Christmas has been and gone and life is getting back to normal again.
Some Christmas presents endure more than others. If you are like me, your friends, family and customers are keenly aware of the love you have for your dog. In my case, Izzy is a Greyhound and so Greyhound-themed gifts are always appreciated.
This year, I received a duvet cover with greyhounds. As you can see, Izzy approves of the new addition to the bedroom. It’s almost perfect camouflage for her!
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in Dogs, dogs and holidays, products for dog lovers
Tagged Christmas, duvet cover, Greyhound
Most commercially available dog treats contain a range of undefined ingredients, including sugars, and often exceed the recommended daily energy allowance for treats (‘complementary feed’), warn researchers in the Vet Record.
They say treat labels should be more explicit and provide more detailed information on ingredients and energy content to prevent dogs becoming overweight or obese and at increased risk of conditions like diabetes.
Dog treats represent the fastest growing segment of the pet food industry. European regulation states that dog treats should be labelled as ‘complementary feed’ and sets out rules for labelling to provide adequate information for consumers.
World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) guidelines also state that daily treat intake should not exceed 10% of a dog’s energy needs (known as maintenance energy requirement or MER).
But little is known about the nutritional value of treats and their impact on the dog’s diet, health and wellness, despite the popularity of such products.
So researchers led by Giada Morelli at the University of Padua in Italy, set out to compare the nutrient composition of different categories of treats and to verify whether daily intake recommendations on the label were in accordance with WSAVA guidelines.
They identified 32 popular dog treats available in pet shops and supermarkets (five biscuits, ten tender treats, three meat-based strips, five rawhides [dry bovine skin], twelve chewable sticks and six dental care sticks).
Products were analysed for levels of minerals, starch, simple sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose) and the amino acid hydroxyproline (a component of collagen).
They found that three out of four (76%) of treats contained between four to nine ingredients, and that ingredients were not precisely described on the label. For example, biscuits and dental sticks had ‘cereals’ listed as the first ingredient, while tenders, meat strips, rawhides and chewable sticks had ‘meat and animal derivatives’ listed first.
Almost half of products mentioned ‘sugars’ on the label’s ingredient list and all contained varying amounts of minerals.
The most calorically dense treats were biscuits, whereas the least calorically dense were dental sticks. When caloric density was expressed as kcal/treat, rawhides were the most energy-dense products, followed by chewable sticks and dental sticks.
When manufacturers’ feeding instructions (number of treats/day) were followed, on average, biscuits accounted for 16% of MER for dogs of any size; rawhides exceeded 25% MER for small-sized dogs and 18% MER for medium-sized dogs. Chewable sticks surpassed 10% MER for all size dogs, reaching 16.9% MER in small-sized dogs. Only feeding instructions for dental sticks remained below 10% MER for every dog size.
This is the first investigation to categorise dog treats and determine their nutrient profile,” write the authors.
They point to some study limitations, such as the small number of treats that were analysed in each category. Also, these results may not be representative of all products worldwide given the wide number of dog treats available on the market.
Nevertheless, they say their results suggest that treat labelling should include more information on the ingredients used, and that producers should reconsider the feeding instructions they provide on labels, especially for small dogs.
Caution should also be adopted when considering treats for dogs with specific ingredient sensitivities or in dogs with conditions such as heart failure and kidney disease due to their potential high mineral content, they add. Finally, they say future studies should sample a greater number of products to provide more precise data.
Source: Science Daily media release
Journal reference: Giada Morelli, Eleonora Fusi, Sandro Tenti, Lorenzo Serva, Giorgio Marchesini, Marianne Diez, Rebecca Ricci. Study of ingredients and nutrient composition of commercially available treats for dogs. Veterinary Record, 2017; vetrec-2017-104489 DOI: 10.1136/vr.104489
Posted in dog nutrition and labelling, Dogs, research
Tagged calories, dog treats, special diets, sugars, University of Padua
Today, I gave Aki, Haru, and Yuki their Christmas presents – relaxation massages paid for by their Dad. I was booked up last week when he rang and couldn’t fit in 3 hours of massage before the holiday – luckily everyone was happy to wait.
All I knew was that I was going to meet “two french bulldogs and a pug.” I was not disappointed; all three were charming. Yuki is the oldest, and will be 8 years old in March; Aki is 5; Haru will be 2 in February.
Yuki the Pug
Haru the French Bulldog
Aki the French Bulldog
Massages for your dog make a wonderful gift; relaxation massage distributes the oils of the coat to support skin health, allows your dog to chill out and be the center of attention, and I report back on any lumps and bumps I find to ensure you have discussed these with your vet.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in dog breeds, dog care, Dogs
Tagged dog massage, French Bulldog, pug, relaxation massage
Christmas dog, photo courtesy of the University of Liverpool
Pet owners are being urged to be vigilant this Christmas, as University of Liverpool researchers warn of a “significant peak” in the risk of chocolate poisoning in dogs over the festive period.
Most people know that chocolate can be poisonous to dogs but may not know why. The toxic ingredient is a caffeine-like stimulant called theobromine that can lead to an upset stomach, a racing heartbeat, dehydration, seizures and in the most severe cases death.
In a new study published in the Vet Record, researchers from the University’s Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) have used electronic health records from UK veterinary practices to analyse cases of chocolate ingestion in dogs.
The findings reveal significant seasonal peaks of chocolate ingestion cases across the year, most notably at Christmas and to a lesser extent at Easter – as chocolate becomes more accessible within the home.
In most cases the amount of chocolate consumed was quite small, with common festive culprits including selection boxes, chocolate cake, liqueurs, chocolate Santas and advent calendars.
Veterinary researcher Dr P-J Noble who led the study commented: “Dogs love a chocolate treat and at Christmas there are plenty about. Sadly dogs can’t eat chocolate safely so many of them end up making an unplanned visit to the vet, which can disrupt the celebrations.
“People should keep festive chocolates away from pets. If chocolate is consumed, owners should talk to their vet as soon as possible, and ideally be prepared to quantify the amount and type of chocolate consumed. Information on the chocolate packaging may help the vet take the best action. While many cases of chocolate-eating are not at toxic levels, where they are, it is better to see the vet quickly.”
The research, which analysed 386 cases of chocolate ingestion in dogs from 229 UK veterinary practices between 2013 and 2017, also revealed some differences in the seasonal pattern of UK cases compared to other countries. Peaks in similar cases around Valentine’s Day and Halloween that have previously been reported in the USA and Germany were not found in the UK, which the researchers suggest could be due to different festival priorities.
The study also found that chocolate ingestion was significantly less common in older dogs and that no specific breed is more at risk than others.
Dr Noble added: “Big data is allowing us to perform wide scale studies of issues like chocolate exposure. This will help us to understand the influence of age, breed, season and geography on a wide range of different problems.”
The study ‘Heightened risk of canine chocolate exposure at Christmas and Easter’ is published in the Vet Record [DOI:10.1136/vr.104762]
Posted in dog care, Dogs, dogs and holidays, research
Tagged chocolate, Christmas, holidays, theobromine, University of Liverpool
The RSPCA has issued a new advert for 2017 to illustrate the message that puppies are not Christmas presents – they are a lifetime commitment that a family should knowingly make.
Follow the story of Woody, the pup given as a Christmas gift who ends up neglected, abandoned and in the care of the RSPCA.
Kindness goes a long way and animal welfare agencies work 24/7 – throughout the holiday season – taking care of unwanted animals.
If you are considering adding a pet to your home, do your homework and be prepared for the unconditional love that an animal brings to your home – but with responsibilities.
Adopt, don’t shop.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
A team of scientists has provided the first evidence that dogs can learn to categorise odours and apply this to scents they have never encountered before.
The research reveals how the animals process odour information and is likely to have a profound impact on how we train sniffer dogs.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Lincoln, UK, and funded by the Office of Naval Research and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global in the US,
found that dogs are able to categorise odours on the basis of their common properties. This means that dogs can behave towards new smells from a category in the same way as smells that they already know.
As humans, we do not have to experience the smell of every fish to know that it smells ‘fishy’; instead we use our previous experience of fish and categorise the new smell in the correct way. The new research, published in the journal Scientific Reports, reveals that dogs can do the same.
Researchers separated dogs into two groups and then trained them to respond to 40 different olfactory stimuli – or smells – half of which were accelerant-based. The dogs in the experimental group were trained (through a reward) to offer a behavioural response, for example “sit”, when they were presented with smells which fit a specific category, but to withhold that response for other non-category stimuli. The remaining dogs were trained on the same stimuli but were not rewarded for the categorical variable.
The researchers found that only the dogs in the category group were able to learn the task. Even more significantly, when presented with completely unknown smells, the dogs were able to place them in the correct category and to remember the odours six weeks later.
The researchers concluded that this means that dogs can apply information from previous experience to novel – or new – scents in order to apply an appropriate response.
Dr Anna Wilkinson from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Lincoln said: “As humans, we are very good at assigning different things to different categories; for example, we know something is a chair because there are identifiable aspects such as a flat space to sit on, or four legs. Categorising odours works the same way, and we were keen to discover whether dogs would be able to learn those skills.
“This was an extremely hard task for the dogs as the odour stimuli varied in strength, so animals were never trained on exactly the same stimulus. As such, it is even more impressive that the experimental group dogs learned and retained the information.
“These findings add substantially to our understanding of how animals process olfactory information and suggest that use of this method may improve performance of working animals.”
The findings have implications in the field of working dog training as it implies that it may be possible to improve the way we train detection dogs.
Posted in Dogs, research, special dogs and awards
Tagged accelerants, detection dogs, sniffing dogs, University of Lincoln
It’s that time of year again – Christmas (followed closely by New Year). And if the traffic is anything to go by (and I am a mobile practitioner, so I’m on the road fairly often), holiday preparations are in full swing. The schools have let out for summer, and the shopping intensity is increasing. So, too, are the rates of pre-Christmas stress.
Holiday plans, parties, travel, new guests coming to stay, and presents and food to buy and prepare should be happy things, but a lot of people get stressed by them, too.
Have you ever thought about the impact of Christmas on your dog?
Our dogs also suffer stress. With the changes in routine and surroundings that Christmas brings, we shouldn’t be surprised if our dogs get stressed.
Some will become destructive, such as unwrapping presents under the tree or chewing on ornaments/lights. (These are also a health hazard, of course.) Others may show their stress through lip-licking and yawning, backing away, going off their food, pacing, tucking their tail under, etc.
It’s important to know the signs of a stressed dog and to do something to lower your dog’s anxiety.
Ensure your dog has a safe space at home – like a crate or a bedroom – where they can retreat when they have had enough.
Play calming music, spray the room with calming mixtures of essential oils, Bach flower remedies, or Adaptil.
And do your very best to keep your dog on a regular routine. Meal times and walks are things that your dog has come to count on at certain times of the day. Don’t mess about with these ‘certains’ in their life – it helps to keep stress in check.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Posted in dog care, Dogs, dogs and holidays
Tagged Adaptil, anxiety, Bach flower remedies, Christmas, essential oils, stress
There are differences between a therapy dog and a service dog, but the two are often confused.
That’s why I really liked this graphic, produced by the Las Vegas Sun:
The difference between a therapy pet and a service animal (courtesy of the Las Vegas Sun)
The newspaper interviewed Sue Grundfest, Lead Animal Therapist at Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center, for its article.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand
Note from DoggyMom:
This research reinforces my advice to families with young children and dogs: understand your dog’s non-verbal and verbal cues so you can pick up when they are stressed, going over threshold, and need time away from the children.
I have several clients on my books currently who are expecting their first child in 2018; this is a subject that we discuss on a regular basis.
Millions of families know how rewarding and enjoyable dog ownership can be – but now a new study has for the first time examined the quality of life for a pet dog owned by a family with children.
Photo courtesy of University of Lincoln
There is now extensive scientific research showing the many benefits that pet dogs bring to families, including improved family functioning and wellbeing for those with children with neuro-developmental disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and ADHD. For all children, dogs can provide valuable companionship, encourage exercise and family activities, and teach them about responsibilities.
Until now, little attention has been paid to how living with children affects quality of life for pet dogs (those not trained as assistance dogs). Funded by Dogs Trust – the UK’s largest dog welfare charity – a team of animal behaviour and welfare specialists from the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences are examining this question.
Published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, their latest research involved interviewing parents who own a dog – half with typically developing children and half with children with Autism or ADHD, with all children aged between four and 10 years old.
The research revealed that the child-dog relationship has a number of beneficial aspects for the dog, including a sense of routine, more time for fun and play, and companionship.
Dr Sophie Hall, a Research Fellow specialising in human-animal interactions at the University of Lincoln’s School of Life Sciences, said: “Our study involved 36 dog-owning families, who all highlighted some key benefits that their pet dogs receive from living with young children.
“For example children provide close companionship for pets as well as imposing a sense of predictable and consistent routine in the home, in terms of feed and walk times, which we know is extremely important for a dog’s wellbeing. Of course, children also play regularly with their pet dogs and activities such as throwing a ball and doing assault courses represent really valuable opportunities for exercise and positive mental stimulation.
“The study also highlighted some potentially negative impacts on the pet, which it is important for parents to be aware of when bringing a dog into a home with children.”
The negative impact could be brought on by children having tantrums, with parents observing their dogs running away, shaking or hiding on some of these occasions. Parents also observed a change in their dog’s behaviour if it became ‘over stimulated’ – such as barking, becoming agitated, or seeking a place to escape – when their children were very noisy.
Other events that could cause potential distress for dogs in homes with children could include rough play or accidents such as collisions with toys or pulling the dog’s tail.
The study suggests that in a home with small children, it is important for dogs to have a ‘safe haven’ to escape to if needed, and for parents to understand both the obvious and more subtle signs of distress in their pets and to teach their family about these signs. For example, pet dogs often have wide eyes or lick their lips when they are mildly stressed.
Dr Hall added: “The positive and negative aspects of the child-dog relationship were similar in families with typically developing children and in those with children with a neuro-developmental disorder.
“As such, providing they are aware of key risk events and how to cope with these, and ensuring adequate supervision, parents should not necessarily be dissuaded from acquiring a pet dog because of their child’s developmental issues. As we know, pet dogs can really enrich family life and support child development and wellbeing.”
The results of this initial study are now being developed further by the team at the University of Lincoln with support from Dogs Trust.
The paper is freely available to view online at PLOS ONE.
Posted in dog care, dog ownership, Dogs, research
Tagged anxiety, quality of life, stress, University of Lincoln
DoggyMom.com 