Dogs & Cats With Depression

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Ever been depressed? Lost a sibling to illness? Gotten sick yourself? Been alone in a new place? Pets go through the same experiences that we do, and are just as likely to run the gamet of emotions, including depression.

How would a depressed dog or cat look?
Depressed dogs & cats may:
• lose their appetite and lose weight
• decline treats
• stop interacting with their toys
• stop vocal communication
• wander as though searching for something
• sleep excessively.

Ways to help depressed dogs & cats
• provide pheromones, such as Feliway for cats and Adaptil (Oxytocin) for dogs.
• stimulate with walks down different paths, different toys, new music
• crunch great treats on top of their food for delicious variety
• offer acupuncture, which in research has been shown effective with depression when given 30 min twice a week for several weeks.
• increase socialization at dog parks or by bring another dog into the family.
• go for rides and let your pet put its head out the window or look through a mesh window on a pet stroller
• take a vacation with your pet. So many pets come back happy from vacations.
• be happy yourself.

The research on depression & acupuncture
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2012 Nov;18(4):216-20. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.06.003. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs as treatments for depression: An Australian pilot study. Lyons Z, van der Watt G, Shen Z, Janca A. School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Univ of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley WA 6009, Australia.

Shea, My New Foster Dog

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 Every dog I foster is the best dog in the world, so let me tell you about the latest foster dog. She was rescued from an Indian reserve near Burns Lake, BC by Turtle Gardens. I was told to expect Shea, a 2 year old, 35 lb border collie who had a litter of pups that all died. Well, the name was right because she answers to Shea, but this girl is a 50 lb husky cross who had never been pregnant and is probably less than one year old.  
Isn’t she beautiful!
This girl would love a home with children (not sure about toddlers). She loves people and most dogs. She is not frightened by men, or people with hats, or trucks that backfire, but she does not like riding in the car—except with her head out the window. She would like to chase rabbits. Not sure about cats.
Shea loves to run, moves beautifully, will chase after thrown apples and toss them in the air. Shea loves playing with other dogs, loves wading into the sea, but I have not seen her swim. She doesn’t love, but willingly accepts bathing. She does love being touched, but she’s not a “sucky” dog.
Shea’s coat is beautiful and has a glow. She has a glorious tail that she carries high and curled over her back. She does not shed excessively. Her teeth are gorgeous. Her nails are light and easy to trim. She is eye-catching.
When folks ask how I can foster a dog and not keep her forever even when I love her, I tell them it’s like being a kindergarten teacher. My job is to get Shea grounded and open her to a world of possibilities. She deserves even more than I can provide, so like a good teacher I’ll watch her graduate to another home, an even better home.
For now, Shea is beside my side throughout the day, which means coming to the clinic. She is learning to tolerate all the dogs & cats that visit us, and when necessary she sits out the client’s visit from her crate in the exam room. Come by and visit and meet the best foster dog in the world.

PTSD PostTraumatic Stress Disorder in Dogs & Cats

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Ever been abandoned? Been in a housefire? An earth quake? A tornado? A hurricane? Aboard a sinking boat? A plane that went through turbulence so severe it had to land for mechanical reasons? A car wreck? Had surgery? Been unable to breath long enough that you lost color vision? Burried your folks? Your siblings? Well, pets go through these experiences too, so if you think these events can cause human PTSD, you’ll know they can also cause pet PTSD. So, what can we do about it?

Treating PTSD with Acupuncture
A new acupuncture study from the Dept of Rehab at the Chengdu Military General Hospital in Chengdu China showed that acupuncture helped more than the medication Paxil (paroxetine). 138 earthquake victims suffering from PTSD were treated to electro acupuncture or Paxil. Patients were evaluated using 4 tests able to measure anxiety:
·          Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS),
·          Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD),
·          Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), and
·          Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS)
The research showed that both acupuncture and Paxil groups benefited, but that the acupuncture-treated group had the most significant improvement.
 We expect dogs and cats will suffer PTSD just as humans do. We expect they may benefit from acupuncture just as humans do. Of course, there are lots of other things we can do for stressed pets, too:
·          Zylkene
·          Adaptil & Feliway
·          Essential oils: Lavender, Geranium, Neroli
·          Flower essences: Star of Bethlehem, Rock Rose, Mimulus
·          Homeopathics: Arnica, Gelsemium, Ignatia, Stramonium
·          Melatonin 
If you’d like to read the full study, Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:431279. doi: 10.1155/2012/431279. Epub 2012 Sep 25. Clinical studies on treatment of earthquake-caused posttraumatic stress disorder using electroacupuncture. Wang Y, Hu YP, Wang WC, Pang RZ, Zhang AR. Dept of Rehabilitation, Chengdu Military General Hospital, No.270, Road Rongdu, Jinniu District,
Chengdu 610083, China.
 

Puppy Development, 7 Periods

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Puppies go through 7 learning periods during which they acquire the experience that shapes them for  life. The periods phase in and out gradually and are associated with increasing ability to see, hear, think & move. The 7 learning periods start with  birth and end when the pup is sexually mature. The  periods:

1. Neonatal Period	-	0 days to 10 days
2. Transition Period	-	11 days to 21 days
3. Socialization Period	-	3 to 12 (-14) weeks
4. Fear Period	-	8 to 10 (-12) weeks
5. Juvenile Period	-	3 to puberty
6. Second Fear Period?	-	3 weeks between 4 and 11 months?
7. Adolescent Period	-	Puberty to social maturity

Over the next few days, we’ll discuss each of these periods.