Wag Reflex

Wag Reflex Going on Hiatus

After one year of news, photos, and veterinary information, this is Wag Reflex's final regular post. We hope to get back to a daily schedule in the near future, but, for now, we're going to focus our efforts on making Amazon.com's Pet Supplies Store (http://www.amazon.com/pets) the best online shopping spot for pet lovers.

I'd like to thank all of our readers, from the daily waggers to those who only stopped by every now and again. I'd also like to thank our content contributors, without whom this blog would have been pretty sparse.

On the bright side, Wag Reflex will still be available as a valuable reference tool. We have accumulated hundreds of informative posts from our knowledgeable vets.

Keep on wagging.

--Spanno

Space Games Make Dogs Safer

In My Smart Puppy we teach Space Games. These are games you play with your dog that teach him or her what to do in certain situations. In "Mine!" you teach your dog that when a human being gets near something, you back off, sit and something wonderful will happen. Here is a perfect example of why this is such a darn good game to play:

"My husband and I had a moment of miscommunication-I thought he was keeping our son upstairs. He thought I wanted him downstairs. He brought him down and set him in the LR by his toys. I was making coffee and got Lily's food ready not realizing he was there.

I set her bowl down and released her to eat. I never saw my boy come scooting into the kitchen from the DR door behind me. I turned around and saw him lunge toward Lily's bowl. Before I could even move he grabbed a large chunk of her food.

And what did Lily do you might ask? Why she immediately backed away from her food bowl and sat down. Her tail beat gently on the floor and her ears and face were soft and relaxed. I was so proud of her."

YEAH Lily!

This points out why we don't say, "Leave it" during "Mine!" "Leave It" is great, we teach that too, but guests and children won't always say the word at all, never mind correctly. Exactly the case here.

Luckily, dogs don't need words. Dogs need practice, praise and clarity. This wonderful mother and dog-woman took the time to teach Lily that backing away from anything was always well worth doing. It wasn’t optional, but Lily clearly understands by her wagging tail and relaxed face that this is a task she is more than happy to do.

And the only place these games exist is My Smart Puppy. Good news, each book comes with a DVD in the back, so you'll get lots of help learning just what to do. Or, you can come find us at MySmartPuppy.com - we have a free, moderated message board – and we will help you with all your dog (and cat) questions.

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
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Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Good Owners, Great Dogs", all available now.

'Get Your Licks on Route 66' Tour

Summer is in full swing, the sun is shining and the weather is hotter than ever -- calling for one thing, a road trip. Most dogs would agree that summer is the perfect time to crack the windows and go for a drive!

The pet lovers at The North Shore Animal League America and FIDO Friendly Magazine hit the open road earlier this summer, but this wasn’t any old vacation. A national pet adoption tour, Get Your Licks on Route 66, traveled the entire length of Route 66, from California to Illinois. The tour focused on raising awareness of the plight of homeless pets, promoting and increasing pet adoption, as well as raising funds for animal shelters. Like any other road trip, there were many rest stops, food breaks, and cat naps!

The tour hit the open road and visited the following stops:

Date        Local Shelter Partner                                          City                                
6/6           City of LA Dept. of Animal Services              Los Angeles, CA
6/10        Second Chance Center for Animals                 Flagstaff, AZ
6/13         Animal Humane Assoc. of New Mexico                Albuquerque, NM
6/14          Santa Fe Animal Shelter& Humane Society      Santa Fe, NM
6/17          Amarillo Panhandle Humane Society                 Amarillo, TX
6/20          Best friends of Pets                                      Oklahoma City, OK
6/21          Animal Rescue Foundation                                  Tulsa, OK
6/24          Joplin Humane Society                                     Joplin, MO
6/27          APA of Missouri                                               St. Louis, MO
6/28          Illinois Humane                                               Springfield, IL
6/30          Kent County Humane Society                    Grand Rapids, MI
7/1           South Suburban Humane Society                    Chicago Heights, IL

Most importantly, the Get Your Licks on Route 66 focused on placing lovable pets into stable households. BISSELL, a Get Your Licks sponsor, understood that for many dogs and cats, this was a trip of a lifetime. A pet life was saved with each adoption into a permanent, loving home. We were glad to see many stop by and fall in love with a new furry friend!

--BISSELL Clean Team
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BISSELL supports pet charities across the country and regularly contributes to Wag Reflex.

Joy on the Beach

From the time I step out of the house, Pip suggests the beach by racing toward the path, then turning to stare into my face, You coming? Huh? Huh? You coming?” When I step in that direction, she races to the top of the stairs down to the water. She spins toward me  again, open mouthed and eager, "We're going, right? We're going?" And when I say "Yes" she disappears down those stairs so quickly that by the time I reach the top with my comparatively, she is already at the water's edge, willing me to join her.

As I make my way down the many steps, I laugh. I often laugh at Pip's unadulterated life glee. It can be exhausting, especially in her youth, but now after four years together, we are in synch. Maybe she has calmed a bit (or I have perked up a bit) - either way, we enjoy each other.

Finding a suitable stick, I crunch over the large round stones that make up a version of Maine beach. It's no place to go barefoot. Pip vibrates with anticipation as I approach. I’ve waited for high tide so the rough-edged barnacles are now well under water, out of reach of Pip‘s suburban-soft paw pads. All I need to do is move my hand infinitesimally and she starts bouncing in place. “Throw it, throw it, throw it NOW!” They launch together, my stick and my dog, heading out at the same instant.

There is something oddly peaceful about chunking a stick for a water-loving dog. She explodes into action with each toss, acting as if it were the first, the last and the best throw ever. Something calming about watching her bee-line out so fast that she leaves a wake behind her, and something that puts a smile on my face again when I see her turn, coming back to me.

After fifteen minutes or so, I call it quits. If she were a child, Pip would stand shivering, lips blue from cold, earnestly pleading, "But I'm not cold, why do I have to come out ?" It's a call I make for her. Our dogs are so much to us, we need to be common sense for them. I’d always rather quit too early than be too late. But not Pip, she’d rather never quit. That makes me smile, too, even as we head back toward the house.

--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
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Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Good Owners, Great Dogs", all available now.

Pet Fennec Fox

This makes me want a Fennec fox. Do they make good pets? Anyone have one? One of the issues I could see is that they're nocturnal. Then again, my Beagle mix is essentially nocturnal. She sleeps all day. Oh, and all night. Really she's awake for only a few hours a day. Lazy dog...

Photo courtesy of deadstardo's photostream.

Update (7/29/09)

Here's Scout and Doggie (pictured above) playing.

--Spanno

Is Organic Pet Food Better?

Most owners want to feed the “best” food to their pets so many people are turning to organic foods. Organic food sales for pets have grown three times the rate of human organic foods according to the Organic Trade Association. But just because it’s organic does that mean it's better for your pet?

There are many advantages to organic pet foods. They do not contain any preservatives, artificial flavorings or artificial colors. They do not contain any growth hormones or antibiotics. There are no fillers and they are often higher in antioxidants than commercial diets. All of these things make the foods more nutritious, more palatable and easier to digest. Many owners report that these diets seem to help boost the pet’s immunity and can even improve some allergies.

With all that being said however, there are no scientific studies or evidence that organic foods are more beneficial. A big disadvantage to organic pet foods is that they are considerably more expensive than regular commercial diets. They can also be hard to find on a regular basis.

Basically, what it all comes down to is that each individual pet owner needs to weigh the pros and cons of organic pet food and decide what is best for his pet and his wallet.

--Dr. Hinson
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Dr. Hinson is a mixed animal veterinarian in Tampa, FL and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Mystery Mutt Now Less Mysterious

Once again, here's my dog, Cassidy. If you had to guess, what mix of breeds would say Cassidy is? For reference she's 30 lbs.Take your time.

If you guessed Beagle and something else, you're right where we were. But what else is she? How would you find out? And maybe she's not a Beagle. Maybe she's something cool--like a Doberman/Mini Pin/Raccoon mix. It could happen...right?

To unravel the mystery of Cassidy, we got the BioPet DNA breed identification kit. It comes with a little paperwork and some cheek swabs. Here's everything:

All you do is swab the dog's cheek, like so:

Yeah, she's overdue for a teeth cleaning. You have to make sure the dog doesn't interact with any other dogs for a few hours. Otherwise you might get some really fun results. After the swabbing, I sent it off to the BioPet people for analysis. In the meantime we went back to our usual guessing. Coonhound/Chihuahua?

Two weeks later we got the results. They came with some documentation on understanding the results and a nifty certificate of ancestry.

Drum roll, please... The final results are as follows:

• 37-74% Beagle
• 10-19% Bichon Frise
• 10-19% Pekingese
• 10-19% Shih Tzu
• < 10% Brittany
• < 10% Saint Bernard

So there you have it, little Cassidy is a Saint Bernard mix. It was so obvious!

If you want to know what your mystery mutt is, check out the BioPet DNA breed identification kit. It won't tell you why your pet looks like it does or why it acts like it does, but it's kind of fun to know a little more about its strange parentage.

--Spanno

Slow Down Your Dog's Eating

A dog eating their food too fast is a common behavior, especially in multi-dog households. Eating too quickly can lead to vomiting, regurgitation, chocking, and bloat (dilation and twisting of the stomach in large breed dogs). In order to slow the dogs down we used to recommend putting one or two large rocks in the food bowl. The thought being that the dog would have to move the rocks around to get to the food, therefore forcing them to eat at a slower pace. The problem with the rock idea is that some dogs can figure out how to use their nose to push the rock out of the bowl. It is also hard to clean and sanitize because of its porous structure.

Luckily we now have better options. There are special dog bowls that are made with different size knobs at the bottom of the bowl. This is that same idea as the rock, but a dog cannot push the knobs out of the bowl because they are attached. The bowls come in different sizes based upon the size of dog that you are feeding. This is the type of bowl that I use for my beagle mix at home. It works to slow her down because she has to fish around the knobs to get at the kibble instead of just shoveling the food into her mouth. It is also really easy to clean.

The other product that is helpful is the Portion Pacer ball that is placed in the food dish. Same as the rock idea again, this just allows for easy cleaning (it is dishwasher safe) and they come in different sizes. The dog has to move the ball around to get to the food. If you get the appropriate sized ball for the size dog that you have they don’t seem to be able to push the ball out of the dish. This ball can also be used in the water bowl if you have a dog that drinks too fast. Both products are easy to use, keep clean, and seem to do their job at slowing those fast eaters down.

--Dr. Wohlwend
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Dr. Wohlwend is a small animal veterinarian in Renton, WA and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information

The Cutest Kind of Infestation

Is there a spray or some sort of collar for this?

Photo courtesy of buckandbronco's photstream.

--Spanno

Biotene Water Additive

Ever wish there was a product you could use on your pets that would help keep their teeth clean and their breath fresh without brushing? Well, guess what....now there is!

Biotene Drinking Water Additive is one of may favorite things. It's a colorless, flavorless liquid that you mix with your pet’s water. This product contains a patented enzyme system that inhibits and reduces plaque formation. It also stops the growth of odor causing microorganisms and will leave your pet with fresh breath and a healthy mouth.

It is recommended to start this product with a clean mouth. So you should begin it’s use when the pet is young or after the teeth have been cleaned thoroughly under anesthesia.

Biotene Drinking Water Additive can be purchased here.

--Dr. Hinson
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Dr. Hinson is a mixed animal veterinarian in Tampa, FL and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information