Over the course of the two days we taught the chickens increasingly complex behaviors. While at first we rewarded them for a pecking at a large target, we progressed to a small black circle, and then to a tiny red dot from a laser beam. We discovered that a chicken can be taught to distinguish between several different-colored but similarly shaped pieces of paper and to peck the correct one. (This is called discrimination. An example of its use in dog training is the scent discrimination exercise in Utility obedience classes where a dog must select the article with his owner’s scent on it from among a number of other times that are identical in appearance.)
We also taught our birds to pick up and stretch a rubber band (we held one end, they pulled on the other), and then did “chaining,” which means teaching the animal to perform a series of behaviors. We taught our chickens a simple two-behavior chain – to stretch the rubber band and then peck a target before getting the Click! and reward.
While we trained the chickens, we were learning important concepts for dog training. The timing of the reinforcement is critical. You must know and visualize exactly what kinds of behaviors you will Click! and reward, or you will be late. When your reinforcement is late, you are actually rewarding the wrong behavior.
For instance, if you are trying to teach your Chihuahua to retrieve, you might begin by clicking and rewarding him for touching his nose to a ball. You must Click! the instant his nose touches the ball, and follow the click with a treat. If you are late with the Click! you will be reinforcing him for moving away from the ball rather than for touching it. While an occasional late Click! is not critical, routinely clicking too late can prevent Sam from learning to fetch the ball.
It is also important, we learned, to break down a complex behavior into tiny increments, making sure the animal thoroughly grasps each step before proceeding to the next. According to the Baileys, the biggest mistake most trainers make is trying to go too fast.
For example, when your dog suddenly seems to lose the concept of the behavior you are trying to train, it is a sign that you may have taken too big a step forward. Step back to the last place the dog was doing well, reinforce the behavior there, and figure out how to break the next step down into smaller increments.
Making slow, steady progress
To carry forward my last example, let’s say you have succeeded in getting your Chihuahua to reliably pick up the ball on cue. In your excitement over your success, you now toss the ball across the yard and give the dog the cue to pick it up. The Chihuahua, not being a natural retriever, stands and looks at you uncomprehendingly. You have taken too big a step.
If the dog has been picking up the ball from the ground directly in front of him, go back and repeat and reinforce this response a few times. Now you might try moving the ball just a foot away and giving the cue. If that is too much, you might try six inches, or three, until he gets it, and then continue increasing the distance in small increments, until he will fetch the ball from across the yard.
In order to avoid making the mistake of going too fast, according to Bob, you should analyze the topography, or shape, of the behavior before you begin to train a new behavior. Then you should create a written training plan, and lay out the goals for each session. While you may have a goal in mind for each session, you must also be flexible and be prepared to revise the plan if it isn’t working, by re-analyzing the behavior and looking for different ways to approach the training, perhaps breaking down the steps into even smaller increments.
Reinforce, reinforce!
Another key concept presented by the Baileys was the importance of giving lots of reinforcement. Many dog owners and trainers are too stingy with the Click! and reward. If you don’t give enough reinforcement, you lose your dog’s attention. Our chickens were quick to hit the floor and look for stray bits of food if the rewards were coming too slowly up on the table. Similarly, our dogs are easily distracted in the very stimulating environment of a dog training class if we don’t give them a good reason – plenty of Clicks! and treats – to stay focused on us.
Students also tend to stop giving rewards too soon. My dogs, although they are well-trained and will respond without food rewards, still gets lots of reinforcement, including praise, petting and treats, for doing what I ask. Responding to my requests for behavior is their job, so I make sure I pay them for doing it. Most people wouldn’t continue working at their jobs with enthusiasm unless they got paid occasionally. Why should we expect our dogs to work for free?
Inspiration
As the workshop drew to a close, I listened to the excited chatter of the participants. Inspired, we discussed our plans for going home and training our human and animal students. We were armed with new approaches to resolving stubborn training challenges (visualize the topography of the behavior and break it down into smaller steps). We had new ideas for teaching new behaviors. As one person departed, she announced her intention to go home and train her pigeon, while I entertained thoughts of trying to test my training skills by teaching my desert tortoise to “run” an obstacle course.
Training chickens had improved our dog training abilities by improving our understanding of this powerful, positive method of training, sharpening our behavior-observation skills, and honing our reflexes and timing for rewards. Of course, most of us were already aware that clicker-trained dogs are now winning obedience titles, agility competitions, and joyfully dancing with their owners in musical freestyle events. Yet, training those plain white chickens to perform complex behaviors on cue reminded us of the endless possibilities of positive-reinforcement animal training.
Everyone knows that there are many different ways that each of us can become healthier. We know that we can change our diets, systems of medicine, exercise plans, and environment in order to improve our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. We’re aware that what works for our sister or co-worker may not work for us. At times, we may have to work a little in order to find our own solutions to health problems. So why do we so often place the health and well-being of our canine friends solely into the hands of our veterinarians, blindly following their prescriptions for diet, exercise, vaccinations, and medication? I’ve met people who do not vaccinate their children at all, but vaccinate their animals for eight diseases annually. I know people who won’t eat anything but the freshest, most organic food they can afford, but feed canned or dry food to their dogs. Many of us, even alternative health care practitioners, take our animals to a good veterinarian and follow implicitly their directions, even if they contradict our personal philosophies. We treat whatever symptoms the animal exhibits with whatever the veterinarian recommends – something we wouldn’t dream of doing for our own medical conditions. The time has come to wake up. There are just as many options for improving your dog’s health as there are for your own, with a vital difference: your dog is totally dependent on you to choose what is best for him. It doesn’t have to be difficult. I guarantee that if you look at the big picture – the holistic approach, as it were – and make small but significant changes in a number of aspects of how you care for your dog, he or she will live a longer, more vibrant life. By looking in five basic areas, you can discover what your dog needs to be glowingly healthy (but keep in mind, each dog in your household may need a different approach). They are: • Diet • Vaccination • Environment • Best treatment modality • Most effective practitioner Any time you take a new approach, start by evaluating your dog’s health, past and current. You may want to start a journal that describes his or her current health condition, so you can re-evaluate in the future. 1. Diet The best diet for dogs is raw meat, including raw bones, grated raw and cooked vegetables, and maybe some grains, seeds, nuts, and supplements. We all know that it’s best to use fresh, organic vegetables and meat from free-ranging holistically treated animals. Get the best that you can afford. Ask for scraps, meat just at its expiration date, and leftovers from meals out (a real doggy bag). There are a number of approaches and differences of opinion regarding animal nutrition. Choose an approach based on what makes the most sense to you, and give it a try. One caution: Do not stray too far from the basic guidelines. There are some healthy dogs that are fed an exclusively vegetarian diet, but most of the healthy ones self-selected the diet rather that having their owners impose one. Most dogs need at least 25 percent meat; some need up to 60 percent or even more. Wait, you say, what about canned or dry animal foods? I think most people would agree that they couldn’t possibly feel their best if they ate only instant breakfasts and military K rations. Why not? Those foods meet the Minimum Daily Requirements! All animals do better if fed a variety of fresh foods, so, in my opinion, even if it is less convenient to buy raw meat than to bring home 50-lb. sacks of dried food, if you are truly interested in bringing your dog to optimum health, you’ll make the switch. I realize that it’s not the easiest task. But after seeing countless dogs in my veterinary practice with health and behavior problems that I feel were linked to poor diet, I’ve grown more and more adamant on this point. 2. Vaccinations Apply the same thinking you have about vaccinations for people to your animal friends. How many of you receive a polio, diphtheria, measles, mumps, and hepatitis vaccination every year of your life till you die? Your dog is probably getting vaccinated for Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, and Parvo virus all in the one “annual booster”, and may also be getting Bordetella (kennel cough), Coronavirus, and Lyme vaccines yearly, as well as the legally required Rabies vaccine every one to three years. Researchers in conventional veterinary medicine agree that we vaccinate too often, in too many combinations, and that this level of vaccination, while often preventing epidemics, is harmful to the health of susceptible animals. Holistically, we find vaccinations one of the most harmful things for our animals. Many strong, healthy animals, of course, are not bothered by poor nutrition or vaccination. Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that these animals are the exception, not the rule, in the domestic dog population today. Dr. Jean Dodds, famed for her work in autoimmune problems of specific breeds, asserts that hypothyroidism, bleeding disorders, multiple autoimmune problems (including allergies), some cancers, and many other problems are due to over-vaccination in susceptible breeds. Drs. Macy, Schultz, Carmichael, Tizzard, Frick and others have stated that we do not know how frequently to vaccinate and that many animals seem adversely affected by vaccines. Many of these veterinarians vaccinate their own dogs for Distemper and Parvo only, and only as pups. Holistic veterinarians are finding that vaccines are causing great harm to our animals (and ourselves). To cure an animal we must use homeopathic remedies known to reverse vaccine-related problems that include chronically draining eyes, anal gland difficulties, dull hair coat, chronic otitis, diabetes, and more. These conditions are often arrested following use of appropriate homeopathic remedies, but equally often recur if more vaccinations are given during treatment. The inserts that come with all vaccines say to use them only on healthy animals. so, once an animal has glowing health, why vaccinate? Healthy animals have broad, non-specific immunity that will allow them to respond appropriately to most infections. If they do get an infectious disease, your holistic practitioner may have more success treating the acute problem than the chronic sequellae to vaccines. Again, read all you can on this topic and make your own decision rather than letting your veterinarian, holistic or conventional, decide for you. 3. Environment What is the best environment for your dog? Again, each animal is different, just like each child is different. Some children can go to any school and do well, while others must try out several schools before finding the learning situation that is best for them. There is no single correct answer. Some dogs, even when very healthy, are basically couch potatoes, enjoying only moderate walks or short spells of ball chasing. Asking these dogs to go on 10-mile hikes every weekend may cause physical problems, even if they acquiesce in order to please you. Active, athletic dogs will suffer if they are forced to live in an environment that permits them little exercise, or with a person who restricts their exercise. Sensitive dogs with autoimmune disorders or chemical sensitivities may not be able to thrive in a polluted urban environment. High-strung dogs may not be cut out for life in a home filled with rambunctious young children, or, conversely, an outgoing dog who desires stimulation and contact with people may wilt and decline if left home alone for long periods of time. Even when we do not have the perfect environment for our animals, we can try to do our best by them by stopping and thinking about what is needed. If you are unable to provide the best environment, do not fret. Your dog will thrive on your love and knowing that you are trying your best. 4. Supporting health Your dog is capable, to a certain extent, of healing himself, just as you are capable of assisting in your own healing process. To develop and take advantage of this natural phenomenon, simply seek out ways that you can improve his health, rather than merely treating each disorder or symptom of ill health. Again, there is no one right method of treatment. Some (although very few) animals simply do not enjoy acupuncture, some animals do not exhibit the characteristic idiosyncrasies we need to prescribe homeopathic remedies, and some thrive when they receive the energy support of Reike or therapeutic touch. Most will improve with any proficient treatment. Many people consider their animals to be “healthy” as long as they aren’t sick. To me, a healthy dog is one that is positively glowing and vibrant. He appears to be happy and expressive, and exudes resilience. On the other hand, there are many things that our dogs do that we consider normal but that are actually early warning signs of unhealth (see chart, above). These and other symptoms are clues as to the level of your dog’s health and indications of the success of whatever treatment you choose. Healthy animals can, and do, get “sick” occasionally, with acute symptoms that resolve quickly with minimal treatments. Finding the combination of treatments that will support a person or animal to heal itself can be challenging. Today’s culture is full of recommendations that undermine our best efforts to truly heal – “Get rid of your cough quickly and get back to work.” “Take these pain pills and you can work all day.” “Give your dog these steroids and he will stop scratching today.” Finally, consider the fact that sometimes, doing less is more. Not every abnormal symptom needs to be gotten rid of as if it were the sole reason for your dog’s ill health. When your dog has diarrhea, for instance, traditional veterinarians and holistic veterinarians alike could give your dog something to stop the diarrhea. Alternatively, you could wait a few days, observe the diarrhea, rest the dog, give him a very mild, soothing intestinal treatment like aloe vera or slippery elm, and fast your dog. Even holistically, we often jump too fast to treat problems. “Tincture of time” is often the best remedy. Make a plan for your healthy dog. Attend courses. Choose holistic animal practitioners to work with. Visit them or speak with them to learn how to keep your dog healthy. If your dog does get sick, ask yourself whether a little TLC, fasting, or diet change would help. You have a choice for your dog and yourself. One is to quickly get rid of symptoms, even at the cost to his overall health. The other is to begin the journey to health and explore the different options, tolerating symptoms while slowly building up your dog’s overall health. If one treatment doesn’t help, move on to the next choice or another practitioner. 5. Use the most effective practitioners You, not your veterinarian, are responsible for your animal’s health. It may be attractive to simply turn over all your decisions to someone else, but it is not best for your dog. Pay attention to what works for your dog and what does not work. You may have a wonderful veterinary acupuncturist who thinks you should feed canned food. You certainly can use her for acupuncture, but follow your heart and feed raw meat! Observe your dog closely, and stand firm with the regimen that you can see working for him. If something is not working, even if it is a treatment you have a lot of faith in, you have to stay open to the possibility that it isn’t right for that individual animal at that specific time. Be flexible enough to admit it when you (or your practitioner) makes a mistake, and keep trying to find something that does work! If it seems to you that a practitioner’s approach to your dog’s health problem is palliating (symptoms keep coming back and your dog is no healthier overall) or being suppressed (symptoms do not come back, but the dog is sicker than before in other ways), rather than curing the underlying cause, talk to him or her about your concerns. He may want to work with you to develop another approach to the problem, refer you to another professional, or you may decide to choose your next option. Read, talk to other people, and discuss your issues with your animal health care providers. Be nice to them and they will be nice to you. The path to health for your animals can be fun and challenging. Your dog will love your experimentation with all the different forms of healing. -By Christina Chambreau, DVM Dr. Christina Chambreau graduated from the college of veterinary medicine at the University of Georgia in 1980. Since 1988 she has used homeopathy as her main method of treatment for animals. A resident of Baltimore, Md., Chambreau is a founder and Chair of the Board of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy.
Yesterday, we lost our dearest friend, Emmett. He was 13 and everyone loved him. He was kind and patient – you know, the strong, silent type. Gracie, his sister and a beagle “bon vivant,” just ADORED him. She would use him for a pillow, a step stool, a cuddle buddy, and her all-around favorite fella. They would play for hours in the back yard and even though he was an old man, he could really wear Grace to a frazzle. She has figured out that he won’t be coming back. She mopes, she sighs, and she tries to get her other dog-sister to play with her, but Annie (the sister) just isn’t the touchy-feely type. Annie is mourning in her own way as well. She cannot let me out of her sight. She’s fine as long as she can get to me, but let me turn the corner or go outside and leave her in, and she yelps at ear-splitting levels.
My question: What resources are out there for dogs experiencing grief? How do I help my “kids” and myself make the transition to an Emmett-less life? He was such a big part of this little family (and at 90 pounds, in more ways than one) and his absence has left a great hole in our hearts and our dog beds. From asking my “doggy” human friends, this seems to be a question that comes up any time we lose one of our “clan” and I haven’t been able to find any really good information that I can truly use.
-Anita Vreeland
Tulsa, OK
We asked Dr. Carolyn Blakey, a veterinarian for 31 years, to answer this question. Dr. Blakey’s practice, the Westside Animal Clinic, is located in Richmond, Indiana. (Dr. Blakey can be reached at 765-966-0015.)
For problems that are based on emotion, I don’t think there is anything more helpful than using flower essence remedies. They work especially well on animals, which is plain to see, because of the lack of a placebo effect with animals.
Flower remedies were originally developed by an English physician, Edward Bach, in the early 1900s, and are used primarily for correcting emotional imbalances. Bach formulated 38 remedies, each for a different and specific emotional issue, although many more have been formulated since then by other practitioners.
Flower remedies are made by soaking freshly picked flower blossoms of various kinds in pure water; then the strained liquid is preserved with alcohol, usually brandy. Several drops are given to the animal (or person), as many times a day as needed. The liquid can be placed directly in the dog’s mouth, or diluted with some pure water and sprayed all around the animal with a fine misting bottle. It can also be applied topically; some practitioners like to dab the liquid on the animal’s face and ears, and on the bare skin on its tummy and inner thighs.
The best-known brand is the original one, the Bach Flower Essences, but they are all wonderful. Most health food stores carry at least one line of flower essences, and sometimes more. Most places that sell the flower essences also carry books or booklets on how to use the essences. Bookstores that have large “New Age” sections would also carry books that could tell you which remedies are indicated in which situations. There are also flower essence practitioners who can recommend which ones to give your dogs. However, I’ve found that most owners can do just as good a job of reading the descriptions and knowing which would be best for their own dogs. All dogs are individuals; as you described, both of your dogs are expressing their grief differently.
In your case, the first one I would probably give to both of your dogs is Star of Bethlehem, indicated for grief, trauma, and/or loss. Others might include Gorse, “for hopelessness where there is little hope of relief;” mustard, for gloom; olive, for “mental and physical exhaustion from illness or personal ordeal;” walnut, which helps stabilize emotional upset during transition periods; and willow, which is for someone who feels they must suffer unfairly. However, you know your dogs best; find one of the little booklets and read all about the original 38 remedies in order to select the best ones for your dogs.
You can also start off with Rescue Remedy. This remedy has five different flower essences mixed together in it, including Star of Bethlehem, rock rose (for fear and panic), impatiens (for tension and mental agitation), cherry plum (for loss of emotional control), and clematis (for lack of interest in the present). I think Rescue Remedy should be administered every time there is stress, mental or physical. I carry it with me everywhere I go, to give to people, animals, or myself!
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Fatty Tumors Our eight-year-old spayed female Doberman has several non-cancerous fatty tumors. We are thinking of changing her name to “Lumpy.” Most of the tumors are small; less than half a walnut size. One of the tumors is large; more like half of a lemon. This large one has grown another inch in diameter in the last three months.
Our veterinarian recently told us that because of the size of the tumor and the increase of vascularization needed to feed this tumor that surgery should be done soon. Are there any other treatments I could try before having the tumor removed?
-Mark Valery Billerica, MA
We turned this question over to Dr. Charles Loops, a well-known holistic veterinarian in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Dr. Loops practices homeopathy exclusively, and consults with many of his clients over the telephone. He has a special interest in cancer treatment. (Dr. Loops can be reached at 919-542-0442.)
Fatty tumors or lipomas are benign, non-cancerous growths that occur on many aging animals including dogs, cats and people. The only problem that may develop from these fatty deposits is that occasionally they are located in places that impede or interfere with movement. It sounds as though this may be the case with your female Doberman. A large lipoma forming on the rib cage directly behind the front leg seems to be fairly common with this breed and often requires surgical removal if movement of the leg is affected. This surgery can be traumatic as it involves a large area and because of so much fatty infiltration, occasional post-surgical problems can occur necessitating a drain being left in place to accommodate fluid buildup. An eventual positive outcome should be expected, however.
I have seen good results, about 50 percent of the time, with homeopathic treatment of small lipomas. I have not seen the large variety disappear with holistic treatment of any type, although they should respond to correct constitutional prescribing whether homeopathic or by acupuncture. This may be something you might explore by contacting a holistic practitioner, but surgery will most likely be the choice if this tumor begins to limit her range of motion or use of this leg.
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Aggression With Other Dogs We can’t take our 12-year-old Golden Retriever anywhere there may be other dogs without creating a scene. Phoebe becomes enraged when she sees other dogs and tries to attack them. We’re curious about what an animal communicator might be able to tell us about Phoebie’s past (we adopted her from a shelter at four) and what we can do about her behavior.
We put Phoebe’s family in touch with Rafaela Pope, a telepathic animal communicator. Pope’s work has been featured on radio, TV, and the print media. Pope lives in Davis, California, and can be reached at 530-758-6111.
My first impression of Phoebe is as a sweet, gentle sort of soul, but with a definite vigorous edge to her. I explained who I was, and told Phoebe that her family was very concerned about her tendency to attack other dogs. Could she tell me why she did that?
Phoebe replied, “I don’t want them (other dogs) around my family. I had to work really hard to get my family and I don’t want other dogs around them.” “What do you mean, you had to work hard to get your family?” I asked. “When I was in the animal shelter, I had to be nice, cute, appealing. Many people turned me down. So now I am glad to have my family. I don’t want them to get another dog.” I asked her what she thought would help. Phoebe promptly responded, “Have the other dogs give me treats!”
When I puzzled over this odd comment with Phoebe’s owner, she told me that she had given Phoebe treats in a recent training session when Phoebe had approached another dog without attacking. I think Phoebe had gotten the impression that the treats were an offering from the other dog, and it seemed like a good idea to her!
Phoebe’s owner also informed me that the family had discussed getting another dog, but because of Phoebe’s extreme reactions, they wouldn’t seriously consider another dog until after Phoebe dies. In this situation, that’s probably a good idea.
Most dogs are used to our touching them with randomly placed pats on the head or back. If you think about it, however, the primary result of this brief contact is communication. Petting your dog is one way we thank them for a job well done and convey our love or appreciation for them.
Massage and other forms of touch are also ways to communicate with your dog, but in a very different manner than petting. When carried out consciously with quiet intention, the methods I will show you in this article will convey your affection AND communicate in a deep manner with the physical structures of the dog’s body. These methods have the potential to increase blood flow and stimulate healthy function of the nerves, muscles, and joints of the dog’s back and spine.
I made a number of suggestions for setting up a successful massage session in the March issue of The Whole Dog Journal. You’ll want to be sure to approach your dog during a quiet time of day(evenings are good), in a location where both you and your dog are comfortable (in or near his bed, on the floor where she likes to sleep, sitting with you on the couch or bed). You also need to touch very slowly and gently and be sensitive to her sore areas. Each of the following methods can be performed with the dog sitting, standing, or lying, as she prefers.
1. Flat Hand Massage
This flat-hand massage stroke is a relaxing method which I use to get the dog mentally settled down and comfortable with a style of touch which is different from petting. These long, gentle strokes also warm and gently stretch the skin and muscles, readying them for the more specific massage methods which follow. This method slows you down and sensitizes your hand so you can become aware of any odd areas in your dog’s body that may signal deeper problems. Feel and watch for areas that are warmer or colder than normal body temperature, areas that twitch or sag as you apply pressure, and patches of dry hair or skin.
This method is simple. Put one hand on the dog’s chest, both to comfort and to stabilize her. Shape the broad surface of the palm and fingers of your other hand into a flat, mitten-like form. Place this hand over your dog’s backbone just behind her shoulder blades. Leave your thumb separate from your fingers on one side of the spine.
Press down into her body with uniform pressure throughout your hand and fingers. Use gentle pressure at first – once your dog learns to relax with the method you can increase the weight of your hand. Now, slowly slide your hand all the way down your dog’s back to the tail. Use the downward pressure to smooth the hair, skin and underlying muscles in a steady continuous motion. Always stroke from head to tail, moving in the same direction the hair grows.
Repeat the flat hand stroke directly down the spine and nearby muscles at least three to five times. Note areas which have temperature and texture differences. If your dog flinches and does not like this method no matter how lightly you apply it, contact your veterinarian for investigation of deeper muscular or skeletal problems.
Once you have finished these strokes, move on to the other methods mentioned below or apply similar, flat strokes to other areas of the body. Depending on the size of your dog, you could apply flat hand or flat finger strokes to the neck and shoulder and down the foreleg, lower back, hip and hind leg. Be sure to stabilize your dog with one hand while you stroke in the direction of the hair growth with the other. Pay attention to your dog’s reactions. Adjust the pressure of your hand to bring comfort and relaxation.
2. Cross-Fiber Massage
Another helpful massage technique uses a back-and-forth rolling motion of the fingertips to increase circulation and unlock contracted muscle fibers. It looks similar to the probing motion I demonstrated last month which is useful in detecting muscle and joint soreness along the spine. In human massage circles, this method belongs in a group of “cross-fiber” techniques because it applies pressure across the muscle fibers.
This method applies pressure to a small amount of tissue and gently forces it to move. Due to this direct pressure down into the tissue, areas which are already sore may flinch or contract. If your dog reacts with pain or surprise when you apply this method be sure to lighten your pressure or move to a nearby area.
Start this method one inch behind your dog’s shoulder blades. Locate the center of her backbone, lengthen your fingers and place the fingerpads on the firm area of muscle approximately one inch to the side (see photo A in link below) Press lightly down into the muscle, then curl your fingers, moving the underlying hair, skin and tissue back toward your palm (photo B). Once you have slowly rolled the muscle in toward the spine, slowly uncurl your fingerpads and move it back to your starting position.
Push your fingerpads down into the tissue with just enough pressure so it moves when you move your fingers. If you are not pressing hard enough you will slide over the hair. Repeat this back-and-forth movement at least two to three times but no more than five times in a row in the same site. Once you have finished in one area move your hand down to the next section and repeat. When you finish one side of your dog’s back, turn the dog (or move your body) so you can reach the muscles on the other side of the backbone and repeat the sequence. Go slowly and adjust your pressure to your dog’s comfort level.
As you practice, tune in to the quality of the tissue under your fingertips. Healthy relaxed muscles are firm but pliable. Tight, tense muscles are harder and may be pulled into rope or string-like bundles. The tight rope-like areas may be sore, but if you move slowly, the cross-fiber movement softens and unlocks the knotted tissues.
3. Spine Like a Chain
This technique is not actually a massage method, but rather a movement exercise I adapted for dogs from the Feldenkrais® Method of human movement education. The Feldenkrais Method uses gentle, tiny motions to improve movement ability and eliminate painful restrictions. I have experienced both private one-on-one sessions with a Feldenkrais practitioner and several years of practitioner schooling to eliminate chronic back pain and overcome the debilitating effects of a serious car accident.
During my private sessions, I benefited tremendously from a particular movement which involved slowly touching each vertebrae of my back. This segment-by-segment touch seems to relax and reprogram the tiny muscles, tendons, and ligaments which link each bone of the spine. After the session, I would get up off of the table and, in addition to being relatively pain-free, I would actually stand measurably taller! Considering I was in my mid-twenties at the time, imagine my surprise at “growing” over an inch in height as my study continued.
The method which follows for your dog’s spine is an adaptation of that touch. It is a good one to apply to the healthy active dog in order to maintain proper function of the muscles and joints of the spine. This method is particularly useful for dogs who experience weakness in the hindquarters due to age, calcification of the spine, or injury. In the latter case, I find it especially effective because regular massage methods can cause pain or scare a dog with a sore back.
If your dog has an area along the spine that really hurts, and you press hard on that site, he may bite you or leave. But with this non-invasive spine touch method, you can go into a tender, previously injured area and start the release without triggering pain or fear. That way, the tissues relax and the animal regains confidence about moving the area once again.
Its miraculous results requires one difficulty, however. In order for it to work properly, you, the toucher, need to be quiet, focused, and willing to patiently hold your fingers very lightly in one spot for at least 15 to 30 seconds if not longer. Some clients call this method boring because it moves so slowly. The dog may enjoy it, but the giver gets impatient. Actually, once you learn how to “get quiet” and tune in, there are a lot of fascinating sensations within the tissues you can “listen” to with your fingertips.
During a normal movement sequence, a muscle contracts as needed and then completely relaxes. Following an injury or prolonged hard work, the tissue can become contracted and become unable to completely relax and lengthen. After a period of time, it seems like the body just accepts this as a normal state and forgets about it. The associated joints and nearby muscles are hindered in their function often causing inflammation and pain. The spine becomes like a stiff stick instead of the flexible chain of multi-faceted joints it is designed to be.
By touching the dog in non-habitual or unusual, non-threatening ways like this spine touch, you can get the brain and body to wake up and reconsider the holding pattern of the tissues. Long-term restrictions can open up with just one session, returning the spine’s normally flexible link-by-link character. Even when permanent damage has been done to the body, this type of touch can result in profound changes.
Picture the information which moves between the body’s structures and the brain like traffic moving back and forth on a highway. If the highway gets blocked (by muscle contraction or injury), you can use this simple touch to either remove the block or open up little bypass roads to get the traffic (information) moving once again. This can stimulate circulation and improve nerve and muscle function even in damaged areas.
In these photos, I start in the middle of Hiedi’s back. Once you get the feel of the method you can start lower down on the back, clear down to the dog’s hips or up on the dog’s neck. Wherever you begin, skip over the anatomically complex area directly over dog’s shoulder blades.
4. Link By Link
Place one hand on your dog’s chest, to both hold and stabilize her. Run your free hand down the middle of her back, locating the knobs of the spine. Once your dog is comfortable, position your body close to her so you don’t lean and strain your back.
Put the pads of your fingers on one side of the spine and the pad of your thumb on the other side. You want your pads to be about a half-inch to an inch on either side of the backbone, though on a big dog the distance might be greater. You’re seeking the spongy muscle area.
Next, press down into the tissue lightly so that when you push, you move the skin and a small amount of underlying muscle tissue forward with your fingers. Gently push your hand up toward your dog’s head, about 1/4- to 3/4-inch (see popup image to the right). Use as little downward pressure as possible to move the tissue forward. Some dogs will have loose skin and muscle that will slide easily; other dogs’ skin is so tight that you can barely move it. Either way, you only need 1/4 to 3/4 of an inch of slide.
If your pressure is too slight, your fingers will just slide over or rumple the dog’s fur. Hold the tissue in the forward position for at least 15 to 30 seconds if not longer. The most common mistake people make when doing this for the first time is to get impatient and skip this waiting period. I recommend taking three deep, slow breaths before you slowly take the tension out of your fingers and let the tissue ooze back to your starting position. Then move your hand further forward, choosing a new spot 1/2 to one inch up the dog’s back and repeat.
If your dog gets impatient while you are holding the tissue forward, talk to her or give her a little chest scratch with your supporting hand to distract her. If she is very sensitive, forgo “pushing” the tissue forward. Simply place your fingers on either side of the spine and press into the tissue lightly, holding the pressure for 15 to 30 seconds.
Dogs with very sore backs might be unable to sit still for even this light pressure. If this is the case, I rest my flat open palm over the spine, relax my arm and shoulder and just breathe with the dog (photo 2B). Once this contact is accepted, I will attempt to slowly hug the tissue forward 1/4 to 1/2 inch with the flat hand rather than my finger tips. Hold this position for at least 15 seconds before slowly releasing the tissue.
Remember, the goal is to get the brain and body to focus on each link of the back separately from the entire backbone structure. You’ll see the best results if you move in small increments with as little pressure as possible and – the real key – hold the movement for at least 15 to 30 seconds.
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a conference where the “stuff” that WDJ is made of was discussed for four days straight. Imagine my joy; four days without a single person saying, “Your journal is about what?” The conference was the annual meeting of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association (AHVMA), a group that I list in the “Resources” section every month. (You can call or write them and ask for a list of holistic veterinarians in your area.)
The majority of the attendees of the AHVMA convention are veterinarians, but their points of origin varied widely. I met healers who shun the use of antibiotics and vaccines altogether. I met medical moderates who use the best of both worlds, East and West, integrating high-tech diagnostic tools and the best pharmacological agents available, but who are just as comfortable prescribing herbal tinctures or chiropractic. I also met some veterinarians who had no experience whatsoever with non-traditional healing modalities – but a lot of curiosity.
What all of these professionals had in common was a sincere interest in and desire to heal animals. One principle that was commonly expressed, with varying degrees of outrage, was frustration with modern “cures” that cause as many (if not more) health problems than patients originally exhibit.
In one of the most electrifying and inspiring lectures at the conference, Dr. Gregory Ogilvie, a Board-certified specialist in internal medicine and oncology, gave an overview of the most effective treatments for cancer in animals. Ogilvie, a professor at the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine, started out his talk with a brief discussion of compassion, underlining his conviction that compassionate care is the veterinarian’s number one priority, no matter what the animal’s illness or what type of therapy is to be used to heal the animal.
Probably the most Western, most scientifically oriented presenter at the conference, Ogilvie’s message was nevertheless especially appreciated by the AHVMA crowd. He calmly stated that some standard veterinary treatments cause the animal to suffer along the road to greater wellness. He never identified any particular treatment as cruel, but he was matter-of-fact about the side-effects and disappointing returns of some therapies.
Ogilvie never said that a particular treatment was unacceptable, but he did cite studies that found some treatments to be without measurable benefit – and he left it up to his audience to decide what to use on their patients. He showed slides that reported the results of cancer research studies involving everything from the latest medicines to biofield therapy. And every so often, he would interrupt himself to ask his audience in a shout, “And what’s the most important aspect of veterinary medicine?”
Having been prompted as to the answer he wanted, the crowd shouted back, “Compassionate care!”
I can’t say for certain that Dr. Ogilvie was subtly editorializing about the value (or lack thereof) of certain kinds of treatments. But the brilliance of his refrain became more and more clear to me as the conference went by.
As I listened to the discussions about holistic healing modalities, which ranged from the commonly accepted (such as chiropractic and acupuncture) to the rare and unusual (color therapy, “energy field” medicine), I kept asking myself, Is this compassionate? . . . meaning, of course, Does this seem like it would do more good, with fewer side effects, than traditional medicine, or any other medicine?”
And since I’ve come home, I’ve realized that the same question can – and should – be asked about all our dog-care practices. Our dogs would benefit from our examination of every aspect of our “care” for them – the food we feed them, the way we train them, the doctor we take them to, the exercise we give them. Are we truly caring for them compassionately?
In conventional veterinary medicine, cancer treatment for dogs consist primarily of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. While research in these areas has brought significant advances, the overall picture is discouraging; cancer death rates are largely unchanged. While many canine cancers are treated successfully when diagnosed early, more often the therapies, conventional or holistic, simply buy some additional time for the animal. In standard canine treatment protocols, a 12-month remission is considered a “cure.” While a year of dog’s life is a relatively long time, one should read between the lines of such semantics.
In recent years, however, researchers are increasingly looking at the probable underlying causes of cancer, and utilizing alternative treatments such as Chinese medicine, cancer-fighting diets and nutritional supplements. Evidence suggests that these are valuable, and sometimes highly effective, tools.
“Veterinary medicine, like all professions, is undergoing changes with increasing rapidity. Additional modalities of diagnosis and therapy are emerging in veterinary and human medicine. These guidelines reflect . . . a comprehensive approach to the healthcare of non-human animals.”
In other words, mainstream veterinarians are coming to appreciate the holistic model, if not necessarily all of the holistic therapies themselves. At the same time, legitimate alternative veterinarians do not possess a reliable, systematic cure for any type of cancer, and responsible practitioners should inform you about all treatments – conventional and otherwise – having the highest rates of success. They should also inform you about the rates of failure, and about the side effects of the treatments.
If your dog has a life-threatening cancer, there are basically only three outcomes: an acceptance that little can be done beyond maximizing quality of life for the time remaining (palliation), extending the dog’s quality life beyond what would normally be expected with a given course of treatment, or eliminating clinical symptoms for an extended period, up to and including the natural end of a dog’s life. The first two scenarios, unfortunately, are far more common than the third.
Conventional veterinary medicine tends to focus on treatments meant to eliminate the dog’s tumors. Alternative veterinary practitioners focus more on the underlying disease triggers, prescribing natural treatments that help optimize immune function (because this enhances a dog’s chance of keeping cancer under control), and, at the same time, maintaining a better quality of life than is otherwise possible.
There is a big difference in philosophy between these two camps, but one similarity is striking: The treatment protocols of each are most successful in the earliest stages of the disease, and with young dogs with otherwise vigorous immune systems. All veterinarians, holistic and otherwise, get worn down by the professional challenge of treating dogs with advanced cancers that they could, and should, have treated earlier.
There is no perfect answer to the question of “What do you do next?” Will you try to “cure” the dog of cancer? Or is “quality of life” the goal? Treatment decisions involve a complex and emotional set of options, which may be limited by where you live, the range of veterinary resources available, the age of the dog, and the money you are willing or able to spend.
Conventional Cancer Treatment for Dogs
What follows is a brief overview of the standard protocols, as well as the most promising areas of research, in conventional medicine; and a review of holistic veterinary philosophy, which in many cases is probably as effective, and certainly less invasive than conventional treatments.
Surgery
When it comes to canine cancer, a tumor that can be cleanly excised is the best possible news. For certain malignant tumors, caught early, it provides what is still the best hope for a lasting cure. Unfortunately, it is often difficult or impossible to remove tumors completely.
Radiation Therapy
In these treatments, a series of directed bursts of radiation, more powerful than x-rays, neutralize the cancer cells at which they are directed. This treatment can be highly effective in controlling localized tumors. It is also used as an adjunct to surgery in which tumors evade total removal, and is sometimes prescribed prior to other treatments to reduce a tumor’s size. Radiation therapy is a valuable, if limited tool, given the long-term risks and side-effects of the treatments. It destroys normal cells in addition to the cancerous cells, so for any given dog, the ability of surrounding tissue to heal may be seriously impacted. In addition, it requires a major commitment in terms of time and expense. A typical program entails 12 treatments over four weeks.
Chemotherapy
In general, chemotherapy (treatment with drugs) has not yet lived up to its early promise. This is because, in the simplest terms, it is an unfocused strategy which attacks all fast-growing cells, including those of the immune system. Also, as a tumor grows and spreads, there exists a high probability of concomitant cell growth resistant to whatever chemotherapy is applied to it – and, meanwhile, the patient is often left vulnerable to other diseases.
But chemotherapy is anything but a dead-end science. There is an enormous amount of research underway, particularly in the field of immuno-targeted drugs, designed to specifically seek out only cancerous cells, reducing or eliminating chemo’s signature compromise of a patient’s immune system. These drugs, at the research and development testing stage, might soon play an important role in comprehensive cancer treatments. In current clinical usage, however, canine chemotherapy has a limited value; it works great when it works, and fails spectacularly when it fails. Some ultimately fatal cancers, like lymphoma, respond particularly well to current chemotherapy protocols, often adding many worthwhile months to a dog’s life.
On the other hand, for many types of cancer, this invasive and toxic protocol simply doesn’t work very well. Many dog owners call a halt to aggressive chemotherapy treatments simply because – with little chance of remission – they can’t stand seeing their dog suffer though the common side effects: nausea, lethargy, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and disinterest in former pastimes, among others. Thus, unless a cure is believed highly likely, veterinarians tend to prescribe far lower proportional doses and fewer drug combinations than would be considered maximally effective.
To complicate matters, sometimes, as we’ll see below, standard chemotherapy functions at direct cross-purpose to some of today’s most promising research.
Cancer Research
A partial list of this research includes work on genetic triggers, heredity, hormones, protein synthesis, virology, tumor markers, suppressor genes, as well as more conventional research in nutrition, environmental toxins, photodynamic therapy, and cryotherapy (freezing tumors with liquid nitrogen).
In the future, this work seems likely to bring about revolutionary advances to all phases of cancer research: Prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. There will be more vaccines against certain cancers (witness the feline leukemia vaccine), protection for those at hereditary risk of cancer, genetic engineering that will predict and control those factors causing cells to mutate, and the ability to identify and screen microscopic cancerous growths, allowing far earlier intervention.
Below are a few of the latest therapies either in use or under development. Keep in mind that much of this research is likely to benefit our dogs only in the future:
Photodynamic therapy
Laser therapy shows promise in a number of surgical procedures requiring very precise application. Just as targeted gene therapy is likely to supersede standard chemotherapy in the coming years as the treatment of choice for systemic cancers, more sophisticated laser therapy might replace radiation in treating some localized tumors. In photodynamic therapy, or PDT, the patient is injected with a light-sensitive agent which precisely marks the tumor. It is then possible to apply the laser with minimal damage to surrounding tissue. Among the advantages over radiation, it is often a one-time treatment, less expensive, less intrusive for the patient, and less time-consuming for the pet owner.
Bone transport
Osteosarcoma accounts for some 80 percent of the primary bone tumors found in dogs. Nicole Ehrhart, a veterinarian and surgical oncologist at the University of Illinois, is researching techniques that might eventually eliminate amputation as the treatment of choice in some early-stage bone cancer patients. This technique, known as bone transport, allows the dog’s own body to mediate repair.
In this procedure, after the surgical removal of the cancerous part of the limb, a cross-sectional piece of the patient’s normal bone is moved into place, held by what is called an Ilizarov brace (named for the scientist who invented it). Because it is the patient’s own bone, and with a blood supply in place, the body responds as if to a fracture. The brace is moved as the bone heals naturally behind it; when the new bone structure is complete, the brace is removed.
While this technology has been used for some time in human accident victims, a two-year study has shown that the technique can be used in conjunction with chemotherapy, a major concern in whether the procedure could be effective for cancer patients.
“Chemotherapy attacks all fast-growing cells,” Dr. Ehrhart said, “and our concern was that this might slow or even prevent new bone growth. We found that chemotherapy initially slows the healing process, but bone growth catches up.” It should be emphasized that, while promising, this technique remains experimental. Ehrhart believes the procedure might move into the surgical mainstream in three to four years. While the healing process takes time, on a practical level, perhaps the best news is that the brace does not prevent most normal canine activities.
Immunotherapy
This treatment is familiar to anyone who’s ever had an allergy shot. Basically, it manipulates, or “tricks” the immune system into protecting against specific infectious agents. There is a great deal of research underway in this field, and reason to hope that in the not-too-distant future, veterinarians will be able to regulate our dogs’ immune system to attack the specific characteristics of specific cancers.
One area of this research involves genetically engineered vaccines for melanoma and several other types of cancer. Cancer begins when the immune system is unable to identify or destroy cancerous cells. Vaccines might effectively utilize the fact that melanoma, for example, carries unique antigens (shorthand for antibody-generating) on the surface of its cells. In current experiments, these antigens are altered and re-injected into the tumor, triggering the body’s own T-cells to attack it. In addition these are true (though still experimental) vaccines in that they “train” the body’s existing immune “memory” cells to imprint the identity of the cancerous cells and continue to attack them. Results are promising enough that large-scale trials are planned.
In a related strategy, researchers at the University of Michigan have genetically engineered monoclonal antibodies (normal cancer-fighting lymphocytes fused to cancer cells) to attack non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer similar to the lymphosarcoma common in dogs. Another class of these bio-therapeutic drugs seeks to block the production of cancer-causing proteins. This involves a strand of laboratory-engineered DNA bound to a strand of messenger RNA (which triggers production of the proteins) found in solid cancerous tumors, thus slowing growth of the protein-dependent malignancy.
Yet another class, called anti-angiogenesis drugs, recently caused a media frenzy when it was reported in the New York Times that the drugs had caused tumors in mice to disappear. While researchers were quick to point out that animal testing often fails to translate into human results, the drugs, called angiostatin and endostatin, attack cancer by blocking the growth of blood vessels that allows it to grow.
Finally, there is gene-therapy itself, which is the actual correction of genetic errors. Cancer is a disease of defective or inoperative genes; in cancer patients, those genes which block cancerous cell replication cease to function effectively. In one branch of research, the body’s own immune cells are altered for specific results. In another, the engineered tumor-suppressing genes are injected into a tumor, and begin to multiply, stopping the unregulated cell growth that makes cancer lethal.
While researchers believe that true cancer cures will eventually come from these areas of research, these experimental strategies remain only that.
Holistic Cancer Therapies
Research into high-tech cures for cancer is promising, but equally exciting is the world of holistic treatments, a broad, humane and promising world of veterinary practice. It could be argued that conventional medicine has been more informed by a holistic vision of the cancer patient than in any other type of disease treatment. In cancer research, there are a number of interrelationships at work, the most powerful of which is the fact that one quarter of the chemotherapeutic drugs currently in use are plant-derived; what is called natural chemotherapy is one of the hottest areas of cancer research.
According to the World Health Organization, the plants used in most modern plant-derived medicines have a history of use in so-called folk remedies. Drug companies are now searching this natural worldwide pharmacy for possible medical and commercial uses. (Indeed, there is even a scientific sub-discipline called zoopharmacognosy – the study of those plants which animals instinctively search for when they are sick.) In short, the holy grail of medicine – a cure for cancer – could be growing in some remnant forest, unknown to science.
But while holistic medicine may be able to cure your cancer-stricken dog, the treatment responsible for the cure may be impossible to replicate. Holistic medicine is based on the sum of a pet’s individual circumstances. Given 10 dogs with the same type of cancer, a holistic veterinarian might prescribe 10 different courses of treatment. Such methods do not fit well into scientific, double-blind, randomized studies.
When a dog owner asks, “What is the best possible outcome for my dog – in the context of my individual circumstances – and how will my dog and I get there?,” informed veterinarians can only offer the following options for the owner to consider:
Nutrition
The subject of nutrition – specifically, cancer-fighting diets – confronts the dog owner with bewildering choices. As we all know, nutrition is a staple of the canine press, yet the science behind nutrition is so complex as to be incomprehensible to most veterinarians, let alone ordinary dog owners.
Nutrition is a field where “facts” rise and subside like so many mayflies. Nutritional factors (megavitamins, for example) might benefit one dog, but, in certain circumstances, be harmful for others; yet precisely how nutrients affect cancer, in the crucial context of maintaining general health, is a frontier of science.
But meanwhile, if your dog has cancer, “improved nutrition” is the theme of every holistic cancer therapy, and increasingly an integral part of mainstream protocols.
Due to the extensive research available on the subject of diet and neutraceutical therapies for cancer, next month, WDJ will devote an entire article to the subject, along with several “anti-cancer” diets recommended by canine nutrition experts and veterinary oncologists.
Homeopathy
In homeopathy, external symptoms are considered indicative of a deep systemic “energy imbalance” in need of correction. The discipline employs an array of natural substances, in often vanishingly minute doses, which mimic disease symptoms, thus triggering an immune response. The perennial question of how such extreme dilutions could possibly retain any disease-fighting force might well have an answer in quantum physics.
But while the number of veterinarians practicing homeopathic medicine is on the increase, and every homeopath can offer anecdotal evidence of cancer cures due to homeopathy, double-blind, scientific studies have not demonstrated homeopathy’s benefit to canine cancer patients.
Traditional Chinese Medicine
Along with acupuncture, traditional Chinese Medicine, or TCM, is the Western world’s most widely used and widely respected alternative medicine; the Harvard Medical School, for example, has long had an exchange program with the national Chinese medical academy.
Chinese medicine considers cancer to be the ultimate expression of immune imbalance. In TCM, disease is understood to be caused by disturbances in a complex systemic energy flow called qi, which courses through the body on a network of meridians, each of which is associated with a major organ and with highly receptive acupuncture points. All of which merely hints at a complex terminology relating to a sick individual’s physical and psychological state, which TCM practitioners call a “pattern of disharmony.”
Chinese medical practitioners do not claim any extraordinary ability to cure cancer, canine or otherwise, although many of their herbal therapies have proven cancer-fighting properties. TCM stresses prevention – that diet, exercise, and positive mental health can prevent cancer by correcting these imbalances before they cause disease.
Acupuncture neither prevents nor cures cancer, but it is now widely used – among many other benefits – to relieve the side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs, and to boost immune function. In Western terminology, acupuncture (in which needles and/or targeted heat, suction, electrical impulses, lasers, and other techniques, may be employed) achieves its effects by altering chemical neurotransmitters in the body, triggering the release of pain-killing hormones, natural steroids, and endorphins.
At Colorado State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, acupuncture is well-accepted and often used in the cancer wards.
Unconventional therapies
There are any number of other unconventional cancer therapies whose proponents claim some level of cancer-fighting efficacy. However, all are clinically unproven treatments, which tend to be sought by those for whom conventional medicine offers no further hope. To name just a few, these therapies include shark cartilage, chelation therapy, blood and urine derivatives called antineoplastons, Iscador (a fatty extract of the mistletoe plant), laetrile, vitamin C, and hydrazine sulphate.
It is worth repeating that what cures (or seems to cure) cancer in one dog might not cure another; of course, this is true of conventional medicine, too. However, if there were in fact a highly-effective, systematic cure – for any type of cancer – among these unconventional treatments, it is safe to say that you would already know about it.
Chiropractic and massage
Chiropractic is a valuable healing tool, but has not proven to be useful for treating cancer. Dr. Gregory Ogilvie, a veterinary oncologist and professor at Colorado State University, characterizes the modality this way: “While good data exist concerning the efficacy of this treatment discipline, few data exist involving the cancer patient. . . Chiropractic care for the veterinary cancer patient revolves primarily around improving function and reducing pain, especially in areas of orthopedic or neurologic disorders.”
The report on massage therapy for cancer patients looks similar. While the treatments have been shown to be useful for relieving some of the side effects of cancer (and the cancer treatments) such as pain, inflammation, soft tissue dysfunction, epileptic seizures, anxiety, and depression, there is no evidence that massage can slow cancer growth. And in fact, for certain cancers, increasing the patient’s blood flow may assist the cancer’s spread. Discuss this concern with your veterinarian before using this modality on a dog with cancer.
The Bottom Line
One of the principles that the caregiver for any cancer patient should be aware of is that there is an often-rancorous battle between conventional and alternative veterinary practitioners when it comes to cancer. Your veterinarian may choose not to take a side in the fight, or he may be a strident advocate for his side. But your own cancer strategy can best be directed from neutral ground. Simply put, the best veterinarian for your cancer-stricken dog is one who looks for treatments that work, one who sees beyond the conventional, linear cancer-treatment model – whether that be the straight “alternative” approach or the straight conventional approach. The most successful practitioners work from a “whole dog” perspective.
In addition, it seems clear that any cancer-stricken dog is likely to benefit from therapies such as acupuncture, enhanced dietary programs, herbal medicine, not to mention simple love and affection; as a healing tool, of course, love is considered an “alternative” notion by many scientists. Perhaps it is. But beyond love, there are no definitive answers, only calibrated options and informed hope.
Roger Govier, a freelance writer and frequent contributor to WDJ, lives in San Francisco, California.
Two stunning standard poodles, one pure white, the other charcoal gray, were wandering loose on Santa Cruz’s Seacliff Beach in early June, not far from a busy road.
Jeff, the concerned citizen who corralled the dogs, was dismayed to find they had no tags, so he was unable to return them to their home. He put a “Dogs Found” ad in the newspaper and kept the dogs for three days, sure that someone would be looking for such wonderful animals, but no one called. With some ambivalence, he loaded them into his car and delivered them to the nearby Santa Cruz SPCA. They are obviously well-loved dogs, he reassured himself. They will be safe; the owner will come for them.
As it turned out, taking the dogs to the shelter was the best thing he could have done.
Shelter workers at the SPCA received the dogs, and as is routine for them, passed a microchip scanner over the dogs’ shoulders. One of them elicited a “beep!” from the scanner, and staff told the anxious finder that the dog was “chipped,” so they would likely be able to trace the owner. Relieved, Jeff got in his car and returned home, reassured that he had done the right thing by taking the dogs in.
Back at the shelter, the story was just unfolding. Shelter workers traced the microchip to a breeder in Los Angeles, who told them that the dogs belonged to Margie Takei, in Eugene, Oregon. The breeder’s veterinarian had implanted the chip in Morgan, the white poodle, three years earlier, before she was sold to Takei.
The shelter staff guessed that Takei must have lost the dogs while visiting Santa Cruz, a popular tourist town on the central California coast. But when they contacted the woman in Eugene, they were stunned to hear that the owner was never in Santa Cruz! She had been eating dinner at a Portland restaurant two weeks earlier, while her dogs waited in her Volkswagen camper in the parking lot. At one point during the meal she heard the dogs barking loudly and went out to check on them. Calling them by name, she calmed them down and returned to her meal.
After dinner, she discovered her camper was gone. Stolen! With her beloved dogs inside. Frantic, she reported the theft, posted flyers all over Eugene and Portland, and notified Oregon shelters to be on the lookout. But after two weeks, she was beginning to despair of ever seeing her dogs again.
Then came the phone call. Her dogs were safe and waiting for her at the Santa Cruz SPCA. Thanks to the microchip, her beloved Morgan and Sagan came home.
Worst Nightmare Losing a canine companion is a responsible dog owner’s worst nightmare. We go to great lengths to ensure our dogs’ safety. We leash them, fence them, keep them indoors, or close to our sides. Yet accidents happen. A door doesn’t close tightly. The meter reader leaves the gate open. A section of fence falls down in a windstorm, flood, or earthquake. We’re in a car accident and our dog panics, jumps through the broken windshield and runs off. While safe, appropriate confinement is a critical first-line defense against pet loss, proper identification is your lost dog’s ticket home when the first line fails.
But which kind of identification? There are actually just three primary types of identification for dogs – ID tags, tattooing, and microchips – and each has advantages and disadvantages.
ID Tags Most citizens who find a dog will promptly contact the owner and return the dog home if they can. An ID tag gives the finder immediate information and facilitates a speedy reunion, saving a trip to the nearest animal shelter and forestalling hours or days of anxious searching by the owner. A license can do the same after one quick call to animal control to get owner information. Many animal control agencies also have a policy of trying to return a dog home rather than impounding him, if he is wearing a current license or ID. Since most agencies charge impound and board fees to reclaim impounded animals (fees can sometimes exceed $100), the ID tag can also save an owner anxiety and money, by preempting a costly trip to the shelter.
There is a wide variety of ID tags to choose from, and it probably doesn’t matter which you use, as long as you use one of them. Temporary paper-and-plastic tags can be filled out with a permanent marker and then sealed, allowing for instant security. You can send away for fancy engraved tags that will never fade or suffer water damage. There are even “talking” ID tags that play a recorded message to your dog’s rescuer.
Because tags provide potential for the quickest trip home for your dog, most shelter officials vehemently urge that dogs wear ID tags and licenses at all times, as the mainstay of an identification program, even when the dog is safe at home.
Make your choice based on your and your dog’s needs – immediacy, durability and fashion statement – and then consider the added protection of the two backup methods of ID, because the ID tag is not the perfect solution. Tags and collars can fall off, or can be removed by unfriendly people, as was the case with the Poodles.
Also, some owners don’t like to use them due to the annoyance of the jingling of tags as the dog moves around, or scratches at an errant flea. While the annoyance seems minor in comparison to the trauma of losing a dog, an easy solution to this complaint is to tape or rivet the tags flat against the collar, or to buy a flat leather collar to which a flat ID tag is riveted.
Tattoos Tattooing takes the collar ID concept one step further, by giving the dog a form of un-removable (and silent!) identification. It involves the injection of ink under the dog’s skin with an electronic pen. When the tattoo technician “writes” with the pen, a tiny needle injects the ink to a depth of 1/32 of an inch under the skin, in a series of numbers or letters. According to Julie Muscove, founder and executive director of Tatoo-A-Pet, the procedure is quick and painless.
“We sell the system to veterinarians, groomers, breeders, and other authorized agents, at a cost of about $250,” she says.” Although it doesn’t require the use of anesthesia, most vets will anesthetize the dog because they find it easier to work on a stationary target than a moving one. So the cost of tattooing may range from $20 from an authorized agent (who doesn’t anesthetize) to more than $100 from some veterinarians.”
Tattoos are usually placed on the bare skin inside a dog’s flank, or sometimes, as in the case of racing greyhounds, in the dog’s ear. Tattoos cannot be lost or removed, and they are pretty durable, although someone can alter a tattoo if they are determined. (Horror stories of greyhounds having their tattooed ear cut off and then being abandoned have sickened the dog world gossip circuit; for this reason alone, Tatoo-A-Pet does not recommend tattooing the ears.) Tattoos can be a great way to prove ownership in a custody or identity dispute, and laboratories are generally leery of doing research on tattooed dogs without first tracing ownership.
The tattoo dilemma has to do with what you choose to write. In today’s transient society, a phone number is no good; a person might move several times in their dog’s life, or area codes can change. Some owners tattoo their pets with their Social Security number (SSN) or driver’s license number, but these, too, are problematic. For security reasons, neither Social Security nor state drivers’ licensing officials will release a person’s address or phone number. Local police departments and city animal shelters which are affiliated with the local police departments can access driver’s license information and contact the owners, but they cannot trace Social Security numbers.
Registering tattoos There are at least two national dog tattoo registries that can facilitate tattoo tracing, but finding an owner can still be a frustrating proposition, since not all owners registers their dogs’ tattoos with one of or both of these two groups (and over the years some tattoo registries have come and gone).
The companies are aware of the system’s shortcomings, and they do what they can to overcome them. Tatoo-A-Pet, which has been in operation for 26 years, will help trace any tattoo, not just the ones that are registered with them. To make the registration attractive to owners, they charge just $10 to register a tattoo for each pet’s lifetime, or a one-time $25 fee for a multiple-pet household. Company officials claim a have a 99 percent tattoo recovery success rate. (See “Resources,” page 24, for contact numbers for Tattoo-A-Pet and all other pet identification companies mentioned in this article.)
Another leading tattoo registry, the National Dog Registry, helps people find qualified tattoo technicians in their area, and will register any letter or number combination, but suggests that their clients lead the chosen combination with “NDR.” Of course, this approach depends on recognition of the NDR initials and name.
Petfinders is another dog-registration company that has made a specialty out of registering dog descriptions. While the presence of a tattoo certainly aids the description that the company will enter in their database of dog descriptions, they will also register dogs without tattoos.
If you have a purebred dog, the American Kennel Club recommends tattooing it with its AKC registration number. The Club has established a unit, the Companion Animal Recovery, that will assist a registered dog become reunited with its rightful owner. Critics of the Club (this includes the commercial tattoo registries, of course) allege that the Club’s records on owners’ names, addresses, and phone numbers are notoriously out of date and incomplete, and can be next to useless.
A final frustration is that most shelters don’t routinely roll incoming dogs onto their backs to look for tattoos. Many dogs don’t take kindly to being rolled on their backs by a stranger, especially in the high-stress environment of an animal shelter, and shelters are understandably reluctant to risk bites to staff from dogs who protest the procedure. However, most shelters, but by no means all, will make an effort to look for tattoos immediately prior to euthanasia, if a dog will tolerate the search.
Microchipping The third dog identification option is microchipping, also known as “radio frequency identification.” The high-tech member of the dog ID team has been available commercially for companion animal identification since 1988.
The microchip is a tiny computer chip etched with an identification code. The chip is attached to an antenna and encased in surgical-grade glass to form a transponder, or tag. The transponder is about the size of a grain of rice, and when injected under the skin between a dog’s shoulder blades, is unnoticeable on all but the smallest and most short-haired dogs. The injection process takes only a few seconds, requires no anesthesia, and is no more painful for a pet than a vaccination.
A special receiver is used to “read” the chip’s transponder by use of a tiny radio frequency signal. Shelter staff scanning a lost pet can use the code to locate the owner of the animal, or to retrieve any other information stored in the system’s database. The life expectancy of the chip is 20 to 25 years, and the cost of chipping is affordable to most pet owners – from $15 at some animal shelters, to $50 or more at veterinary hospitals, with an additional cost for lifetime registration in some system databases.
A permanent, unalterable method of pet identification sounds almost too good to be true, and of course, it is. The “Big Brother” aspect of microchipping makes some people uncomfortable. Some holistic veterinarians and owners cringe at the idea of permanently injecting a foreign object, albeit a tiny one, under the dog’s skin. (However, there is no documented evidence to show that chips present any kind of health risk to dogs.)
More significant are the kind of drawbacks that challenge the efficacy of the tattoo system. Not all shelters scan for chips, so some chip companies offer a visible ID tag to alert finders that the pet is chipped. Of course, the tag can be lost or removed. It is also possible to miss a chip while scanning, although over the last decade the quality of scanners has improved. Fractious animals can be difficult to scan. Microchip manufacturers are working to invent newer, better technology that will make chips easier to scan and read from greater distances.
Infighting slows progress But perhaps the most serious downside on the microchip scene is the squabbling between the three major players in microchip marketing. Destron manufactures the “Home Again” chip, which is marketed to veterinarians through Scheuring-Plough. Destron’s database is kept by the AKC’s Companion Animal Recovery division. Avid markets their own microchip and maintains their own database. InfoPet initially marketed the Destron chip, but now sells the Trovan chip, manufactured in Europe, and also maintains their own database.
Lawsuits and accusations between the companies over proprietary information abound, which gives rise to concerns about the stability and longevity of the various companies and their registration systems. The infighting has also slowed the progress toward universally compatible systems, much to the detriment of lost pet recovery. If shelter staff doesn’t have access to all three scanners, they may find themselves unable to access the necessary information, even if they know a chip is present in a dog. Although at least one company claims to have a “universal” scanner that reads all three companies’ chips and the others report that theirs will at least identify the presence of another chip, the reliability of the scanners reportedly declines when they are used to scan for chips other than their own.
If your local shelters have a well-developed chipping program (as is the case in many parts of California), then this method may be a viable element of your dog identification package. In 1989, the Marin Humane Society, in Novato, California, became the first shelter in the country to microchip all of their adoption dogs and cats; the shelter now also offers chipping services to the general public at an extremely low cost. Shelter staff say they recover close to 200 microchipped dogs each year, many of whom are not wearing any other form of identification, despite the fact that every adoption animal leaves the shelter wearing a physical ID tag.
The ID Answer? The best approach to identification is to cover all the bases. Certainly, all pets should wear ID tags at all times, not just when they are out for a walk. But in the event that tags are lost or removed, a back-up tattoo and/or a microchip, especially if they are registered with one or more registries, can literally mean the difference between life and death for your missing pet.
“We recommend using all three methods,” says Kat Brown, Director of Operations for the Santa Cruz SPCA. “A regular ID tag is most helpful for the finder. A chip is great back-up when you have shelters and vets in your area that scan. And a tattoo is triple insurance.”
Or, in other words, why not give your dog two or three tickets home? Margie Takei, the Poodle owner mentioned at the beginning of this article is glad she did.
“I knew Morgan was microchipped,” she says, “but I didn’t understand what it meant – I just thought it was something the breeder did for her records. Believe me, I understand now. All of my pets in the future will always be microchipped.”
-By Pat Miller
Pat Miller is a regular contributor to WDJ. A freelance writer and dog trainer, she lives in California.
Each issue, Whole Dog Journal brings you reviews of dog products we have tested on real dogs and dog lovers. As 1998 rapidly draws to a close, we’re looking back at the year’s best bets and a couple of great new ones, to help you decide which products you might want to add to your holiday shopping list for your dogs and your dog-loving friends.
Warmth relaxes humans and dogs alike, for physical and emotional reasons. Heat on the skin causes an increase in circulation. Blood flows to the area and tense muscles under the skin begin to relax. A warm touch might also recall the lazy enjoyment of a nap in the sun, or the comfort of a companion on a cold winter night.
Reusable heating pads are a wonderful way to bring the benefits of gentle heat to a dog. The pads I use are portable, liquid-filled plastic envelopes that, with just a push of my thumb, radiate soothing warmth for a few minutes or a few hours.
The pads can be used to soothe the dog during grooming, a hands-on evaluation, and other physical therapies such as chiropractic, stretching, or massage. I often use heat pads at the beginning of a massage, especially in cold weather. I also find them helpful with a dog who anticipates discomfort rather than enjoyment from new body sensations. The pads also seem to enhance the effects of acupressure relating to muscle, joint, and nerve function.
When the pads are first activated they can be quite hot. At this stage, move them over the dog’s body in slow, flowing strokes. When the pads cool, place them on the dog’s lower or middle back and let them continue to work while you massage other areas.
I always let the dog see and sniff the pad after it’s activated. Once the wonderful heat pad slides smoothly over her skin, however, even the most cautious or distracted dog is likely to dissolve into a cooperative partner.
A Warm TTOUCH
Some dog massage practitioners and trainers use the pads frequently, in a variety of applications. Robyn Hood, a Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM) instructor from Vernon, British Columbia, who has years of experience with the reusable heat pads. In fact, Hood’s family owns the patent rights for Canada, having brought the concept to this continent from Australia.
TTEAM practitioners use a system developed by Linda Tellington Jones, touching and working with companion animals and horses to enhance their mental and physical well-being. Hood has found that incorporating the use of the heat pads into her regular TTEAM exercises is very valuable.
“I use the heat pads to maximize the effects of massage strokes,” says Hood. She finds them particularly useful during grooming to warm and relax the taut, often painful back muscles of a competitive show dog or canine athlete such as a hunting dog. She also uses them to soothe and bring focus to a nervous dog, by stroking him with a heat pad in her hand.
The pads are also helpful in emergencies. Hood uses them along with massage to raise a dog’s body temperature when it has dropped too low due to shock or stress.
Hood also finds them useful for keeping puppies and older, arthritic dogs warm. “The advantage of the pads is that when they cool, they will remain at the body temperature of the dog, rather than getting cold and wicking the dog’s warmth away,” she says.
WDJ’s Favorite
By far the best and most unique heat pad is made up of non-toxic sodium acetate, stored in a liquid state and activated by pressing a metal disc floating inside the pad. When the disc is pressed, the cool, clear liquid immediately transforms into warm white crystals. The pads remain malleable for about 20 minutes, the length of time it is warm enough to be useful for massage. The pads remain warm for about 40 minutes total, but they stiffen and grow hard in the last 20 minutes, and that final stage of heat is not quite warm enough to feel good.
Once the pads cool, you can easily recharge them by placing them in boiling water (or microwaving them, though this method takes more vigilance, so as not to overheat them and cause them to burst) for about 10 minutes. The manufacture suggests letting them cool all the way before re-activating them. To recharge, just bend the metal tab that floats inside.
With reasonable care, these pads can be used over and over. WDJ has activated and recharged our samples at least 30 times since they arrived, and the effectiveness has not diminished one iota. Hood claims to regularly use a pad that she first purchased and used in 1988.
In the U.S. this pad is manufactured by Prism Technologies and sold under several names, most commonly, “The Heat Solution.” We’ve seen the exact same product in one sporting goods chain with a Coleman brand label. In Canada, they are marketed by TTEAM as “Thermopads.”
Insulation can make the heat last longer. Some manufacturers sell insulated covers for the pads to make the temperature more comfortable and longer-lasting. The covers are unnecessary to protect long-haired dogs from excessive heat, but could help keep the pad from being too hot for an extremely short-haired dog. We found that a sock works almost as well a cover.
Other options
Other reusable heat pads are available, but they do not have the portable, consistent-heat features which come with our first choice. Gel- and water-filled pads are less inconvenient; they must be boiled or microwaved immediately before use. Moreover, depending on the temperature used to warm them, the heat from the pads varies. I’ve found that it’s easy to get them too hot.
The sizes that each type of pad come in also limit their usefulness somewhat. Both the “Heat Comfort” pad (AKA the “Nexcare” pad), manufactured by 3M, and the “Aqua-Relief” pad, manufactured by the Aqua-Cel Corporation, are too big to stroke a dog with easily. Both would be better used in a situation where you were trying to warm a large area of the dog’s anatomy or to treat arthritis, sprains, pulled muscles, and other injuries. These pads also work well if cold therapy is beneficial; simply chill in the refrigerator for an hour or more prior to use.
The powder-filled, disposable heat pads that are activated by shaking, such as the “Sports Heat,” manufactured by Two A Degree, come in the right size, but their temperatures tend to be inconsistent, and never become quite as warm as you’d like. Plus, the single-use, throw-away feature isn’t economical nor in keeping with ecological “whole dog” practices.
Nothing is more wonderful for your dog in the winter time than a nice petting session with a hand-sized heat pad tucked into your palm. I recommend you get together with several other people and purchase a case of the sodium acetate portable heat packs. This way, you’ll be able to delight your favorite canine – or human! – friends all winter long.
-By Barbara Chasteen
Barbara Chasteen usually works with horses, offering equine massage, acupressure, and therapeutic in-hand techniques through her practice, the Balanced Horse, in Sonoma County, California.
For Star, an eight-year-old Springer Spaniel cross, life hasn’t always been easy. But thanks to treatments by Pedro Rivera, DVM, of The Healing Oasis Veterinary Hospital in Stutevant, Wisconsin, Star’s life glimmers again. In addition to traditional veterinary medicine, Dr. Rivera often treats his animal clients with chiropractic, homeopathic and Chinese remedies, and glandular therapy.
Star’s life wasn’t always plagued with illness. As a puppy and young dog, he seemed to be a picture of health: high energy, a good appetite, and a great disposition. Star’s owner, Janet Stone, had adopted him when he was just three months old, and he enjoyed good health until he was five and a half years old.
One fateful Saturday afternoon, after Star declined his regular meal, Stone began watching him. He felt hot and grew more and more listless. The next day, he grew increasingly lethargic, and that evening, had a seizure. Stone rushed him to the emergency animal clinic nearest their home.
The veterinarians on call saw that Star was jaundiced; his kidneys and liver were failing for unknown reasons. They administered antibiotics and fluids intravenously, hoping to stabilize his condition. Stone and her husband were disappointed to hear that unfortunately, the fluids and antibiotics represented all that traditional veterinary had to offer for Star’s condition, and the doctors there proffered little hope.
Star’s regular veterinarian, however, was Dr. Rivera, who had a much bigger toolbox.
“I first heard about Dr. Rivera and his wife from my sister-in-law, who had taken a dog to him,” says Stone. “She told me that he was a good doctor, but that he used really different methods and medicines than traditional doctors – he didn’t believe in pumping a dog full of pills and shots. My husband and I liked the approach, and the first time we ever took Star there, we were so impressed. We used his clinic for all of Star’s routine health care, and we were always happy with him.”
Since it didn’t seem as though there was anything else traditional veterinary medicine could do for him, the Stones felt Star would be better off in Rivera’s care, since Dr. Rivera had both conventional and alternative tools at his disposal.
A Multi-Faceted Veterinarian Exam
Upon assessing the troubled dog, Rivera found Star’s liver to be enlarged and his liver enzyme levels drastically high, about 300 percent of their normal levels. The basic function of the liver is to detoxify the body, and if this system fails, the toxins “back up” in the body (not unlike a backed-up sewer system), causing the animal to take on a yellow tint in its eyes, gums, and skin. this condition, in both animals and humans, is known as jaundice, and it can be life-threatening if not resolved. Dr. Rivera also determined that due to Star’s kidney and liver failure, his body was attempting to utilize nutrients stored in his muscle tissue, resulting in a condition known as “muscle wasting.”
His examination went beyond the Western medical tests, however. Rivera’s initial inquiry also includes mental and emotional evaluations of the animal. He queries owners about their dogs’ behavior patterns, questions like, “Does the animal like to be alone?” and “Does the animal have any specific cravings?” The answers to such questions can be telling, Rivera says. If an animal is displaying signs of extreme lethargy, for example, he then asks the owner about their own feelings.
“Many times, the fears of the owner affect the animal,” Rivera explains. In Star’s case, Rivera felt the owner’s fear that Star was going to die was contributing to his rapid decline.
Non-Traditional Healing Methods for Dogs
Rivera suggested a multi-pronged treatment approach which combined a homeopathic remedy, a Chinese herbal tea, and glandular therapy. Ideally, just one approach is used to attain a successful outcome, but given Star’s poor condition, Rivera felt a combination of treatments was necessary.
The strongest weapon in the fight to save Star’s life was a Chinese herbal tea which was custom-formulated for Star by Rivera. One of the main ingredients in the teas was AiYe (English name: Capillaris), often used to treat cancer patients. Stone admits that this treatment made her a bit apprehensive at first.
“I’d never considered this type of treatment before,” she said, “I thought, ‘A tea is going to save my dog?’ But I was willing to try anything, and I had total faith in Dr. Rivera.” Stone made the tea, and administered it three times daily to a weary Star. Within a day and a half, Star began showing slight improvements.
“It was remarkable. His appetite slowly improved, and by day three, he wagged his little tail,” Stone said.
Rivera also initiated a treatment of Arsenicum Album (Arsen. Alb; Arsenious Oxide), a homeopathic remedy. Homeopathy involves finding a “constitutional remedy” that treats the entire body. Unlike Western medicine where a patient’s symptoms are treated, homeopathy treats the body as a whole. By giving a particular homeopathic remedy – in this case, the Arsenicum Album – Star’s physical problems were addressed, along with his mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
Rivera also gave Star special supplements to help rebalance out-of-whack glandular system. He put Star on Beta-TCP, which helps bile-producing cells to stabilize, and administered Cytozyme LV, which is a neonatal extract used to help strengthen the liver.
Finally, as Star improved, Rivera also overhauled Star’s diet. He recommended that the dog eat an all-natural, low-protein, high-carbohydrate regime, with plenty of foods like chicken and rice.
Within two and a half weeks, Star’s liver enzymes elevated by about 15 percent, and there was a significant increase in the dog’s appetite. Within six weeks, Star’s jaundice had completely disappeared, and his liver enzymes had returned to normal. At that point, they stopped AiYe treatments, began weaning Star off of the Beta-TCP and went to a half-dose of the Cytozyme LV.
After approximately two months, Rivera prescribed dandelion extract, which works as a diuretic and helps to detoxify and further strengthen the liver. The extract was given a few times as a tonic, and has since been discontinued. Rivera’s final diagnosis was autoimmune hemolytic anemia, an affliction in which the body destroys its own blood.
Now, two years later, Star is his old self again. His owner is grateful for Rivera’s tireless efforts on behalf of her dog. “We really owe our thanks to Dr. Rivera,” Stone says. “He really worked hard,” she says. Significantly, she notes that one of the best parts of the whole experience was the fact that Rivera offered hope for Star’s drastic condition.
“It just goes to show that there is a place for the complementary therapies – they blend well with Western medicine,” comments Rivera. He stresses, however, that this approach is much more individualized than the Western approach. “We don’t give every patient with similar symptoms the same treatments,” he says. “You have to work with a very experienced practitioner, who knows how to detect the unique needs on each individual. But just because an animals is chronically or even critically ill, doesn’t mean there is no hope.”
Alice Greany is a freelance writer from Chico, CA.
I recently fostered a dog who first greeted me at the shelter that I sprung her from by jumping up on me. I spent the first two days with her almost exclusively working on preventing her from jumping. When I introduced her to a friend, my friend immediately held her arms out and greeted the dog’s enthusiastic jump up with a big hug, petting, and cooing
