Dangerous Toys for Dogs: Batons & Bumpers

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Researchers at Texas Tech University have discovered that dog toys, including plastic fetching batons called bumpers, contain harmful bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, & estrogens. The U.S. government banned the use of BPA in baby bottles in 2012, but it is not just babies that are affected. These chemicals are in many containers, including water bottles. Humans exposed to BPA, phthalates & estrogens are affected for life, even when exposed in utero as a fetus. It is not healthy for pregnant dogs or moms to ingest these chemicals because they are passed onto the fetus.

With dog toys, the older they are, the more chemicals they leach.
What is a good gift for your dog if plastic toys and bumpers are unhealthy? You tell me.

Are Poinsettias Toxic to Pets?

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Yes, Poinsettia is toxic when chewed, swallowed, or rubbed onto skin.

Poinsettia is Euphorbia pulcherrima, a seasonal plant with green and red, pink or yellow leaves. Dogs or cats eating the leaves may have gastrointestinal (GI) signs, including vomiting and diarrhea. Dogs or cats that rub the sap from the stem or leaves onto their skin may develop dermatitis.
So, enjoy the poinsettia, but put your plant where your pet can’t enjoy it.
 Other Toxic Plants
There are several other plants even more toxic to pets than are Poinsettias:

• Angel’s Trumpet
• Azalea
• Christmas Tree (Melia azendarach)
• Daffodil
• Daphne
• English Holly
• English Ivy
• Lily
• Mistletoe
• Narcissus
• Oleander
• Philodendron (Monstera and Philodendron species)
• Rhododendron
• Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium)
• Yew

 

Holiday Hazards for Dogs & Cats

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Wow, holidays are to celebrate and you’d never guess it looking at how many ways our dogs, cats, & birds can get into trouble over the next few weeks.
 Here’s a list of dangerous plants, foods, and other hazards you’ll want to protect your pets from:

• Angel hair
• Antifreeze with ethylene glycol
• Chocolate, especially dark chocolate
• Christmas tree water with preservatives
• Grapes
• Hiding under a car’s hood and being torn by the fan belt when the car is turned on
• Holly bushes & berries,
• Leavening agents and bread dough 
• Lights & extension cords
• Lillies
• Macadamia nuts
• Onions
• Poinsettias
• Raisins
• Road salt and ice-melt products
• String that secured the turkey’s legs
• Sugar-free candy & gum that contains xylitol
• Sugar-free drinks with xylitol (Propel water)
• Tinsel
• Turkey carcass in the garbage can
• Windshield de-icer with isopropanol
• Windshield wiper fluid with methanol

ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center (888-426-4435)ASPCA Web site http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-controlfor information.

Aspirin in Dogs, Not Wise

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 Aspirin

Aspirin is a good pain reliever for people, but not so good for dogs because it causes ulcers.
The ulcers can be subclinical, that is, the ulcers are in the dog’s stomach but you won’t know that just looking at your pet.
If your dog becomes stressed, the ulcers can become clinical and your dog will look as sick and painful as any human with gastric ulcers. It will walk with its back hunched, not want to eat, vomit, and pass dark bloody stools. Many families think that a pet with gastric ulcers has disc disease because they walk stiffly and cry out in pain when touched.
COX 2 Meds Safer Than Aspirin

• carprofen (Rimadyl)
• deracoxib (Deramaxx)
• etodolac (EtoGesic)
• piroxicam (Feldene)
• Safer pain relief comes from using drugs similar to aspirin but less likely to affect the stomach. These are the COX 2 specific non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): meloxicam (Metacam)

 While these NSAIDs are safer than aspirin and more likely to spare your dog’s stomach while helping with pain, these NSAIDs don’t actually make your dog’s joints better. Meds that actually improve joints are called disease modifying agents (DMO). Acupuncture, Adequan, and fish oil are DMOs.

Disease Modifying Agents

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When treating pain in dogs and cats, we can just address the pain, or we can actually change the pet so that its body is producing pain. We call therapeutic agents that actually improve a pet, disease modifying agents or DMOs.

Many veterinarians, including me, think one of the best DMOs we have for dogs & cats is Adequan. Adequan is injected just below the skin (subcutaneously) or into the muscle. Adequan is given multiple times the first two months (twice a week for 3 weeks, then once a week for 4 weeks) to load the joints with materials to make healthy cartilage and synovial fluid. After the initial injections, Adequan is given every 2-4 weeks as needed. And, hallelujah, it doesn’t sting.
Other DMO’s include

• Acupuncture
• Boswellia
• Chiropractic
• Dasuquin
• Fish oil, such as Nordic Naturals Omega 3 Pet
• Fresh ground flax, such as Missing Link Vet Plus
• Icing
• Massage
• Moxa
• Niacinamide
• Swimming
• Turmeric

ACL INJURY, Limping dogs, conservative treatment often better than surgery.

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ACL Injury and Limping DogsThe following is an article from Veterinary Practice News Oct 2012 written by Dr. Narda Robinson. Dr Robinson oversees complementary veterinary education at Colorado State University Cruciate Surgery, which means she teaches vets how to think and evaluate whether what they are doing is helpful. Here she questions the benefit of surgery to fix the knee ligaments, (canine cruciate ligament)  in lame dogs. She notes that the surgery does not stop arthritis; 1/3 of the dogs have complications from surgery, and there is no research that shows dogs do better if they have surgery than if they are treated conservatively. In addition, there are cases of dogs developing cancer at the site of surgery, perhaps due to the use of metal plates and screws.
The article is available at the Veterinary Practice Website: http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-practice-news-columns/complementary-medicine/questioning-canine-cruciate-surgery.aspx
Questioning Canine Cruciate Ligament Surgery
By Narda Robinson, DO, DVM
Posted: Oct. 15, 2012, Veterinary Practice News
Imagine you twisted your knee and your doctor diagnosed an injured anterior cruciate ligament. What if she offered you only surgery or euthanasia (hypothetically legalized for humans)? Would you explore alternatives or accept this false dilemma? Would it change your mind if you discovered that more enlightened surgeons are exhorting their colleagues to stop cutting cruciates at least until patients have undergone a month or more of conservative care?
In the same vein, why do some veterinary surgeons limit options for dogs, forcing clients to choose between breaking their hearts and breaking their banks? Yes, canine and human stifles differ, but the chronicity and persistence of canine cruciate disease argues in favor of a long-term, rehabilitative and integrative approach, not for bone saws.
Moreover, far from being a slam-dunk diagnosis and treatment, confusion lingers. Unknowns persist about whether a lameness is indeed due to cruciate injury and if so, what caused it. Furthermore, “The ideal treatment modality for cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL) injury has yet to be determined...”¹
Consumers want options.^2-6 Many in our profession insist that only surgery or euthanasia allows dogs to avoid a life of disabling pain, arthritis and poor quality of life.
What does the evidence say about their claims?
Claim No. 1
“A chance to cut is a chance to cure.”^7,8 False.
Cutting does not cure cruciate disease. In fact, about half of Labradors rupture the contralateral CCL within six months after tibial plateau leveling osteotomy.⁹ Evidence indicates that TPLO does not halt the progression of osteoarthritis in dogs.^10,11 TPLO outcomes vary widely and long-term clinical trials are lacking.¹² In fact, three studies show that radiographic signs of OA significantly worsen after TPLO. This concurs with human evidence indicating higher OA morbidity following surgery as opposed to conservative care.¹³
Claim No. 2
“Studies with force plates demonstrate the superiority of the TPLO.” False again.
“There is little good scientific evidence that any one surgical procedure is better than any other,”¹⁴ even though many surgeons advertise or teach that TPLO is the “gold standard.”^15-17 Also, force plate analyses paint an incomplete picture, especially for dogs with naturally occurring disease and multi-limb lameness. Kinematic parameters differ between breeds, arguing for the establishment of normative data in healthy dog populations before making inferences about injured clinic patients.¹⁸
Claim No. 3
“Pelvic limb lameness is cruciate injury until proven otherwise.” Untrue.
Who hasn’t stumbled off a curb or strained a muscle after a run? Dogs’ paws, too, may slip and injure soft tissue.¹⁹However, most injuries do not require surgery for their successful resolution. Rest and wrap, massage, acupuncture, laser therapy and proprioceptive retraining may produce a full recovery for many problems whereas cruciate surgery never restores the limb to normal function.²⁰ Who pays for the diagnostic error when the surgeon finds an intact ligament? The dog and the client.
Claim No. 4
“The canine stifle differs from the human stifle; therefore, comparisons cannot be made.” This statement merely reinforces the case for conservative care.
The chronic, unrelenting course of cruciate disease in dogs emphasizes the need to try a multifaceted non-operative strategy first. Even in humans who usually acutely rupture their cruciate, many advocate rehabilitation: “At present, there are no evidence-based arguments to recommend a systematic surgical reconstruction to any patient who tore his ACL.”^21-23
Claim No. 5
“Don’t look for things that you don’t want to find (a surgeon’s aphorism).”
It is difficult to ignore the long list of complications from TPLO. Up to one-third of dogs experience complications, many require a second surgery to address them, amplifying post-operative pain that much more.²⁴ TPLO risks include osteosarcoma (with Slocum or non-Slocum plates),²⁵ soft tissue injuries (lacerated blood vessels, patellar tendon, medial collateral ligament, or long digital extensor tendon); severe intra-operative hemorrhage; tissue reactions to sponge retention; swelling; bruising; infection; and seroma formation. Surgeons may inadvertently fracture the tibia or fibula. Hardware can travel into a joint or break. Additional complications include osteomyelitis, internal tibial torsion, delayed union, ring sequestrum, screw loosening, Kirschner wire loosening, implant failure and draining tracts.²⁶
Claim No. 6
“Your dog will be as good as new after TPLO.” No.
All surgical approaches for cranial cruciate ligament insufficiency result in some lameness and restricted limb use in the first two weeks. Four to six weeks after that, as the osteotomy heals, muscle mass and thigh circumference typically decrease. While some recovery of TC takes place over time, it likely will not recover fully, and stiffness in that stifle can last five or more years.²⁷Alternatively, continued instability of the stifle following TPLO may result in persistent lameness.²⁸
Claim No. 7
“There is no evidence that acupuncture benefits patients with OA of the stifle (or knee).” Untrue.
A systematic review and updated meta-analysis of acupuncture for patients with OA of the knee showed “significantly better relief from knee OA pain and a larger improvement in function than sham acupuncture, standard care treatment, or waiting for further treatment.”²⁹ Thus, those dogs that do develop OA, with or without TPLO, may benefit from acupuncture, shown to be a safe and effective method to improve physical function, quality of life, range of motion and pain control.^30,31
Claim No. 8
“Conservative options have no evidence; strict crate rest for six to eight weeks is the only other option.” False on both counts.
While research on non-surgical approaches to cruciate disease is growing for humans and for dogs, no evidence supports confining dogs in crates for weeks on end. Between dogs who did and did not have stifle surgery, research shows no differences in scores for lameness, stifle instability, OA, and/or force plate outcomes.^32,33Conservative management consists of weight loss,³⁴omega-3 fatty acids,^35,36electrotherapy, cryotherapy,³⁷massage,³⁸ acupuncture, laser therapy, ^39,40 and more, and can be tailored to dogs’ specific diagnosis and athletic performance requirements.⁴¹
Conclusion
The integrative medicine credo “primum non nocere” (“firstly, do no harm”) compels us to consider why, given the facts, clients are forced to choose between surgery or euthanasia and not provided with alternatives. This problem exists in other areas as well, such as the treatment of disk disease, where the case for conservative care rivals or outcompetes that for surgery, for both humans and dogs. Now that 94 percent of Americans feel closer to their dogs than they may to their mothers (87 percent), cat (84 percent) or father (74 percent),42 let us honor this bond by providing clients options and answers, not just surgery or euthanasia.
Dr. Robinson, DVM, DO, Dipl. ABMA, FAAMA, oversees complementary veterinary education at Colorado State University.
 
 

Puppy Socialization Period, Weeks 3-12

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We’re discussing puppies and the development of their brains and bodies. Puppies go through periods during which different aspects develop.

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

 We’ve discussed the Neonatal and Transition Periods, covering the first 3 weeks. Now, time for fun: the socialization period.
Puppy socialization occurs first to the other puppies and the dam (weeks 4-6) then to people (weeks 6-12). During socialization period, dogs learn to be comfortable with other dogs and people. Puppies that aren’t socialized during this crucial period grow up to be fearful.
To promote lifelong comfort with dogs and humans, expose pups to a wide variety of dogs & humans. For example, expose  puppies to friendly dogs with wide chests and big heads. This helps the pups not react fearfully to the bully breeds. Expose the pups to friendly dogs with upright tails; this helps them not react fearfully to Beagles & hounds. Without this type of exposure, pups assume that dogs with big chests, big heads, and erect tails are puffing themselves up prior to attack. Expose puppies to dogs with different ear shapes and different coat colors least they grow up to assume dogs that are different than themselves are from outer space.
Socialization also occurs to other animals, including parrots, pigs & ponies. Herding dogs should be introduced to ducks & sheep; working dogs to cattle & horses. Hunting dogs to quail, ducks, & pheasants. All dogs should meet cats.
During the socialization period, puppies should also meet a wide variety of humans: cane-using grannies & grandpas, wheelchair-bound kids, postal carriers, Santa Clauses, babies & toddlers. When pups don’t have this type of exposure to humans in the first 3 months of life, you’ll be able to tell it. These are the dogs that bark, bite or hide whenever they’re around strangers. These are the dogs you’ll find on PetFinders sporting the decals declaring, No Kids, No Cats. 
If you’re raising puppies, you can prevent this; and the world will love you for it.