As a professional dog trainer, and as someone who teaches other people how to train their own dogs, I find that with the proper instruction, most people can effectively train their dogs with nothing more than a plain buckled collar and regular leash. Contrary to the manufacturers’ claims, no collar, leash, or harness will ever work an effortless training “miracle” on your dog.
However, I have found certain pieces of training equipment to be helpful in specific cases. (A good example is the “head collar,” discussed in “Gear of the Year,” WDJ November 1998.) This month, I looked at several “special purpose” collars and novel leash attachments.
No-Slip Collars
No-slip collars are another special-purpose training tool that can be valuable in certain cases. I use only positive reinforcement training methods, and generally don’t allow the use of choke chains in my training classes. But occasionally a student explains that she uses a choke chain because her dog slips out of a regular collar unless it is tightened to the point of the dog’s discomfort.
In the interest of helping people who have found themselves in similar circumstances, I tested three collars designed to prevent dogs from slipping away. However, these collars prohibit unlimited choking, making them much more humane options than standard choke collar.
CAUTION: Slip collars can choke a dog that is tied up. This risk is less than of choke chains, but regardless, you should Never tie a dog that is wearing a no-slip collar.
WDJ Approves
The Premier Collar, Premier Pet Products, Richmond, VA; phone (804) 379-4702. Also available at most pet supply stores; about $7.
The Premier Collar is the most common of the no-slip collars. It consists of two pieces of nylon linked together by sturdy metal brackets. The main piece is similar to a standard adjustable nylon collar, while the second piece forms a loop that slips through brackets that are sewn in to the two ends of the first piece. The leash ring is sewn into the loop, so that when a dog pulls back on the collar the loop tightens, which tightens the collar around his neck and prevents him from slipping free.
The collar comes in a wide variety of sizes and colors. I liked the concept of the collar, and tried it on several dogs, none of whom objected to the mild tightening. I found it decidedly preferable to a choke chain. All collars were adjusted properly, so that abusive choking was impossible.
Not Recommended
The Check Choke, Coastal Pet Products, Inc., Alliance, OH; available at pet supply stores; about $10.
The highest priced of the three no-slip collars I found, the Check Choke was also the one I liked the least. Instead of a nylon strap, the Check Choke uses a chain as the second loop. Worse, the instructions that come with the collar encourage “a quick, short jerk” on the collar as a correction – something I do not use or approve of in my training. The collar appears well-made, but even the name implies the intent of its use as a force-based, coercive training tool.
WDJ’s Top Pick
The Lupine Combo Collar, Lupine Company, Conway, NH; phone (800) 228-9653l; about $8.
This was my top choice of the three no-slip collars I tested. Although almost identical in design to the Premier Collar, there are two notable differences. The Lupine Combo Collar has a “dead ring” sewn into the collar just next to the loop. When the leash is attached to the dead ring, the collar acts like a regular collar. Nice option!
Also, the quality of the Lupine collar is superior to the Premier, with sturdier, softer nylon and better stitching. Although both collars appear suitable, I like the Lupine better and feel it is well worth the extra dollar, especially since Lupine also offers a lifetime guarantee replacement or refund policy.
Other special-purpose collars
We’ve all seen reflective dog collars, which are usually billed as “designed to protect dogs from being hit by cars,” but what are dogs doing loose in the street at night (or any other time, for that matter) anyway? However, the reflector collar could be a useful safety feature for an owner who walks or jogs along a road with his dog at dusk or in the dark – in which case we hope the jogger also wears reflective clothing!
The most useful refective collar I’ve seen yet is one that boasts a “glow in the dark” feature in addition to the reflecting property.
WDJ Approves
The Safe-T-Bright Collar, The Dog’s Outfitter, Hazelton, PA; phone (800) 367-3647; about $5.
This adjustable nylon reflector collar glows in the dark for more than 20 minutes after exposure to light. I’ll admit that the glow-in-the-dark element was helpful for keeping track of my dark brown dog in the woods at night, but since the glow only works for the first 20 minutes or so, its usefulness seems a bit limited.
However, I can think of one perfect application: How about the dog who “disappears” into the dark corners of the backyard when he’s been let outside to go to the bathroom at night, trying to extend his evening explorations? The Safe-T-Bright collar could help locate the dog more quickly.
“Convenience-leash” collars
Many of us like to drop the leash when off-leash play is appropriate, but it’s also nice to have a quick way to re-secure the dog if need be. A few years ago, I saw a collar with a built-in retractable leash that I thought was quite charming. But even after an hour spent leafing through a tall stack of dog product catalogs, I couldn’t find one! I did see a couple of collars that came close. They, too, were designed to provide a hold on the dog that could be dropped and regained quickly.
WDJ Approves
The Hand-E-Lead, The Dog’s Outfitter, Hazleton, PA; phone (800) 367-3647; about $10.
The “Hand-E-Lead,” a small (2” diameter) retractable lead that attaches to the dog’s collar, came the closest to duplicating the retractable-leash collar I saw years ago.
The Hand-E-Lead attaches to the leash ring on your dog’s collar. According to the package, it’s designed to always be carried on the dog’s collar – a nice idea, but I wouldn’t leave it on all the time. On my 45-pound dog, it hung down and banged on her chest when she moved, which would surely get annoying over time.
The attraction is this: When the handler drops the leash, it retracts, staying conveniently available, but out of the way. However, while it’s compact and easy to use, it is just a little too big to be used on a small or small-to-medium sized dog. The chest-banging might not bother a larger dog, but since the retractable cord is said to “hold up to 150 pounds,” it might not be strong enough to hold a large, exuberant dog. In addition, the handle that you hold is small, which could make it difficult to grip, and therefore, unsafe to use on a hard-to-control dog.
Even given all of these limitations, I have to say that I would attach and use this for specific outings on a relatively well-behaved dog. If you have the right dog, this could be a fun toy for you, eliminating the necessity of dragging a leash along with you everywhere. If you have a large, powerful dog who has not yet learned to walk politely on leash, I suggest you hold off on the Hand-E-Lead.
Not Recommended
The Handler Dog Collar, UPCO, St. Joseph, MO; phone (800) 254-8726; $50.
With a secure and easily grasped handle fastened right to the collar, the idea here is that you don’t need a leash at all. But given its heavy bridle leather construction, this is one hefty, stiff, and expensive collar. My 75-pound test dog hated it, and although it was the right size for him, he looked lost in it.
The accompanying literature says the Handler is supposed to keep the dog by your side for “improved communication and control.” But I felt that the constant contact with the dog’s neck was likely to agitate many dogs rather than increase control. While it might appeal to someone who wanted their big tough dog to look bigger and tougher, I would advise the average dog owner to pass on this one.
-By Pat Miller
Pat Miller is a regular contributor to WDJ. A freelance writer and dog trainer, she lives in California.
Visit most pet stores – especially the large, warehouse-style chain stores – and ask for their “best” dog food. Chances are good that you will be directed to shelves containing big-name foods that are high-priced, well-advertised, and not radically different in content from generic, low-cost foods. Ask the saleswoman about herbal remedies, and she might lead you to an herb-infused shampoo – the store’s only herbal product. Go ahead; go out on a limb and ask about the shop’s supply of homeopathic remedies for dogs and cats. You’re almost certain to receive a blank state and a question in return: “What are you talking about?”
Recently, however, the holistic pet-care industry has been catching up to the holistic human-care world, where, if you want preservative-free foods, herbal remedies, or homeopathic products, you go to a health food store, not Safeway! Today, a growing number of animal-loving entrepreneurs are opening pet health food stores, where their clients can shop for the best (and otherwise hard to find) foods and the healthiest natural supplements and remedies.
Let’s meet some of these far-sighted entrepreneurs, and learn how they turned their passion for healthy animals into businesses dedicated to helping us help our pets.
The Birth of the Holistic Pet Store
Sandra Estrada was working in a completely non-animal-oriented business when a friend, a veterinary student at University of California at Davis asked her if she would like to visit him at his summer job – the orangutan unit at the San Francisco Zoo. From the time of her first visit to the orangutans, Estrada felt an extraordinary bond to the amazing animals, and deplored their dismal living conditions in the zoo. She immediately began volunteering her time to the unit, and began researching and studying everything she could get her hands on about ideal orangutan care. Eventually, Estrada founded a nonprofit group that worked to improve the living conditions of captive animals, and, with time and persistence, the group was instrumental in the effort to “inspire” (sometimes with lawsuits) zoo officials to construct new and improved primate quarters.
Estrada began the next phase of her life with a job in a friend’s pet store. At about the same time, her Rhodesian Ridgeback/Russian Wolfhound mix and constant companion of 10 years was diagnosed with diabetes. With her trademark commitment and passion, Estrada began studying everything she could get her hands on about the disease and potential treatments for it. Since diet plays such a large role in the continuing care for diabetes, she focused much of her attention on pet nutrition.
As she learned about the poor quality ingredients and unhealthy additives present in many commercial pet foods, Estrada grew increasingly disgusted with the pet food industry. She also began searching for makers of good quality foods.
She had a revelation when, in the course of her research, she came across holistic veterinarian Dr. Richard Pitcairn’s book, Natural Health For Dogs and Cats. She began feeding her dog according to the recipes in Pitcairn’s book, and experimented with some of his other holistic treatment suggestions.
With the blessings of her friend and employer, Estrada also began stocking the store with better-quality natural pet foods. The results from her own trials and the reports from the store’s clients were very positive, and Estrada began to dream of having her own store, offering nothing but the healthiest foods and supplements.
Estrada realized that vision in November 1997, when she and her husband Cesar opened Happy Pet, their own “pet health food store” in San Francisco. Now, Estrada uses her activist zeal to benefit her customers and their pets. She is dedicated to educating her customers about holistic pet care and to providing them with reasonably priced alternatives to well-known but less-healthy pet foods.
“I emphasize nutrition in my store, since it plays a primary role in the health of all living things,” says Estrada. “Before we carry any food in the store, I make it a point to know everything there is to know about that food – I find out what’s in it and what the source and quality of the ingredients are.”
Happy Pet also carries books about natural health care for animals, quality pet toys, and unique gifts for animal lovers. Estrada regularly refers customers to trainers, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and even animal communicators. She also refers clients to a holistic veterinarian – an easy task since earlier this year, when Estrada leased some spare office space in her store to Dr. Barbara Fishelson, a holistic veterinarian and homeopath. The arrangement has proved advantageous to all concerned parties. Dr. Fishelson can rest assured that her clients have easy access to her recommended foods and supplements. Estrada has a medical resource for her health and nutrition questions. And Happy Pet’s clients have two knowledgeable professionals to guide their pets to greater health.
For the Love of Bonkers
Located just outside Annapolis in Crofton, Maryland, is Crunchies Natural Pet Foods. Store owners Julia and Matt Cahill bill Crunchies as a “Health Food Store For Your Pet,” boasts that they offer the area’s finest selection of foods, vitamins, and supplements for both dogs and cats. They also offer regular seminars by holistic veterinarians and animal communicators.
Opened in 1996, Crunchies is dedicated to the memory of the Cahill’s late cat “Bonkers.” When the cat was diagnosed with cystitis and a rare immunological disease, Julia looked for natural remedies.
Although she had no formal training in pet nutrition, Julia was raised in a family that used natural health care. “I grew up in a family that never took cold medicines; we took herbs or other homeopathic remedies,” recalls Julia, crediting her grandmother and mother with teaching her the importance of taking a holistic approach to her own and her family’s health. It never crossed her mind, however, to use this approach with her pets until her cat became ill.
As Cahill read up on Bonkers’ condition, she soon realized that the cat would benefit from a healthier diet. “We needed the very best food we could find to help with the pH balance of his urinary tract and to boost his immune system. We couldn’t find one locally – we went to every store possible and either they had by-products or junk fillers, or ethoxyquin. We couldn’t find anything. The food we wanted just wasn’t available.” Eventually the Cahills found one supplier who was willing to deliver an acceptable natural food to their house.
A short time later, Julia attended a lecture on pet nutrition given by Bonker’s veterinarian. As the veterinarian spoke about the benefits of natural foods, several members of the audience raised the question of the availability of these foods. Where could they could go to buy these foods? everyone wanted to know. Unwittingly, the veterinarian launched the Cahill’s business by identifying Julia Cahill as someone who had found a way to have good food delivered to their home. Due to this and subsequent referrals, the Cahills were soon inundated with orders for the foods they recommended. When they found themselves using their living and dining rooms to warehouse an extensive pet food inventory, they got the idea. Crunchies was born.
Since educating themselves about small animal nutrition, the Cahills have designed a diet which is largely comprised of raw foods for their own pets. However, Julia acknowledges that it can be difficult to consider all the nutrients and get the balance just right. Accordingly, she cautions customers to proceed slowly, believing the safest, healthiest approach is for most casually interested pet owners to feed top quality commercial foods.
Their families were skeptical but supportive when Julia and Matt revealed plans to open a pet health food store. After just two years, however, the business is in the black, and the Cahills are optimistic about the future. Like most entrepreneurs, the Cahills want to make money, but they don’t measure success solely in terms of dollars, but by the number of pets they can help.
By Julia’s account, they’ve already succeeded. She says, “So many customers have come back to the store to tell me, ‘You won’t believe what’s happened.’ We’ve helped save lives that conventional veterinarians have given up on. That is success to me.”
A One-Stop Holistic Shop
Perhaps the most unique pet food store to be found anywhere is Porgie’s Puppy Teaching and Natural Pet Supply in Riverside, California. In addition to a full array of commercial foods and pet supplies, Porgies boasts a well-stocked assortment of fresh organic meats, produce, and grains. That’s because owners Linda Goodman and Joseph Findeis are ardent advocates of a whole food approach. Goodman claims that “all dogs that eat only commercial dog foods are in some sense starving, because the foods are not nearly as nourishing as whole, real foods.”
Goodman says that she sees improvement in every single dog that switches to a whole food diet. “Fresh food diets keep them constantly improving and getting better.”
Although Porgies is a pet food store, it does not neglect the pets’ owners. Goodman says “we like to refer to ourselves as a ‘health food store for pets and their people’ because we also sell human products. There are no differences between ‘natural foods’ for people and ‘natural foods’ for dogs and cats; they encompass many of the same foods. We carry everything that your pets and you should eat: organic produce, organic meat, and organic grains.” They also stock frozen organic pet meals, consisting of organic meat, whole wheat bread, carrots and peas, for customers who want to try a whole food approach but don’t have the time or desire to prepare the food themselves.
Goodman and Findeis work closely with their customers to teach them how to properly prepare a fresh food diet for their pets. They work with holistic veterinarian, Dr. Anne Smith, who spends a day in the store every third week, and shares the couple’s philosophies regarding diet. Much of the store’s stock is present due to Dr. Smith’s recommendations.
In addition to the health food store, the couple operates an indoor dog “teaching” facility (they don’t call it “training”), offering “kindergarten,” adult, and advanced family pet classes. Goodman also offers private consultations, telepathic animal communication, and grief counseling.
Meals on Wheels for Dogs
Suburban Seattle residents are growing accustomed to the site of a bright yellow bus wandering through area neighborhoods delivering pet supplies and foods. The renovated school bus is the flagship of Smiley Dog, a home pet food and supply delivery service, which specializes in providing natural pet foods, toys and supplies to its ever-increasing clientele.
Smiley Dog is the brainchild of owner Craig Weindling, whose business began modestly as a way to get his own dog good quality toys at wholesale price. About six years ago Weindling, then a stage manager in regional theater and as always a devoted dog owner, happened upon a wholesale mail-order catalogue for quality pet toys. As he flipped through the catalog, he was amazed at how low the wholesale prices were. Toys he paid a lot of money for in stores were actually quite inexpensive – if ordered in volume by a retailer.
But heck! Weindling had a lot of friends who had dogs; he was certain that if he placed a large order, he could easily sell the toys he and his own dog couldn’t use to his friends and neighbors! He took the plunge and placed an order. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, a business was born.
The idea of delivering dog toys to people’s homes was less a “grand plan” than a whim. Weindling laughs, “It just seemed like a really cool thing to be able to walk around the neighborhood to bring toys to friends that had dogs and to let my dog play with their dog and the toys.” Eventually, Weindling bought the little yellow (former) school bus that he sometimes uses for deliveries – and acts as a mobile billboard promoting the business at dog shows!
Initially Smiley Dog offered its clients just dog toys. Weindling says that he a made a conscious decision not to sell dog food because he didn’t know enough about it, and he refused to sell products with which he was not intimately familiar. But as more and more of his customers began asking him about food delivery, Weindling enthusiastically began educating himself about pet foods. Today he is a self-taught pet food expert who can hold his own with even the most seasoned holistic veterinarians on the subject of healthy foods.
Weindling now stocks and delivers a variety of healthy, natural pet foods and is committed to making it convenient for his customers to become educated about what is good for their pets. He also works hard developing strong personal relationship with his customers. If a customer has a question about a product or about a problem they are having, all they have to do is ask. Weindling routinely refers customer to information resources, local veterinarians, trainers, and pet sitters. Most of the veterinary referrals are to holistic practitioners who share Smiley Dog’s passion for educating people about proper pet nutrition.
Smiley Dog has grown to employ Weindling full time and two other employees part-time, and Weindling plans to hire more in the near future. He sends out a regular newsletter to his clients, keeping them abreast of discounts, the “Treat of the Month,” and special events that Smiley Dog will attend. He also has a 24-hour phone answering service and an e-mail address so that clients can place orders around the clock.
Weindling believes that the convenience factor, however, is only a small part of Smiley Dog’s success. Smiley Dog’s personal approach, he says, is what keeps its customers satisfied. “They like knowing that they can trust us with questions, and that we are not going to just try to sell them stuff,” Weindling says. And, of course, Smiley Dog’s personally tested and well-researched feeding recommendations, encompassing only the best quality natural foods and supplements, keep the company’s canine clients healthy – the best advertisement a company can have.
Yankee Ingenuity
“We went natural before it was popular and have done well,” says Sandy Sanel, owner of Sandy’s Pet Nutrition Center in Concord, New Hampshire. Sanel has been in the pet food business for 15 years, having converted to a natural foods about five years ago. Like several of our profiled business owners, Sanel became interested in natural pet foods as the result of a personal experience with a sick pet.
Years ago, armed with good intentions and a love for dogs, Sanel rescued a dog that was infested with heartworms from a local animal shelter. She took the dog to a veterinarian, who only “made him sicker with a lot of drugs.” Finally, Sanel was referred to a holistic veterinarian. She was so impressed with her dog’s progress using the holistic veterinarian’s approach that she began to reexamine all her own beliefs about animal care and feeding. Sanel quickly became acquainted with holistic practitioners around the country and began reading all the literature she could find on natural foods.
Before long, Sanel was so convinced that the food she had been selling was unhealthy for pets that she took the extraordinary step of throwing out all of her inventory that contained any added chemicals. It was a daring thing to do, she says, adding that she just couldn’t continue to sell things she no longer believed in. She replaced her inventory with all natural foods completely devoid of potentially harmful chemical colors, preservatives, and other chemicals.
It has not always been easy to sell natural pet foods in the heart of Yankee country. The biggest mistake you can make, says Sanel, is to come on too strong with new customers. Instead, Sanel uses a soft sell. “We have tons of printed materials in the store, so when a new customer comes in, we can give them literature instead of making a sales pitch. We tell them to come back if they read it and want to know more,” Sanel says. You can’t “beat a customer over the head” with information, says Sanel. “Otherwise, they just think you’re only trying to sell your food.”
However, Sanel is more than happy to educate those customers who ask for more information about proper pet nutrition. She and her employees can also offer their customers information and referrals other complementary and alternative health care. Sanel and one of her employees have both completed course work and obtained diplomas in homeopathy. Sanel routinely hosts seminars and talks on such subjects as homeopathy, kinesiology, and animal communication. One recent seminar attracted 100 attendees – evidence that Sanel’s ideas are beginning to take hold.
Further evidence that things are changing in Yankee country is the arrival of a new holistic veterinarian to Concord. Sanel is excited to have a professional in town who shares her ideals and to whom she can refer customers. And, of course, she adds, it doesn’t hurt that the veterinarian refers clients to Sandy’s Pet Nutrition Center for food and supplements. It’s more than a courtesy to a like-minded professional; Sandy’s is the only natural pet food store for miles and miles, drawing customers from all over New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont.
Support and referrals from holistic veterinarians and other alternative practitioners have benefited each of these profiled entrepreneurs. And an in-depth and enlightened knowledge of pet foods – the most important merchandise in all pet stores – is what makes them stand out from the conventional retailing crowd. But a true love for animals, and a passionate desire to help them be as healthy as possible, provides the impetus for each of these entrepreneur’s success. As Sanel puts it, “If you are doing something you really love, the money comes.”
Dan Hoye is the proud owner of Sadie, an elderly Golden Retriever often used as a WDJ photo model. This is Dan’s first contribution to WDJ.
Not far below the furry surface of your favorite domestic canine companion lurks a mind surprisingly similar to that of its ancestor and current-day cousin, the wolf. We have stretched and molded the dog’s plastic genetic material to create hundreds of widely diverse breeds – from the tiny Chihuahua to the giant St. Bernard – all to serve our whims. But our dogs’ behaviors and instincts to this day closely mirror those chosen by natural selection to ensure the wolf’s survival some 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, when the wild canine was first invited to share the warmth and protection of the fires in our ancestors’ caves.
The genetics that have enabled the dog to become “man’s best friend” come as both a blessing and a curse. The instincts that drive the behaviors we love in our canine companions are the same ones that make us tear our hair out. For example, the desire to be a member of a social group, or pack, is what makes the dog so amenable to family life and training. It is this same social instinct that in some dogs triggers incredibly destructive “separation anxiety” behaviors when a dog is left alone, behaviors that include non-stop barking and howling, inappropriate urination and defecation, chewing, and self-destructive escape attempts.
When their behaviors and instincts are understood and properly directed, our dogs are well-adjusted, cherished family members. The millions of dogs that are abandoned at animal shelters in the U.S. every year are tragic testimony to how often we fail to do this. Let’s look at how we can prevent this from happening to your dog.
Dog trainers commonly hear complaints about dogs that bite, attack other dogs, jump up, bark, chase cats, cars, or joggers, are shy, or don’t come when called. All these activities have a basis in normal, instinctive, survival-based canine behavior. They occur in spite of the owner’s training efforts because the dog is rewarded by them in some way.
Fortunately, each behavior can be modified, either by figuring out how to make the desired behavior more rewarding than the undesirable one, or by managing the dog so he doesn’t have an opportunity to exhibit the inappropriate behavior. Traditional training methods have often relied on human logic to teach dogs how to behave, by punishing the dog for “bad” behavior. But in the minds of our dogs, behavior is neither good nor bad; they are just doing what dogs do, driven by instinct and governed by the consequences of their actions. “Good” behavior is learned behavior. They learn more quickly, effectively, and happily if we focus on rewarding the “right” behaviors, and preventing, or to the extent possible, ignoring, the “wrong” ones.
Start Training Your Dog Early
Early management and training is the best approach, since it’s easier to prevent an undesirable behavior than it is to correct it. For this reason, more and more dog trainers offer classes for puppies as young as 10 weeks. Trainers used to recommend waiting until a dog was six months old to start training classes, in part because of the widespread use of “choke chains,” which can damage the soft cartilage of a puppy’s throat. Now that positive-based training is more widely accepted and available (using a standard flat buckle collar or head collar, and rewards and praise instead of leash-jerk corrections), there is no reason to wait. Owners can take advantage of a puppy’s critical socialization period to teach good behaviors.
The socialization period is a time when puppies in the wild have to learn quickly in order to survive. During the same critical period, domestic puppies learn which behaviors are acceptable to their human pack, which are rewarding, and which things are safe. While some veterinarians still counsel keeping a dog isolated at home until it is fully vaccinated by age four to six months, enlightened animal-care professionals recognize that there is far greater risk to our dogs’ lives (through euthanasia at an animal shelter) if they do not learn to be well-socialized and well-behaved during this critical learning period. Many veterinarians now strongly encourage their clients to pursue puppy classes and other controlled socializing activities as long as the pups have received at least two vaccinations and the owner keeps up with the necessary schedule of puppy shots.
Genetically Shy Dogs
Shyness can be genetic, it can result from lack of socialization, or it can be a combination of the two. While the wolf puppy that takes a “no fear” attitude doesn’t live long, neither does a wild pup who is so afraid of his own shadow that he doesn’t leave the den long enough to find adequate food to eat. Reasoned caution is a good survival skill for all dogs, wild and domestic. But because domestic dogs don’t face the life-threatening forces that wild ones do, genetically shy dogs can and do survive to reproduce, especially when assisted by irresponsible breeders and puppy mills.
While all puppies need to be properly socialized (even the bold ones), it is even more imperative to socialize the shy puppy. Left to his own devices, his timid behavior will intensify and he will grow up to be fearful, neurotic, and dangerous.
With these little guys, the flight response is so strong that it is important to be patient. Let the pup initiate contact with strange people or objects and reward each contact with a tasty treat. Don’t force the pup. Forced contact will aggravate the fear/flight response and make the shyness worse. But don’t coddle him, either. Coddling rewards and encourages fear behavior. Be gentle, patient, matter-of-fact, and upbeat about helping him understand and accept the big, scary world.
Always Train A Reliable Recall
Puppies, wild or domestic, naturally stay close to other pack members. Again, it’s a survival thing; the puppy that wanders away ends up as hawk food. Our eight-week-old puppies usually come running when we call them because they are very dependent and want to be near us more than anything else in the world. We soon believe that they have learned to come when we call them. When they get older and more independent, and start to explore the world on their own, they no longer come when we call. We are convinced that they are being stubborn, ignoring us on purpose.
In fact, they never learned to come when called. Now, if they get reprimanded when they do come back (for not coming when they were called) they are even less likely to come the next time they are called, since they have learned that the consequence for coming is punishment, not reward.
In order to teach a reliable “come”, we capitalize on the dog’s desire to be near us and the instinct to seek rewards. When your pup is a baby and comes to you easily, be sure to reward with treats and praise every time. Never punish “come!” If you have to correct for something (like getting in the garbage), don’t call her – go to the pup to administer the mild correction. If she doesn’t come to you when you need her to, resist the urge to chase after her. She’ll think “chase the dog” is a wonderful game. Instead, turn and run away, doing something to get her attention – like making excited, high-pitched noises, squeaking a squeaky toy, or bouncing a ball. Teaching her to “chase” you engages her prey drive and takes advantage of her instinct to stay with the pack (you) and her strong desire to be a part of exciting pack activities.
Bite Inhibition
Of all unwanted behaviors, biting is the least socially acceptable to humans, and the one that most often results in a death sentence for the dog. Yet biting is a totally natural behavior for dogs, both wild and domestic. Wolf puppies and adults bite each other in play and in warning. Very rarely do they bite each other in order to do serious damage. It is vital to the survival of the pack that all members be strong and healthy. It makes no sense for pack members to engage in fierce battles that might result in serious injury. As pups, they learn the importance of bite inhibition by playing with each other. When a pup bites a littermate too hard, the victim yelps loudly and may refuse to play for a while. Thus the biter learns that the fun of play ends when he bites too hard. Over the first five months of his life, he learns to control the strength of his bite. If he doesn’t have this opportunity, it is much more difficult for him to learn to use his mouth gently later.
Enter the human. We routinely take the domestic puppy away from his siblings at six to eight weeks, sometimes earlier, effectively eliminating the pup’s opportunity to learn bite inhibition. No wonder we end up with shark-puppies who chomp down on our hands, sometimes even drawing blood with their needle-sharp teeth!
Responsible breeders won’t release their puppies to new homes until they are at least eight, sometimes ten weeks of age or older. Progressive animal shelters put litters of young pups in foster homes so they can grow and learn from each other, rather than placing them too early. Yet, trusting in the myth that “the earlier you get a pup the more she will bond with you,” uneducated dog owners clamor for the six-week-old puppy (or younger). Unethical breeders, uneducated backyard breeders and shelters that lack adequate foster programs may oblige.
Even if adopted at eight to ten weeks, pups need to continue their bite inhibition lessons. The best way for the human teacher to do this is to imitate the puppy’s littermates. When a pup bites hard, say “OUCH!” in a loud, high-pitched squeak and remove yourself from the pup’s reach for a few minutes. Then return to puppy play. Each time the pup bites too hard, repeat the lesson.
After several repetitions the pup’s bite will begin to soften. You can then repeat the lesson at gradually decreasing levels of bite intensity until the pup learns not to bite at all. If you try to extinguish bite behavior all at once you will frustrate your puppy’s natural biting behavior, and fail at the task. At the same time you are softening the bite you can also direct the puppy’s biting toward acceptable chew items. (It is virtually impossible for small children to respond properly and consistently to puppy biting, which is why many shelters and responsible breeders discourage families with young children from adopting young puppies.)
Adult dog biting behavior is much more serious. Much of wolf body language is designed to avoid an actual fight, again for individual and pack survival reasons. Growls, stiffened legs, stiffly wagging tails, stares, glares, and raised hackles are signals intended to warn away a challenger. The majority of bites to humans occur because we misread or ignore the dog’s similar warning signs. This is one reason why children are so often the victim of dog bites – they are even less skilled than adults at heeding a dog’s warning – and why it is so important for adults to supervise all interactions between dogs and small children, no matter how trustworthy the dog is believed to be.
A wolf or dog’s reaction to a possible threat is either to stand ground and fight, or flee. Individual canines usually have a preference for one reaction style over the other. Most dogs that prefer to stand and fight will still give warnings. If they are ignored, a bite often follows. We call this “dominance aggression.” A dog who prefers flight will try to escape the threat rather than challenge it, but if the escape route is cut off – when a dog is cornered, restrained, or tied up – a bite often follows. We call this submission aggression, or “fear biting.”
The more a puppy is socialized before the age of five months, the fewer things are ultimately perceived as threatening, and the less likely it is that a bite will occur in the adult dog.
The Jumping Greeter
All creatures instinctively seek rewards. In order to take advantage of instinct-driven behaviors, we just need to figure out how to make the behavior we want more rewarding than the one we don’t want, and then continue to reinforce the “right” behavior until it is a programmed response. Wolves, of course, don’t have much opportunity to jump up on people. They do greet each other face-to-face – sniffing noses and licking faces. Our dogs jump on us in their greeting ritual to try to reach our faces (and will often lick our faces if we let them), to demand attention, and because when they are puppies we pick them up and cuddle them, teaching them that “up” is a very rewarding place to be. When they jump up they are self-rewarded simply by touching us. Everything we do to get them off of us also rewards them. We look at them. Eye contact is a reward. We push them away. We touched them – that’s a reward! We tell them to get off. We spoke to them – that’s a reward too! A sturdy, rambunctious dog can view even a forceful “knee in the chest” as an invitation to play.
If, instead, we ignore the behavior we don’t want (in this case by turning away from the dog, and stepping away so he isn’t even self-rewarded by touching us) and reward the behavior we do want (by waiting or asking for the dog to sit, then turning to him, and giving him a treat, along with the greeting and attention he wants) he will soon learn that he gets rewarding by running up to us and sitting, rather than jumping.
The Thrill of the Chase
The wolf would not survive without a strong prey drive. The lives of pack members depend on their ability to chase, catch and kill things that run away from them. Our dogs have retained a very strong prey drive. In many cases, we use this instinctive behavior to our advantage. The intense herding behavior of the Border Collie is a modified prey drive with a strong inhibition for the killing part of the process. Many breeds of terriers, hounds, and sporting dogs were bred to pursue and kill or retrieve other animals. We encourage this drive in our pets to this day, with mutually enjoyable games of fetch the Frisbee, stick, dumbbell, and tennis ball.
Small wonder, then, that some dogs are driven to chase cats, joggers, bicycles, cars, and other fast-moving objects. This is such a strong drive in some dogs that it is difficult, if not impossible, to eliminate. Prevention is mandatory for your dog’s own safety. Dogs who are allowed to run loose to chase cars tend to have short lives. Dogs who chase cats, joggers and kids soon get in trouble with neighbors and animal control. Dogs who chase livestock get shot. With a real commitment to a long-term training program we can teach our dogs to pay attention and respond to us even in the presence of an enticing prey-distraction, but a dog with a strong prey-drive will always chase if given the opportunity, and must always be securely confined when not under the owner’s immediate control.
Barking
Barking is also a natural behavior. In fact, when Lassie barks to warn us of an intruder, or to tell us that Timmy has fallen in the well, she’s a hero. But if she barks at the mail carrier, a stray cat in the yard, or when Aunt Emma knocks on the front door, we yell at her to “Shut up!” It is a wolf’s job to alert other members of the pack to anything out of the ordinary, and when Lassie barks at the mail carrier, she’s just doing her job. How is she supposed to know when we want her to alert us and when we don’t? Some dogs may well think that “Shut up” is just our way of joining in the barking! A better way to respond is to acknowledge the intruder and thank Lassie for doing her job. Then tell her that you have everything under control, with a “Good girl, that’s all, quiet.” Again, with a positive-reward approach, you wait for the barking to stop, and reward the silence with a treat while you say “Good dog, quiet.”
A dog who barks non-stop in the backyard is a different matter. Non-stop barking is often a sign of a dog who is bored and lonely. She is isolated from her human pack and expressing her natural desire to rejoin the social order. The obvious solution is to bring the dog into the house and let her be part of the pack. Crate-training (teaching the dog to sleep in a wire kennel or airline crate) is an excellent tool to help incorporate the dog into the family without risking damage to antique furniture and Oriental carpets. Dogs are meant to live with others – isolating a dog is a form of extreme mental cruelty, and should not be permitted.
Endless Possibilities
Most dog behaviors are connected in some way to that genetic package of instincts handed down from the wolf. And all dog behavior, if properly managed, can be turned into something positive. Dogs that dig can find truffles in France. Dogs that climb and jump fences are great candidates for agility training. The hound that always runs off with his nose to the ground can learn to track and do Search and Rescue. Dogs that chase can fetch golf balls. Their potential is limited only by our creativity.
The next time your dog does something you don’t like, stop and think before you yell. He’s not being bad – he’s being a dog. What instinct is driving his behavior? How can you work with his instincts instead of against them to modify his behavior into something positive? It’s worth the time it takes to figure it out and apply it to his training. You’ll end up with a happier dog. You’ll be a much happier dog owner. The incredibly rewarding bond that is created between the two of you will guarantee that your dog never ends up in the ranks of the homeless hounds at your local humane society.
Pat Miller is WDJ’s Training Editor. She is a dog trainer and freelance writer from Salinas, California.
We now know that worms do much more than, as the childhood song had it, “play pinochle on your snout.” Manufacturers of deworming products have gone out of their way to let us know that, left unchecked, these pesky parasites can plague dogs that are in poor health, rob them of nutrition, attack vital organs, and cause unthriftyness, illness, and even death.
Well, yes and no. If a dog’s health is poor and he is hosting an uncontested parasite population, all sorts of bad things can happen. It is important to protect our dogs from parasites, but as it turns out, protection largely follows as a result of building the dog’s overall health. Toxic dewormers may be unnecessary to dislodge what few worms a strong and healthy animal might have.
Conventionally trained veterinarians routinely administer de-worming agents for roundworms as part of regular puppy care, for tapeworms when tapeworm segments are observed, for hookworms whenever they are diagnosed, and for whipworms if symptoms indicate a severe infestation. In addition, heartworm preventative is routinely prescribed in areas where that deadly pest has been identified.
But most holistic veterinary practitioners believe that a dog’s ability to withstand parasitic infection is a function of the animal’s overall health, and that tolerance for a low level of parasites is less harmful than toxic dewormers. They may counsel against routine deworming of puppies and adult dogs.
Parasite Prevention is Key
Both schools of medicine support parasite control through prevention, although their concepts of appropriate prevention methods may differ. Take tapeworms, for example. Dogs get tapeworms from swallowing fleas. The dog that never touches a flea never gets a tapeworm. For this reason, and because of all the other problems that fleas can cause, traditional veterinarians tend to focus their preventive efforts on flea eradication.
Holistic veterinarians prefer a multifaceted approach. Dr. Christina Chambreau, a veterinary homeopath from Baltimore, Maryland, says that improving the overall health of the dog is the key. “The main cure for repeated parasite problems is to work to have a healthy animal. Vaccinate the least, feed the best diet, and treat the overall health of the animal. Then they will stop having the problem,” she says.
Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, Ph.D., the author of the best-selling book, Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats, suggests that owners tolerate a low level of tapeworms in their dogs, only intervening when the parasites noticeably impact the animal’s health.
When necessary to assist a dog with tapeworm removal, Dr. Pitcairn combines homeopathic, herbal, and nutritional remedies. Feeding whole, raw pumpkin seeds, ground into a fine meal and added to each meal (one-quarter to one teaspoon, depending on animal’s size), is thought to irritate the worms, causing them to loosen their hold and pass out of the digestive tract. Wheat-germ oil, one-quarter to one teaspoon per meal, is believed to discourage tapeworms naturally. Some vegetable enzymes, especially those of the fig and papaya, supposedly eat away at the outer coating of the worm. Filix mas 3X (male fern), given as one tablet three times daily, is a homeopathic remedy for tapeworms.
Treatments for Roundworm
For roundworms, which he also recommends treating only in the case of severe infestation, Dr. Pitcairn again offers a multifaceted attack. He suggests giving the homeopathic remedy Cina 3X (Wormseed), one tablet three times daily for at least three weeks.
This treatment is accompanied by specific additions to the dog’s diet that help “scrub” the weakened worms out of the digestive tract. Pitcairn suggests adding one-half to two teaspoons of wheat or oat bran and the same quantity of grated raw carrots, turnips or beets and one-half to two cloves of fresh, chopped or grated garlic to the dog’s food per day. He also recommends adding one-quarter to one teaspoon of unrefined diatomaceous earth to each meal to irritate the outside of the worms, causing them to loosen their hold on the intestinal lining so they can be flushed out.
Like most mainstream veterinarians,Dr. Joan Freed, DVM, a traditional practitioner and veterinary chief of staff for the Humane Society of Santa Clara Valley in Santa Clara, California, takes issue with the “live and let live” approach to roundworms.
“I would agree that a reasonable tapeworm load is relatively non-threatening,” says Freed, “but I would have a hard time advising against routine deworming of puppies. Veterinarians in private practice probably don’t see as many of the distended bellies associated with heavy roundworm infestation that we see in animal shelters.”
Freed maintains that although it is possible that puppies that have enjoyed good nutrition and a healthy environment may be less affected by worms than half-starved strays, even the apparently healthy puppies can suffer thickened intestinal walls resulting from roundworm damage.
The Alternative View to Animal Health Care
Conventional veterinarians and those practicing alternative medicine agree that a healthy dog is much better able to withstand parasitic invasions than one whose health is compromised. To this end, your natural health practitioner may recommend a comprehensive health care program that includes feeding a natural, home-cooked diet rather than prepared dog foods, avoiding the use of any and all pesticide-bearing shampoos, dips, powders, sprays, collars, and dewormers, and implementing exercise and massage programs to keep dogs at their peak of health.
Once a dog is truly healthy, minor visits from occasional parasites may be inconsequential, and major infestations are less likely to occur.
None of the holistic veterinarians we queried are completely opposed to using chemicals to control advanced internal parasites. Even Dr. Pitcairn recommends conventional parasite control when alternative methods are not immediately effective, and for treating or preventing the more serious parasites – such as hookworms – that present an immediate and significant threat to our dogs’ lives.
Dr. Chambreau has some additional suggestions for those contemplating the use of traditional dewormers. “If you have to treat the dog, do it as minimally as possible. If you know exactly what kind of worms the dog has, treat it for that type of worm only. Don’t give a medication that treats hookworms, tapeworms, whip worms, and roundworms when you have only roundworms. And follow up with herbal and nutritional supplements (ground pumpkin seeds, garlic, grated carrots, turnips, or beets, and bran, as mentioned above) to clear the worms completely from the system and to strengthen the dog’s own defenses against future pests.”
Parasites Most Often Infecting Dogs
Roundworms (Toxocara canis)
Puppies are infected in utero by roundworm larvae from the tissues of their mothers. The larvae migrate to developing fetuses and reach the puppies’ intestines a week after birth. Affected puppies have dull coats and are often potbellied and fail to grow. Worms may be vomited and are sometimes visible in the stools. Eggs are shed in the feces, and larvae can migrate in the tissues of many animals, including humans. Because of this, children should not handle lactating females or young puppies that have not been dewormed.
Tapeworms (Dipylidium caninum)
Dogs become infected with tapeworms by swallowing fleas. Signs of tapeworm infestation include unthriftiness, capricious appetite, irritability, rough coat, and mild diarrhea. Small, white tapeworm segments, the size of grains of rice, can be seen in the feces and sometimes clinging to the fur beneath the dog’s tail. In extreme cases, emaciation and seizures can occur. Tapeworms occasionally infect humans.
Hookworms (Ancyclostoma caninum)
Puppies can become infected with hookworm larvae through the milk and colostrum of their infected mothers. Adult dogs can ingest hookworm larva from contaminated ground where infected dogs have defecated. Hookworms are most common in the U.S. in the Southeast, as the eggs require warm, moist soil to hatch.
Hookworms cause severe anemia, often fatal in puppies. The pups that survive develop immunity, but may continue to suffer from chronic anemia. Adult, healthy dogs who harbor a few worms without showing clinical symptoms are of particular concern, as these dogs are the source of infection for puppies and other dogs.
Whipworms (Trichuris vulpis)
In light infections, whipworms produce no clinical symptoms and are relatively benign. If the worm burden increases it can cause internal hemorrhage with resulting weight loss, diarrhea, blood in the stool, and anemia. Worm eggs are easily susceptible to desiccation (drying out), so prevention relies on maintaining cleanliness in all the areas where the dog spends time. Take special care to eliminate moisture around the dog’s bed.
Bruno was probably not more than four weeks old when found abandoned on a Hercules, California street corner. But the people who found him knew just who to call: Marilynn Hanson, a professional pet-sitter and shelter volunteer. While Hanson is often tempted to bring home the hard-luck cases she sees in the shelter, for practical reasons she usually resists. But she couldn’t help but respond to this tiny foundling, taking the green-eyed pit bull-cross home right then and there, and named him Bruno.
Hanson noticed the pup was a bit lethargic, with a runny right nostril, and so she took him in for a veterinary exam. Hanson’s veterinarian thought it was likely that an upper respiratory infection was the probable cause for Bruno’s runny nose, so he prescribed an antibiotic. Unfortunately, fixing Bruno’s problems was not to be that easy!
Knowing that the puppy would still be nursing if he were with his mother, Hanson tried to feed him from a bottle without success; he just couldn’t seem to suckle correctly. However, a hungry Bruno soon learned how to lap up a slurried mixture of A/D Lambert-Kay canine milk replacer mixed with baby rice cereal.
No Bladder Control
Although he drank an unusual amount of water all the time, and then, of course, urinated an extraordinary amount, Hanson chalked that behavior up to puppyhood. A more alarming symptom was his runny nostril, which failed to respond to the antibiotics, and even seemed to make his right eye weep.
A clue to the nature of the puppy’s true problem came in the form of an expelled tooth. “His upper right canine just fell out on the floor right in front of me,” Hanson describes. She took Bruno to Dr. Michael Floyd, a veterinary dental specialist. An x-ray revealed a broken nose and upper jaw, with a crack three-quarters of the way across his skull on the right side. Whether the injury had been a result of deliberate cruelty prior to the pup’s abandonment, or due to an accident suffered while he was on the street, it was impossible to know. There was nothing to be done except let the injury heal on its own, said Dr. Floyd.
In the meantime, Bruno was making terrific progress in his puppy training classes, advancing easily to obedience and then “click and treat” classes. Hanson expresses delight when asked about Bruno’s obedience work. “His conformation, drive, trainability, and temperament are so nearly perfect, I’d clone him,” she says. “Personality-wise, he has always been such a sweetheart, and his training was going well,” Hanson recounts.
It’s fortunate that the green-eyed pup had such a winning personality, because his health was still not good. At about six months of age, Bruno’s breath suddenly turned awful, so Hanson took him back to Dr. Floyd. Several of the teeth on the right side of Bruno’s mouth had grown in looking odd and malformed, and one even lacked enamel. Dr. Floyd extracted some malformed and abscessed molars and performed corrective dentistry on the teeth that had not erupted straight. One tooth even had “renamel” placed over its naked dentin.
When It’s No Longer a Puppy Problem
Months went by, and Bruno continued to grow, eating his slurried kibble, but still drinking excessive amounts of water every day. “It was very annoying, because I couldn’t really house-break him,” says Hanson. “Crate training didn’t work either, as he could only ‘hold it’ for an hour or so at a stretch. During the day, I pet-sit, and so usually, I was able to either take him with me, or I could get home to let him out every few hours. In the evenings, I worked out a routine where I’d take him outside every couple of hours, with the last trip at 10 p.m., and then put him to bed in the garage, where he could got up and relieve himself away from his sleeping space.”
Bruno was worth any amount of trouble to his adoring owner, even after the stocky puppy got stuck with the nickname “the Urinator” from the instructor of his puppy training class. But as he failed to “grow out of” what seemed like a persistent puppyhood problem, Hanson sought medical advice.
When Conventional Drugs Are Making You Bankrupt
After a thorough examination, Bruno’s veterinarian surmised that the pit bull might have diabetes insipidus (DI), a rare type of diabetes. DI is a rare disorder, caused by either the lack of ADH, a hormone that limits urine production, or by a failure of the kidneys to respond to the hormone. A shortage of ADH points to a malfunction in the pituitary gland (which could result from severe trauma to the skull). Either way, a solid diagnosis could only be made by conducting more extensive tests for pituitary and kidney function, or by administering the drug treatment of choice for DI. Hanson chose to start treatment, which consisted of intra-nasal “DDAVP” drops.
Fortunately, the drug worked! That clinched the diagnosis and improved Bruno’s condition. He quit drinking so much, and quit having to urinate so often. By the time Bruno reached one year of age, Hanson felt she finally had a normal dog.
The bad news was the exorbitant price of the treatment. Although the dosage was just two drops per nostril twice a day, the drug cost $185 for five milliliters. Hanson weathered the expense for several months and then decided there had to be an alternative to bankruptcy. “I admit, I work to support my numerous pets, but felt I needed to explore other options for Bruno’s treatment for financial well-being,” Hanson explained.
When Acupuncture is the Best Option
Considering a past positive experience with a geriatric cat which also happened to have a pituitary condition, Hanson decided to consult a veterinary acupuncturist to see if this complementary therapy might benefit Bruno. An appointment with Dr. Lisa Pesch, a veterinarian and acupuncturist in practice at the Broadway Pet Hospital in Oakland, confirmed Bruno’s candidacy for acupuncture. Dr. Pesch required a blood panel before acupuncture treatment, which would enable her to detect measurable differences that might occur with this therapy. Tests happened to show Bruno’s blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine to be extremely high, indicating kidney problems, but Dr. Pesch had confidence that with acupuncture and an herbal supplement regime, Bruno’s drug therapy could safely be terminated.
In late May, Hanson discontinued use of the DDAVP drops; on the same day, Bruno underwent his first acupuncture treatment, with half a dozen follow-up treatments in as many weeks. No significant changes were seen in the blood tests, and Hanson has to admit there were times she panicked while looking at the results. “But I was told by several vets that you can’t got hung up on the numbers, that each individual is unique, and what is normal for one may not be normal for another,” she recounts.
Bruno’s blood values were unchanged by the acupuncture, but the difference in his symptoms were dramatic. The dog who could not go more than two hours without needing to urinate can now sleep six hours straight (and so can his owner!) without getting up to go outside. His thirst reduced, and his perennially runny nose dried up. “These improvements made me a firm believer in complementary therapies,” Hanson affirms. “Western medicine has a lot to offer, of course, but sometimes, putting the body ‘in balance’ and keeping it there with alternative therapies is just as valuable!”
Hanson has supported Bruno’s health all along with a great diet and a variety of natural supplements. “I’ve fed him a fresh raw diet as much as I could, supplementing his pureed fruits and vegetables and raw meat dinners with Flint River Ranch kibble,” she describes. Hanson also gives Bruno Cell Tech’s Super Blue Green Algae twice a day, Cosamine (glucosamine chondroitin) for his jaw disorder, cranberry extract for bladder health, Nature’s Life Golden Flax Meal for kidney support, and New Visions’ Una de Gato to help keep his urination frequency in check.
Today, Bruno is a gleaming, smooth-coated amber color, with sparkling green eyes and a firm, muscular body. He wriggles with happiness when anyone turns their attention to him, which happens a lot to such an attractive guy. Who knows? With luck, perhaps in his next obedience class, Bruno will become known by a nickname suitable for a more finely tuned action hero.
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?
I have never owned a dog with separation anxiety, thank goodness. The condition is hard on the dog who suffers from the condition and hard on the dog’s caretakers, too, including owners, vets, groomers, pet sitters, and dog walkers. Care must be taken to prevent triggering the dog’s panic at being left alone—in severe cases, even just long enough for the person caring for the dog to use the restroom!
