Puppy Development, the Neonatal Period, Days 0-10 and Adaptil

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In a few weeks, puppies learn essential behaviors to last for a lifetime.

The first 10 days of a puppy’s life is the neonatal period, during which the pup is deaf and blind. So how do they find milk? Puppies are born able to smell and taste.  During the neonatal period pups are dependent on the dam for warmth, food and elimination. While it's important not to upset the dam, it's essential that pups are introduced to humans during this period.  Gentle handling, which is slightly stressful, allows pups to learn to tolerate stress. Pups learn to associate gentle handling with the smell of humans. They learn to tolerate small fluctuations in temperature.  Because the dam produces oxytocin pheromone when the pups nurse, little pups learn to associate this pheromone with feeling of wellbeing. The calming pheromone Adaptil is based on oxytocin and can be used as a spray to help ease stress in older dogs because it will subconsciously return the dog to its safe, warm first few days of life.
 

Puppy Transition Period: Days 11-21

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During the puppy transiton period, about the 3rd week of life, puppies eyes and ears begin to function so that vision and hearing develop. The more novelty that pups are exposed to during this time, the more capacity they have all their lives to accept as nontreatening, various sights and sounds.
After hearing develops, pups can be exposed to potentially frightening sounds in such a way that they are desensitized to them rather than frightened by them.

As sight develops, pups should be exposed to different shapes and lines, including lines that are horizontal & vertical  The pup's visual cortex needs this stimulus in order to develop capacity to see things that are vertical and horizontal. If a pup’s eyes are covered up during this transiton period, some vision cells never develop and the pup will lack the ability to perceive objects we take for granted, such as stairs and chair legs.

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.

Acupuncture for Acute Pain, US Military Discusses Using Acupuncture to Treat Soldiers with Acute Pain

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The US military is discussing acupuncture for treating acute pain. A NIH workshop in Bethesda, MD, was attended by members from the Department of Defense (DoD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The participants wanted to evaluate treating acute pain in active-duty military personnel. They discussed how stress, genetics, and other factors would influence acute pain and the response to acupuncture. Also discussed were real-world experiences with acupuncture for traumatic acute pain. If the military is discussing using acupuncture to treat acute pain out on the battlefront, shouldn’t we be discussing using acupuncture to treat acute pain in pets in emergency hospitals. Acupuncture could be considered adjunctive therapy for dogs & cats that have been
·         hit by car, or have
·         fallen,
·         disc disease (acute Hansen’s type 1 disc disease),
·         sports injury including ACL tears,
·         acute internal pain, such as pancreatitis.
                                                                           
For more information on this discussion, look for J Altern Complement Med. 2012 Sep 28.  DoD-NCCAM/NIH Workshop  on Acupuncture for Treatment of Acute Pain. The authors were Edwards E, Louis Belard J, Glowa J, Khalsa P, Weber W, Huntley K. 1 Division of Extramural Research, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine , Bethesda, MD.