Raising Indiana Ep 3: Dog Food.. Damn, Where Do I Begin?

Broadcasting from outside of Boston, Episode Three is the first of many, many on diet and nutrition. It's a complex, contentious topic with lots of confusion and a whole host of theories.  Karla Haas owner of Rudy Greens is with us this week with a wealth of knowledge and experience on the subject. 

 

Are Pets Worth It?

Are Pets Worth it?

Author, Bob McMillan

What’s the deal with dogs?

They’re those shaggy things that loiter around the house, right? They collect fleas.
They shed. You have to watch where you step in the yard with a dog around. They
loll around on your furniture and eat your running shoes. They drool.

Do them a favor and take them for a walk and, unless you’ve spent countless hours
training them, they’ll wrap you around a lightpole or drag you through the
boxwoods chasing cats or squirrels. They knock you down when you come home or
jingle the car keys. They suffer mysterious hearing losses when you say,
“Down,” but whisper the word “food” in the next room and bam, they’re
right at your feet, grinning.

You bath them, groom them, pony up for vet bills and food and treats. If you have
more than one, you become a pro at breaking up spats. Face it, having a dog
means countless hours of work, sweat and money.

Is it really worth all this?

The owners of more than 74 million dogs in America say yes.

That’s because they’re not a burden — they’re our friends. Of all the animals, dogs
understand us best, and we have a pretty good idea what’s going on inside their
furry skulls, too. We relate. It’s a relationship that’s enriched us both for
at least 15,000 years.

The archaeological record is clear. As soon as man settled into farming villages
(and likely for thousands of years before) canines were by his side. Through
history they’ve hunted and retrieved for us, they’ve herded our livestock,
they’ve guarded our wickiups, huts and homes. They’ve gone to war with us.

They’ve been such a part of our culture that Hollywood
made them stars: Lassie, Rin Tin Tin, 101 Dalmatians. The comedian W.C. fields
refused to work with kids or dogs because they stole his scenes.

Fast-foward to 2009. Our lives are hectic, our neighborhoods are crowded, it’s a different world and a different time than when Timmy and Lassie roamed the old family farm. Dog bites and raids on dog-fights and puppy mills are in the news, along
with animal shelters struggling to stay open because of a tide of cast-off
strays.

Now, we still love our dogs and they still work for us. The sniff out drugs and
bombs, they find the lost. Just petting a dog is therapeutic, health
researchers say, and they’re used in hospitals and nursing homes. Some can
sniff out cancer cells.

But today, most of us have dogs not because of the work they do, but because our
lives feel more complete with a shaggy smile in it. Many of us pamper our furry
pals. Americans spent $38 billion last year on their pets, and only about 40%
of that on food. There’s also pet beds, grooming aids, rain coats, car seats
and an array of bones, toys and treats.

We’re pretty smitten, huh. It’s been a good run so far.

But life with dogs in 2009 is increasingly complicated, even in once-rural Putnam County. More of us are wanting to do more with our dogs with less time and less space.
The more we learn about these fascinating creatures, the more we realize what
they’re capable of — and that dog ownership is a major responsibility.

We now know that dogs are social animals. Leaving them tied to a post in the yard
all their lives or stuck in a pen makes them prisoners, not companions. They
thrive on being close to us. And we thrive too.

We know we have to socialize our furry friends, safely expose them to all kinds of
people and surprises so they’ll behave when they go with us. We have to train
them, teach them the rules. And we want to do it in a way so we’re both still
friends.

Keeping them up to date on their shots isn’t enough. With the country overrun with strays, spaying and neutering is becoming the norm. With pet food poisonings in the
recent headlines, we’re becoming more careful what we feed them and many of us
are learning to be animal nutrionists as well as the Hurler of The Frisbee.

The more we learn about dogs, the more fascinating Man’s Best Friend becomes.

Bob McMillan is an editor and columnist with the
Cookeville Herald-Citizen newspaper and lives on a mountain with several giant hounds and wary cats.

This column was originally printed in the Herald-Citizen
in Cookeville, Tennessee.
Please visit http://www.herald-citizen.com/ for more information on the
newspaper. We thank the Herald-Citizen
staff for allowing FFBF to re-print this piece.

Partners in Pet Care

Partnering with
Professionals in Caring For Your Ill Pet

Author, Jan Casey

“When it rains, it
pours.” I don’t know to whom to attribute that quote, but I’m pretty sure it
was someone who dealt with pets in some manner. Several weeks ago I had a
series of discussions with dog owners I highly respect regarding serious health
problems just discovered in their pets. Descriptions of the different issues
were followed by the same question: “ do you know of any resources where I can
learn more?” At the same time, my own three legged wonder mix, Dodi, was
diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I started researching every article I could find
on the topic. Why do we do this? We all have veterinarians we love and trust.
Why don’t we just sit back and accept what we are told?

There are many people
who place all trust in their chosen professionals. These people don’t ask
questions, accept what is told to them even if they don’t understand, and
follow instructions without question. Maybe professionals like to have this
kind of client as they certainly must be easier to deal with. What about the
other kind of owners, the ones who, like me, respect and trust our vets, but
still ask questions, still seek more information, still look for more or
different answers? Are we thorns in our vets’ sides? Maybe, but I like to think
our vets understand our need to be partners in the care of our pets.

What are we looking for?
Perhaps we want to know what caused the problem, was it something we could have
prevented? Our research can lead us to theories, but we’ll probably never have
definitive answers for our individual cases. Genetics pops up as a component in
many health problems. Our attempts to produce “the perfect dog,” seem to have
increased their health problems. Canine health registries have been developed
to certify our dogs are free of orthopedic problems, heart problems, eye
problems, yet we see an increasing number of breeds developing cancer at
earlier ages or born with breathing problems that are life threatening. In
recognition of the problems being created by man, the British Kennel Club is
announcing reforms: (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/02/crufts-dog-show.html
).

Perhaps genetics had
little to do with the problems. Could the cause be environmental? Not all of
our dogs are purebred, but they all face challenges in the quality of their
environment. We start researching toxins our dogs encounter. The EPA is now
reviewing all spot-on flea and tick meds: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/flea-tick-control.html
. What about the sprays we use on our yards for weed and pest eradication ( http://www.chem-tox.com/pesticides/
)? How about the additives put on kibble to make it more appealing in taste
(remember the food recall of 2007? It is still happening: http://www.petsready.com/pet_food_recalls.php
)? What about over-vaccination? Vaccines are highly potent and linked to
serious, adverse side effects. Yet, many pets are still subjected to yearly
vaccinations though every three years is legal and recommended by the
American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Animal Hospital
Association, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, the
World Small Animal Veterinary Medical Association, and more (http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog4dogs/2009/06/25/changing-rabies-vaccination-laws/).
Wouldn’t we all get yearly MMR vaccinations if the yearly vaccine made us more
immune?

We want to know more
than just what caused the problem. We also want to know what we can do to help
our pets. We trust our vets have been well-trained in treating a wide range of
problems in dogs using conventional medicine. However, complimentary and
alternative medicines and treatment modes are becoming more accepted by the
public and we want to know what else might be available using non-conventional
methods. Unless your vet is a holistic vet, alternatives to conventional care
will be left to you to research. Whole Dog Journal has excellent
articles covering a wide range of treatments - both conventional and
alternative - for many ailments. A sample of articles on cancer care can be
found at http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-32917273_ITM
.

We know that the food we
put into our bodies affects our health and dietary changes are sometimes
necessary when we become ill. The same is true for our pets, so we seek
information as to how to feed them to optimize their health. There is an
overwhelming amount of information out there. Investigate as many viewpoints as
possible. One of the most comprehensive sites for a variety of information is http://www.lowchensaustralia.com/HEALTH/diet.htm
. A more concise site is http://www.dogaware.com/
. Dogwise.com carries a good selection of books that address nutrition for
dogs. It may be easier to contact a specialist. Just as a dietician can help
design a meal plan to help a human with health issues, a canine nutritionist
may save you hours of research and help you avoid costly mistakes. The
University of Tennessee School of Veterinary Medicine recently offered a public
seminar on animal nutrition by Dr. Bartges, hopefully more will follow.

Partnering in the care
of your pet may seem like a foreign concept to some and an unquestionable
necessity to others. Those of us in the second group are thankful to the vets
who accept and appreciate our need to be involved, to address our fears and
concerns in a constructive manner. Luckily, the news was good for most of the
dogs involved in the health issues mentioned earlier in this article. The owners
still continue their research, but it gives us peace of mind. After all, is it
really possible to know too much about our pets’ health?

Jan Casey is a
reward-based trainer in Florida
at Courteous Canine, Inc. www.courteouscanine.com
and owner of Smiles and Wags Pet Services
www.smilesandwags.com. Mrs.
Casey is a member of the Association of Animal
Behavior Professionals. Mrs.
Casey is a columnist for the Cookeville,
Tennessee Herald-Citizen Pet
Pages and Kid's Korner . This column was originally written for the Herald-Citizen www.herald-citizen.com.

My family lost Brave to cancer in Jan 2010.