Have you ever considered that the things you say to your dog are a reflection of what you would like to hear? Food for thought…
Posted in dog ownership, Dogs
Tagged feedback, positive reinforcement, praise, psychology, training
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham say that senior drivers who always take their dog in the car are at an increased risk of being involved in an accident.
Photo courtesy of University of Alabama
Overall and at-fault crash rates for drivers 70 years of age or older were higher for those whose pet habitually rode with them.
“This is the first study to evaluate the presence of pets in a vehicle as a potential internal distraction for elderly drivers,” said Gerald McGwin, Ph.D., a professor in the Departments of Epidemiology, Ophthalmology and Surgery and senior author of the study. “The increased crash rate for elderly drivers who always drive with pets is important in the context of increasing driver awareness about potentially dangerous driving habits.”
The crash risk for drivers who always drove with their pets was double that of drivers who never drove with a pet, while crash rates for those who sometimes or rarely drove with pets were consistent with the rates for non-pet owners.
The study involved 2,000 community-dwelling (those who do not live in assisted living or nursing homes) licensed drivers age 70 and older, of whom 691 had pets. Study subjects took a survey on driving habits, and those with pets were asked about the frequency of driving with pets. Participants also underwent visual sensory and higher-order visual processing testing.
More than half the pet owners said they took their pet with them in the car at least occasionally, usually riding on the front passenger seat or in the back seat.
“That is consistent with previous studies looking at all drivers, which indicate that slightly more than half of all drivers take a pet with them at times,” said McGwin. “And it’s interesting to note that earlier surveys indicate that 83 percent of those surveyed agreed that an unrestrained dog was likely dangerous in a moving vehicle, yet only 16 percent have ever used any type of restraint on their own pet.”
I’d really like to see a study comparing accident rates with properly restrained pets and those without. I support the use of safety harnesses for dogs who are traveling in cars and am consistently amazed at the number of people who allow their dog in the car without restraint.
The research team has published its research in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
Megaesophagus is a condition where the muscles of the esophagus fail, similar to a limp balloon that has inflated several times and lost its elasticity:
When the condition is present, the esophagus doesn’t contract normally and food can’t make it down into the stomach to be digested. Food can ‘pool’ in the esophagus causing regurgitation. Worse, the undigested food can be inhaled leading to a condition called aspiration pneumonia. Megaesophagus can affect puppies and adult dogs.
Vets normally have to diagnose the condition from its range of symptoms which include:
Megaesophagus is a condition that can be managed, but it does take a dedicated and vigilant dog parent to do this.
Dogs with the condition have to eat and drink in a device called a Bailey Chair. The chair allows the dog to sit in an upright position for an extended period of time. A megaesophagus dog needs to be fed in the chair and kept upright for at least 20 minutes to allow gravity to take the food and water into the stomach.
Dogs with megaesophagus have special nutritional needs, too. Since dogs with this condition can’t drink normally, they often need water added to their meals and to receive high moisture treats that are thickened with gelatin or other ingredients.
A megaesophagus dog needs a diet that is calorie rich and nutritious but without too much fibre. Raw foods are a special risk to these dogs because of their sensitive digestive systems. There’s also a risk of bacterial contamination, particularly if even small amounts of raw food are aspirated.
Prescription medications like Carafate liquid can also help these dogs because it provides a protective coating for the esophagus.
It’s also important to think holistically for these dogs, with support with Bach flower remedies, herbs and supplements. In my practice, I work with the dogs to keep their digestive systems healthy through massage and acupressure and nutrition. The spleen, liver and stomach all need support when a dog has megaesophagus.
In older dogs with arthritis, having to sit in a Bailey Chair presents additional challenges that require holistic veterinary care.
The good news is that megaesophagus doesn’t mean a death sentence. It does mean that your special dog will need special care and attention to maintain its health throughout its lifetime.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in dog care
Tagged acupressure, aspiration pneumonia, Bailey Chair, Carafate, Dog, dogs, massage, megaesophagus, vomiting
Doggyloot is a website where merchants sell dog treats, toys and other products at discount prices. Each product is offered for a significant discount but there’s a time limit to buy.
I’m happy to endorse this site, as I’ve found a number of items over the last two years by belonging to this community. It’s well worth a look – your dog will love you for it!
Shipping to USA addresses only, sorry! (But the shipping is free)
If you’re traveling through New York with your pooch, you should stop at Bed, Bath & Beyond in Chelsea, New York.
This store welcomes dogs (on leash and under control) and provides them with special canine shopping carts that have foam mats at the bottom for comfort.
This is Enzo, a French Bulldog, shopping at the store:
Well done to Bed, Bath and Beyond at this location. No word yet on when other stores will follow suit.
Posted in dog-friendly shops
Tagged Bath & Beyond, bed, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chelsea, Enzo, French Bulldog, New York, shopping carts
Norman holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest dog on a scooter. Norman set his record, covering 30 metres in just 20 seconds, at a charity event in Georgia last July.
Norman is a French Sheepdog and he has his own website and Facebook page.
Here’s Norman setting the record (just in case you missed it):
Researchers from the University of Bristol’s School of Veterinary Sciences have investigated the occurrence of dog aggression towards people with a survey of UK dog owners.
The 4,000 responses revealed:
The study highlighted that the majority of dogs showing aggression do so in just one type of situation. This indicates that the tendency to categorise dogs as either generally ‘safe’ or ‘vicious’ is a misconception, and that most dogs show aggression as a learnt response to particular situations. (A lot of trainers working in animal shelters probably already knew this.)
The research also highlighted that although general characteristics, such as breed type, are significant risk factors across large populations they explain only a small amount of the overall difference between aggressive and non-aggressive dogs. Therefore, it is not appropriate to evaluate the risk of aggressive behaviour in an individual dog using characteristics such as breed type.
That’s another black mark for supporters of breed specific legislation!
The results of this research have been published in the journal of Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Posted in dog breeds, Dogs, research
Tagged aggression, behaviour, breed, breed specific legislation, bsl, dog aggression, UK dog owners
If you have ever watched your dog swim, you’ve probably noticed that intense look of concentration on their face. Research has confirmed that swimming doesn’t come as naturally as, say, walking, running or trotting on land.
Photo by the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
Dr. Frank Fish, a professor of biology at West Chester University, set out with his colleagues to understand how real dogs perform the dog paddle.
Dr Fish found a large horse rehabilitation pool for filming eight dogs of six different breeds during swimming. Dr Fish’s own dog was one of the study subjects.
The team analyzed the videos and found that the dogs were swimming with a gait that was similar to a familiar trot on land. When a dog trots, moving at a pace more brisk than a walk, diagonal pairs of legs move together. In swimming, the dog’s legs move in a similar fashion, but even faster than a trot, and the legs move beyond the range of motion for a trot. (This is one reason why I recommend swimming for many – but not all – of my massage and rehab customers.)
Swimming dogs are, essentially, using a basic movement but with some modification. Also, while the movements that make up terrestrial gaits like trotting can vary from one dog breed to another, the dog paddle gait showed very little variation among the different breeds.
Dr Fish says that dogs can be used as a model for precursors to early swimming mammals. He hopes to unravel the steps in evolution that allowed four-legged terrestrial animals to become swimming mammals like the dolphin.
In the meantime, get out there and let your dog swim. For most dogs, it’s great exercise!
Daisy concentrates during her swim at the Dog Swim Spa
Want to know more about physical rehabilitation and whether swimming is right for your dog? Get in touch with me by completing the information below.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
Source: Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology media release
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