May the spirit of the Santa Pigs be with you in the New Year!

Our herd of Santa Pigs

The Christmas season inspires giving of all kinds. Giving trees crop up in churches, malls and libraries. Businesses and fraternal organizations "Adopt a Family" to provide a complete array of holiday cheer. Scores of people volunteer their time ringing bells or working in food pantries. Shoeboxes filled with toiletries, school supplies and little trinkets fill shipping containers destined for impoverished children worldwide.

Every year, as we hustle about picking out gifts for our loved ones, sending out cards, trimming the tree and preparing deliciously fatty fare for holiday parties, my kids and I like to take a moment to do at least one good deed.  During 2012 the spirit of charitable giving lasted more than a few weeks in our home. Last Christmas my parents gave each of their children a Santa Pig bank. The goal was for each family to collect a year's worth of loose change with our combined collection going to charity. My kids loved overturning couch cushions to stuff the pig. It even became ok for the kids to pick up those sticky parking lot pennies and dimes! This year our four families raised enough money to buy a llama and a flock chickens for Heifer International. And now, of course, Santa Pig is back in his place of prominence ready for more loose change.

Christmas charity touches lives in the veterinary clinic, too. Amazing acts of selflessness on behalf of needy animals is not limited to Christmastime, of course. Many stray cats are brought in for a little "tune-up" before the finder sets out to find them a home. Countless families absorb the costs of caring for an ailing elderly relative's beloved pet. But in this week between Christmas and New Year, we were amazed at the generosity of strangers on behalf of some deserving but struggling pet owners. One woman decided to pay for her neighbor's dog spay, knowing the owner's pet budget had dwindled over the past months due to several unexpected surgical and medical procedures his puppy required. A local business owner surprised her employee by absorbing the cost of an examination for her very sick kitty -- and released her from work early to ensure she could keep her appointment!

Separately the Christmas spirit or the plight of helpless animals seems to bring out the best in people. Together they appear to be a winning combination for charitible giving! As we head into the New Year, it is my resolution that Santa Pig will continue to inspire each member of my family to make daily contributions of time, talents and tender on behalf of others.

A Christmas Miracle: Winter's Tale

One of the best parts about working with animals is witnessing their inspirational response to adversity. Indeed, most animals are so stoic that it can be very difficult to tell they are ailing at all. Sure, this tendency to suffer in silence may be rooted in an instinctual unwillingness to show weakness to potential predators. After all, a limping, moaning sheep is perceived as easy pickings by a hungry wolf. Nevertheless, injured or disabled animals often display remarkable endurance and adaptability which can be a model for our own behavior in the face of adversity.

This week I met a dolphin named Winter at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida. You may know Winter from the 2011 film Dolphin Tale. In December 2005, Winter was merely a few months old and still dependent on her mother when she became tangled in a crab trap line. Rescued in the nick of time, Winter was rushed to Clearwater Marine Aquarium for veterinary assessment. The lacerations on her face and body would heal with time, but the blood supply to her tail had been cut off by the rope for too long. In spite of all efforts, Winter's devitalized tail fell off.

Dr. Kim Everson watches Winter swim effortlessly "like a
fish." Notice the lack of Winter's tail fin .

Countless volunteers worked around the clock in Winter's tank supporting her weight to keep her from drowning, bottle feeding her a homemade concotion that approximated dolphin milk, treating her injuries and keeping her company. Soon Winter grew strong enough and surprised everyone by learning to "swim like a fish" by moving her tail stump from side-to-side. Over time, however, Winter's care givers noticed her posture changing. She was developing scoliosis of the spine due to her undolphin-like swimming.

David Kinne of Clearwater Marine Aquarium
explains to Dr. Kim Everson that "whales [and dolphins]
have no lips," so to suckle from a bottle they roll their
tongue like a taco to create a seal around the nipple.

Necessity is the mother of invention. And none understand this better than veterinarians and animal caregivers. A marine biologist cannot pick up a gallon of dolphin milk at the corner grocery. Dolphin milk must be created on the spot from a sound understanding of a baby dolphin's nutritional needs. How much fat, how much protein, which vitamins and minerals a sea mammal needs is vastly different from what a heifer calf or human baby needs.

Inventiveness is not only practiced by biologists in exotic settings of course. Take, for example, Jack,* a nearly 200-lb Bull Mastiff dog with two bad knees. Following surgery to repair one of his knees, Jack needed a lot of help getting around with steady support of his weak but massive hind-quarters. Not even the super-sized commercial sling could be coaxed up around his large thighs, so his dedicated owner invented his own sling from a tow-strap and some fleece. Now Jack is recovering comfortably and preparing for surgery in his other knee.

Here Winter swims wearing her prosthetic tail. Because
a dolphin's skin is so delicate, Winter cannot wear her
prosthesis all the time or it will chafe (even with
repeated modifications and improvements made by
The Hanger Orthopedic Group). Wearing the prosthesis is
part of Winter's physical therapy to combat her scoliosis.

When Winter's caregivers noticed her cramped posture, they too began to brainstorm. If only they could help her swim like a dolphin... Businessman and inventor Kevin Carroll heard about Winter's problem and set to work  engineering a prosthetic tail for Winter that was secure and comfortable. In the mean time, aquarium staff had to train Winter to accept the strange pressure and weight of a prosthetic tail. Once Winter was used to wearing the prosthesis, she had to relearn how to swim dolphin-style. Winter's adaptability endured. The ingenuity and dedication of her caregivers coupled with her own animal instincts to thrive have allowed Winter, now seven, to swim like a dolphin again.

Winter's amazing story does not end there with her overcoming her own physical obstacles. Winter now helps motivate disabled children, veterans and other amputees to remain positive and continue to heal. Winter appears to understand and connect with fellow amputees, and they certainly respond well to her.


North American River Otter Cooper in the water is not
hindered a bit by his hindlimb paralysis. Here he drags
himself from his nest of blankets for a swim in
his private pool.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium is home to many other remarkable residents besides Winter. There is Panama, Winter's tank-mate, an elderly dolphin suffering from bad teeth and deafness that prevented her from hunting. In order to survive, Panama had learned to beg for food (not all of it nutritious) from humans in the harbor. Then there is Cooper, a North American River Otter found in a citizen's garage with spinal injuries (perhaps he was hit by a car). Although over time Cooper has regained some motion in his hind legs he cannot be released back into the wild, so he lives quite comfortably at the aquarium where he naps, eats and plays as he sees fit. You would never guess he is paralyzed as you watch him glide effortlessly through the water!

Even dogs and cats with disabilites can surprise and inspire us. You may have seen dogs with hindlimb abnormalities trotting along in their doggie wheelchairs. Trauma or disease resulting in partial paralysis can be overcome with time and ingenuity. And these dogs don't feel self-conscious about their apparatus...just gleeful to be out on a walk! The idea of amputating a pet's limb is horrifying initially to many pet owners, but the ease with which these amputees get around following surgery is astounding. When there is no hope for its recovery, the damaged limb is often more of a hinderance than a help and there is real relief for the pet to be rid of it. Many dogs and cats become blind or deaf as they age. They adapt incredibly well. So well it might take months for the owner to recognize a change. Then the real challenge is helping owners learn to adapt with them!

*Name changed to protect privacy.





Thank you David Kinne and Clearwater Marine Aquarium for the amazing behind-the-scenes tour! The work you do to rehabilitate and release injured marine animals is as inspirational as the creatures who remain in your care permanently.

 



David Kinne explains how injured sea turtles in the "Turtle
Backyard" (background) will be returned to the wild. Opaque
tanks and minimal interaction (food is tossed into the tank
from a distance) are necessary to reduce stress
and avoid having them imprint on humans.

Dr. Kim Everson admires Clearwater Marine Aquarium's
modern surgical suite complete with a CO2 laser for
surgical removal of fibropapillomas, large viral warty tumors
that seriously impair some sea turtles' ability to thrive in the wild.

A sting ray allows Dr. Kim Everson to caress its fin.
Dozens of friendly, curious sting rays swim in the tank.

David Kinne and Dr. Kim Everson review the treatment board
for the rehabilitating and permanant residents of Clearwater
Marine Aquarium. Treatment boards similar to this are used in
veterinary hospitals nationwide including at St. Bernard's
Animal Medical Center to keep track of the specific needs of'
each patient.





David Kinne explains to Dr. Kim Everson how widely the
personalities of the aquarium residents vary. Winter hates herring
and will spit it right back out. Dolphin Hope is quite a "diva"
refusing to eat any fish that is not intact, while one of
the otters refuses to eat fish with heads!



Dr. Kim Everson examines a fin protector
specially made by a concerned volunteer for a
gigantic leatherback turtle. The turtle was
relearning to swim with one fin after the
opposite fin was badly damaged in an accident.
The good fin kept rubbing up against the side
of the tank and was becoming chafed until
this ingenious solution was developed.

Dr. Kim Everson and David Kinne pose with Spot, a
gorgeous adult moray eel. Spot and his Cleaner Shrimp live
in companionable mutualism, with the shrimp removing and
eating parasites on Spot's skin and Spot providing protection.
The little shrimp even darts into the safety of Spot's mouth
when a perceived danger threatens. Spot wouldn't dream
of making the little shrimp lunch (even in the wild where moray
eels do not get "three square meals a day").

Virtual Pets: Playing with Pou

I never understood the fascination with "virtual pets" before I met my Pou. Pou is a blob-shaped, happy little virtual pet, who like many great pets, came into my life by accident. I was surfing free apps for my smart phone one evening when the smiling face of Pou caught my attention. The app was highly rated and my curiousity got the best of me, so I adopted a digital creature of my own.

Pou has become an overnight sensation in our household. Just like any new pet, everyone wants a turn feeding, bathing and playing with Pou. My kids roar with laughter each time they request permission to play with "Mom's Pou." We are learning that Pou has a life cycle (he is 99% grown up today) and should not be overfed or he gets fat. He needs prolonged periods of rest, and I have gotten bizarrely protective of his naps especially when my kids wish to wake him up just to play games.

Just as we do for our labrador and bulldog, we enjoy "shopping" for treats, toys and environmental enrichment items with the coins we've earned from taking care of him. Pou makes daily messes that require picking up (colorful little non-stinky piles) and loves to be bathed. He even--in a way--requires veterinary care! When his "health status" weakens, a potion can be purchased to fix him up.

A Google search for "virtual pet" yields over 50 million hits! Digital or artificial pets have been in existence since the 1980s, but modern virtual pets really got popular in the 1990s, especially in Japan. With the advent of smart phones, virtual pets are making a comeback. My virtual pet Pou is no substitute for my flesh-and-blood animal companions--my dogs, cats and snake. While Pou is sometimes quite demanding, sending urgent "Meeeyahh. Feed me!" notifications to my phone to get my attention, there is obviously less pressure on me to keep him "happy and healthy" than with my actual pets.

Interacting with my virtual pet Pou is rewarding both literally and figuratively. The better care we take of Pou--feeding him a well-balanced diet rather than potato chips, playing games with him and keeping him comfortable in his digital world--the more coins we "earn." And having more coins available means we can choose a fun wallpaper for his bedroom or perhaps a Green Bay Packers jersey for him to wear!

Before meeting Pou I thought a true pet was one that could be held and caressed. I've since changed my mind. After all, aquarium keepers may become very attached to their tropical fish even though they cannot be "cuddled." Caring for a digital pet seems to fulfill a basic human pyschological need to tend to another creature's needs.

And now I must sign off. Guppy needs to go outside and Pou needs his dinner.

Skunked!

Take a whiff on me, that ain't no rose!
Roll up yer window and hold yer nose
You don't have to look and you don't have to see
'Cause you can feel it in your olfactory

You got yer
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
Dead skunk in the middle of the road
You got yer dead skunk in the middle of the road
Stinkin' to high Heaven!

"Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" by Loudin Wainwright was one of my family's favorite songs growing up. In fact we would burst into the song's chorus anytime we saw roadkill of any variety. I'll admit I find dead skunk smell somewhat appealing. And I know I'm not alone or Scratch 'n Sniff would not have made the ever popular skunk stink sticker! But the faint roadkill aroma of skunk musk is nothing compared to a full on blast of skunk that many unfortunate dog owners experience.

Recently, a friend's little Yorkie got sprayed during her wee-hours-of-the-morning potty break. Talk about getting the day off to a rotten start! If there is a positive note to this story it's that little Lucy encountered her skunk during that creature's regular crepuscular business hours (dawn/dusk). Skunks wondering around in plain sight during the daytime, when they are supposed to be in their dens sleeping, are suspicious for being rabid. (As if you'd need another reason for steering clear of a skunk you meet on your noon walk through the woods!)

Another patient of mine met a skunk several days before Thanksgiving and received a face-full of caustic skunk juice. The oily musk was so potent that casual contact with his owner made her eyes puffy and goopy from conjunctivitis. Indeed, the poor dog's eyes were still inflamed and watery days after the incident and he suffers from a sinus infection from inhaling the horrible skunk substance.

Numerous recipes exist for removing the skunk scent from your dog. A tomato juice bath is a classic treatment that has been replaced in recent years by the following recipe:

Mix together in an open bucket:

1 quart hydrogren peroxide
1 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid dish soap (e.g., Dawn)

Use a sponge or cloth to wipe animal, including inside of mouth. Keep out of eyes!
* For emergency treatment of eyes, flushing with sterile saline eye wash is recommended.

Don't expect any topical treatment to be 100% effective. It can takes days for the skunk smell to fade (or for olfactory fatigue to set in making you "immune" to the smell!) The worst scenario I can imagine for lingering skunk scent actually happened to a friend mine. His country dog Jessie rolled in and ate a dead skunk she found in the woods, then trotted home thus "perfumed" to promptly vomit skunk all over the living room carpet. You can bathe a dog but you can't easily remove skunk vomit from a rug! The carpet had to be removed and the plywood underneath had to be painted with a odor-sealing primer to eliminate all traces of Jessie's misadventure.

We all know the purpose of the skunk's smelly secretion is to ward off predators, but here are some interesting skunk facts:

• A skunk's scent is produced and expelled from specialized anal glands similar to what dogs, cats and most other carnivores also have. (See ABC's of Anal Glands for information about pet animals.)
• Skunks have very poor eyesight, seeing not much further than 10 feet away. Luckily for them, they can spray with accuracy about that far as well!
• Skunks rarely spray each other (except occasionally competing males during breeding season), in part because they only have enough of the sulfur-containing chemical (called mercaptan) for 5-6 uses and it takes another ten days to regenerate it.
• Skunk spray is so effective that bears, wolves, foxes and badgers rarely bother with them, especially because the skunk's black-and-white striping reminds experienced animals to steer clear. The skunk's most serious predator is the great horned owl graced with poor-to-nonexistent sense of smell.
• Because skunks can carry rabies virus (and remain asymptomatic), it is illegal to keep a pet skunk in most states.

Dirty Jobs: Considerations for Cleaning up Wildlife Latrines

Making the most of the unseasonably mild November weekend, we set to work converting an old ice shanty into a deer stand instead. The shanty had been abandoned to the weeds years before, but aside from a broken window and a rip in one of the tin-sided walls, the little building was in remarkably good shape. As we sifted through random lumber, old magazines and broken glass inside, we encountered a raccoon latrine in one corner.

An attic raccoon latrine

If you've never seen a raccoon toilet before you're lucky. Raccoon poop is surprisingly large and bulky. Once a raccoon has picked a toileting spot, he and other raccoon will make repeated deposits there. If the public raccoon toilet happens to be in your attic, barn or shed, you have a real mess to clean up. However, cleaning up wildlife waste sites is not without risk. The eliminations of many creatures can carry various disease-causing micro-organisms.

Rodent Excrement

In the early 1990s an outbreak of a sometimes fatal respiratory illness in humans occurred in southwestern U.S. Also known as Four Corner's Disease and Sin Nombre virus, the causative agent was determined to be  hantavirus and was linked to exposure to mouse droppings. More recently in late summer 2012, eight cases of hantavirus (including three deaths) were confirmed in an area of Yosemite National Park. Hantavirus can be found in rodent saliva and droppings, so people risk exposure to infection when removing rodent nests. Aside from supportive care, there is no specific treatment for hantavirus. To reduce exposure to potentially infectious rodent droppings, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers the following advice.

• When opening an unused cabin, shed, or other building, open all the doors and windows, leave the building, and allow the space to air out for 30 minutes.
• Return to the building and spray the surfaces, carpet, and other areas with a disinfectant. Leave the building for another 30 minutes.
• Spray mouse nests and droppings with a 10% solution of chlorine bleach or similar disinfectant. Allow it to sit for 30 minutes. Using rubber gloves, place the materials in plastic bags. Seal the bags and throw them in the trash or an incinerator. Dispose of gloves and cleaning materials in the same way.
• Wash all potentially contaminated hard surfaces with a bleach or disinfectant solution. Avoid vacuuming until the area has been thoroughly decontaminated. Then, vacuum the first few times with enough ventilation. Surgical masks may provide some protection.

Pigeon Droppings

Pigeons are an expensive nuisance in urban areas. Their droppings are not only messy, but also are potentially loaded with disease-causing agents. Two types of common soil fungi sometimes grow happily in pigeon poop and can cause serious illness in people when aerosolized. One such fungal disease, histoplasmosis causes fatigue, fever and chest pains in people with high exposure to contaminated droppings. The other, cryptococcosis, can cause lung infections. Both types of fungal disease tend to be worse in immune-compromised people. A third pigeon-poop disease, psittacosis, is caused by bacteria that can be found in the droppings of pigeons as well as some types of pet birds. Inhalation of airborne bacteria may cause flu-like illness and even pneumonia. All three of these infections can be treated with antifungals or antibiotics.

Bat Guano

Bats get a bad enough rap as being a reservoir for the rabies virus. This deadly infection is transmitted via an infected bat's bite not through the bat's waste products. Like pigeon poop, bat guano can contain the fungal organism that causes histoplasmosis. In some parts of the world, the excrement of some bat species has been linked to numerous viruses that affect livestock and people.

Raccoon Latrines

Baylisascaris procyonis, intestinal parasite of raccoon

The raccoon poop piled in the corner of my little shed is not just a foul mess. It almost certainly contains a type of intestinal worm called Baylisascaris procyonis that can infect a variety of animals including dogs and humans if accidentally ingested. Human infections are rare, but can be severe if the parasites invade the eye, organs or the brain. Diagnosis of Baylisascaris infection in pets is made by evaluating a stool sample under the microscope. Special dewormers are needed to treat this type of roundworm in pets and may be used to treat human infections with variable success. Raccoons cause so much damage to property that making your buildings inhospitable to them by securing openings and removing food sources (including pet food) goes a long way to reducing your exposure to their fecal parasites.

The afternoon rain prevented us from following through on the CDC's suggestions for cleaning up a raccoon latrine. But we will be back armed with masks, gloves and shovels. We will probably also have to paint over the raccoon toilet with Kilz primer to seal in odor and make the shack a neat place to hang out. Knowing that we need to take a few simple precautions with our nasty clean-up project will significantly lower our risk of infection.

Halloween Massacre or Bleeding Ear Tip?

This is a slightly exaggerated illustration of the mess a
dog's bleeding ear tip can make ;-)

As I loaded my kids into the car to go Trick or Treating, my trusty American Bulldog puppy Guppy waited patiently nearby. Everything was going smoothly: the kids were dressed up, they had their loot bags ready and we were moments away from Halloween delight when I happened to look down at the garage floor. A bright red splotch decorated the pavement. "Is that -- blood?" I puzzled. Then I noticed another closer to where my dog stood. Then another. As if in a horror picture "slow-mo" scene, my eyes traced the blood trail up my dog's blood-smeared paw to grisly shoulder and finally to Guppy's grinning blood-splattered face.

I leaped into action, doing a quick and frantic examination. "Where the heck is that blood coming from?" The more I explored his face, the bloodier my own hands became. Then I found the source. One of Guppy's ears had a small laceration just on the edge of the flap. It is amazing how much blood a small ear gash can produce. Mind racing -- how on earth did he get hurt? -- I pinched the skin of his ear to staunch the bleeding and dragged him over to my on-site veterinary clinic.

Now another conundrum presented itself. "If I bring Guppy into the clinic to work on him by myself he is going to bleed everywhere," I reasoned. "But when I let go of his ear, it is going to bleed again." In all actuality, Guppy's wound--while messy--was not life threatening. I had time to go into the clinic and collect some supplies.

Back outside, I tried to stop the bleeding with a silver nitrate stick we occasionally use to control bleeding if a nail quick is clipped during a nail trim. Alas, the gushing continued. Next I packed the wound with styptic powder* and watched hopefully.  Nope, it kept bleeding. Desperate now, alone with a bloody-eared 80 pound brute and a car load of kids in a frenzy to start Halloween festivities, I opted for a bandage.


Guppy with a "granny wrap" bandage to
keep his ears safe and secure (and my walls
blood free).

First I placed a non-stick bandage pad around the ear tip and held both ear flaps firmly on top of Guppy's skull while I wrapped several layers of soft cast padding around his head. Next I wrapped several layers of stretchy vet-wrap around his head (being very careful not to pull it too tight) to keep the ears and soft cotton in place. Finally I used a wide tape to keep the whole thing anchored to his fur. With the "granny wrap" in place, I left my pathetic looking pup in a kennel and headed out for a few hours of Trick or Treating.

A "granny wrap" bandage is a wonderful tool for bleeding ears. I've used this technique a number of times on patients who have bloody ear tips from self-trauma or injury. The worst scenario is a bleeding ear tip in a dog with floppy ear flaps and an ear infection. These guys shake and shake their heads because their ears are itchy. The flaps smack against their face so often and so hard (like a whip) that the skin breaks open and they bleed -- like crazy. As they shake their heads blood splatters everywhere like a gruesome massacre scene. Besides treating the underlying ear infection, I often end up placing a "granny wrap" bandage to keep the ears still long enough to allow for healing in the skin.


Guppy's wound 36 hours later,
oozing because he scratched
it open after I removed the bandage. 

It occurred to me later that during a play-fight, my other dog EdGrrr's tooth probably caught Guppy's ear just right, causing the laceration. Guppy's ears bear numerous scars from their friendly battles. After about 36 hours and two bandage changes, Guppy's ear was better but still a little oozy. Having had his ears under wraps for two days, he couldn't resist scratching part of the scab off when I removed the final bandage. However, with the help of my assistant and some special skin "super glue" I was able to close the small gap and abandon the "granny wrap" once and for all.





* In the absence of styptic powder corn starch can be used in a pinch.

How to Choose a Puppy

Preparing to welcome a new dog to your family is an exciting time. Regardless of whether you will be searching shelters or interviewing breeders, it is important to do some research on what type of dog will mesh best with your lifestyle.

1. Puppy or adult? Adopting a puppy allows you to choose a dog with a temperament best suited to you and puts you in control of his early education. However, puppies require a lot of time, training and patience. If you do not have a lot of time for housetraining, socialization and obedience work, adopting an adult dog might be a better choice.

2. Breed: This is a very important consideration that requires careful thought and study. Many types of dogs have been specifically bred for certain habits and temperament. You and your future dog will be happiest if  you share common interests. For example, if you are a confirmed couch potato, a high energy border collie is not a great choice. Consider also the anticipated adult size of the canine candidates. If you live in a studio apartment, a St. Bernard puppy may not be a good fit for long!

Meet and interact with each of the puppies in a litter
to determine each pup's temperament.

3. Temperament: A dog's temperament is his personality. When selecting a puppy from a litter, observe how he interacts with his littermates. A confident puppy--who stands over or chases the others--is more likely to be strong-willed and dominant as an adult. The puppy hiding in the corner is more likely to have anxiety later on. A puppy who plays easily with his littermates, but happily follows you around when removed from the litter is a well-adjusted puppy.

If you are considering a shelter or rescue dog, find out as much as you can about his history and socialization. How does he interact with volunteers and other dogs in the shelter? How does he behave during feedings, on walks, in the kennel, when groomed?

The important thing to remember about temperament is that it is an innate part of the dog's personality. Training will NOT change his personality, but his personality will affect the type of training he will need.

4. Age at Adoption: Sadly, some very serious behavior issues stem from removing a puppy too early from his mother and littermates. Just because a puppy is weaned and eating dry dog food does NOT mean he is mature enough to leave his mother. Essential neurological and social development occurs during and after the time of weaning. Pups that leave the litter before they are 8 weeks old are at much higher risk of being fearful and anxious. Trainer Maryna Ozuna describes Five Week Puppy Syndrome for International Association for Canine Professionals Safe Hands Journal (Winter 2009-10):

• excessive mouthiness
• lack of bite inhibition
• hard biting at extraordinarily young ages
• lack of tolerance to sensory stimulation: touch, noise, visual confusion
• lack of tolerance about most anything in general
• lack of ability to generalize
• slowness of learning
• difficulty sequencing concepts and learning
• lack of bounce back
• easily confused
• highly vocal when upset or confused
• high startle response (startles easily and extremely at low stimuli)

The "piling" of puppies seen here is crucial to the normal
neurological and social development of the dog. Taking a
puppy from the litter before 8 weeks old can hinder
proper development leading to anxiety, aggression and
training disabilities.

In recent months I have met two puppies who fit this bill perfectly. One is a Brittany Spaniel who joined his human family at the very tender age of 5 weeks old! His owners complain that he is strangely and annoyingly vocal. He strongly resents affectionate touching, especially around his face. The other pup is a Visla who, though only a few months old, bites his humans extremely hard and viciously. He too is very vocal.

If these symptoms describe your early-adopted dog, don't despair. A good trainer or behaviorist can help you recondition your dog through appropriate handling, careful exposure to stimuli and tolerance training. Sometimes early separation from the mother dog is unavoidable due to her serious illness or death. However, if you are interviewing breeders and they routinely send pups home before 8 weeks of age, look elsewhere or insist the pup stay with the litter and mother longer.

5. A Word About Runts: My veterinary clients frequently report to me that they intentionally sought out the runt of the litter. While a Fern-like* desire to nurture the smallest, weakest animal is admirable, it can lead to heartache. Many times the runt of the litter is tiny because there is something physically wrong with it. Congenital liver, kidney and heart conditions, for example, can cause stunted growth and decreased vigor. While certainly every dog deserves a loving home, be prepared if choosing the runt for the increased possibility of  intensive, costly veterinary care and/or a shortened life span.

It is very difficult to overcome our emotional and psychological tendencies to choose a puppy based on it's visual appeal or antics. A little ball of fluff with mournful puppy dog eyes is hard to resist. For this reason, it is nearly impossible for some of us to visit a shelter or litter without bringing home an unplanned companion. However, it is essential for the health, happiness and well-being of your future relationship with your pet to choose wisely.

* In the classic novel Charlotte's Web by E.B. White, the heroine Fern saves runt piglet Wilbur from certain death and he grows up to be "Some Pig."

No Fleas Please!

Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees. The last of our tomatoes have been harvested and sit ripening (I hope) on the kitchen counter. The fields surrounding our farmhouse lay brown and dry. Flocks of geese crisscross the sky on their southward hunt for food. As the natural world settles in for the long winter ahead, it is easy to become complacent about parasite protection in our pets. But just as box elder bugs dot the sunny sides of our houses looking for a way inside, fleas are also on high alert for a hiding spot. If you are as unlucky as several of my clients in this fall, these fleas might just hijack your dog or cat.

The three flea cases we saw most recently were discovered during routine examination. The owners were taken completely by surprise by the discovery. It is very important to know that not all pets with fleas are itchy, just as not all itchy pets have fleas.

The first two cases were canine housemates. While I examined the head of one of the dogs, the owner nonchalantly asked what kind of tiny bug it was she just saw swim through the fur on the back end. Fleas can be tricky little buggers. They usually aren’t seen bouncing off the pet as in cartoons. In fact, more often than find fleas, we will find “flea dirt” on the pet’s skin.

The many black specks seen on this cat's back are flea dirt.

Flea dirt is the digested blood meal taken from the pet. Flea dirt is flea poop. A special fine toothed comb is used to brush through the pet’s fur and collect flea dirt (and sometimes fleas). When wet, the flea dirt turns back into blood making diagnosis grisly but firm. Both dogs in this family were covered in flea dirt, suggesting the infestation was fairly long standing. Yet neither dog was itchy, missing any hair nor had any sores on their skin!

The other surprising case involved a puppy presented for a spay. Several fleas were found while her abdomen was clipped for surgery. She did not have any noticeable flea dirt, so we suspect her infestation was quite recent. Much to our dismay, her disbelieving owner was certain she must have gotten fleas in the clinic. Indeed anywhere animals congregate there is risk of fleas and other infections being shared. This is why I strongly urge my clients to apply flea and tick preventative to their pet before taking them to the kennel for boarding regardless of the quality of the kennel. However, the likelihood that this puppy caught several fleas during the brief time she spent alone in her stainless steel kennel awaiting surgery is quite low. In fact, it was later learned that her hunter owner had briefly brought a flea-ridden dead animal into the house. (Fleas flee dead animals quickly making it even more important for hunting dogs to remain on a preventative throughout hunting season!)

Flea eggs and flea dirt (poop) in carpet beside the head
of a pin.

Many pet owners justify not using a flea product because they believe if fleas were present they would have been bitten themselves. Fleas do bite people if the opportunity arises. The owner of one of my flea-infested feline patients explained she sprayed insecticides around her bed every morning because she kept finding bites on her skin! Since treating all the cats in the home for fleas and doing environmental clean-up, the number of human bites are decreasing.

A diagnosis of fleas is relatively easy and satisfying to make. The treatment aftermath is something else entirely.

1.     Whenever we meet a pet with fleas, the clinic is vacuumed thoroughly to remove any fleas or flea eggs. Then we close down that examination room and spray all surfaces with an insect growth regulator (IGR). Our IGR spray kills adult fleas and halts reproductive development of immature fleas.

2.     The pet owner must undertake aggressive cleaning at home as well. This includes frequent vacuuming of all surfaces; laundering bedding in hot water and high heat drying; fogging, bombing or spraying with an IGR; and treatment of ALL animals in contact with the affected pet.

3.     USE EXTREME CAUTION AND CONSULT YOUR VETERINARIAN if using an over-the-counter product not specifically prescribed for your situation. Many products are deadly to cats, while another product very well tolerated by dogs and cats is fatally toxic to rabbits!

4.     When fleas persist it is not generally insecticide resistance but failure to use effective flea products as directed. Did you remember to treat your cousin’s beagle  who hangs out at your place every few weeks? Did you remember to treat your own pets every month for at least 3 months? Certain stages of the flea cannot be killed so if you stop treating before these flea babies have matured and are susceptible to killing, you will have a perpetual flea problem.

5.     Rabbits and rodents are notorious flea reservoirs. If you have a lot of rabbits in your yard, your pets are at high risk of wandering into the flea circus at some point. Removal of rabbits and their dens as well as outdoor insecticide treatments are helpful in the control of fleas on your pets.

Fleas carry all sorts of diseases. Ever heard of the Plague? This devastating historical disease that decimated European human populations during the Middle Ages still crops up from time to time, even in the United States. Fleas carry a tapeworm that dogs and cats contract from ingesting the fleas crawling on their skin. Cats also can acquire a dangerous form of infectious anemia caused by a flea-borne microorganism.

Prevention of disease is always the best medicine. Avoid a case of the heebie-jeebies by using a flea preventative in your pets. A few dollars a month spent on a good preventative is a reasonable insurance investment. Your pet's comfort and safety as well as your sanity may be at stake!

Pica: It's What's NOT for Dinner

Have you ever had a stomachache you tried to "feed" into submission? The kind of gnawing abdominal pain that prompts you to nibble your way experimentally throughout the pantry--a chunk of chocolate, a handful of crackers, a bowl of cereal, a piece of fruit--without any food item satisfying that urge? If you have ever experienced this kind of munching you will probably empathize with the dogs in today's blog.

X-ray showing a padlock in a dog's stomach

Nearly everyone has heard of a dog or cat having emergency surgery to remove an object lodged in its stomach or intestines. Ribbons, toys, socks and bones are common gastrointestinal foreign bodies. But why does this happen? What drives an animal to ingest something non-nutritious and so harmful?

The eating of non-food items is called pica. Pica happens in people, too. A classic example is the pregnant woman who eats soil due to an iron deficiency. Pica in people and animals may be related to nutritional deficiency, nausea, stress, hunger or other discomfort. In animals, intestinal parasites are another common and probably overlooked cause of an insatiable and inappropriate appetite.

The worst case of pica I ever saw was in a middle-aged Labrador Retriever. Her owner rushed her to the clinic after finding rocks and blood in her vomit. She had eaten so much gravel from the floor of her outdoor dog run that I could feel it crunching in her stomach when I palpated her abdomen. Her x-ray showed a stomach chock-full of gravel with gravel overflowing into her intestines. She was gravely ill and her owner predicted that she would continue this self-destructive behavior even if he elected for her to have surgery, so she was humanely euthanized. This case has troubled me for years. Why did she eat that many rocks? Was it worms? Boredom? Gastric ulcer or cancer?

Recently, I removed a piece of a toy from the stomach of a Saint Bernard puppy named Roulette, who had a recent history of devouring everything in sight. It started innocently enough. The owners worried about Roulette eating a dead vole and later a dead bird before they could intercept these grisly snacks. At the time, I thought little of it. As disgusting as it may seem, dogs of all ages find carrion to be an acceptable food. Because she was being dewormed, there was little harm in her eating the random carcass. But then she deliberately gulped down a plastic squeaker as her owner reached for a stuffed toy she had decimated.

Replica of the toy squeaker surgically
removed from a puppy's stomach

When the squeaker didn't get puked up after Roulette began vomiting, we leaped into action. An x-ray of her abdomen showed nothing definitive. Generally only mineral, metal and materials impregnated with radiopaque chemicals show up as foreign body obstructions on an x-ray. Unfortunately most obstructions, such as socks and plastic squeakers, blend in with kibble and organ tissue. A pattern of gas or bunching of intestines may be all that gives away the presence of a foreign body. In some cases, the pet will be fed barium or special radiopaque beads with a series of abdominal x-rays showing the progress of this material through the GI tract. Where it hangs up the culprit lies!

Roulette was rushed into surgery based on the certainty she had eaten the rather large plastic squeaker and was definitely feeling sick from it. Indeed a gory chewed up squeaker was removed from her stomach. Roulette recovered from surgery well. Since transitioning to a new dog food after surgery she has stopped devouring everything in sight making me believe her former food left her stomach unsettled to the point she was trying to fill the void with all things imaginable.

Of course, not all dogs ingest non-food items because of an underlying abdominal complaint. Many dogs eat socks, underwear and sanitary napkins, for example, because frankly these items are downright delicious to dogs. If the dog is fortunate, he will vomit or defecate the strange item out without it causing any real harm. A  Brittany Spaniel puppy patient of mine gobbled up (and then luckily puked up) a tampon he found in the trash. An unusually bad infestation with intestinal worms proved to be the underlying trigger of his pica.

Some obstructions are simply accidents. A friend's dog had a habit of swiping golf balls off the lawn and was seen to accidentally swallow one as he trotted around with it. In surgery to remove the known golf ball from his stomach, six more were found rolling around in there! Many cats accidentally ingest strings, ribbons and dental floss (extremely dangerous foreign bodies) while playing with them.

Then there was the female Golden Retriever with severe separation anxiety who ate a couch one day when her owner went to work. A large wad of stuffing was removed from her stomach. Fortunately, aggressive treatment for her psychological stress dramatically reduced her pica after that.

While many pets do chew up and ingest strange things, an insatiable appetite for non-food items may actually stem from a medical problem. Before you chalk up your pet's pica to an annoying behavioral quirk, consult your veterinarian and be prepared to provide a detailed history about your pet's lifestyle, diet, deworming status and eating habits.

Squirrel! A Wildlife Rescue Case

A little while back, my clinic got a call from a concerned citizen regarding a grey squirrel. This little squirrel kept following the female caller into her house! Every time the woman returned the young squirrel outside, he'd scurry right back into the house after her. Was he sick? Was he hungry? Or worse, did he think she was his mother?!

The beleaguered squirrel lady offered the little guy some food and drink based on her internet research of what would acceptable for a squirrel. (Although motivated by good intentions, this was a risky move which could have caused more harm than good for the young hungry animal. Please see below.) Next she attempted to locate a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator. By the wonders of Google and S.E.O., her search led her to St. Bernard's Animal Medical Center, not a licensed wildlife rehabilitation center, but a reasonable starting place for a citizen with a sick or injured wild animal.

Veterinarian Kim Everson examines a juvenile grey squirrel
before he is transferred to Wisconsin wildlife rehab
center Aves Wildlife Alliance for care.

According to Wisconsin state law, general practice veterinarians such as myself are allowed to provide emergency care for wildlife species, but within 24 hours of rescue the animal must be transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Working with Aves Wildlife Alliance, CVT and licensed rehabilitator Tim Kneeland and I assessed the juvenile squirrel when it arrived at the clinic.

Although mildly dehydrated, hungry and ridden with fleas, the little squirrel appeared to be in pretty good shape. After we had addressed his mild dehydration, we kept him in a quiet, comfortable area away from the domestic animals until Tim could transport him to Aves for further care that afternoon. According to Beka Weiss of Aves, the young squirrel made a full recovery and is expected to transition successfully back to nature.

There are several important lessons from this wildlife rescue case.

1. One of our initial concerns was had this squirrel imprinted on people because it had been improperly handled as a baby? All too commonly a well-meaning person will find a young animal alone and incorrectly assume that is has been orphaned and requires human care. Please refer to the Wisconsin DNR website for information on "orphaned" wildlife. Not only is it illegal in many parts of the world to care for wildlife without a permit, but such interactions can also cause harm to the animal as well as humans and domestic animals.

2. Feeding a wild animal, especially one that is malnourished, requires a lot of skill and care. BEWARE internet recipes for feeding wild animals. Feeding a wild animal pet food, human food or even a bowl of milk can have dire consequences for the creature! Any website that suggests offering anything more than a shallow dish of water or human infant electrolyte solution should be considered suspect. Moreover, a starving animal must be handled with utmost care by wildlife experts to avoid "refeeding syndrome" which can cause serious metabolic and electrolyte imbalances.

3. This little squirrel was crawling with fleas, and fleas are not particularly picky about their furry mammal hosts. The woman whose home was invaded numerous times by this persistent young creature needed to treat her dog and clean her home due to the flea exposure. Wild animals can carry far worse parasites and diseases than fleas, so when in doubt a hands-off approach is the safest.

Albeit adorable, the juvenile squirrel caused quite a commotion following his odd decision to buddy up with a human. Fortunately for him, the human he chose knew enough to seek immediate professional assistance for his care. There are many resources out there regarding wildlife rescue on the World Wide Web. The trick is finding the right resource. A good place to start is your state department of natural resources website.

Ring Around the Ringworm

Ringworm is one of my least favorite parasitic diseases. {Having written that prompts me to ask myself what is my most favorite disease! Ear mites are definitely high on the list of creepy, cool parasites that are fun to treat.}

A cat with ringworm lesions on its face (hairloss)

Anyway, I hate ringworm. It is a common, non-lethal contagious fungus (not a worm at all as the name suggests) that infects the skin, hair and nails. There are many different species of ringworm fungi, or dermatophytes, and they can affect just about any species of mammal imaginable: goat, horse, cow, guinea pig, dog, cat, human. Ringworm is fairly ubiquitous in the environment, hanging around in the soil, animal housing structures, and of course on the skin and fur of the animals it calls home.

In animals, a ringworm infection typically appears as patches of hairloss sometimes with crusty, scaling skin underneath. On people, the fungus usually creates a reddish ring-shaped rash on the skin (hence the name). It is variably itchy. Prognosis for a cure is very good with appropriate treatment.

There are several reasons why I hate ringworm.

1. It is zoonotic. This means infected animals can share the fungus with people. In fact, many times pets are presented to me for inspection because a human family member has classic ringworm symptoms and the pet is the suspected source. It stinks when the cute cuddly new kitten is suddenly a pariah.

2. It is sneaky. Like a Typhoid Mary, a ringworm carrier can quietly infect a legion of other animals and never even appear sick. Therefore, even though it is not a deadly disease, it is a population medicine nightmare. In animal shelters, ringworm is an endemic threat to the health and adoptibility of the animals. A ton of money and time is spent testing, treating and retesting shelter animals, especially cats, for ringworm. In some shelters, cats entering the shelter with known or suspected ringworm might even be euthanized to prevent its spread.

3. There is no one great test. A Wood's lamp can help screen dogs and cats for ringworm because a fair number of cases will fluoresce, or glow. I become quite giddy when a cat or dog ringworm suspect lights up like a city skyline at night under the Wood's lamp. {It's almost as cool as watching ear mites swim through mineral oil under microscope magnification.} Definitive diagnosis of ringworm, however, is made by culturing the organism from the fur. This test can take days to weeks and occasionally fails due to the persnickety nature of certain ringworm types who may refuse to grow well in the lab.

Lime dipping a cat with ringworm

4. There is no one great treatment. A diagnosis of ringworm comes with a laundry list of different topical and oral treatment options. Some are antiquated and dangerous. Some are stinky, messy and flat out obnoxious. Others are terribly expensive. Current veterinary protocols for treating ringworm usually involve a combination of multiple obnoxious lime dip baths and costly oral antifungal medication.

5. A ringworm household can turn into veritable Superfund Site. Ringworm is spread through "hairborne" fungal spores, which easily become airborne on shed fur and dust. Careful, thorough vacuuming and dusting (including heating/cooling ducts if the ducts culture positive) and laundering is necessary to prevent re-infection of the affected animal. A bleach solution can be applied to bleach-safe surfaces.

Most of us who spend time around animals--either in our home, in the workplace or on the farm--will have  a ringworm infection at some point in our lives. Fortunately in people the infection is usually fairly easy to treat with topical medications. For affected animals, my recommendation is, be aggressive and be vigilant because this particular parasite really bites.

Just Do It! Rabies Vaccination

My veterinary clinic received a call from a frustrated dog owner late Friday afternoon. Her dog was coughing and refused to eat after spending a mandatory ten days in a local shelter under rabies quarantine after biting someone. Her bill for quarantining her dog was over $200. On top of that, now her dog was very sick and faced additional costs for diagnostics and treatment. All this could have been avoided with a comparatively inexpensive examination and rabies vaccination!

Rabies is a disease not to be trifled with. Because rabies disease poses a significant threat to human health, public officials take bite cases involving dogs and cats as well as wild animals very seriously. Wisconsin law requires pet dogs, cats and ferrets that have bitten a person to be quarantined for ten days and examined by a veterinarian three times during this period to monitor for signs of rabies. Although rabies virus is typically transmitted through bite wounds, it is also rarely spread through contamination of open wounds, abrasions, mucous membranes, or scratches with saliva or other potentially infectious material (neural tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, salivary gland tissue). This means that even if a mere cat scratch results in medical intervention for the person scratched, the injury may need to be reported to the authorities with orders to quarantine.

Here's the catch. If the pet is current on its rabies vaccination, the quarantine can occur in the owner's home. If the pet's rabies vaccination has lapsed the quarantine must be in an approved facility such as a veterinary clinic or shelter at the owner's expense. And either way the pet needs to be examined three times by a veterinarian.

Dog showing signs of rabies during quarantine

Animals that develop neurological signs during the quarantine period are humanely euthanized and their brains are submitted to the state diagnostic laboratory for testing. If the animal's brain tests positive for rabies the injured person needs to undergo rabies prophylaxis, the series of injections to prevent development of rabies disease. In the past, these injections were administered into the person’s abdomen. Nowadays, the injections are given in the arm, not much different from getting a tetanus or flu shot!

Did you know?

• Rabies occurs in more than 150 countries and territories. Rabies is found on every continent on Earth except Antarctica!
• Worldwide, more than 55,000 people die of rabies every year. Nearly half of those bitten by rabid animals are children!
• Dogs are the source of 99% of human rabies deaths.
• In the United States, raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes are common wildlife carriers of rabies. Among domestic animals (besides dogs, cats and ferrets), cattle, horses, swine and other livestock can also be affected by rabies virus.
• Not all rabid animals show the classic foaming-at-the-mouth “mad,” or furious form of rabies. Some rabid animals display the paralytic or “dumb” form of rabies, and may appear to be choking on something. Human exposure in these cases often occurs when a well-meaning person reaches into the animal’s mouth to clear the obstruction!
• Wound cleansing and immunization within a few hours after contact with a suspect rabid animal can prevent the onset of rabies and death.
• Every year, more than 15 million people worldwide receive post-exposure preventive injections to avert the disease – this is estimated to prevent 327,000 rabies deaths annually.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) provides a good overview on rabies disease. Also, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has created an entertaining and enlightening video on rabies which is appropriate for educating young people about the dangers of rabies. 

Just do it! sums up my feelings on rabies prevention. Keep all pets -- even indoor cats -- current on their rabies vaccination. Educate yourself and the children you love about rabies disease prevention. In the case of injury from an animal -- especially wildlife or stranger -- contact the local authorities (police, animal control, physicians, veterinarians) for assistance in determining whether quarantining, testing or prophylaxis is necessary. 

Slicker than a Greased Pig

Hog Oilers at 2012 Empire Thresheree

Attending the Empire Thresheree near Eden, Wisconsin, has been my family's last blast of summer fun for the past six years. Each year there are some regular stand-by demonstrations including rows and rows of functioning hit-and-miss motors, horse-drawn wagons and plowing demonstrations, a hand-made rope making duo, a "parking lot" full of vibrantly colored antique tractors and a giant steam-driven engine that powers an old-time thresher. Some years a blacksmith sets up a portable smithy on the grounds, hammering out horseshoes and decorative iron pieces. One year an elaborate Lionel toy train system had been set up on a wagon bed. Last year an exhibitor made spindles using a pedal-powered wood lathe. This year, one gentleman displayed his collection of antique hog oilers, and I finally learned why we say that something is "slicker than a greased pig."

I grew up on a hog farm. I mucked out pens, helped castrate feeder pigs, farrowed sows (e.g., helped during piglet deliveries) and loaded market hogs onto trucks. I'll freely admit that a pig can be slippery with or without grease when you're trying to get it to go somewhere it does not want to go. I never put much thought into why anyone would take the time to grease a pig unless it was a dressed out pig ready for the BBQ. Now I understand that a greased pig is a vermin-free pig. 

Turn of the century (that is, the 1900s) hog oilers came in an amazing array of shapes, styles and colors. Taking advantage of a hog's natural inclination to rub, root and nudge, innovative systems of pumps, rope wicks and spigots were developed to deliver various kinds of oils -- crude oil, kerosene, coal-tar, used motor oil and store-bought medicated oils. The grease would spread across the hog's skin ridding him of lice and mites and other skin parasites. Nowadays skin vermin are treated with inexpensive and effective parasiticides such ivermectin. Improved housing systems and biosecurity measures are also used on modern commercial operations to reduce the risk of such infestations in the first place.

Children "doing laundry" at
2012 Empire Thresheree

In this day of mechanization and efficiency I am grateful for the opportunity to experience early agricultural practices at our local thresheree. The bump and whir of the early gasoline motors, the powerful whistle of the steam engine and the occasional nicker of the patient draft horse stirs the imagination. The juxtaposition between labor-saving and husbandry devices of yesteryear and today is educational. This year while my children spent hours "doing laundry" with an antique washboard and wringer I learned how to de-louse a pig in a pinch.

Back to School and Learn to Earn

It's that time of year again. The nights are getting cooler and coming earlier. Crickets are singing their late summer song. The Packer pre-season has begun. Back-to-school advertisements paper the kitchen countertop. Summer vacation is officially winding down and school is right around the corner again.

Obedience training my now six-month-old puppy has been on ongoing project, of course, but with another academic year looming, it seems appropriate to discuss his curriculum.

I am often asked by frustrated or anxious clients how to correct certain behaviors in their dogs. The basis of all canine training, I believe, is deference training. Also known variably as the "learn to earn" or "no free lunch" program, deference training is essentially doggie etiquette training. But like most animal training techniques, training ourselves is often the first step! Before launching any training method, thorough research into the philosophy and techniques is necessary.

Dogs sitting patiently and attending to their trainer
for a command

Timing, consistency, and attentiveness are at the heart of successful pet training programs. Deference training, done correctly, teaches even a young puppy that good things come to those who sit and wait patiently. Nothing the puppy needs or desires comes without a price. The price is not exorbitant for him, however. It is something all dogs learn early on--sitting.* The dog's meals, playtime, potty breaks, even walking through a doorway should be given only when the dog is sitting calmly and attending to you.

My puppy Guppy is expected to top 80 lbs when full-grown. It was bad enough having him barge the door when he weighed 30 lbs, but as he grew it was becoming incredibly obnoxious if not downright painful. With just a day of training, Guppy learned that the only way he was going to enter the house was if he sat nicely and watched me. Now Guppy sits at the door without any prompting on my part. Guppy also must sit nicely before he receives his meals or before he gets petted.

Deference training even helped us work through some minor food aggression problems with our late Springer Spaniel GrrrD. She was so protective over her food bowl (even empty) she made us nervous for our little kids. We overcame this irritability by having her sit nicely under our supervision while our child poured her dog food into the dish. Our child was the one who gave the "GrrrD, OK" release command to eat as well. Soon she came to realize that, though small and newer to the family, our child controlled a very dear resource--her kibble--and was to be respected (at least in this matter).

A dog learns respect for his owner and acts in accordance with her wishes because doing so benefits the dog. It's much like a star employee doing a great job not from altruism but because he knows doing so guarantees his paycheck. Pinning a dog to the ground like some kind of mutant "alpha dog" does not create an obedient dog. It creates confusion (dogs are smart enough to know you are not a dog) and potentially fear aggression.

I like many of the pet behavior resources listed on Dr. Sophia Yin's website, and here is a link to her discussion on Learn to Earn. Some dogs graduate from basic deference training to advanced programs to learn how to become search-and-rescue dogs, guide dogs, etc. But even if your dog just learns to mind his manners in certain situations (e.g., not jumping on visitors, not lunging at other dogs on walks, not barking incessantly at the cat) it is worth the little bit of effort deference training takes.

Teaching a dog to sit

* Teaching a dog to sit can be as simple as saying the word "sit" (once, not a thousand meaningless times) while holding a delectable treat over his head and then moving it backwards over his neck. Most dogs will be so "into" the treat they will naturally sit down in order to keep it in view. Eventually the dog will associate the word "sit" and your hand motion with the action of sitting, doing so on command even without a real treat.