iPhone Apps for Pet Parents

I love my iPhone and frequently say that it changed my life. And of course, I love my pets. So naturally, I am always looking for cool iPhone apps related to pets and designed to help out the busy pet parents. Here is a rundown of some of the apps I've tried out:

CU Pet Health

This app was created by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine to help pet parents track health related information. I've probably read about dozens of these "pet health apps," some of which will be discussed below, and most of them have pretty much the same features. You can track your pet's vaccine records / due dates, medications, reminders for vet appointments, medical conditions, etc. You can either input information about your vet or link to your phone's contacts. But what sets this one apart (and why I purchased it even though I already had some of the other apps on my phone) is the "Daily Diet" feature. A little green button on the front page that says "Cal" takes you to an info page about your pet's daily diet. From there, you insert information about what your pet eats on a daily basis, including the serving size and calorie content of each item. In addition to typical dog food items (some of which is preprogrammed), you can add information about treats your dog eats, "human food," etc. Since Mumble eats a combination of organic wet food, commercial dry food, "human foods" including pumpkin and sweet potatoes, and sometimes additional foods to address his digestive issues, I find this feature very useful. Online, I've only ever been able to locate tools that calculate recommended portions based on a single item and its calorie content, so to be able to have a combination of items and see what is recommended, and what the overall calorie intake is from what I'm already feeding him, is amazingly helpful, especially in light of those four pounds Mumble is supposed to be losing.

Natural Pet Health

If you've read this blog before, you probably know that I LOVE Dr. Shawn Messonnier's book The Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats because it is such a great resource regarding supplements, holistic and homeopathic treatments, etc, which is such a critical part of keeping a dog like Mumble healthy. Dr. Shawn's Natural Pet Therapies app is like a mini-version of his resource guides, providing information about various pet health topics and remedies. Although it is obviously much less comprehensive than his books (or other resources available), and won't meet your needs if you are looking for in-depth information, it is great for quick on-the-go information at your fingertips. For each health "topic" listed, there is a page with an overview of the health issue, and another page with descriptions of common treatments for that ailment.

Care.com

Care.com is a great online website that provides a directory of available providers for pet care, child care, etc. I've used this to find dog walkers / pet sitters and found it to be very user friendly. The iPhone app is complimentary to the website, and provides on-the-go information. From the app, you can search for providers, check your messages, send messages to possible providers, post a job listing, and other things you could also do online.

OffLeash

The Off Leash Dog Parks app is a park locator that utilizes the iPhone's map / GPS features. This is a brilliantly simple, user friendly app with no unnecessary frills. Simply click on the app, and it will first locate you, and then list out the nearby dog parks in your community. If you click on one of the choices, you will be taken to the iPhone's map application, where you can get directions to that particular park. This would be great for people traveling with their pets or in a new city. (Note: There are other apps that do the same thing, such as - Dog Park Finder Plus and the Eukanuba Dog Park app).

Pet First Aid

This is a great app! Although I don't use it often (thank goodness), I have perused it so that I would be familiar with it should I ever need it. It has quick, useful information about all kinds of pet emergency situations, instructions for first aid and quick treatment, and embedded links between pages for further in-depth reading. You also have the ability to input vital health information about your pets right into the app, so you could use this as a pet health tracker as well.

PetMD Finder

This app allows you to locate veterinary offices and clinics nearby, which would be a great resource to have in an emergency when you need to know the quickest place to take your pet. In addition to locating nearby emergency clinics and vets, you can also use it to find groomers, dog walkers, and other professionals. My only problem with this app is that it doesn't seem to be that thorough / comprehensive, and I'm not sure if all of the available options are really included in what it will show you. Still, it is comforting to know that you can find someone quickly when you need to. PetMD has other available apps, which I haven't yet tried out, including apps with explanations of pet health symptoms and apps with first aid information. There is even one that claims to put "veterinary terminology" at your fingertips.

Pet Dossier

Pet Dossier lives up to its claim to be a "lifestyle information organizer for your pets." In the age when pet owners are busy, but no less caring, and people in general turn more and more to their mobile phones to organize their lives, this is a great app for pet parents. After trying out various pet info organizers on my iPhone, this is the one I've settled on as being the best fit for my needs. I can input separate pages for Rascal and for Mumble. For each pet, you can input general information like microchip and license numbers, health related information, medications, notes, and descriptions related to your pet's lifestyle. Additionally, one of the things I like best is that you can access your iPhone's existing contacts and input them into various contacts categories in the app, like "Boarding," "Pet Sitting," "Training," "Vet," etc. This is a time saver, because really why should you have to retype everyone's contact information again and again? The app has the ability to set reminders for you for vaccines, medications, flea drops, and vet appointments. It then uses "push notifications" (like many other types of apps) to alert you of these reminders. And, of course, you can also upload one of those adorable pictures you took on your phone for each pet's page!

Dog Safety and First Aid!

Pet safety is a topic every pet parent should be educated on. Dogs are pretty accident prone in general - eating things they shouldn't, getting injured in situations ranging from simple accidents while playing to trauma from car accidents, having things caught in their paw, mouth, eye, etc. Dogs (and cats) vomit, get diarrhea, cough or gag, limp, are lethargic, or experience a host of other symptoms from a variety of causes, and our pets can't explain to us how they feel or "where it hurts." If you google the terms "common pet emergencies" or "common pet injuries" you'll get a whole host of explanations for the types of things that can happen!

Here are a few examples of "emergencies" I've experienced with Mumble:

Laceration from moving his crate - When Mumble was 5 months old, on the day he had his neutering surgery, he had to be crated while I took a friend to the emergency room (it was not a good day all around for emergencies). Mumble decided he didn't want to be there in his crate that day, and experienced an "opposite reaction" to his sedative, basically meaning he had super-dog strength. From inside his crate, he moved it about 7-8 feet across the room by continuously throwing his body against the side of it. Problem? There was one of those water bottles attached to the side of the crate that has the little metal spout that the dogs drink from, and this basically gashed Mumble's back open. This didn't stop him from continuing to move the crate, so by the time I got home, the gash was pretty bad.

Eating plastic bags - Mumble went through a phase where he thought plastic bags were the most delicious things ever. I once came home and found part of one on the floor, and thought "at least he didn't eat all of it." Turned out, however, that he had actually gotten inside the kitchen cabinet (a high one) and climbed up it, and pulled all of the plastic bags out of the dispenser and eaten most of them.

Sudden limping - Mumble had an injury recently, and I had no idea when or how it occurred, but suddenly one morning we went out for our usual walk and he was limping.

Allergic reactions - Mumble's had allergic reactions to all kinds of things, resulting in sneezing and wheezing all night, foaming at the mouth, itching and scratching to the point of making the skin around his face bleed, and panting heavily. Mumble also once had an adverse reaction to vaccinations, which made him extremely sick and lethargic.

Car accident - Mumble was in the car with me when I had a car accident. Thankfully, he was not hurt, but it really made me realize how much I need to know what to do in an emergency if he is injured!

Each of these ended up in either a visit to the vet or an emergency phone call to the on-call vet for instructions. Thankfully, none of these incidents has ended up with serious injury or illness, and Mumble has come out ok every time. Still, accidents are not infrequent with pets, so we should all be prepared!

Enter the Pet Safety Seminar at Zoom Room Culver City. The Zoom Room had guest speaker Melanie Monteiro, author of "The Safe Dog Handbook," give a talk to a group of dog owners about pet safety tips, first aid, and emergency preparedness.

First off, I highly recommend Melanie's book. You can order it online at this link. I bought a copy at her talk that night, and I've already read it cover to cover. The book is so practical and user-friendly, it is definitely a must for the shelf of any pet parent. If you google Melanie, you will also not only find her website and more information about her, but also videos on youtube with tips and info about pet safety.

At the talk, Melanie gave us great insight into the importance of being prepared and of prevention. Prevention is the biggest key to pet safety! Even though we've all been told to "puppy-proof" our homes, Melanie explained that poisoning from substances like rat poison is still common!

Being prepared for an emergency includes simple things like having all of your pet's emergency contact numbers handy (the vet, the after-hours vet, the poison control hotline, etc) to having a well-stocked first aid and emergency kit. One of the most interesting things I learned is how to read your dog's vital signs - Melanie explained that it is important to know how to do this not only in response to a crisis but in order to be prepared for a crisis. You should know your dog's vital signs at their "normal" state so that you have something to compare to.

Melanie also demonstrated some pet first aid / emergency response skills. She showed us how to make a muzzle out of gauze, for situations when your pet needs to have medical attention and you want to prevent biting, which can be common in times of stress. She taught us which way to hold a dog that is injured if you have to carry it - with the wound towards your body, cradling the dog from underneath. She demonstrated (on a moving dog dummy) how to give a dog CPR, including the chess compressions and the respiration. For "mouth to mouth" on a pet, you do not breath into your dog's mouth, but into their nose! She showed us how to form a "seal" around the dog's (or cat's) nostrils in order to do CPR properly.

Melanie's book has a comprehensive list of all of the things that you should have in a pet first aid kit. There are also lots of resources online to help guide you. At a later date, I'll put together a list on this blog of all of the things that I have in my pet first aid kit, which I am working on putting together now!

I came away from the class with a lot of useful information, tips, and resources regarding pet safety, and definitely feel like I am now more prepared for emergency situations. I think this type of class is something every pet parent should take! There are lots of options you can find, from seminar-type classes, to intensive skill-based lessons.

Here is a list of resources for pet safety and first aid classes, and other related resources:

Melanie Monteiro's Pet Safety videos on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/MelanieLMonteiro

The Safe Dog Handbook: http://www.thesafedoghandbook.com/index.html

Classes and First Aid Training by Melanie Monteiro: http://www.thesafedoghandbook.com/services.html

PetTech's PetSaver classes on pet first aid, CPR training, etc: http://www.pettech.net/programs.html

Dog First Aid book by the Red Cross: http://www.redcrossstore.org/Shopper/Product.aspx?UniqueItemId=95

Cat First Aid book by the Red Cross: http://www.redcrossstore.org/Shopper/Product.aspx?UniqueItemId=160&Page=1&StartAtPage=1&SId=201374&LocationId=0

PETCO's Pet First Aid online classes: http://www.petco.com/product/100690/PETCO-Online-Pet-First-Aid-Course.aspx

Online info from the American Veterinary Medical Association: First Aid Tips for Pet Parents: http://www.avma.org/firstaid/

Online info from the American Animal Hospital Association: Health Pets - Pet First Aid: http://www.healthypet.com/PetCare

About.com's article on First Aid for Pets: http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/diseasesall/a/farnfirstaidtip.htm

First Aid Kits for Pets:

American Red Cross Deluxe Kit: http://www.entirelypets.com/petfirstaiddx.html
American Red Cross First Aid Pack: http://www.entirelypets.com/nepetfiaidki.html
Pet First Aid Kit: http://www.sitstay.com
Various kits by petfirstaid.org: http://www.petfirstaid.org/products.html

Blue Buffalo Dog Food Recall

While I was out of town last week, and Mumble was being boarded, I had a bit of a scare about his dry food because I heard the news of a recall of Blue Buffalo brand dog food. Mumble eats the Blue Buffalo Adult Chicken dry food mixed in with his wet food every day. This was one of the "flavors" on the recall list, and since I had left his food with the boarding facility in small baggies, pre-portioned for each meal, rather than the entire bag of food, there was no way for anyone to check to see if the food was one of the specific "batches" recalled! I had to have the boarding people just stop giving him the dry food altogether, just in case. Thankfully, they were able to make up the difference in his meals by supplementing his wet food with a little bit of cooked chicken and rice (which I'm sure he thought was much better anyway).

When I got back home I was able to check the bag, and thankfully it wasn't on the recall list anyway! So I don't have to worry about Mumble getting sick from the amount that he ate out of that bag before I heard about the recall.

Blue Buffalo was able to pinpoint exactly which batches of food had been affected, and even ascertained exactly how it happened. You can read the press release on their website here. If you feed your dog one of the "flavors" on the list, the way you determine if your dog food is affected is by looking at the expiration date. Here is the list from the Blue Buffalo website:

Product	Bag Size	Best Used By Dates
BLUE Wilderness Chicken (Dog)	4.5 lb., 11 lb., 24lb.	JUL1211B, JUL1311B, JUL2611Z, JUL2711Z, JUL2811Z
BLUE Basics Salmon (Dog)	11 lb., 24 lb.	AUG2111B, AUG2211B
BLUE Large Breed Adult Chicken	30 lb.	SEP 22 11 P, SEP 23 11 P, OCT 26 11 P

The recall is due to the discovery by the company of the presence of vitamin D in the product at levels "higher than specifications." According to the Blue Buffalo website, and other information available on the web related to this recall, excessive amounts of vitamin D can be harmful to pets. The FDA indicates that 36 cases have been reported nationwide of illness related to the excessive amounts of vitamin D in the recalled food (read here for more from the FDA on this recall). Blue Buffalo's website states that it will reimburse veterinary bills associated with illness as a result of the recalled food.

I was personally very curious about this vitamin D issue. Mumble eats a pretty healthy diet - his wet food is organic, and he has various supplements added to each meal. I've been reading a lot about supplements and "natural health" for pets lately, due to the high levels of supplements Mumble has to be on. So I was really curious about how a vitamin that you would believe to be beneficial, or at least not harmful, could cause so much concern. What I read was really interesting. According to many articles, etc, including the "Natural Health Bible for Dogs and Cats" by Shawn Messioner (I love this book!), the most common cause of vitamin D toxicity is from a dog ingesting rat poison! Of course, we all know that rat poison is one of the most common causes of poisoning to pets, but I never thought about it being linked to something as benign sounding as vitamin D.

There is an interesting article I found online on this subject, written by a veterinarian. You can read it at this link. According to Dr. Huston, vitamin D toxicity causes hypercalcemia, a condition that causes a whole gambit of problems and affects the dog's internal organs. The list of possible symptoms of vitamin D toxicity in her website is much more extensive, but with some consistency, than the list on the recall information websites. (*You can also read about vitamin toxicities at the PetPlace website).

The most alarming information I found, at least as it directly relates to Mumble, is the link between fish oil supplements and vitamin D toxicity. Apparently, fish oil supplements are known to be a good source of vitamin D, but it is possible for a pet parent to "overdose" their pet by providing too much of the supplement and causing vitamin D toxicity to occur. Mumble is on a fish oil with probiotics supplement, which, after much trial and error with various other probiotics, etc, was the best thing for him in terms of helping with all of his digestive issues. The fish oil also has a positive impact on his skin allergies. So the information about fish oil and vitamin D was definitely a reminder to me about how important it is to be extra careful with giving him the right amounts. It also made me very grateful for our vet, Dr. Shane, who is excellent at natural remedies and holistic approaches to health, and carefully helps me to monitor all of Mumble's supplements and dietary needs.

Mumble, at age 2

Mumble recently had his second birthday, and we had a birthday party at the Zoom Room in Culver City with a few of his dog friends. He jointly celebrated the day with Kihei, who turned 1 two days before Mumble's birthday. The party was lots of fun for the dogs and the people. We had food, favors, and of course birthday cake (both for people and dogs to eat).

Mumble has been through a lot of changes recently. Several months ago, his regular dog walker moved away and we started the lengthy process of searching for a good replacement. Mumble's new dog walker has not been with him very long now, and although I think in general it's working out, she's had her hands full with him as they both adjust to each other. Some days, inexplicably, he simply refuses to go on a walk with her for more than a few yards away from the entrance to my apartment building! He's such a stubborn, independent dog!

Additionally, Mumble had a sprained leg, which resulted in being on "house arrest" for a few months, with no daycare and no agility. He has recently been given the "all clear" to return to both of those activities, but we are supposed to be "slowly working up to full activity levels," meaning that at this point, he can only go to daycare for a few hours at a time.

I don't know if it was the change in his exercise levels, his "depressed" state when he no longer got to go to daycare, all the training we've been doing, or simple maturity, but definitely there have been some changes in Mumble's personality at age 2. He's generally a little less crazy / hyper and a little calmer, although still far from being what you would call a "calm dog" overall.

Health-wise, we are still on the ever-changing quest for the right balance of food, supplements, and medications to keep him healthy with all of his allergies and digestive difficulties. Certainly we have learned a lot, and all of those issues are much more under control than they were when he was still a puppy. It is such a relief to have less frequent allergy attacks, significantly less frequent bouts of diarrhea, and a quicker response to treatment when either of those things still happen!

Overall, I can (a bit sadly) report that Mumble is definitely more and more of a grown up dog and no longer a puppy!

Some pictures from Mumble's Birthday Party

Mumble recently celebrated his 2nd birthday at (of course) Zoom Room Culver City. It was a joint celebration with his friend Kihei, who turned 1 the same weekend! Here are some photos:


Mumble is checking everything and everyone out, and trying to decide if he needed to herd anyone back to where they belonged (according to him, at least). He spent the first half of the evening pretty much over-stimulated and trying to run around and control everything.

Mumble and his birthday hat - the dogs weren't nearly as into it as the humans wanted them to be :) They kept trying to remove them, but we managed to get a few pictures in.
Below is Kihei in his birthday hat!

Chopper hanging out during the party. Sadly, we didn't get pictures of all of the guests, but we did get this one of Chopper's big goofy smile :)

The Birthday cake! (thanks to Mandy)

Mumble and Kihei wrestling

House Arrest Continued, another appointment with the Vet, and a difficult week overall

Mumble has now been on his "limited activity" restrictions for healing of his shoulder & elbow sprain for two weeks (today is Day 15 to be exact), and we've now gone back for our check up with Dr. Shane.

First, I have to start by acknowledging the emotional difficulty of this particular week. It was two years ago this week that I lost Padfoot, and while that is emotionally heart-wrenching for me in general, the stress of thinking about Mumble having any health problems that could be serious on this particular week was not easy for me to deal with. Not a day goes by that I don't miss Padfoot, as much as I love Mumble and am grateful to have him in my life. The thought that I could ever prematurely lose him as well is terrifying, even if that fear is not totally based in rational thought. So I didn't love the fact that we had a vet appointment scheduled for this particular week, and sat in the vet's office today petrified of what she could possibly come back and tell me.

In general, this week was a little easier than last week, however, in terms of Mumble's healing process. The positive impact of having the walk at the beach with Chopper and Mandy over the weekend appeared to have some lasting affects, so while I still had concerns about his loss of appetite and he still had times where he resisted going for a walk, in general I saw an improvement in his overall demeanor. The instances of visible "limping" were extremely rare, so he seemed to also be improving greatly in terms of his physical injury.

I was hopeful going into the appointment with Dr. Shane that Mumble would be given the "all clear" to return back to normal, but such was not the case. Although with the medications, he is improving and his pain is managed, the orthopedic exam still showed signs of tension in the shoulder and elbow, evidencing the sprain/injured joints.

Dr. Shane therefore continued to advise limited activity levels, although modified to start to allow for some increases in a careful, planned manner. Walks are still OK. Additionally, he is permitted to go back to doing some agility activities, although without the A-Frame, the weave poles, or any "sharp turns." Which leaves (I guess) low level jumps, the dog walk, and the table? It's not much but at least he'll have something! We can do this no more than one time per week. As to daycare, a full day would still be too much for him, as would multiple daycare visits per week. Thus, she said he was allowed to do "half-days" a couple of times per week. I don't exactly know how that will work out with my work schedule, but I guess we'll figure something out.

As to medications, Dr. Shane believes Mumble will need to be on the Glucosamine supplements for the rest of his life. I've actually done a lot of research / reading on these supplements, and I believe that this will have a positive impact on his health and well-being going forward, so I am OK with this being a permanent addition to his health supplements. He will no longer take the Traumeel (the homeopathic anti-inflammatory) on a regular basis. Instead, he will only take it "as needed" if he shows any limping or signs of pain without it.

The prognosis? The vet still believes Mumble will ultimately heal and be back to normal, but she wants to reevaluate him in one month. This type of injury, she explained, could lead to the onset of arthritis in those joints if not treated. Thus, if he is still not healed after another 4 weeks, she will do X-Rays and we will decide whether or not surgery is the appropriate treatment option. She stressed that for a very active dog like Mumble, surgery could be the most appropriate thing if he is not healing so that he is not limited by arthritis and joint issues on a long term basis.

Overall, it was overwhelming, but I still feel like we are on the right path and doing the right things, and that ultimately Mumble will get better, hopefully without surgery. I'm thankful that this issue is something we can treat and deal with, and not something potentially life-threatening. I am also thankful for everyone's well-wishes, support, etc during the past few weeks about this!

Another Free Sample

Pledge Pet Hair Fabric Sweeper!!!! I love this product, it is really great for capturing the Mumble hair and Rascal hair off of the furniture.

This sample is limited to the first 7000 who respond. For your chance to get the sample, go to this page.

Shelter Donations in Honor of Mumble's Birthday

Mumble's birthday is coming up, and I came up with a great idea to celebrate it!

We'll be having a small(ish) party for Mumble at one of his favorite places, Zoom Room Culver City, and inviting some of his doggie friends, and some of his favorite humans. In addition (this is the "great idea" part), I thought it would be nice to honor his birthday by making a donation to the animal shelter.

Mumble was found on the streets as a little puppy and brought to the South L.A. Animal Shelter. He was rescued from there when he was 13 weeks old by his foster mom, Erin. I found Mumble on Petfinder.com, where he had been listed courtesy of Star Paws Rescue. I knew the moment I saw his picture with his inquisitive expression and adorable floppy ears that he was meant to be my pup, so I contacted them right away, and the rest is history!

So many dogs are homeless in L.A., and the shelters are so overcrowded with pups looking for their "forever homes." Thank goodness for rescue groups like Star Paws, and people like Erin, who help locate good homes for countless dogs! With all of the overcrowding and lack of resources, shelters really need donations, not just of funds, but of desperately needed items! Mumble will be inviting lots of people to his party, and he really doesn't need lots of "stuff" from birthday presents! Although I'm sure he'd love a rawhide or two, he can't really eat most treats because of dietary restrictions, and his toy boxes are already overflowing! He has all of his needs (and most of his wants) already met, but so many doggies in the shelters, in the same place where he was almost two years ago, can't say the same thing!

So for Mumble's party, we'll be sending out a request with his invitations for people to bring one item from the shelter's "wish list" to be donated in honor of Mumble's birthday. Zoom Room Culver City has agreed to post a flier in their lobby to ask for items to be dropped off there anytime before September 19th. We're hoping to collect lots of good stuff, which I will then be dropping off at the shelter the following week.

Zoom Room Culver City is located at:
11836 Teale Street
Culver City, CA

South L.A. Animal Shelter's "Wish List"

Blankets/Towels
Newspapers
Dog/Cat Bowls (Stainless Steel Only)
Gallon jugs of white vinegar
Small and medium-sized rectangular litter boxes
Jingle cat toys
Cat treats
Laundry Detergent
Fabric Softener Sheets
Non Clumping Cat Litter
Dog Treats
Dog Food (Wet/ Dry)
Grooming Supplies
Reptile Supplies
Turtle Supplies
Rabbit Supplies
Hamster Supplies
Guinepig Supplies
Leashes
Collars (Martingales)
Heating Pads
Digital Camera's
Hand Sanitizer
Mops
Brooms
Dust Pans
Bleach
Dog Beds
Cat Beds
Parvasol/Parvo Away
Pooper Scoopers
Cat & Dog Shampoo and Conditioner
Grooming Aprons
Combs & Brushes
Collapsible Crates
Carpet
Indoor/Outdoor Carpet

You can also check out these articles online about the top things to donate to Animal Shelters, and other interesting facts.

Top 10 Things to Donate to Animal Shelters, by associatedcontent.com

Animal Rescue Donations, by hubpages.com

10 Household Items to Donate to Animal Shelters, by apartmenttherapy.com

House Arrest Days 7-9

Today is Day 9 of Mumble's limited activity restrictions, to promote healing of his leg sprain. Only one week to go until we go back to the vet to check on how things are going!

On Day 7 (Wednesday), Mumble came to work with me during the day, and seemed to enjoy that. He loves seeing all of the people in my office and playing with his toys here. He was not too active during the day, but he was a little bit demanding (for attention). When he was bored, he'd sit by my chair and very softly bark at me. He got to rotate between my office and Mandy's office though so that kept him entertained. He seemed to be at his most "normal" on that day, so far.

Wednesday night, we had our last Therapy Dog class for this session at the Zoom Room. Mumble had an overflow of energy and excitement going in, and then there were some "extras" that night, including an additional dog doing a makeup class, and the trainer's two kids. Mumble was pretty obsessive with wanting to play with or bark at the new dog, and wanting to run around with the new kids, so he did not do as well on some of the "items" as he normally does. During the loose leash walking item, where they are supposed to be able to pass other dogs and distractions, Mumble was pulling on the leash and just generally acting hyped up. After a while though, he did seem to settle down and get into the routine of class. We'll definitely be taking another session of Therapy Dog to continue to hone and perfect his skills!

Thursday was a difficult day. I did not want to write about this when it was happening until I got home and was able to see Mumble for myself and check on him. The day started with Mumble having some sneezy / scratchy allergies in the morning, and just generally being a little more tired than usual. He did have plenty of energy to be "naughty" on our walk though! We walked to Coffee Bean on our morning walk, and after I got my coffee and came back outside, Mumble got away from me when I was untying his leash and just ran around all of the table trying to get people to pet him or give him food. The rest of the walk was pretty uneventful.

Thursday afternoon, I got a call from Mumble's dog walker, which sent me into a slight panic. Even though she said Mumble didn't appear to be in distress, when the words "he doesn't seem to want to get up and walk" came out of her mouth, all of the memories about losing Padfoot came rushing to me, and I had to force myself to remain calm. This is Mumble, not Padfoot. He has an injury, and is not feeling well, but he is not dying. OK, so then I asked her a bunch of questions, and ascertained that Mumble was not wanting to go for a walk, and when she finally got him to go out, just spent the whole time trying to turn around and go back home. When she brought him back in, he went straight back to bed and refused to do anything else. For a dog that is usually extremely hyper and active, this was definitely not normal, and caused her concern. However, his breathing was normal, he didn't seem to be in distress or even in pain.

I contacted Mumble's vet's office and talked to one of the vets there a little while later. After listening to my description of the details from the dog walker, she did not think that being lethargic as a reaction to the medications was the issue. Her opinion? Mumble is "sad" or "depressed" because of the drastic change in his lifestyle over the past week. She said it wasn't uncommon for "working dogs" to become depressed after they were injured or something because when their normal activities were taken away they became frustrated and sad. Poor Mumble, but at least she doesn't think it is something to cause serious concern. Because I google everything, I found this article about dog depression online, and it really does seem to make sense that this could be what is happening to Mumble.

I cheered Mumble up that evening with a visit to Mandy and Chopper, his favorite human and favorite dog pal. On his walk with Chopper, Mumble showed absolutely no signs of not wanting to walk, being tired, or wanting to turn back, which I guess would seem to support the depression theory rather than that something else is physically wrong.

This morning (Day 9), Mumble's lethargy and resistance to his walk continued with me. He was at first just appearing to be tired and not wanting to get up. When we went out for our walk, he was doing fine for the first block. Then out of nowhere, he turned around and tried to head back towards home. I guess this is what he was doing to the dog walker? His tail was between his leg, and he had a slightly panicked look. It is the way he acts when he is scared of something (usually nothing, or something irrational). From that point forward, he did not want to be walking, he just wanted to go back home. I tried giving him commands to walk nicely, to look at me, etc. I tried giving him treats (he clamped his stubborn jaws shut at that), and encouraging him to keep going. It didn't matter. Nothing changed the fact that he just wanted to go back home. When we made it back, he went straight to his favorite spot in the living room (the cushy armchair) and laid down. But back in the house, he was willing to take treats and come on command, etc, and did seem much more relaxed.

The other thing worrying is the loss of appetite. For the past few days, he eats hardly any breakfast and usually has to be coaxed to eat all of his dinner. He has several medications and supplements, some of which he takes with his food, and I don't know if he doesn't like the taste of all of that or what. The vet does think that one of the supplements could cause a loss of appetite, so maybe that's it. Although I guess if he is really depressed, he wouldn't want to eat, right?

In terms of the physical injury, he does seem to be healing well. But I don't know how we are going to make it through the next few weeks if we keep having to "rest" and not go to daycare and agility. I just keep thinking of all of those "depression is real" commercials on TV where someone talks about not wanting to get out of bed or eat, and I think - oh geez, now that's my dog!

Vaccination Clinic this weekend in West LA/Beverly Hills and Silverlake

The Urban Pet Los Angeles, a boutique retail pet food and supplies store on Beverly Blvd (and also in Silver Lake) is having a vaccination clinic this weekend. I thought I'd pass the info along in case any of you other pet parents are in need of updated shots at affordable prices. Here is what their flier (sent via email) says:

VACCINATION CLINIC
Saturday, August 14
Beverly 10am-12pm
(323.933.2100)

Silver Lake 1:30-3:00pm

(323.664.4700)

CASH ONLY


CANINE
DHPP-C (core vaccination for puppies) - $35

DHPP (core vaccination for dogs over 1 year old - 3* year booster) - $30
Bordetella (kennel cough vaccination) - $20
Rabies (required by law - 3* year booster) - $20
Rattlesnake (for dogs that go hiking - 6 month booster) - $25

FELINE
FVRCP (core vaccination for all cats - 3* year booster) - $30
Feline Rabies (required by law in certain cities) - $20
FELV (for cats that go outside - may require testing prior to administration) - $25

*3 year durations are dependent on vaccination history.


CATS & DOGS
Health Certificate (for interstate travel) - $35
Health Certificate (for internationaltravel) - $50

Microchip (inc. registration - good for domestic/international use) - $50

Complete de-worming for cats or dogs - priced by weight
We recommend de-worming treatment yearly to protect you and your family from potentially harmful parasites

The email also says that you can call or email (info@theurbanpet.net) for a reserved spot, although walk-ins are stated to be welcome too!

House Arrest Day 6

Today is Day 6 of Mumble's "limited physical activity" sentence for the healing of his sprained leg/shoulder. Things are reasonably going well so far, but I definitely notice a difference already in his behavior.

First off, and on a positive note, in regards to his injury itself, I am really amazed at this medication the vet has put him on, because it seemed to help with the pain right away. And presumably it is helping with the inflammation too, so he is definitely showing signs of limping and stiffness less often. The medication is called Traumeel, and it is a natural, herbal anti-inflammatory and analgesic that is actually made for humans but can be used on dogs. Natural / herbal pain relief is probably better for Mumble, who has previously had an adverse reaction to either pain medication or sedatives. Given that Mumble now takes so many pills and supplements I had to create a chart to make sure I gave him everything at the right time, I decided I should become more educated about what I am putting into his body and did some online research. Traumeel is something that is apparently frequently prescribed to people for their sport related injuries, sprains, and recovery from surgery. It is a homeopathic blend with a lot of different active ingredients that stimulate the "healing of wounds, fractures and dislocation," act as an analgesic, and prevent inflammation and infection. What's great about it is that it can be given to dogs without the extensive bloodwork that may be required for ongoing use of more traditional pain medications. What I know is that Mumble seemed to react positively right away. Remarkably, as soon as his next walk after his first dose, he was already showing signs of improvement. So he'll continue taking his two pills twice a day, hidden in whatever I can convince him to eat at that moment, until the vet tells us otherwise.

In terms of Mumble's reaction to the limitation on his physical activities, I think overall he is doing well, but there is definitely a difference. This will be the first week since Mumble was 5 months old that he didn't go to daycare for at least a couple of days. Well, that's not totally true, he didn't go to daycare when we were in Georgia for Christmas, but that week he had my sister's dogs, Penny and Dexter, who are just as hyper as him, to play with every day all day, so that doesn't really count. Usually, he gets to spend at least a few days at The Loved Dog running around with 30-40 other dogs all day, herding them, and acting like he is the king of the place. So it's a big difference to go from that to being at home with no dogs to play with, only Rascal to herd around, and no one to be the king of (there is no way Rascal is letting Mumble be in charge of anything!).

So while I have not seen any "bad behaviors" (I don't want to dare to say "yet"), he is showing signs that he's a little bored. Last night (Day 5) when I came home from work, he greeted me as usual, and we went on a normal walk. His normal evening activity level is pretty mellow when we are just at home. He may play a little, we may practice some of his tricks or other stuff, and he might even chase around a treat toy, but he's pretty content to lounge around on the couch for a majority of the evening and have his belly rubbed. Last night, he was much more active. He started pulling apart stuffed toys, strewing stuffing around the room, chased Rascal back and forth to the bedroom and living room (until Rascal was tired of that game and with one scathing look, stopped Mumble in his tracks, and then retired to the back of the couch), etc. The worst though was that he was generally trying to demand constant attention. He attempted to destroy a treat toy because it was empty, and kept sitting right next to wherever I was and barking at me ever so quietly to get me to play with him. Maybe this is normal? I don't know; I've always been a believer in "a tired dog is a good dog," so Mumble stays pretty active and entertained so that he doesn't have to engage in inappropriate behaviors to gain my attention for an activity.

The sad thing was that as much attention as I could give him, I couldn't give him what he wanted, which was a lot of physical activity. He was whining at me because he wanted me to play rough with him on the floor, or throw a ball for him to run after, or take him outside to play with the dog from upstairs when it went by. My "attention" of petting him, and trying to get him to do low-impact things like trick or behavior skills would only placate him for a little bit, and then he'd be begging all over again.

We'll see how he is behaving tonight (Day 6) after yet another day at home. We had a great walk this morning - long, but not at a fast pace, and with plenty of "training" along the way. He is mastering the automatic stop and sit at the curb before we cross the street, so if he takes a new skill out of all of this, I guess that's a good thing too. Tomorrow, he'll most likely be coming to the office with me during the day, and then we'll still be going to our "Therapy Dog" class tomorrow night (it's the last class, and the vet approved his participation in this - but not in agility). 10 days to go until we go back to the vet for a check up to see if he is healed, or if the sentence continues!

Another Free Sample of Pet Food

Check out the free sample of Nature's Select pet food, which include "holistic and natural pet food blends." Mumble can't eat this (he never gets to try anything new) but maybe your dog can!

http://www.naturalpetfooddelivery.com/htmls/petfood_sample_request.php

Mumble on Bed Rest?!

So Mumble has been limping a little bit over the past week, and I took him to the vet on Friday for a check up and to have her look at the limp. It's not really a pronounced limp, more like a slight hobble in his gait, and I couldn't for sure isolate which leg it was, since he continued to bear weight on all of them. The vet did a thorough orthopedic exam, carefully examining all of his joints, etc. She found that one leg (his front left one) was not extending as well and was the location of his pain, and called it an "overuse injury."

Her prescription:
Pain medications and supplements to support healing in the joint and muscle
Rest for two to four weeks; no agility, no doggie daycare, no play dates with dogs, no rigorous walks!

Mumble's "rest" and restricted activity began on Thursday, when I called the vet the day before our appointment and she instructed me to have him rest until we came in. So here we are in day three of the sentence and it's going reasonably well, although I already know what a challenge this is going to be for both of us.

Anyone who knows Mumble (or has ever read this blog) knows he is an extremely active, energetic dog. (I'm sure this high activity level is the biggest contributing factor to his current "overuse" injury). In times past, he has moved large furniture in my apartment, climbed things, escaped confinement, removed screens from the windows, etc in an attempt to find "work" to do when he is bored. I've implemented a combination of various activities and exercise to combat these issues, very successfully. The biggest components are doggie daycare, vigorous walks, and agility training, all of which have to be removed in his current regimen to allow for healing.

How do you tell an active border collie / bull terrier that he needs to rest?!

So far I'm trying to work a lot on his "mental stimulation" in an attempt to compensate for the lack of physical stimulation. Thank goodness for all of his training! I'm so grateful now for the timing of taking the Therapy Dog training at Zoom Room Culver City, as this gives us plenty of skills to practice that don't involve high impact physical activity! Walks consist of practicing skills like sitting next to me when I come to a stop, the "look at me" command, etc. We practice down stays in the patio area outside my apartment, and (try to) practice walking past other dogs without running towards them. Working on these things for every single walk means we can go out for just as long of a time period, but go slower / shorter distance. It's certainly mentally exhausting for me, so hopefully it is for Mumble as well!

I'm sure there will be lots to report as we go through these next two weeks, and I'll try to keep this updated. Wish us luck, and keep Mumble's healing in your thoughts and prayers!

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Finally! A New Dogwalker for Mumble!

So, after many months of searching on craigslist.com, care.com, etc for potential dog walkers, dozens of emails back and forth between potential candidates, and a few in person meetings, Mumble and I have FINALLY found a new dog walker! I was determined to find the perfect fit for Mumble, someone I knew would work well with him, implement the techniques, etc as I want them implemented, and really just have that personality that is a good match for his. This morning, we interviewed a dog walker named Lynne (interestingly, the same name as the previous dog walker we loved).

Mumble was really testing her out and being difficult this morning. He was already stressed out because there was construction and repainting going on in our building, including work on our front door right outside. So I knew that Lynne had excellent potential when she didn't jump to any conclusions about him being "aggressive" even though he basically sat behind his gate barking or growling for the first 5-10 minutes she was there. Mumble can be loud and sound pretty intimidating, but he has never been actually aggressive to anyone, and someone who assumes that rather than really reading the signs he is giving off correctly is not the right match for him (i.e. the previous dog walker we interviewed who alluded to "kicking dogs in the chest" when they jumped on you and made a statement that Mumble was "aggressive and trying to be dominant").

Lynne, Mumble and I all went on a walk around the neighborhood, and Mumble did really well with her. Basically, he was showing off for her, walking next to her and looking up at her and not pulling on the leash. I warned her that while he's overall a well behaved dog, he isn't always this perfect on the leash!

I showed Lynne all of Mumble's tricks, behaviors, and other skills he is working on and knows. It was another good sign that she really paid close attention to everything and asked a lot of questions about his training and how to work with him. Mumble will bond better with someone and also respect them more if they work on some of his skills and behavior training with him too, so I'm glad she's willing to do this.

The icing on the cake was when she mentioned that (if I was OK with this) she would sometimes bring her 5 year old daughter along. Mumble LOVES kids, and I've worked hard on teaching him how to be calm around them and not to react when they run around or pull on him or pet him roughly. He's super motivated because he really wants to interact with kids, so he has basically learned to just be real still so that I'll let the kid come up to him. I think it will be great for him to have a child that he is around on a semi-regular basis and can form a bond with.

So... Lynne is starting later this week, and I'm really excited to move forward with this next stage for Mumble! He'll be staying home instead of going to doggie daycare a couple of times a week, when she'll be walking him. I'm sure there will be lots of adventures and stories as they get use to each other, but I am confident that she will be great with him and this is going to work out well!

Yay Chopper!

Chopper was Zoom Room Culver City's first "Member of the Month!" They included a great post about him on their blog!

http://www.zoomroomonline.com/culver-city/first-member-of-the-month-named.html

Free Dog Samples

We all know how expensive taking care of our furry kids can be - so free stuff is always appreciated! Here are some information regarding free samples of dog products / pet products:

Rachael Ray's dog food: http://www.rachaelray.com/pets/switch.php

"Better than Ears" dog treats, at walmart.com: http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid88773.aspx

Doggie Delightz treats: http://www.doggydelightz.com/page1.aspx

Bully Sticks: http://allnaturalbullysticks.com/freesampleform/

There are many more such samples out there! These are just the best ones I could find when looking around online today!


update - here is another sample: http://naturalnibbles.com/free_samples.html

Coupons: allyou.com has printable coupons, including pet products. Go to this link and choose "pet care" from the category list on the left for this month's pet care coupons.

Mumble loves to show off!

A couple of weekends ago, Mandy and I took Mumble to a doggie event in Hollywood, where we helped to represent the Zoom Room. In addition to all of the booths, etc set up for this event, there was a mini agility park set up in the yard for guests to check out what the Zoom Room has to offer. Mumble was more than happy to show off his stuff running through the little course! Check out pictures and information on the Zoom Room's blog, and be sure to look for the pictures of Mumble in the agility park!

Agility Birthday Cake for Chopper

Happy Birthday Chopper!

Earlier this month, we celebrated Chopper's 4th Birthday with a small gathering at Zoom Room Culver City. It's hard to believe that it's been 3 years and 3 months since Mandy adopted Chopper at the Best Friends Animal Society adoption event.
Chopper's one of my favorite dogs ever, and I'm so happy to be part of his life!

About the cake:

Because Chopper absolutely LOVES agility, I wanted to make him a special agility birthday cake with both dog-friendly and people-friendly cakes. The cakes themselves are store-bought - I purchased a white cake with white frosting from the grocery store (very plain sheet cake) and a doggie cake from Three Dog Bakery (peanut butter flavored, size 7").

To set up the agility course, I placed the two cakes onto cardboard cake sheets I bought at Michael's. It took two big sheets to make the area the size I wanted.

The "people cake" was made to match the blue and orange agility equipment with blue sprinkles across the top and orange sprinkles around the sides.

The difficult part, obviously, was creating the miniature agility equipment. After searching online for small model agility equipment and finding none, I realized I had to make these from scratch. I found some other blogs or online posts where people had done this and took some ideas from there, but basically I was making it up as I went along! Thank goodness I grew up with a very crafty mom, so I'm pretty creative myself :)

For supplies, I bought the following from Michael's (well, actually, some of this I already had):

• 1 package of white lollipop sticks (in the candy-making aisle)
• 2 variety packs of small wood pieces (I found these in the wood section where there are materials for wood painting projects - each package had pieces of various sizes from tiny little squares to rectangles about 5 or 6 inches by 3 inches in size)
• Orange and Blue paint
• Orange and Blue craft foam (the kind that comes in sheets - about 2 sheets of each color)
• 1 sheet of white craft foam
• Markers
• Wood glue
• Foam glue

For the A-Frame -
I glued two of the larger rectangle pieces of wood together at a 90 degree angle to make the A-Frame. Once the glue had dried and the frame was securely together, I painted it completely blue. I then cut two smaller stips of orange foam to make the "contact points" at the bottoms of each side (see picture above) and pieces of blue foam to fit over the remainder of the top of the wood piece, and glued these on.

For the weave poles -
These were the simplest to make. I took about 6 of the lollipop sticks and painted two tiny blue stipes around each one, close together and near one end of the stick. These were later put directly into the cake to make a line of weave poles.

For the jump -
I only made one jump, and it wasn't as easy as I had anticipated. Again, I used the lollipop sticks for this, two for the sides and one for the horizontal pole, although I found that the sticks were a little longer than I'd like for purposes of the horizontal one, so I cut one off by about an inch. For the two side poles, I painted one stripe around the pole, towards one end (this would be the top end when it is all together). I then glued the horizontal pole onto the two other poles to make the jump. The glue didn't really hold it, and I ended up using tape as well.

For the Dog Walk -
In my variety pack of wood scraps, there were strips of wood pieces about one inch across and varying in length. I used two pieces about 3-4 inches long, one longer piece (maybe about 5-6 inches) and four little pieces about 1.5-2 inches in length. First, I used the four little pieces to make two "V" shapes that would be used as a support at the bottoms of the Dog Walk. I just glued two of these pieces together at an angle to make this. I then glued the medium lengthed pieces onto one side of my "V;" turning the "V" upside down, I just lined up one end of the medium piece with the bottom of one side and glued it on. Then I glued the longer piece onto the other end of each medium piece, connecting the whole thing together (see picture above). Once it was all glued (and it fell apart and had to be reglued at least twice), I painted it all blue. Again, I used the orange foam to cut small pieces for the bottoms of the dog walk as the "contact points" and blue foam to cover the top of the rest of the piece.

For the Teeter -
The teeter was fairly simple. Again, I used two small rectangles from my wood scrap bag to glue together into a "V" shape as the base, and painted this blue. I then used a longer wood piece for the top, painting this blue and then applying the orange foam contact points and the blue foam over the rest. I simply set this on top of the base to balance there to form the teeter totter.

For the Tunnel -
I ended up making two tunnels, because the first one I made wasn't long enough once I put it with the rest. Although I initially rejected that first one, I ended up using both in the end (in the picture above, the small blue tunnel is on the top of the round dog cake, and the larger orange tunnel is on the cake base under the Dog Walk. To make the tunnels, I just cut a piece of foam about 6 inches wide and the desired length (about 5-6 inches for a longer tunnel, 3-4 for a small one). I then rolled it up, and used the foam glue to secure it together.

Missing from my cake - the Tire -
I tried to locate something that would be the right size for the Tire - some small round, donut-like thing that I could paint blue and orange, but I was ultimately unsuccessful and gave up on this :(

"Happy Birthday Chopper" -
Instead of having writing on the cakes themselves, which may have been difficult to arrange with everything else, I made a small square from white foam, on which I wrote with blue markers "Happy Birthday Chopper." I then glued the white foam square onto a slightly smaller blue foam square. On the top of the cake, I inserted two of the extra lollipop sticks for the Happy Birthday sign to prop against.

Dog Food Series Part 2: The Woes of a Dog with a Sensitive Stomach

Mumble has always had both allergies and food sensitivities. From the first day I got him, he's had diarrhea off-and-on on a fairly frequent basis. In addition to the laundry list of things he just can't seem to tolerate / digest, there is the list of foods that make him itchy, sneezy, have watery eyes, or have dry skin.

Food:

Mumble eats two meals per day, each containing 1/2 can of Party Animal wet food (turkey and sweet potato flavor), a scoop of Blue Buffalo dry food, and the special homemade "mix" I make myself.

Wet Food: My vet is a big believer in the benefits of all wet food versus dry kibble. Early on in the process of trying to find a food that Mumble could tolerate, she recommended that he eat only "Party Animal" brand food. Party Animal is a dog food made with organic ingredients, including organic meats, veggies and fruits. Because it is organic, it doesn't include artificial preservatives and other additives that are not good for dogs with allergies and food sensitivities.

Mumble eats only the one called "Turn up da' Turkey" recipe. Initially, I rotated the turkey flavor, chicken flavor and sometimes the fish flavor, but I have found that Mumble doesn't do as well with digesting more than one protein source. I use this particular Turkey option because it has sweet potatoes, rather than carrots, as the main vegetable ingredient. Aside from the fact that Mumble doesn't digest carrots very well, sweet potatoes are known to be a "super food." Super foods are those that have substantially higher nutritional value than other foods, and I read somewhere that dogs with digestion issues (and who thereby may be "losing nutrients" through frequent bouts of diarrhea) actually absorb more nutrients if their diet includes super foods. (note: the Party Animal recipes also include another super food - blueberries).

Dry Food: For a while, Mumble was on a strict diet of only this wet food. However, over time, he still had some occasional digestive issues, and I started doing some research about commercial foods with high levels of fiber and probiotics and other digestive enzymes. I was also concerned about the cost of his wet-food-only diet, and hoping to reduce that by supplementing with a high quality dry kibble. I tried out various dry foods, only adding a little to his wet food. Nothing seemed to be OK. Many dry foods seemed to increase his itchy allergic reactions. Others made him have increased digestive problems.

Then we went to home to Georgia for Christmas, and Mumble and I were staying with my sister and brother-in-law and their two dogs. I was very stressed about the dog food situation for this trip, because Party Animal was not available in Georgia (at least anywhere near where they live). I planned on bringing some cans of wet food with me in my luggage, but knew that ultimately I'd need to supplement it with something available there.

Enter Blue Buffalo dry food. My sister has a Husky, and she had been feeding him this brand at the recommendation of a rescue group. In advance of my coming to GA, she switched her dogs to a "flavor" of this dry food that included a protein Mumble could digest, and I added that to his food while he was there. It was miraculous how well he digested it! He had the most consistently good digestion during the time we were in Georgia that he has ever had before! I was sold.

Back in CA, I started buying the same Blue Buffalo food (it was at that time the Fish flavor). Ultimately, Mumble did start to have some issues again, and it was during this time that I realized the difficulty with digesting two very different protein sources simultaneously (turkey and chicken seem ok, but turkey or chicken with fish is not, and he simply can't digest beef, venison or duck; lamb makes him itchy). So I switched him to Blue Buffalo's Chicken and Brown Rice recipe, which is in their line of "Life Protection" foods. (note: now that they have added some limited ingredient products, called "Blue Basics," I'm considering switching to Turkey and Potato).

Overall, this combo has been good, but ultimately, Mumble still has digestive woes. Recently, we went through a period where it was so bad that I had to make his food myself for a while. Since that, I have been supplementing his food with the homemade "mix" that I make every week. The mix is cooked sweet potato, canned pumpkin, cottage cheese, and a tiny bit of yogurt. (Mumble LOVES cottage cheese, that's definitely his favorite part). This may sound ridiculous, but it works!

A note about canned pumpkin: Above, I talked about sweet potato as a "super food;" my other favorite addition for dog food is canned pumpkin. Early on, I read an article that talked about using canned pumpkin for dogs that have frequent diarrhea. I was skeptical, because the traditional approach of plain rice didn't have any impact whatsoever on Mumble's digestive problems. But the pumpkin really works! I know other dog owners who add it only when their dog has an upset tummy, and they swear by it as something that will stop the diarrhea pretty much right away!

Medications:

In addition to the homemade mix, Mumble has probiotics added to his food at least once per day. He is also on a supplement prescribed by his vet called Antonex, which helps him maintain appropriate histamine levels (and thereby prevents allergy attacks), which he takes with every meal.

I hope this is helpful to any of you out there suffering through the ups and downs of dealing with doggie digestive issues. It's definitely a challenge (don't even get me started about treats), but ultimately, you can find something that will keep your dog healthy and eating well.

p.s. Always consult your vet if your dog is having chronic diarrhea or other health issues, and if you are considering adding a supplement or medication to his diet.

Dog Food Series Part 1: Everyone has an opinion!

There's a lot of information out there these days about what makes a good dog food versus a bad dog food. Google phrases like "good dog food" or "what should I feed by dog" and you'll come up with an overwhelming list of links, with opinions, analysis and information about all kinds of options from "raw food diets" to low end commercial dog foods and everything in between. It seems like everyone, from trainers, to vets, to random people you meet in pet stores, will have an opinion about what you should feed your pet. And some of those opinions are conflicting - one vet may swear by dry food as being the way to go while another opines that you should only use wet food. Those "random people" in the pet store often turn out to be reps from some pet food company. They'll give you tons of information about ingredients and how this food is so healthy and digestible, but ultimately they are trying to sell a product.

So how does the average dog owner comb through all of this information and decide on the food that right for her pup? It can be a difficult decision, and speaking as an owner of a dog with pretty significant digestive issues, it is a vital decision.

There are plenty of other websites out there with lengthy and informative articles about what you should look for, and even websites that have done the analysis for you. Some examples can be found at the bottom of this article. Keep in mind, just like opinions of professionals and your friends, the information contained in various websites can be contradictory!

In addition to reading up and doing your research, here are some practical tips for deciding what dog food to use:

(1) Be realistic about what is important to you. Your dog's health and well-being is likely the most important thing, or you wouldn't be doing all of this research. But let's face it, cost is a factor. While we all want what is best for our pets, most of us can't afford to simply feed our dogs the most expensive food on the market. Sit down and calculate how much you feed your dog and what it costs per day (based on the cost of one bag). You can find tools on the web to help you figure this out, based on your current dog food, and use this as a guide. There's even an iPhone app.

(2) After you've researched online about ingredients, etc, take a good look at the food you're already using and consider its overall quality.

(3) Ask your vet. Presumably you trust your vet about all kinds of things related to your pet's health, and what your pet eats is an integral part of his overall health and well-being. Don't just ask "what food do you recommend?" Your vet may be selling a specific brand directly from his/her office, and will "recommend" only that. Instead, ask for your vet's opinion about specific food choices - what you're feeding your dog now and what you are considering. If there is a specific food that your vet recommends as "the best," ask what it is about that food that makes it so. The information you take away from this can help you make an informed decision that is individually right for you and your dog.

(4) Ask other dog professionals. Do you have a trainer working with your dog, a dog walker, or a groomer that you trust? They are sure to have an opinion, not just based on what they feed their own dogs, but on the information they have from other dog owners they've worked with. This can be a good source of info about a variety of options.

(5) Rather than asking for the opinion of sales reps who hang out in large retailers of pet products on the weekends promoting their own food, go to a smaller, local pet food store and ask the opinion of the staff there. Some of these people are very knowledgeable about all of the different foods they sell, and can tell you why some are better than others in terms of quality. (Two places where I've found such useful people are Got Pet Food in Santa Monica and Collar and Leash in Pacific Palisades.)

(6) Ask your friends what they feed their dog and why. Note that not everyone is knowledgeable about dog food options, and you may have some friends still using the "grocery store brands." But if you trust your friends' opinions regarding this kind of thing, they can give you a realistic, helpful point of view based on what actually works well for their dog instead of just on research, etc.

This last tip gets straight to the point of what this series of blog posts will be about. While you can find a plethora of websites out there with an overwhelming amount of facts about ingredients, health benefits, etc, sometimes its more helpful to hear from real people with real dogs about what they choose and why. In my circle of "dog friends," none of us feed our dogs exactly the same thing, and I think this exemplifies the reality of this decision - everyone may have a strong opinion and good reasons for what they choose, but at the end of the day, there are many, many good options out there. Therefore, I've invited some of my dog owner friends to guest blog for this series. We will each discuss what we have chosen to feed our pups, why we made the choice we made, and what benefits we see of the particular food we are using. I hope you find this useful! And please feel free to also post comments!


As promised, here are some examples of informational cites:

Drs. Foster and Smith's "FAQ" about what and how much to feed your dog

Dogster's article "How to Choose a Healthy Dog Food"

PetEducation.com's article "Choosing a Dog Food"

Even WikiHow has an artile: How to Choose Healthy Dog Food

And here are some that rate / analyze specific brands of dog food:

Dog Food Scoop

Dog Food Analysis

Chopper and Mumble in Agility League

Mumble in Agility League (2)

Mumble in Agility League

Chopper in Agility League (2)

Chopper in Agility League

Ignorance is not bliss

A few weeks ago, I was walking from my office in Pacific Palisades, CA to get lunch in town with a co-worker. As we went through town, stopping in a couple of places, we saw several copies of the same flier posted on streetlight poles, "community bulletin boards" inside business establishments, and the like. These fliers warned the community of allegedly vicious dogs on the loose in the neighborhood, and detailed a story regarding the attack of the writer's dog by one of them.

Now I don't know anything other than what I read in this flier regarding the details of that occurrence, and certainly I did not witness it. I know that if Mumble was attacked while I was out for a walk by an aggressive dog running around off leash, I'd be pretty pissed too.

But there are some concerns raised with this flier and how it portrayed what happened.

Most glaringly, the fliers' warning made a point of stating, in larger letters, bolded and underlined, that the dogs were pit bulls. It seemed to imply that it was a given that these dogs were of course vicious because they were pit bulls.

The ignorance about pit bull dogs is a much discussed, heated topic. Images like those of the fighting dogs of Michael Vic, children who were attacked or bitten, other dogs that were brutally attacked, all lead our collective conscience to buy into the idea that pit bulls are by nature harmful, dangerous, prone-to-aggression creatures. Much as they try images of pit bulls as loving members of families, or even stories about rehabilitated Michael Vic dogs now housed at the rescue group Best Friends Animal Society's facility called Dogtown, do little in most people's minds to counteract this prejudice.

From my point of view, the harm done by such ignorance goes deeper than the affect on the dogs themselves, it actually endangers the public more to be so ignorant and to base understanding of dog behavior on such generalizations.

For example, a friend of mine could post a very similar flier to the one we saw. She could detail the circumstance in which her dog, while on a walk in her own neighborhood and on leash, was attacked and bitten to the point of drawing blood by an off-leash, uncontrolled, aggressive dog. It would paint the same picture, and the same warning. But this dog that attacked Chopper was not a pit bull, it was a Labrador; a breed assumed to be a "family dog," good-natured and friendly. People reading the pit bull flier will not only be duly "warned" against these specific dogs who have shown aggression, the fact that the emphasis was placed on their breed will also ensure that this will "warn" people against pit bulls in general. Whereas people reading a flier about Chopper's attack would assume that this must be a fluke, and go on believing that no other Labrador would be likely to attack a person or dog.

The fact of the matter is, generalizations about dogs are as prejudicial as generalizations about people. Think about it from that perspective. We are learning as a society not to make assumptions about people based on broad generalizations due to their gender, race, where they are from, etc. A logical, educated person realizes that if you assume "all people" that fall within a certain group are likely to act a certain way, you are likely to be mistaken in the individual. So many other factors go into who we are as a person.

Likewise with dogs. If you assume a dog is going to bite you just because of its breed, likely you will be wrong on an individual basis. On the contrary, if you assume a dog is not going to bite you simply because it is not of a certain breed, you may also be wrong (and therefore may put yourself unwittingly into danger).

And therein lies the danger. Think of what parents are teaching their kids by passing on such ignorance and prejudice rather than teaching them how to actually approach or interact with a dog. If we as a society assume that all pit bulls are dangerous, and on the contrary assume that other dog breeds, like Labradors and poodles, are not, where will that assumption take us?

A child once ran towards me and Mumble at the outdoor shopping mall near our house, and as it approached, the dad yelled "don't go near that dog its a pit bull." (I have no idea if Mumble is part pit bull or not). What does this teach the child? It doesn't teach the child not to run up to strange dogs in general, but rather simply not to run up to ones that look a certain way. So then this child may run up to the next dog it sees that doesn't look like a pit bull, and if that dog doesn't like kids, the child may be in danger. On the other hand, a child running up to Mumble, no matter what he looks like, would never be in danger because he is well-trained on how to approach kids, likes kids in general, and is never running around off leash and out of my control.

Isn't it better to teach kids how to properly approach a dog? Things like - ask before you pet a dog, don't run at a dog you don't know, etc. Isn't it better for dog owners to communicate with other dog owners rather than taking one look and making an assumption?

Of course, I'm not discounting whatever happened to this poor person's dog that was attacked, and if it was me, I'd be pretty upset too. I guess I just have a problem with the way in which this flier talks about the problem. Ultimately, to me the point that should have been highlighted is not the breed of the dog, but the fact that it was off leash. That is a big problem here in the Palisades where people seem to feel that they are entitled to let their dogs run loose in the parks, neighborhoods, bluffs, etc, without regard to other people or dogs around. It would seem to me that the better way to deal with these issues would be to promote awareness about leash laws and the problems with having dogs off leash and out of their owners' control, rather than playing into the existing societal fear of pit bulls.

The Search for a New Dogwalker

Mumble is notorious for being resistant to staying at home alone. He has been known to escape confinement behind a dog gate (pushing it out of the doorway, climbing a bookshelf to get over it, and then climbing the moved-bookshelf to get to the kitchen counter and then over the gate) at the young age of 4 months; he moved a crate across the room while inside of it (resulting in a scrape on his back that caused a permanent scar), took a screen out of a window, ate / chewed through two doorknobs (mine and one at my sister's house - both have puncture marks from his teeth and are warped), and various other things to attempt to get out of any type of solitary confinement (or what he sees as such). More recently, he escaped out of a crate completely while we were visiting my sister for Christmas (my brother checked on him that day and called to say "was he in this pen-thing when you left him here? he's not now"). And then of course, he has rearranged my furniture... As in, pulled a large arm-chair several feet across the room so that it was behind the couch instead of next to it. I guess he thought it looked better there, or else was trying to move it to the window (when it use to be under the window, he loved to sit and look outside).

So figuring out what to do with him during the work day has been a constant source of stress for me. Originally, he was able to come to my office during the work day, but eventually the building owners put their foot down about that (although they seem to look the other way for smaller dogs). He started daycare at The Loved Dog at age 5 months, and for a while he was doing a combination of daycare there or in a pet sitter / dog walker's home during the week. Eventually this didn't work because unbenownst to me, Mumble had decided to be a "guard dog" at the pet sitter's house, and basically barked at the door most of the day.

Several months ago I found a great dog walker, named Lyn. You can read all about that process in an earlier post about Mumble staying home alone. Lyn was great because she was willing to listen and to work with Mumble according to the techniques / methods I already use. I showed her, for example, Mumble's "routine" for when I leave the house, which is something we learned in our training with Tamar Gellar, and she implemented it. I told her she had to be willing and able to say "no" firmly to Mumble if he was barking or pulling on the leash - that he knows how to behave but will "test" her. When Mumble started a Tricks class, I gave her a list and instructions of what he was practicing and she would try out some of the tricks with him when she visited. She was flexible, able to come multiple times during the day (more when he seemed hyper or anxious, for example).

And over the last several months, my life has become infinitely less stressful as Mumble has become more and more calm about staying at home. Of course, I know some of this is attributable to the fact that during this time period, he has had constant agility and tricks training, giving him ongoing and consistent "mental stimulation" which makes him better behaved in general. I know some of it is just due to maturity - Mumble at 1 year 5 months is just now starting to get out of the destructive puppy phase. But I also know a lot of it is because of Lyn, because she has been a constant in Mumble's life, and because she was such a perfect fit for what he needed in a dog walker.

So you can imagine the panic I felt when Lyn informed me that she is now moving away. She's very happy about this next step in her life, and I want good things for her! But selfishly, I of course wish she were staying nearby.

I'm faced now with the search, again, for the perfect dog walker. Perfect means available when I need them, flexible in terms of scheduling (it's not the same week by week), reasonably priced, experienced with dogs, and not too opinionated about how dogs should be walked / worked with. It is a time-consuming and exhausting task, one that took me a few months the last time around. I've google'd, searched through craigslist, talked to people referred to me by trainers and others, asked everyone I know if they know someone. I've emailed any and all persons who seem like they would be a good candidate and asked them my laundry-list of questions. You'd think this is a simple matter of availability + reasonable rate, but it's not so simple. The hardest part is finding the person who's personality is a good fit for how I want someone to work with my dog.

I've found that really experienced dog walkers, like "trainers," tend to be very opinionated about what works and think they know all about dog training already. And I'm sure they have great techniques, but I've put a lot of time and money into Mumble's training and I am more concerned with someone being able to do things my way than whether they can bring in their own training experience and techniques. My biggest pet peeve in this has been when I say "Mumble needs a lot of exercise and mental stimulation..." and I get cut off because the dog walker wants to show what they know and starts in with "oh yes, all dogs need at least XX number of hours of exercise" or "dogs really need activity and structure." It's not that they are wrong, it's that they are not listening. I know all healthy dogs need exercise and activities, but when I say Mumble needs that I am not just referring to what dogs need in general. Mumble is unique among all of the dogs in our little pack of dog-friends in terms of how much exercise he needs a day, so I think it is safe to say his needs may be beyond what the dog walker thinks of as "typical." On days he is at home now, he gets an hour long walk in the morning with me, two thirty minute walks with Lyn and another 30-45 minute walk with me in the evening. 2.5 or more hours of walking a day is probably more than the average dog gets / requires.

I'm not willing to risk, by having someone who is not right for Mumble, back-tracking to the days when he hated staying at home. When I leave him in the morning now, he is calm as he lies in his "stay" position waiting nicely until I get out the door and tell him "take it" (at which point he gets to get up and get the treats and toys I've put on the rug for him). He doesn't try to get up and follow me out, doesn't dry at the door. My neighbors no longer complain about crying or barking during the day. And when I come home, he is just happily waiting for me. As it should be.

So the search is on, and in the next week, Mumble and I will be meeting with a few candidates to see if they are a good fit. I'm hopeful we'll find someone quickly this time, so we'll see how it goes!