Articles of Interest
Three Premium Brands (Almost) the Same
Dog and owner preferences – rather than food safety issues – were examined by veterinary researchers at the University of Georgia, who reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 227, No. 12) that the chicken flavors of Purina ONE, Hill’s Science Diet and Eukanuba are pretty much the same.
The Nestlé Purina Pet Care Company (they sponsored the study) most likely hoped their brand - which fetches about $17 per 20 lb. bag compared to about $20 for the others - would come out ahead. Dogs and owners thought that all of the foods were fine.
The primary difference the researchers noted was, “Owners perceived that dogs had more-formed feces when fed the Eukanuba diet…but that dogs defecated more frequently when fed the Eukanuba diet.”
You didn’t ask, but here is the probable reason: Eukanuba’s fermentable fiber, dried beet pulp, probably accounts for the form and frequency difference.
E. T. (oops, we meant Lassie) Phone Home!
Technology comes to the rescue of wandering dogs and worried pet owners in the form of PetCell. For around $400.00 (ouch!) plus a monthly fee, owners can clip a bone-shaped cell phone to their canine’s collar. If their dog disappears, the owner can call and command, “Come home!”
Additionally,
anyone who finds the dog and pushes the “call owner” button on the phone can
report on the wandering pup’s whereabouts. If neither the dog nor the person
finding the dog knows where they are (?), PetCell Headquarters comes to the
rescue. PetCell has a tracking website and all the phones have GPS (global
positioning system) tracking device capability. (I wonder if they have roaming
charges?)
An Epidemic of Heartworm
The American Heartworm Society reports a sobering statistic from their survey of 12,000 veterinary clinics in the United States: More than 250,000 dogs and cats test positive for heartworm infection each year.
Considering that fewer than 60% of dogs seen in veterinary clinics are on heartworm preventive medicine and that too many of the estimated 61.5 million dogs in the nation rarely see a veterinarian at all, “the figure for heartworm positive cases could be in the millions,” according to Dr. Tom Nelson, president of the society.
Prompt Response to Dog Food Toxins
One idea for tracing contaminated dog food published in Veterinary Research Communications (Vol. 29, No. 2) suddenly made perfect sense with the year-end recall of 17 products from the Gaston, South Carolina facility of Diamond Pet Foods because of possible aflatoxin contamination.
“Safety of pet food and the many ingredients that make up the food will no doubt occupy the ever-increasing attention on the part of manufacturers, regulations, and pet owners,” veterinary researchers stated. “It will be necessary to develop systems that enable food pathogens and adulterants in specific ingredients to be traced.”
The food pathogen that sickened and killed numerous dogs in 2005 was aflatoxin, a chemical by-product from the fungus Aspergillus flavis that can grow on corn and other crops. Information on the company’s website, www.diamondpet.com/, appeared to blame the weather, noting, “The fungus develops on crops during years with severe high temperature, stress and drought.”
To Diamond’s credit, the company did act promptly when aflatoxin poisoning was discovered by Cornell’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center. The company promptly notified retailers in 23 states, specifying brand names and product codes of affected dog and cat foods. Stories in the news media alerted dog owners and veterinarians to the recall, and no doubt many pets’ lives were saved as a result of the speedy recall.
One could say that, to this extent, the system worked…..but not soon enough to save the affected dogs’ lives.
Running a Risk
Racing greyhounds are the sporting dogs most likely to suffer orthopedic injuries, but dogs that hunt, compete in agility events or play fly ball aren’t far behind. Just one more thing to worry about (sorry readers) from an article in the journal Veterinary Clinics of North America (Vol. 35, No. 6) titled, “Rehabilitation and Conditioning of Sporting Dogs.”
Before dispensing the bad news, authors of the article commented on the physical skills required in canine sporting activities. Racing greyhounds, for example, need speed and strength, while sled dogs must have muscle and cardio-respiratory endurance. Dogs competing in agility events call on their speed, balance and – of course – agility. The prize for the most talented canine athletes has to go to dogs that play fly ball and
Frisbee games; these talented dogs have speed, strength, agility and balance.
This is wonderful, until catastrophe strikes. Then the veterinary surgeons go to work. The majority of orthopedic injuries – including bone fractures – happen to racing greyhounds it is true, but hip injuries and cruciate ligament tears in the stifle (knee) can happen to virtually all sporting dogs. Fly ball and Frisbee dogs were singled out for their susceptibility to cranial cruciate ligament injuries. Hunting dogs and agility dogs can suffer sprained ligaments in the shoulders, and herding and agility dogs can injure their superficial digital flexor tendon.
Hmmmm…..maybe we should all stay home on the couch and watch Animal Planet.
Uh Oh – Vets Bite Back!
If your veterinarian has been grumpy and grumbly lately, it isn’t your dog’s fault. A survey in the trade journal Veterinary Economics asked vets to list their top three sources of stressors. Ranking at the bottom of the list was “computer problems,” which although irksome, is shared with most professions in the nation. Second was “clients who dispute fees” and “not enough time”. The biggest stressor cited was “difficult or non-compliant clients.”
Will This Dog Bite Me?
People don’t always tell the whole truth when giving up aggressive dogs for adoption, a study at animal shelters has found. As reported in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (Vol. 227, No. 11), veterinary researchers visited two animal shelters in Sacramento, California. They asked people that were relinquishing ownership of their dogs to complete a 103-question survey about the dogs they hoped would be adopted by someone else.
Half the dog owners were promised complete confidentiality and the other half were told their answers would help shelter staff evaluate and place their dogs. Those taking the confidential survey were significantly more likely to reveal that their dogs had been aggressive to them.
Another way to uncover aggression problems is a thorough behavioral screening by shelter staff, the researchers said, though noting that many shelters have neither the time nor the knowledge to perform proper screenings.
Asking owners about the dogs’ histories can be useful, the researchers said, while acknowledging one catch, “An owner may be tempted to be less than candid about serious problem behaviors….to increase the likelihood that the dog will be adopted.”
This author also notes that a good trainer/behavior modification training can reduce or eliminate problem behavior, although nothing is a guarantee.