The pet blog

People miss their pets more than their partners

2010-03-15T18:29:00.000-07:00

It's true! A survey in the US found that pet owners reported missing their pets more than the people in their lives when they travel, and they also feel guilty about leaving their pets behind.

Here's the link.

Bones - the real thing

2010-03-07T18:04:00.000-08:00

Bones are the best thing to keep a dog's teeth and gums in great shape. Real bones are vastly superior to the artificial nylon bones (IMHO and IMDHO). I get big marrow bones for them, which I get the butcher to chop into two or four pieces. Little Charlie loves them, even if the bone's too big for him to carry.

They also get beef neck bones, which I get the butcher to chop into several pieces, some large, some small, so I have some just for Charlie and some for Libby. They love them and spend hours chewing at them, which keeps them amused as well as giving them something natural to eat.

They also get chicken necks, turkey necks, and lamb off-cuts, and they have these as their meals, or as part of their meal, rather than as treats. The cats love these as well.

A few years ago I spent some time in a small town in America, where there were two gigantic supermarket/drug stores. The dog at the house I stayed at had never had a real bone. I went searching, but there was no butcher in the entire town, and there were no real bones, just plastic-wrapped nylon things and processed 'treats'. How sad for the poor dogs in America!

Emergency shelters and pets

2010-02-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

A new study has highlighted the fact that emergency shelters must cater for pets.

The poll was conducted in Wellington, New Zealand by Steve Glassey, a distance education student with Charles Sturt University in NSW and found that 99% of people consider their pet a member of the family, according to an article on News.com.au (and repeated elsewhere).

The poll also found that 58% would stay with their pets in an emergency rather than abandon them.

Glassey formerly worked with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and conducted the poll online after discovering that emergency shelters lack facilities to cater for pets, which was one reason why people in New Orleans were reluctant to leave, because they would have had to abandon their pets.

The study was flawed, because it was an online poll, which means those most concerned would be more likely to take part, which introduces bias into the results. The number polled was also small - only 92 people, and it doesn't say if they were all pet owners.

Personally, I would find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to abandon my dogs, and would take them with me, even if it meant sleeping in the car or a makeshift tent instead of an emergency shelter. I couldn't just abandon them.

Could you?

Libby and Charlie

If the cats weren't around, I wouldn't wait for them to come home, because they're more likely to be able to take care of themselves, and if they're not in the house they could already be affected by whatever the emergency is (such as a bushfire). But my dogs are dependant on me, and I couldn't leave them.

Glassey presented his results at the Annual Emergency Service Conference in the Wellington last week. Perhaps it could lead to the powers that be at least questioning whether or not emergency shelters should cater for pets.

Let's lighten up with the crazy dancing bird!

2010-02-15T03:01:00.000-08:00

After the last posting, it's surely time to lighten up. There are far too many bad news stories and sad stories about people as well as about pets, so here's something to lighten the whole thing up a bit.

Now, wasn't that fun? I hope you watched to the end.

Dogs massacred in New Zealand

2010-02-02T20:03:00.000-08:00

A dispute between two neighbours north of Auckland has led to the horrific massacre of 23 puppies and 10 adult dogs.

The dispute was between neighbours Russel Mendoza and Rowan Hargreaves. Hargreaves had 39 dogs living in cages and in car wrecks, and Mendoza said some of the dogs had killed his own dog, a fox terrier. The dogs were unregistered.

Hargreaves said Mendoza and a friend came armed and forced him to sign a paper giving them permission to shoot all the dogs, and the two men then shot 33 of the dogs, including three-week-old puppies. Police said many of them were shot in their cages, and they were not shot humanely.

This horrendous story has an even more horrendous postscript. In the ABC report, it says: "Police may lay charges because one of the gunmen did not have a firearms licence."

Police may lay charges? But only if one of them doesn't have a gun licence! So, this sort of thing is legal in New Zealand is it? And is it legal to have so many dogs? Surely someone should have told the SPCA long before a dispute like this could have developed.

Swine flu in dogs

2010-01-21T17:46:00.000-08:00

A case was reported in New York recently in which a 13 year old dog caught the swine flu virus (H1N1) after his owner contracted the disease. The dog has apparently fully recovered, but it highlights the fact that dogs can become infected with diseases we catch.

If you're sick, especially with a virus, it is wise to take the same kind of precautions as you would to stop spreading the virus to other humans, such as washing your hands often, especially before handling the dog (or cat), and covering your mouth if you're about to sneeze or cough.

The symptoms of swine flu in the dog are similar to those in humans, including sneezing, coughing, lethargy, fever and so on. If the dog has any of these, a trip to the vet is in order.

Dogs also have their own canine influenza (H3N8), which is passed from dog to dog, but has never been transmitted to humans. Again, a trip to the vet is advisable, and the dog should be isolated while sick. There is a vaccine for this virus, but there is no vaccine for swine flu in dogs.

Spinning pet hair

2010-01-14T16:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't done this, but I get so much pet hair around the place (especially on black tee shirts, which my moulting cat, Dandy, seems to seek out deliberately) that maybe I should invest in a spinning wheel. People have certainly been spinning dog hair for centuries, and why not? In previous times nothing was wasted, and those times were much more sensible than our wasteful consumerism of today.

Those who've done it say that spinning dog hair is more difficult than spinning wool because dog hair is short, straight and slippery, whereas wool has small barbs that make it easier for the strands to grip together. Obviously, dogs (and cats) with longer, double coats are best, such as Collies, Samoyeds and Golden Retrievers. It's the soft undercoat that comes out when you brush the dog that is spun.

Interesting study on dog genetics

2010-01-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

An interesting study on dog genetics has been trying to identify the genes changed or selected for during selective breeding, and identifying which genes control physical traits such as size, coat type and colour, wrinkly skin, temperament and so on. The researchers identified the exact gene that determines how wrinkly a Shar-Pei is, for example.

(Photo: Wikipedia. In public domain.)

The study might help in finding out the causes of genetic diseases in dogs, but also helps in the understanding of human genetics as well.

Original article:

Dog genetic studies reveal why Shar-Peis are wrinkled
(PhysOrg.com) -- There are over 400 genetically different dog breeds, with massive variations in size, colors, fur type, temperament, and so on, and scientists have wondered exactly what changes in the genes have been brought about by centuries of selective breeding to explain the huge differences. Now a new study has shed some light on the puzzle.

Pets in hot weather or cold

2010-01-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

Pets need to be looked after in extreme weather, both cold and hot. In the UK, Europe and parts of the US right now they have extremely cold temperatures, while here in Australia we've had the other extreme, and there are dangers for pets in hot weather conditions.

I don't know too much about pets and snow, but I imagine if you need to be inside, then so do they, or at least given warm shelter. Here in Australia a pet can die if left in the heat. Every year pets die when left in hot cars for even a few minutes, and in the heatwave we had last November, pets even died in the home if they were left for the day while their trustees were at work. It isn't possible to leave air conditioners on all day (because of the fire risk), but giving them access to indoors and outdoors at least lets them find a cool spot somewhere.

Take care of your pets and keep them cool if it's hot and warm if it's cold.

Alternative to urinary SO biscuits

2009-12-30T17:27:00.000-08:00

I found alternatives to urinary SO biscuits for Dandy about eight months ago after doing some extensive research (and not just on blogs), and he's never looked back since. I wish I'd done it years ago.

About eight years ago, Dandy developed urinary crystals and had to have an operation to remove them. The vet then put him on Waltham urinary CD and then SO biscuits, and he was on them until I decided to take him off . There were several reasons. First, he never really liked the biscuits (or the wet alternative), and tried desperately to get at Juliet's food. He gained weight, even though I fed him much less than the recommended amount. He wasn't happy, was always grumpy, never purred or played.

Dandy drinking his water

I kept him on the biscuits for so long because I thought I had to, but when I did the research I found there were alternatives. He's basically a cat with nothing wrong with him other than being at risk of crystals because he's had them before. But there are ways you can minimise the risk. Another reason I wanted to take him off was because the main ingredients were by-products and grains. I never heard of a wild cat eating rice or pasta!

Still another reason was that I didn't trust the new vet, who seemed to be mostly out for money, and I'm sure they get huge kick-backs from these super-expensive diet biscuits. His surgery has so many of these products it's more like a supermarket. Like doctors, vets seem to learn little about nutrition and learn most of what they know about these diets from smooth-talking sales reps and glossy brochures.

Here's what I do:

1. I feed him real meat, usually raw mince for human consumption, cut up steak, or raw mince especially for cats (with real meat ingredients, no grains, no by-products, and no preservatives). No fish of any kind. I sometimes add a teaspoon of liquidised vegetables, and he doesn't seem to mind the addition.
2. Lots of water. I make sure he drinks by mixing water with his food. He can't eat without getting water. There are also water bowls in several places inside and outside the house.

3. Twice daily checks of his bladder. I feed him a little twice a day rather than a lot once, and when I feed him I feel his bladder to make sure there's no distention. I also watch him urinate when I can. At the beginning I watched him every time to make sure he didn't miaow. There's never been a single problem.

Dandy purrs while he's eating, which he never did before, he plays with Charlie, lets me cuddle him (which he never would), and he isn't grumpy any more. So the two major causes of these crystals -- stress and dry foods -- are gone. He's now 15 years young, and such a happy cat.

If you're thinking of doing the same for your cat don't take my word for it. Do your own research as I did, because you owe it to your cat to decide if you want to find an alternative to urinary SO biscuits.

Kangaroo mince or commercial dog food?

2009-12-22T02:55:00.000-08:00

I don't have all that much faith in commercial pet foods any more, so I'm feeding them mince, which is for pets, but the label says nothing about things like meat by-products. It's made from kangaroo meat with heart, liver, lung, vitamins, minerals and minimal preservatives. They all love it, including Juliet, who is very fussy. Yesterday I gave Juliet a choice of prime minced beef (for humans) and the pet mince, and she chose the latter.

They also get lamb bones and chicken necks. The dogs also get beef marrow bones. In the morning they often have rye or wholemeal bread and whole milk. They look great and are very healthy. They all have good teeth.

Some will say that kangaroo mince is a no-no. But the fact is that kangaroos belong here and cows don't. Kangaroos don't have hooves, and the land has never had hooved animals until white people brought them here. Cattle and sheep destroy this land, and millions of them die whent there's a drought, whereas kangaroos have evolved to adapt to the cycle of drought and plenty. It makes more sense to make use of the resources that belong here, than to bring in factory-farmed animals that don't belong here.

My dogs and cats are doing very well off their commercial dog food and on their kangaroo mince.

Is commercial dog food toxic to dogs?

2009-12-08T16:40:00.000-08:00

Is commercial dog food toxic to dogs? Does it really contain chemicals, diseased meats that together could shorten the life of my Libby and Charlie. Does the canned food contain euthanized dogs, cats and zoo animals?

I just watched the video here, and I'm not sure if what applies in the US and Europe would apply in Europe. When I phoned one of the commercial dog food manufacturers, they denied it all, but then they would, wouldn't they? It's the same companies, and since when did global corporations actually give a damn about anything. (After all, they don't give a damn about human babies. Join the Nestle boycott here.)

I know pet food manufacturers have been sued for what's in the food. Click here to see one case. On page 7 it says:

The $58,000,000,000 spent by consumers on pet food over the last four years has been without the knowledge that the “quality,” “prescription,” “premium” or “gourmet” food that they are feeding their companion animals was made of garbage unfit for human consumption, including, but not limited to, restaurant grease, roadkill, hair, blood, pus, esophagi, chicken heads, feet and intestines, cow brains, excrement, fetal tissue, moldy grains, hulls, styrofoam packaging from discarded supermarket meat, euthanized animals, including cats and dogs, ground up flea collars, and diseased, dying, disabled and dead animals.

And that's the PREMIUM, GOURMET dog food!

So what makes us think their ordinary commercial dog foods isn't full of crap and actually toxic to dogs? After all, the drugs used to euthanize animals isn't broken down, and styrofoam has to be toxic. Would they care if they're shortening our dogs' lives by over eight years? I don't think so.

Found good magazine and Pee Away

2009-12-06T17:31:00.000-08:00

I've found a good magazine for people who own pets: Pet Industry News. It's full of useful information, and it's an attractive publication. The online version is free and of course available globally, but the print version is only available in Australia.

Pee Away is the most effective product I've found for neutralising urine odors. I have a problem with Dandy (my old cat), who has decided he doesn't like using the litter tray when I'm away. He prefers the welcome mat, or the bath mat, or the pot plants. Pee Away is easy, cheap, and is working very well.

My own pets are doing well. Libby and Charlie are such great friends now they're virtually inseparable. It's really nice to see them playing together, sleeping together, and just hanging out. We had a great time at the weekend at Milang, and went on numerous bush walks. It was good.

Chooks and dogs

2009-06-14T20:15:00.000-07:00

I've raised free-range chickens for years now, and they're fascinating, each having a unique personality. I've had some crazy chooks, and there have been joys and tragedies. I keep them in a separate section of the garden that is fenced off to keep the dogs out, and to keep the chooks out of the vegetable garden, but I have trained both dogs to be good with the chooks.

Training them was easy because I started with both when they were puppies. I simply took them in on a leash every day to let them get to know the chooks, and to let the chooks get used to them. Then I used a longer leash to allow the dog to explore further, and then I dropped the leash but kept it attached to the dog so I could catch them quickly. Being used to the dogs, means the chooks don't run, and they don't get chased. The main problem I have, and the reason the dogs aren't allowed in all the time, is that Libby loves eggs and throws the chook off the nest to get the eggs already laid. She also loves bran and pollard mash and any bread lying around. But she's great with the chooks, and so is little Charlie.

Back again

2009-06-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

I've been very busy lately, studying and doing other things, so not a lot of time left over for blogging. Charlie and Libby are well, as are the cats Juliet and Dandy, the chooks, the finches and the fish.

What is really in pet foods?

2008-08-14T05:25:00.001-07:00

I've found another report on pet food here, and it's made me even more determined to develop a totally natural diet for my dog and cats.

I've cut out all pet food with labels such as 'meat, including....', and other such giveaways that the contents are really the unwanted by-products of abattoirs, such as udders, intestines and perhaps diseased tissues or tissues from rejected animals. These products are also made by multinational corporations such as Nestle, which I will never have anything to do with. Here's why.

I made a mixture for the dog of cheap steak/heart/liver/kidneys and brains (all for human consumption), and it turned out cheaper than the equivalent weight of canned meat. She loves it, of course. She also loves wholemeal bread mixed with the meat instead of biscuits. Plenty of raw bones keep her teeth in excellent condition. She isn't overweight and according to the vet is in perfect health.

The research continues.

Disobedient dogs

2008-07-08T22:08:00.000-07:00

Disobedience

There’s a difference between disobedience and incomprehension. If your dog isn’t obeying a command because she doesn’t understand what it is you want her to do, that’s not a behavioral problem at all; it simply means that you need to spend some more time together in training.

True disobedience occurs when your dog deliberately does not obey a request or command, although she has full knowledge of what it is that you’re asking her to do (and you know this because she’s performed it reliably on several occasions beforehand).

Although this may seem like a relatively minor inconvenience, it’s actually a pretty serious thing – not only can it be dangerous for your dog (for example, if she’s heading towards a busy road and ignores your ‘come’ command), but it’s also detrimental to your relationship with your dog.

Disobedience is rooted in disrespect. When your dog deliberately does not obey you, she’s saying, “I don’t respect your authority enough to do what you want me to do”.

If you allow her to get away with this, you are allowing her to form the habit of passive-aggression. This is not something that can just be left to “fix itself” – the problem will worsen, not get better, if you leave it.

It’s very important that your dog recognizes that you outrank her in the social hierarchy of the household. The concept of alpha status is one that you need to be familiar with in order to maintain a healthy, functional relationship with your dog.

It may sound cruel from a human perspective, but your dog is happier when she knows that someone else is in charge of making all the decisions – including her day-to-day behavior and obedience levels.

It is not possible to have a good owner/dog relationship if she does not understand that you are the clear-cut authority figure: she must know that she’s beneath you in the chain of command.

Your first step in dealing with generalized disobedience is to reestablish your dominance. Here are some tips on doing so: -

When leaving the house and the car, you must always leave before your dog. This is unmistakable alpha behavior: to a dog, only the alpha leaves first. If you allow her to exit the house or the car ahead of you, you are saying: “You’re stronger than me; you should go first because you’re the decision-maker”. Inside doors aren’t so important, but every time you leave the house or the car to go outside, you must make her wait for you to go first, until you release her from the ‘wait’ with a release-word.
Make him wait for food. Your family and you must always eat before the dog – if it means she has to wait an extra half hour or so for her meal, it won’t hurt. When you put food down for the dog, make hier sit and wait until you release her to eat.
Keep her feeding schedule varied, so she’s always aware that you’re in charge of the food – don’t allow her to form expectations of when he should be fed.
Don’t allow him free, uninhibited access to the whole house. The house is your den: you’re allowing the dog to be inside. Remind her that you’re allowing her into your den – it’s a privilege to be there, not a right - by sometimes allowing her inside, and sometimes sending him outside for half an hour or so. Keep certain areas of the house strictly for your own, as well (such as your bed, certain pieces of furniture, or some rooms).
Never allow your dog to initiate play. If she’s nudging you for attention or to start a game, you may think that it’s cute and affectionate; but what she’s really saying is, “I’m the boss and I’m telling you to play with me right now.” If she starts bothering you for attention, ignore her for a few moments: get up and do something else. Wait until she’s given up before initiating the play yourself. Playtime is a fantastic way to bond with your dog, but it should be done on your terms, not the dog's.
When you arrive home, don’t rush straight over to your dog and shower her with affection. That is not alpha behavior at all – an alpha dog, upon arriving home, doesn’t go over to the other dogs and throw herself at them, saying, “Here I am! I missed you guys! Let’s have a cuddle!” – she ignores everyone else, relaxes for a short while, maybe has something to eat, and only interacts with them when she’s good and ready. Even though you’re probably good and ready to interact with your dog as soon as you get home, it will make more sense to the dog – and underscore your authority – if you ignore her for just three to five minutes upon arriving home.

Another fantastic way of counteracting disobedience is to start – and maintain – a basic obedience training plan. You don’t have to do anything fancy or super-demanding; just ten minutes a day of learning and enforcing commands. This can drop to five minutes a day once your dog is completely reliable with the commands.

Here are some tips for a good training program:

Never give a command that you cannot reinforce immediately if he chooses to disobey you. Every time your dog takes the opportunity to ignore your command, he’s learning that it’s both easier and a lot more fun to ignore you. For example, if you call across the park for him to ‘come’ as he’s playing with some other dogs, the choices are clear-cut to him: he could cut his play-time short and come to you, or he could ignore you – which is easy, since you’re so far away – and continue to have fun. Until your dog is completely reliable with commands, he should be on a long line or retractable lead so that you can enforce them if necessary.
Remember to use your voice to the best effect. Praise should be in a light, cheery, happy tone of voice; if possible, smile at the same time. It makes a difference to your tone of voice, and most dogs will study your face to make sense of your expressions, too. Corrections should be uttered in a stern, brook-no-nonsense tone: you don’t need to shout, but your voice should be low and authoritative.
When you’re verbally interrupting your dog, it’s more effective to shout, “OI!” or “Ah-ah-ah!” rather than saying, “No”. The sounds are more clear-cut, and you’ll get a better response.
Do not repeat a command. Remember, you should be training on a leash or a long line: if he ignores you, he gets a short, sharp tug (some call it a ‘flick’) on the lead to remind him that you’re present, and you’re in charge. Repeating yourself teaches him to wait for the command to be repeated at least once before he obeys you.
Five to fifteen minutes per day is an adequate amount of time for training. Any more than this in one sitting, and your dog’s concentration will likely lapse: fifteen minutes of intense training, where your dog is concentrating hard on what you want, is enough to send even the most energetic dogs to their beds for a snooze afterwards.
You can move on to more advanced training and ‘tricks’ if you feel like it, once your dog’s got the basics mastered; but it’s not something that you should feel like you have to do.

Another great option is formal obedience training classes. They’re a great way of socializing your dog (he gets to interact with other dogs, and those dogs’ owners), and also teaches him to concentrate on what you want despite the manifold distractions taking place around him. It’s also very helpful to have face-to-face contact with a trained professional: they can pick up on any mistakes you might be making, and give you advice for tightening up your training techniques.

Fear of dogs

2008-07-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

Some unfortunate people are terrified of dogs, either because their parents were dog-fearers, or because something happened to them, such as being attacked by a dog.

The fear of dogs is like any other phobia -- lifestyle threatening and limiting in life choices. You can't choose to have a dog if you're terrified of them. You can't go to most parks, many beaches, or even walk down the road without being afraid you're going to run into a dog.

It is possible to cure the fear of dogs and hypnotherapy is the best way I know to do this. There are several options:

1. You can go to a hypnotherapist and have several (expensive) sessions.
2. You can learn how to write and record your own self-hypnosis session.
3. You can download a hypnotherapy script on fear of dogs and record it yourself.
4. You can download a professionally recorded mp3 here or here.

Having tried the fourth option, I would recommend it because you can listen to the mp3 as often as you like and whenever and wherever you like, and they're a fraction of the cost of a visit to a hypnotherapist.

Hypnosis works by placing you into a deeply relaxed state in which the suggestions given by the hypnotist become your own thoughts. (With the mp3s you can listen to this part of the tape so you know beforehand what the hypnotist will be suggesting.)

It really works, and as with phobias of any kind, anything is better than the phobia, especially the fear of dogs, which robs you of the possibility of one of the best relationships a person can have.

Pet food worries

2008-06-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

I've been a bit worried about the pet food I've been feeding my dogs and cats for some time. Terms like: 'meats, including beef, pork' and so on are too vague. I've read that in the US they routinely include road kill and euthanased pets in their pet food, and I would not put it past them here either, especially as the foods are made by multinational corporations, and we know that they care about one thing and one thing only: money.

I know the cat biscuits nearly killed my cat, who got crystals in his urine. Now he's on an amazingly expensive diet to keep him alive. If I'd never fed him the pet food, he probably would have been just fine.

So, I'm going natural, except for Dandy, who will stay on his medicated biscuits. Juliet and Libby are going onto natural foods. When I went out yesterday and bought steak, liver, heart and chicken pieces and then diced it up and packaged it, I found that really there is very little difference in the price. When you factor in vet bills they hopefully won't have, then it will be cheaper. Libby has her meat in the evening with liquidised vegetables. In the morning she's having wholemeal bread and milk. I'm not sure yet what I'll do to replace Juliet's biscuits, but I will continue my research.

Libby's maternal instincts awakened

2008-06-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

It has been fascinating watching Libby and cheeky Charlie getting along, and Libby's maternal instincts have been awakened. Yesterday, she took Charlie outside on the lawn to go to the toilet, and then on return she held him with her paw and inspected him and licked him to make sure he was clean, exactly as a mother dog does to her puppies.

Okay, you can say it. Aaaaah!

Introducing a new puppy

2008-06-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

This is Charlie:

He arrived last week and is a Moodle (Maltese X Poodle), and is settling in well.

The first challenge was the food. The breeders said they had been giving him the right (and most expensive) food, but when he was given the supposedly same food, he wouldn't eat it at first, and when he did eat it, it made him vomit. After a couple of days he was fine. Any future adjustments to his diet will be made gradually, but he's already widening his palate by sampling a little carrot.

The next challenge of course, as with any new puppy, is toilet training. He is being taught to 'go' on the newspapers spread around his sleeping area (a soft igloo type, which is like a den for him). When he 'goes', he's taken outside and praised. Old ideas like rubbing his nose in it, are simply that: old ideas, and we don't use them.

His general training has also started with some basic table manners, as he's learning to sit and wait before he's allowed to eat. There's no better time to start this training than now. He's also been introduced to a collar and lead.

He does not have access to the whole house, and he isn't allowed to just do what he wants. This first week is an important time for him to establish his position in 'the pack', and he is not going to be the pack leader, so it's important for the pack leader humans to establish that early. In the wild dogs live in packs, and a pack with no leader is in grave danger. If we humans don't establish ourselves as the leaders, Charlie's instinct will kick in, and he will take on the role as a matter of life and death (as his instincts see it).

It's going well, and he's happy, playful and well-adjusted. He's also been introduced to Libby (cautiously at first), and they're getting along just fine with no problems.

Giving aspirin to a dog

2008-05-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

I've been giving Libby an aspirin twice a day with food since she re-sprained her tendon a few days ago. This is fine for a short term injury such as this, but I would not give it for more than a couple of days. If it's still inflamed after a couple of days, I'll take her to the vet.

Just like humans, dogs develop painful conditions such as arthritis as they age, and they may have painful injuries such as sprained tendons. These dog health problems can be treated with aspirin, which reduces inflammation and fever, and soothes the pain, but aspirin must be used with caution. It is no longer recommended by many vets because of the side effects, and because newer and more effective drugs are now available. ASPIRIN MUST NOT BE GIVEN TO PUPPIES because they lack the enzyme needed to process aspirin.

Aspirin can be given to most dogs for short term pain relief provided the dosage is correct, but it should not be given unless there is a serious condition such as a sprained tendon, and it should not be used long-term because the side effects can be serious. Just because aspirin is a common drug does not mean it is not dangerous, and even a baby aspirin can be extremely toxic to a very small dog.

The dosage recommended for a dog depends on its size. Aspirin is toxic at 30 mg per lb (less for small dogs), which means that an adult aspirin (320 mg) would be toxic to a 10 lb dog. The recommended dosage is 5-10 mg per lb of dog (slightly less for small dogs) given with food no more than twice a day. Start at the lowest dose and increase only if necessary. So, for example, for a 32 lb dog, the recommended dosage is 1/2 an adult (or 2 baby (80 mg)) aspirin every 12 hours, giving a dose of 5 mg per lb.

The best way to divide a tablet is to crush it up and divide the powder (or open a capsule and divide the contents). The powder can then be mixed with food.

The side effects of poorly tolerated, long term use, or aspirin overdose are the same in dogs as in people: stomach upsets, poor appetite, lethargy, ulcers, vomiting (possibly with blood), breathing difficulties, bleeding, black stools, and kidney failure. If any of these side effects occur, stop giving aspirin immediately and see your veterinarian for advice on alternative veterinary drugs especially developed for dogs. Enteric-coated aspirin should NOT be given to dogs to avoid the stomach upsets because the coating is usually not digested and the aspirin passes through unprocessed.

If the dog has a chronic condition such as arthritis it is important not to give aspirin for the long term unless prescribed by the vet. More effective and safer veterinary medications, such as Rimadyl, are now available, and injections of anti-inflammatories can make a world of difference to an old dog. These drugs have fewer side effects than long-term use of aspirin, and are a much better option for long-term arthritic dog care.

So aspirin can be used for treating pain in dogs provided it is given in the correct dosage and only for short periods. Giving aspirin to Libby for a couple of days to reduce the inflammation of her sprained tendon is okay.

Libby is now walking again without a limp and we have resumed our walks, but shorter and less strenuous this time.

Cat in a cupboard

2008-05-22T22:58:00.000-07:00

It's winter, and my old cat's spending most of it in the cupboard. It's really nice having an old cat around as he's so aloof and funny. He's been very healthy except for an episode of crystals blocking his urethra, but that is controlled now by a special diet. I caught it early, noticing he was straining to urinate, and the vet was able to clear the crystals without any problem. They kept coming back though, which is common in old male cats. On the diet he's just fine.

Dandy is having a fine life. On cold days he finds a nice cosy cupboard to sleep in, and on sunny days he finds a nice spot outside to sun himself. He hasn't bothered chasing mice for years -- it's too much effort and he's far too superior to be bothered with the lower classes of life form. He can't be bothered with my other cat Juliet either, but he does get cuddled up with Libby sometimes -- like an old man cuddling a hot water bottle.

Chooks

2008-05-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have had chooks for many years now, and can hardly imagine a back yard without some chooks in it. The last time I tasted a 'shop egg', even a supposedly free range one, I was appalled at the lack of flavour and poor colour of the egg. I don't even want to think about the conditions the poor chooks are kept in (although hopefully the free range conditions were okay).

Despite what you might have heard, chooks are not stupid creatures at all. I had one a while back (when I still had roosters) who was so smart she found a way to get in under my open compost heap, and she laid her eggs in there. I thought she was missing, but every now and then I'd see her when I was giving them their daily mash. After a few weeks I heard cheeping from the compost heap! There were a dozen chicks, and all nice and warm in their nest.

I've actually learned a lot from my chooks. I've learnt that being part of a team is good, that a simple life is a good life, and that you should live for the day. I've also learned what agribusiness will never know: that chickens are sentient beings, each with a different personality. They have emotions, they are scared when the tree man comes to remove trees, but they love the neighbours (who give them scraps). They know the sound of my car, and the sound of me getting a bucket to make their mash in. They are creatures of habit, and they're having a lovely, happy life. How anyone can be so cruel as to cram such beautiful creatures into cages and make them live a life of sheer hell is beyond me. Why so many people just don't give a damn and buy the lousy tasteless eggs from such tortured animals is also just simply beyond my comprehension. I wish everybody would have a chook shed in their back garden.

Dealing with a dog's tendon injury

2008-05-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

My dog Libby severely injured tendons in her front foot six months ago. She was x-rayed and no bones were broken, but the tendons were so badly damaged she could not put any weight on the leg at all.

The vet initially said to 'keep her quiet' and 'hopefully she would recover eventually'. He had no suggestions of how to keep a young, fit and healthy dog quiet.

The leg was splinted and bandaged, and I slowly learned that setbacks could only be avoided by actually taking her out in the back garden on a leash. Left to her own devices, she would run, pain or no pain. There were many setbacks, but eventually the splint was dispensed with and the leg was merely bandaged. I made one error early on, bandaging the leg too tightly, and her foot swelled up, but after learning I needed to pad the leg first with cotton wool and make sure it wasn't too tight, things went better, but again there were many setbacks. Gradually the bandaging was lighter, until she could walk without limping with no bandage.

She has now been walking without any bandaging now for over a month (making it five months from the injury until she could go without the bandage). Over the time she was bandaged and since, we have gradually increased the length of her daily walks, and also, since the bandage has gone, the level of exercise has also increased.

She was completely back to normal, or so I thought, but yesterday we went on what used to be our usual walk to the beach and along it, with me throwing a ball into the water for her to retrieve as we went along the beach. It was the longest, most energetic walk to date since her injury. The distance is probably only about 3 km, but on the beach she was exercising vigorously. She was fine yesterday, but I feared we had done too much, and we had. This morning she is avoiding putting weight on her leg again. Today is a rest day, and we'll cut back dramatically on the walks and vigorous exercise again for a while. Three steps forward, two steps back.

Dealing with this tendon injury has taught me to be patient, but as yesterday showed, probably not patient enough. With rest, she should be fine tomorrow. I also gave her one aspirin and will resume giving her fish oil again. We will get there, eventually.

New blog

2008-05-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hello blogland,

This is my new pet blog. Actually, I prefer to call them companion animals, but it was shorter.

I love to write about animals, and this blog may contain some of my published poetry, some of my articles on companions, and anything else that I might think of.

I hope you enjoy it.