Sherry’s Corner

Dog Photography Today; Joint Supplements; Yogurt and Probiotics

      Photographers often develop a specialty–scenes and people captured in order to give others understanding of social problems and needs.  So it has become in the animal world.  Recently I saw photographs of street dogs in Chile–before the earthquake.  The photographs were challenging then and they will probably be more so today.  One picture showed a dog sound asleep in the middle of a busy sidewalk.  It was titled “Does anyone see me?”  There was also a photo of a little puppy.  He was lost and his tail was tucked in.  A sad sight.  The title–”Nameless”.  The photographer writes, “the dogs are everywhere, so everywhere is a new opportunity to ignore them.” 

THE GUPPY LOVE PROGRAM at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants provides guests with the option of requesting a live goldfish to stay overnight in their room.  The hotel staff tends to the fish.  The purpose–fish are known to calm nerves, reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure.  Betas are the favorite fish.  And, in restaurants the fish are table centerpieces for group meetings–helping participants to focus.  The hotels have become so famous for these quiet travel companions it is said they “give a whole new meaning to the phrase ’sleeping with the fishes’”.  

WATCHING THE WATER DISH.  According to one breeder of Welsh Corgis if you have more than one dog it is important to watch the water dish.  The drinking order is indicative of the pecking order and points the finger at the alpha dog–at least for that day!  Each of my three Springers have their own water pail but there is a community dish also.  Usually Cagney, the senior of the group, is first to drink and the others watch, but some days she bows politely to one of her daughters.  Their drinking habits always have amazed me but I never dreamed it had anything to do with respect.  Recently I added a teaspoon of Oxyfresh to a quart of water and used that to fill the community water dish.  So far all have drunk from it.  According to the literature on this hydrogen peroxide0based gel product, putting it in the water helps to eliminate stains, tartar and bad breath.  We will let you know if they have white teeth by Easter!

BEWARE–ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE OF JOINT SUPPLEMENTS.  According to a recent study, dogs with chronic osteoarthritis receiving carprofen because of signs of pain may experience a reduction in pain and have less need of the carprofen if fed a diet supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids.  GOOD NEWS.

BUT, OVERDOSAGE  of any joint supplements ( usually accidental) can lead to hepatic or liver damage, according to the ASPCA Poison Control Center.  Chews, powders, and tablets, which are often palatable, can mean accidental ingestion. (It is always wise to use extra care with palatable supplements and medications.  Peanut butter-, cheese- and meat-wrapped pilling is really safer!)  Clinical signs usually  develop between 24 and 48 hours after exposure–vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy.  VETERINARY TREATMENT IS A MUST.  The cause of the damage is unknown at this time but the owner must have his dog treated aggressively and QUICKLY by his veterinarian.  Lack of treatment can result in death.   

CAGNEY LEASHED. When Cagney was still a puppy with a long series of puppy vaccinations ahead of her, my veterinarian told me that yogurt helped to balance the gastrointestinal tract besieged by the vaccination process.  And when she had a litter of puppies their first food was tiny-pink -tongue laps of yogurt.  Today nutritionists  investigate all kinds of probiotics such as the one in yogurt.  Dr. Gail Czarnecki-Mauldin believes probiotics are important during growth, weaning, and training.  She cautions that probiotics must be live, safe and stable.  She advises looking for dates on the container and a list of ingredients by strain.  Since heat and air weaken vitality it is hard to choose  probiotics in the grocery store–thus Purina is now advertising a nutritional supplement called FortiFlora–available at veterinary hospitals.  Caution:  Dr. Czarnecki-Mauldin works for Purina.  Another veterinarian I spoke to believes only natural foods (unprocessed)  give a dog the necessary probiotics. Two points of view.  

APRIL IS PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS MONTH

Over-generalizing Spay/Neuter?

Research on aging using Rottweilers as subjects  suggests that how long females keep their ovaries influences how long they live.  The study published in the December 2009 issue of the journal, Aging Cell, found that Rottweilers that were spayed after they were 6 years old had a life span four years longer than those spayed at a younger age.  But, and most important — the researcher suggests that it is important not to over-generalize from these findings, saying that much more research is necessary.  This is important to stress because IN THE SPAY/NEUTER AREA WE TEND TO OVERGENERALIZE .  It has become a knee-jerk process–for both pet owners and veterinarians.  We have even come to equate spay/neuter with the belief that if you love your dog/cat you will spay/neuter him/her as a puppy/kitten.  If you neglect to elect this surgery for your pet, it can only mean that you are irresponsible as well as unloving. 

      Another recent study comparing the strength of the human-animal bond between Hispanic and non-Hispanic pet owners found that although both groups scored high on an attachment test (a test that scores how much you care about your dog), compared to non-Hispanic owners, Hispanic owners were significantly less likely to spay/neuter their pets.  In an effort to explain these unpredicted and unexpected results the researchers concluded that the Hispanic owners did not understand the importance of spay/neuter.  They further concluded that this was due to a lack of understanding.  It did not occur to the researchers  that one could love a pet and be responsible and still not elect spay/neuter surgery.  Another example of the dangers of overgeneralizing the importance and meaning of spay/neuter.

      There are even those who feel we should have mandatory spay/neuter legislation.  They forget that this would endanger all dogs and cats so that eventually we would have no dogs and cats.  This would mean not only no  pets–but  no dogs to detect explosives, to guide the blind, to work in search and rescue, to help our soldiers as well as children heal in countless hospitals and help us in our individual goals to be better men and women and live better lives. 

      Further, they forget the landmark study that spotlighted the celebration of dogs and the beginning of pet therapy–the famed “heart attack study” authored by Drs. Alan Beck, Aaron Katcher and Erika Friedman.  Male heart attack patients were studied exhaustively and it was found that those victims who owned dogs significantly out-lived those who were not dog owners.  No one thought about whether the dogs were intact or not.  The importance was owner longevity.  Many of our most talented, versatile, brightest and best canines have not had this surgery– that is why we still have generations of best friends.  

JUSTICE. The husband and wife responsible for Chemnutra’s import of melamine from China which resulted  in the recall of more than 150 pet food brands and many deaths of beloved pets received a three-year probation and a $5000 fine!!

COMMUNICATION AND GENETICS. Although many researchers believe dogs became domesticated due to an attraction to the first garbage piles compiled by prehistoric men, David Paxton believes better communication abilities resulted in the co-evolution of humans and dogs.  He compared both wolves and dogs and found that even if both were raised apart from man, only dogs possess the ability to react to non-verbal human communication cues such as pointing and facial expressions.  Thus, Paxton believes this ability is an hereditary trait.  Dog trainers care to comment?   

Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 3/2010;  Between Pets and People, Beck and Katcher; American Kennel Club Gazette, 3/2009.     

The Cost of Caring for Your Dog

For dog owners in need of financial help in paying for veterinary services, there is a 14-page list of groups and organizations available on the Internet www.speakingforspot.com/helppayingforveterinarycare.html.  The resource is divided by region, breed, state, illness or disability  and owner need.  The list was compiled by Dr. Nancy Kay, who won a Maxwell award in the 2010 Dog Writers Association of America competition for her book, Speaking for Spot. Listed in Pennsylvania are the following: the Animal Rescue of Western PA, The Humane Society of Berks County Veterinary Hospital, the Animal Care and Assistance Fund and Animal Care and Welfare (Pittsburgh).  Phone numbers and information follow each listing. 

IF HEARTWORM, LYME DISEASE DON’T KILL YOUR DOG PERHAPS PREVENTION WILL? A chilling statement on one of the popular topical prevention medications reminds us to carefully consult PRODUCT INSERTS.  “WARNINGS: For the first 30 minutes after application ensure that dogs cannot lick the product from application sites on themselves or other treated dogs from one another and from other pets to reduce the risk of ingestion.  Ingestion of this product by dogs  may cause serious adverse reactions including depression, salivation, dilated pupils, incoordination, panting and generalized muscle tremors.  In avermectin sensitive dogs the signs may be more severe and MAY INCLUDE COMA AND DEATH.  CHILDREN SHOULD NOT COME IN CONTACT WITH THE APPLICATION SITE FOR TWO HOURS AFTER APPLICATION.  I would add– a dog should not be treated 2 hours before going to training class or going to a nursing home, hospital or school visit.

PA CELL PHONE DOGS. It should be interesting to watch passage of the bill mandating the K-9 Cell Phone Detection program in our state prisons.  And, we should be proud of Rep. Bob Belfanti for recognizing the need and supporting the bill.  In N.J. the prison staff trained the dogs.  Who will do the training in the Commonwealth and can the dogs be shelter dogs?  More employment for our best friends.

DOGNAPPING. The editor of the Spectrum, Bloomsburg University’s magazine, is writing an article on dognapping.  There really isn’t much need to steal dogs today to supply research and educational needs.  We have an abundance of dogs from puppy mills.  Class B dealers handle random-source dogs, dogs who come from various places.  The dog law prohibits dogs from shelters going to research facilities so the way to save puppy mill surplus dogs is to put them in shelters.  There was a time when the Buckhorn truck stop was the location of “bunchers” who stole dogs to sell to dealers.  Also, many residents thought Geisinger  research benefited  from local strays and missing dogs.  However, when Dr. Howard Morgan took the helm of the research center he also had on staff a very capable and caring veterinarian, Dr. Sally Wixon, who zealously guarded the health and welfare of all animal subjects–ALL BRED FOR PURPOSE.  Today, of course, strays are a source of concern for local dog wardens.  Melissa Bair is working on such a case in Lewistown and asking for support.  527-4016. 

MORE IMPORTANT THAN ACADEMY AWARD VIDEOS. The AKC Health Foundation has announced the release of five videos (each over an hour in length) for dog owners.  Topics include cardiac research, oncology trials, immunonutrition, new neurological disease findings and “One Health, One Medicine” links to the human-animal bond.  All are available on your PC.   

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