Green Dog Blog

There are a few things that I wish I could convince more customers to try adding to their dog’s diet, and fish oil is certainly one of them. (the other one is digestive enzymes, and I’ll be writing about those soon).  They have many benefits, including reduction of joint pain, and now three studies have come out demonstrating this benefit in dogs with arthritis pain.

In humans it is well known that infants need DHA (one of the Omega 3 fatty acids) to aid in proper retinal and brain development, as well as support and maintenance of the central nervous system. In adults one of the best documented effects is the benefit to the heart (lowering of bad cholesterol and triglycerides, etc), but it is also showing good results in reducing inflammation (countless chronic diseases are linked to inflammation in the tissues and organs), reducing the chance of blood clots, elevating mood, slowing down degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s, having significant effects on kidney function, and deficiencies have been linked to low birth weight and hyperactivity when pregnant mothers don’t get enough Omega 3s. (increasing your intake of low mercury fish oil or krill oils through supplementation, and switching to grass-fed meats are two ways of getting more Omega 3s in your diet. Cutting down on your Omega 6s (vegetable oils found in processed foods) helps your body a great deal as well.

Anyway, in Dogs and Cats these same benefits of course occur. One of the effects that is most easy to observe is the almost immediate benefit to the skin and coat. Animals with chronic skin problems should almost always be taking fish oils.  About a month ago, we convinced a customer to put one of her cats onto fish oil, as  she had some problems with hair loss and some scabbiness to the skin. Not only did the hair start regrowing and the skin start repairing itself, but she noticed how nice and shiny the coat was that she already had. She told us, “I was so impressed with how her hair looked that I started to wonder what it would do for my healthy cats. They all now are shinier, hardly shed at all, and have lost that little bit of dandruff that seems to always have been there.”  We’ve seen this many times in dogs and cats. Of course the foods we carry are some of the best that exist, and they’re doing a good job of including high quality fish oils, applying them after the food is cooled so they are not damaged by the cooking process. However, I think that animals who are eating (even high quality) processed foods are still at somewhat of a disadvantage nutritionally than animals eating whole foods. Also, shipping in hot trucks, storage, etc must have a little bit of an effect on the quality of those fats (though they are of course combined with antioxidants to prevent this sort of degradation), and the amounts in food may not be high enough for some individual animals, especially those on a weight reduction kibble, or with specific health challenges, like arthritis.

The second effect that is relatively easy to observe is the reduction of joint pain. In the new studies, “In the first study, dogs with chronic pain associated with osteoarthritis showed improvements in their ability to play and rise from rest at six weeks after being switched to a diet containing high concentrations of fish oil omega-3 fatty acids. The second study showed that limb strength in dogs improved with omega-3 dietary intervention.  In the third study, veterinarians were able to reduce the dosage of carprofen, a common NSAID used for pain relief in dogs with osteoarthritis, while still providing pain relief to dogs that were fed food supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids.” http://www.avma.org/press/releases/100304_omega-3_fatty_acids.asp

These studies were done by Hills nutrition, and are certainly valuable to help illustrate and validate the effects that we see. As the press release states, “This finding is especially important because it allows veterinarians to better understand that complications that may arise from pain relief medications could be reduced when the medications are used in combination with proper nutrition.”  I only wish that Hills would someday take the knowledge that they glean from these studies and combine them with better quality foods in their diets. It’s impressive that these studies showed such significant results when combined with a diet so high in grains (that have been shown to have inflammatory effects and high levels of Omega 6s), fillers, and by-products. (The ingredients leading up to fish oil in their joint prescription food: “Ground Whole Grain Corn, Chicken By-Product Meal, Flaxseed, Soybean Mill Run, Brewers Rice, Soybean Meal, Pork Fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Chicken Liver Flavor, Powdered Cellulose, Fish Oil”.)  Imagine how much benefit a good quality, low-mercury fish oil, stored in your fridge and added fresh every day to a healthy diet (made from human grade meats, low in or absent of grains and rich in antioxidents from whole foods) would provide.

So, please consider adding good quality fish oils to your pet’s diet. It will have many lasting benefits to their overall health.

Thanks to Truth About Pet Food for her blog posting on this topic!

Good link to benefits of salmon oil for pets:
http://www.icelandpure.com/salmon_oil_info.htm
Some of our favorite fish oils:
Iceland Pure
Royal Coat Express

The babies hatched March 5th and 6th, respectively, and are about the size of honey bees. The top one is the older one – slightly bigger already and has fuzz, the newer one below is more naked looking. You can see the remnants of eggshells under them (it’s funny – last year she chucked them out of the nest right away – see the photo of the size of the eggshells here).
In this photo you can really see the spider webs she used to strap the nest onto the bamboo.

One other little observation that seems interesting to me, (and maybe not to anyone else, as it’s a certified bird nerd moment here) is how different her posture is in the nest after they hatched. While she was incubating, she was just sitting, presumably just thinking little birdy thoughts, passing time. As soon as one hatched she became so alert, her eyes constantly searching the bamboo for insects. Her bill points up, her neck is all stretched up, her head moving around a lot. It’s a tough job to feed these little guys – they grow so amazingly quickly and eat so often. Best to be on the alert for an easy meal. I just knew from looking at her that the first chick had hatched – she looked so different.

I promise to try and get a better photo of her feeding them – they’re always hard as the light changes so much out there and she’s right over them, but here’s the first try:

This week, Bayer announced that they will be making Advantage and Advantix available to retailers (read article here), meaning you won’t have to visit a vet to obtain them. Though the above news video is discussing the rise in dangerous side effects of other over the counter flea meds and not necessarily Advantage, we will still not be carrying any of these sorts of spot on treatments.  Over and over we hear customers complaining of the same sorts of side effects seen in the above video, even when using products like Advantage and Frontline. They say their animals become lethargic or sick after use, and sometimes come in looking for products to help them with the terrible sores they have developed at the application sites. Invariably, when I ask if they’ve reported these side effects to the company, or even to their vets, they say they have not. (if your pet shows side effects from these treatments, please report them, or the company will never know their products are causing trouble. Bea sure to be ready to answer questions about the formula you used and how you applied it. These companies seem to want to place a lot of blame on the consumer for misapplication, so be ready to describe why you think that the symptoms you’ve observed were as a result of the product you used and not how you used it).

I’ve always maintained that there is a place sometimes for products like Advantage – when an animal has a serious flea allergy for example. Seeing animals in misery suffering from the discomfort of open sores from flea allergies makes me realize the value of the product in these certain situations.

I am glad that Advantage is going OTC, in that I do believe it is a safer alternative to typical grocery store brands like Hartz, and its presence in stores will hopefully edge out these more dangerous treatments.  However, it’s also my opinion that application of any chemicals month after month to a healthy animal when it doesn’t have a flea problem can be excessive and taxing to an animal’s health in the long run. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin and they work systemically, and have to be processed by organs like the liver whose job it is to filter chemicals from the body.  Does this tax organs like the liver? I’m not sure – I’m certainly not a vet. But, not all animals show these sorts of dramatic outward signs of distress from the use of these chemicals, but enough do to make me not want to use them if they don’t have an existing flea problem.

For my animals, I would prefer that they not have to deal with the assault of additional chemicals to their bodies on a regular basis. Feeding a quality diet that contains natural whole foods can create such a strong immune system and such healthy skin that the animal is naturally more immune to flea infestation, and the regular use of a good flea comb will alert you to the presence of fleas so you can catch them before they become a problem. Add that to the presence of lots of excellent natural deterrents that are on the market (the consumer should still do some good research, as “natural plant-based” repellents can still be toxic to our pets) I feel like my customers and I can manage and prevent flea infestations without the really regular use of Advantage.

Note: If your animal attracts fleas easily and you’re constantly having to resort to topical flea products, please consult with a naturopathic vet about alternatives. Chances are you can turn your pet’s health around through changes to their diet that can save you from the cost and worry of using topical chemical treatments (as well as extend the life of your pet through better nutrition!)

Forgive the lack of posts recently – we’ve been in almost over our heads recently with many back of the house issues to contend with and gladly, we’re very busy in the front of the house, thanks to all of you! But I wanted to let you know that spring has sprung for us in our little courtyard, as we officially have our first hummingbird nest of the season.  There’s a tag for hummingbird posts in the category list for this blog – we got some good photos last year of the two nests that successfully fledged 2 chicks each, so you should check out some of those posts for photos if you’d like to see them. If we’re lucky this year, we might see three nests of babies, as Anna’s Hummingbirds usually can pull off 3 nests per season.

Here’s something unusual though – this is the second nest in the courtyard this year – the first one was either a false start, or this is a new female building this current nest. (more…)

This is a really great video – she describes so eloquently what we try to convey to people every day in the store. We humans certainly don’t thrive on a diet of processed foods alone – your pets also will never be able to achieve optimal health on a diet that doesn’t contain some whole foods.

So don’t be frightened of feeding some whole foods. Adding yogurt, bananas or cooked sweet potato to your dog’s Kong (you can even freeze this to keep her busy for a long time!) or providing fresh chicken, fish, or small amounts of organ meats to your cats and dogs as treats or as a food topper, or growing cat grass for your indoor cats are all great ways to supply some whole foods to the diet. When you cook foods, they lose some or all of their naturally occurring vitamins and digestive enzymes, which is why she calls whole foods “living”. As a final note, a great source of perfectly balanced whole food nutrition for our little carnivores are raw meaty bones (never home cooked bones – cooking makes a bone far more brittle and dangerous). Raw bones are also great for cleaning teeth and for keeping pets occupied!

Check out this funny video

I only include this as a point of interest – I don’t mean to spread info that might make people feel unduly frightened of something that is of very low risk or occurrence so far, but it is worth mentioning. Certainly, avoiding communicable respiratory diseases are another thing to add to the long list of benefits to keeping cats inside. Also, if you are sick with swine flu, it’s worth keeping an eye out for symptoms in your pets.

The AVMA issued this statement:

November 4, 2009 – A 13-year old cat in Iowa developed signs of a respiratory infection after several people in the household were ill. Preliminary testing was positive for 2009 H1N1 on October 29, and the results were confirmed on November 2. This is the first report of a cat infected with H1N1. The cat has recovered from its illness.

To date, this is the first cat confirmed infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus. Two ferrets, one in Oregon and one in Nebraska, have also recently been confirmed infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus. The Nebraska ferret died, but the Oregon ferret has recovered. To date, there is no evidence that the ferrets or the cat passed the virus to people.

The American Veterinary Medical Association and American Association of Feline Practitioners are reminding pet owners that many viruses can pass between people and animals, so this was not an altogether unexpected event. We are advising pet owners to monitor their pets’ health very closely, no matter what type of animal, and visit a veterinarian if there are any signs of illness.

Happy Halloween!
Fun Stuff
check out this link to cute dog breed stencils for your pumpkin carving.
The “real” link is here, but I can’t figure out where the stencils are for that one. Maybe you can.

Beware of Toxic Things on Halloween

Don’t forget to be on guard for dogs getting into that Halloween Candy stash! Chocolate isn’t the only thing that’s toxic to dogs; macadamia nuts, raisins, and the sweetener xylitol are all on the list of things that can be poisonous to dogs, but the wrappers and other decorations can also cause problems when ingested. Check out this link to other household items that are toxic to dogs, and what to do if your dog gets into them.

Behavioral Tips

Behaviorally, make sure that if your dog is stressed out by strangers, to have him in a secure area of the house where he won’t be plagued by constant scary monsters ringing the doorbell. Conversely, if you’re up for it this is a great time to work on door manners with a dog that isn’t frightened just excited.  Doorbell rings, dog on leash sits, door opens, dog and costumed kid both get their own treats. Lots of repetitions available on Halloween equals lots of chances to practice how to act when people come to the door.
Hints:

-Practice this a day or two beforehand with someone familiar that rings the doorbell, rehearsing the sit quietly while the door opens routine 8 or 10 times (first time is hard, then it gets easy as it’s the same person over and over. This lets the dog get better and better at the behavior because you’ve removed the novelty of someone at the door)
- work on a leash for control, but reward the sitting calmly without lots of yanking. The familiar person can hang out on the step for a few minutes while you work on that.
- on Halloween, have two people work the door, one for kid treats and one for working with the dog
- when the doorbell rings, don’t jump up. Walk calmly to the door.

If you have a new puppy this can be a good socialization exercise – monsters = good treats for puppy! Encourage them to say hi to the funny monsters, but don’t force them into it – you want socialization exercises to be positive. If you feel like it’s safe, have the monsters offer the puppy yummy dog jerky or pieces of cheese. Soon the puppy will think people in costume are a good thing!

This is a very nice clear description of how to protect the health of your pet’s bladder, and of the causes and prevention of stones and crystals in the bladder.

I found it on one of my favorite sites, and she made the excellent additional point that in the case of cats, it’s also very important that they get extra moisture in their diets, as they have evolved to get most of their moisture from the prey they eat.  They generally don’t drink enough to offset the fact that their primary diet is often dry, putting their kidneys in a mild state of dehydration for years at a time. Combined with feeding a diet high in carbs, it’s no wonder why bladder and kidney problems are so prevalent for cats.

See these links to read more about these issues in cats (though the info is useful for dog owners as well):

A good explanation of why cats on dry diets need more moisture (this whole page is good actually, not just this section)

Tips for getting your cat to drink more water