The Healing Power Of The Outdoors?

Can something as simple as spending time outdoors promote your dog's health and healing?

(Of course by outdoors I don't mean a little cramped yard at your city dwelling. Neither I mean tossing your dog out in the yard, regardless of the location, and leaving them out there.)

If your dog is healthy and doing well, the difference will be likely subtle enough that you might not even notice it. When your dog is ill, however, the change can be quite dramatic.

Every time we come up to Jasmine's ranch, I can't help thinking about this.

After Jasmine's horrible hyperthermia event, followed by the discovery of an abdominal abscess and surgery to remove it, she was in quite a bad shape. Her blood and muscles were fried, her liver was hurting and overall she was in the worst shape ever.

When we got her back from the hospital, she was doing so poorely that we started to wonder whether we were just torturing her and that we perhaps should let her go.

We had a trip to Jasmine's ranch planned for about a week after she was released. Should we go?

She was fresh after a major trauma and surgery, her episodes were back-to-back, her temperature fluctuating toward high, she wouldn't eat and had to be force-fed ...

... going away didn't seem like a good idea at all.

We felt that the best idea might be to remain at home, close to her vet and emergency care. We discussed it with him but he said that there wasn't much more veterinary medicine could do for her and that we should go on the trip.

That morning she had an appointment to have her stitches removed.

We packed everything and got ready to either continue the journey or return home, pending the vet's assessment.

It was five in the morning of that day and Jasmine was still running a fever, panting and pacing, not well at all. My hesitation about taking the trip was extreme.

However, we decided to load up and off to the vet we went. He removed the stitches, examined Jasmine and said that we should proceed with the trip.

I must have looked quite down from all the worrying and sleepless night also, because he put his hand on my shoulder, "try to take it easy," he said. Just the kind of advice which, if you could follow, you wouldn't need in the first place...

We did make our way to Jasmine's ranch.

What happened then was like a miracle.

As she got out of the truck, you could see her feeling better already! (Or happier, anyway.) After all the suffering it was as if she had a reason to live again. Still weak, but with a happy look on her face, we could watch the transformation unfold in front of our eyes.

The episodes stopped. She regained interest in life. Quickly she started eating on her own as well.Everything only got better from there.

Taking that trip was the best thing we could have done for her!

How did coming to her ranch have such a profound effect on her?

Every time I'm pondering this issue, it brings out memories from my childhood.

My parents lived in a city but our granny lived in the country. We spent school days with our parents, but all the weekends and holidays at granny's place. There I noticed an interesting phenomena.

While the city kids were sick all the time, the kids at granny's place usually got sick only when they fell off something and broke a bone. They didn't get allergies, they didn't get colds, they didn't get the flu.

The difference was as clear as day. But what was causing it?

My home city had a lot of industry and pollution. Granny's place was in the woods, as far from industry and civilization as it gets in a country that is so small it could barely make a tiny island in one of the Great Lakes.

Could it be that all there was to that?

Most of the kids at granny's place spent their days outside playing and getting into mischief. There was one family living there, which moved in from a city and remained living by city rules. You could hardly see their son outside at all. And guess what? He was also frequently sick.

However clean the air outside your home may be, it might make a little difference if your dog doesn't get out to breath it! 

There are enough papers and articles out there now showing that indoor pollution will beat whatever nasty air you might have outside any day.

While it partly might be just directed to get us buying air purifiers, there is something to those claims.

I also came to believe that physical pollution is only part of the big picture. 

Not that there isn't enough of that one. Smog, indoor and outdoor chemicals, noise, radiation from all our electric and electronic devices ...

I also believe that there is such a thing as spiritual/psychological pollution. Cities are saturated with stress, anger and even hatred. While there doesn't seem to be a way of measuring those (yet), I believe they are just as real as any chemicals or poisonous gasses.

When we come up to Jasmine's ranch, we can actually feel the difference.

Such a completely pollution-free environment seems to have a profound cleansing effect on your dog and yourself.

That by itself would have been plenty. But I believe there is still more to it than that.

I think the benefit is a combination of things that aren't here (such as the pollution), as well as the things that are.

What are those?

Well, fresh air for one thing. Direct daylight might be. This could have to do with melatonin, among other things. While melatonin is a darkness hormone, paradoxically, sufficient exposure to daylight is needed for its production to work properly. Conversely, the outdoors do offer better darkness also. No street lights, no LED lights from your TV, computer and other devices.

Not only that melatonin affects the circadian rhythms of several biological functions, it is also a powerful antioxidant.

In humans, melatonin has been studied for the treatment of cancer, immune disorders, cardiovascular diseases, depression, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), circadian rhythm sleep disorders and other disorders.

In dogs, melatonin has been found to be a helpful treatment for seasonal alopecia, as a natural sedative and pain reliever. It helps to prevent brain deterioration in dogs suffering from Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and it seems to boost immune system also.

An even less obvious healthy ingredient of the outdoors might be—wait for it—dirt. 

Huh, dirt? Well, this is my  personal observation and finding. But I can tell you this much: good clean dirt never made anybody sick, and perhaps on the contrary.

Some time back, Jasmine developed a hot spot just before we were supposed to go camping. I was quite worried about that, because the camp sites were all sand and I knew she was going to dig a hole in it and get sand all over herself, including her cheek with the hotspot. There was no reasonable way of preventing that from happening. What might the sand cover do to the wound?

Not surprisingly, Jasmine got her hotspot covered with sand within 5 minutes of getting out of the truck. 

All we could do was sit back and watch what happens.

The sand created a hard crust over the wound. That remained on there for couple days, then it fell off and revealed clean skin underneath. Now, I'm not saying that you should use sand as a remedy for hot spots, but it certainly didn't cause any damage whatsoever.

Moreover, Jasmine's skin has been prone to infections. When at home, she needs to get bathed at least once a weak, otherwise I can smell the infection brewing. Happens even faster when she gets wet.

Naturally, I was concerned with being out in the wild for two weeks with no good way of giving Jasmine her medicated bath. Well, it's been two weeks and she doesn't need one! She did get wet a couple times in the rain and in the lake, she also got herself covered with dirt and dust (both accidentally and on purpose). When you pat either of our guys there are clouds of dust coming off of them.

And yet, they both look and smell clean! 

There is nothing brewing on Jasmine's skin. Wrap your brain around that!

Dirt is just as good for the stomach as it is for the skin. Who is argue? Bentonite clay, for example, is used as a remedy for digestive upset (it seems to absorb toxins that irritate the gut) and other ailments.

What else is out there? Germs. 

There are experts who believe that germs and parasites in moderation promote (and occupy) the immune system, promoting better health. Ever heard of the hygiene hypothesis? Dog sure don't seem to be concerned about everything being sterile, the kids at granny's place weren't either. Eating luch with filthy hands and even after it was dropped on the ground, eating whatever out there look etible, was a common practice. Was that part of the secret to health equation? Perhaps. Either way it didn't seem to have caused any harm.

Perhaps even the color of the outdoors, mostly green, might play its role in the healing power of nature.

Green color is regarded as a color of harmony. It is a mild sedative. It is useful in the treatment of nervous conditions, hay fever, ulcers, influenza, malaria, colds, sexual disorders and cancer. It preserves and strengthens eyesight. Being highly medicinal and depressive, it is of great help in the treatment of inflammatory conditions.
Source: Natural Pet Healthcare

Spending time outdoors also means plenty of activity, exercise and mental stimulation. 

We all know the benefit of that, even though it may not be enough to get us off of the couch.

Unlike sitting in an apartment, there are plenty of mental stimuli outside. Be it the smells—on the ground or carried by the air—be it the sounds and other signs of other critters. Plenty of things to pay attention to and analyze. Plenty of things to protect your present teritorry from (such as chasing off the intruding wolf our guys had to do the other evening).

Frankly, I don't really know.

It could be any of these things, all of them in combination or something else all together.

All I know is that it works.

Perhaps we should just acknowledge it instead of analyzing it. Or else somebody is gonna get the bright idea to extract whatever they might believe the active ingredients is and put it in a pill form.

I don't think it would work but even if it did, what would be the fun in that?

Take your dog outside. Let them get dirty. Let them be dogs. Have fun.

Note: Just like in the city (toxins, fast moving vehicles), there are things in nature that are harmful or dangerous (bugs, snakes, extreme temperatures) ... Keep them in mind and keep your dog safe.

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What Caused Murphy's And Ruska'sPneumothorax?

by Nancy Kay, DVM   

I refer to that week as the “Murphy and Ruska Show” in honor of two delightful patients who arrived at my doorstep one day apart, each with a life-threatening disorder called pneumothorax. “Pneumo” means air and “thorax” refers to the chest cavity, so “pneumothorax” is air within the chest cavity.

If you’re scratching your head wondering, “Isn’t there supposed to be air in the chest cavity?” here’s what you need to know. 

While the lungs are air-filled, the space surrounding the lungs, known as the pleural space, is normally devoid of air.

Pneumothorax refers to the accumulation of air with the pleural space. 

In order to understand how a pneumothorax causes difficulty breathing, it helps to think of the chest cavity as an empty barrel into which the lung lobes expand as they inflate (like balloons filling with air). The lungs readily inflate with minimal effort because negative pressure (a vacuum effect) normally exists within the pleural space.

Fill the pleural space with air and the negative pressure is disrupted resulting in more effort required for lung expansion. 

Make sense? Murphy and Ruska were both observed by their families to experience an abrupt onset of labored breathing. Murphy also became subdued, a marked deviation from his normal wiggly-waggly Labrador self and he was unwilling to lie down. Clever Murphy figured out that lying down makes labored breathing even more of a struggle.

In addition to working extra hard to breathe the normally ravenous Ruska refused her breakfast, a sure sign that this sweet Shepherd was off her game.

The two most common causes of pneumothorax are penetrating chest cavity wounds that allow external air to enter the pleural space and leakage of air from the surface of a diseased or injured lung lobe. 

Normal chest

Pneumothorax is readily diagnosed with a chest x-ray. Have a look at the accompanying normal and abnormal x-ray images. In both views, the dogs are lying on their sides with their head end to the left and their tail end to the right. You can see the spines at the top of the images.

Pneumothorax

Note the heart, the whitish round structure in the middle of the chest cavity. Air shows up black on an x-ray. Now notice how much more black (air) there is surrounding the heart in the pneumothorax image compared to the normal chest. Makes you want to become a radiologist, eh!

Pneumothorax Murphy and Ruska were referred to me to figure out why they had leaky lung lobes. 

The most common cause of pneumothorax is a blunt blow to the chest cavity (hit-by-car trauma is classic) forceful enough to tear a lung lobe and allow leakage of air into the pleural space. Ruska and Murphy were both closely supervised with no known trauma history.

Computed tomography (CT scanning) is my test of choice for solving the mystery of the leaky lung lobe. 

Murphy’s scan revealed multiple small blisters (aka, blebs or bullae) on his lung lobe surfaces. Just as in people with this abnormality, the blisters are thin-walled and capable of spontaneous rupture allowing air to leak into the pleural space. Fortunately, as was the case with Murphy, most lung blisters are self-sealing within a few days. Worse case scenario, a stubborn leaker can be surgically sealed. Murphy’s family has been forewarned that his multiple blebs will likely mean multiple penumothorax episodes. They know what to be watching for and will return with Murphy any time, day or night, should his labored breathing recur. Murphy is now home, happy as can be with instructions to be a couch potato for the next two weeks with hopes of avoiding disruption of the body’s “bandaid” on his leaky lung blister.

Ruska’s CT scan documented a small walled off abscess on the surface of one lung lobe. 

Given the time of year and where Ruska lives and plays, I’d be willing to bet my first born child that a foxtail plant awn is living within that abscess. Fortunately, Ruska’s lung lobe leak resolved itself, and the pros and cons of surgically exploring the site versus long-term antibiotic therapy (foxtails shuttle bacteria wherever they migrate) were discussed and are still being considered. I should be hearing back from Ruska’s mom sometime this week. For now, this big girl is back home and, like her friend Murphy, she is doing her best to be a cooperative couch potato (easier for a Shepherd than a Lab!).

Our emergency room vets are used to seeing pneumothorax patients because hit-by-car trauma is so prevalent. As a small animal internist I rarely see them, yet here were two within one week! (I suspect the third is on its way.)

Have you or a loved one (human or canine) experienced a pneumothorax? Please do tell.

***

Nancy Kay, DVM

Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
Author of Speaking for Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life
Author of Your Dog’s Best Health: A Dozen Reasonable Things to Expect From Your Vet
Recipient, Leo K. Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award
Recipient, American Animal Hospital Association Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award
Recipient, Dog Writers Association of America Award for Best Blog
Recipient, Eukanuba Canine Health Award
Recipient, AKC Club Publication Excellence Award
Become a Fan of Speaking for Spot on Facebook

Please visit http://www.speakingforspot.com to read excerpts from Speaking for Spot. There you will also find “Advocacy Aids”- helpful health forms you can download and use for your own dog, and a collection of published articles on advocating for your pet’s health. Speaking for Spot is available at Amazon.com, local bookstores, and your favorite online book seller.

Articles by Dr. Kay:
Reasonable Expectations: The Ability to Discuss Your Internet Research With Your Vet
Finding Dr. Wonderful And Your Mutt's Mayo Clinic: Getting Started
Even The Best Veterinarian Can Make A Mistake
A Different Way to Spay
Making Tough Medical Decisions For Your Dog: Lily's Story
If You Don't Know What A Lick Granuloma Is, Count Your Blessings!
Anesthesia-Free Dental Cleaning 
Talking Teeth 
Urinary Accidents
I Can't Believe He Ate That! Foreign Body Ingestion

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Veterinary Highlights: AHVMA Independent Research Foundation

"There isn't any money in the cure, the money is in the medicine"
—Chris Rock

The AHVMA (American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association) Foundation has been around for quite some time, but it is now steering in a new direction. The foundation will now support independent research into alternative veterinary medicine.

Image Acupuncture for All

The main criticism of alternative veterinary treatments is the lack of scientific evidence. “Show me a study,” is a common response.

Lack of research means lack of conventional veterinarians willing to explore alternative therapies

Does the lack of scientific evidence mean that alternative medicine doesn't work? Or does it just prove that nobody's put the money in the research?

There can be no study where there is no money.

That is what the AHVMA Research Foundation wants to change.

Most of the research done in veterinary medicine is funded by government agencies, large corporations and pharmaceutical companies that have a stake in the results.

Who is really going to fund a research into benefits of something that nobody can patent and package?

I am very excited to see what this research brings.

To support their independent research, visit  AHVMA Foundation website. 

Source article:
Is Conventional Veterinary Care Making Your Pet Sick?

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This Is What Jasmine's Episode Looks Like

This is what Jasmine's episodes generally look like. It is not easy to watch, much less in real life.

One of the most important things that is not seen in this video is her desire to be outside. 

It seems that's where she wants to be. When outside, she wants to dig a hole to lay in, except she hardly ever actually lays in it (not during these episodes, otherwise she loves to use the holes she digs)

Being outside either makes her feel better or offers enough distractions to make it appear that way. Though if I just sit with her on the lawn she will actually lay down. Otherwise, getting her to lay down is difficult and if she does she won't stay for very long.

She will jump up like a spring and get back to the pacing.

She does want attention and physical contact during these episodes, in fact, massage can calm her right down when the episode is mild enough. With marked episodes she will still like the massage but it doesn't seem to help much otherwise.

She can be distracted during these, she will accept food, play, respond to stimuli in the environment. However, distractions do not end the episodes.

I specifically tested what happens if I offer play.

She did play with me, as she normally would, but it didn't solve the problem.

When I do succeed in getting her to lay down and she falls asleep, rapid breathing remains and sooner or later she will jump up and everything starts all over again.

Sooner or later the episodes resolve on their own and everything is back to normal.

Except the massage, which helps sometimes, nothing we tried made any difference. There were many theories on and off the table  but, frankly, the cause of this remains a mystery.

She comes to me and wants me to do something, but what?

We tried therapeutic trials with pain meds, anti-inflammatories, benadryl, antacid ... nothing seems to make a difference.

The onset is typically with a weather changes, usually before. 

It can start about half a day before a storm and typically she calms down by the time the storm actually get here. Though last time it lasted through the entire nasty heatwave we had. The weather change doesn't need to include an actual storm.

So far the cause of these remains a mystery.

What are you seeing? Has your dog ever gone through something like this? What was the cause behind it?

Related articles:
Jasmine's Acute Lameness
Jasmine Doesn't Like "Doing Time"
Our Of Jail Free Pass
When It's Looks Too Good To Be True … The Lameness Returns
The Day Of The Treatment
First Time For Everything: A Healing Crisis(?)  
From Zero To Sixty In Four Days: Stem Cells At Work
The Calm After The Storm 
If It Was Easy, It Wouldn't Be Jasmine 

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Meet Jasmine
I'm Still Standing! (Happy Birthday, Jasmine)
How Dogs Think (Well, Jasmine Anyway)
How The Oddysey Started: Jasmine's ACL Injury
Jasmine is Vet-Stem's poster child!
Rant About Quality Of Life Versus Quantity, And Differential Diagnoses
Jasmine Is Headed For Her Next Stem Cell Treatment
Jasmine's Stem Cells Are In
Arthritis? What Arthritis? 
Guess Who Is An Ever-Ready Bunny And Really Liking The Bit Of Snow We Got? 
Don't Knock It Until You Tried It: Animal Chiropractic 
Jasmine's Fur Analysis
Back At Chiropractic Care

Further reading:
Jasmine’s Story: Can Chronic Diarrhea and Soft Tissue Injuries be Normal?
Jasmine’s Story: An ACL Injury and a Cancer Scare
Jasmine’s Condition Deteriorates: Another ACL Injury and an Abdominal Abscess
Jasmine Recovers from Surgery and Jana Discovers TCVM
Who’s Minding Your Pet’s Health?
Pet Owner Perspective On Stem Cell Therapy
Difficult to Manage Lameness Treated with Physical Therapy
Our Journey to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

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Dog Cartoon Of The Week:Started Out In Obedience School

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Dog Cartoon of the Week is brought to you by Andertoons. Check out the website for more great cartoons.


Cartoonist Mark Anderson lives in the Chicago area with his wife, their children, two cats, a dog and several dust bunnies. You might have seen his cartoons in a number of publications including Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Barrons, Woman's World, Harvard Business Review, Saturday Evening Post, American Legion Magazine, Funny Times.

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Living With A Cushing's Dog: Viva's Story

Viva's story is shared with us by my good friend @Kenzo_HW. Check out his blog, it's got awesome information on Hovawarts, tracking, nose work and lot's of other great stuff.

It's just over a year ago when Viva was diagnosed with Cushing's disease. 

And all that time she thrived on the prescribed daily medication - 120mg of Vetoryl, or Trilostane. Every quarter Viva was tested and the results were excellent. Such a test consist of an ACTH stimulation test and full blood-work. Viva's liver, battered by her Cushing's disease before we started treatment, was recovering slowly but surely.

For a dog like Viva with several chronic diseases every vet visit can be turned into a puzzle. 

Has any of her known conditions worsened, like spondylosis, allergies or Cushing's? Or are we looking for something else this time? To be prepared we keep a diary of Viva's general state of health to note the changes as they come slow and only when compared over time you can really notice a difference. We write down things like:

    Meals: how fast did she eat her meal?
    Walks: after how long did she tire?
    Play: did she play with Kenzo? And who initiated?
    Cuddle: did she exchanged her infamous ear-nibbles with Kenzo?
    Greets: did she wagged her tail so her back moved?
    And so on

The list is specific to Viva. 

For example, when she wags her tail a little less and the walks get shorter, we know we are up for an acupuncture session for the spondylosis in her back.

So when the diary started to show a little less play and cuddles, we advanced her quarterly Cushing's test. 

And although Viva's cortisol levels related to her Cushing's were still perfect, the rest of her body and organs clearly were feeling unhappy as the blood work showed.

This meant we were either looking at something new, or the Cushing's medicine - which is very aggressive and can be compared to chemotherapy - was producing side-effects. 

Based on what we knew from the diary, and the lack of other symptoms, together with her vet, we decided to lower the doses of Viva's Cushing's medication. The most reasonable assumption was the dose was affecting her health adversely, despite keeping her cortisol levels under control.

It took only a week for the diary to show us the first positive changes.

When we re-ran the Cushing's test at the end of that month, her cortisol levels were still within the limits, while her blood-work showed a lot of improvement on all area's. Would the diary not have shown any improvement, we of course would have been right back at the vet's again, discussing other options.

Having a dog with chronic diseases requires a chronic attitude. 

At first, having to watch everything she does through symptom-glasses, was stressing me out. But now, that I accepted what a chronic disease requires, I can see the benefit of doing that. I became more connected with Viva than ever, and know she is living her life to the fullest despite the odds. That's just a terrific bonus, being able to give that to Viva.

***

Kenzo is the founding father of Kenzo the Hovawart blog. We got him as a puppy from a responsible breeder. Kenzo is an active dude and has participated in a lot of different dog training activities like obedience, "schutzhund", tracking and nosework. He even attended dog shows - alright, one - with good results.

Hovawart males tend to rival a lot with other male dogs, but Kenzo is one of the exceptions. He is just friendly by nature. A dog with a heart of gold.

Viva was adopted from the shelter when she was 5 years old, and we don't know a lot of her history. Viva came with a lot of health issues and fear of most other dogs, but is doing a lot better today. She is very persistent and has an iron will. When Viva wants something, she doesn't give up easily.

She loves to go for walks in large open spaces, where she can be sure there are no other dogs and she can investigate her surroundings undisturbed.

We are all living together in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Related articles:
Viva Has Cushing's
The Many Faces Of Arthritis: Viva Has Spondylosis
Alternative Treatment Of Arthritis: Viva's Update

Hypo- versus Hyperadrenocorticism
Useful Tips: Visual Chart 

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Adoption Monday: Roxanne, Labrador Retriever Mix, Deerfield, NH

Check out this beautiful girl at Mary's Dogs Rescue & Adoption!

Roxanne is a gorgeous 2 year old Lab mix with the most beautiful brindle/blonde/golden highlights sprinkled all over her fur. These highlights help make Roxanne an absolutely stunning dog!

As if looks aren't enough, though, Roxanne chooses to show off her great personality at all times. 

Roxanne is great with people and other dogs. She can run with the big dogs, play with the medium dogs, and play gently with the little dogs.

She loves running and walking and she is your typical lab. 

She would love having a home where she could run and play with her owner(s) and/or other dogs. Roxanne  loves playing ball and she seems to enjoy playing fetch. She knows how to sit and is doing very well with her obedience training.

She's a very smart lab girl and she's getting a lot better about not pulling on the leash at all when you take slower walks. Roxanne is a sweet girl to say the least. She loves to walk up to you and just sit next to you if you'll sit in the grass with her. She has lots of kisses for anyone and everyone who comes to see her. She's always willing to follow you around, play with you, walk with you, and just hang out with you.

Roxanne would do well in a family where she could have her daily walks and playtime while also spending quality time with her owners who want a great family lab. 

Roxanne is going to make a very loyal, happy, beautiful, and loving companion for her new owner(s)!

Roxanne has been fixed, is UTD on all vaccines, and tested negative for heart worm.

Want more info on Roxanne? Call Mary's Dogs: 603.370.7750 or send along an email: marysdogsrescue@gmail.com Ready to bring her home? Tell us about yourself and your interest in Roxanne in our adoption questionnaire. Check out all the wonderful dogs on Mary's Dogs Facebook Fan Page.

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Mary’s Dogs rescues and re-homes dogs and puppies from Aiken County Animal Shelter, a high-kill shelter in South Carolina, USA. They also serve as a resource to communities in Southern New Hampshire and pet owners nationwide by providing education and information on responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay/neuter, positive behavior training, and good nutrition.

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BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training) For Dog's Fear Of Bicycle

Jessie pulled the bicycle over on herself. She was now scared even when a bike was standing in the driveway, and she was in the house. This is her first series of training sessions.

Observe what behaviors she adds as she gets more stressed.

BAT is from Grisha Stewart's operant approach at www.functionalrewards.com to help dog's get over fears and learn to self-calm in stressful situations.




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Donna Hill has a degree in zoology and a teaching degree. She has 20 years experience in adult and child education and enjoyed teaching people how to observe animals in nature as a nature interpreter, field biologist and train-the-trainer for presentation skills and now applies her knowledge and skills to help people and their dogs. She helps people with disabilities to train their own service dogs and has experience working with autistic and developmentally delayed teens. She uses plain English to explain what you are doing and why and also provides analogies you can relate to. She was also a Girl Guide and earned the highest honor as well as worked in the Tourism industry as a information counselor. She loves to share key information with people!


Visit her blog at Online Clicker Training Tutorials & Coaching.

Check out her two Youtube channels supernaturalbc2009 and supernatural 2008 to see if you like her style of teaching. Her motto is "Yard by Yard, Life is hard. Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch!" Break everything down into it's simplest parts and it's achievable!

Don't forget to visit her FB group Observation Skills for Training Dogs.


Related articles:
Shaping A Dog's Recall: Check In
Shaping A Dog's Recall: Movement Towards You
Shaping A Dog's Recall: Distractions

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If It Was Easy, It Wouldn't Be Jasmine

I guess we had a good run for a little too long ... over a year, until a couple months ago. After the recent stressful events before and after Jasmine's treatment, things settled down. For a while.

The verdict was that her joints were doing well but the muscles of the rear end were still agitated and required physical therapy and time.

It didn't take Jasmine long, however, to find new ways to make things more interesting.

Off and on she started favoring her front right leg (again). We were worried that the right elbow isn't all that happy after all, so back to the vet's office we went. During the day things looked good but at night you could see there was a problem. (When I mentioned that Jasmine might use up all 12 vet visits included in her annual plan in one month, I was wrong … it might take her two months …)

The good news was that after a very long and thorough examination the conclusion was that there was nothing wrong with any of her major joints. The muscles on the back and inside of the thighs were still inflamed, though overall they were getting better. At the time of the examination her vet couldn't find any problem with the front right leg either, not with the joint, and not with muscles or ligaments.

So why was she limping on it?

It was concluded that her weight distribution is still not right and that's what behind the intermittent issue with the front leg.

It doesn't really surprise me that the muscles are taking their time to settle down; last time Jasmine had a problem with these it took seven month for the problem to go away completely.

Jasmine was put on Gabapentin to help balance things out and we were going to continue with her chiropractic care and physical therapy.

Things started looking up again and then a major weather change hit.

Jasmine doesn't do weather changes well, though lately we had her episodes fairly under control, or so we thought. Not this time. This time it came back with a vengeance. Jasmine was panting and pacing and we spent four sleepless nights and uncomfortable days.

Should we get her vets back on the problem? 

So far, nobody was able to figure this one out. We went through, and excluded, a bunch of hypotheses, did several therapeutic trials, consulted about everybody under the sun … but the truth is that we still don't have the slightest idea what is behind this.

There is another holistic vet I heard about and we are going to give this one more try and see if she can come up with an idea. Meanwhile, we figured we just have to ride it out.

While they always resolve on their own eventually, these episodes can last anywhere from couple hours to couple days. 

This time, with some breaks, it lasted four days and four nights. Good times …

Fortunately, the weather has stabilized again, so hopefully that will put an end to that for the time being. One way or another, the weather does seem to play a role in this, though it is not entirely clear how. It is not caused by changes in pressure—I kept a record of the pressure changes and Jasmine's episodes for almost a year but no pattern was obvious, just as no pattern was obvious with anything else I kept track off.

Could it be some form of seasonal allergies? Sure, but she gets these episodes in the winter as well. It is not temperatures, at least not on their own. Perhaps it has something to do with humidity... And no, it has nothing to do with a full moon, I was tracking that for some time too.

It is not Cushing's and it is not chronic pancreatitis. It is not her heart or her lungs. It doesn't make sense that it would be pain, at least not any pain that would respond to pain medication. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with urine pH. It doesn't seem to be stomach acid either, at least it doesn't respond to antacids. It doesn't seem to be gas, at least it doesn't respond to medication either. It doesn't respond to anti-inflammatory medications and it doesn't respond to anti-histamines. One could suspect her IBD but her stools and appetite remain normal. The specialists at the teaching hospital concluded that it is not neurological either.

What is left?

When Jasmine gets these, one of the things she wants to do is to go outside and dig a hole to lay in. (If the episode gets bad enough, though, she will dig a hole but not lay in it anyway.)

That's what she wanted to do this time too. Hoping that it might make her feel better I figured I'll just let her do what she wants to do.

This time, that was a bad plan. 

As she was digging, suddenly she lifted her front left paw and wouldn't put weight on the leg—again. After we've just been through some major issues with that leg I really freaked out when I saw that. What has she done now!? Checked her foot and nail beds, checked her leg, found nothing.

Fortunately, she had an appointment with her chiropractor/physical therapist the next day. The leg seems to look OK now.

So that is life with Jasmine.

Next weekend we are supposed to go up to her ranch for a long weekend. I so hope that things get settled down by then so she can enjoy it, as she really loves it up there.

She's sleeping now, so hopefully the episode is over. Her legs looked quite good tonight too. Couple more appointments and couple more things to try...

One thing - all this worry is quite good for my waistline ...

Related articles:
Jasmine's Acute Lameness
Jasmine Doesn't Like "Doing Time"
Our Of Jail Free Pass
When It's Looks Too Good To Be True … The Lameness Returns
The Day Of The Treatment
First Time For Everything: A Healing Crisis(?)  
From Zero To Sixty In Four Days: Stem Cells At Work 
The Calm After The Storm

***

Meet Jasmine
I'm Still Standing! (Happy Birthday, Jasmine)
How Dogs Think (Well, Jasmine Anyway)
How The Oddysey Started: Jasmine's ACL Injury
Jasmine is Vet-Stem's poster child!
Rant About Quality Of Life Versus Quantity, And Differential Diagnoses
Jasmine Is Headed For Her Next Stem Cell Treatment
Jasmine's Stem Cells Are In
Arthritis? What Arthritis? 
Guess Who Is An Ever-Ready Bunny And Really Liking The Bit Of Snow We Got? 
Don't Knock It Until You Tried It: Animal Chiropractic 
Jasmine's Fur Analysis
Back At Chiropractic Care

Further reading:
Jasmine’s Story: Can Chronic Diarrhea and Soft Tissue Injuries be Normal?
Jasmine’s Story: An ACL Injury and a Cancer Scare
Jasmine’s Condition Deteriorates: Another ACL Injury and an Abdominal Abscess
Jasmine Recovers from Surgery and Jana Discovers TCVM
Who’s Minding Your Pet’s Health?
Pet Owner Perspective On Stem Cell Therapy
Difficult to Manage Lameness Treated with Physical Therapy
Our Journey to Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine

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Veterinary Highlights: Surgical Treatment For Dogs With Mitral Valve Disease?

Mitral valve disease is the leading cause of heart failure in dogs. The commonly affected breeds are Miniature poodles, Cocker Spaniels, Miniature Schnauzers, Dachshunds and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Colorado State University is developing a surgical treatment involving mitral valve implantation.

A bioprosthetic is implanted inside the original diseased valve. Sounds nice and neat, however, it's not all that simple. It is at experimental stage and a lot needs to be learned before this technique can be put to practice.

It sounds interesting and promising, but there are a number of complications that need to be resolved.

Where I take a serious objection is the fact that the study is supposed involve experimenting on normal dogs. I have nothing against trying an experimental treatment for a dog who's is out of options, in the attempt to save their life or quality of life. I do, however, have a problem with operating on healthy dogs.

Should that be allowed in the name of science? What do you think?

Source article:
Heart surgery for dogs with mitral valve disease?

Further reading:
Degenerative Valve Disease

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Motor Oil - Cure For Demodectic Mange?

 by Simon Tong

You may have heard this one before: “If your dog has demodectic mange, just get some motor oil and rub it on the infected parts. It’ll get better, trust me!”

What would happen if you pour motor oil all over your dog? 

For starters, there’re severe rashes that will result due to skin irritation. The motor oil will also cause extensive skin damage, because your dog’s skin will actually absorb all the toxic chemicals from it.

But it gets much worse than that. 

When a dog absorbs the oil through the skin, it penetrates the body and affects the internal system as well. Obviously, this causes a whole new host of problems, such as drastic changes in the blood pressure, as well as severe kidney and liver damage.

All this makes for a list of things horrible enough to get nightmares from, but unfortunately there’s one more gruesome aspect left to cover. 

Remember how dogs just love to lick and bite themselves all over, especially if they have demodectic mange? Well, what happens if they follow their instincts and proceed to lick their own skin… after being coated with motor oil?

Yes, they’ll swallow it, and the oil will induce vomiting, which in turn will introduce some of the oil into the lungs as well. This subsequently gives them pneumonia.

That should be enough of a reason why you should never, ever use motor oil to treat demodectic mange.

Now that we’re clear about what not to do, however, let’s indulge in our curiosity a little more. Why the heck did people use motor oil in the first place, anyway?

Motor oil perhaps did cure demodectic mange once, buuuuuut…

Yes, there’s a good chance that it was used as a treatment option successfully. Obviously, even this statement could be false – I’m really just speculating here.

I’ve found that there’s actually a coherent reason why it was viable then, but not now. But rather than jump into conclusions from the get-go, let’s walk through my little pet theory first. It’s essentially made up of three key points, the first being:

Motor oil produced 50 years ago had a different chemical makeup than the ones available today.

It’s no secret that the oil produced nowadays are very different from the ones made 50 years ago. There have been many changes to its chemical properties since then, but one of the more significant ones concern the level of sulphur present; it’s much, much lower than it once was.

Most people used burnt motor oil for mange treatment – fuel that was already spent in some form.

One interesting trend that I’ve been coming across is the fact that many of those who vouch for the oil’s viability used burnt versions of motor oil. They swore up and down that it worked, even though many other people horrifically disagreed. Keep in mind that this was what they did, not what they heard somewhere.
It’s also worth noting that burnt motor oil still contains a fraction of sulphur in it. But what’s all this talk of sulphur about, anyway? Well, it actually turns out that…

Sulphur is actually a pretty good deterrent to parasites.

The chemical is commonly used to treat parasites on both pets and humans, and there are many products in the market that include sulphur as a main ingredient. In fact, some demodectic mange remedies also include the use of sulphur in their procedures.

So it’s not much of a stretch after all for motor oil to be perceived as a good remedy for demodectic mange. In the past, the higher sulphur levels may have helped initially in clearing up the skin problem, which led to the unlikely remedy that we’ve been hearing about for ages since. The current users of burnt motor oil may also be seeing some form of success because the sulphur content was actually having a positive effect on the dog.

However, motor oil is definitely not acceptable as treatment for your dog’s demodectic mange! 

Some may indeed have gotten lucky and had their dogs’ mange cured by it, but it’s still a very dangerous method to use and will most definitely not work out for most other dogs.

Besides, there are other, better options out there. Why would you choose to dunk your dog in a smelly, greasy liquid instead?


***

Simon has a miniature schnauzer and owns a website devoted to gathering information about dog skin problems. Do you need more information about demodectic mange? Just visit http://dogskintreatments.com to find out more about its causes, the demodex mite, as well as the various methods of treatment available.

Need more information on safer and easier home remedies for demodectic mange? Just visit dogskintreatments.com to find out more.

Related articles:
Demodectic Mange: The 4 Most Important Questions You Should Ask 
Using Ivermectin For Demodectic Mange? 

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Dog Cartoon Of The Week: Women's BFF

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Dog Cartoon of the Week is brought to you by Andertoons. Check out the website for more great cartoons.


Cartoonist Mark Anderson lives in the Chicago area with his wife, their children, two cats, a dog and several dust bunnies. You might have seen his cartoons in a number of publications including Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Barrons, Woman's World, Harvard Business Review, Saturday Evening Post, American Legion Magazine, Funny Times.

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10 Things You Didn't Know About Your Dog's Immune System

Courtesy of Avivagen Animal Health

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Adoption Monday: Oreo, Border Collie Mix, Dumont, Co

Oreo is a sweet 6 month's old Border Collie mix.

She is a bit unsocialized and skittish, but a lovely girl.

She recently went missing for 8 days at the Golden Gate Canion. She is now staying with a foster family and she is looking for a forever home.



For more information contact Charlie's Place Shelter or my friend Roxanne of Champion of My Heart.

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Shaping A Recall: Training Come Command

Observe your dog to find out what activities and materials she likes to (and can safely) interact with and use these to strengthen your recall.




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Donna Hill has a degree in zoology and a teaching degree. She has 20 years experience in adult and child education and enjoyed teaching people how to observe animals in nature as a nature interpreter, field biologist and train-the-trainer for presentation skills and now applies her knowledge and skills to help people and their dogs. She helps people with disabilities to train their own service dogs and has experience working with autistic and developmentally delayed teens. She uses plain English to explain what you are doing and why and also provides analogies you can relate to. She was also a Girl Guide and earned the highest honor as well as worked in the Tourism industry as a information counselor. She loves to share key information with people!


Visit her blog at Online Clicker Training Tutorials & Coaching.

Check out her two Youtube channels supernaturalbc2009 and supernatural 2008 to see if you like her style of teaching. Her motto is "Yard by Yard, Life is hard. Inch by Inch, It's a Cinch!" Break everything down into it's simplest parts and it's achievable!

Don't forget to visit her FB group Observation Skills for Training Dogs.


Related articles:
Shaping A Dog's Recall: Check In
Shaping A Dog's Recall: Movement Towards You
Shaping A Dog's Recall: Distractions

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Why I Dislike Inflammatory Bowel Disease

by Jennifer Coates, DVM

Diseases that require surgery to reach a definitive diagnosis are frustrating to deal with.  

No matter how persuasive I try to be, owners are understandably reluctant to think that biopsying some internal bit of their sick dog is a great idea. Now the shoe’s on the other foot, so to speak.

I recently adopted a pup with just such a condition – inflammatory bowel disease.  I feel your pain.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD, not to be confused with IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is relatively common in dogs.  Basenjis, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers, German Shepherd Dogs, Shar-peis, Rottweilers, Weimaraners, Border Collies, Boxers, and some other breeds have a higher than normal incidence of IBD, but we don’t know exactly why particular dogs develop it and others do not.  A combination of genetics, environmental stress, immune dysfunction, and antigenic stimulation (food allergies, bacterial overgrowth, metabolic diseases, food intolerance, parasites, etc.) seem to play a role in most cases. 

Most dogs are diagnosed with IBD in their middle years, but the typical symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and/or poor appetite can develop at any age.  A dog may have mild or intermittent signs of the disease at first but often his condition will worsen with time.

What is IBD?

A healthy GI system has many layers of defense against the offensive substances (bacteria, toxins, potential allergens, etc.) that it comes in contact with every day.  When these systems are broken down or defective to begin with, triggers are absorbed into intestinal tissues and stimulate the immune system resulting in inflammation.  Unfortunately, this inflammation makes the gut wall even “leakier” resulting in a self-perpetuating cycle of immune stimulation leading to increased inflammation and so forth.

Why Does Diagnosing IBD Require Surgery?

The symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, and loss of appetite and weight fit with a laundry list of canine diseases.  Blood work, x-rays, and other non-invasive tests can rule many of these conditions out and raise the level of suspicion for inflammatory bowel disease, but the only way to definitively diagnose IBD is to biopsy the intestinal wall and have a pathologist evaluate the tissue samples.

Biopsies can be taken either with an endoscope or via abdominal surgery.

Both procedures require general anesthesia and have their pros and cons (e.g., endoscopy is less invasive but usually can’t reach the entire intestinal tract).  Your veterinarian can help determine which is best in your dog’s individual case.

The pathologist’s report will also help determine what type of IBD a dog has with regards to the part of the GI tract that is affected as well as the predominant type of inflammatory cell involved.  This information can help your veterinarian determine the most appropriate treatment and give you an idea of your dog’s prognosis.

How Is IBD Treated?

Treatment for inflammatory bowel disease centers on reducing the numbers of pro-inflammatory triggers the lining of a dog’s intestinal tract is exposed to and if necessary, suppressing the immune system.

Hypoallergenic diets play an extremely important role in IBD treatment. Some dogs thrive on foods made with novel ingredients (e.g., venison and sweet potato). Others do better one diets made from hydrolyzed protein (i.e., proteins broken down into pieces so tiny that they evade detection by the immune system) and a single carbohydrate source. Some owners swear by home-prepared diets.  Finding the right food for a dog with IBD usually requires some trial and error.

Many dogs with IBD suffer from bacterial overgrowth within their intestinal tracts.

Antibiotics can help control their numbers, and some like metronidazole also have an immunosuppressive effect. Duralactin, a product that contains dried milk protein from hyperimmunized cows, may also help some dogs. 

If relatively benign therapies like these do not sufficiently control a dog’s symptoms, it’s time to reach for the big guns. Corticosteroids and/or other medications like azathioprine are used to suppress the immune system. 

Response to treatment depends on the type of IBD a dog suffers from and its severity.  

I’ve had some patients live symptom-free with dietary modification alone, but have had to euthanize others despite trying everything in the book, which is just another reason why inflammatory bowel disease is so frustrating to deal with.

***

Jennifer Coates, DVM graduated with honors from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999.  In the years since, she has practiced veterinary medicine in Virginia, Wyoming, and Colorado.  She is the author of several books about veterinary medicine and animal care, including the Dictionary of Veterinary Terms: Vet-speak Deciphered for the Non-veterinarian. 

Dr. Coates has recently joined the PetMD team and she is now writing for the Fully Vetted column; great blog, do check it out.

Jennifer also writes short stories that focus on the strength and importance of the human-animal bond and freelance articles relating to a variety of animal care and veterinary topics.  Dr. Coates lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and pets.


Articles by Dr. Coates:
Kidney Disease – Say What? 
What Happens In The Dog's Body When The Kidneys Fail To Function Properly? 
Heat Stroke: What Happens In The Dog's Body?  
The Perplexities of Pancreatitis
The Other Side Of The Coin: The Cost Of Defensive Medicine
To Neuter Or Not To Neuter… That Is The Question
Don’t Forget the Physical Therapy
Common Misdiagnoses (Part 1)
Common Misdiagnoses (Part 2)
Picking the Right Dog to Breed
When Is It An Emergency?
Dog Allergies: Common, Commonly Misdiagnosed, or Both? 
Why Does The Spleen Get No Respect?
Protect Your Dog From Snake Bites 
More Creepy Crawlies

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Veterinary Highlights: Non-Surgical Sterilization

Multnomah County Animal Services has recently launched a trial using Zinc neutering, a new way of neutering male dogs.

Non-surgical castration?

The method consists of local injection a compound of zinc gluconate and arginine, which destroys sperm-producing cells without greatly impacting hormone levels. Proponents say it’s a much cheaper and less invasive alternative to surgery.

The compound was developed by Ark Sciences, dedicated to providing the least invasive, non-surgical sterilization processes possible.

Ark Sciences maintains that substituting one million surgical neuters with Zinc neutering could save animal-welfare groups $50 million that they can redirect towards public awareness or adoption efforts.

The compound is presently FDA approved for use in dogs between the ages of there and ten months old.

Is it better than typical neuter? It certainly has some strong points.

This method doesn't require anesthesia, has very fast recovery, and it preserves about 50% of sex hormone production (there are some emerging data showing health benefits of sex hormone preservation).

Source article:
Non-surgical sterilization method offers potential for neutering male dogs

Further reading:
Meet Joe. And get to know the word Esterilsol
Nonsurgical sterilization technique shows promise as safe, effective alternative to castration

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What Can Make Our Vet's Day

”I remember from my last dog how they can hide pain, so when she was getting tired after a big walk I wanted to get it checked out while it was still a small problem and easier to manage.”

This is how the owner of a middle aged, bouncy, happy, playful, dog introduced their reason for visit. 

There was no vocalization of pain, and no limp. Close observation showed a moderate reduced range of motion at the hips and a mild pelvic swing. Palpation revealed, sore back muscles.

Hip x-rays showed arthritis on both sides. 

This of course was the bad news. The good news was that now the problem was known and steps could be taken to stop the pain and reduce the progression of the disease.

Why no limp?

Well you need a leg that is less sore than the other leg in order to limp. If both legs are equally sore there will be no limping. (Above that, up to 25% of limb favoring will not be visible to a human eye)

Why no crying in pain?

Animals (unless acting in movies) typically do not vocalize pain. Over the course of evolution those individuals that cried in pain were quickly eaten and removed from reproducing. Quiet painful animals did get a chance to reproduce and the trait was passed on to the next generation.

The prognosis is good for this dog to live a pain free and active life in spite of the arthritis.

She is at a good body weight, so extra strain on the joints is minimized. The anatomy of the affected joints suggests she should respond to treatments designed to improve/heal the joints.

Just getting tired doesn't sound like much of a symptom.

The better you know your dog, the better you can detect minor changes that can indeed be very significant. Pay attention to your dog, know what's normal for them and have it checked out when something seems off.

The sooner a problem is diagnosed, the better the prognosis.

Plus you can save your dog a bunch of pain.

Because of their past experience, this owner knew how subtle the signs can sometimes be. Yes, as subtle as a change in activity level or being tired when you wouldn't expect your dog to be.

Update June 23, 2012
The patient has completed the 4 week course of medication to nurture joint structures and improve the joint health.

Normal activity levels have returned. Owners remark: “Just like when she was a puppy”.

Original article:
Best words heard today

Related articles:
Symptoms: Recognition, Acknowledgement And Denial
Where There Is Smoke, There Is Fire
A Word on Pain

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Dog Cartoon Of The Week: What Happened To Unconditional Love?

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Dog Cartoon of the Week is brought to you by Andertoons. Check out the website for more great cartoons.


Cartoonist Mark Anderson lives in the Chicago area with his wife, their children, two cats, a dog and several dust bunnies. You might have seen his cartoons in a number of publications including Reader's Digest, The Wall Street Journal, Good Housekeeping, Forbes, Barrons, Woman's World, Harvard Business Review, Saturday Evening Post, American Legion Magazine, Funny Times.

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