The Dogs of HELP FIDO

(admin note: This is the first in a series of stories about the dogs who belong to the members of HELP FIDO. These stories will help you to understand why we do what we do. If you would like to share YOUR story - please send it to helpfido@gmail.com !)

Sasha's story:

Around November 2005, my job was managing a cancer genetics counseling program at OhioHealth. The counselor (Susan) who worked for us had a friend (Liz) who worked as a teacher in a low-income part of town, nicknamed "the bottoms" because of its propensity to flood. Liz sent this email and a bunch of photos (including this one) out to Susan and some others:
"She was tied up outside of an abandoned house down here by the school and I think that this caused her to have some separation anxiety. She likes to be by your side at all times. She probably would do best in a home with another dog or dogs . . . She is so smart it is scary and somewhat headstrong so she needs someone with alot of patience and knowledge of puppies. If I didn't already have 2 dogs, I would keep her. She really will make a loyal, loving pet for someone. "

Brian and I had another dog, Maggie, a Catahoula who we had adopted from Capital Area Humane Society. We were starting to think about getting another dog and had looked around a little but hadn't taken the steps to venture to CAHS because we knew... once we went we would surely come home with a dog! So Susan forwards this email to me...and I forwarded it to Brian. And both of us basically fell in love at first sight with that big goofy face. Over the next couple of days we learned more we learned more of her story. . . she was initially given to a young woman who ran an unofficial daycare and Liz saw all these kids running all around, hanging on Sasha and pulling on her (as kids will do). . . she weighed less than 20 pounds . . . although she was putting on weight quickly.

Liz brought Sasha by and she and Maggie got along great so we decided to keep her. Maggie was not aggressive but she definitely had enjoyed being queen of the house. Her BFF was a black lab named Madison who, while older and wiser, submitted to whatever plans Maggie had for playtime. Now here her parents are bringing in this young little upstart with endless energy...let's just say it took some work but they quickly became inseparable.

On our first weekend with Sasha, while taking a group dog-nap at a cabin in Hocking Hills, Sasha urinated in her sleep. This happened many times over the next few weeks. We called our vet (at the time -shall remain nameless) and he put her on a drug called phenylpropanilamine (PPA) for incontinence. It sorta worked - but not really.

On New Year's Day we came home from dinner with family. Brian and I each disappeared to change into comfort clothes leaving the pups unattended. I came in to find Sasha had pulled the PPA bottle off the counter and eaten an uncertain amount. Terrified, we called the ASPCA poisen control hotline. They instructed us to have Sasha drink hydrogen peroxide (which she did quite easily!). She regurgitated about 20 tablets...all about half their normal size. Meanwhile the ASCPA folks were still on the line with me and as I was talking with them Sasha's entire body turned bright red and every hair stood straight out. They told us to leave for MedVet immediately. As we rushed in they immediately took her back. If you have ever been in this situation you know the terror of sitting in the waiting room...filling out paperwork through crying eyes...not knowing what is taking place. It is awful and we felt awful! Eventually they came out to tell us that they had used charcoal and gotten whatever else might be left in her stomach - however her blood pressure was still sky high. This was complicated by the fear that when it dropped it could plummet so quickly as to send her into a coma. So they would actually have to keep her pressure elevated at least overnight. We were allowed to see her briefly - still beet red and a little crazy eyed at this point. They sent us home with assurances that they would call us with any changes. Early the next morning I called to check on her - no real changes. We went in and she LOOKED much better. As the day went on her pressure normalized and they kept her one more night for observation but released her the following day with some gentle urgings to find a new vet (which we did!). Thankfully, she recovered fully.

Sasha looked very "bully" to us and others and we were immediately faced with people's instant discriminatory looks and fears. Many people assumed she was a pit-bull. Many people acted frightened of her without getting a chance to know her. This too, provided challenges. When Sasha and I completed an all breed obedience class though, with about 20 other dogs, she was the unanimous choice for most improved! But that experience gave us a taste of what so many bully-type dog owners must face all the time.
We had about one whole year together with Maggie and Sasha. About 9 months after adopting Sasha, our dear sweet Maggie was diagnosed with kidney failure. The photo at the right was taken about 2 weeks before one of the hardest days of our life for our little family. After Maggie's passing, Sasha became depressed and was starting to get grouchy (that is the only way I can describerher). I began searching for a new addition to our family and found Sparky....but that is a story for another day!

Senior Dogs - Part One

Hello all! My last post was about puppies, so I thought I would balance it out this week and talk a little bit about the other end of the spectrum....senior dogs.

As dogs age there are many things we need to think about in terms of their well being.

What things should I expect as my dog ages?
Each dog is different and ages differently. Larger breed dogs age more quickly than smaller breed dogs. But there are some things you will generally see as every dog gets up there in years.

Slowing down - As your dog gets older you may see him/her start to slow down a bit. Generally you may notice subtle changes in how s/he gets up, lays down, and uses stairs. Is there any hesitation or stiffness? Does a change in the weather (rainy, cold) make it worse? Your dog could be suffering from arthritis. Arthritis is common in dogs as they age, particularly large breeds. Arthritis can occur in any joint, most commonly the legs, hips and spine. There are many prescription medications and joint supplements that can be given to your dog to help ease the pain and symptoms of arthritis. Discussing the problem with your veterinarian will help to determine which drug or combination of medications would be best for your best friend. Your veterinarian may recommend simple blood tests to determine if your dog is able to take certain arthritis medications.

Another potential cause of slowing down is hypothyroidism, an endocrine disorder common in dogs where the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone for your dogs metabolism to work properly. This condition is easily diagnosed with a blood tests and can be treated with proper veterinary care.

Graying around the face, muzzle - Dogs commonly show a bit of gray around the face, or muzzle, at middle age (about 5-6 years depending on the dog). Fortunately, there are no detrimental effects of this color change.

Reduced hearing - As with aging humans, it is common for dogs to lose their hearing to some degree. Sometimes they do become completely deaf. Is your dog hard to wake up after sleeping or does s/he become startled easily if you approach from behind? Does s/he not respond to their name being called? Hearing loss or deafness may be a reason for this. There isn't a lot that can be done for age-related hearing loss, but a veterinary exam should be done to rule out other medical problems, such as an infection, tumors or masses, or foreign objects in the ear. If your dog does experience hearing loss, be sure to protect him/her from hazards, such as cars, children or other animals that s/he may not hear (or see). Dogs can learn to respond well to hand signals. It is a good idea to get your dog used to using these signals when s/he is young so that if hearing loss is a problem later in life these signals can be used instead of verbal commands.

Cloudy or "bluish" eyes - As they age, dog's eyes often show a bluish transparent "haze" in the pupil area. This is usually a normal result of aging caused by the lens of the eye changing shape and is akin to changes that humans experience as they age. Our response is holding the newspaper farther away from our face to see the print. Since dogs cannot read, their response is different. You may see your dog have trouble navigating in the dark, or s/he may not be able to see things well in the distance. The medical term for this is lenticular sclerosis. This is NOT the same as cataracts. Cataracts are white and opaque and can be caused by some disease processes like Diabetes. Vision CAN be affected by cataracts. If you think your dog's eyes look different or cloudy in any way, make an appointment with your veterinarian to investigate this further.

Muscle atrophy - Mild loss of muscle mass (thickness), especially of the hind legs, may be seen with old age. Some muscle atrophy, notably on the head and the belly muscles, can signify other potentially serious diseases. Sometimes a decreased muscle thickness is noticeable when a dog has arthritis in a certain limb or in the hips. If you notice any change in your dog's muscle mass, contact your veterinarian to determine if there is a more serious reason for these changes.

Well that's all for now! Next week part two on our older "furry kids"...until then remember, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

New source for No Kill community

Happy Friday! I first heard about the new website http://www.thenokillnation.com/ on KC Dog Blog. Also, I recently finished reading Nathan Winograd's book - "Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Movement in America". What an amazing book! It tells the history of animal shelters in America and how many of the shelters that were started to be a safe haven, have instead become the place where many animals simply go to be killed. I know that sounds harsh but calling what many shelters do to animals "euthanasia" is not, in fact, euthanasia. It is killing, pure and simple. Thankfully, there is a solution and Mr. Winograd does an excellent job explaining what went wrong and how we all can participate in changing the status quo. I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book, available through Amazon and other places on his website.

The No Kill Nation website describes its vision as: " ... to create a portal for an online community of caring people who are working to see a day when no savable animal is senselessly killed in an animal shelter. Each and every person who cares about companion animals has a role to play in helping our nation reach this goal." It's a fantastic gathering place of contributors from various organizations around the country and a place to share ideas, etc.

Verizon's new ad

Hello everyone - haven't posted in a while, thanks to others in HELP FIDO for keeping up with the blog. You may have heard about this but Verizon Wireless has a new commercial out that shows a guy climbing a fence into a junkyard to get his cell phone and trying to avoid two pit bulls. You can see the video here. Personally, I find it outrageous and have contacted Verizon about this. Thankfully, a lot of dog owners are upset about this and the story has made the advertising magazines. To send your own views to Verizon management - here's a page with the Corporate bigwigs.

Admin edit: Marni Waldren is the regional President of the midwestern area. You can email her directly. Please make sure to let her know if you are Verizon customer. Also - BAD RAP has some nice postcards you can print out and mail in.

Puppies and Kids

Hello all. Dr M here again with more helpful tips.

Getting a new puppy when there are human kids in the house can be a very joyful and stressful situation all at once. Here are a few tips that can help to make the transition a smooth and safe one.

- First and foremost DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Think carefully about what breed of dog you want, research that breed very carefully (this is extremely important!!) to make sure it is a good fit for your family and lifestyle, decide whether you want to purchase a pure bred dog from a breeder or if you want to adopt from a shelter/animal rescue/humane society, do you want an adult dog or a young puppy, will you have the time to train a young puppy, can you financially afford a new puppy/dog, can you obtain the proper veterinary care this new member of your family needs, if you rent a home/apartment are dogs allowed and are there any restricted breeds, are there any restricted breeds in your city/state and are there any specific home owner insurance requirements for specific breeds of dogs. Do NOT impulse buy!! This is a pitfall I have almost fallen into myself. It is very easy to walk into a pet store and fall in love with every puppy. These are all very important things to think about before going out and getting that little furry bundle of joy.

- Talk to your children about dogs and puppies. You can even get a few children's books about getting a new puppy. Discuss how fragile puppies are and how important it is to train them properly and how much responsibility it is to have a dog/puppy. Involve the kids in the entire process!

- Ask children not to give their food to the puppy and not to feed him/her from the table. This is difficult with smaller children as it is common for bits of food to fall from a highchair but do your best to get this point across.

- Explain that it is very easy for a small puppy to get hurt and there are things that they should not do to and with the puppy. Small breed and "toy" puppies are VERY fragile and can be very easily injured. It is common for me to see small puppies in my office with broken legs because they were dropped or roughly handled by a child. This can be a very painful and stressful situation for the puppy and is usually a very costly experience for owners. So think twice before getting very small or "toy" dogs if you have toddlers.

- Tell children not to pull on puppy's tail, ears or legs and discourage them from touching or bothering the puppy while he/she is sleeping.

- Show kids the correct way to handle/hold/lift the new puppy. Start with small steps like allowing the child to hold the puppy in their lap while sitting on the floor or in a chair.

- Remind children that the puppy is not a child, and as such, cannot engage in certain play activities that they do like going down a slide, riding on a swing or jumping into a swimming pool.

- It is of course also important to involve the kids in the process. Give children small puppy care chores that they can easily manage. For example, filling the puppy's water dish, hanging up his/her leash after a walk, or putting the puppy's toys away at the end of the day.

- Understand that it is the adults in the household that ultimately are responsible for all of the puppy's care and overall well being.

-Teach kids to respect the puppy's "privacy" when he/she is making potty and when the puppy is in its crate.

- Always, always, always supervise children when they are interacting with a dog/puppy. This will insure that both puppy and child are safe and happy.

By following these simple tips, having a new puppy or dog in your house can truly be a joyful experience for all!