Happy Doggies Make Happy Humans

Vaccinating Our Loved Ones

by zmxncbv.com 

I'm sure most folks have heard of the controversy regarding the necessity of vaccinating children. The question under debate is whether those vaccines are the cause of a number of childhood diseases that  have apparently increased significantly since widespread vaccinations began (for example, autism.)

You may not be aware there is a lot of questioning in the pet world over the same issues.

People are questioning whether their veterinarian prescribed flea and tick medications are doing more harm than good, and whether the heartworm medication is truly helpful. Home remedies, both time tested and new, are either appearing on the market or being mixed up in home kitchens.

I regard all this questioning as goodness. It makes us better protectors and providers for our pets. Questioning also helps the vets and researchers include new ideas and medical concepts into their work.

One set of questioning focuses on the rabies vaccine. The argument goes that the initial rabies vaccination produces the desired antibodies in the pet's system--so why are there required booster vaccinations throughout a pet's lifetime?

I have heard there is a small but growing movement of people who are not submitting their pets to booster rabies vaccinations.

What are the factors that go into a decision like this?

These days it's sometimes hard to know whether to follow accepted medical/veterinarian procedures, or to walk an independent course. Wellness and alternative medicine practices can sometimes be difficult to evaluate.

One very important decision factor was recently brought to my attention while I was at a North Carolina Natural Sciences Museum gathering that included a number of veterinarians, vet students and members of the public.

Toward the end of the evening there was a short discussion on rabies vaccinations. A vet student asked this very question:

If the protective antibodies are already in a pet's system, why should that pet be required to submit to booster rabies vaccinations every few years?

The unscientific answer was surprising.

If your dog has not had the required vaccinations, and your dog is exposed to rabies, your dog will most likely be put down--by law. You will probably have no say in the matter.

Without required vaccinations, groomers can refuse to clean your dog, boarding facilities can refuse to care for your dog if you need to leave town. And, if there were an emergency evacuation, your un-vaccinated dog may have a hard time being sheltered (reminder: be sure to carry a copy of your dog's vaccination records in your disaster kit.)

I was fascinated how quickly the issue moved from the science of rabies vaccinations to the laws protecting people from this dreadful disease.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this matter.

Who Is That Dog?

by Greg Westfall

Thanks to Melanie, for sending me to NPR to hear this delightful story about doggie DNA test results, Got a Mutt? Labs Will Test Your Dog's DNA.

It seems to me that mutt owners and folks who found their dogs at shelters will probably experience the most happiness from the results of these doggie DNA tests. With these dogs there's always the question of the dog's ancestry and what life was like for your beloved dog before coming into your home.

I remember when Krystal and I went to obedience school, one of the first questions the trainers asked us was the background and lineage of our dogs. The folks with purebred dogs had ready answers. The rest of us had answers peppered with speculation on lineage, behavior, and how the original owners might have treated their dogs.

During obedience training, Krystal's dominant West Highland White Terrier characteristics were definitely in evidence--so much so that at one point, one of the instructors held me after class for almost an hour explaining the special personalities of Terriers, and how to live with them. She had 4 Terriers, so she knew what she was talking about.

I've always been grateful for that special attention from the instructor. Hearing her tell me that Terriers demand "fairness" above all else, truly helped me develop a stronger more compassionate relationship with Krystal.

So when someone tells me they've got a mutt, and haven't a clue to their dog's ancestry, I'm respectful and  amazed. I admire the dog, and how creative the dog has to be to communicate important lineage characteristics like "fairness." I admire the human for developing that special flexibility to have a companion animal in their household with no guide to the special characteristics and needs of their dog.

I can just imagine how fun it it might be to receive part of the "back story" of your dog. Filling in some of the gaps can open new vistas on personality and health characteristics, providing endless hours of conversation, speculation and delight.

Please let me know if you've learned your dog's DNA lineage, and what you think about the results. Have any personality or health characteristics suddenly been "explained?" I'm curious to hear your experiences. It sounds like fun.

Call of the Wild

by My_Boy_Dodger

Recently, Anne found herself in the midst of an interesting conversation while at a dog park event here in Raleigh with her large furry Bearded Collie, Winnie.

A number of owners of large furry dogs expressed very strong opinions that large furry dogs should NOT be clipped in the summer.

Their argument was, "nature knows best." If large furry dogs needed less fur in the summer, they would have evolved to shed that unnecessary fur in the hot seasons. Some owners went so far as to to describe a theory that the summertime fur acts as a cooling insulator for these dogs.

This type of thinking flies in the face of logic and experience--which is probably part of its attraction.

Acknowledging this attraction, I did a little web search just to make sure. I found a great article from an Irish vet that details the importance of making sure our furry friends have less fur in the warm summer months.

"Nature knows best" is an argument that needs to be used carefully with dogs. Thousands of years of domestication and specialized breeding has created vastly different results than actual natural selective breeding would have produced.

Let's face it. Large furry dogs probably would not willingly locate themselves in the hot humid summers of the southern United States. My recollection is that we spent most of last August in temperatures averaging over 105 degrees Fahrenheit!

It's a pretty good bet that the Husky down the street would most likely prefer Alaska to North Carolina. (If only his human would move the household!)

Nonetheless, there's a certain romance, a certain cache to having a "wild" animal in the house. I certainly felt it a few months ago when I was talking with someone who had grown up in a household with a cookie stealing half Malamute / half Wolf.

Perhaps that's what these folks are yearning for when they bring in the argument that "nature knows best." In the natural world, the world of actual wild animals, forests, rivers and streams, I'm the first one to talk about "nature knowing best."

But, in the world of dogs and humans, I think more along the line of harmonious relationships between two different species that have lived together for thousands of years.

What are your thoughts on this matter. Do you think of your dog as a wild animal? Another species? What are your experiences with treating your dog as a "wild" animal? Have you observed others treating their dogs in this way? What happened? Please comment, or send me an email.