Archive for the ‘Dog Health’ Category

Are You Making Your Dog Fat?

Posted on: February 26th, 2013 by Asia

Is your dog fat? Unfortunately, many of our beloved pets are, like their human counterparts, unhealthily overweight.

If your dog is fat, chances are that you could lose a few pounds yourself because a fat dog doesn’t just happen from over-feeding – it’s also because of under-exercising.

Are You Making Your Dog Fat?

Chances are that if your dog is overweight, it means that you’re not giving your best friend enough daily exercise.

Have you taken into consideration the real exercise needs of your dog? Is your best friend naturally energetic, are they a working class of dog, or a breed that requires little exercise to stay healthy?

All dogs are amazing athletes who need to move to be healthy. Interestingly enough, we humans also need to move to be healthy which means for all us dog lovers, that we already have everything we need to shed some excess poundage.

Your dog is there, ready and waiting to go walking and help you both accomplish a healthy weight.

How Can You Tell if Fido is Fat?

There’s a simple test you can do to determine whether your dog is overweight and whether he or she needs to shed a few pounds.

All you need to do is feel around their ribs and spine. If you are unable to easily locate both with only a thin layer of fat between the skin and bones, you have an overweight dog.

Fat Like Us Humans

Sadly, our dogs are following in our footsteps as humanity rushes down that unhealthy path of being overweight or obese.

Make sure you know what your dog’s optimal weight will be once he or she reaches maturity, and check their weight regularly, because, for a dog, just 15% above that ideal weight means your dog is not just fat, it’s obese.

Anything up to a 15% increase means your dog is overweight, and sadly, according to a 2011 study, more than half of our best friends (53%) are overweight or obese.

Of course, this is a direct reflection on how little we humans are getting out there to exercise with our dogs because generally speaking, if Fido or Fifi is overweight, so are you.

Is It Genetic?

While some dog breeds do tend to gain weight more easily, this just means that these breeds require much more exercise in order to maintain a healthy weight, and humans should take this into consideration when deciding to share their homes with these breeds.

Simply because a certain breed may have tendencies to gain weight more quickly than others, is not a good excuse for allowing this to happen because you are ultimately responsible for making your dog fat.

Which Breeds Can Be Prone to Obesity?

While we know that some breeds are known for being typically slim, such as Yorkshire Terriers, Greyhounds, Whippets, and German Shepherds, there are other breeds that can be prone to obesity, including Cairn Terriers, Bulldogs, Dachshunds, Scottish Terriers, Spaniels, Beagles, Basset Hounds, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, Shar-Peis, Rottweilers, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Newfoundlands, and St. Bernards.

If you share your home with one of the breeds that may have a tendency to be overweight or obese, you need to get out there and exercise with your best friend that much more often and/or strenuously.

You’ll both be healthier for it.

Are You Overindulging Your Dog?

Many owners, for many reasons, may be overindulging their dogs by over-feeding them at meal times, or more likely with treats, snacks, or sharing unhealthy people’s food and these habits have created many a fat dog.

You’ve heard the saying, “Food is love” and many people over-feed their dogs because they believe that it makes them happy.

Unfortunately, many of our fur friends just don’t have any natural portion control, are very practiced and fixated on food and appear to be “starved” all the time, and will literally eat themselves to death if you let them.

Are You Feeding the Right Portions?

It’s important to make sure that you know the correct serving size of food for your dog so that he or she does not become overweight in the first place, or if this has already happened, to know how to exercise the right portion control to help your best friend shed the extra poundage.

You need to take into consideration your dog’s age and metabolism, and how much your dog is exercising, not just what it says to feed on the label, because feeding the suggested amount when your dog doesn’t get proper or enough exercise will make your dog fat.

Obesity-Related Problems

Just as being obese can seriously affect our human health, obesity can seriously affect our dog’s health in many the same ways.

When your dog is overweight, he or she could suffer from diabetes mellitus, joint damage, bone and ligament damage, heart disease, high blood pressure, eye problems, difficulty breathing, decreased stamina, decreased liver function, digestive disorders, skin and coat problems, increased risk of cancer, reproductive problems and surgical and anesthetic risk.

Just as being overweight and/or obese will shorten our human lives, there is absolutely no doubt that obesity can and will have adverse effects on your best friend’s quality and length of life.

What Causes Dog Obesity?

Of course, just like us humans, the primary causes of a fat dog are simply feeding them too much food and/or the wrong kind of food, combined with a sedentary lifestyle without the exercise they need to be healthy.

If your dog is taking in more calories than he or she is burning up through their daily exercise, they will be overweight.

Something we humans tend to forget as our dogs grow older is that, like us humans, they usually become less active, which means that we need to pay attention and adjust their food intake appropriately so that they can live out their more senior years not as a fat dog, but as a healthy older dog.

Also, when your dog is spayed or neutered, this will also affect its metabolism by slowing it down, which means that it then will require fewer calories to maintain a healthy weight.

Get Moving – Be Healthy

If you’ve been noticing that your best fur friend is getting a little chunky, take a good look at yourself and how sedentary your lifestyle may have become because a fat dog usually means a fat human.

Don’t be cruel to your best friend by shortening their life because you may have allowed him or her to be an unhealthy weight.

You have a dog, which means you have the perfect excuse for keeping both yourself and your dog healthy and fit. Get out there and get moving.

– Asia – Dog Whispering for 40+ years
© K-9SuperHeroesDogWhispering.com [Since 2008]

Asia

Asia Moore has been dog whispering for 40+ years, and along with K-9 Super Heroes Dog Whispering team members Jim and Boris the dog, offers insights about dog behaviour and psychology and their relationships with their humans! Many humans don’t realize that they could have a much happier life with their canine counterparts. You don’t have to live with the embarrassment of behavioral problems because with just a little dog whispering, everyone can live a happy, stress-free life together. ^..^

The Flexi-Leash Fiasco

Posted on: January 29th, 2013 by Asia

Many people are huge advocates of the cumbersome flexi, retractable, extendable, or cord leash concept and have happily laid out anywhere from $15. to $50. or more, depending on the size they required, to purchase one of these dog walking devices for their favourite canine counterpart, and why not, after all, they seem to be just the thing for a great walk, or are they?

What the flexi-leash offers is (on average) a free range of 16 to 26 feet for the fur friend so that they can get plenty of exercise sniffing about and exploring while remaining safely attached to their human. Isn’t this great – or is it?

Unfortunately, while many people have been lulled into believing that they are doing a great service to their dog by purchasing one of these leads, exactly the opposite is actually true.

How can this be, you ask because this leash comes highly recommended at so many pet stores and all my friends use one.

While it’s certainly true that the flexi-leash can be purchased at just about every pet store outlet known to man and dog, and yes, they appear to be enormously popular because you see a lot of them around, the fact remains that the use of these devices are causing far more harm than the perceived good they offer to the dog at the other end.

Teaches Bad Manners

For starters, a well-behaved dog must be a follower, which means that at no time during the walk should your dog be romping 20 feet ahead of you, or lagging 20 feet behind you.

The walk is the time when your dog needs to be concentrating on following its leader and this is impossible with a flexi-leash arrangement.

Teaches Your Dog Not to Listen

Secondly, every dog must be safe and listen to its leader (you) so that they don’t find themselves suddenly in trouble, and this just can’t happen when the dog is so far away.

When you allow your dog to reel out on the flexi-leash, he or she is no longer paying attention to the leader, but instead may be so totally engrossed in smells, sights, and sounds that they might even forget you’re there at all.

Dogs can move at a speed much faster than the average human has adequate time to react.

I’ve seen it happen many times when a dog who is 20 feet or more in front of its owner is suddenly startled by another dog, becomes nervous or afraid and before you’re able to reel them back, a fight has already broken out.

Hazardous to Humans

Thirdly, the flexi-leash is a hazard to humans, both small and tall because often they are not seen and because of this they create dangerous tripping hazards, and if you’ve ever been wearing shorts and run into a flexi-leash, you will know the pain of that nasty rope burn.

I know someone whose daughter was tripped by the flexi-leash, fell down the stairs, and broke her toe and this is mild compared to other more serious accidents that have been caused by these devices.

Teaches Pulling

Fourthly, putting a flexi-leash on your dog encourages the dog to pull and be in charge of the walk, which is both painful for the human as well as potentially dangerous if your dog feels that it needs to protect the follower and decides to attack another dog, person or animal.

Dangerous for Dogs

Fifthly, there are many sights and sounds outside, and when your dog is so far away you might be distracted and not notice quickly enough that he or she has just spied a squirrel crossing the road and chased it out into traffic until it’s too late and your beloved best friend has just been struck by a vehicle.

False Sense of Security

Sixthly, the flexi-leash provides the human with a false sense of security that can quickly create an embarrassing situation as simply being attached to their dog becomes a substitute for not paying attention to what their dog is doing.

If you’re not watching, you can be certain that most dogs will be engaging in self-rewarding behavior which can then lead to the dog teaching itself to act inappropriately in most public situations.

Leash Laws

Seventh, we have leash laws that require that we have our dogs under control, which is just not possible when the dog is already 20 feet or more in front of you.

Difficult to Hold Onto

And finally, my eighth peeve is the actual handle of the flexi-leash which is not only cumbersome to hold, but can also become a weapon in itself that has the potential to cause much harm and pain.

For instance, I was sitting on a grassy hill with my dog one summer afternoon when a couple of children came by with their little dog who was attached to a flexi-leash.

They accidentally dropped the handle which snapped back while the dog ran and I received the full weight of the handle against the side of my head.

Thank goodness it wasn’t my eye and I only had a headache for the rest of the day.

So let’s recap in bullet form what we’ve learned about the potential hazards of the flexi-leash.

it places your dog in the wrong walking position
it teaches your dog to pull and be in charge on the walk
it teaches your dog not to listen to you
it places your dog in danger of approaching dogs
it places your dog in danger of traffic
it’s a tripping hazard to humans
it provides a false sense of security
it doesn’t fully comply with leash laws
the handle is cumbersome and can be a weapon

Bottom line, if you truly care about the safety of yourself, your dog, and those around you, dump the flexi-leash and get yourself a simple 4 or 6-foot leash that fits comfortably in your hand, keep your dog beside you when walking, and avoid all the potentially flexible problems.

Flexi® is a registered trademark with Flexi USA INC.

– Asia – Dog Whispering for 40+ years
© K-9SuperHeroesDogWhispering.com [Since 2008]

Asia

Dog Poop Bombs

Posted on: January 28th, 2013 by Asia

Now that I’ve got your attention – don’t worry…I’m not about to tell you a story about some evil-intentioned human blowing up dogs, although what I am going to chat about in this article certainly could have its own devastating effects.

What I am going to talk about is a problem that is part of all dog ownership and depending on the size of your dog can be a small, medium, or large problem.

Yes, whether we’re talking about dog feces, doggy do-do, doggy poo, scumber (the fancier name), doggy 2’s, or just that plain, old four-letter word – s-h-IT…whatever you call IT, if you have a dog, and you’re not out there picking IT up every day, you may be guilty of creating a problem far worse than you may be aware of.

Do You Pick Up?

As conscientious dog people, we’ve all seen the little or not-so-little dog poop bombs when out walking, and we’ve all most likely silently cursed those who just left it there for us to get all over our shoes.

However, for those of us who are lucky enough to have a lovely backyard for our favourite fur friend to romp about in, this is likely the first place that Fido or Fifi runs to every morning when first waking up, while we’re busy putting on the coffee pot or getting our kids ready for school, or ourselves together for the start of our day.

So, out runs our best friend(s), and what do they do when they get out in the yard and rip around for a few minutes? Yes, that’s right…they leave you a nice doggy poop bomb, water the grass or shrubs, etc., and back they race inside for their breakfast or hopefully a nice walk with you.

What a wonderful life and what could be easier…but wait…this wonderful and easy life is what could be creating a serious problem, because if you’re not being vigilant about taking the time to get out there and pick up the doggy poop bombs every single day, you ARE guilty of creating a health hazard in your own back yard that can eventually have far-reaching hazardous consequences.

For instance, you might not be aware that over two decades ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated pet waste as a dangerous pollutant, right next to oil spills and toxic chemicals.

Why Are Dog Poop Bombs so Dangerous?

Even though you may not live near water, if you don’t pick up your yard every day, unscooped dog poop bombs from your yard will be carried by overland water flow which is then washed into storm drains, ending up in far away streams, rivers, oceans, and groundwater, and if you do live near a water source, this problem is far worse.

Parasitic Infection

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms that pet waste can and does spread parasites including hookworm, ringworm, tapeworm, and Salmonella.

For those of us living on Vancouver Island, where it rains a lot, the problem is even more quickly spread, because when infected dog poop comes into contact with your lawn, the dog poop will eventually seem to wash away or “disappear”, however, the hazardous parasite eggs can linger for years!

When a human or animal comes into contact with that soil through everyday activities like walking barefoot, gardening or playing, they risk infection from those eggs, even years after the dog poop bomb is no longer visible.

Do you think your dog cares about where it romps when it’s out in your backyard, or carefully makes sure that it doesn’t accidentally walk through some old dog poop bombs? Wishful thinking.

Consequences of Infection

You may not be aware that as much as we love our favourite fur friends, their waste is teaming with E. Coli and other harmful bacteria including fecal coliform bacteria, which causes serious kidney disorders, intestinal illness, cramps, and diarrhea in humans and when you don’t religiously pick up, you subject your children and yourself to infection.

Just 1 Gram

A very shocking statistic you may not be aware of is that there are 23 million fecal coliform bacteria in a single gram of pet waste!

As well, dog poop bombs often contain roundworm larvae, which can cause blindness. If a human ingests a roundworm larva, it can migrate through the body causing disease to the brain, lungs, kidneys, liver, heart, or eyes. This means that when we humans (especially children) touch the soil, dog toys, or anything that has been in contact with dog feces and then touch their mouths, they can become infected.

Consider that if your dog is running about in your yard that has many dog poop bombs that were just left to naturally dissolve, they could be coming back into your home with this on their feet, then pawing you, your bed, their toys, your children’s toys and then you or your children touch your mouth and become infected.

Even a group of teens or adults playing Frisbee or touch football in an open area where someone hasn’t been picking up after their dogs could be putting themselves in danger. Parasitic infections can make humans extremely sick, and for pregnant women, can pose serious harm to their unborn child.

Further, leaving a yard full of dog poop bombs will also attract rodents, such as rats and mice who can spread Salmonella through their droppings and bring with them other diseases, including murine typhus, infectious jaundice, Weil’s Disease, and rat-bite fever.

What About the Condition of Your Lawn?

Besides all the other toxic and smelly health issues dog poop left on lawns can create, dog feces release nitrogen into the soil and can literally ruin your nice, green lawn. While small amounts of feces and urine create dark green patches of grass and noticeably taller grass, large amounts of feces left on the lawn for a long period of time will kill the grass by smothering it as well as leaving “burn” marks on the grass that creates ugly brown spots.

Pick Up Every Day

I think by now you must be really starting to understand that dog poop bombs don’t just “wash away” or disappear and if you’re not disposing of your dog’s waste every day, whether your dog is leaving it’s smelly calling card out in a public park, on the side of a street, or in your own back yard, you’re putting yourself, your family, your dog, your water supply and your environment at risk.

Asia

Are You Really a Rescued Dog?

Posted on: January 28th, 2013 by Asia

I was recently chatting with a local dog walker/sitter who told me the most shocking statistic about her business is that “…90% of the dogs I work with are rescued dogs with serious issues…many are aggressive…”

Curious, I asked why she didn’t suggest to the owners that they engage a professional for a dog whispering session so that they could learn through dog psychology all about how they can help their dogs regain balance and become the happy companions they were meant to be.

She replied, “I have suggested it to many, offered to take them myself but if they say no, that’s where it stops.”

Rescued Dogs Need to Regain Balance

Then I have to ask the question, “From the dog’s point of view, what’s the difference between living in a rescue facility or living in a home with a human who is just providing a different “kennel” when the human is not willing to address previous behavior issues?”

Rescuing a dog can present itself like a two-sided coin where one side or the other often lies hidden. Oftentimes the hidden side requires the assistance of a professional that can teach humans how to understand the dog.

On the one side, the human feels good about providing a dog with a new home because this act of compassion imbues the human with improved self-worth, and a sense of righteousness from doing a good deed for a creature less fortunate. Indeed wonderful human characteristics, but does this help the dog regain balance?

Are the Dog’s Needs Really Being Met?

However, the other side of this coin, and the one that is often forgotten or not immediately recognized or acknowledged by the human, is whether rescuing the dog was more for addressing human needs because if the rescued dog’s needs are not also being met, which includes being aware of and eliminating previous unstable behavior concerns so that the dog can become a stable, happy member of its new human pack, the “rescue” can be very one-sided.

Oftentimes a human will rescue a dog from the SPCA or local facility because they feel sorry for it being “locked up” and facing possible euthanasia or because of breed-specific persecution or because it looked dejected and sad or because it was frightened, or perhaps it reminded the person of a childhood pet, or the human was feeling lonely or sad…or any number of other human emotions.

What Are Good Reasons?

Although all of these above reasons are what makes us caring humans, none of these are good reasons for rescuing a dog. Good reasons would be because the human is willing to really provide for all aspects of their new 4-legged companions’ needs, which are dependent upon firstly addressing any behavioral issues that are already present or may arise in their future.

Dogs live much more in the moment than we humans, and once the humans understand what their particular dog requires in order to get back in balance, they will both be on the road to recovery and a loving, fulfilling relationship.

Unfortunately, what awaits many rescued dogs in their new home can be even more heartbreaking when the human, although kind and well-meaning, is not capable (because of personal circumstances, work commitments, health, lifestyle, age, etc.), of giving the dog what it really needs to be happy and so, the newly “rescued” dog ends up being further frustrated and unfulfilled.

Is a dog really rescued when the only thing that’s changed for them is the size, shape or colour of their four walls?

A Kennel is a Kennel

A kennel is a kennel is a kennel in any dog’s mind. They don’t care how large or beautiful your home may be, because, in their mind, it’s still their kennel when they’re left in it without you being there to provide the companionship and direction they need.

When you’re gone, they’re still locked up, they’re still left alone, they’re still frustrated, they’re still frightened, fearful, nervous, anxious, or aggressive because they still aren’t having their needs fulfilled which means they’re still unbalanced and unhappy.

To really rescue and rehabilitate a dog takes time, never-ending patience, and unwavering commitment. Yes, it can be hard work because it demands firstly, an understanding of what’s required in a particular dog’s circumstances, and a skill set and understanding of dog psychology that most humans can learn, but don’t naturally come by.

Taking the time and effort to learn what your dog needs to be a well-balanced member of your family is priceless because a happy relationship with your dog reaps untold positive rewards that many of us don’t even realize and that simply can never be measured.

The very definition of the word “rescue” tells us that to rescue means “to bring (someone or something) out of danger – to deliver or save.”

Understanding What’s Required

Therefore, when a human rescues a dog but doesn’t follow up with learning how to bring the dog back into balance and harmony with itself and its surroundings, they have not brought this dog out of danger or saved it from anything other than possible euthanasia.

It’s a very sad situation indeed when canine guardians (humans) are not willing to make the effort to learn what they need to do so that these rescued dogs can become well-balanced and happy companions.

Are rescue facilities doing these dogs any favours if they are not following up and/or recommending professional help as a matter of course for humans who don’t yet understand what dogs really need in order to be happy and well-balanced members of their new human pack?

Do You Really Have the Time?

Unfortunately, many humans throughout their busy days just don’t have the time necessary or inclination required to invest in the consistent effort necessary to do what’s right for the dog and believe that a bowl of food with access to a yard will fulfill all of their dog’s needs. Our dogs require and deserve so much more from us humans.

Many a rescued dog doesn’t get their needs met, or their problems addressed, and as they pass from owner to owner, become even more unbalanced because the humans they happened to come into contact with, although well-meaning, didn’t understand what they needed to do to really help them.

Sadly, many rescued dogs, even after finding a new forever home, are still left to fend for themselves as best they can within an alien, human society that doesn’t truly understand what they need to be happy.

When these dogs are “rescued”, will their humans be doing all they can to ensure that the dog’s needs are being met, or will these dogs simply have to endure a life of instability?

Dear Dog – My wish for you is that you are, in every sense of the word, truly a rescued dog.

Asia

CPR for Dogs

Posted on: January 22nd, 2013 by Asia

Nobody wants to ever be put in a situation where the life of their precious pet is at risk, however, accidents do happen, and knowing a little bit about how to help save your beloved pet is time well spent.

Please familiarize yourself with the simple American Red Cross emergency techniques outlined below so that you may be able to help save a life.

Asia