Dog Photography Today; Joint Supplements; Yogurt and Probiotics
Photographers often develop a specialty–scenes and people captured in order to give others understanding of social problems and needs. So it has become in the animal world. Recently I saw photographs of street dogs in Chile–before the earthquake. The photographs were challenging then and they will probably be more so today. One picture showed a dog sound asleep in the middle of a busy sidewalk. It was titled “Does anyone see me?” There was also a photo of a little puppy. He was lost and his tail was tucked in. A sad sight. The title–”Nameless”. The photographer writes, “the dogs are everywhere, so everywhere is a new opportunity to ignore them.”
THE GUPPY LOVE PROGRAM at Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants provides guests with the option of requesting a live goldfish to stay overnight in their room. The hotel staff tends to the fish. The purpose–fish are known to calm nerves, reduce anxiety and lower blood pressure. Betas are the favorite fish. And, in restaurants the fish are table centerpieces for group meetings–helping participants to focus. The hotels have become so famous for these quiet travel companions it is said they “give a whole new meaning to the phrase ’sleeping with the fishes’”.
WATCHING THE WATER DISH. According to one breeder of Welsh Corgis if you have more than one dog it is important to watch the water dish. The drinking order is indicative of the pecking order and points the finger at the alpha dog–at least for that day! Each of my three Springers have their own water pail but there is a community dish also. Usually Cagney, the senior of the group, is first to drink and the others watch, but some days she bows politely to one of her daughters. Their drinking habits always have amazed me but I never dreamed it had anything to do with respect. Recently I added a teaspoon of Oxyfresh to a quart of water and used that to fill the community water dish. So far all have drunk from it. According to the literature on this hydrogen peroxide0based gel product, putting it in the water helps to eliminate stains, tartar and bad breath. We will let you know if they have white teeth by Easter!
BEWARE–ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE OF JOINT SUPPLEMENTS. According to a recent study, dogs with chronic osteoarthritis receiving carprofen because of signs of pain may experience a reduction in pain and have less need of the carprofen if fed a diet supplemented with fish oil omega-3 fatty acids. GOOD NEWS.
BUT, OVERDOSAGE of any joint supplements ( usually accidental) can lead to hepatic or liver damage, according to the ASPCA Poison Control Center. Chews, powders, and tablets, which are often palatable, can mean accidental ingestion. (It is always wise to use extra care with palatable supplements and medications. Peanut butter-, cheese- and meat-wrapped pilling is really safer!) Clinical signs usually develop between 24 and 48 hours after exposure–vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. VETERINARY TREATMENT IS A MUST. The cause of the damage is unknown at this time but the owner must have his dog treated aggressively and QUICKLY by his veterinarian. Lack of treatment can result in death.
CAGNEY LEASHED. When Cagney was still a puppy with a long series of puppy vaccinations ahead of her, my veterinarian told me that yogurt helped to balance the gastrointestinal tract besieged by the vaccination process. And when she had a litter of puppies their first food was tiny-pink -tongue laps of yogurt. Today nutritionists investigate all kinds of probiotics such as the one in yogurt. Dr. Gail Czarnecki-Mauldin believes probiotics are important during growth, weaning, and training. She cautions that probiotics must be live, safe and stable. She advises looking for dates on the container and a list of ingredients by strain. Since heat and air weaken vitality it is hard to choose probiotics in the grocery store–thus Purina is now advertising a nutritional supplement called FortiFlora–available at veterinary hospitals. Caution: Dr. Czarnecki-Mauldin works for Purina. Another veterinarian I spoke to believes only natural foods (unprocessed) give a dog the necessary probiotics. Two points of view.
APRIL IS PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS MONTH
Mar 28, 2010 | | Uncategorized