Canine Behavior Blog

Holiday Decorations and Plants Could Create Pet Emergencies!

12/22/2012

All over the country, and the world, people are celebrating the holidays with family and friends. An important part of the celebration is spending time decorating your home with traditional ornaments and plants. Many of these decorations certainly look nice, but they also pose some serious danger to our pets.

Everyone has their own special holiday traditions. Whether it’s the decision to use a live Christmas tree, lighting Hanukkah candles or hanging mistletoe, families will spend a lot of time and effort creating the perfect holiday atmosphere. Understanding how those decorations might affect your four-legged family members can help you avoid a holiday pet emergency!

Christmas trees are certainly beautiful and are truly the icon for this time of year, but many of the various ornaments and other decorations we use pose significant risks to both our dogs and cats. First, glass ornaments hanging off the branches seem to be an irresistible magnet for mischievous felines. A few playful bats and suddenly the festively colored globe shatters on the floor. Glass fragments can cut sensitive paws, noses or even end up in the feet of our human family members!

Tinsel, ribbons and even lights are also dangerous for cats, but our dogs are not immune to the attraction either. The string-like nature of these decorations can be very troublesome if the pet swallows the material. One end of the string might lodge in the intestines, causing the organ to gather upon the material and actually generate a severe sawing like motion, leading to perforation and peritonitis. Veterinarians refer to this as a “linear foreign body” and many times the outcome can be deadly. Dr. Melanie Marsden of Pikes Peak Veterinary Clinic recalls an incident in which a miniature poodle was seen for vomiting and lethargy in early December. After x-rays showed some sort of obstruction in the intestines, surgery was performed and tinsel was removed from the dog. The patient was sent home but came back soon after Christmas because he had eaten tinsel again! Dr. Marsden says, “Nope…no tinsel on my tree”.

Dr. Jennifer Hennessey, an emergency veterinarian at Sugar Land Veterinary Specialists says that one of her most memorable cases was a Great Dane mix who ate the entire string of Christmas lights! “Thankfully, no surgery was needed as the dog passed every single light and recovered without any problems,” said Hennesey, “those would have been some very cool x-rays though!”

READ FULL ARTICLE

Medical Causes of House Soiling in Dogs

12/19/2012

House soiling is not always behaviour related, especially if your dog has never done this before and a visit to the vet is a good idea to rule out any physical problems. If there is a physical component, little or nothing you can do from the behaviour side will have much effect. In general, it is a good idea to know what your dog's normal elimination patterns are, so that you will become aware immediately if something changes.

When people phone me with this problem I always tell them to phone vet first and ask what to look for in the dogs current elimination patterns before bringing the dog in. some things you may be asked to look at are:-

How often is the dog eliminating daily
Is the dog drinking more water than usual
Is the dog having difficulty eliminating
Is the dog eliminating in one 'go', or is this occurring in drips and dabs.
What is the colour of the stool or urine
Does the stool or urine have a strong smell
What consistency is the stool
Is there any blood in the urine or stool

Each and ever vet may have a slightly different points for you to look for, but the above gives you a rough idea. Remember, our vets are only with our dogs a short while, whereas we have all day with them and the more info we can give the vet, the easier it will be to find the route of the problem.

Here is a good article giving some of the common causes.

Medical Causes of House Soiling in Dogs

House soiling, or inappropriate urination or defecation, is a common problem indogs. While in many cases house soiling is due to a behavioral problem, sometimes medical issues are to blame. It may be difficult or even impossible for a pet parent to distinguish between behaviorally caused house soiling and medically caused house soiling. For this reason, the first step in solving a house-soiling problem is to take your dog to a veterinarian for a thorough check-up and urinalysis.

Bacterial Bladder Infection

Bacterial cystitis (a bladder infection) or bladder stones can cause increased frequency of urination, straining during urination and, sometimes, bloody urine. Diagnosis of a bacterial infection is done by urinalysis, culture and sensitivity. Radiographs or ultrasound may be used to find bladder stones.

Urinary Incontinence

Animals with urinary incontinence tend to dribble urine. This can occur when a dog is awake or while she’s sleeping. Urinary incontinence is common in dogs, particularly in spayed females. Studies have reported that the incidence of urinary incontinence in dogs following ovariohysterectomy (spay surgery) ranges from 13% to 20%.

A number of physical problems can cause urinary incontinence:

Decreased sphincter control, which is most commonly seen in older spayed females

Anatomical abnormalities, such as ectopic ureters, urethral sphincter incompetence, patent urachus, idiopathic detrusor instability, ureterovaginal fistula, pelvic bladder, vaginal stricture/vaginal urine pooling and ureterocele

Urge incontinence or paradoxical incontinence

Damage to a dog’s nerves or spinal cord that innervate the bladder (trauma, neoplasia)

Diagnosis of urinary incontinence may include a urinalysis and contrast studies. Anatomic abnormalities may be identified by radiographs or abdominal ultrasound. CT scans or cystoscopic exams may be used in some cases.

Increased Urine Production - READ FULL ARTICLE

Why Fido Snaps at Friendly People

12/18/2012

This is a great article by Dr. Sophia Yin which explains exactly why Fido starts snapping at friendly people and how we (inadvertently) make the problem worse. Also have a look in our Free Educational Download sections for a great poster on Preventing Dog Bites by Learning to Greet Dogs Properly by Dr. Yin as well.

http://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/educational-downloads.html

The main problem here usually is that Fido didn't have enough positive experiences with a variety of unfamiliar people during his sensitive period for socialization and beyond. From three weeks to three months of age, puppies are primed to explore and form bonds. Such that if they meet and greet all types of people in many types of environments and good things happen to them simultaneously, they generalize to understand that people overall are friendly. Then if this socialization continues through their adolescence, the relaxed demeanor around people becomes part of their overall personality. Those dogs who didn't get the type and amount of experiences they needed given their individual genetic make-up and early experience can end up being fearful around some or all unfamiliar people.

How People Make the Problem Worse

Of course people inadvertently make the problem much worse. For one, they forget the Golden Rule - ask to pet, first. Instead, well-wishers approach too quickly, crowd too closely or loom over like a thunderstorm ready to dump its load. Under this pressure some dogs will freeze or shrink, pretending it's all a bad dream. Others take action - usually a reflex bark or low-level growl. A few successes here, and the message is loud and clear: when strangers approach, growl and bark to keep them away. Pretty soon, your sweet, slightly insecure dog has turned into a mass of defensive rumbling.

Some owners respond by reprimanding or punishing their dog. This can teach Fido that he'd better hide his fear from you but it doesn't make the internal fear disappear. As a result, your dog may no longer show signs that he wants people to back away, instead he holds it in until he can't take it anymore and then he explodes in a full-blown bite.

Why Do Friendly People Look Scary?

Many humans can't understand why their dogs would be afraid of them when they're obviously making friendly human gestures. Turn the tables around and the picture becomes clear. Say you're afraid of spiders and your friend shoves her pet tarantula in your face. If she simultaneously reassures you, "She's a friendly tarantula. See her amicable expression?" or "She can't cause harm, she's just an innocent baby," would you suddenly feel safe?

No, in fact the only way you could get used to the spider is if you greeted it at your own pace. That means it would have to be on a table or in some locations where you could control your distance from it. Then when you were ready you could gradually approach for a closer look and to even touch it. The same goes for dogs. All dogs are not outgoing or used to meeting many types of strangers, especially if they were already shy when you adopted them or have received minimal supervised socialization with many types of humans. If you walk into a dog's personal space or even stand and reach out to let him sniff you hand or to pet him he may feel threatened or be unsure of your intentions. To him, your hand might as well be a meat cleaver.

If however, you stand straight up or crouch down on one knee while looking slightly away, then he can approach and sniff you at his own rate. You can speed up the friendship if you inconspicuously drop tasty treats close to you. If he's taking these without any hesitation, you can hold treats in your hand while averting your gaze so that shy Fido can choose to take them.

Often people manage to get through the initial greeting with Fido okay but then they make a quick or inappropriate move that scares him into snapping or running away. This is still similar to the situation with the giant spider. Even when you're finally comfortable enough to examine and touch the tarantula, if it suddenly moves its mouthparts or waves one of its legs in the air you might jump away out of fright. To you these movements may conjure images of the tarantula leaping at you and taking a bite whereas to the tarantula the movements may just be a subconscious change in position or even a signal that it's your friend. So the trick to ensuring that you don't frighten Fido even after the initial greeting is to gradually get him used to you in different positions. Avoid learning over him or reaching over his head or grabbing and hugging him so he feels confined. Instead move slowly and smoothly in order to give him a chance to back away.

Read the Dog's Signals – READ FULL ARTICLE

Cosmetic surgery for pets including fake testicles!

12/15/2012

After reading a post wherein one person commented that she had read an article about cosmetic surgery for pets I decided to look into this further and believe it or not, it is true!

These elective surgeries include ‘fake, bean-shaped testicles made out of solid silicone, which come in a range of sizes for the neutered dog to maintain pride and self-eteem’ from a company called Neuticles (http://www.neuticles.com/facts.php), who claim to have implanted a whopping 250,000 pets since 1995!

Another popular surgery for pets is, believe it or not, liposuction! What on earth happened to the idea of exercise and less food?,

Then there are the nose jobs costing a total of 2.5 million dollars in 2010 and eyelifts costing 1.6 million dollars and full face lifts are mentioned as well.

I can understand the necessity of performing a nose job if the dog was unable to breathe, but would it not be a much better idea to get the breeders to start breeding these dogs the way they were intended to look, instead of manipulating the breed?

Here are some pics of what dogs used to look like taken from . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hex00WjSobE, as well a link to an article reporting on the elective surgeries below.

Neapolitan Mastiff 1900

Neapolitan Mastiff now

Original Bulldog 1817

READ FULL ARTICLE ON PLASTIC SURGERY FOR PETS

COLOR ME CANINE: IS USING HAIR DYE FOR DOGS ETHICAL?

12/13/2012

Omg!! You can’t believe this – the new designer dog!

(So dressing them up like people is not enough, now some people are dying them!)

I was phoned yesterday and asked by somebody if I thought it was ok to dye their dog! After I said absolutely no, can cause allergies etc, and plus it is a dog not a toy, the person went on to tell me that ‘simply everybody is not doing it”! I decided to have a look to see if this is now a trend and just look what I found! Below the story on this, there is another link to see what people in China are doing and the picture on this page came from this- mad, totally mad!

COLOR ME CANINE: IS USING HAIR DYE FOR DOGS ETHICAL?

What does Victoria Secret’s angel Alessandra Ambrosio have in common with Jersey Shore cast mates and guidettes, Snooki and JWoww? The three women were the recently blasted by People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for taking part in one of the latest me-too trends for pet owners: dyeing dogs.

“Some people don’t necessarily want to the dress up their dogs for holidays and celebrations," says Olga Zebelinskaya, Groom Team USA member and owner of Elite Dog Spa and Boutique in Madison, New Jersey. "They might want to make a statement by trying something new. In China, they’re even coloring dogs to look like wild animals."

Canine Haute Couture Designer, Anthony Rubio, has experience with dyeing dogs.

“Just like Isaac Mizrahi did in his fall 2011 collection called "Cake,” I have experimented with dye to enhance the visual experience when showing my designs,” explains Rubio.

But PETA’s Animal Care and Control Specialist, Teresa Chagrin, believes that although dyeing a dog is not the most horrible form of animal abuse, it 's cruel because it can cause unnecessary animal stress and can lead to allergic reactions that could endanger the animal’s health.

READ FULL ARTICLE

http://www.petside.com/article/dye-dogs-cute-or-controversial

ARTICLE ON PEOPLE DYING DOGS IN CHINA

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1284646/Meet-Tiger-Dog-Chinese-owners-dye-pets-look-like-wild-animals.html

Devocalization: The controversial act of removing dogs' vocal chords SEE THE RESULTS!

12/12/2012

Here is a follow up to yesterday’s blog with a video on the victims of this horrible practice and a vet talking about the possible consequences. Please share this as much as possible so that people become aware of the many possible problems that can occur – plus the barking will continue as the root cause of the problem has not been eliminated.

Unfortunately I could not get permission to feature the video and whole story so can only give you part of it with a link to the video. I will not say enjoy, I will instead say Educate!

Devocalization: The controversial act of removing dogs' vocal chords

Some dog owners will do anything to keep their pets from barking, including putting them under the knife

Anyone who's ever owned a particularly chatty dog, or lived in the same building as one, knows that incessant barking can be a nuisance. While most owners take it upon themselves to teach their dogs good barking etiquette, others are taking a short cut — literally. Surgically removing an animal's vocal chords, a controversial procedure that's been around for decades, is under fire again, as one dog owner, horrified by the results, is petitioning the American Veterinary Medical Association (AMVA) to outlaw the practice. Here, a guide to the uproar:

What exactly is "devocalization"?
Debarking, formally known as ventriculocordectomy, is most often done on dogs, but has also been performed on cats. Targeting the animal's vocal cords either through the mouth or a throat incision near the larynx, a veterinarian severs the cords either partially or completely, typically leaving dogs with a raspy or high-pitched bark.

Who wants it outlawed?
When Sue Perry, a 58-year-old Connecticut bookkeeper, adopted Porter, a 123-pound Newfoundland, five years ago, she was disturbed by his pained attempts to bark. A vet confirmed that Porter had been devocalized. Perry claims Porter has trouble breathing, gags a lot, and has to be monitored when eating or drinking. (Watch a video of Porter and other devocalized dogs below.) Perry says she's spent more than $2,000 on corrective surgery. "It's horrible, it's horrific," she tells CBS News. "Don't do it. Devocalization should never be an option." Together with another concerned owner, Perry is working with the Coalition to Protect & Rescue Pets to ensure it never is. More than 145,000 people have signed the online petition the women drafted in the hopes of convincing the AMVA, the nation's largest vet organization, to condemn the procedure.

READ FULL STORY AND SEE VIDEO

http://news.yahoo.com/devocalization-controversial-act-removing-dogs-vocal-chords-154400934.html

Debarking surgery should be last resort

12/12/2012

(from Scotty)
Many people think that dogs being debarked will put an end to the behaviour - it wont! A dog barks for many reasons and the cause of same needs to be determined and behaviour modification brought in to help. In many cases the dogs just ends up being more stressed than originally.Not only have the causes for the excessive barking not been dealt with, dog has been hospitalized, may have pain from the surgery, and now it cant bark - how would you feel if your voice was taken away?

Dr. Dewhirst says that your vet should be able to teach you the modifications involved for changing the behaviour, but in my own experience, it is far better to call in a behaviourist who has studied for years to be able to assist.

It may also be necessary for the behaviourist to liaise with your vet if the situation is extreme, in order for the vet to provide medication for calming to assist the dog coping while the modifications are taking place.

Debarking surgery should be last resort
Dr. Tracy Dewhirst:

Q: My dog barks all the time and I was thinking about having the surgery that will keep him from barking. Is this painful or harmful?

A: It is important to first find out why your dog barks. Some dogs bark at other dogs or because they are guarding their home; other dogs experience separation anxiety or are bored and need more exercise. Most causes of excessive barking in dogs can be altered with behavior modification techniques and management that your veterinarian can teach you.

Understanding what makes your dog bark can help in changing his habits, and you may be able to eliminate the problem without using a surgical option. I am not a big fan of debarking and would only consider it as a last resort if behavior therapy failed and the animal faced euthanasia orhttp://www.knoxnews.com/news/2010/dec/08/debarking-surgery-should-be-last-resort/ relocation.

Debarking is the slang name for a ventriculocordectomy, a surgery where the vocal cords are amputated. The name debark implies removing the bark but it is a misnomer; this surgery does not stop barking it just lessens the intensity of the sound. Dogs that are debarked have a raspy bark, think chronic smoker

READ ARTICLE IN FULL.

THE VACCINE CONTROVERSY

12/10/2012

After many decades of yearly combined vaccinations, many "dog experts" are now saying yearly vaccinations may not be needed and are probably harmful to your pet.

This pdf is to present some information on the vaccine controversy so that you may decide for yourself what is best for your pet.

It is imperative that you first do your own research - read and study this subject - the pro's and con's of same, and then discuss with your own veterinarian and only then, make an informed decision.

I have put the pdf on The Vaccine Controversy here below for you to read as there is no direct website link available, although the internet abounds with information on this subject and on the work of Dr. Schultz and the opinions of many other experts.

On doing some research on Dr. Ronald D. Schutz, Ph.D., D.V.M. before posting this pdf: - He is recognized as a pioneer in clinical immunology and vaccinology. As Professor and Chair of Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, his work is well known in both the allopathic and holistic veterinarian communities.

vaccine.pdf
File Size:	350 kb
File Type:	pdf

VACCINATIONS – ARE THEY TRULY NECESSARY YEARLY?

12/9/2012

VACCINATIONS – ARE THEY TRULY NECESSARY YEARLY?

Dr. Anuska Viljoen BVSc(Hons) VetMFHOM MRCVS –

(Mandala Health Veterinary Clinic, Sedgefield)

From Scotty - There is a lot of controversy as to whether annual vaccinations are necessary after the animal has been protected initially, and whether doing them annually can cause more harm that good. I have put here an article by Dr. Viljoen, who does most of our alternative articles, and tomorrow will be posting an article on the ‘other side’ approach. The article in full can be read by following the link below. This is a very personal decision and you would be wise to discuss the pro’s and con’s with you own vet and then make your decision accordingly.

Firstly I would like to make it clear that I do not believe that vaccinations are completely unnecessary. If you have ever worked in underprivileged areas such as I have in Soweto, you would have had first hand knowledge of the carnage and despair that Parvovirus and Distemper virus can cause to a community of dogs and those that love and take care of them. However I question the current vaccination protocols present in South Africa. I believe in living my life as much as possible with the rule to “FIRST DO NO HARM”. I believe there is harm in overdoing things. There is sense in moderation.

Many articles have been written on the questionable validity of the current policy of vaccinating dogs annually for Canine Distemper virus and Canine Parvovirus (Sutton 1999, Wells 1999, Smith 1995, Carmichael 1999, Twark 1999). It is known that giving combination vaccines can suppress lymphocyte responsiveness (Philips 1989), that following manufacturer guidelines does not guarantee immunity, nor are all vaccines equally efficient (Smith 1995), also that Feline Leukaemia and Rabies vaccines are associated with tumour development (Wells 1999). Various pressure groups have been campaigning to completely stop the current policy of annual vaccination of animals, and there have been a number of articles and letters in the UK veterinary media (Sutton 1999, Wells 1999, BAHVS 2004) as well as in the USA (Smith 1995, Carmichael 1999) calling for change. This mirrors concerns in the human field where there are, quite literally, thousands of articles demonstrating links between vaccination and many childhood illnesses, including Cot Death, and its failure as an overall concept, despite some apparent benefits (Scheibner 1993).

Unfortunately neither the maximum nor minimum duration of protective immunity of most vaccines is known. Many vaccinated animals are never challenged because the pathogens are not present in the animal's environment. 90% of puppies and kittens receive primary vaccinations, yet less than 50% continue to receive annual boosters (Bonner 1999), despite this outbreaks of the major diseases vaccinated for are comparatively rare. It is unsure exactly how long vaccines actually provide immunity for.
READ FULL ARTICLE

Animal Attraction: When love isn't enough: More pets are family, but millions don't get regular health care

12/8/2012

Unfortunately this is all too true! What people do not always understand is that at least an annual check up (and more in older dogs), can not only save you a fast amount of money, it can save your dogs life, by picking up possible problems in the early stages and getting correct medication.

More than ever, people consider their pets to be members of the family. Unfortunately, according to a new report released by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the love for a family pet doesn't always translate into visits to the veterinarian – visits that can lead to a longer and healthier life.

There were about 70 million pet dogs and 74.1 million pet cats in the United States at the end of 2011, according to the AVMA's recently released 2012 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook. The Sourcebook contains the results of a national survey of more than 50,000 households that was conducted in early 2012. The survey is conducted every five years.

The survey results paint a clear picture that pets have a special place in our homes. About 66 percent of dog owners consider their dogs to be family members, up from 53.5 percent in 2006. More than half of cat owners, or 56.1 percent, consider their cats to be family members, up from 49.4 percent in 2006.

The growth in the human-animal bond, however, isn't always reflective of the care the pets receive. About 7.5 million pet dogs and 20 million pet cats went to the veterinarian only when they were sick, according to the report.

READ FULL ARTICLEby Stacy Fox