Wag Reflex

Active Dogs

Most American dogs have a pretty casual life style. Their days consist of eating, sleeping, interacting with the family and (hopefully) a daily walk. While this is a pretty good life, one I envy frequently, there is actually SO much more a dog can do. Have you considered becoming more active with your dog? It’s a great way for your family to enjoy a new hobby with your treasured pet.  From helping others to helping yourself, there are a variety of activities to consider for you and your dog.

Therapy Dog Enrollment
If you have a well-mannered dog that responds to basic obedience sufficient to bring them into new environments, making your pup a therapy dog could be a perfect fit. These dogs are used to enrich the lives of those who would benefit from the physical contact and unconditional love a dog can provide. Nursing homes, hospitals and schools commonly utilize therapy dogs for various programs and situations where enrichment is  needed.

Search and Rescue
Training a dog to do search and rescue requires dedication and sometimes years of training. Most people find it to be a very rewarding hobby and active dogs often enjoy the work. There are many books and Web sites available on training a dog for search and rescue, as well as local training groups. 

Fly-Ball
If your dog LOVES to run and play ball this is a perfect fit. Flyball is played as a team where each dog has to run down an alley and over hurdles towards a box with a tennis ball in it. Once they grab the ball, they have to run back to the starting line so the next dog can start. This is a race against the clock and teams compete side -by -side. It’s a high energy sport and the dogs I’ve seen do it LOVE it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=131pmVXZga8

Weight Pull
Does your dogs like to pull on its leash? This is a sport where you can actually harness that drive. In this sport dogs wear a special harness and learn to pull various weights. Before getting started in this sport be sure that your dogs is full -grown and does not have any orthopedic problems. Start slow and keep in mind that injuries are possible. 

Carting
Many large breed dogs were once used to pull carts that contained either people or cargo as part of their daily ‘jobs’ as working dogs. Breeds such as Rottweilers, Bernese Mountain Dogs and other working breed dogs have traditionally been used for carting, however, now people are even training small dogs to pull little carts.

Earthdog
This activity is for small breed dogs such as Dachshunds and small terriers originally bred to hunt rodents. During earth dog activities, dogs get the opportunity to dig and maneuver through manmade tunnels while following the scent of vermin. This activity allows dogs an outlet for their hunting instincts.

Canicross
This is cross country running with your dog, which is tied to you and aids in pulling you up hill.

Agility, Obedience and Rally
These events are now becoming available through the AKC for mix breed dogs.

These are just a few of the activities you can do with your dog. Take some time to explore all the possibilities out there and get more details on the web. Life is short play hard. Enjoy your dog to the fullest because some people can’t do all this fun stuff…poor cat people.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

New Anti-Cancer Drug Approved

Last month Pfizer announced the release of a new drug, called Palladia, which is specifically indicated for grade 2 and 3 mast cell tumors in dogs. The announcement created quite a stir as pet owners became aware of this new drug, as a potential treatment for their dogs with mast cell tumors.  The veterinary oncology world was also pleased to see that a new drug/tool would soon be available for use in treating this common skin tumor in dogs. In general, there are multiple treatment options for mast cell tumors and Palladia helps give veterinarians an additional option. While the drug is not widely available yet, it will be released to a limited number of veterinary specialty facilities later this month.

As the first FDA-approved drug for treating cancer in pets, Palladia is not the only drug used in treating canine cancer, although it is the first one specifically for dogs. Traditionally, veterinary oncologists have used almost all of the same chemotherapy drugs used in humans, just at much smaller doses and with reduced side effects. The release of Palladia shows that pharmaceutical companies realize how important our pets are to us and that pet owners demand advanced treatment options for there pets.

For more information on treating your pet with cancer contact your local veterinary oncologist.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Is Your Pet Fat?

We have talked about pet diet and weight problems on this blog before, however, I wanted to take a minute to revisit the topic and show you what we are talking about when evaluating your pet’s weight. In general, when your veterinarian assesses your pet’s weight, they are taking into consideration age, breed and what we call “body condition”. Body condition takes into consideration the padding/thickness of fat on your dog and our ability to palpate boney prominences, muscle mass, body contours and sometimes abdominal organs. Based on these parameters your pet will be given a body condition score based on a scale of 1-5 or 1-9, depending on which scale your veterinarian prefers.

These pictures are used by most veterinarians to help show owners what each “score” looks like and why. On the 1-5 scale a score of 3 is ‘ideal’ while on the 1-9 scale 4-5 is ideal. I prefer the 1-9 scale as is allows for some more subtle differences and does not jump form ideal to obese as fast. Have a look at each scoring system and see where you think your pet is. Most pet owners are very surprised find that their pet is actually obese.  If your pet is far from ideal, consider contacting your veterinarian regarding weight loss options. A diet can be specifically calculated for your pet using your current food or you can change to one specific for weight loss.

You can see the 9-point scale at Purina.com.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Don't Ingnore Insect Bites

Recently, readers received a reminder from Dr.Hinson about the dangers of summer heat. When dealing with the summer, there is another common seasonal problem for pets--insect bites. While usually not fatal, insect bites can have serious consequences. Most often, dogs, and to a lesser extent cats, are bitten or stung on the face by insects (such as bees) that they were trying to bite. When this happens, your pet may initially yelp. Most of the time, a very small sting or bite is barely noticed on their face or neck due to its small size and most owners think nothing of it. However, within an hour the pets face may become greatly swollen, to the point where they can hardly open their eyes. In some cases they may even have difficulty breathing.

A common challenge in evaluating pets with a “suddenly swollen face” is determining if the problem is truly caused by an insect bite or a snake bite. Locating two puncture sites would be more consistent with a snake bite; however, this is not always an easy task. Most dogs have a lot of fur and the swelling at the site of the bite complicates the evaluation a bit. In some cases, the cause of swelling cannot be determined and a diagnosis has to be made on response to symptomatic treatment and blood work abnormalities.

If you ever find that your pet suddenly has a swollen face contact your veterinarian immediately. In most cases they will see you right away because of the urgent nature of the problem. Some pets may need to spend the day for observation, while others will need longer care at your veterinarians.

Photo from Mad Mag's photostream.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Diet Might Not Fix Your Fat Dog

We’ve talked a few times on this blog about overweight pets and the associated diet considerations. For some of you with ‘round dogs’ over-feeding is not the problem--your pet may actually have a hormone imbalance which contributes to them being pot-bellied or obese. If a hormone imbalance is your pet's problem, diet changes will have minimal impact on your dog’s physique. Here are two of the more common hormone conditions that middle aged to older dogs can get which can make them look fat.

Hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing’s disease)
This hormone disease comes in multiple forms, however, the most common form of the disease is caused by an area of the brain stimulating the adrenal glands to produce too much cortical (stress hormone). The excessive cortisol in the body can cause muscle loss as well as other changes in the body such as: increased thirst, increased urination, hair loss along the back, lethargy and acne on their skin. If your dog has one or more of these signs you may want to consult with your veterinarian. If they are suspicious of this disease they will probably want to start some blood work to evaluate your pet further.

Hypothyroidism
This hormone imbalance can actually look very similar to Cushings disease. Middle-aged to older dogs can get Hypothyroidism which is where the thyroid gland produces too little thyroid hormone. The low thyroid hormone levels affect most cells throughout the body resulting in a decreased metabolism or an overall slowing down in their normal activity. This slow-down results in clinical signs such as: weight gain, lethargy, thin hair along the back, overall dull coat, loss of hair on the tip of the tail ‘rat tail’ and intolerance of cold. Some dogs will even actively seek out heat sources. This condition can also be evaluated at your veterinarians office with routine blood work.

Thankfully both of these conditions are treatable, but they will require a visit to your veterinarians’ office.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Dog Farts

Yes that's the title of this blog. Many many dog owners have asked me all kinds of questions about dog farts and spent way to much time describing their dogs’ farts to me. So here is some medical insight into dog farts for the masses. For starters, the proper terminology to describe the gas exiting your dogs’ hind end is “flatus” not flatulence. Flatulence is the excessive formation of gas in the stomach or intestines that then results in either a belch or flatus.

Where does all this gas come from?
For some breeds, specifically the ones with a squished face, the gas is actually air that is swallowed while panting or during vigorous eating; this gas is odorless. In addition, the gas can come from the fermentation of foods in the colon especially fiber, poorly digested protein, and non-absorbable sugars like lactose. Other sources include ingestion of foods which are maldigested or poorly absorbed by your dog, allowing them to then digested by bacteria, which produce gas from them.

How to reduce your dog's flatus
If you have a flat/squished face breed your options are limited, as these dogs tend to swallow air often. Dogs with a very small nose and flat face can benefit from surgical correction of their closed nostrils, which can allow them to breath out of their nose better, reducing open mouth breathing. If your dog's excessive flatus is related to diet, you may want to consult with your veterinarian about trying a highly digestible diet, which will reduce residue in the colon. At home, you may also consider avoiding treats or food such as legumes, fruits, or those that contain lactose (dairy) as these all tend to ferment. Lastly, take your dog for a walk 30 min after a meal to encourage them to defecate.

So there you have it, dog farts/flatus. That should be more information than you ever expected on a blog. The funny thing is, there is actually a lot more medical information on this topic, much more than I ever expected to find in print.

Bulldogs, like this photogenic English from David_Maggie's photostream, are known for their excessive flatus. However, we're not implying that Porkchop has any.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Shedding Season is Here

Its that time of year again--shedding season. As we get further into spring, most dogs and cats shed-out their thick winter coats for a thinner summer coat. Spring shedding can be relatively minor for some breeds and prolific for others. How you deal with all the fur is a matter of personal preference but there are a few things to keep in mind in your fur control efforts.

To Brush or to Shave
Some people will shave down their dogs and cats in the spring in hopes of dealing with the hair all at once, and only once; other people commit to frequent brushing. If you do chose to shave your pet down, keep in mind that your pet's fur has a protective function. One of the more common mistakes I’ve seen is overzealous shaving, leaving pets close to bald. Excessively short hair puts your pet at increased risk of sun burn. Yes, this happens and it’s bad for their health, pets can get skin cancer from excessive sun exposure just like people. Unlike people, dogs and cats do not sweat to cool themselves, so excessively short hair is not providing a significant evaporative advantage for cooling down. My recommendation is grooming with minimal shaving. Shortening the fur on the abdomen is reasonable, allowing your dog or cat to take advantage of cool tile floors in the summer. In addition, shortening the hair around the anus is often a good sanitary thing to do, as some dogs soil their fur when going to the bathroom.

Benefits of Grooming
Brushing and bathing your pet is actually good for their health. The time you spend grooming is a great opportunity to examine your pet. Regular grooming exams aid in finding  the skin conditions, lumps or bumps that you may not have noticed otherwise. Skin masses and infections underneath mats are commonly discovered during grooming. Not finding these conditions early can lead to more serious health conditions like deep skin infections or growing tumors hidden by mats or thick hair.

The hairy dog pictured was de-shedded by a FURminator.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Puppy Mills Make Breeders Look Bad

Due to exposure in the national media, many states are now investigating ways to regulate or even eliminate businesses known as “puppy mills”. “Puppy mill” is often used to describe any large scale breeding operation. As you may have seen in the news, these dogs have been found to be living in squalid conditions and are often bred continuously.

The lack of  a legal definition, as well as the difficulty in enforcing existing laws means that many of these commercial breeders continue to operate despite kennel inspection programs and regulations. A lack of inspectors and time to inspect all the commercial facilities is often to blame, in addition to the Puppy Mills themselves. Although laws concerning regulation of kennels and breeders are popular, the obstacles to enforcing those laws are challenging. Of major concern is how to pay for the personnel and resources needed for the inspections.

As  a veterinarians, I am concerned about the health and the welfare of the animals. Commercial breeding  of dogs  for profit  is not a healthy practice and the many pets suffer from the result of very poor sanitation and living conditions. In addition, bad practices of these commercial breeders often give breeders in general a bad rap. This is unfortunate, as there are reputable breeders out there that work very hard to better the health and temperament of the breeds they have, and most will quickly point our that breeding should not be done for profit.

Anyone searching for a family pet should question the source they get puppies and kittens from and make efforts to only obtain their pets from reputable sources which include: reputable breeders, local shelters and breed specific rescues. In your search for a new pet, consider talking with your veterinarian as they will be able to help match you with the right breed of pet and could have local and reputable resources to help you find your new friend.

Photo of an Arkansas puppy mill bust from humanesocietyoftheunitedstates' photostream.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

A Little Background on New AKC-Recognized Breeds

We’ve talked about ways of finding that perfect pet before: shelters, breed rescues, breeders. And now there are even more choices for you! Recently the American Kennel Club has announced 3 more recognized breeds to their list, making 161 total recognized breeds. The new breeds include: The Irish Red and White Setter, Norwegian Buhund and the Pyrenean Shepherd. These 3 followed the other new addition to the AKC, the Dogue de Bordeaux. While these breeds may be new to the AKC they have actually been around for years while breeders have worked to standardize them to a breed standard and preserve their original functions. As with most breeds, each has a specific purpose or niche, so always do your homework before adopting a new companion. And as always, don't forget about mix- breed dogs either, these “all-Americans” often have traits all their own. Here is a little background on these breeds.

Irish Red and White Setter
According to the breed history provided by the AKC, the Irish Setter probably developed at the end of the 17th century but it was not well known outside of Ireland that there are two breeds of Irish Setters. At this time breeders are certain, that the Red and White Setter is the older of the two breeds. By the end of the 19th century the Red Setter had taken over in popularity compared to the Red and White, which became so rare that they where thought to be extinct. During the 1920s an effort was made to revive the Irish Red and White Setter.” The Rev. Noble Huston's work in gathering the Red and Whites available and recording pedigrees from as far back as approximately 1790 was compiled and preserved by Mrs. Maureen Cuddy from Midleton, Co. Cork. Mrs. Cuddy's hard work and dedication to the breed resulted in 1978 in having the breed separately classified and given championship status by the Irish Kennel Club.” The breed was able to re-established itselfl enough to have its own club by 1944 and today it can be seen at Irish shows as well as Field Trials. (Adapted form AKC.org)

Photo from True Blue Acre's photostream.

Pyrenean Shepherd
The Pyrenean Shepherd was used and developed solely for herding and not for protection of sheep in the Pyrenees Mountains. There small size makes them quick and more sure-footed on the windy crags where they originated. They also need less food compared to their Great Pyrenees counterpart, allowing the shepherd to keep more individual dogs, and thus a larger population of sheep.

There are 2 coat varietyes fo the Pyrenean shepherd 1. The Rough-Faced variety has a long or demi-long coat and some long hairs on the face (though not so profuse as to hide the eyes). 2.The Smooth-Faced variety is less abundantly furnished and has short hair on the face.

“The breed first distinguished itself outside the Pyrenees Mountains by dint of its service during WWI. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Pyrenean Shepherds gave their lives for the cause. They were used as couriers, as search and rescue dogs finding injured soldiers after battles, and to accompany guards on their rounds. J. Dhers, officer in charge of war dogs remarked the day after final victory that it was his "duty to proclaim" that, the Pyrenean Shepherd was "the most intelligent, the most cunning, the most able, and the fastest" among all the breeds used.” (adapted from AKC.org)

Photo from R4avin's photostream.

Dogue de Bordeaux
I’m a bit biased with this breed as I own one. I would point out however, that is not the breed for everyone. The DDB is a large powerful dogs which is not the ideal dog for first time dog owners. The Dogue de Bordeaux was once found in 3 varieties, the Parisian, the Toulouse and the Bordeaux, which were bred depending on the region of France and the jobs they had to do. Regardless of type, they had a general type similar to today’s Dogue de Bordeaux.Historically, the Dogue de Bordeaux was used as a guardian, a hunter, and a fighter. They were trained to bait bulls, bears, and jaguars, hunt boars, herd cattle, and protect the homes, butcher shops, and bordeaux vineyards of their masters. The Dogue de Bordeaux was pvalued as protectors and was found in the homes of the wealthy of France. A setback for the breed was noted following World War II, when Adolph Hitler was said to have demanded the execution of all Dogues de Bordeaux because of their devout loyalty to their owners. In the 1989 Americans saw the Dogue de Bordeaux for the first time on the big screen in Touchstone’s movie "Turner and Hooch" about a police man and his canine partner, although many people did not know that the massive slobbering animal was a Dogue de Bordeaux. While the slobbering was a bit exaggerated for the movie, the slobber the breed produces after eating and drinking is very real. If you can’t handle slobber this is NOT the breed for you. I personally love the breed and eagerly await getting another one, even though by household cleaning requirements will exponentially increase.

If you are interested in learning more about the Dogue de Bordeaux, the breed club is holding its national specialty show in April at Purina farms. For more information go to: http://www.ddbs.org/2009/2009National.html

Photo from rondellmckay's photostream.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Top Pet Myths Exposed

Myth: Cats always land on their feet after a fall.
Reality: Despite their keen sense of balance and acrobatics, many cats are actually injured falling from high elevations. Cat owners should always monitor cats on outdoor balconies and keep screens secure. In addition just because they land on their feet doesn’t mean they landed unharmed.

Myth: Dogs actually have “clean” mouths and when they lick their wounds, they are helping the healing process.
Reality: Dogs’ mouths actually have numerous types of bacteria. Repeated licking of a wound, even a minor one, can lead to more serious skin problems. The self trauma of incessant licking if a common cause of ’hot spots’ another dermatology problems. Always check with your veterinarian whenever your pet has a skin wound or a wound that won’t heal.

Myth: Another sign of worms is when a dog “scoots” across the ground.
Reality: Although dogs with tapeworms will scoot due to the itchiness of the worm segments, not all scooting dogs have worms. Allergies, diarrhea, or even anal sac disease can also be reasons for this behavior. Even this problem can be an attention getting behavior and after medical problems are ruled out, some re-training may be required.

Myth: If your dog eats his feces, he has worms.
Reality: Many dogs will eat their feces as well as other dogs’ feces. Although this is a disgusting behavior and pets can acquire parasites from the habit, it is not strictly a sign intestinal parasites. Many mother dogs will do this to clean her newborn puppies and some pets will do it as an attention getting behavior or a learned behavior from other dogs. The problem may also be poor nutrition and a learned habit. In any case, your veterinarian will be able to help you stop the problem. Yuck!

Myth: Female dogs should have at least litter of puppies before spaying.
Reality: This old wives tale has been around for a long time and is totally untrue. There is no known benefit to allowing a pet to reproduce unnecessarily. In fact there is evidence that spaying a female before her first heat will reduce her risk of developing breast cancer dramatically. A quick look at any local animal shelter is evidence of just how many dogs and cats are out there in need of a home already, often due to needless and careless breeding.

Myth: Pets with warm, dry noses are sick.
Reality: It’s possible that your pet has a warm nose because he’s been lying in the sun! Unless you see other signs of illness, such as depression, lethargy, vomiting, or diarrhea, there probably is no need to worry! There is almost no information on evaluating health by ‘nose’ symptoms. As always, if you see signs of illnesses or just have concerns about your pet, contact your veterinarian. The staff at your veterinary hospital can help you decide when you should bring your pet in for examination.

Photo of a daredevil cat from studiostein's photostream.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Don’t Own Pets That Can Eat You

As you may have seen in the news this year, pets are eating their owners. In most cases they are killing or badly injuring them. With all the news headlines this year regarding pets--or should I say wild animals--being kept as pets, I would like to take this opportunity as a veterinarian to make a plea to America: Don’t own pets that can eat you or your children!

Seriously, wild animals are just that, wild. The trained professionals in zoos take this point very seriously, and spend a lot of time planning how best to handle or work with wild animals on a daily basis. Understanding that at any time when working with a wild animal things can go wrong, is something zoo keepers and animal handlers take very seriously. The general public should not own wild animals, there is too much risk and little benefit.

Even if you don’t plan on owning a lion you should still take pet ownership seriously, as owning a pet is a long term decision and even domestic pets hand harm you or your children. Animal bites are very common and many people are bitten each year. When you choose a pet, take into consideration how much harm they realistically could inflict on your or you family members as a worst case scenario. Going through this mental exercise is helpful so that in the event that your pet does harm someone you are mentally more prepared.

Consider adjusting your homeowners insurance to appropriately reflect the potential risk your pet poses to others. This is proactive and responsible move as a pet owner. At the end of the day, most domestic pets never harm anyone but rather provide love to all around them, but realizing that they can harm, is just one part of responsible pet ownership.

Photo from Z Menagerie.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Implants and Prosthetic Limbs for Pets

Have you ever seen a 3-legged dog walking down the street? For many people this certainly is a double-take moment, and they soon see how well most dogs can get around on 3 legs. The reasons for a pet losing a limb include birth defects, serous accidents, and cancer. 

In my line of work (Veterinary Oncology) dogs with 3 legs are common, and tend to get around well provided they don’t have any other orthopedic problems. In most instances with cancer, limbs are removed due to the pain animals feel with bone cancer. Recently, however, there have been some new techniques emerging where limbs can be spared and prosthetic devises attached to help provide continued mobility using four legs. For more information on these interesting methods watch thes videos:

• Prosthetics help pets find balance (VNN)
• Pioneering implant to get dog back on all fours (MSNBC)

Photo of Maulee from onandp.com.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

To Protect, Serve, and Love

Introduction: Meet one of America's finest.

Name: K-9 Dunna

Date of Birth: 1/3/99

Country of Origin: Rinchnach, Germany 

Breed: German Shepherd

Job description: Patrol Dog (Narcotics, Tracking, Building Search, Handler Protection)

Career highlights:

• 2002--Tracked down 2 male subjects after they broke into a marina
• 2002--During a routine traffic stop: Located plastic film canister wrapped with tape under a seat containing several packets of Crystal Meth, street value $500-800
• 2003--Located 22.3 pounds of Marijuana at a home just 3 houses from an elementary school

Community service: Attendance and demonstrations at many events and fund raisers for organizations such as: Humane society, Elementary schools, 4-H club, Union city rotary club, Branch county career center criminal justice program, Coldwarter Kiwanis club, Girl scouts Wal-mart, Sturgis Kennel club. Dunna also participates in local parades…in full uniform.

Hobbies: Going for walks

Favorite Toy: Tennis Ball

Date retired: August 28, 2008

Current Status: Retired, Dunna was diagnosed with cancer September of 2008 and is currently undergoing treatments for her cancer. After fighting crime for years, making the world as little bit safer, she is now fighting her own battle. Dunna’s treatment to date has been made possible with the dedication of her loving owners and generous contributions made to her ‘health fund’ by some of the organizations she has helped in the past, as well as some very kind donations by others touched by her story.  For more information on Dunna or to add your support, Dunna’s owners can be contacted at k9dunna@yahoo.com. Dunna is a truly remarkable dog.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Add Your Pets to Your Will

Have you ever thought about what would happen to your pets if you were no longer around to take care of them. Yes, I know this is a sad thought, but unfortunately it is a very real concern for many people, as their pets are family. An increasing number of pet owners are including their pets in their wills to provide for them long-term. I have experienced this in practice a few times, where dogs come in with a ‘caretaker’ and are treated according to the guidelines of a will or their trust.

Surprisingly this is not a new concept as pet trusts were recognized by English common law back in 1842. The legal system has changed a bit since then, so it is important to keep a few things in mind when planning for your pet's future needs in your absence.

1. Identify a Caretaker for your pet that you think loves your pet almost as much as you do. Discuss your wishes for your pet with this person, as well as your lawyer. Set aside funds to be used according to your wishes that will be supported by state or local law.

2. Carry an Animal Card in your wallet. This will alert medical personnel that you have a pet at home that will need care in the even that you are unable to tell them yourself. This card should have your pets name, breed, color and your veterinarians contact information on it.

3. Discuss with you estate attorney the yearly budget for your pet, as well as its standard of care; for example: How often it should be fed and what brands of food. How often your pet should be walked, how many physical exams it should get per year. How often it should be groomed. Living conditions (indoors/outdoors). And lastly what should be done with any excess funds in the event that your pet passes prior to using all the money you left for its care.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

How to Give Your Pet Medications

A very common concern for most pet owners, who have a pet requiring medication, is how to actually give the medications. This is a very valid owner concern, and there is often a bit of a disconnect between owners and their veterinarian on this topic, as giving medications is seen as easy to most health professionals but a novel challenge to many pet owners. Here are a few tips on giving your pet its oral mediations.

For starters don't view administering oral medications as a big ordeal, it should be as easy as giving a treat. So why not use a treat to do it? Giving medications hidden in some sort of treat tends to make things much easier. The trick is making sure you pet has no idea it is getting anything other than a treat…especially cats! Oral medications can be hidden in specially made treats such as "Pill Pockets" or you can use household food items such as lunch meat, cheese or bread.

Before actually giving your first at home dose of a medication, start out giving the treats without the medication in them. You want to get your pet excited about these treats and know that they actually like them (again, especially with cats). Once your pet is excited about its new treats its time to start hiding their medications in them.

The trick with hiding medications is to cover them enough that you pet doesn't know they are their, yet not so much that you pet now has the chew the treat. One bite of most medications and your pet will be on to you. Lastly try and give the medicated treat just before your pets normal meal, that way they are hungry, ready to eat and more likely to scarf down the medicated treat.

If the treat trick doesn't work for you, you may have to resort to pilling. Open your pets' mouth gently, place their medication far back on their tongue then close their mouth. If they refuse to swallow you can rub their nose to try and make them lick or quickly offer them their favorite toy in which case they usually swallow so they can open their mouth to grab their toy.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Therapy Dogs

You know you love your dog, and you know your dog loves you, but did you know other people could use your dogs love too. One way to share your dogs love with others who could use it is to get your dog certified or registered as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs provide comfort and affection to adults and children in hospitals, nursing homes, psychiatric facilities, schools, rehabilitation programs or anywhere people need unconditional love. For dogs to become therapy dogs they need to get certified or registered through one of the organizations providing these credentials. To pass the test, dogs usually are required to respond well to basic obedience commands as well as tolerate a big hung around the neck (as a kid would do). For specific details on getting your dog involved in therapy work check out the following sites:
http://www.therapydogs.com/
http://www.tdi-dog.org/
http://www.deltasociety.org/

Therapy dog work is extremely rewarding and a great way to stay active with your dog while serving the community at the same time!

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Helping Homeless Pets During Difficult Times

The challenge of the current economic times is being felt by most of us, regardless of the line of work we are in. What many people forget is that some pets are feeling the economic crunch worse than others, in particular homeless and shelter animals. During economic down turns, animal shelters often see a decrease in the donations they receive as well as decrease in the number of people adopting new pets. In some areas, the economy is so bad that people are actually surrendering their pets at higher rates to shelters--straining their resources even more. A shelter in Dallas has even stopped accepting surrendered animals. In Berlin, they even opened a soup kitchen for dogs.

I probably don’t need provide you with exhaustive examples about how bad it is for some shelters and homeless animals. What I would like to do, however, is provide you with some information on how you can help. If you would like to support you local shelter in some way they would most likely be happy to accept any donation. For the most part, shelters need basic supplies as well as food. If you call up you local shelter they would be I’m sure they would be happy to tell you a few items they could use i.e. a bottle of bleach for cleaning, bags of pet food etc. For online giving here are a few links to some of the larger organizations.

https://secure.hsus.org/01/makeadonation
http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=donate_home

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Lifestyle Dogs

Most of us have seen that odd pairing of people who look just like their pets. Most of the time I don’t think many dogs really looks like their owner, however, most pets do end up living the lifestyle of their owners (for better or for worse). Its been that way for a very long time, but the extent of which has certainly evolved.

Soon after the domestication of dogs we started selecting for specific traits creating breeds to fit our specific lifestyle--like the hunting breeds and herding breeds.Over time we got even more specific with creating breeds to hunt a certain type of animal: bird dogs, dogs to hunt deer, fox etc. Now that much of our hunter-gatherer and farming life styles have been replaced by modern agriculture, we’ve replaced our utility dogs with what I call "lifestyle dogs". For example, the Vegetarian that insists their dog also be vegetarian; the fashion forward owner that insists their dogs also be fashionable; the obese owner that also has obese pets. The list goes on and on.

Recently I’ve noted that many of today’s pet products got to great lengths to enable pet owners to give their pets the a lifestyle just like theirs, regardless of whether they need it or not. Here are a few entertaining examples of how you can make your dog live just like you.

For the eco or green dog owner/dog--organic food and treats, Herbal shampoo, organic flea spray, Hemp leashes and collars, organic toys, organic or hemp pet beds, and hemp toys.

For the athletic pet owners--dog track suits, clothing with your favorite team logo on it, Sport cologne, dog electrolyte drinks, swim trunks, sun visors, and sunglasses.

Regardless of what you want to make your dog into, try to be smart about it. Try to avoid the extremes, its great to spoil your pet but try and be reasonable in your choices. And be sure to set aside some money for health care in the event that an emergency happens. There’s nothing more frustrating than pet owner bringing their little dog in for a checkup in real Luis Vuitton yet they have no money left over to clean the teeth rotting in their mouth.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Canine Cure for Winter Blues

While snow and cold weather may brings holiday cheer to many of us, there are people that certainly feel the opposite. Seasonal affective disorder is a very real thing for many people where the shortened hours of light bring and colder temperatures bring on the winter blues and depression. Another common side effect of winter for many people is weight gain. “Its cold outside I don’t feel like exercising.” In reality all of us know probably know that napping on the couch and stuffing our faces isn’t going to be the solution to the winter blues or weight loss.

So how about doing something about it, let your dog be your guide. Your dog is probably just a board being inside during the winter as you are, however, your dog already has its coat on so all you need to do is put your on to start your winter activities. Here is a list of things to do, yeah some are a bit odd, but hey if they get your off the couch and stop the food binge they’re worth it.

1. Go for a run. It's basic but for some reason people think they can’t run in the cold. Wrong. Now go do it, just look out for the ice. You’ll be proud of yourself for going.

2. Follow the nose. Take your dog to an open field or park, attach a long leash and just follow. See where your dog takes you when they are actually given the freedom to decide where to go. You will be amazed at all the random directions they take you in, while following their nose. Mine took me to a bunch of rabbit holes and a to a stream I never know existed. Either way its a nice walk.

3. Chase the snow ball. After the next snowfall take your dog out and throw a few snow balls around. Its quite entertaining to watch your dog chase, then try to pick up the snow balls, even though they disappeared when they hit the ground. Bring a real ball with you to continue the game once they catch on.

4. Dog park. Yes, its open during the winter. A great thing about taking your dog to the dog park in the winter is the mud and dirt are covered with clean snow. Most dogs love the freedom of being able to run around in the snow.

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information   

Pets as Holiday Gifts Can be Chaos

Many people are tempted to give pets as a gift for the holidays, imaging ear–to-ear smiles on their loved-ones face when they discover  their very own new new furry friend under the tree. What many forget though is the chaos and hazards of exchanging gifts. Wrapping paper and holiday decorations are everywhere, family are coming and going, along with a busier-than-normal schedule, all making for a less than stable environment to introduce a new pet. As an alternative, ask you local shelter if you can pre-pay for a pet or get a gift certificate. Ask if you can take pictures of some of their animals up for adoption. Present your loved-one with a wrapped pet dish with a “new pet’ gift certificate, complete with pictures of possible pets. Your loved one will spend hours dreaming of their new pet in anticipation of the day they got to go pick it out. Alternatively, if your loved one decides its not the right time for a new pet, your purchase will act as a nice donation to the shelter in their name.

During the holiday season so many pets are purchased from breeders, or adopted from shelters as gifts, only to be returned to the shelter. This holiday season, remember that if you, or your family are not ready for a pet, it is best to wait. Getting a new pet should never be done in a hurry, new pets are a long term commitment!

--Dr. Hamilton
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Dr. Hamilton is an oncology resident at Michigan State's Animal Cancer Care Clinic and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex.

Disclaimer Regarding Veterinary Information