My dogs' favorite treat!

I have been a dog trainer and a vet tech for what seems like forever!  I have never “catered” to my dogs’ food choices.  If I were to let them choose, my 12 year old dog would opt for Reese’s Pieces and Peanut Butter Cookies for all of his meals!  He is a dog after my own heart!

I haven’t jumped on the raw diet bandwagon and I don’t have the time or effort to cook all of my dog’s meals for them.  I don’t believe in spoiling them when it comes to their meals either.  You surely know someone who’s dog will only eat homemade meals.

Personally I don’t believe that most homemade dog food recipes and raw diets get the dogs all the vitamins and nutrients they need in all the right amounts.  I know that most try, but I don’t believe that they have been around long enough to provide my dogs with all that they need.

I understand that there are many of my readers that make their own dog food or feed the raw diet and do a great job and have wonderful results, but for now it is just not for me.  I believe in the research and nutritional components of some of the large dog food companies.  I am not here to discourage anyone from making their own dog food.

However, I recently had a scare when it comes to dog treats.

I use to give my dogs a third of a piece of chicken jerky at night when we all went to bed.   And, my dogs started begging to go to bed around 7 p.m. each night so that they could enjoy their nightly ritual!  I didn’t realize that the FDA had been cautioning pet owners about chicken jerky products made in China since 2007!  YIKES!!!

It got me thinking; perhaps it would be safer for me to make my own dog treats!

For years I have been telling my obedience clients to use human food for treats (in moderation of course) because if lots of small children get sick from string cheese we will know a lot faster than if dogs get sick and the process it takes to diagnose and relate it back to a food or treat item.

But, my dogs LOVED chicken jerky!

So I am going to start cooking for them, at least in moderation!  And, I am going to share some recipes with you so that you can do the same!

When cooking for your dog, remember that simplicity is best!  Dogs don’t need added salt or onion or garlic flavorings.  Actually onions and garlic can be toxic for your dog, and salt is hard on his kidneys so when I cook for them I decrease or leave out any salt, garlic, onion or other spice.  My dogs don’t care about spices!  They just want treats that taste good to them, and we all know that dogs eat unimaginably gross things!  Keep it simple, they also don’t need sprinkles or anything that “looks” like chocolate!

Chicken Jerky Oven

• 1 cooked chicken breast cut into thin strips
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees
• Place strips on baking sheets and bake 2-3 hours (depending on thickness) to remove moisture.
• Allow to cool in oven as oven cools to continue dehydrating
• Freeze to preserve freshness

Keep it Simple!

Chicken Jerky Dehydrator

• Raw chicken breast (as much as you desire or have room for) cut into thin pieces
• Dehydrate for 8-10 hours depending on thickness
• Freeze to preserve freshness

I assume you could dehydrate almost any kind of meat this way!

Liver Biscuits

• 1 lb Liver
• 1 box of corn muffin mix
• Liquefy liver in food processor or blender, mix with muffin mix, knead until doughy, spread on a nonstick cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Cool, cut and put in fridge or freezer.

Cooking For Your Dog is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

The problem increases with our animals because we cannot as readily see the side effects and the damage that these diagnosis and holistic or alternative therapies may be causing.

For example, if I decide to take Goat Weed to treat my ear infection and I get severe anxiety, muscle tension and confusion I can stop taking it because I recognize something within my body is not right.  But if I give my dog the same medication or something similar I might not see any visual side effects, and it could be doing irreparable damage.

Alternative therapies are defined as such because they are not scientifically tested or they have been disproved by other studies.  Some of these methods can actually prove harmful.

There Must be Something to Ancient Wisdom

Much of our modern knowledge and therapies have come from alternative therapies.  The development of aspirin, digitalis, and ephedrine all came from this ancient experimentation and lore.

If it is Natural It has to be Safe

We tend to think of toxins as coming from industrialized chemicals but plants were the original toxins.  Sassafras makes a delicious tea and was a recommended tonic for many years for multiple ailments.  However, sassafras has been linked to liver cancer.   There is no way to know this by looking at the plant, drinking it or even seeing what happens to someone who drinks it.   Only scientific studies have shown the dangers of sassafras.

Some herbs and alternative therapies may be completely safe, but some may have harmful if not deadly consequences.

How, Then, Do We Try and Give Our Pets the Best of Both Worlds?

• Go ahead and do some research on the internet, but only search proven websites.   When I am looking for health information I do not click on any site that is not written or moderated by a licensed veterinarian.
• Get familiar with good veterinary medicine websites

1. AVMA American Veterinary Medical Association   www.avma.org
2. Veterinary Medicine www.veterinarymedicine.dvm360.com
3. American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association www.ahvma.org
4. Holistic Veterinary Medicine www.holisticvetpetcare.com

• Talk with your vet!  That is what they are there for!  Never add a medication or change anything about your pet’s care without contacting your vet.
• Get a second opinion, if you think there could be more options or if you are not happy with your vet.  There are often times specialist that can help with all kinds of specific types of veterinary concerns.
• Find your nearest Veterinary College and make an appointment or get a referral.  Often veterinary colleges have some of the leading doctors in veterinary medicine and all of the options that may be available.  They may also be more informed on holistic options.

Another Crucial Thing to Remember

Dogs are not humans.  Human medications: Tylenol, Cold Medicine and even Aspirin can be deadly for pets.  Do not assume that because a medication helps you and is effective for you, that it will be effective or safe for your pet.

Even simple things like nutrition and changing the PH of your dog’s urine can be detrimental.

When we go on a high protein low carb diet, we can be sure and drink more water so that we don’t damage our liver or kidneys in the process, but your dog doesn’t know to do this.  High protein diets can damage the kidneys of some dogs.

I worry about people diagnosing their own, or WORSE other people’s animals and doing damage or inadvertently denying their pet (or someone else’s) medical care.

Truth is, I bet if you look hard enough you could find that chiclets cure cancer, or cause cancer for that matter!  Anyone can post anything on the internet, it certainly does not have to be true.  And, just because you think chiclets cured your cancer doesn’t mean it will work for me or anyone else.

Be a smart consumer or reader, even if you are emotionally involved and want to believe the information that you find!  Only search medically proven sites when searching for medical information.

Build a relationship and contact your vet when you have questions.  They went to veterinary medical school and most of the time they know what they are talking about or can point you toward someone else who might!

Good luck and be smart!

Internet Diagnosis and Alternative Therapies is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Tis the Season for Grooming!

Ahh spring has arrived, and so have the little furry bunnies that scurry across my hard wood floors and augment in size as the minutes progress.  I guess that is what I get for having 3 hairy dogs and one hairy cat in my house all of the time!

Spring and fall bring a kind of molting period for 2 of my dogs.  They resemble wooly buffalos as their fur cascades slowly down their bodies.  If I am quick I can grab a handful of fur as they fly past me galloping and playing with one another.

I hate to say I am a neat freak, because I don’t think anyone with multiple animals really can be, but I am as close as you can get for someone with a pack of pets.  I hate fur in my eyes, up my nose and swirling about my floor.  I do my best to vacuum daily to keep dirt and fur at bay, but during shedding season sometimes daily is not enough!

There are a few tricks of the trade to help keep the fur and dirt at bay, at least for a while!

What to Do?

This is Just What My Dogs Look Like! Minus the Horns!

1. Quality dog food and good nutrition helps keep shedding at bay.  Healthy coats shed less!
2. Daily brushing and basic grooming can be crucial!  If you are not brushing it out…it’s going to land on your floor!
3. Bathing can dramatically reduce the amount of fur that ends up on your floor!  Warm baths help loosen that voluminously loose fur!
4. Blow drying can also help to free fur from your dog’s body.
5. Some dogs will even allow their owners to vacuum their bodies to get fur out.

And My Bonus Favorite Tips!!!

Take your dog somewhere else for his bath and grooming!  You don’t have to drop him off at the groomer if that makes you uncomfortable; there are plenty of Do It Yourself Dog Grooming Facilities where you are supplied with tub, water, shampoo, blow dryers, nail trimers, brushes and all your doggy grooming needs.  And, the best part…you get to leave the fur and the mess SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!  Clean up post bath is my most dreaded task!

In between baths when your dog has that “not so fresh” smell…I recommend wiping them down with a scented baby wipe which helps get the dirt out of their fur and also gives them a fresh scent!  Use a brush immediately after their wipe down to add sparkle and shine!

Top 5 Strategies to Help Alleviate Your Dog’s Shedding is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Lawn not looking as well manicured as you might like?

It is springtime, the time of year when we begin spring cleaning and we get back outside to our lawns, gardens, and flowers.  Many people want a pristine yard, but their dog’s urine kills the grass.

Supplements abound and homeopathic advice that claims to change the PH of your dog’s urine and therefore keep the urine from burning your yard, however there are imperative things for you to know before you give your dog these supplements or any other suggested remedy.

• Never change your dog’s diet or add a supplement without speaking to your veterinarian
• Changing the PH of your dog’s urine by using over the counter pills, baking soda, salt, or tomato juice may cause bladder stones and bladder stones are not only very painful, they require expensive, surgical removal
• Salt can cause permanent kidney damage
• Nitrogen in your dog’s urine is what burns the lawn NOT the PH of the urine
• It is the concentration of your dog’s urine that causes the lawn to burn
• Do NOT treat your dog, treat your lawn!

Myths Debunked!

Both male and female dog urine can burn grass.  The reason that people think females are more frequent culprits is because they often empty their bladders in one spot, while most male dogs urine mark several places around the yard.  Male dogs that squat and release their bladders in one place also often burn the lawn.

Dr. A.W. Allard, a Colorado veterinarian, examined variations in dog urine and the effects on grass. His results support the fact that volume of urine (nitrogen content) and urine concentration had the worst affect on the lawn. The pH of the urine did not have any variable effect nor did common additives designed to alter the urine pH.

He also found that diluting the urine with water could help negate the effects even up to 8 hours after the initial urination.

Avoid Problems

• To help your burned lawn re-grow, fence it off and reseed if needed
• Lawn care companies can spray your grass with chemicals to help make it stronger and neutralize chemicals
• You can spray your lawn with water after your dog urinates to dilute the concentration of nitrogen right afterward, or up to 8 hours after
• You can teach your dog to urinate in a specific area of your yard, perhaps one with gravel
• You can take your dog for a walk, chose an appropriate destination so as not to cause problems with other yards in your neighborhood
• Feeding your dog canned food which has a higher water ratio and soaking your dog’s food in water may also help and will not hurt your dog’s health

It is simple, to keep a well landscaped yard dilute your dog’s urine using water.  You can add water to your dog’s regular meals or feed canned food, and you can also set your timer to water your lawn for short durations daily, or immediately rinse urine after your dog urinates.  Contact your local lawn care business to help strengthen your yard.

Take your dog out for some exercise and give him or her time to eliminate in other appropriate areas. But, do not treat your dog with homeopathic remedies or pills that might change the PH of your dog’s urine, these treatments can be risky to his/her health and can cause permanent damage to the kidneys and bladder.

Always contact your veterinarian before using any supplements or supplementing your dog’s diet in anyway, your vet knows the risks of these changes!  Good luck and happy gardening you can both enjoy your lawn together!

Urine Spots on Your Lawn Getting You Down? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

7 Questions to Ask Your Vet About Your Dog’s Cancer Treatments

by Andrew Lewis, healthy-k9.com

Initially, you will need to decide whether you would like your dog to even go through cancer treatment.  There are many factors that play into this decision:

• Consider the stage and grade of the disease.
• Understand the emotional roller coaster that comes with treatment for both you and your dog.
• Think about the age of your dog and how much time he has left with you.  Should he be an older animal, you might want to take into consideration his quality of life.
• It sounds petty when compared with the life of a beloved animal, but you must consider finances.  Even with pet insurance, canine cancer treatment can be quite expensive.

If you have chosen treatment for your dog, there are some further questions you must be prepared to answer.  These include:

1. What is the best possible outcome of treatment?
2. How often is that outcome achieved in dogs of the same age and breed?
3. How invasive and traumatic is the treatment?
4. What are the most common side effects?
5. What is the worst possible outcome including adverse reactions?
6. If the treatment fails, what is the backup plan of coping?
7. What are the associated long-term costs?

Once you have reached your decision, take confidence in it and do not second-guess yourself.

http://www.healthy-k9.com/blog/

Questions to Ask Your Vet about Your Dog’s Cancer Treatment is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Learn more about this skin disease, and what to do about it.

Seborrhea in Dogs and Vitamins

liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com

Seborrhea in dogs is a skin disease that can cause your pets skin to be very dry and flaky, or it can be just the opposite, very greasy. It is believed to be an inherited disease as it generally has a family history.

It usually starts to form when a puppy is between the ages of 12 to 18 months old. The term Seborrhea actually means a scaling or flaking of skin.

There can be two major causes of this condition; primary, which is genetic and thus inherited, or it can be secondary and the result of several underlying causes, but in most cases it will be a nutritional deficiency. With the secondary form, it can affect any breed of dog.

The breeds that seem to be the most affected genetically are German Shepherds, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, Terriers, and Spaniels, especially American Cocker and English Springer’s, and well as Miniature Schnauzers.

However, it can also be found in obese dogs of any breed as they will have a more difficult time in properly grooming themselves.

Types of Seborrhea:

There are three types of Seborrhea in dogs; Seborrhea sicca, which is the dry form and will demonstrate dry and scaly conditions in your pet, Seborrhea oleosa, which causes an overproduction of oil in the skin which makes it stink and actually helped to coin the word smelly dog, and Seborrheic dermatitis, which demonstrates both conditions.

Seborrhiec dermatitis can be dangerous to your pet as it often caused inflammation. It will start around the oil glands located on your pet’s face, behind the ears, and on their scalp.

It can cause your pets scalp to become inflamed, very greasy, waxy, and if severe, it can a rash that may lead to infections.

Causes of Seborrhea:

Seborrheic dermatitis is brought on by a yeast infection which is also the major cause of dandruff in dogs. The other forms are caused by inadequate functions within your pets cells of their skin.

It normal circumstances cells in the skin will dry out as they are worn off and making way for new cells that will replace them. These new cells will form deeper into your pet’s skin.

This process is called keratinization and it is making keratin and drying the cells at the same time. Keratin is a very tough and insoluble protein that is the main structural constituent of the hair as well as the nails of your dog. This process normally takes about 2 to 3 weeks in dogs; however, with Seborrhea, this all changes.

This is normally a process that is both gradual and quite structured, but it breaks down, drastically speeds up, and as a result does not allow for the cells to function properly.

They essentially have no time to go deeper into your pet’s skin, and as a result, they start to build up on the layers of the skin, developing seborrhea in dogs.

To compound the situation, there may also be a malfunction in both the amounts and the quality of secretion from the sebaceous glands.

These are the glands that are found in the dermis of your pet’s skin that open into hair follicles and these glands major function is to produce and secrete sebum.

When operating normally, they gradually release and enrich your dog’s skin with oil secretions.

The actual cause of Seborrhea in dogs will be either primary or secondary. In primary cases, it will be genetic, or inherited. In secondary cases, in can be caused by several underlying conditions such as; flea or food allergies, hormonal disorders such as hypothyroidism, Cushing disease, internal or external parasites, ringworms, or nutritional disorders.

In the vast majority of cases it is a nutritional disorder.

Symptoms:

Flakiness in dogs is quite normal, especially in puppies as their skin and cells are still developing. However, what is not normal is excessive scaling or flaking.

If you your pet smells, even after you have bathed them, the chances are very high that they have Seborrhea in dogs. You will know the wet dog smell when it happens; they basically start to stink.

If the symptoms are severe, your dog’s skin and hair will actually feel greasy, because it is. With excessive secretion, your pet may develop red skin or a rash and the ears may become inflamed. When severe, you pet will start to both scratch and lick excessively.

Treatments:

The treatments for Seborrhea in dogs will vary depending on the actual cause of the condition. If there is an underlying cause other than a deficiency such as a yeast infection or bacterial infections, they will be treated with medications prescribed by your veterinarian.

Medicated shampoos will be the first line of attack, but it will depend on which type of Seborrhea it is, but once that is determined, selection is very easy.

You may have to trim some of your dog’s hair for the shampoo to fully penetrate and produce the best results.

Next, you will have to address the nutritional deficiency that is most likely the real cause. In most all cases Omega 3 fatty acids will be recommended by your veterinarian. They are available in pill or liquid capsule form, but the liquid form is much more effective.

Vitamins A, C, and E will also help not only controlling this skin infection, but in most cases to keep it in check permanently.

Vitamin C is extremely effective in skin conditions in dogs as it is an antioxidant as well as an agent that protects your pets system from pollutants. It also helps to clean the toxins form your dog’s tissues, cells, and blood.

Vitamin E is considered the wonder vitamin for dogs as it helps with their circulatory system especially in the proper generations of cells, as well acting as the chief healing agent in their skin. It is an absolute must for Seborrhea in dogs.

Vitamin A deficiency is the number one cause of hardening and rough skin in dogs and it should also be a stable in the protection of your pet with this condition.

Summery:

Seborrhea in dogs can be a real threat to you pet, but once properly diagnosed, treated, and than properly supplemented, it should be very easy to control. Once controlled, you will likely never have to worry about a stinky dog again.

www.liquid-vitamins-minerals-humans-pets.com

Seborrhea in Dogs and Vitamins is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

If your dog has been given a medication which appears to have an adverse effect, read this publication to find out what you should do.

How to Report An Adverse Drug Experience

Introduction

Veterinarians and animal owners are encouraged to report adverse experiences and product failures to the government Agency that regulates the product in question. Pretesting by the manufacturer and review of the data by the government does not guarantee absolute safety and effectiveness due to the inherent limitation imposed by testing the product on a limited population of animals. CVM encourages you to contact the manufacturer of a suspect product. Reporting information for the following product categories:

Animal Drugs and Devices
Veterinarians and animal owners may report adverse drug experiences to FDA by:

A. You should first call the drug company to report an ADE for an FDA-approved animal drug. Drug company phone numbers can usually be obtained from product labeling. Inform the drug company that you wish to report an ADE, and ask to speak to a technical services veterinarian. The technical services veterinarian should ask a series of questions about the event, complete the FDA 1932 form, and forward the report to CVM. In addition, the technical services veterinarian may also contact the veterinarian who treated your pet to obtain more information regarding the ADE. If the drug is not FDA-approved for animal administration, or if it is approved but you do not wish to contact the manufacturer, the report may be submitted directly to the FDA on Form 1932a. Reports should preferably include a good medical history, all concomitant drugs the animal has been given, any recent surgical procedures, and as much in the way of clinical findings as is possible. Clinical findings would include veterinary exam, clinical chemistries, complete blood counts, urinalysis, fecal exams, radiographic results, and hemodynamic data such as blood pressure, any other pressure measurements in or around the heart, and neurologic assessments.

Click here for more information.

http://www.dancingdogblog.com/dancing-dog-lists/

Reporting an Adverse Drug Reaction is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

Is your “natural” dog food truly natural?

By Elizabeth Wasserman

For dog owners like Carol Davis of Fairfax, Va., the sight of a synthetic or chemical ingredient listed on a pet food label leads to the following conclusion: I wouldn’t feed that to my dog. “I usually avoid it,” says Davis, who has a 5-year-old English springer spaniel named Lana. “I feel like if she eats healthy now, she’ll stay healthier and we’ll have fewer vet bills later.”

Like Davis, you are probably more concerned about putting “natural,” or minimally processed, foods on your dinner table, and that standard now extends to what’s in Fido’s bowl. Davis says she looks for recognizable ingredients, such as chicken and carrots, when choosing commercial food for Lana. However, there’s still some confusion about what constitutes a “natural” dog food.

“Natural” Dog Food Labeling Rules

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulate labeling of dog food in the United States so that companies can’t make claims about pet food products that aren’t true. The FDA doesn’t define the term “natural” for the pet food industry, but the AAFCO definition says natural food is “… derived solely from plant, animal or mined sources … not containing any additives or processing aids that are chemically synthetic except in amounts as might occur unavoidably in good manufacturing practices.”

Read the rest of Elizabeth’s article.

Is your “natural” dog food truly natural? is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog

You’ve probably seen the scary stats about how Cancer will kill more dogs then any other disease this year?

And if you’re like me you already know that the best way to make sure your dog doesn’t fall prey to Cancer is through good nutrition.

But most pet foods just don’t pack the nutritional punch dogs need to battle diseases like Cancer.

So we have to find supplements to make up for the poor food quality.

That’s why I was super excited to find Dr. Andrew Jones, an actual Veterinarian, and not some nameless, faceless vitamin company who seems to have finally put together a supplement you can add to your dogs diet that really works — what a concept right?

Read what people are saying about this new Dog Vitamin.

It’s pretty impressive!

Chet

Dog Owners RAVE About New Dog Supplement is a post from: Dog Obedience Training Blog