Check Your Claudia’s Canine Cuisine and Nature’s Deli Items

Claudia’s recalls two Hound Cakes; the FDA warns against Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats.

Claudia’s Canine Cuisine has issued a recall on two products due to "to the potential to contain mold," according to a tweet by Petsmart. The products are Dog Candy Fruit Hound Cake (7.5 ounce) and Dog Candy Blueberry Hound Cake (7.5 ounce). 

These are products are sold at Petsmart. If you have any questions about this voluntary withdrawal, please call Claudia’s customer service line at (501) 851-0002 or email Irma@claudiascaninecuisine.com.

Claudia's Canine Cuisine does not actively maintain a website, so Petsmart's Twitter account was the companies' chosen route of communication. It is unusual; we've never heard of a Twitter-only announcement of a recall, and we're not huge fans of it. Claudia's Canine Cuisine does have a static web site, which presumably could be updated with the info. 

In another matter related to dog food, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to feed their dogs Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats with a lot code of BESTBY061913DEN, because they might be contaminated with Salmonella. The treats are made by Kasel Associates Industries Inc. and were sold at Costco stores in the Denver area. The treats come in three-pound bags. 

Kasel is not doing a voluntary recall on this particular lot -- rather, the FDA is warning people not to eat any bags from it. Kasel did do a voluntary recall on another lot of Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats in October, but it refused to voluntarily recall this latest lot for reasons that are unspecific.  

Kasel's actions are unusual, because last month the FDA tested a retail sample from this lot, which tested positive for Salmonella. Whether Kasel is disputing these findings or simply ignoring them remains to be seen. 

Photo: Party animals by Shutterstock.com. 

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"Let's Ask America" Picks a Scrappy Canine Mascot

Buster "Cash" Brown makes his debut on the new TV game show.

As we recently reported, Let's Ask America is a new breed of TV game show that lets contestants win money from home. Because Dogster readers prefer to participate while stationed on the sofa with their favorite couch hounds, the show has announced the winner of its nationwide canine mascot star search.

He's a Parson Russell Terrier named Buster "Cash" Brown. Buster was rescued off the streets, right near owner Amber Brown's apartment in Long Beach, CA. When she discovered him in October 2010, the 6-month-old was an extremely skinny puppy.

Now a strapping, mediagenic 2-year-old, Buster wins a trip to the Los Angeles set of the show with Amber, plus a professional photo shoot with Let's Ask America host Kevin Pereira. Buster will also appear on the program throughout the season.

Want to be a contestant? Fill out an application at the show's website.

Watch a clip here:

Let's Ask America premieres Monday, September 17, on Scripps Television stations. Check www.letsaskamerica.tv for your local listings.

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How One Dog Inspired New York's Canine Camp Getaway

We've written a lot about traveling with your dog this summer -- 'tis the season, after all, and for some of us, it's not really a family vacation unless the family's devoted furry members can come along, too (and no, we're not talking about your Uncle Bob).

The Canine Camp Getaway is designed specifically for people and their dogs to go vacationing together. Set against the breathtaking Adirondack Mountains in Lake George, NY, the Roaring Brook Ranch hosts the weekend retreat twice a year. Featuring activities like Barks and Crafts, introductory obedience training, hiking, swimming, and Yappy Hour, there's plenty for you and your dog to do.

But there's more to the Canine Camp Getaway than just a rare chance to travel with your dog.

The Getaway was created by dog lover Janice Costa, whose journey started on a much different path. Growing up with animals, Janice developed a profound connection with them, especially since she was always a little shy. Writing and music were her chosen forms of creative expression, and she eventually found work as a magazine editor and sang in a band. While searching for a canine companion to adopt, she came across an unlikely match named Jessie.

Originally set on a Lab mix, Jessie, a Belgian Malinois, demonstrated how "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans" (gotta love that John Lennon lyric!). Even though Janice didn't know it at first, Jessie had already picked her, expressing excitement only for Janice, and even remembering her face when she returned after fruitless searching. Janice recalls the way Jessie put her paw up upon seeing her, while ignoring everyone else who came to the shelter. They had found each other.

Shortly after bringing Jessie home, Janice noticed that the dog's temperament and personal history would require extra training. Bred to be protective, the Belgian Malinois made dating a little difficult, and as a working breed, Jessie needed to feel useful. Janice worked hard with Jessie to apply the dog's traits productively. And that's when Janice experienced another bump in the road.

Janice began experiencing inner-ear problems so severe she couldn't get out of bed without feeling dizzy, sometimes throwing up for hours. Jessie's service instincts kicked in, and the dog intuitively responded to Janice's illness by learning to retrieve items for her while Janice remained bedridden. Janice lost hearing in her right ear and was forced to give up singing -- a devastating loss. But life would happen again, revealing a new fork in the road.

Hanging out at dog parks, Janice noticed that Jessie flourished in the presence of other canines, and began looking for more opportunities for the dog to socialize. And that's when the idea for a doggie retreat struck her.

Three years later, Janice is still organizing her Canine Camp Getaway, which has proven to be a successful endeavor. At the Getaway, dogs and their guardians get to enjoy each other's company in an environment that supports and celebrates the profound connection between hounds and humans. Janice has Jessie to thank for her success -- the dog she never expected to take home, but who showed her that when life throws you a curveball, you play fetch! 

Via the Huffington Post

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What do Veterinarians Know About Canine Nutrition?

Dog owners are inundated by messages from advertisements, commercials, the Federal government and agricultural extension services to “consult your veterinarian” about the nutritional needs of our dogs. But what do veterinarians really know about canine nutrition?

I’ll tell you.

Thanks to the insight from a book, “Not Fit for a Dog: The Truth About Manufactured Dog and Cat Food,” by Michael Fox B.Vet.Med., Ph.D., D.Sc., M.R.C.V.S., Elizabeth Hodgkins, D.V.M. and Marion Smart, D.V.M., Ph.D., I recently learned that during four years at vet school at a grueling rate, around 20 hours or less is devoted to nutrition. And even then, the nutrition information veterinarians receive has more to do with the medical  management of diseased and convalescent animals, and nutritional preventative medicine, than it does with feeding healthy dogs for longevity and good health.

So, if we’re only spending 20 hours on nutrition, and the information covered is widely spread and applied to so many types of animals, does vet school really prepare vets to know what  dogs should be eating?

It seems that most vets these days are “recommending” the food that large manufacturers educate them about via sales reps.  The manufacturers are not in the business of making dogs healthy; they’re in the business of making money. I don’t begrudge them this. I am a business owner, and I do it to make money. However, what makes the most money for pet food manufacturers is a product that is shelf-stable for months or years, is cheap to produce (which means using the cheapest ingredients), and is widely adopted by consumers in the marketplace. Raw beef is none of these things.

Here’s how you convince millions of dog owners to starve their dogs with nutritionally inappropriate food, and get them to keep feeding this food to their dogs even when the dogs become sick with allergies, digestive issues, bone and structural weaknesses, cancers and a whole array of skin and eye conditions:

Put the phrase “recommended by  veterinarians” on your packaging. The phrase is meaningless, does not need to be proved, and even if it was recommended by vets, vets are not canine nutritional experts anyway.Use words like “human-grade ingredients” on your packaging. This phrase is equally successful and equally meaningless, since as soon as any ingredient that enters a pet food plant is is considered unfit for human consumption and therefore cannot be called “human-grade.”Educate veterinarians. Send out an army of sales reps with slick brochures and lucrative sell-through contracts for your food.Tell consumers to “consult with your veterinarian” about what to feed their dogs. Because the veterinarians are selling your food. Do this through government agencies, public awareness campaigns, and “educational” materials pushed out to Federal, state and local agencies.Take advantage of consumer messages about what’s “healthy.” Convince humans to apply human dietary recommendations to their dogs. These include the concepts of vegetarian diets being better than meat-based diets, “balanced” ingredients rather than a majority of the diet being meat protein, and the appeal of nutriceuticals (using food as a drug to treat various ailments up to and including old age).When dogs come down with a variety of nutritional and immunological conditions, tell vets to recommend different commercial dog foods and supplements, rather than feeding a natural diet.Scare consumers about raw diets, raw meat, raw bones, and other foods critically essential to the canine diet. In the age of dental rinse, hand sanitizer and pop-up Lysol wipes, it’s easy to do; more than 700 products enjoy commercial success due to advertising their antimicrobial properties.Rename things. Dangerous coloring and flavoring agents sprayed onto grain-based kibble to make them look like “meat” can be called animal “byproducts” or “enhancers.”

As a culture, we have lost confidence in ourselves to make decisions for our healthcare, education, and a host of other areas, including our dogs’ nutrition. We are told at every turn to just do what the experts tell us to do. We relinquish our responsibilities to doctors, professors, veterinarians and others in positions of knowledge authority. However, these “experts” may not know what is best for us. We need to take back authority for making these decisions.

If we like a certain food because it has beef, rice, and broccoli, why not just feed our dogs beef, rice and broccoli? Why are we not questioning why commercial dog food NEEDS so much flavor enhancer, stabilizers, added nutrients, preservatives, antimicrobials, antifungals, emulsifiers, coloring agents … the list goes on. We look for the bag of food (that’s been sitting on the shelf for six months), hoping the first ingredient is beef or chicken. Not once does it occur to us how beef or chicken can sit on the shelf for six months.

So, repeat after me:

I am responsible for my dog’s health and his diet, not my veterinarian. I will find out what my dog needs, what types of foods deliver those nutrients, and how to serve it to him in a way that he gets the nutrition he needs. I will not rely on dog food companies to decide what I should feed my dog by using my vet to pressure me into buying their product.

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Canine Hero of the Day: Police Dog Thwarts Would-Be Bomber

How a police dog helped SWAT team members descend upon a bomber in Kansas after a three-hour standoff.

If you're going to threaten to blow stuff up, be forewarned: That dog over there, who is trained to thwart any and all such threats, can't understand a word you say.

A police dog bravely ended a three-hour standoff Tuesday night after a man barricaded himself in a Wichita, Kansas gas station claiming that his backpack was full of explosives, which he intended to ignite.

The suspect entered a Shell station at around 10 p.m. Tuesday and confronted employee Sazzad Kahandaker. As seen on a KWCH News video, Kahandaker described this encounter:

"I ask him, 'How can I help you?' He said, 'Lock the door.' He has a backpack and he opens that," indicating that it contained explosives.

A police dog and a SWAT team prepare to enter the convenience store. Photo courtesy KWCH

As reported by KFDI News, the suspect held Kahandaker and some customers captive for half an hour. When the suspect finally let them leave, Kahandaker covertly pressed the secret alarm button, alerting police. 

Officers arrived and made contact with the suspect from outside the station's shop. "He advised that he had some C-4 and was gonna blow everybody up," said Wichita Police Captain Jeff Easter on the KWCH video.

C-4 is a type of plastic explosive used extensively during the Vietnam war and by al-Qaeda terrorists in the 1996 bombing of the USS Cole off the coast of Yemen. This stuff can cause serious damage. When the suspect refused to surrender or budge, Wichita police set up a 1,000-foot perimeter around the station, evacuated 15 nearby homes, and stopped traffic in the area. At that point, the suspect cut off all communication.

SWAT team members surrounded the station, accompanied by human and robot members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal bomb squad. But what finally ended the standoff at about 1:30 a.m.?

A SWAT officer escorts the suspect from the station. Photo courtesy KWCH.

Four legs, sleek fur, steely eyes, expert training, a keen mind, and extremely strong jaws.

"We deployed one of our dogs inside of the building," Easter explained. The video shows heavily uniformed cops ushering an alert German shepherd dog into the station. 

Once inside, the dog backed the suspect into a corner, at which point "SWAT was able to go in and apprehend him," Easter said. "He has a few injuries from the dog, but no major injuries."

Nearby roads remained closed throughout the wee hours as the bomb squad investigated the suspect's backpack. No explosives were found in it. The suspect's motives remain a mystery, Easter said.

What isn't a mystery is that age-old fact: Canines can outrun us. They can outbite us. Aren't you glad bad guys know this?

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Unlikely Canine Hero of the Day: Choking Dog Saves His Own Life By Dialing Police Hotline

"We still don't know how he managed it. He's not usually very smart."

When police dispatchers in England heard the desperate heavy breathing from someone who had called 999 (the British equivalent of our 911), they sent four cops to the West Yorkshire home stat to check on what seemed to be a dire emergency.

The police were about to break down the door when a neighbor ran up and let them in with the key the family had given him. While the officers sprinted through the house searching the rooms for someone who had collapsed or been injured, the neighbor ran into the living room to find the family's enormous Bassett hound, George, choking because the phone wire had a death grip on his neck. He ripped the phone apart to free the "absolutely terrified" dog.

Photo via The Sun. See more of their amazing photos over here.

"Incredibly you could see where his paw print was on the phone to ring 999 — he literally saved his own life," neighbor Paul Walker said in an article in the Sun.

"When the police came into the room and realized what had happened they burst out laughing," he said. George recovered quickly and seemed no worse the wear, fortunately.

What's especially amazing about this story is that the phone had an old-fashioned dial. So it wasn't as if he just got lucky and pressed "9" three times in his panic. He had to really dial with his large paws.

Owner Lydia Brown says her beloved Bassett would probably have died if he hadn't dialed 999. But what might seem like a Lassie or Rin Tin Tin feat of cleverness and cunning was probably just luck, she thinks.

"We still don't know how he managed it. He's not usually very smart," she says. "He's really dopey and just likes to chew socks."

Whatever the case - luck, miracle, or stunning know-how - it's a pretty awesome story. We are sooo happy Brown did not have to come home to what could have been a very bad, sad scene. Maybe it's time for a cordless phone with a key pad.  (I just hope George figures out how to use it if he ever needs help again.)

Source: The Sun

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Canine Movie Star Uggie to Retire; Click for Hugo Dobie to Get a Nod for a Golden Collar Award

Uggie's days on the red carpet are numbered, but he'd rather be lounging by the blue pool.

(Update below)

Uggie, the adorable canine big-screen star whose role in The Artist has catapulted him into the limelight, will be stepping away from his feature film career to spend more time just kickin’ back.

“Uggie’s still enjoying it, but he’s getting up there and he’s slowing down a little,” trainer Sarah Clifford told the The Hollywood Reporter of the 10-year-old Jack Russell terrier, who also recently costarred in Water for Elephants. “He’s at the stage where he just says, ‘I think I want to go and lay in the sun by the pool.” (And his other trainer and “dad,” Omar Von Muller, does indeed have a pool.)

The little dog with the big ‘tude will still take on minor roles, but there will be no more of the months of long workdays required by feature films. Uggie’s protégé, a Jack Russell named Dash, will be taking over the big roles. He has been waiting in the wings for this opportunity, backing up Uggie for minor scenes, learning the ropes before his older “brother,” as Von Muller calls him, stepped aside. (The two are not actually related, except that Von Muller calls himself “dad” to both.)

One of Uggie’s final red-carpet appearances will be on Feb. 13 at the Golden Collar Awards in Los Angeles. He and Dash will grace the stage as their own perky selves. “From what I gather, one of his last hurrahs will be at the Golden Collar Awards,” says Alan Siskind of Dog News Daily, which is putting together the gala event.

After the Golden Collars, all that stands in the way of chillin’ by the pool all day is a little event known as the Academy Awards. The Artist, which cleaned up during the Golden Globes earlier this month, is up for 10 awards. Unfortunately there still isn’t a category for animal actors, but that’s what the Golden Collars are all about.

I’m delighted that I will be at the Golden Collar Awards in a couple of weeks, bringing Dogsters exclusive coverage of the event. It should be quite the scene. There’s even some excitement going on ahead of time, with Martin Scorsese, whose film Hugo has 11 Oscar nominations, pushing for the canine costar of that film to be entered in the Golden Collars. He thinks the regal Doberman, Blackie (Maximilian), deserves to be in the running for top dog in the category of Best Theatrical Film.

Blackie, in Hugo. (Photo: Jaap Buitendijk/GK Films)

The director wrote this in an editorial in the Los Angeles Times:

“Okay, let’s lay all our cards on the table. Jack Russell terriers are small and cute. Dobermans are enormous and — handsome. More tellingly, Uggie plays a nice little mascot who does tricks and saves his master’s life in one of the films, while Blackie gives an uncompromising performance as a ferocious guard dog who terrorizes children. I’m sure you can see what I’m driving at.”

Good for Scorsese for sticking up for the big guy (actually, Blackie is a gal). If you’d like to see Blackie added to the roster, go to the Dog News Daily Facebook page and nominate her. She needs 500 write-in votes by February 6. I’m heading over there right now to nominate her. (I’ll use my Soldier Dogs moniker to add some teeth. ) Not that I don’t love Uggie and the other contenders, but Blackie’s stellar performance should not be overlooked just because she was kinda big and scary. (Time has wondered if this is a form of “breedism.”) Head over to the FB page and join in if you want Blackie to have a chance to run with the little dogs.

Update 10 p.m. Jan 30: We just learned from the LA Times movie blog that there was such an outpouring of votes for Blackie that she received all the nominations she needed within a few hours of getting out the word about her! I hope she can make the awards. I’d love to see her beside her more diminutive colleagues.

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A War Dog Named Buck Is Putting a Face on Canine PTSD

Buck, who is healing in a loving home after developing PTSD in Afghanistan (Photo: Estella Diaz)

When I met Buck, the kennel he was in at Lackland Air Force Base was so loud that I thought his name was Puck. The other dogs — all part of the Department of Defense’s Military Working Dog program — were going nuts because they had visitors and it was hard to hear anything other than loud barks.

Several dogs were spinning in crazy, fast circles while others ran back and forth in their concrete kennels. Some just stood there, barking at my escort and me like they wanted us for lunch.

And then there we came to Puck, er, Buck. Buck is a chocolate Lab. Because Labs are normally rambunctious and happy, I expected him to be woofing with the rest. But he was curled up in a tight ball toward the back of his kennel. He appeared to be the only normal, calm one among these super energetic dogs. But there was something about his eyes, his demeanor, that seemed almost sad. He didn’t lift his head; he just looked at me unblinkingly and then stared out again, eyes not seeming to focus on anything much.

Buck, it turns out, had been in Afghanistan as a Marine IED detector dog. The man taking me through the kennels told me, “He heard one too many explosions.”

Check him out in this CNN video about some Marines of the Alpha Company in Afghanistan in 2010. You can see him starting around 54 seconds into the video. The reporter said that the poor guy would jump not only every  time he heard a “bang or a boom,” but also at far-less threatening sounds, like someone walking by and kicking a rock.

Buck was diagnosed with the canine version of post-traumatic stress disorder. He did not respond well enough to treatment, and it was determined that he needed to retire from being a war dog. He was going to be adopted the day after my visit by a couple “who loves him a lot,” my escort told me.

Lynette and Larry Sargent, and Buck, whom they love like a child (Photo: Estella Diaz)

That was back in July, when I was on the road doing research for my upcoming book, Soldier Dogs: The Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes (Dutton, March 2012). I address canine PTSD in the book, and I was heartened when a couple of weeks ago the New York Times ran an article about it and dozens of media outlets picked up the story or ran their own versions. It’s good to see this disorder getting some attention. The dogs who have it suffer greatly, as do their human counterparts.

Signs of canine PTSD include hypervigilance, increased startle response, attempts to run away or escape, withdrawal, changes in rapport with a handler, and problems performing trained tasks — like a bomb dog who just can’t focus on sniffing out bombs anymore. These are variations of PTSD’s symptoms in humans.

Sporting breeds, like Labs, appear to be more prone to canine PTSD than war dogs like German shepherds and Belgian Malinoises. Walter Burghardt, chief of behavioral medicine at the Daniel E. Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Lackland Air Force Base, is not sure of the reasons for this. But he and a small team at Lackland are starting to investigate this and dozens of other questions about the disorder, including how to prevent it, and how to best treat it. Right now, affected dogs are given time off, and get a combination of drugs and different therapies. A dog who is shaking and hiding may be given anti-anxiety medication; one who is withdrawn could get antidepressants. There are also counterconditioning therapies, in which a dog is slowly desensitized to loud noises.

About 25 percent will not be able to work again, and end up being retired from service. Depending on their condition, they could go to a police force, or be adopted by a family or individual, as Buck has been.

About three weeks ago I got in touch with Buck’s new owners, Larry and Lynette Sargent. We played phone tag for a while, and when Larry left a message on my voice mail saying, “I’m calling you back about my dog Buck,” I have to admit that I misted up a little. It probably sounds strange, but it was the “my dog Buck” part that got me. After the rigors and terrors of war, Buck was someone’s dog, at last.

Buck, now 4, is living a happily-ever-after story. Or he would be if he didn’t have PTSD. The Sargents have no human children, and think of him as their child. They dote on him, spending a great deal of time working and playing with him and trying to help him. They live in a large San Antonio home with a big yard they fenced just for Buck. But Buck isn’t a typical Lab.

“We’ve had other Labs before, and thought Buck would be similar, but we’re still trying to figure him out,” says Larry.

Larry is a pastor, so the Sargents frequently have people over for prayer groups, or just to lend them a hand. Buck quickly attached to Larry, and if the pastor is not holding him by a leash or right next to him when other people come by, Buck barks in fear, cowers, or both. He is not friendly with strangers, as most Labs are. As expected, he is scared of loud noises, too. Fortunately there haven’t been too many thunderstorms since they adopted him.

Buck has done a couple of PTSD-related things that are pretty heartbreaking. I describe them in my book, and my publisher doesn’t want me to give too much away in this blog post. But the good news is that with a lot of love and attention, Buck is coming around.

Buck in his big yard, playing with a faux skunk-skin dog toy. He loves stuffed animals. (Photo: Estella Diaz)

“We are seeing more and more of his inner puppy,” says Lynette. “He loves to catch a ball and throw it in the air for himself and catch it over and over. He can be really silly.”

And Buck loves stuffed animals. Like any self-respecting Lab, he seeks them out no matter where they’re hiding and joyously rips their stuffing out.

The Sargents wish they had a little more background on Buck. Or some instructions from the Department of Defense about how to best help a dog with PTSD. But it’s such a relatively new disorder — Burghardt called a blue-ribbon panel in January and it was only officially decided then that canine PTSD is, indeed, real — that there aren’t yet many answers.

So the Sargents take it one day at a time, and that pace seems to be a good one for Buck, who appears to be starting to heal with the Sargents’ self-written prescription of big doses of love and happiness around the clock.

***

Dogsters, the New York Times article says civilian dogs can get PTSD from car accidents or less traumatic incidents. I wonder how prevalent PTSD is in puppy-mill breeder dogs or bait dogs? Have you ever seen a dog who might have PTSD? Maybe some of you even have a dog with it. Have you been able to help affected dogs? Any advice for the Sargents?

Larry Sargent gives Buck his "prescription": Huge doses of love around the clock. (Photo: Estella Diaz)

(All photos in this post are by the Sargents’ friend, Estella Diaz, who is passionate about photography and donated her time to take these photos for me because the Sargents are like her “parents away from home.” She wrote me that she met them in 1997 when she started going to their church. “I had been to other churches before, but he was the first pastor that remembered my name only after meeting me just once.  I felt so welcomed there that I never left. The Sargents were never able to have kids but they have so many children through their congregation.  I’m just one of those kids. As far as dog parents, they are the best. Their pets are like their kids … very much loved, cared for and spoiled. Which is how it should be. I just love them so very much … I can’t say enough about them!” Buck sure hit the lottery with the Sargents.)

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Win a Book on Creating Success the Canine Way

Do you want a book by this dog author? Read on!

Dogsters, today we bring you something special: A guest post from a boxer. Bella the Boxer is author of Secrets of a Working Dog: Unleash Your Potential and Create Success. The book teaches people how to live successful and well-balanced lives by adopting the techniques that come naturally to dogs of all shapes, sizes, and pedigrees.

This book is for anyone who seeks straightforward and simple advice on how to balance the responsibilities and challenges of modern life and still have fun. Publishers Weekly says: “Delightful and insightful, Bella’s pearls of wisdom will entertain while imparting more than a few valuable lessons.”

Her human, Ellen Galvin, has kindly consented to give away three books to Dogsters. How do you win? Leave a comment about something you read in Bella’s article below. Agree, disagree, question, sit, stay, roll over — do whatever you like, just leave it in comment form below. Only one entry per household, please. We’ll do a random drawing from the qualified contestants (via Random.org). This will be a quick contest, though! You need to submit your entry by 5 p.m. Pacific time on Saturday, September 17. We’ll announce the winner on Monday. So start reading and commenting!

— Maria Goodavage, Dogster dog blog editor

Creating Success, the Canine Way
By Bella the Boxer (with help from Ellen Galvin)

“In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.” — Edward Hoagland

I like to think that I have an instinctive and evolutionary advantage when it comes to living a well-balanced life. I build relationships by wagging my tail more than my tongue. I’m excited to give new things a try, and resilient enough to bounce back if they don’t work out. I blend work with fun and have a zest for living that doesn’t revolve around shiny gadgets and beeping gizmos.

Keep in mind that I’m not a know-it-all. I’m anything but the perfect “Zen dog” I’d like to be. Plenty of things throw me off-kilter and make me feel less than a success. Things like the sudden arrival of a new two-legged little sister. I admit that I was a handful when I was a puppy, but I had no idea that such a little human could be the source of so much chaos and confusion. Whether it’s sharing the previously undivided attention of my humans or being herded around the house by a tyrannical toddler, there are days when I feel anything but well adjusted.

And yet, every night I curl up on my dog bed and drift off to sleep knowing that my day was a success and that I was a success. Humans like to say that “every dog has her day,” hinting that everyone has a chance at success at some point in their lives. But once again, humans have their dog idioms all mixed up. Success isn’t a one-shot deal. Success is something that every dog makes happen every day.

You see, chasing success for its own sake is a lot like chasing your own tail — even if you manage to catch it (not an easy feat for a stub-tailed dog like me), you can’t hold on to it for very long. Worse, if your eyes are always fixated on something else, you’ll miss the small victories of life that are right under your nose. The only true path to success is living an honest, authentic life, where the things you do and the decisions you make are in sync with who you are and what you value. I like to think of success as a good game of tug-of-war: Sometimes you pull the rope toy closer toward you and sometimes you watch it slip away. The rope toy never stays balanced for very long, and that’s okay — as long as you play the game with focus, determination, strength, balance, teamwork, and a sense of fun.

My hope is that humans slow down and tune in to the four-legged teachers (dogs!) who have so much to share about living successful, well-balanced lives. Dachshunds, beagles, and greyhounds do things differently, but they do it the way it works best for them. All you can do is be the best dog (or human) that you can be. Start by asking the questions that a smart dog would ask herself:

• Do I know what makes my life “zoom”?

• Do I do what’s best for my body and mind?

• Do I search for the positive side of things?

• Do I focus my attention on what matters?

• Do I listen carefully and communicate clearly?

• Do I follow my instincts and go after my goals?

• Do I build relationships with the people around me?

• Do I show appreciation for what I have?

• Do I make time to laugh and to play?

• Do I try to be present in my own life and in the lives of others?

Sure, these are deep questions. Do they all have to be answered “yes” to have a successful life? Of course not. My answers change every day, because life is messy and unpredictable. It’s also spontaneous, joyful, and exciting. Asking the questions puts me back on track so that every night I curl up on my pillow and sleep soundly, knowing I did the best I could do and was the best boxer I could be.

Here’s to you wonderful humans being the best people you can be. My parting advice? Be real. Be authentic. If you can’t be a dog, be human.

Visit Bella’s website, where you can order her book, connect with her on Facebook and Twitter, and watch the video trailer.

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Play Santa Claus to Canine Heroes this Memorial Day (and Beyond)

Stubby, World War I hero. His owner smuggled him across the ocean and onto the battlefield. There this untrained fellow saved lives numerous times and had an extraordinary effect on morale.

Four-legged US military heroes have been saving lives even before they were even an official part of the military in World War II. They’ve been used for  protection and sentry duty – alerting soldiers to dangers well before they could sense it themselves. They’ve been trackers, messengers, sled ambulance pullers, and first-aid deliverers. As scouts, they’ve excelled at sniffing the air and alerting their handlers to snipers and other hidden enemies.

These days sniffing out explosives is a key military dog job. Trained dogs can detect up to 19,000 combinations of deadly chemicals. No mechanical sensor can even come close. General David Petraeus, the top American military commander behind the Iraq troop surge and head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan for the past year, has praised their service: “The capability they bring to the fight cannot be replicated by man or machine.”

What makes these soldier dogs strive to be all that they can be? In many ways, they’re motivated by what motivates dogs everywhere: a desire to please, a pat on the head, and being told “good boy!” To Cairo, the dog who helped apprehend Osama bin Laden earlier this month — and in fact to every military working dog (MWD) — that approval is pure gold.

Ron Aiello and his scout dog, Stormy, in Vietnam. They never received a care package from a stranger, but he and his organization are trying to make sure that doesn't happen to deployed MWD teams today.

“Military working dogs live for love and praise from their handlers,” Ron Aiello, President of the US War Dogs Association and a former Marine Scout dog handler during the Vietnam War, told Dogster. “The work is all a big game, and then they get that pet, that praise. They would do anything for their handlers. And their handlers would do anything for them.”

There is no official medal honoring canine war heroes. The Pentagon says medals are only for humans, although those lobbying for dogs to be medal recipients would be very happy with a special medal just for canines. The US War Dogs Association has stepped up to the plate and made unofficial medals honoring deserving war dogs, but Aiello says it’s important for the government to officially recognize these dogs. (Dogs have been given medals, but they have usually been rescinded because of the no-medals-for-dogs policy.) You can find out more info about lobbying for an official canine medal on the War Dogs website.

Of course, such a medal would be more for the handlers’ morale and for the good of MWDs in general. MWDs, as with most dogs, would much prefer chewing on a satisfying toy.

Brenda, who served most of her life in the 341st Security Forces Squadron

Which brings me to the reason for this article. If you have a few spare dollars and want to put the wag in an MWD’s tail and make his or her handler happy, consider making a donation to the US War Dogs Association. You’ll be helping to provide cherished care packages the organization sends out to deployed handlers.

These care packages mean the world to handlers overseas. Often it’s not so much what’s in them: “The boxes could be almost empty,” Aiello told Dogster. “It’s the fact that a stranger cares enough and recognizes them and wants to send them something.”

Aiello knows this first hand. When he was in Vietnam, there were 42 people in his unit. Thirty of them were dog handlers. “We never saw a care package from a stranger,” he says. “I decided I‘m not going to let that happen to these dog teams now.” Thus the canine care package was born.

Aiello’s group fields requests for anything from cooling vests for dogs working in the heat (USDWA recently ordered 48 to the tune of $130 each), to doggy ear muffs that protect sensitive ears in aircraft, to dog boots that keep paws from being singed on the scorching ground. Handlers sometimes request basic gear, like dog harnesses, because it can take the US War Dogs Association much less time to get items to soldiers than it takes the military, says Aiello.

USWDA volunteers putting together care packages

Even if a handler doesn’t make a request, the association will do its best to send a basic care package that includes toothpaste and toothbrush for both handler and dog, eye and ear wash for the dog, deodorant and shaving cream for the handler, beef jerky for the handler, treats and toys for dogs, checkers and other games for handlers, dog boots, a cooling vest, or cooling scarf for handler.

Aiello estimates his nonprofit group spends about $80,000 per year on care package items and shipping to deployed soldiers and their four-legged partners. To keep up this level of assistance, donations of any size are welcome. If you have a few extra dollars and want to help make life a little better for a deployed soldier and dog, you can make a donation on the US War Dogs Association website.

Hooah!

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Dog Collapses When the Mail Comes, and Other Odd Videos of Canine Narcolepsy

We’ve all known people who fall asleep quickly. But Mable puts them to shame. This cute 5-year-old bearded collie mix suffers from canine narcolepsy. The most noticeable — and frightfully odd — sign of this rare disorder happens when a dog gets excited. She’ll typically go from being super excited to looking like she’s fallen into a deep sleep in an instant. As the owner of Mable describes it, “…like she’s been struck by a bullet.”

Sometimes the sleep of collapsed narcoleptic dogs is real sleep, but often the excited narcoleptic dog collapses into a catatonic state — one where she is awake, and aware of what’s going on around her, but utterly unable to move. The catatonic dog loses all muscle tone, much as happens to humans and other mammals in normal REM-stage sleep. (When you’re sleeping, that’s OK. Not so when you’re driving on the highway.)

The adorable Doxie mix in the second half of the Stanford video below is a textbook case of the floppy wet noodle quality of catatonia. She’s apparently fully aware of being like a rag doll, but can do nothing about it. Poor little pup! At last she’s in the very knowledgeable and gentle hands of Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, probably the world’s foremost expert in the field.

The next (and last) video of a narcoleptic dog is a heartbreaker. Skeeter struggles to resist sleep/catatonia, fights it valiantly, knows what’s going on, and can’t win. It seems to make his life a wreck.

There’s not much that can be done for narcoleptic dogs yet, although some tricyclic antidepressants may be of limited help. Some dogs have mild cases that don’t interfere too much with life, but for others, like Skeeter, it makes for a miserable and exhausting existence.

You can read more about canine narcolepsy and its genetic links in this K9 Perspective article. Check out this easy-to-understand article from Science News about narcolepsy in general, should you want to learn more.

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Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog

Yes, humans and canines are different species, but current research provides fascinating, irrefutable evidence that what we share with our dogs is greater than how we vary. As behaviorist and zoologist Dr. Patricia McConnell tells us in this remarkable new book about emotions in dogs and in people, more and more scientists accept the premise that dogs have rich emotional lives, exhibiting a wide range of feelings including fear, anger, surprise, sadness, and love.

In For the Love of a Dog, McConnell suggests that one of the reasons we love dogs so much is that they express emotions in ways similar to humans. After all, who can communicate joy better than a puppy? But not all emotional expressions are obvious, and McConnell teaches both beginning dog owners and experienced dog lovers how to read the more subtle expressions hidden behind fuzzy faces and floppy ears.

For those of us who deeply cherish our dogs but are sometimes baffled by their behavior, For the Love of a Dog will come as a revelationâ??a treasure trove of useful facts, informed speculation, and intriguing accounts of manâ??s best friend at his worst and at his very best. Readers will discover how fear, anger, and happiness underlie the lives of both people and dogs and, most important, how understanding emotion in both species can improve the relationship between them. Thus McConnell introduces us to the possibility of a richer, more rewarding relationship with our dogs.

While we may never be absolutely certain what our dogs are feeling, with the help of this riveting book we can understand more than we ever thought possible. Those who consider their dogs part of the family will find For the Love of a Dog engaging, enlightening, and utterly engrossing.


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Is the new quick canine vaccine titer test right for your dog?

Your veterinarian will soon have a new in-office test to help you make canine vaccination decisions. How useful that test will prove depends not so much on the test results, but on the questions veterinarians and pet owners expect it to answer.

The test, dubbed the Canine VacciCheck by its manufacturer, checks titer levels for three canine viruses: Canine Infectious Hepatitis (CAV-2), Canine Parvovirus (CPV) and Canine Distemper (CDV).

It’s not available yet, but its early marketing focuses on three uses:

Determining the vaccination status of dogs with unknown vaccination historyDiscovering whether or not a puppy has formed immunity after a vaccine is administeredFinding out if your dog’s immunity to any of those three viruses has “worn off,” and that he’s thus in need of what we call a “booster shot”

I’ve long championed titer testing for the first two purposes, and having such a test available right in the veterinarian’s office, with results in as few as 21 minutes, is going to be great.

It’s the third use that I have a problem with, even though I think it’s the one that’s going to excite most pet owners and a lot of veterinarians.

However much we might like to believe we can run in and check the “gas guage” of our dog’s immunity and “top off” his antibody levels with a “booster shot” if necessary — and however much our veterinarians might like to make such a service part of our pet’s annual wellness checks — that is just not how the immune system works.

First, there no evidence that immunity to those three viruses, once formed, wears off during the dog’s lifetime. Virtually all adults dogs who were properly vaccinated as puppies retain immunity to CPV, CDV and CAV-2 lifelong. Outbreaks of parvo and distemper (canine infectious hepatitis caused by CAV-2 is very rare) happen in puppies and improperly vaccinated young dogs, not adult and geriatric populations.

Additionally, immunity to those three viruses is a process, not a substance that can be directly counted and measured.

In the case of CAV-2, CDV or CPV, cells known as “memory cells” are formed when the dog is infected with, or vaccinated for, those viruses. If, later in life, the dog is exposed to the virus again, memory cells will “recognize” the virus and rapidly produce large amounts of antibodies to fight it.

This process happens whether or not there are circulating antibodies in the bloodstream at the time. (Tizard, Ian R., Veterinary Immunology: An Introduction, 6th Ed, Saunders 2000.)

It’s perfectly appropriate and very helpful to check for circulating antibodies shortly (around 2 weeks) after giving a puppy a vaccination, because at that time, their absence will strongly suggest the formation of immunity failed.

This can happen when maternal antibodies interfere with the puppy’s own immune response to the virus. Initial immunization can also fail to take place in a dog of any age if the vaccine is improperly stored or administered, or is somehow damaged, misformulated, or  inactivated. Using a test like this after any vaccination is a way to know for sure that immunization took place.

It also makes sense to test a dog of unknown vaccination history, because if he does have circulating antibodies to the viruses, you’ll know that he doesn’t need to be vaccinated for them. This can help rescue groups, shelters, and adopters of stray or rescued dogs avoid giving unnecessary vaccinations, thus sparing the dog the risk of their side effects.

Sure, if the dog doesn’t have antibodies he might be immune anyway, but  it’s perfectly rational to err on the side of disease prevention and administer the vaccination.

Unfortunately, that third purpose, the one that has the least scientific support, is being pushed by the manufacturer in this little video they made about the test:

Yes, even inappropriate use of a test like this will help avoid a lot of unnecessary vaccinations. And it will help veterinarians pay their bills, which I’m all in favor of. Some of my best friends are veterinarians, after all.

But there’s still no evidence that dogs who were ever immune to any of those three viruses need either antibody level testing or re-immunization, and unless somebody finds some, I’d recommend sticking to the first two uses for this and any other titer test on the market.

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Rethinking what canine aggression looks like

For years — decades, actually– animal behaviorists have tied acts of dangerous behavior in dogs to dominance related aggression. Simply put, a dog is a pack animal, and he or she is asserting their place at the top of the social heap. You’re just seeing manifestations of “king of the hill” behavior.

But what if the assumptions are faulty? What if that’s not what’s going on? A thought-provoking article by Dr. Ellen Lindell in DVM360 suggests we should question our assumptions.

[B]ehaviorists have now come to realize that the term dominance-related aggression is not only simplistic but is often inaccurate. Dogs that bite their owners usually do not exhibit the calm, confident, take-charge posture of an animal that is dominant in a relationship. These dogs do not strut up, ears and body erect, and stare until the owners step meekly out of the way.

WHAT SIGNALS REALLY SUGGEST

Instead, aggressive dogs often exhibit an assortment of postures that can be difficult to interpret but that suggest a dog in conflict. A dog might have one ear forward and one ear back. Or a dog’s ears might point forward assertively while its tail is tightly tucked, indicating fear. Owners routinely report that their dogs tremble after a bite and often slink away or “look sorry.”

Furthermore, some aggressive dogs do not exhibit noticeable warning signals at all. Without attempting to communicate intent, they react by biting. But is biting a successful strategy for attaining a respected leadership position in a social group? Impulsive aggressive behavior instead may suggest an underlying pathology such as anxiety.

Dr. Lindell is positing that if the cause isn’t what we presume, perhaps there are better, alternative responses available to deal with the behavior. So the next time a dog growls, look carefully and think twice about what might really be going on.

Cats, stress and illness: Staying in the vein of question everything, researchers at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine now believe that a cat who refuses to eat or is regularly vomiting up hairballs, instead of showing symptoms of a physical disorder, could instead be sick because of stress.

When the cats experienced what were called “unusual external events,” such as a change in feeding schedule or caretaker, the healthy cats were just as likely to exhibit sickness behaviors as were the chronically ill cats. The two groups had the same number of sickness behaviors in response to unusual events, and both groups were at more than three times the risk of acting sick when their routines were disrupted. [...]

“For veterinary clinicians, when you have a cat that’s not eating, is not using the litter box or has stuff coming up out of its mouth, the quality of the environment is another cause that needs to be addressed in coming up with a diagnosis,” said Tony Buffington, professor of veterinary clinical sciences at Ohio State and senior author of the study.

What does this mean? When you talk to your veterinarian about what’s going on, factor in what else might be happening at home.

Stories from the front lines: The best weird but true story this week is from AZCentral.com about a fascinating evening at the emergency veterinary clinic. Enjoy…

It was well past midnight. I was waiting with a friend whose dog was in surgery. We asked the vet’s assistant the fate of a different dog – a dachshund who’d been rushed in earlier by her two daddies. She’d eaten half a bag of Hershey’s kisses.

“She’ll be fine,” the assistant told us. “We’re getting it out of her.”

I didn’t really want to hear the details, but she went on.

She said dogs swallow all sorts of interesting things that can often come up the same way they went down. Hairbrushes. Plastic gloves. Car keys.

Then, she told us about a dog who had been induced to upchuck something so unique that the assistant took it to the waiting room to show doggie’s Mommy and Daddy. It was a woman’s purple thong.

The wife looked at the underwear. She looked at her husband.

“Those are not mine!” she said.

Man’s best friend became witness for the plaintiff.

The story that refuses to die: The Philadelphia Eagles play host to the Green Bay Packers this Sunday (Go Pack Go!), so we’ll be hearing more about everybody’s favorite dog-killing quarterback. While columnists in Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles insist all is well (and Vick should even get the dog he said he’d like to own – can you believe that?), I’ll make one more plug for what my friend Christie suggested: take Take Donna at BadRap up on her idea and send a book to a needy President.

Compounding –  a call to action: The dilemma of how to best medicate pets with unique needs in the face of a push against compounding has spawned a new chapter. An article on KY3‘s website suggests you take the FDA up on their request for public comment on the issue. Speak up!

A turtle ready to roll: Thanks to Schnauzer Fan for my favorite pictures this week from MSNBC. Tzvika the turtle lives in Israel. She had a run in with a lawnmower, and suffered a spinal injury. That’s not the end of the story, of course. Tzvika’s tough, and her veterinarians at the Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv were inventive in getting her going again. What did they do? Check out the pictures. You can’t make this stuff up.

I always like to hear from readers, especially if you have tips, and links for interesting stories. Give me a shout in the comments, or better yet, send me an e-mail.

Photo credit: Juneau and his bone, flickr creative commons (meganpru)

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